‘Adlī and Muḥammad Khān Gauria were at that time sitting down over against one another, with the river Jamna between them, at a place called Chhappar Khatta, fifteen krohs from Kalpi. 433.
Gauria, confidently relying upon his superior force to overcome the forces of ‘Adlī, had drawn up his cavalry and infantry and elephants to a number surpassing all computation, and was every moment* expecting victory, when suddenly the scale turned against him, and Hīmūn swept down upon him like a comet, and no sooner did he reach the ranks of the picked elephants after crossing the river Jamna,* than he swooped down upon the army of Gauria, taking them unawares as does the army of Sleep, and making a night-assault gave no one time so much as to lift his hand.
They were in such utter confusion* that no man knew his head from his heels, nor his turban from his shoes. The greater part of his Amīrs were slain, while the remnant who escaped chastisement took to flight. The wretched Gauria was so effectually concealed that up to the present not a trace of him has been found, and all that retinue and paraphernalia of royalty* and grandeur became “like the scattered moths and like flocks of carded wool,”* and became in a moment the portion of the enemy. The kingdom is God's, the greatness is God's.
Verse.In one moment, in one instant, in one breath,*
The condition of the world becomes altered.
After this heaven-given victory and unforeseen triumph, ‘Adlī proceeded to Chinhār and appointed Hīmūn,* who who was the commander-in-chief of his army, with abundant treasure and a countless host, elephants of renown, an ornament to the army and a terror to the enemy, to repel the forces of the Mughul which had taken possession of the country as far as Itāwa and Āgra, as will be presently related if God Most High so will it.
Just at this juncture Khiẓr Khān, the son* of Muḥammad Khān Gauria, who had been killed, succeeded his father in Kor,* issuing the currency and reading the Khubah in his own name, with the style and title of Sulān (Muḥammad)* Bahādur, and collecting a huge army to revenge his father's death, came up against 434. ‘Adlī, who notwithstanding his distress* fought bravely on that field, and contrary to expectation met with fierce resistance. After fighting manfully ‘Adlī was killed, and joined Muḥammad Khān whose life-blood was yet freshly spilled, fighting in hot blood. This event occurred in the year 962 H. and Gauria bikusht* was its chronogram.
Verse.My soul, do thou look at the world and take what it gives to
thy heart's desire;
Live at thine ease therein a thousand years like Nūḥ.*
Every treasure and every store which kings have laid by,
That treasure and that store seize* and take for thine own.
Every pleasure which the world contains do thou consider as
made for thee;
Every fruit which grows in the world* do thou taste and
take.
In the final round which brings the end of thy life,
A hundred times seize the back of thy hand with thy teeth
and gnaw it (in despair).
‘Adlī was so highly skilled in singing and dancing that Mīyān Tāusīn, the well-known kalān-wat* who is a past master in this art* used to own to being his pupil, and Bāz Bahādur, son of Sazāwal Khān, who was also one of the most gifted men of his age and had no equal in this life-wasting accomplishment acquired the art (of music) from ‘Adlī.
Verse.They owned no rival, but surpassed them all,
May God He is exalted and glorified, pardon them.
One day a performer from the Dakhan brought into his assem- 435. bly an instrument called pakhāwaj,* which is in length* equal to the height of a man, so large that the hands of no man could reach* the two ends of it, as a sort of challenge to those who were present, and all* the performers of the kingdom of Dihlī were unable to play it; ‘Adlī, however, found out by his knowledge of other instruments how to play it, and placing a cushion on the floor beat* the drum now with his hand and now with his foot. The assembled people raised a shout and all the skilled musicians owned their allegiance to him, and praised him exceedingly; and at the time when he was an Amīr, and as a commander of twenty-thousand held a jāegīr,* a Bhagat boy* handsome and comely who had acquired perfection in his art, used to come to his assembly from some of the villages near Badāon, and used to play.* ‘Adlī was so fascinated by his beauty and skill that he kept him in his own service and took pains to educate him, giving him the name of Mujāḥid Khān.* When he attained to kingly power he made him a commander of ten thousand. His natural elegance and refinement were such that one day upon returning from the polo ground of Badāon* he said, “I am hungry.” Ghāzī Khān Sūr whose tent* was at the head of the road said “What I have ready is at your service.” ‘Adlī, for politeness sake, felt constrained to accept his hospitality; first they brought some fried sheep's liver.* No sooner had he smelt it than he leapt from his seat, and was so disgusted that he left the company* and drew rein nowhere till he reached his house; they say also that the sweepers used to gather up the remains of camphor of the finest quality two or three times daily from his dressing-room, and whenever a necessity arose* he would first grow red, then pale and livid,* and would faint while his countenance changed. In spite of all this leisure and luxuriousness, his fasts and prayers were never duly 436. performed;* he had entirely given up the use of intoxicants, and the day he left the world the treacherous time even grudged him two yards of cloth, and it was never known where his corpse went.*
Verse.Oh ye lords of wealth beware! beware!
And you, ye lords of state, beware! beware!*
After him, the kingdom fell away from the race of Afghāns and returned to its original holders, and right once more became established.