In the end of the same year, Mahmood Shah marched towards Sind. On arriving at Sheevur, he selected a detachment of one thousand cavalry, each trooper leading a second horse with a week's provender; and by making forced marches across the desert, he reached the frontier of that country. On the evening of his arrival he halted, in order that his men and horses might be effective on the following day, when he attacked the enemy's camp. This delay, however, enabled some persons who were tending their camels to give intimation of this sudden inroad, so that many of the Bulo-chies made their escape in consequence, and the King found the tents deserted, except by a few persons who had concealed themselves. These were dragged out on being discovered by the soldiery, and put to death; and their camp was delivered up to plunder; after which the King retreated to Moostufabad, having penetrated on this occasion as far as the Indus.

Mahmood Shah's next effort was against the port of Jugut, with a view of making converts of the infidels, an object from which he had been hitherto deterred by the reports he received of the approaches to it. The cause of making the attempt at this time arose from the capture of Mowlana Mahmood Samarkandy by the people of Jugut. This holy man was one of the most learned philosophers of his age. He had spent the greater part of his life in the service of the Bahmuny kings, and being in the decline of life was re­turning to his native country. Having embarked in a vessel bound to Ormuz, it was driven into the port of Jugut, where the inhabitants, at the instigation of the bramins, boarded the ship, and having taken the Mowlana and family prison­ers, plundered him of all he possessed, permitting him with his two children to go, but detaining his wife. * The holy man brought his complaint to Mahmood Shah at Moostufabad; stating that his wife had been seized and detained by Raja Bheem of Jugut; and he persuaded the King that he was bound in duty to attack these infidels, who had thus dared to lay hands on the faithful. Mahmood Shah, having harangued his army, stated the necessity of making another campaign against the infidels of Jugut, to which, although the troops had been sadly harassed during the last three or four years, by severe marches, they cheerfully consented.

The King, after an arduous march, at length arrived before the fort of Jugut, a place filled with infidels, misled by the infernal-minded bra-mins. They were terrified at the appearance of the Mahomedans, and fled in confusion to the island of Béte. The spot on which the King encamped was full of wild beasts, such as lions, leopards, and wolves. Snakes, also, were so nu­merous, that within the enclosure occupied by the royal tents no fewer than seventy * were killed in one day. The army was employed in destroying the temple at Jugut, and in building a mosque in its stead; while measures, which occupied three or four months in completing, were in progress for equipping a fleet to attack the island of Béte. During this time the enemy attacked the King's flotilla on twenty-two different occasions. At length the Mahomedans reached the island, and landed, and having got into the town, put to death a vast number of Rajpoots. Raja Bheem effected his escape in a small boat during the attack, though he was overtaken and made prisoner by some vessels sent in chase; and being put in fetters was carried in the train of the King to Moostufabad, where he was delivered over to the holy man on whose account the war had been undertaken, to whom also his wife and property were restored. The Raja was, subsequently, at the instigation of Mowlana Mahmood, dragged around the city of Ahmudabad, and put to death, in order to deter others from similar conduct.

Mahmood Shah, conceiving his dominions too extensive for his own immediate management, di­vided Guzerat into separate provinces, appointing governors to each, himself residing at Moostufabad.

Béte and Jugut, — Furhut-ool-Moolk,
Songier, — Imad-ool-Moolk,
Godra, — Kowam-ool-Moolk,
Tanna, — Nizam-ool-Moolk,
Ahmudabad, — Khoodabunda Khan.

The latter individual was the preceptor of the Prince Moozuffur Khan.

A short time after this arrangement took place, Khoodabunda Khan, in conjunction with Ray Rayan, and some other officers, concerted a plan to dethrone Mahmood, and to place his son, the Prince Moozuffur, on his throne, and proposed taking advantage of the Rumzan fast to carry their project into effect. Among others to whom they communicated their plan was Imad-ool-Moolk, governor of Songier, whom they swore to secresy. The force which he commanded being at that time at the seat of his government, he had not the power, even had he wished it, to oppose the conspirators; he therefore pretended to enter into their project, and in the mean time sent messengers to order his troops to Ahmudabad.

On the last day of the Rumzan, * Imad-ool-Moolk went to the Prince's court, accompanied by his troops, and attended him, as usual, to read prayers at the Eedgah, and he returned without making any attempt to place him on the throne, as was expected. The conspirators, though dis­appointed, were overawed by the force of Imad-ool-Moolk, and looked on the plot as having failed. In the mean time, Keisur Khan, an officer of the household, mentioned the affair pri­vately to the King, who proceeded forthwith to Gogo, and embarking in a vessel sailed to Cam-bay. On his arrival there, he was met by most of the confederates, who came to welcome him. On the first court-day, in order to discover how they were disposed towards him, he addressed his courtiers, saying, that as his son Moozuffur had now arrived at years of discretion, and as he understood that some of the nobles looked up to the Prince in preference to him, he had come to the resolution of abdicating the throne in the Prince's favour, and proceeding to Mecca to pay his devotions at the holy shrine. Imad-ool-Moolk of Songier entreated the King, in the first place, to proceed to Ahmudabad. This ob­servation from Imad-ool-Moolk at once convinced him that he had nothing to apprehend from that quarter, he therefore marched to Ahmudabad, de­claring, that, after his arrival, he would not eat till the nobles consented to his visiting Mecca. The chiefs, having by this time discovered that the King only wanted to try their fidelity, forbore to urge him; and Nizam-ool-Moolk recommended him to proceed and subdue the fort of Champanere, from the plunder of which the expenses of the pilgrimage might be defrayed. The King replied, “God willing, let it be even so.” For some days after he avoided conversing with Imad-ool-Moolk, whom he knew to be loyal; but although ac­quainted with the whole plot, he had yet com­municated nothing to the King. An explanation, however, at length took place, when the King disgraced the minister Khoodabunda Khan, and caused the person employed in the meanest office of his household to be called by his name, in order to show that the minister was worthy of no higher station. Mahmood Shah, after remaining for some time at Ahmudabad, proceeded to Puttun, from whence he deputed Imad-ool-Moolk and Keisur Khan to levy tribute on the rajas of Julwara and Aboogur. During the first march, while encamped at the shrine of Sheikh Hajy, Mujahid Khan, the son of the late degraded minister, took the oppor­tunity of revenging himself on Keisur Khan, who had given the first information of his father's defection, and entering his tent at night, put that nobleman to death. The King's suspicions of the murder fell first on Ajdur Khan, who was known to be hostile to Keisur Khan, and he was placed in fetters; but the real murderer and his accomplices having fled from camp the next night, the King caused Khoodabunda Khan to be imprisoned, and Ajdur Khan to be released. The King now returned to Ahmudabad, and then proceeded to Moostufabad, where he re-

A. H. 887.
A. D. 1482.

mained for some years. In the year 887, he prepared an army to move towards Champanere; but about that period, hearing that the Bulsar pirates had gained such an ascendency at sea as to threaten the invasion of his dominions, and had already intercepted the trade, he collected a fleet, on board of which he embarked a force consisting of gunners, mus­keteers , * and archers, with which he sailed from Cambay. After some days the fleet fell in with the enemy and gave chase: a running fight was sustained for some hours, during which several of the piratical vessels were captured. The fleet re­turned to Cambay, and the King repaired to Ahmudabad.

During this year, in consequence of an unusual drought, famine prevailed in Guzerat, of which

Zeekad 1.
A. H. 887.
Dec. 3.
A. D. 1482.

many thousands of the inhabitants pe­rished. On the 1st of Zeekad, the King commenced his preparations for march­ing against Champanere. This fortress†,*

situate on a high hill, was surrounded by strong works of solid masonry, and was in possession of Beny Ray, a chief of the Rajpoot tribe. It is so ancient that no tradition even exists of the time of its foundation. The princes of Champanere had possessed the government from time immemorial; and sixty thousand Rajpoots formed the army of the Raja, who were devoted to his person with an enthusiastic attachment. It is by no means, there­fore, to be wondered at, that this fort had not yet been subdued, or that its rulers had never bent their necks to the Mahomedan yoke.*