When the Ray heard of the determination of Mahmood Shah, he began to lay waste the country contiguous to Rusoolabad, and put to death many of the faithful. On the King's arrival at Baroda, repenting of his conduct, the Ray sent ambas­sadors to solicit forgiveness; but Mahmood Shah, enraged at the devastation committed on Rusoola-bad, refused to listen to any accommodation.

A. H. 888.
A. D. 1483. It was in the beginning of the year 888 before all the preparations were ready, that Taj Khan, Beiram Khan, Etibar Khan, and Azd-ool-Moolk, were sent in advance,

Suffur 7.
A. H. 888.
March 17.
A. D. 1483.

and arrived at the foot of the hill on the 7th of Suffur, A. H. 888. After this the enemy repeatedly attacked these troops without much effect, till at length the King having reached the fort, he encamped at Girnary on the Malwa road. Beny Ray deputed ambassadors, offering to pay two elephant loads of gold if Mahmood Shah would desist from his purpose; but finding neither his entreaties nor offers of any avail, he collected his troops, con­sisting of sixty thousand men, beside the auxiliaries furnished by the neighbouring rajas. With these troops the Rajpoots made frequent attacks on the besiegers; till at length they compelled them to raise the siege; and the Raja drew up his army to engage the King, who now appeared at the head of his forces. The action which ensued was san­guinary, and obstinately contested on both sides; and the Hindoos, though repulsed, retreated in good order, with a compact body of twelve thou­sand men. The King having followed the enemy to the foot of the hill-fort, renewed his disposition for the prosecution of the siege, and returned in person to Girnary. Shortly after, a convoy of pro­visions and stores, under Syud Mudun Lung, was attacked by the Rajpoots, and the whole convoy seized. In consequence of this, the King repaired to the camp, and superintended in person the oper­ations of the siege, both in constructing the trenches and carrying on mines. The flower of the Rajpoot army had been destroyed in the late action; and the Raja, beginning to despair of saving his capital, or of appeasing Mahmood's rage, sent his minister Shew Ray to Mando, promising Sooltan Gheias-ood-Deen Khiljy of Malwa to pay him a lack of tunkas of silver for every march he should make in coming to his assistance. Gheias-ood-Deen assembled his army for this purpose at the town of Nalcha; when Mahmood Shah, leaving orders for the continuation of the siege, marched to attack him. On arriving at D'har, Mahmood Shah heard that Sooltan Gheias-ood-Deen, on being reproached by his nobles and officers for entertaining an in­tention of marching to the assistance of an infidel, had disbanded his army and returned to Mando. Mahmood Shah, in consequence, countermarched to Champanere, and caused a mosque to be built in the lines, in order to convince his troops that it was his resolution not to desist from the siege of the fort till it was reduced. The mines were now carried on with increased exertion, and the approaches brought within a short distance, so much so that the besiegers discovered that the Rajpoots left the place through a sally-port every morning in order to perform their ablutions. The King, taking advantage of this circumstance, or-

Zeekad 2.
A. H. 889.
Nov. 17.
A. D. 1484.

dered a party on the morning of the 2d of Zeekad, A. H. 889, to be close to the walls at daylight; and as the besieged quitted them, many of the Mahomedans rushed into the place, and penetrated as far as the second gate, while Mullik Eiaz Sooltany, * with a small party, escaladed the western wall, where a breach had been made a few days before by one of the batteries, and got possession of the main gate. The Rajpoots seeing no chance of escape, and finding that the King rejected all overtures for surrender, made a funeral pile within the walls, and having brought their property, their wives, and their children, set fire to it, and con­sumed them to ashes; after which, they resolutely awaited the storm. Meanwhile they made every effort to expel Mullik Eiaz Sooltany from the posi­tion he had gained; but a shell * falling on the palace of the Raja, it was deemed unlucky. Mah-mood Shah, who was ready in the lines, sent more troops to support Mullik Eiaz, who opened the gates, and admitted the Mahomedans. With this reinforcement the King arrived in person; and having planted the colours on the works, obtained entire possession of the remparts. The Hindoos, thus situated, collected in a body, and running to some water near the spot, bathed, with their naked swords and spears in their hands, and then rushed on the Mahomedans. The Rajpoots were for the most part killed in this assault, though the victors also suffered severely, both in killed and wounded. The Raja Beny Ray, and his prime minister Don-gursy, were both wounded, and fell into the hands of the King's troops.

After this victory, Mahmood Shah caused public prayers to be read, and directed the wounds of the prisoners to be attended to. Having sent for Beny Ray, he asked him what could induce him to hold out so long, before so large a force. The Ray replied, with undaunted firmness, “I hold this territory by “hereditary right, and being descended from a line “of noble ancestors, have been taught to respect “that name which they handed down to me. I “determined, therefore, not to act in a way so as “to disgrace my family.” Mahmood, admiring this spirited and manly conduct, ordered every attention to be paid to the Raja's wants and comforts.

During the time the King was detained by his sick and wounded at Champanere, he laid the foundation of the city of Mahmoodabad, and also of a beautiful mosque, in which was a pulpit with this sentence inscribed upon it, commemorating the date of its completion:—

“Prayers and the pulpit.”

Beny Ray having recovered from his wounds, the King used every effort to persuade both him and his minister to embrace the Mahomedan faith. They, however, persisted in refusing, swearing that they preferred death to abjuring their religion. Mahmood Shah was in hopes of shaking their con­stancy by confining them separately, and treating them harshly. This conduct only tended to support their resolution, till at length the King, at the instigation of some holy men about his person, ordered them to be put to death.

At this period, he caused the city of Ahmudabad to be surrounded by a wall and bastions; and on its completion had the following sentence, commemo­rative of the date of that event, inscribed on one face of the fortification:—

“Whosoever is within is safe.”

A. H. 892.
A. D. 1486. In the year 892, some merchants travelling from Dehly with horses for Guzerat were plundered in passing the territories of a Hindoo chief. * The King im­mediately sent a person to demand restitution of the property; and such was the awe Mahmood Shah had inspired, that the merchants were not only well reimbursed, but the messenger was handsomely entertained, and magnificent pre-

A. H. 900.
A. D. 1494.

sents sent back with him to the King. In the year 900, one Bahadur Geelany, an officer of the Deccan government, having revolted from his master, collected a force consisting of from ten to twelve thousand men, and also a fleet, with which he not only seized on the ports of Goa and Dabul, but went so far as to lay hands on some Guzerat vessels trading along the coast. He afterwards landed, and took possession of the island of Mahim†, * giving up the town to plunder. On information of this event, the ad­miral, Sufdur-ool-Moolk, was sent to Mahim by sea, and Kowam-ool-Moolk marched with a force by land. The fleet experienced a heavy gale off the port, in which most of the vessels were stranded; on which occasion the enemy came down to the beach, and massacred the crews as they were washed ashore. The admiral himself was taken prisoner, and all the fleet fell into the enemy's hands. Kowam-ool-Moolk hearing of this disaster, on his arrival near Mahim, sent a mes­senger to the King, and halted till further orders. Mahmood Shah now deputed an envoy to the King of the Deccan, complaining of the outrage committed by Bahadur Geelany; and that mo­narch marching against the rebel (notwithstanding a disaffection of the nobles of his court), seized * his person, and caused him to be executed; and Sufdur-ool-Moolk, the Guzerat admiral, was re­leased from prison, and the fleet of the late Bahadur Geelany, which fell into the hands of the King of the Deccan, was delivered over to the admiral's charge. After the necessary equipments, Sufdur-ool-Moolk sailed from Mahim to the northward, taking with him some valuable presents from the King of the Deccan, and also a letter, requesting the interference of Mahmood Shah with the officers of his army, and the nobles of his court, who were in a state of actual revolt. Mahmood Shah, perceiving that matters had gone too far to be enabled to render him any aid, declined engaging in the affairs of his court.