It happened also that Sháh 'Álam had no advice of the route of our army, and as there was but little water where he was en­camped, he had this morning despatched his main body under Mun'im Khán, while he, with his sons and personal attendants, hunted along the bank of the river Jumna. His pesh-khána, with the usual escort, under Rustam-dil Khán, was coming on in front of our army, in the same route as our line.

Upon delivery of my message to A'zam Sháh, he replied, “Very well. Go and inform my son I am coming up.” I re­turned to the promised place of halt, but what did I behold? The Prince had marched on, and left the village unguarded. I speeded after him, and upon gaining the line, saw a joyful scene of congratulation on victory. When the Prince saw me, he eagerly exclaimed, “I congratulate you on victory.” I replied, “How comes victory without a battle?” Upon which His Highness, turning to a courier, said, “Tell Irádat Khán what you have seen.” The foolish wretch then affirmed that he had seen the elephant of Sháh 'Álam without a rider, and with but few attendants, running off to Ágra. The Prince then said our left wing had defeated the enemy, and taken all their baggage. The cause of this imaginary victory was this. The advanced baggage of Sháh 'Álam, falling in with our left wing, was attacked, and, the escort being small, was soon taken. The ele­phant running away belonged to Rustam-dil Khán, who com­manded the escort.

The Prince, however, now ordered me to go and inform his father of the victory. ^{* *} I declined going, and observed I would not carry intelligence so very ridiculous and groundless. Upon which the Prince was angry, and exclaimed, “What do you mean?” I replied, ^{* *} “Accidents will happen to the baggage of armies, and this boasted victory is no more. Your troops have plundered his advanced tents, but woe to those who have been thus employed! If important work should now offer, they will be useless, confused as they are and encumbered with spoil.” To these remarks the Prince angrily exclaimed, “You are always apprehensive and foreboding ill.” He then ordered Kásim, the dárogha of his díwán, to carry the intelligence of victory to A'zam Sháh.

Scarce half an hour after this had elapsed, when a great dust arose upon our right. Upon beholding this, I said to the Prince, “Behold the consequence of our victory, and the flight of Sháh 'Álam! You cloud precedes at least 50,000 horse.” Just as I concluded, another dust arose, which certified a second body of troops approaching. I desired His Highness to prepare for action, while yet the enemy was at some distance. He then said, “Will you now go and inform my father of the enemy's approach?” To this I replied, “Though I wish not to quit Your Highness's person, yet as I am ordered I must obey,” and having said this, I rode off with speed to A'zam Sháh. On my way I beheld strange disorder. Amánu-llah Khán, a reputed good officer, who acted as advanced guard to Prince Wálájáh, I met with only two or three hundred straggling horse. A'zam Sháh was a kos and a half farther in the rear, and his troops were separated into three divisions, so that I could not easily distinguish the royal post, for the train of artillery had been left in the Dakhin. For when the commander applied for orders respecting it to A'zam Sháh, he was much enraged, and passion­ately exclaimed, “Do men think that I will use cannon against a breeder of cattle? I will not even draw the sword, but will bruise his head with a staff.”

When A'zam Sháh saw me, he made a signal for me to advance; but such was the crowd I could scarce push through it. At length, having come near to his litter, I alighted from my horse, and said, “The Prince informs Your Majesty of the enemy's near approach. What shall I say?” A'zam Sháh, starting as if stung by a scorpion, with furious looks, eyes rolling, and, as was his custom when angry, pulling up his sleeve, exclaimed, “Comes an enemy to me!” Being vexed at his manner, I replied, “So it appears.” He then called aloud for his war elephant, and, in a frantic manner, whirling a crooked staff, stood upright on his throne, and tauntingly said, “Be not alarmed, I am coming to my son.” Hurt at this insult to the spirit of my prince, I said, “His Highness is son to yourself, Asylum of the World, and knoweth not fear. He only represents the enemy's approach, that Your Majesty may advance with the troops, and take the post usual for the Emperor in the day of battle.” Having said this, I rode off to rejoin Bedár Bakht. ^{* *} Just as I reached him, a ball struck the breast of an attendant close to his person. ^{* *}

The two bodies of the enemy had now approached, and halted within a rocket's flight of our line. One of these was headed by the Prince 'Azímu-sh Shán; the other by Mun'im Khán, with whom also were the Princes Mu'izzu-d dín Jahándár Sháh and Jahán Sháh. Our line was so pressed upon each flank and in the rear by baggage elephants, cattle, and followers, as greatly to incommode the troops and render them useless. Sháh 'Álam's artillery played upon us incessantly, and did great execution, and his sons advancing, fired showers of musketry, which fell like hail. ^{* * *} At length our troops, grown im­patient from the galling of the enemy's cannon, prepared to charge. ^{* *} I saw Khán 'Álam move towards the enemy with great rapidity. As he advanced nearer the enemy, his followers diminished, gradually lagging behind, and not above 300 stuck by him to the charge. When I saw this, I well knew that all was lost. The brave chief, however, penetrated to the elephant of 'Azímu-sh Shán, and hurled his spear at the Prince; but it missed him, and struck the thigh of an attendant, when the Prince drew an arrow, which pierced the heart of Khán 'Álam, and he died on the instant. ^{* *} A body of the enemy, under Báz Khán Afghán, now attacked Zú-l fikár Khán, but was repulsed with great loss, and the chief badly wounded; but by the decrees of Providence, Rám Singh Háda and Dalpat Ráo Bundela, on whose valour and conduct most depended, were killed at the same instant by a cannon-shot, upon which their Rájpúts lost all confidence, and fled with the dead bodies of their chiefs. Zú-l fikár Khán, however, yet remained firm, with his own followers; but on being charged by the whole of 'Azímu-sh Shán's division, he left the conduct of the battle to Saiyid Muzaffar, and retired to the rear of A'zam Sháh's post, with Hamídu-d din Khán, and having dismounted from his elephant, fled on horseback to Gwálior, where he was re­ceived by his father, Asad Khán. His flight determined the rout of our army.

The principal followers and personal attendants of A'zam Sháh now dismounted, and laying their quivers on the ground, sat down to await the charge of the enemy, and sell their lives in defence of their patron. Saiyid 'Abdu-llah and his brother, Husain 'Alí Khán, of the illustrious house of Bárha, ever celebrated for valour, whose ancestors had in every reign per­formed the most gallant actions, if possible superior to their sires, descended from their elephants, and prepared to engage on foot. The battle now raged hand to hand with sabres, and there was great slaughter on both sides. Husain 'Alí Khán re­ceived several wounds and fell down faint with the loss of blood. ^{* *} At last a musket-ball and several arrows struck the Prince Bedár Bakht, and he sank down dead on his elephant.

A'zam Sháh, though much wounded, was still alive, when a whirl of dust winded towards him from the army of Sháh 'Álam. From this now issued with a select band the Princes 'Azímu-sh Shán, Mu'izzu-d dín Jahándár Sháh, and Jahán Sháh. A'zam Sháh soon received a mortal wound from a musket-ball, and resigned his soul to the Creator of life. The Prince Wálájáh also sank down in the sleep of death. I now made my escape to Ágra, not choosing to go to the enemy's camp, where I had many friends who would have given me protection.

Rustam-dil Khán, who commanded the escort of Sháh 'Álam's advanced tents, when attacked in the morning by our troops, finding his escape cut off, paid his respects to A'zam Sháh, and had continued near his elephant during the battle till his death with great firmness. Seeing him dead, he ascended the elephant, and cutting off the head of the corpse, remounted his horse and hastened to the camp of Sháh 'Álam. With exulting hope of great reward, he laid his prize at the Prince's feet; but the compassionate Sháh 'Álam, seeing the head of his slaughtered brother in such disgrace, shed tears of affection, and gave Rustam-dil nothing but reproaches. He ordered the head to be buried with proper respect, and forbad the march of victory to be beaten. Mun'im Khán took charge of the bodies of the unfortunate Princes, and treated the ladies of their harems with the utmost respect and tenderness. Though he had received a dangerous wound, and suffered extreme pain, he concealed his situation, and continued on the field till late at night, to restore order and prevent plunder. ^{* *}