Ibrahim Adil Shah, hearing of this revolution on his arrival at Rachore, despatched Assud Khan with the greatest part of his army to reduce the important fortress of Adony, which was on the point of surrendering, when Venkatadry, the younger brother of Ramraj, marched from Bee-januggur with a great army to relieve it. Assud Khan, upon his approach, raised the siege and moved towards him. A sharp engagement ensued; and Assud Khan, finding that he was likely to have the worst of the action from the vast superiority of the enemy, retreated in good order, and was followed to the distance of seven fursungs * by the victors, when he pitched his camp. Venkatadry, in order to be ready to harass the retreat again the next day, halted in full security at the dis­tance of six fursungs† * from Assud Khan, who ardently wished for such an event. Before day­light, on the next day, Assud Khan, with four thousand chosen horse, surprised the camp of Venkatadry, whose self-confidence had thrown him wholly off his guard against such a manœuvre. Assud Khan penetrated to his tents before the alarm was given, and Venkatadry had scarcely time to make his escape, leaving his treasures, family, and elephants, in the hands of the victors. When day appeared, Venkatadry collected his scattered troops, and drew them up as if to engage; but seeing Assud Khan prepared to maintain his advantage, and ap­prehensive of the consequences to his wife and children, he declined a battle, and retiring some miles off, fixed his camp. From thence he wrote an account of his disaster to Ramraj, and requested reinforcements. Ramraj immediately sent supplies of men and money, giving out his intention of car­rying on the war, but he privately informed his bro­ther, that he had reason to imagine Ibrahim Adil Shah had not been induced to besiege Adony of his own accord, but that he suspected the zemindars of that quarter had invited him to make war, and that many of the officers with Venkatadry were secretly in the enemy's interest; therefore he thought he would act prudently by making peace with the Mussulmans at present, and obtaining the release of his wife and family from Assud Khan. In conse­quence of this advice, having procured the medi­ation and influence of Assud Khan, Venkatadry made overtures to Ibrahim Adil Shah for peace; which being granted, and the terms settled to the satisfaction of both states, Ibrahim Adil Shah re­turned to Beejapoor, accompanied by Assud Khan and the rest of his nobility and army.

In this expedition, some malicious persons told the King that Assud Khan had received a vast sum of money, besides jewels and gold and silver plate, from Ramraj, in order to procure the release of the prisoners, and for mediating the peace. Ibra-him Adil Shah, instead of being displeased, or coveting the great sum said to have been received, reproved the informers, and observed, he returned God thanks that he had a servant to whom great kings condescended to pay contributions, and who bore the yoke of submission on their necks. He then, in the presence of the informers, called for Assud Khan, and honoured him with a suit of his own robes, and conferred on him other distin­guishing marks of favour; which confounded his enemies, and for some time prevented their further machinations against him.

The King, on his return to the capital, nomi­nated Assud Khan to the office of prime minister, as well as commander-in-chief of his armies; which circumstance excited more and more the envy of his enemies, who took every opportunity of hinting that his influence was growing dangerous. Though these insinuations for a long time were disregarded, yet some impression was at length made on the royal mind, and the King was heard in private to express his wish to humble the minister. Yoosoof Toork, one of the King's chamberlains, thinking this a fit instant to alarm his master, observed, that Assud Khan, from a similarity of religious tenets, maintained a secret correspondence with Boorhan Nizam Shah, to whom he meditated resigning the fort of Belgam, and entering his service. This story confirmed the suspicion of Ibrahim Adil Shah, who now asked his confidant what would be the surest method of securing his minister. Yoosoof recommended that he should be invited to court from Belgam, on pretence of his being required on the ceremony of the circumcision of the young Prince Ally, when, if he came, he might be easily confined, or his authority curtailed. The King's water-cooler happening to overhear this consult­ation, told it in confidence to his own family, who revealed it to their friends; so that in a short time the King's displeasure against the minister became the topic of conversation among all ranks, and Assud Khan was placed on his guard. When the royal order was sent, commanding him to court, he excused himself from attending, on pre­tence of illness: attempts were then made to cor­rupt his servants to poison him, but all in vain; these measures only serving to render him more vigilant against treachery. At last it was resolved that Yoosoof should have lands conferred on him in the vicinity of Belgam, and retire to them with his dependents, to be at hand to seize any favour­able opportunity that might offer of surprising the minister.

Assud Khan, an experienced and cautious poli­tician, was not to be easily deceived by these arts. One day he proceeded with only a few attendants to visit a garden-house at some dis­tance from Belgam, leaving orders for four hun­dred horsemen to follow. One of Yoosoof's spies obtaining information of Assud Khan's movement hastened to inform his master that the minis­ter had gone out almost unattended, and might easily be surprised and taken prisoner. Yoosoof accordingly advanced towards the garden, which, to his astonishment, he found surrounded by troops. Seeing, however, his own party superior in num­bers, he resolved on attempting to effect his object by force; but was repulsed by Assud Khan, who returned triumphant to Belgam after taking many prisoners.

Ibrahim Adil Shah denied that this attack was made with his consent; and in order to corro­borate this assertion, he commanded Yoosoof to appear at court, and placed him in confinement; at the same time writing to Assud Khan that he was much offended with Yoosoof's conduct, and would punish him in any manner the minister wished. Assud Khan, who knew the real state of the case, sent back a reply, respectfully saying that he himself was the only guilty person, and would willingly have gone to court to implore for­giveness; but that as the King had been pleased of his own accord to overlook his conduct, he was at a loss for words to express his sense of the obligation. With this letter he sent back all his prisoners, after having presented them with ho­norary dresses, and committed to their charge valuable offerings for the King.

The breach between the King and his minister becoming public throughout the Deccan, Boorhan Nizam Shah and Ameer Bereed availed themselves of it to circulate insidious reports, that Assud Khan had promised to deliver up Belgam to them when­ever they should approach; and accordingly, in the

A. H. 949.
A. D. 1542.

year 949, they invaded the territories of Ibrahim Adil Shah, and wresting the five districts dependent on Shola-poor from his officers, gave them up to the ser­vants of Khwaja Jehan Deccany, after which they moved in the direction of Belgam. Assud Khan, though not originally privy to the invasion, deemed it prudent, in order to save his estates from plunder, to join them on their approach with six thousand horse. The allies, inspired with fresh courage by this accession of power, spread desolation through the country to the neighbourhood of Beejapoor; and Ibrahim Adil Shah, conceiving himself unable to oppose them in the field, retired with his family to Koolburga.

Assud Khan, true to the interest of his sovereign, though abandoned by him, secretly despatched Ally Mahomed Budukshy, one of his most faithful ser­vants, to Elichpoor, the capital of Berar, represent­ing to Alla-ood-Deen Imad Shah, * that from the strange and inconstant vicissitudes of fortune an event had occurred, which had involved him in a maze of embarrassment, entreating Imad Shah to march to the aid of Ibrahim Adil Shah, and that he, Assud Khan, would join him as soon as he should reach the borders. Imad Shah, in compliance with this solicitation, moved without delay towards Koolburga; and Boorhan Nizam Shah and Ameer Bereed, then lying before the citadel of Beejapoor, raised the siege, and after devastating the suburbs of the city, marched for the purpose of preventing a junction of the Berar army with Ibrahim Adil Shah. Assud Khan, according to agreement, now quitted the allies, and with all his followers joined Imad Shah, to whom he represented, that the traitor Yoosoof having filled the mind of his prince with suspicions of his loyalty, and Ibrahim Adil Shah having listened implicitly to every idle report tending to his dishonour, the ministers of Boorhan Nizam Shah took advantage of the King's displeasure towards him, and with a view to promote their own advantage had openly declared that he, Assud Khan, had offered to join their master if the King of Ahmudnuggur would invade the territory of Beejapoor. Ibrahim Adil Shah believing this vile tale, became more incensed against him, and not only removed him from his office, but attempted in various ways to take his life. He stated that the enemy, on finding their arts had succeeded, en­tered his estates to give colour to their story, and finding himself unsupported by his sovereign, he was (from regard to self-preservation) obliged to join the confederates for a time; but that as Imad Shah had now come to his assistance, he relied on him to remove from the King's mind the effects produced by the accusation of his enemies; but if that could not be effected, he declared him­self willing to submit to any punishment the King his master might think fit to inflict on him.