Sheer Khan having thus secured a safe retreat for his family, his friends acquired fresh spirits. Hoomayoon, in the mean time, spent three months at Goor, at which place he received advices that his brother, Hindal Mirza, had revolted in Agra, and that he had put to death Sheikh Bheilole, on account of his attachment to Hoomayoon; that he had also coined money in his own name. Hoomayoon, therefore, leaving Jehangeer Koolly Beg, with five thousand horse, in Goor, returned towards Agra. Owing to the excessive rains and bad roads, the King's cavalry and beasts of burthen perished in great numbers; and Sheer Khan, who had by this time raised a consider­able army, entrenched himself on the banks of the Jowsa, at a ford by which he thought the King must of necessity pass; at which place Hoomayoon was defeated with great slaughter, in the manner already related. Sheer Khan did not immediately push forward to the capital, but having resolved to leave no enemy in his rear, he returned to Bengal. He there engaged Jehangeer Koolly Beg in several battles; in the last of which he defeated and slew him, and cut his army to pieces. After the reoccupation of Bengal, Sheer Khan assumed the title of Shah, or King, and causing coin to be struck, and public prayers to be read in his name, marched the next year with an army towards Agra. Hoomayoon, by this time being deserted by his brother Kamran, had also given offence to his Mo­gul officers by the decided preference he showed towards his Toorkoman troops. He, however, crossed the Jumna with a hundred thousand horse, to encounter Sheer Khan, whose force did not exceed fifty thousand men. Sheer Khan, as we have already mentioned, defeated Hoomayoon, and pursued him through Agra and Lahore to Khooshab; from whence the latter eventually re­treated towards the Indus.

Meanwhile Ismael Khan, Ghazy Khan, and Futteh Khan Bulloch, governors of the several provinces in Punjab, acknowledged the title of Sheer Shah. In his progress through that pro­vince, having observed among the mountains of Nandere and Bulnat a hill well calculated for defence, he ordered a fortress to be constructed on it, which he named Rohtas. Khowas Khan, to whose bravery and conduct he felt himself deeply indebted, was created Sipasalar (commander of his forces), and a tenth of the revenues of Punjab was assigned to him, of which province he was ap­pointed governor. Heibut Khan Neeazy remained in command of the army in the north-west, while Sheer Shah returned towards Agra. On his arrival he learned that Khizr Khan Sheerwany, whom he had left in the government of Bengal, had espoused the daughter of the exiled King, Mahomed Shah Poorby, and had assumed the state of a sovereign prince. Aware of the danger of permitting such conduct, Sheer Shah proceeding to Bengal, Khizr Khan submitted without a struggle, and was im­prisoned. Sheer Shah now divided the kingdom of Bengal among a number of chiefs wholly inde­pendent of each other, and appointing Kazy Fu-zeelut, a native of Kurra, famous for his learning as well as for his wisdom, to control the whole, he returned to Agra.

A. H. 949.
A. D. 1542. In the year 949, Sheer Shah marched towards Malwa. He advanced, in the first instance, to Gualiar, where he found that Shoojaat Khan, one of his officers who had laid siege to the place, had already induced Hoo-mayoon's governor, Abool Kasim Beg, to surren­der that strong fortress into his hands; and shortly after, Mulloo Khan, the governor of Malwa, sub­mitted without a struggle. Mulloo Khan, how­ever, became suspicious of some design against his person, and fled from the King's camp; when Hajy Khan was appointed temporarily governor of a part of Malwa, and Shoojaat Khan was nominated to the charge of Sivas. Sheer Shah now marched to Run-tunbhore, where Mulloo Khan, the ex-governor of Malwa, attacked both Hajy Khan and Shoojaat Khan, but was repulsed. Shoojaat Khan having distinguished himself very much on the occasion, Hajy Khan was recalled, and the government of Malwa was intrusted solely to Shoojaat Khan.

Sheer Shah reached Runtumbhore, and obtained possession of that fortress from the governor, who still held it in the name of the Prince Mahomed Lody. After this event, Sheer Shah returned to Agra, where he remained a whole year, super­intending the civil administration of his govern­ment. Meanwhile Heibut Khan was sent to wrest Mooltan out of the hands of the Bullochies, who had occupied it. Futteh Khan Bulloch was in con­sequence attacked and expelled, and the whole country submitted to the arms of Dehly. Heibut Khan received the title of Azim Hoomayoon, and the government of Mooltan.

A. H. 950.
A. D. 1543. In the year 950, Sheer Shah learned that Poorun Mul, the son of Silhuddy Poorbeea, a chief who had formerly oc­cupied some of the Malwa districts, maintained a seraglio of two thousand concubines, many of whom were Mahomedan women. He made this a pretext for war, and accordingly marched and invested him in the fort of Raisein. The siege was protracted for a length of time, and Poorun Mul capitulated, by which the garrison were permitted to march out with their arms and property. But Mirza Ruffeea-ood-Deen Sufvy, one of the learned men of that age, gave it as his opinion, that it was by no means necessary to ob­serve faith with infidels, and recommended that the Rajpoots should be attacked. Sheer Shah having occupied the fort, drew out the army, and sur­rounding the followers of Poorun Mull, ordered his troops to cut them off. This brave band, how­ever, defended itself with such valour, that the deeds of Roostoom and Isfundyar might be deemed child's play, till not an individual of the Hindoos survived the horrid catastrophe.

Sheer Shah, after this transaction, returned to Agra. Having remained there a few months, to recruit his army, he proceeded towards Marwar, during the march to which place he entrenched his camp every night, as well for security, as, by exercising his troops, to render them expert in this mode of defence. When he came to cross the sands, he formed redoubts all round him with gabions. In this manner he entered the country of the Raja of Nagoor and Ajmeer. Maldew, the most powerful of the Hindoo princes who still re­tained their independence, opposed the King with fifty thousand Rajpoots, and both armies lay thirty days in sight of each other. Sheer Shah would gladly have retreated quietly; but the danger was too great to admit of his venturing to quit his en­trenchments; while the position of the enemy was such as to render an attack on him very hazardous. In this anxious situation a successful stratagem sug­gested itself to the King. Maldew having originally subdued most of the Rajpoot chiefs now with him, Sheer Shah caused letters in the Hindoo language to be addressed to himself, as if written by the Raja's generals, stating, “That, having been subjected “by the Raja, they had, through necessity, accom-“panied him; but that they were, in secret, inimi-“cal to him: that if Sheer Shah, therefore, would “reinstate them in their former possessions, they “were willing to pay him tribute, and acknowledge “his supremacy.” On these letters Sheer Shah superscribed in Persian, “Fear nothing, but per-“severe, and you may be assured your wishes “shall be complied with.” Some of these letters were purposely thrown in the way of Maldew, who, being jealous of his chiefs, was deceived, and hesitated to give battle, which he had intended doing on that very day. He was more and more con­firmed in his suspicions by the eagerness which his officers evinced to engage; and on the fourth day he even ordered a retreat. Koonbha, one of his principal officers, discovered the deception, and endeavoured to convince Maldew of his error. Finding the Raja's suspicions not to be removed,

A. H. 951.
A. D. 1544.

he told him, “That such treachery “was unprecedented among true Raj-“poots, and he determined to wash “off the stain on their reputation with his blood, “or to subdue Sheer Shah with his own tribe “alone.”

Maldew continued to retreat; but the gallant Koonbha, with a few other chiefs, and ten or twelve thousand men, separating from their prince, turned back with an intent to surprise Sheer Shah's camp. By accident, however, they lost their way in the night, and it was daylight before they reached the enemy. Sheer Shah formed his troops, and at­tacked them: his army, on this occasion, by the most moderate computation, amounted to eighty thousand fighting men, which this small band of brave Rajpoots repeatedly repulsed, and would have probably defeated, had not Julal Khan Jul-wany arrived during the heat of the battle with a reinforcement. Sheer Shah now falling on the Rajpoots with renewed vigour, threw them into disorder. They broke, and Koonbha together with almost all his followers were cut to pieces.

Sheer Shah, after the victory, of which he had at one time despaired, declared, “That, for a hand-“ful of jooar he had almost lost the empire of “India.” For in the territories of Raja Maldew, owing to the poverty of the soil and want of water, wheat, rice, peas, sugar, pan, and other superior productions of Hindoostan are seldom cultivated; the common grain of the country being arzun, which in the language of India is called bajry. Maldew hearing of the loss of so many brave men, was overwhelmed with affliction, and being sub­sequently deserted by the greatest part of his army, he retreated among the mountains of Jood-poor.