The next day, Hydur wrote to Busálut Jung, that it was necesary he should send a garrison into the fort, that he might withdraw his. The prudent Busálut Jung, however, thought proper, from con­venience, or policy, to leave the fort with its depen­dencies to the charge of Hydur, and marched on towards Sura. In two or three days, Hydur had made all his arrangements for the charge of the for­tress, and then marched, with his victorious troops and artillery, by regular stages, to the environs of Balapoor the greater, where he encamped. The governor of the town, Abbas Kuli Khan, the son of Durgah, Kuli Khan, recollecting his cruel treatment of Hydur in former time, and fearing retribution, fled with his women and indispensable baggage to Arkat. Hydur, therefore, on hearing this, sent a garrison of his own troops into the fort, and then marched and joined Busálut Jung, the advanced guard of whose army he selected as his post. Still, however, no meet­ing or visit had passed between them, nor had they ever spoken to each other, except through a medium. When they arrived near Sura, Hydur encamped nigh the Eed Gah, to the westward of the fort, and the Moghul troops took up their position on a Tank, to the eastward of the fort, which they sur­rounded. Batteries were now thrown up; and approaches dug and carried on, and a sharp fire, and the explosion of mines, were kept up continually.

As the operations against this fort, also, were committed to the experience of Hydur, by degrees the town was taken; and batteries being raised, and heavy cannon mounted thereon, the walls of the fort and the citadel were breached, and from the constant fire of the guns, the shock or concussion of which broke the hearts of the besieged, the walls were completely knocked down. But, not­withstanding all this, Trimuk Kishen, the Chief of the Souba, did not lose heart, but for a month continued valiantly to perform his duty as Killadár. At length, however, the walls being levelled with the ground, and being apprehensive of an assault by Hydur’s brave troops, he thought it best, for his advantage, to seek Hydur’s protection, and therefore requested that his and his garrison’s lives might be spared, and that he might receive Kowl, or an assurance to that effect. Hydur, whose for­tune was ever alert, kindly despatched to him assurances of safety, and sent for him, and then placed a garrison of his own in the fort. The depôt of provisions and military stores, which the Mahrattas had collected for the conquest of the Karnatic Balaghaut and Payeen Ghaut, and had deposited in this fort, were all seized by him and applied to his own use; and, without any delay, or the knowledge of any one, he buried under ground all the heavy artillery, and such stores as he wished to reserve for himself, and throwing out four or five pieces of artillery damaged and split at the muzzles with a parcel of old and useless stores, he sent a letter with his congratulations, (Mobarikbadi), on the capture of the place, to Busálut Jung.

The next day, Busálut Jung mounted his horse, and came to the fort to inspect it, and the large magazine of military stores, guns, &c. which the Mahrattas were said to have kept here, and of which he had heard so much, from his spies; the experienced Hydur first met him outside the fort, and then accompanying him inside, and having wheedled and talked him over with fool-deceiving words, he presented him with the keys of the fort, and showed him, one by one, the articles he had allowed to remain.* However, after having inspected them all, Busálut Jung took only three large guns, which had belonged to the body guard of the murdered Nawaub Násir Jung, and sent them to his camp, and then giving the remaining stores and keys and the regula­tion of the Fort and Souba to Hydur, he returned to his tents.

Some three or four days after this, being the day Busálut Jung had appointed for his march to Adhooni, he sent for Hydur, and saluted him with the title of Nawaub Hydur Alí Khan Bahadúr Chuckmak* Jung, and also wrote and presented him Sunnuds, conferring on him the revenues of the entire Souba of Sura, with the Paishkush or tribute of the Poligars; he also added the district of Gurm Koonda, with its fort and dependencies saying to him spontaneously “you are the Chief of all this country; and the creator and bestower of life,* has raised you into existence on purpose to protect his creatures; may you be fortunate and happy in the possession of this country.”* In short, after an interchange of the usual congratulations, the wise Busálut Jung quitted the Nawaub Bahadúr, and, with a large sum of money, horses and elephants, presented by Hydur, he and his whole army returned to Adhooni; and as he was not able to take the guns before mentioned with his army, he left two on a river to the northward of the fort. One gun how­ever, which had belonged to the Julow or body guard of the Nawaub, Nizám al Moolk, Asof Jah, he, with a thousand difficulties, contrived to carry with him. It is not to be concealed, that, at the time Busá­lut Jung conferred on Hydur the titles which have been mentioned, Hydur, from a wish not to dis­please him was silent; but, after Busálut Jung had departed, he rejected the title of Jung, and styled himself Nawaub Bahadúr. In short, the Nawaub remained in the fort, ten or fifteen days, and hav­ing encouraged and assured the peasantry he appointed Meer Ismael Hussein to the charge of the Souba, giving him strict orders to repair the fort, and then returned to his tents.