On the night of Monday, the 18th of Rabí'u-l awwal, being the moment that had been fixed for the auspicious departure to Kábul, the royal train moved from the capital of Lahore in that direction. At the same chosen period, too, His Majesty despatched 'Allámí with the multitudinous forces (resembling the waves of the sea), amounting together with the army serving in Kábul to 50,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry, including musketeers, gunners, bombardiers, and rocketmen, for the purpose of conquering the country and fortress of Kandahár, Bust and Zamíndáwar. He was further accompanied by ten large and ferocious war-elephants, eight heavy and twenty light guns; the latter of which carried two and two and a half sír (four and five lbs.) shot, and during an engagement used to be advanced in front of the army; twenty elephants carrying hathnáls, and 100 camels with shuturnáls, besides a well-replenished treasury, and other suitable equipments. He was instructed to repair by way of Kábul and Ghazní to Kandahár, and about 3000 camels were employed in the transport of artillery stores, such as lead, powder and iron shot. * * *

On the 3rd of Jumáda-s sání, the first month this year, the victorious Prince Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahádur, who had set out from Multán for Kandahár, reached his destination. 'Allámí, who had hastened thither by way of K bul, having joined His Royal Highness on the above date, delivered the kind and indulgent fárman. As it had been determined that the siege of the fortress should be commenced simultaneously with the arrival at Kandahár, the fortunate Prince, having finished marking out the positions that the royal forces were to occupy, invested the stronghold that very day. * * *

In short, for two months and eight days the flames of war burned fiercely, and on both sides numerous casualties occurred. On one occasion, when Muhammad Beg Topchí-báshí (Comman­dant of the Artillery), and five or six others of the garrison, had been destroyed by a shot from the gun named Fath Lashkar, the Kazalbáshís sallied out of the fort and poured down upon the trenches; whereupon a desperate struggle ensued between the adverse hosts. Another time they fell on 'Allámí's trenches; but a party of his retainers firmly held their ground, and after putting a few of their antagonists to the sword, and wounding some others, manfully laid down their lives; and on the arrival of succour, the enemy retired precipitately within the fortifica­tions.

To be brief, the royalists used the most strenuous exertions, and laboured with unremitting zeal and assiduity in carrying forward the parallels and zigzags of attack, and demolishing the crest of the parapet and the bastions. Nevertheless, as the fortress possessed immense strength, and was filled with all the military weapons and stores required for an effective defence, their utmost efforts produced no impression, and, owing to the storm of shot and shell that poured on them like a shower of rain from the fort, they were unable to advance their trenches beyond the spot they had already brought them to. In the interim, out of the seven guns which had accompanied the royal army, and were the most effectual implements of attack, two that were mounted in the Prince's trenches had cracked from constant firing, and had become quite unserviceable. As for the other five, which were in the trenches conducted by 'Allámí and Kásim Khán Mír-i átish, although they continued to be discharged, yet as they were not served by scientific artillerymen, their fire was not so effective as could be wished.

As soon as these particulars became known to His Majesty's world-adorning understanding, and he was informed that the capture of the fortress was at that period impracticable; and it also reached the royal ear that the Uzbeks and Almáns had come into the neighbourhood of Ghazní, and excited tumults, as already described, a farmán was issued to the illustrious Prince on the 4th of Sha'bán, to withdraw his forces from around the fortress, and, deferring its capture till some other period, to take his siege train along with him and set out for Court. * *

As the Prince Buland Ikbál, after the return of the army from Kandahár, had guaranteed to conquer that territory, and with this view the provinces of Kábul and Multán had been bestowed upon him, His Royal Highness, on reaching the capital, applied himself to the task of making the requisite arrangements for the campaign. In the course of three months and some days that he remained at Lahore, he used such profuse exertions, that what could not have been otherwise accomplished in a year was effected in this short period. Among the siege train was a gun called Kishwar-kushá (clime-conquering), and another Garh-bhanjan (fort-shattering), each of which carried an iron shot one man and eight sírs in weight (96 lbs.); and they were worked by the gunners under the direction of Kásim Khán.

There was also another large piece of ordnance that carried a shot of a man and sixteen sírs (1 cwt.), and was plied under the management of His Royal Highness's Mír-i átish, as well as 30,000 cannon-balls, small and great. He also got ready 5000 mans of gunpowder, and 2500 of lead, measuring by Imperial weight, and 14,000 rockets. Having likewise collected as many grain dealers as were procurable, he made arrangements for the army commissariat, and the safe arrival of supplies. He then despatched a letter to Court, representing that as the moment of starting was fixed for the 23rd of Rabí'u-l awwal, and the pre­liminary arrangements for the campaign had been completed, if the royal forces appointed to this enterprise received their dismissal, he would set out for Kandahár. A mandate in the auspicious handwriting was therefore issued, directing His Royal Highness to start off at the predetermined moment by way of Multán, on which road provisions and forage were abundant. [Long details of the siege.]

Among the stirring incidents that occurred during the siege of Kandahár was the subjugation of the fortress of Bust by the laudable exertions of the servants of the crown, a concise account of which is as follows. * *

Siege of Kandahár raised.

Ultimately the duration of the siege extended beyond five months, the winter began to set in, all the lead, powder, and cannon-balls were expended, and neither was there any forage left in the meadows, nor provisions with the army. A farmán likewise was issued to this effect, that as the winter was close at hand, and they had already been long detained in Kandahár, if the reduction of the fortress could not be effected just at once, they might stay if necessary some short time longer; or other­wise return immediately. Rustam Khán, who had been recalled from Bust for the purpose of sharing in the assault, having dismantled that fortress, distributed the provisions among his men, and reached Kandahár with his comrades, bringing all the artillery stores, and property in the Kár-khána, that was there, along with him. With an eye therefore to the safety of the property mentioned above, he deemed it expedient to return, and not one of the royalist commanders proposed staying any longer. The Prince Buland Ikbál consequently, on the 15th Zí-l ka'da this year, set out from Kandahár for Hindústán.