As the world caravanserai is a source of warning to the far-sighted spectator, whatever appears in it has thousands of designs and equities in deposit and is an expression of Divine power. It behoves the seer to see this. In the hall of justice of the True Judge which is in the market-place full of noise and evil (the world) no good fortune is destroyed and no one is brought from the heaven of honour to the earth of ignominy so long as he does not abandon recti­tude and take the road of wrong. Accordingly, at this time, when the capre of Bairām Khān's fortune was nearly full, there came a rift into his disposition, so that by the agency of short-sighted strifemongers and ill-fated envious ones who are displeased with destiny and at war with God, and who from meanness of under­standing are grieved at others' joy, and rejoiced at others' grief and trouble, Bairām Khān's heart became alienated from Mullā Pīr Muḥam­mad. The latter in the abundance of his loyalty and sincerity continued in his devotion and disposed of matters political and financial. He relied upon his rectitude and probity, and did his work without a wrinkle on the brow of his heart, or a knot in the eye-brow of his soul. As such a person is inevitably the mark of high and low, and is surrounded by crowds, this makes the hearts of the incompetent bleed with envy, and from their evil imaginations indulge in calumny and slander; while the minds of the great on account of press of busi­ness, and want of leisure for investigation, become confused by the buzzing of such fly-like creatures. Pīr Muḥammad Khān was also the asylum and refuge of mankind, and enviers by profession felt their blood boil and girded themselves up to be tale-bearers and stirerrs-up of strife. Baīrām Khān's day was near its close, and he let fall from his hand the thread of deliberation, which is fitted to be the comptroller of men, and put himself into the hands of the envious, and grew suspicious of Pīr Maḥammad's lofty actions. Without the latter's having done anything which merited dismissal, he, at the instigation of enviers by profession, and on the statements of untrue and interested persons flung off an honest man who had put his trust in him.

Just at this time there was the incident of the Nāṣir-ul-mulk's falling ill for some days, and of the Khān-Khānān's paying him a visit. The Turkish slave, who was the doorkeeper, ignorantly said: “I'll announce (your arrival).” The Khan-Khānān was put out by this treatment, and when Mullā Pīr Muḥammad knew of it he came out and made a thousand apologies. At the same time only a few of the Khān-Khānān's suite were allowed to enter with him. The frowu which for some time had been behind his brow came out, and he meditated something against the Nāṣir-ul-mulk. The envious waiters upon events got their opportunity and made remarks, especially Shaikh Gadāī. After two or three days Khwāja Amīnu-d-dīn Maḥmūd, Mīr 'Abdulla Bakhshī, Khwāja Muḥammad Ḥusain Bakhshī and some servants were sent to Nāṣir-ul-mulk with the message: “You were wearing the dress of a poor scholar when you came to Qandahār. As you appeared simple and honest, and did good service you were raised to high office by me, and from being a Mullā you became a leader of armies. As your capacity was small you easily became intoxicated and got out of hand after one cup. We fear lest some great mis­chiefs may be committed by you which it will be difficult to remedy. It is better that for some time you should draw in your feet under the blanket of disappointment, and sit down in a corner. You will now make over your standard, drum and other insignia of distinction and of your exaltation, and betake yourself to the amending of your dis­position, for this is good both for yourself, and for the world. There­after whatever we shall determine with regard to you, will be carried out.”

As soon as Pīr Muḥammad Khān heard this message he, being a man of independent mind, made over with an open brow the para­phernalia of office, and with a blithe heart accepted retirement. Some days afterwards, Bairām Khān, at the instigation of some evil-disposed persons, resolved upon imprisoning him in a fortress. With this idea he sent the Mullā along with a number of men to Bīāna. There, at the intercession of men who held a medium between well-wishing and enmity, he got permission to go to the Ḥijāz, and set off for Gujrāt. When he came to Rādhanpūr* Fatḥ Khān Balūc watched over him for a time, and strove to do him honour. At that time letters came from M. Sharafu-din Ḥusain and Adham Khān bidding him stay at whatever place he had reached, and to await events. He returned from there and took up his abode at the valley of Jhāīn* near Rantambhūr, and fortified that defile. When Bairām Khān heard of this he sent Shāh Qulī Maḥram, Kharam Khān and a body of troops to seize him. When this force approached, there was an engagement. When night came on, Pīr Muḥammad Khān evacuated the place and went off with a small following. His goods fell into the hands of those who had been sent on the expedition.

In short Bairām Khan, on account of his own carelessness and the instigation of envious, short-sighted men put aside this honest and able servant, and with his own hand struck with a hatchet the foot of his fortune. As H.M. the Shāhinshah had made over the whole business of sovereignty to Bairām Khān and was remaining behind a veil and testing the characters of men, he left to God the retribution of this evil deed which had its origin in wicked designs, and in the plenitude of his wisdom said nothing openly, and merely watched the spectacle of the world. Bairām Khan appointed, as vakīl in succession to Pīr Muḥammad Khān, Ḥājī Muḥammad Khān Sīstānī, who was an old servant of his. But though Ḥājī Muḥammad was the nominal holder of the office, the real Vakīl was Shaikh Gadāī who was the Ṣadr. In all political and financial matters Bairām Khān did nothing without consulting him, and the latter being unhinged by the man-throwing wine of the world did not consider the poor and weak. Arrogance, which casts down old fortunes; what then must happen to newly-made ones?—was assumed by him and was the cause of his own fall and of that of his patron. The effects of this were soon seen, as will be related in its place.

One of the events of this year was the sending Ḥabīb 'Alī Khān* to conquer Rantambhūr, which was a fortress famous for its height and solidity. In the time of the Afghan supremacy Salīm Khān had entrusted this fort to his slave Jajhār Khān. When the drum of the Shāhinshāh's fortune beat high, this ill-fated slave saw that the main­tenance of the fort was beyond his powers and, with the evil intention of preventing its falling into the hands of the imperial servants, sold the fort to Rai Surjan, who was a servant of Rānā Udai Singh, and who was powerful in that neighbourhood. Surjan built houses in the fort, and established himself there. He also forcibly seized the villages round about. At this time the sacred mind turned its attention to the capture of the fort and despatched Habīb 'Ali Khān and other leaders. The force girded the loins of resolution for the capture, and beseiged the fort. The flame of battle rose high, and the courage of the foe became like water, but as the Almighty reserved the taking of the fort for the supervision of H.M., there happened just at this time the disruption of Bairām Khān, and prudent men thought other matters more necessary and so did not proceed with the siege.

Among the occurrences of this time is the Shāhinshāh's, the dweller under the veil, going to Gwaliār. As the lofty genius of H.M. the Shāhinshāh is innately devoted to the capture of kingdoms and the chase of hearts, he, during this interval of his career, was much inclined to hunting with the cīṭa. He made that the veil of his world-adorning beauty. At this time he directed his progress southwards for the sake of hunting and glorified the territory of Gwaliār by his presence. While he was hunting, some deer-keepers (āhubānān) and other huntsmen represented that the merchants accompanying Shaikh Muḥammad, who was one of the famous Shaikhs of India, had brought bullocks* from Gujrāt which were unequalled and fit for the royal hunting equipage. Accordingly an order was issued to bring the bullocks after paying the merchants the price which was agreeable to them. Thereupon it was represented to H.M. that Shaikh Muḥammad and his relatives had better cattle than these, and that if he would pass by his location on his way back, the Shaikh would certainly for the sake of his own glorification present him with them. Accordingly, with the ostensible object of procuring those animals, but in reality in order to test the Shaikh's urbanity, he went to his abode. The Shaikh made the dust of the royal party the eye-salve of his glory and recognised in H.M.'s advent a protection* against Bairām Khān's oppression, and presented all the cattle which belonged to his people, together with other gifts and curiosities of Gujrāt. He also tendered various sweet-meats and perfumes. At the end of the interview he asked H.M. the Shāhinshāh if he had become the disciple of anyone (lit. given the hand of fealty.) H.M. who had placed the hand of trust in God's hand and was a treasury of the treasuries of spiritual and temporal truths, and sought to conceal his status and spiritual rank, had withheld the hand of his genius from the empty-handed, and was a spectator of the varied spec­tacle of the universe, formally replied in the negative. The Shaikh put out his arm, and laid hold of the sacred hand of that divinely nurtured one, and said, “We have taken your hand.” H.M. the Shāh­inshāh in the abundance of his courteousness and modesty took no notice,* but smiled and departed. H.M. the Shāhinshāh often used to relate in his high assemblages that, “On that same night we returned to our tents and had a wine party and enjoyed ourselves, and laughed over the way to catch bullocks and the Shaikh's dodge of stretching out his arm.”