A. H. 998.
A. D. 1589. In the year 998, the King, at the request of his minister, marched from Beejapoor, in order to wrest the crown of Ahmudnuggur from Jumal Khan, who had set up the son of Boorhan Nizam Shah in opposition to his father. Jumal Khan, having raised a con­siderable army, advanced with Ismael Nizam Shah to within sixteen miles of the King's camp, but without any intention to engage. In this situ­ation he sent ambassadors with great offers to Dilawur Khan, if he would grant him peace; but the minister refusing to listen to any terms, and many officers at the same time deserting from Jumal Khan, the latter, in order to secure himself from any sudden attack, took up a strong post surrounded by declivities and broken ground, at some distance from his former camp, on the banks of the Beema. Dilawur Khan thinking his enemy weak, and feeling himself secure of victory, marched to attack him, contrary to the express wish of the King, with thirty thousand horse, confident of taking him prisoner. Upon his arrival at the spot where Jumal Khan was so strongly posted, he repented of his rashness, but ashamed to retire, he halted, in hopes that all the troops would soon join. At this instant an officer from Ibrahim Adil Shah arriving, represented, that as the army was not prepared for action, the King desired he would defer it for the present, and stay till the troops were properly organised. Dilawur Khan returned for answer that he would shortly bring Jumal Khan bound to the presence of the King, and instantly advanced towards the enemy. Having with great difficulty passed over much marshy ground, full of hollows, his troops, without order or proper disposition, reached the enemy's front, when Dilawur Khan detached the Bergy cavalry to fall upon the rear, to prevent any of the fugitives escaping. Jumal Khan, seeing himself surrounded, resolved to rely on his sword alone, and drew out his troops, prepared for a desperate resistance. In the very beginning of the action, Ein-ool-Moolk, Ankoos Khan, and Alum Khan, who knew that Ibrahim Adil Shah was displeased with the minister, retired with their divisions, and leaving him in the gulf of destruction, withdrew to the royal camp at Da-rasun. Dilawur Khan, notwithstanding this, fought so valiantly with his own troops, that he threw the enemy into disorder; upon which his soldiers separated to seize the plunder of the camp, ac­cording to the loose custom of the people of India, leaving their general with not more than two hundred horse. A party of the enemy, who had retired in good order with their Prince, Ismael Nizam Shah, perceiving this, returned to the at­tack; and Dilawur Khan, after a gallant struggle, preferring his safety to certain destruction, fled with seven persons, among whom was the author of this history, from the field. On his way, spies brought intelligence that Ein-ool-Moolk with the other officers who had deserted him were hastening to the King, in hopes of destroying his influence; upon which he redoubled his speed, and reached Darasun before them, with three thousand of his defeated troops, who joined him by parties on his route. Lest the victors should pursue, he marched with the King all night towards Shah-doorg, where he arrived the next morning. Jumal Khan, after this very unexpected success, having taken above one hundred elephants, advanced to Darasun, where the author, who had received some wounds, and could not travel from weakness, fell into his hands, but made his escape by a stra­tagem. Jumal Khan, learning that Boorhan Nizam Shah, with his allies Raja Ally Khan and the chiefs of Berar, were advancing, moved to the northward from Darasun, followed by the Beejapoor army, which pursued him for nearly one hundred and sixty miles. The King now thought proper to halt with the main body, and to detach the Bergy cavalry in pursuit, in order to cut off the enemy's supplies, and to harass him on his route. Dilawur Khan insisted that the King ought to march on without delay to the Ro-hunkehra Ghat. The minister's conduct and lan­guage on this occasion gave great offence; and Ibrahim Adil Shah, now of an age to act for himself, and tired of being led in the trammels of the Regent, resolved to free himself by effecting his destruction.

As all the officers of the royal household and the body guards were attached to Dilawur Khan, the King was fearful of communicating his wishes to them, lest they should betray him. After much precaution, he fixed upon two Hindoos, common servants of no note, to be his confidents on this important occasion. These he sent privately to Ein-ool-Moolk, the Ameer-ool-Omra, to complain of the unreasonable conduct of Dilawur Khan; and he received in answer solemn assurances of his support and assistance. After much negotiation conducted through the two Hindoos, it was agreed that the King should, on a certain night when Dilawur Khan was asleep, repair suddenly to the camp of Ein-ool-Moolk, which was only a mile distant, where he was to be joined by him, by Alum Khan, and by Ankoos Khan, who would faithfully obey his commands. Ibrahim Adil Shah, relying

Rujub 14.
A. H. 998.
May 8.
A. D. 1590.

on these promises, on the night of the fourteenth of Rujub, 998, came out of his private apartments, and commanded Kufshdar Khan to bring him a horse. The keeper of the stables refused obedience, saying, that he dared not comply without the orders of Dilawur Khan. Kufshdar Khan, provoked at this insolence, gave him several blows; upon which the grooms of the stables became terrified, and brought horses immediately. The King, mounting, issued forth, attended by his servants from his tents. On the way Elias Khan, his nurse's son, who was upon guard, running up to him, asked the cause of his movement, and received for answer, that the present was not a time for explanation, but he should know if he chose to attend him; which he immediately did, with rather less than a hundred horse. When he arrived within a short distance of the camp of Ein-ool-Moolk he halted, till that nobleman, with Alum Khan, and Ankoos Khan, joined him. As soon as the King's march became known, several officers, among whom was myself, with about three thousand soldiers, hastened to join him during the night.

Dilawur Khan, though above eighty years of age, had devoted that night to a beautiful virgin of the Deccan, whom he had long sought to gain, so that, though several emissaries frequently re­quested admittance to inform him of the King's flight, his attendants, who had received the strictest orders not to disturb him, refused to tell him; a circumstance which gave full time for Ibrahim Adil Shah to complete his designs. Towards sunrise, the minister was roused from his dream of pleasure, and with his sons and six thousand horse, with many elephants, followed his sovereign, in hopes that, on his arrival, the King would be deserted by his friends, and be again obliged to throw himself into his hands. When he came in sight of the royal army, the King ordered Ein-ool-Moolk to prepare to oppose him; but that nobleman sent word privately to the minister, offering to stand neuter while he attempted to carry off the King. Dilawur Khan, encouraged by this assurance, stopped his followers at a little distance, and coming on with a hundred horse and four elephants close to the King, addressed him, saying, that marching at night was extremely improper, but hoped the King would now return to his encampment. Ibrahim, enraged at this insolence, exclaimed, “Will no one punish this traitor?” Upon which an inferior officer of the body guard, named Adeena Khan, spurring his horse up to Dilawur Khan, gave him a wound with his sabre, and was pre­paring to inflict another stroke, when the minister's horse, rearing at the flashing brightness of the weapon, threw him; and his elephant drivers rushing between him and Adeena Khan, he had time to escape to his own troops, whom he en­deavoured to lead on against the King; but they hesitated to assault their sovereign, and many of them even deserted to him. Dilawur Khan, over­whelmed with confusion, effected his escape to Ahmudnuggur; but his son Kumal Khan was overtaken at Darasun by the royalists, and put to death.

When the hand of Providence had thus de-troyed the power of the Regent, and the veil of obscurity was removed from before the King's person, he gave honorary dresses to Ein-ool-Moolk, Alum Khan, and Ankoos Khan, although they had failed in strictly performing their promises; and ascending the throne on the spot, the King gave public audience. Such persons as had distin­guished themselves by their loyalty during the night he rewarded with a generosity beyond their expect­ations, and gratified the nobility and army by liberal largesses. Upon his retiring into his pri­vate apartments to take repose, a circumstance happened worth mentioning. Dilawur Khan being one of the disciples of Hunefy had established the Soony ceremonies during his regency; but many of the nobility, among whom were some strict Soonies, hastily concluding that the King, adopting the tenets of his father and his uncle, must be a Sheea, began to proclaim evening prayer according to the custom of the latter sect. The King, who had, by education, become a disciple of Hunefy, on hearing the call to prayer, was offended at the change, and gave orders for the criers to be confined; but upon being informed of the cause of the alteration, he smiled at the sudden conversion of the Soony nobility, and would frequently rally them upon it, calling them political Sheeas. He, however, left every one to follow his own opinion as to his form of worship; and both sects were allowed to practise their religious ceremonies as in the time of his ancestor Yoosoof Adil Shah.