The King felt obliged to approve of this severe measure. The author of this work has understood, from the best-informed men of the times, that had Tardy Beg Khan not been executed by way of example, such was the condition of the Mogul army, and the general feeling of those foreigners, that the old scene of Sheer Shah would have been acted over again. But in consequence of this prompt though severe measure, the Choghtay officers, each of whom before esteemed himself at least equal to Keikobad and Keikaoos, * now found it necessary to conform to the orders of Beiram Khan, and to submit quietly to his authority.

Soon after this event, the army marched from Nowshehra towards Dehly. The advance guard consisted of the division of Sikundur Khan Oozbuk, Abdoolla Khan, Ally Kooly Khan Indijany, Maho-med Khan Jelabur Budukhshy, Mujnoon Khan Kakshal, and others, the whole commanded by Khan Zuman, who was created Surlushkur† * (com­mander-in-chief). This corps was supported by another body of troops composed of the dependents of Beiram Khan, among whom were Hoossein Kooly Beg, Mahomed Sadik Khan Purwanchy, Shah Kooly Khan Mahrum, Meer Mahomed Kasim Khan Nyshapoory, Syud Mahomed Barka, and others. Hemoo, who had now assumed the title of Raja Vikramajeet, in Dehly, having attached Shady Khan and other Afghan chiefs to his interest, marched out of the capital to meet the King, with an army as numerous as the locusts and ants of the desert. His advance guard, consisting of Afghans, with some artillery, having fallen in with the Mogul Surlushkur, was routed with the loss of all its guns, an event which proved of great importance to Akbur. Hemoo, however, reached Paniput without further opposition; and hearing the King was near, distributed his elephants, in which he greatly confided, among his principal officers, and waited an attack.

Mohurrum 2.
A. H. 964.
November 5.
A. D. 1556. On the morning of the 2d of Mohurrum, 964, the Surlushkur hav­ing halted, was joined by the whole army, except a few select troops who remained to guard the King's person, and drawing up, offered battle. Hemoo began the action with his elephants, in hopes of alarming the enemy's cavalry, unaccustomed to those animals; but the Moguls attacked them so furiously, after they had penetrated even to the centre of the army, where Khan Zuman Khan commanded, that, galled with lances, arrows, and javelins, they became quite unruly, and disdaining the control of their drivers, turned and threw the Afghan ranks into con­fusion. Hemoo, mounted on an elephant of prodigious size, still continued the action with great bravery, at the head of four thousand horse, in the very heart of the Mogul army; but being pierced through the eye with an arrow, he sunk into his howda * from extreme agony. The greater part of his troops feared his wound was mortal, and forsook him. Raising himself again, Hemoo drew the arrow and with it the eye out of the socket, which he wrapt in his handkerchief, and in spite of his painful situation, he continued to fight with unabated courage, endeavouring, with the few men who remained about his person, to force his retreat through the enemy's line. At length Shah Koolly Khan Mahrum levelled his lance against the driver of Hemoo's elephant, who, in order to save his own life, pointed to his master, and promised Shah Koolly Khan to guide the elephant wherever he directed. He was now surrounded by a body of horse, and carried prisoner to Akbur, who was about two or three coss * in the rear. When He-moo was brought into the presence, Beiram Khan recommended the King to do a meritorious act by killing the infidel with his own hand. Akbur, in order to fulfil the wish of his minister, drew his sword, and touching the head of the captive be­came entitled to the appellation of Ghazy†, * while Beiram Khan, drawing his own sabre, at a single blow severed the head of Hemoo from his body.

During this action, fifteen hundred elephants fell into the hands of Akbur, who, marching from Paniput, entered Dehly without opposition. From that city he detached Peer Mahomed Khan, the steward of Beiram Khan's household, towards Mewat, wherein the treasure of Hemoo was de­posited, a service which was accomplished with trifling loss. While these events transpired in India, the Persian army, commanded by Sooltan Hoossein Mirza, the son of Beiram Mirza, the son of Shah Ismael Sufvy, advanced by order of Shah Tahmasp, and laid siege to Kandahar, which fell into the hands of the Persians after a severe action that took place under the walls. In this engagement Shah Mahomed Kandahary, deputy of the minister Beiram Khan, commanded. At the same time news arrived that Khizr Khan, one of Akbur's generals, had been defeated by Si-kundur Shah Soor, and obliged to fly to Lahore.

Akbur, on hearing of these events, put his army in motion and marched towards the Punjab, on which Sikundur Shah Soor, who had advanced as far as Kullanoor, retreated to the fort of Man-kote, built by his relative Sulim Shah Soor. At this place Akbur encamped for the space of three months, during which time the King's mother, and other ladies of the seraglio, together with several of the families of the Choghtay chiefs, returned from Kabul. They were escorted by the officer who had been sent there to afford aid to Moonyim Khan; but Mahomed Hukeem Mirza, with his mother and sister, remained at Kabul by the King's orders. The former was formally invested by patent with the management of that country, under the tutelage of Moonyim Khan during his minority.

The siege of Mankote lasted for six months, when Sikundur Shah opened negotiations to sur­render, and Mahomed Khan Atka was sent into the fort for the purpose of concluding the terms. Sikundur Shah, unable to attend the King owing to his wounds, consented to evacuate the fort, and to cause his son, Sheikh Abdool Rahman, to enter the King's service and remain with him as a host­age for his own future forbearance from hostility, begging that he himself might be permitted to retire unmolested to Bengal. These terms being acceded to, Sheikh Abdool Rahman, in the month

Rumzan,
A. H. 964.
July,
A. D. 1557.

of Rumzan 964, was presented to the King, and made offerings of several ele­phants. Sikundur Shah retired to Ben­gal, and Mankote was delivered up to Akbur, who having left a trusty governor in the place, proceeded on the road to Lahore. Beiram Khan, perceiving that the King had lately conferred favours on some persons whom he sus­pected to be his enemies, was so annoyed, that he withdrew for some days from the royal pre­sence. During this time it happened, that while the King was amusing himself with an elephant fight, one of the animals became unruly, and chanced to run over the tent ropes of Beiram Khan. The minister, conceiving this circumstance was designed, sent Mahim Atka to acquaint the King “that he was sorry to perceive he had given “him offence; and that if he had done so, he “begged to be informed of what he had been “guilty.” The King assured Beiram Khan that the circumstance to which he alluded occurred by mere accident; but the minister was by no means satisfied; nor could he be persuaded that the King's mind was not estranged from him. At length they reached Lahore.

On their arrival, Shums-ood-Deen Mahomed Khan Atka, conceiving that he had offended Beiram Khan, waited on him, and took the most solemn oaths that he had on no occasion spoken

Jumad-oos-
Sany 25.
A. H. 965.
April 9.
A. D. 1558.

disrespectfully of him to the King; meanwhile the army proceeded by easy marches to the south, and reached Dehly on the 25th of Jumad-oos-Sany. On the road a reconciliation took place between the King and the Regent, and the mar­riage of Sulima Sooltana Begum, the niece of the late Hoomayoon Padshah, with Beiram Khan, was celebrated at Jalundur with the King's consent, who was present at the nuptials.

In the same year, Khan Zuman, not only received the title of Ameer-ool-Oomra, but was raised to the rank of an officer of five thousand, and made governor of Joonpoor. Shortly after­wards, he seduced away from the King's body guard one of his troopers, who had been a favourite of Hoomayoon. The King sent an order to Khan Zuman to send the young man back; but some delay occurring, he was induced, at the instigation of Moolla Peer Mahomed, to march the army against him. Khan Zuman deputed one Furokh Ally, on his part, to court, to excuse his conduct; but Moolla Peer Mahomed, knowing that both Khan Zuman and Furokh Ally were the firm adher­ents of Beiram Khan, had sufficient influence not only to procure the messenger to be severely beaten, but subsequently to be pushed off the terrace of the palace, when he was killed. Khan Zuman at length allowed his favourite trooper to quit him; but instead of going to court, he retired to Suroorpoor, having been permitted to take with him one of his master's favourite mistresses, called Dilaram, originally a dancing girl. The young man subsequently engaging in a quarrel on her account lost his life; to revenge which Khan Zuman marched to Suroorpoor, and Meer Abdool Rahman, the governor, fled for protection to the court.

It was about this time that Moosahib Beg, the son of Khwaja Kullan, unmindful of the obliga­tions he owed to Beiram Khan, began to treat him with disrespect, till at length he fell a victim to his misconduct, and was put to death by order of the Protector. This event gave great offence not only to the Choghtay officers and nobles, but also to the King himself, who, shortly after quitting Dehly, proceeded to Agra; and the circumstance was still fresh in every one's mind, when Beiram Khan determined to cut off Moolla Peer Mahomed in the same way.