When Prince Shāh Jahān’s army reached Orissa, Aḥmad Beg Khān, nephew of Ibrāhim Khān, Nāzim of Bengal, who from before his uncle held the Deputy Governorship of Orissa, was out in the interior to chastise some Zamindārs. Suddenly hearing of the arrival of the Prince, he lost all courage, and abandoning his mission, he proceeded to Pipli* which was the Headquarters of the Governor of that Province, and withdrew thence with his treasures and effects to Katak, which from Pipli is 12 kroh towards Bengal. Not finding himself strong enough to encamp even at Katak, he fled to Bardwan, and informed Ṣāleḥ Beg,* nephew of Ja‘fer Beg, of the whole affair. Ṣaleḥ Beg did not credit the news of the arrival of Shāh Jahān in Orissa. At this time, a letter of a soothing tenour came from ‘Abdullāh Khān to Ṣaleḥ Beg. The latter, not being won over, fortified the fort of Bardwan, and entrenched himself there. And when Shāh Jahān’s army arrived at Bardwan, ‘Abdullāh besieged the fort, and Ṣāleḥ Beg was hard-pressed. When things came to their worst, and all hopes of relief were lost, Ṣāleḥ Beg was obliged to surrender to ‘Abdullāh Khān. The Khān putting a piece of cloth round the Beg’s neck, dragged him to the presence of the Prince. When this thorn was put out of the way, the banners of victory were raised aloft towards Rājmahal. When this news reached Ibrāhim Khān Fateḥ Jang,* who was Viceroy of the Ṣūbah of Bengal, he sank in the river of bewilderment. Although his auxiliary forces were scattered about in the tract* of Magha and in other places, mustering up courage, at Akbarnagar otherwise called Rajmaḥal, he set himself to strengthen the fortifications, to mobilize his troops, and to arrange his forces and armaments. At this time, the message of the Prince came to him, to the following effect: “Owing to the decree of fate, whatever was predestined has passed from poten­tiality into action; and the victorious army has come this side. Though before the outlook of my aspiration, the extent of this Province is not wider than the area covered by the movement of a glance, yet as this tract has fallen in my course, I cannot summarily leave it. If you intend to proceed to the Imperial presence, and to stay my hand from meddling with your life, property and family, I tell you to set out in full security for Delhi; or else if you consider it expedient to tarry in this Province, select any place in this Province that may suit you, and you will be let alone there at ease and comfort.” Ibrāhim Khān in reply wrote: “The Emperor has entrusted this country to this, their old servant. So long as my head survives, I will cling to this province; so long as my life lasts, I will hold out. The beauties of my past life are known to me; how little now remains of my future life in this world? Now I have no other aspiration than that, in the discharge of my obligations for past Royal favours and in the pursuit of loyalty, I may sacrifice my life, and obtain the felicity of martyrdom.”* In short, Ibrāhim Khān at first intended to shelter himself in the fort of Akbarnagar, but as the fort was large, and as he had not at his command a sufficiently large force to properly defend it from all sides, he entrenched himself in his son’s mausoleum, which had a small rampart. At this time, a body of Shāh Jahān’s troops who were detailed to garrison the Fort besieged the rampart of the mausoleum, and from both inside and outside, the fire of arrows and muskets blazed up. At the same time, Aḥmad Beg Khān also arrived, and entered the rampart. By his arrival, the hearts of the besieged were somewhat encouraged. As the family and children of many of Ibrāhim Khān’s party were on the other side of the river, ‘Abdullāh Khān and Dariā Khān Afghān planned to cross the river, and array their forces on the other side. Ibrāhim Khān* on hearing of this, became anxious. Taking in his com­pany Aḥmad Khān, Ibrahīm marched confounded to the other side, left other persons to protect the fortifications of the mausoleum, and sent in advance of himself war-vessels, so that these seizing the routes of march of the Prince’s army, might prevent his cross­ing over.

END OF FASC. 2.

(FASC. III.)

But before the war-vessels arrived, Daria Khān had crossed the river. Ibrahim Khān on being apprised of this, directing Ahmad Beg to cross the river, sent him to oppose Daria Khān.* When the two armies encountered each other, a great battle ensued on the banks of the river, and a large number of Ahmad Beg’s comrades were killed. Ahmad Beg, not finding himself strong enough to stand his ground, retired. Ibrahim Khān with a corps of well-mounted cavalry, joined him. Daria Khān, on hearing of this, retired a few kroh, and Abdūllah Khān Bahadur Fīruz Jang* also advancing a few kroh, under guidance of zamindars, crossed the river, and joined Daria Khān. By chance, on a site which is flanked on one side by the river and on the other by a dense jungle, they encamped, and arrayed their troops for battle. Ibrahim Khān, crossing the river Ganges, set to fight. He detached Syed Nūrullah,* an officer, with eight hundred cavalry to form the van, and set Ahmad Beg Khān with seven hundred cavalry to form the centre; whilst he himself with thousands of cavalry and infantry, held the line of reserve. A great battle ensued, when the two forces encountered each other. Nūrullah being unable to stand his ground, retreated, and the fighting extended to Ahmad Beg Khān. The latter gallantly continuing the fight, was seriously wounded. Ibrahim Khān being unable to be a passive spectator of the scene, advanced rapidly. By this forward movement, the array of his force was disturbed. Many of his followers stooped to the disgrace of flight, whilst Ibrahim Khān with a few troops only advanced to the battle-field. Although the officers of his staff seizing him, wanted to drag him out from that labyrinth of destruction, he did not assent to retreat, and said: “At my time of life, this cannot be. What can be better than that, sacrificing my life, I should be reckoned amongst the loyal servants of the Emperor”? At this juncture, the enemy from all sides rushing up, inflicted on him mortal wounds, finished his work, and victory declared itself for the adherents of the fortunate Prince. And a body of men who were entrenched inside the rampart of the mausoleum, on being apprised of this, were depressed. At this time, the Prince’s army set fire to a mine which they had laid under the rampart, whilst gallant and intrepid soldiers rushing up from all sides stormed the forti­fications. In this assault, ‘Abīd Khān Díwan and Mīr Taqī Bakhshi and some others were killed by arrows and muskets, and the fort was stormed. Many of the garrison of the fort fled bare-headed and bare-footed, whilst a number of people with whom the charge of their family and children was the halter of their neck, came and submitted to the Prince.* As Ibrahim Khān’s* family and children, effects and treasures were at Jāhangīrnagar (Dacca), Shāh Jahān’s army proceeded there by river.* Ahmad Beg Khān*, nephew of Ibrahim Khān, who had gone ahead to that city, saw no resource except in surrender, and through the intercession of Shāh Jahān’s confidants, was granted an audience with the Prince. The Prince’s officers were ordered to confis­cate Ibrahim Khān’s treasures. Besides goods and silk-stuffs, elephants and aloes wood, ambergris and other rarities, forty lacs of rupees were confiscated. The Prince released from confine­ment Darab Khān, son of the Khān-i-Khanān, who had hitherto been in prison, and exacting from him an oath, entrusted to him the Government of Bengal, and took along with him as hostages the latter’s wife and a son, Shāh Nawāz Khān.* The Prince sent Rajah Bhīm,* son of Rajah Karan, with a large force, as his Deputy to Patna, and he followed himself with ‘Abdullah Khān and other officers. As the Ṣūbāh of Patna was assigned as a jagir to Prince Parviz, the latter had appointed his Dīwān, Mukhalaṣ Khān*, as its Governor, and Alāh Yār Khān, son of Iftikhār Khān, and Sher Khān Afghān, as its Faujdārs. On the arrival of Rājah Bhīm, they lost courage, and had not even the boldness to shelter themselves in the fort of Patna, till the arrival of auxiliaries. They fled from Patna to Allahabad. Rajah Bhīm without movement of the sword or the spear, entered the city, and subdued the Sūbāh of Behar. Shāh Jāhān followed, and the Jāgīrdārs of that tract went to meet him. Syed Mubarik, who was Commandant of the fort of Rohtās, leaving the fort in charge of a zamindar, hastened to pay his respects to the prince. The Prince sent Abdullāh Khān with a body of troops towards the Ṣūbāh of Allahabad, and sent Daria Khān with another body of troops towards the Ṣūbāh of Oudh, whilst after a while, leaving Bairām Beg to rule over the Ṣūbāh of Behar, the Prince himself advanced towards those parts. Before Abdullāh Khān crossed the river at Chausa, Jāhāngīr Qulī Khān,* son of Khān ‘Azim Kokāh, who was Governor of Jaunpūr, being panic-stricken, had left his post, and had fled to Mirzā Rustām* to Allahabad. Abdullah quickly advanced to the town of Jhosī, which is on the other side of the Ganges facing Allahabad, and encamped there. As he had taken a flotilla of large vessels with him from Bengal, with the help of cannonade crossing the river, he encamped at the pleasantly-situate city of Allahabad, whilst the main body of Shāh Jahān’s army pushed up to Jaunpūr.