Just at this time, some ungrateful and traitorous Lords of Ab8l-hassen’s Court, who had been gained by Aoreng-zib’s promises, or were prompted by their own perverseness, came in a body to the Emperor, and proposed to him to take possession of Háider-abad. The Emperor granted them a body of troops, and sent them to S8ltan Muäzzem. But whilst war and peace seemed both at a stand and confounded together, Abdol-rezac-qhan of Lar, one of the Commanders that stuck yet to the King of Háider-abad, and had of late been appointed to watch the motions of the Imperialists, coming to hear of the approach of that succour, fell upon it, and killed or took prisoners two or three of the Imperial Generals, committing also some slaughter amongst the troops that composed that re-inforcement, which not being apprised of its danger, and at too great a distance from the Imperial army to receive any support, was easily over­powered. For the Prince, finding that provisions grew scarce in the neighbourhood of that capital, and that nothing was yet determined as to war or peace, had thought proper to retire at a distance; so that he was now encamped at Ghur, and the army thus at a distance, had been of late weakened by the disgrace of those two heroical men, Qhan-djehan and Sëyd-abdollah, whose numberless important services could not save them from a total dismission, after they had been, as well as the Imperial Prince, severely reprimanded for the lenity shewn to the King and city of Háider-abad. God preserve us, with all the faithful, from such ungrateful masters!

The siege of Háider-abad, meanwhile, drawing to a length, and both the Prince and Qhan-djehan being deemed guilty, Abed-qhan, son to the victorious Ghazy-eddin-qhan, was sent both to command the army and to exact from the Prince the Pishcush, or the present, he had stipulated with the Háider-abadian King; in a little after both the Prince and Qhan-djehan were re-called—the first to live with the Emperor his father; the second to render an account of his conduct. His ill luck was such, that the very day he chanced to arrive at Court, a quarrel arose between his people and those of Muázzem-qhan, father-in-law to the young Prince Cam-baqsh; it was in setting down both their palekies in the yard of the Imperial quarters. A great tumult ensued; and the noise reaching the Emperor’s ears, he sent Qhan-djehan out, with the slave-boys of the Palace, to appease the tumult, and to drive away Muázzem-qhan’s people. The General, who was already afflicted at the reception he had met with from the Emperor, and who made no account of Muázzem-qhan’s bravery, or military talents, no more than of his services or birth, when compared to his own, had no sooner seen to what a height the tumult had already risen, and what disorders it had caused, than he ordered the market-street and the sutlers of this Lord to be plundered and stripped; and this order, having been literally executed, shocked the Emperor extremely. The Monarch, to punish the General, sent him to an expedition on the other extremity of the Empire. It was to take the Fortress of Sansi, in the Djatt country, which service having been expeditiously per­formed, he soon returned to Court, where the Emperor, already disgusted with him, for the imperiousness of his temper, deprived him of all his offices, as well as of all his Djaghirs; and the poor man finding himself fallen at once in all the distresses of proverty and want, pined away and died of a broken heart. Let sincere and candid readers judge from this example, of what kind were the politics of that Prince, and let them conjecture what must have been his notions of gratitude, his principles of Government, and his particular turn of mind! His unworthy acknowledg­ment of the services rendered by his son, and his shocking treatment of two such meritorious heroes, as Qhan-djehan and Séyd-abdollah, whom he confined and vexed in a variety of manners, speak for themselves, and require no proofs or commentary.

After the conquest of Bidja-p8r, and the circular letters sent throughout the Empire to announce that acquisition, the Emperor, under pretence of visiting the monument of Séyd-mohammed-ghiss8-deraz*, or the long-haired, sent his equipage forwards; he at the same time wrote to Saadet-qhan, the Sezavol*, The author resumes the Siege of Haider-abad. to take care to send to the presence the money promised by the King of Haider-abad. Two or three months before, he had so far complied with his son’s request, as to send that King a dress of honor, as a token of approbation of the treaty concluded. The dress and jewels were sent; but all the world knew it to be only a snare intended to lull that unfortunate man asleep, and to put him off his guard. For at the same time, he wrote to Saadet-qhan that the Imperial standards would certainly advance to the walls of Haider-abad; but that meanwhile he ought to recover from Ab8l-hassen as much of the promised money as he could, by whatever means, and that his zeal and abilities would be measured by his success in bringing that affair to a comple­tion. That officer, on this order, pressed the King of Haider-abad so much, that the latter expressed his surprise at so much rigour; when the other informed him that the payment of that money would prove the only means of obtaining his pardon from the Emperor. The King answered, that to find so much ready money after such a long war would be impossible; but that lie had jewels of high value, and that their amount would go a great way towards discharging the debt. He at the same time sent him nine Qhoans or tables covered with loose gems, to which no price was fixed, but which had been separately weighed, put into bags of fine linen, and sealed. He had likewise sent a message to request his keeping these jewels for two or three days as pledges, in which time he would endeavour to find out as much ready money as he could; and that at that time his keeper of the jewel-office would wait upon him to fix their respective values; after which he might send both the money and jewels to the Emperor, together with a supplique particularis­ing the “submissive manner in which Ab8l-hassen had executed Artful man­agement of Aoreng-zib’s. the Imperial commands, and his hopes that His Majesty would be pleased to grant him a full receipt and discharge.” This supplique was backed by some baskets of fruit for ?? Imperial dessert. Saddet-qhan, who had been bred in Aoreng-zib’s school, and was as cunning, faithless, and artful as his master, sent the baskets of fruit to the presence, but joined to them the jewels lodged in his hands as pledges; and two or three days had elapsed already, when the unfortunate King received certain intelligence that the Emperor had set out from Calberga, and was marching to besiege the fortress of Golconda. The intelligence was become public. Ab8l-hassen, confounded at this piece of news, and sensible that he had nothing to hope from the Emperor, sent word to Saddet-qhan, “That his intention in despoiling his consort and family of their jewels, and in stretching every nerve to find out some money, was to soften the Emperor’s heart in his behalf; but since His Majesty seemed bent on the ruin of an unfortunate Prince, the former agreement ceased of course; and he therefore requested the return of the jewels, as there remained no hopes at all of any favour or commiseration from the Imperial benignity.” Saadet-qhan answered, “That being compelled by an Imperial order to urge payment, and uninformed of His Majesty’s intention of coming this way, he had sent to the presence both fruit and jewels, the latter sealed as he had received them; and that as a zealous attentive servant of His Majesty’s, he could not act otherwise. That this matter being already over, he had nothing to offer in atonement at this present unexpected juncture, but his own head and life, both which he would be glad to sacrifice for the Emperor’s service.” This answer of Saadet-qhan’s having produced some more messages, and replies, people were sent to his lodgings to bring the boxes of jewels from thence; and as a sharp dialogue took place on that subject for two or three days together, Saadet-qhan sent a last answer in these words: “I acknowledge, Prince, that you are in the right, and that my conduct has been artful; but in this I have acted by order; for it had become incumbent on me, as I valued my own safety, to comply punctually with my instructions; and now, become your culprit, I have nothing to offer you in atone­ment for the perfidy of my conduct, but my own life. Take it, then, if you like it, and afford that handle against you to a man who is seeking this longwhile a pretence to ruin you and your family. Else, so long as I am alive, there will remain hopes of my being able to soften the Emperor’s heart, so far, as to make him alter the resolution he has set out with; and it may be expected, that sensible of the lenity shewn me, I shall be constantly employed in obliging and serving you.” This singular speech made a singular effect on the King. Pleased with the man’s readiness to expose his own life for his master’s service, and with the frankness with which he acknowledged his fault, the King thought proper to abstain from offering him any injury. He even came to admire his zeal and magnanimity, and sending for him, he applauded his devotion to his master, made him a present of a dress of honour, and added to it a Djemedher, or Decanian poniard, studded with jewels, as well as some other valuable presents.