The Emperor, on returning to his palace, sent for Yqlass-qhan, a nobleman whose intimate connections with the two Sëids were known, and he gave him the commission of quieting Abdollah-qhan’s mind, so as to reclaim him from exciting troubles, and to engage him to prevent his brother from quitting the Decan. For the report ran strong that he was already in full march; and this much is certain that he had already sent his younger brother, Seif-eddin-aaly-qhan, to B8rhanp8r, at the head of a body of four or five thousand horse, with orders to prepare a camp-equipage and a train of artillery. He had been roused by the troubles that were rising in the capital; and he intended to march, when he received intelligence that the Emperor had gone to visit Abdollah-qhan in order to bury all the past in oblivion, and to swear an eternal friendship to their family. This contrary intelligence could not but perplex his mind, but yet he stayed the preparatives he was making for his departure, and resolved to wait for further advices from the capital; and he was in a suspense of mind, when, to his amazement, he was roused again by a pressing letter from Abdollah-qhan, who requested his assistance without a moment’s delay. At the same time the general report was at Aorengabad that his brother, the Vezir, was reduced to extremities at the capital; and that he had not a moment to lose, if he wanted to save him from destruction. What added greatly to his inquietude, was an answer returned to his supplication by the Emperor, which purported that “It might be better for him to repair to Ahmed-abad, in G8djrat, if he only wanted a change of air; else, he might come to the capital, where His Majesty would see him with pleasure.” This was accompanied by an order to send to court the pretended son of Prince Ecber.

Whilst the Viceroy was preparing every thing for his march, his brother, Abdollah-khan, was enlisting troops with all his might at the capital; in which operation he was greatly seconded by the wretched circumstances in which not only the train of artil­lery at the capital, as well as all the troops in and about that immense city laboured, but also by the distress which even the body-guards with the whole Imperial household suffered for want of pay and subsistence. Full nine months in arrears were due to them, whether in consequence of Abdollah-qhan’s neglect, or perhapst hrough his own contrivance. They had received nothing in that long while, and their discontents had risen to a height; but they had no one to direct it, or to lead them to action. So that Abdollah-qhan’s levies amounted by this time to full twenty thousand horse; and he had besides the art of adding to his strength by a winning deportment. Here is an instance of it:—

Ser-b8lend-qhan was by this time reduced to an extreme necessity, not only because he had been at all times indigent, and his Djaghir had been taken from him of late, but especially because he had spent his all in supporting the troops he had brought with him, which were now persecuting him for their arrears and pay. Driven to despair by such large demands which he could not satisfy out of his own purse, without depriving him­self of every thing, he had now resolved to get rid of the clamours of his troops, and of the persecution of his other creditors, by abandoning to them his elephants, horses, equipage, furniture and jewels, as far as they would go; after which he intended to put on a religious garb and to turn Fakir. Nor was Nizam-el-mulk better circumstanced. That General who had been sent for to court with such pressing invitations and under a solemn promise of the casket of the Vezir, not only had been disappointed, but he had besides lost a rich Djaghir which he possessed; and he had the mortification to see it bestowed on Yticad-qhan, this new favourite, on whom the Emperor seemed so far to doat, that he seemed to have no eyes and no ears but for him. He now lived retired without ever going to court, and was pining away in discontent. The Vezir being informed of all these particulars, engaged the two Generals, by dint of entreaties, to come to his palace; and when they were arrived, he sent for Ser-b8lend-qhan’s military officers, and his others creditors, and after having adjusted all their demands, he paid them out of his own private treasury, and moreover recommended him to the Government of Cab8l, then vacant. Turning then his attention towards Nizam-el-mulk, he made him hope that he would shortly be appointed to the Government of Malva. Two actions that gained him entirely the hearts of those two Lords. It was just at this time that Mahmed-aamin-qhan arrived suddenly at court from Malva, without any leave and without any letters of recall. This designed Governor had advanced as far as Serondj, where receiving no fur­ther instructions from court, and hearing also that Hossëin-aaly-qhan, Viceroy of Decan, was upon his march for the capital, he quitted his post, and repaired to court, where the Emperor would not see him; and he, moreover, dismissed him from his service. Abdollah-qhan no sooner heard of this, than he sent for him, and by dint of presents and favours gained him to his party; and he was so successful in this kind of warfare, that Qhandö8ran him­self, who in society with Emir-djemlah had been so instrumental in blowing the coals of dissensions, now went over to the Vezir’s side, and was admitted to all his secrets.

So many desertions could not but sour the Emperor’s mind, and he was contriving expedients every day to chastise those deserters. One day the Emperor going out with a hunting party, had agreed with his courtiers, that at his return he would call at the Vezir’s; and as Maharadja Adjet-sing’s lodgings were upon the road, and close to that Minister’s palace, it was expected that the Gentoo Prince would stand out to make his bow, and present his Nazur, in which case he might be seized easily, without the Emperor’s appearing to be of the plot. Unluckily the Gentoo Prince, who was fearful of what might come to happen, being conscious how much his attachment to the Sëids had rendered him obnoxious, or who possibly had received timely intelligence of what was intended, thought proper to repair to the Vezir’s palace, where he tarried. This miscarriage could not but affect the Emperor’s spirits; and although part of his retinue was already rendered at the Vezir’s, and that Minister himself had come out and waited on the strand for the moment of paying his bow, the Emperor kept his eyes fixed on the opposite side, and having ordered his bargemen to steer by the middle of the stream, he soon arrved at the citadel.

By this time Hossëin-aaly-qhan had quitted Aorengabad, and The Viceroy in full march for the capital, obliges his army to an exact disci­pline. was on full march towards the capital. Although his army was numerous, and his camp-followers still more so, he made them observe so exact a discipline, that no man was bold enough to offer the least injury to any one in the many villages enclosed every night within his encampment. One day, a girl, daughter to a poor widow, that could hardly subsist, came out of one of these villages, and impelled by the pangs of hunger, she availed herself of the darkness of the night to stroll about the tents in quest of some food. A man was actually dressing some victuals; and having asked her, whether she chose to follow any one that would take care of her, she consented, and fell asleep close to the man, who overcome by the fatigues of a long march, slept soundly the whole night, without ever thinking of the girl. At day-break he got her mounted upon a camel that carried his things, and sent her with the baggage. Meanwhile, the widow, who had in vain waited late at night for her daughter, could not obtain a moment of sleep; but at day-break, she took her post An affecting story. upon a rising ground, close to which she knew that the Viceroy would pass. On descrying his elephant, she screamed out, “That a virgin daughter, the only property left to his afflicted servant, having strayed last night about the camp in quest of some food, had to all appearance been enticed away by some of his people.” She added with a flood of tears, “That she hoped that the Vice­roy, out of a tender regard for afflicted widows and all injured people, would condescend to stop, until her daughter should be found out, as she could not bear to live without her only child.”

The Viceroy greatly affected by the woman’s tears, stopped short, and after having sworn that he would taste neither food nor drink, until she was righted, he ordered strict search to be made throughout the whole army. On this order the Paymasters produced their rolls, and sending their officers everywhere, they enjoined to each Commander to send a number of trusty men amidst the ranks in order to set up an exact search; and as there are Angels always ready to second the intentions of virtuous men in high offices, this immense multitude, that equalled the crowds at the Day of the Judgment, and which moved like the waves of a sea, proved of no obstruction to the search; for after a slight inquiry, the man and the girl were both found out, and both brought before the General. The latter turning towards the girl, asked her how she came to go astray, and whether her person had been meddled with? The girl answered that, tired with suffering every day the pangs of hunger, and the thoughts of famine, she had followed the man of her own free-will, in hopes of putting an end to her sufferings; and that as they had slept the whole night soundly, he had not touched her person. The General, on this answer, returned thanks to God Almighty, that her chastity had remained undefiled in his camp, and that he had it in his power to gratify the disconsolate mother. At the same time he sent one of his guards with her, with orders not to quit her cottage, until the whole army should be gone, and at a dis­tance.*