On the road to Agra, a tiger being roused, Akbur directed no one to approach it; but riding forward himself, he discharged several arrows at him. The animal remained quiet below some rising ground, on which the King had taken post. Akbur now fired a musket-shot, which having struck the brute he rushed directly upon him. Adil Khan, one of the attendants, gallantly interposing, wounded the tiger severely with his sword, and other men having run in, cut the tiger in pieces with their swords.

At Agra Akbur received advices that Ibrahim Mirza and Mahomed Hoossein Mirza, having se­parated from Chungiz Khan, * the ruler of Guzerat, had returned to Malwa, and commenced hostilities by laying siege to Oojein. Kullich Khan Indijany and Khwaja Gheias-ood-Deen Kuzveeny Bukhshy were accordingly deputed to expel them; and on their approach, the Mirzas retreating precipitately, crossed the Nurbudda, and again sought refuge in Guzerat.

Rujub,
A. H. 976.
December,
A. D. 1568. In the month of Rujub, in the year 976, the King marched from Agra to reduce Runtunbhore, then in possession of Raja Soorjun Ray, who having pur­chased the fort from Hijaz Khan, an officer of Sulim Shah's time, resolved to defend it. On

Rumzan 22.
A. H. 976.
March 17.
A. D. 1569.

the 22d of Rumzan, 976, the King invested the place, and caused a battery to be constructed on an adjoining hill, called Mudun; where he posted a few guns, a measure no one had ever before at­tempted. At every discharge a number of the houses were laid in ruins, till at length Raja Soorjun Ray capitulating, he was permitted to march out un­molested with all his family.

Akbur, after this conquest, made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen Chishty, at Ajmere, and returned to Agra; from whence he proceeded to visit the venerable Sheikh Sulim Chishty, in the village of Seekry. As all the King's children had hitherto died, he solicited the Sheikh's prayers, who consoled him, by assuring him he would soon have a son, who would live to a good old age. Shortly after, the favourite Sool-tana, being then pregnant, on Wednesday the 17th

Rubbee-ool-
Awul 17.
A. H. 977.
Sept. 2.
A. D. 1569.

of Rubbee-ool-Awul, in the year 977, was delivered of a son, who was called Sulim. On this occasion the King published an act of grace to all prison­ers; and having performed a pilgrimage on foot to the shrine of Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen, at Ajmere, returned by the route of Dehly, enjoy­ing the diversion of the chase on his road back.

Preparations were now made for the siege of Kalunjur. Raja Ram Chundur, who had obtained possession of this fort from the officers of Sulim Shah, had heard of the fate of the garrison of Chittoor, and accordingly made terms for delivering Kalunjur to

Mohurrum 3.
A. H. 978.
June 7.
A. D. 1570.

the King. On the 3d of Mohurrum, 978, the King had another son born to him in the house of the venerable Sheikh Sulim, whom he called Moo-rad. On this occasion, also, he made another pilgrimage to Ajmere, and ordered the town to be fortified with a stone wall. From thence he pro­ceeded to Nagore, where Chunder Sein, the son of Raja Maldew, and Kullian Mull, the Raja of Bhikanere, came out to meet him with valuable presents. The King having received the daughter of Raja Kullian Mull in marriage, marched from Nagore to Ajoodhun, when having visited the shrine of Sheikh Fureed-ood-Deen Gunj Shukur, he proceeded to Depalpoor, where Mirza Azeez Koka, the governor, made handsome presents.

Suffur 1.
A. H. 979.
June 24.
A. D. 1571. On the 1st of Suffur, 979, the Em­peror marched towards Hissar Feroza, and proceeded by the route of Ajmere to Agra. Sikundur Khan Oozbuk, who had been long wandering among the woods of Bengal, was now introduced by Moonyim Khan, governor of Joonpoor, to the King, and on due contrition received the royal pardon.

The King considering the village of Seekry a particularly propitious spot, two of his sons having been born there, he ordered the foundation of a city to be laid, which, after the conquest of Guzerat, he called Futtehpoor. The govern­ment of Guzerat being torn by intestine factions, Akbur thought proper to proceed thither in person; and having marched to Ajmere, and paid his devotions at the sainted shrines, and solicited the prayers of Khwaja Syud Hoossein Khing-Sowar, he detached his general, Khwaja

Jumad-ool-
Awul 2.
A. H. 980.
Sept. 9.
A. D. 1572.

Kullan, in advance, following himself with the main body of the army. In the mean time he appointed Ray Sing to the government of Jodpoor, the former residence of Raja Maldew. When arrived within two marches of Nagore, the King received advice of the birth of another son. on the second of Jumad-ool-Awul, in the house of Sheikh Daniel, whom he called Daniel Mirza.

The King's army appearing before Puttun, in Guzerat, Sheer Khan Folady, an officer of rank in the Guzerat kingdom, abandoned his post and fled. The government was conferred on Syud Ahmud Khan Barha, and the army marched in the course of a week in the direction of Ahmudabad. Before it had proceeded two stages, Moozuffur Shah, King of Guzerat, came to meet Akbur, and was introduced by Meer Aboo Toorab Shirazy, who, though a native of Guzerat, was of true Syud descent, and born of Persian parents.

On the following day, Etimad Khan, Syud Chand Khan Bokhary, Yekhtyar-ool-Moolk, Mullik Ashruf, Wujee-ool-Moolk, Aluf Khan Hubshy, Joojhar Khan Hubshy, and other Guzerat chiefs, came to pay their respects; but as the Hubshies * were strongly suspected of disaffection to the Moguls, they were for the present kept under restraint. The city of Ahmudabad fell in this manner without a blow into the hands of Akbur Padshah, as will appear in detail in the history of the kings of Guzerat. Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza, however, was still at the head of an independent army at Baroach, and his brother, Mahomed Hoossein Mirza, at the head of another considerable force near Surat. Yekhtyar-

A. H. 980.
A. D. 1572.

ool-Moolk, also, one of the Guzerat officers who had joined the King, fled at this time, in order to create an insurrec­tion. It was thought proper, therefore, that the other Guzerat chiefs should be placed under re­straint. On the arrival of the army at Cambay, the King appointing Mirza Azeez Koka governor of Ahmudabad, proceeded towards Baroach; but Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza, hearing of Akbur's ap­proach, and suspecting the fidelity of Roostoom Khan Roomy, one of his officers, put him to death; and having resolved to avoid the Mogul army by about forty coss (sixty miles), determined to march into Punjab, and create an insurrection in that quarter. The King receiving intelligence of Ibra-him Hoossein Mirza's intentions at nine o'clock at night, took a small body of horse with him, leaving in camp his son, the Prince Sulim, under charge of Khwaja Jehan and Kullich Khan Indijany, and marched with expedition to cut off Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza's retreat. Next day on reaching the river Mhendry, which runs by the town of Surtal, the King found his party reduced to forty troopers, and he could perceive Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza encamped with one thousand men on the opposite bank of the river. At this crisis Syud Mahmood Khan Barha, Raja Bugwandas, Raja Man-Sing, Shah Koolly Khan, Soorjun Ray, Raja of Runtunbhore, and other chiefs, * who had been detached to Surat, and had been recalled, joined the King with seventy horse­men. With this small reinforcement, without waiting for more troops, which would shortly have arrived, Akbur resolved to attack the enemy. His whole party did not exceed one hundred and fifty-six men. Raja Man-Sing led the advance, and having crossed the river first, instantly charged Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza; but he was so galled by the enemy's archers, that he was compelled to fall back; and the King, who was with this band of Rajpoots, found it necessary to halt in a lane, formed by hedges of the prickly pear†, * which did not admit of more than three horsemen riding abreast. In this situation, three of the enemy's horsemen galloped up the lane, and attacked Akbur as he stood in advance of his men. Raja Bhugwandas gallantly threw him­self forward, and received one of the horsemen on his spear, dismounted him, and having in­stantly charged another, the remaining horseman fled, and was pursued by Raja Bhugwandas and his brother. The latter displayed, on this day, the heroism of Roostoom and Isfundyar, and pene­trating beyond the lane, he repeatedly charged through a body of one hundred men, and event­ually lost his life. The King, meanwhile, following him, galled the enemy with arrows, till perceiving Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza, he charged full at him, but the latter having a more speedy horse effected his escape. We hardly know any instance of a King having displayed so much individual courage and intrepidity as Akbur did throughout this trans­action, though it must be admitted he exposed his own person very unnecessarily. The King, con­tenting himself with this achievement, desisted from pursuit, and waiting till his army arrived, marched and laid siege to Surat. In this place was Goolrokh Begum, the daughter of Kamran Mirza, and wife of Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza. * On the appearance of the Dehly troops, the Princess fled to the Deccan, leaving the officers of her husband to defend the place, but carrying with her an infant son, Moozuffur Mirza. Meanwhile the other Mirzas having collected troops in the vicinity of Puttun, held a council of war, in which it was resolved that Ibrahim Hoossein Mirza, and his younger brother Musaood Hoossein Mirza, should prosecute a predatory warfare in Punjab, and that Mahomed Hoossein Mirza and Shah Mirza, in conjunction with Sheer Khan Folady, should attack Puttun, in order to make a diversion thereby in favour of Surat.