In that night of screams and confusion, which like that dark­ness which is to precede the Day of Judgment, covered with its sable veil the whole extent of the city, nothing was heard but confused noises; nor did any one know what might actually be doing within the castle. For the Vezir’s troops having taken pos­session of every great street and market, as well as of every gate of the city, passed the whole night under arms, whilst the Mar­hatta officers with their whole cavalry remained on horseback, in expectation of being instantly called to action. But the moment the day commenced dawning, every one of the citizens rose in a state of incertitude, and with a mind that floated betwixt hope and fear; and whilst Sol was shedding his first rays on the golden standard of the Vezir’s fortune, a report ran that he had been killed; and nothing was heard in the streets and markets but cries and screams. Just in that moment of suspense, some con­siderable Commotions all over the city. Lords, incensed at the reverse of fortune of which they heard only from common report, thought it incumbent upon them­selves to run to the Emperor’s assistance, and, as they thought, to support his defenders. These were Saadet-qhan, his father-in-law; Ghazi-eddin-qhan, the goat’s beard; and the brave Aghyr-qhan, the Turk. These three mounted, and advanced towards the castle, with what troops they could collect. But Nizam-el-mulk and Qhandö8ran thought it would be prudent to stay at home. On the other hand, Mahmed-aamin-qhan mounted likewise, but it was to go to the Vezir’s assistance. But as a body called the Cammul-poshes or blanket-wearers,* were going to join Qhandö8ran, their Commander, they fell in with a body of troops of Marhatta horses, who forbade their passing farther; and this threat having been received by the others with a shower of arrows, whilst Mahmed-aamin-qhan’s standards were making their appearance on the opposite side, the Marhattas who took them all for so many enemies, and did not relish their finding themselves cooped within a city’s walls, where they could not fight but in streets and lanes, took fright, and putting spur to their horses, they fled on all sides, without further inquiry, to the unspeakable satisfaction of those idlers and sharpers who thronged the streets, and especially to the great joy of the Moghuls and other disbanded soldiers of the Emperor’s, who already incensed at the haughtiness of those A body of Marhatta horse destroyed within the city by the mob. infidels, rushed amongst them pell-mell, and commenced killing and stripping the runaways. The Marhattas confounded to find nothing but foes in every street and at every door, dispersed, and fled farther, as far as the camp, but not without leaving fifteen hundred of theirs upon the spot, who as well as the whole corps of one Sinta, and of two or three officers more, were hacked to pieces. They had also numbers of wounded. The horses of all these slain were laid hold of by the victors and by the mob, who on breaking some saddles by accident, were surprised to find the stuffing full of pieces of gold.

It was at this very time that Mahmed-aamin-qhan arrived with his troops in the Viceroy’s camp, where he was received with the highest applause for his readiness. Whilst all this was passing in the streets, Sadat-qhan, with his five sons, was arriving near the castle at the head of a body of troops, as did Ghazi-eddin-qhan with another; and the opposite streets were filling by those brought by the favourite Yticad-qhan, and the late Grandmaster of artillery, Sëyd-qhan. These were followed by three thousand Hindoos in the Emperor’s pay, under the command of Manhar, an officer of trust. All these were taking possession of posts in and about Saad-ollah-qhan’s market, and preparing for an attack. These movements, being rumoured in the Viceroy’s camp, as well as the Vezir’s pretended death, and the Marhattas confirming the account by their disorderly flight and their wounds, the whole of the Viceroy’s army was in an uproar; and one rumour more, and it dispersed. Luckily for him that certain Several skir­mishes in the streets between the two parties. intelligence arrived at this critical moment of the Vezir’s being alive and safe. This having revived the Viceroy’s spirit, he dis­patched a choice body of his best troops to drive those that had assembled in Saad-ollah-qhan’s market. These troops pushing forwards with ardour, fell upon the enemy, and commenced a sharp engagement. In the midst of a hot fire, Ghazy-eddin-qhan’s elephant being wounded in the trunk by a rocket, turned about, and ran away with his master, who was immediately followed by his whole corps. Sadat-qhan was wounded at the same time together with his five sons, and he quitted the field; and Yticad-qhan, after having given himself some motions, without any inclination to come to blows, retired to his house, and entrenched his quarter. His person was but of small moment; but here by his trepidation and flight it became a signal for falling upon several shops and streets about Saad-ollah qhan’s market, which were all plundered and sacked. And as if no effort made in favour of Feroh-syur was to meet with success, the brave Aghyr-qhan, who now appeared from the suburbs at the head of a body of Moghuls and other foreigners, found the Lahor-gate shut up, and the walls lined with troops. Mortified at such a disappointment, he was obliged to return. Some firing and some fighting was still kept up in the streets and lanes, when proclamation was made by a number of public criers that Feroh-syur was confined, and that the Prince Refi-ed-derdjat had ascended the throne. The Imperial music striking up at the same time, and quarter being proclaimed everywhere, with injunctions to every one to retire The Prince Refied-derdjat proclaimed Emperor. to his home, the vanquished recovered from their despair, the citizens retired to their homes, and the tumult seemed to subside.

We have left Feroh-syur within the apartment of the ladies; and the Vezir with the Gentoo Prince was waiting in expectation of his coming out to hear what further they had to say, and of his furnishing them with an opportunity to seize his person, as the tumults, that had apparently subsided, had commenced afresh, and pillage and slaughter were going on. But Feroh-syur did not come out; and the Viceroy sensible of the consequence of a moment’s delay, was sending message after message, represent­ing Terrible mes­sage of the Viceroy to his brother. to his brother, “That the tumults were increasing; that the throngs of armed men were becoming more numerous; that a general revolt was going to take place, and would not fail to raise a great blaze; and that, therefore, the business was to be put an end to some way or other, as a moment of delay might prove irrecoverable.” Whilst the last message was delivering, a body of Afghan soldiers mixed with some of the Vezir’s slaves, had found means, from the top of the house of Nedjm-eddin-aaly-qhan, younger brother to the Vezir, to descend within the yard of the Imperial women’s apartment, which was close to it, and which proved guarded by a number of Habeshinian, Georgian, and Calmuc women.* These being driven away, the soldiers penetrated within the gate, and fell arummaging every apart­ment in search of Feroh-syur. At last some women, too delicate to bear the tortures to which they were exposed, pointed to the place of his confinement, and the soldiers ran to him. At this Feroh-syur dragged out of the Seraglio with enormous indignities and confined. sight the Emperor’s mother, with his consort and daughter, unable to endure such a spectacle, ran to his assistance with a number of Princesses, and ladies of the first rank, who having enclosed him within a circle which they formed round his person, fell to prayers and entreaties. But of what avail could be those tears with a troop of soldiers? And in such a moment whose pity could they move? At last, after a deal of struggle, he was disengaged from those women, dragged upon the ground, and confined in a dark small room on the top of the Tinpö8liah,* and all this with such outrages and such indignities as had never been offered to the Imperial person.

His reign, without reckoning the time elapsed from Muëzzedin-djehander-shah’s exaltation, lasted six years and four months. All the foregoing events have been collected from memoirs or memorandums written at that very time by persons of credit and distinction, who wrote either as witnesses or as transactors; and some of these being men of letters, and inge­nious, have found in this sentence of the Holy Writ, Take warning ye that have eyes, the chronogram of this event.

The Vezir having disposed of Feroh-syur in this manner thought that, as the whole city was yet in an uproar, it was incum­bent upon him to proclaim another Emperor; and he got him proclaimed, accordingly, under the names and titles of Shems-eddin-ab8-al-berecat-refi-ad-derdjat,* younger son to Refi-al-cadr, nephew to Bahadyr-shah, from a daughter of Prince Ecber, younger son of Aoreng-zib. It was on a Wednesday, about nine o’clock in the morning of the second Reby, in the year 1132 of the Hedjrah. The young Prince was then twenty years old; and as the screams all over the city did not allow any time sufficient to send him to the bath, or even to make him shift his clothes, he was drawn in all haste from the place of his confinement, and in all haste placed upon the throne, with only a chaplet of large pearl which the Vezir had just time to throw over his apparel, such as it was. The Imperial music having struck up immediately to announce this event to the people, the screams and uproars ceased at once, and in a little time more the tumults subsided everywhere.