Now, when after the decease of the late Emperor he became an attendant on his present Majesty, he remained faithful to Sháhim Bég, who was one of the Qúrchís of the palace; and from the district of (P. 21) Lak'hnou he sent persons secretly to Dihlí, to fetch Sháhim Bég from thence to join him. So the Khán Zamán, follow­ing the manners of Transoxiana,* manifested wonderful affection for Sháhim Bég, and called him “my king,” and gave himself up entirely to humouring him, and many times waited on him like an ordinary servant, and remained, while serving him, standing in his presence, and the like. Now I have heard from Mír Abu-l-Ghays Bokhárá of Dihlí (the mercy of God be upon him!), whose disciple Sháhim Bég had after a manner been, that at the time when Sháhim Bég came from the imperial camp to Jounpúr, agreeably with the age of youth, which “has just left the Presence of MY LORD,”* was much occupied in prayer with the congregation, and in thanksgiving and reading the Qorán, and private prayer, and continual sanctity, and never turned his eye to unlawful things. And the Khán Zamán, through imitation of him, became adorned with scrupulous regard for the Law, and the practice of holiness. And, to please Sháhim Bég, he deputed officers to go into his own camp that, enforcing the observance of things commanded by the Law, and preventing the committal of such things as are forbidden, they might abolish all wanton and forbidden practices. And Mír Sayyid Muḥammad Makkí, (who understood the seven manners of reading the Glorious Word, and with whom the writer of these pages had learnt to read the Qorán at Sambhal in the time of Islím Sháh), he retained with orders to instruct Sháhim Bég with extreme and boundless care. But, since the asceticism of youths is of unstable equilibrium, this piety was in a short time changed to the opposite:—

	“Long time on my patience I myself did pride,
(P. 22)	In practice of patience I displayed myself. Love entered in, how could patience then abide! Then thanks be to God! that I have proved myself.”

Shxáhim Bég became attached to a dancing-girl named Árám Ján, who was very fascinating, and graceful in her movements; apropos of which:

“No one can force th' affections of the heart,
Nor count on winning or by grace or art:
Many of beauteous form, and glances sweet,
Pour forth their heart-blood at the loved one's feet:
Many a one of fairest cheek, and mild,
Has been despised by him on whom she smiled.”

Sháhim Bég could not rest till he had gained her, and although the Khán Zamán possessed this girl in lawful marriage, he gave her up to him. He was perfectly happy with her for some days, and then he gave her up, and made her over to 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán bin Mu'ayyid Bég, who had a desperate fondness for her. When news of the Khán Zamán['s misconduct] came to the court, the Emperor's wrath knew no bounds, and an order went forth from Ágra and Dihlí to Jounpúr addressed to the Khán Zamán to seek Sháhim Bég, and another was issued to the fief-holders of that district, to the effect that, if the Khán Zamán should be dilatory in this matter, an Aghnágh, i. e., a meeting, should sit upon him, and bring him to punishment. Then the Khán Zamán sent a confidential servant of his, Barj 'Alí by name, to the court to gloss over those faults of his, and to retrieve his shattered fortunes. He was first of all to repair to the dwelling of Pír Muḥammad Khán, (P. 23) who was the Khán Zamán's plenipotentiary, and whose abode was upon a tower, and to deliver his message. It may be that harsh language was contained in the letter, for Pír Muḥammad Khán threw him down from the top of the tower, so that he was dashed to pieces. Pír Muḥammad Khán with hardness of heart laughingly said, ‘This little fellow has become a victim to his name.’* When the Khán Zamán heard this news he set his heart on getting rid of Sháhim Bég, and extemporised the following:—

“When Union turns away, and leaves the country,
The [cold] wind of absence knows no bounds.
My breast is burning with desire for Union,
[But] my place of resort is the shop of the stitcher of fur.”

And so, in accordance with the exigencies of the moment, he gave him leave to retire to the district of Sarharpúr, (which is about 18 cosses from Jounpúr, and was fixed as the fief of 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Bég) that he might occupy himself there for a time in the pleasures of the chase, and return as soon as the wrath of the Emperor should be abated. So Sháhim Bég, in company with 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Bég, spent his time at that town, where there was an artificial lake of pure water, and a most pleasant garden, and a beautiful building in the middle of the lake, (and a most delightful and tranquil spot it is!); until on a certain day they had a wine-party and became exceedingly elevated, when—in accordance with the following:

“Singing and love and constant drinking
Are all three things which to madness tend:
When wine and love their arms are linking,
God be our refuge! for bad's the end”—

he asked 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Bég for Árám Ján. He brought forward the excuse that he was married to her, and so Sháhim Bég became enraged with him, and all that friendship in a moment ended in hatred:—

“Many have I observed, through the freaks of fickle Fate, (P. 24) Turned from hate to friendship, or again, from love to hate,” and through pride and drunkenness of wine and youth he gave his orders, and had 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán seized; and, on the ground that Árám Ján had first been his, he demanded her from the house of 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán, and kept her with him. But Muayyid Bég, the younger brother of 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Bég, from a strong feeling of his brother's wrongs, assembled a body of men, and attacked the balcony,* where Sháhim Bég and Árám Ján were together. Sháhim Bég rose to drive them back, and a fray ensued, in which insane affair an arrow reached a mortal part of Sháhim Bég, and he died. The following hemistich they composed as giving the date:—

“He cried ah! and said: Sháhim is become a martyr.”

Be it observed that, when the numerical value of “ah”* is sub­tracted from that of “Sháhim Shahíd shud,” we get 963, the date. But, it is a disputed point, whether that fatal accident befel Sháhim Bég in this year, or the year before; probably the latter: but God knows. Then 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán fled to the court, where he was favourably* received. The Khán Zamán had put on mourning and pursued 'Abd-ur-Raḥmán Bég to the water of the Ganges, but being unsuccessful he returned disconsolate [to Jounpúr] with weeping eye and parched heart:—

“In grief the Sun dropped blood at dawn,*
Moon tore its face, Zohrah its tress,
Night put on mourning black, and Morn
Raised a cold sigh, and rent its dress.”

During these few years the Khán Zamán with a small force had several brilliant engagements with the numerous forces of the Afgháns, and obtained the victory over them. The history of this series of battles forms a model page in the annals (P. 25) of the time. Amongst them is the battle of Lak'hnou, in which Ḥasan Khán Bachgotí brought 20,000 men against the Khán Zamán, who had not assembled more than 3,000 or 4,000. Up to the moment when the enemy* crossed the river Karwí and attacked Bahádur* Khán, the Khán Zamán himself was engaged in taking a meal. When news was brought that the enemy was advancing to the attack, he called for a chess-board and kept playing at his ease. When he was told that the foreign troops had driven back his own men, he then at last called for his arms, and put them on. And, while the enemy was plundering his tents, and his whole army was in con­fusion, he ordered Bahádur Khán to retire; then he, with a handful of men, with drums beating, fell upon the enemy, repulsed them, and pursued them to a distance of seven or eight cosses. The slain he piled up in heaps, and then returned victorious. So, also, at Joun-púr he fought with the Bengálí,* who called himself Sulṭán Bahádur, and had issued coin, and caused the Khutbah* to be read in his name in Bengál. This man advanced upon Jounpúr with between 30,000 and 40,000 horse, and the followers of the Khán Zamán were completely routed. When the Khán Zamán rose from table, the enemy found the cloth spread just as it was, and began to plunder. But afterwards the Khán Zamán with a small* body of men brought destruction* on the fortune of the Afgháns, slaying many and taking many prisoners; and such an amount of booty did he take, that his army was completely set up in stores. And, in truth, such was his kingly good fortune, that he, and his brother with his own troop, obtained such a series of victories on the eastern side of Hindustán, as has fallen to the lot of but few. And, had they not shown the stain of rebellion upon the forehead of loyalty, these two brothers would have been on the path to a royal dis­tinction. But, in the end, they sank all that perseverance and energy in the dust of (P. 26) degradation:—