One day a number of oppressed subjects assembled themselves together in the empty courtyard opposite the Nawáb's palace, and waited there till he came out to go to the Emperor, when they mobbed him and detailed all their grievances. The Nawáb, as usual, tried to put them off by fair words and deceitful promises, and wished to escape from them inside the palace, but was forcibly detained, his clothes being held by the people, who would not let him go till he settled for the payment of their arrears. His clothes were torn to pieces, and the fragments remained in the hands of the soldiers. ^{* *} The complaints of the sepoys grew daily louder. The Emperor went to the Queen-mother, and said that he was completely overpowered by his troops, and his reputation was entirely gone; and therefore begged for assistance from the Queen, so as to escape from their importunity. This gave rise to much discussion. At last, having taken all the ornaments from the three Begams, he pledged them for money, to the value of several lacs of rupees, but he paid no one their salaries. The soldiers, on account of their want of pay, and the nobles through the want of some controlling power instead of their own authority, became help­less, and reduced to extremities.

At this time Káím Khán Afghán, who was the chief of Kanauj and Farrukhábád, and a noble in the Royal Court, who held a mansab of 7000, and had the titles of Káím Jang and Káímu-d daula, whose father likewise had held these lands in the time of the former Emperor, made arrangements for war upon Sa'du-llah Khán, son of the Zamíndár of Alola and Bangash, in the district of Sambhal, on the other side of the Ganges, and got together a large force and artillery. Sa'du-llah Khán heard of his approach, and prepared to resist his attack, but first tried the effect of negociation. ^{* *} But as Káím had the superiority in force, he would not listen to any negocia-tion. A general battle ensued. In the midst of the battle a ball struck Káím and killed him. Sa'du-llah Khán returned with immense spoil to his own territory. The Emperor entertained no feelings of displeasure or distress on hearing of this business, but the wazír seized upon the favourable opportunity for taking possession of the lands of Káím Khán, determining that as so great a sardár as Káím had been removed, it should be a long time before such another took his place. At last the Emperor had nothing whatever to say to anything that went on, and the Nawáb became in reality the reigning sovereign as far as concerned the managing the revenues and general affairs of the country. The Emperor considered it to be the most agreeable to him to spend all his time in ease and pleasure, and he made his zenana so large that it extended for a mile. For a week together he would remain without seeing the face of any male being, and he would live in his gardens for one and two months at a time.

Second Rohilla Insurrection. Malhár Holkar.

After the departure of Safdar Jang, Ahmad Khán's followers put to death the kotwál of Farrukhábád, who had been appointed by the wazír. On hearing this a fire was kindled in the wazír's mind, and he determined to take possession for himself of all their lands and houses. The Rohillas had greatly the superiority in numbers, and the wazír's force, unable to withstand them, gave way. The wazír remained watching his force giving way, and as the battle drew near to him, his elephant was wounded in several places, and he himself received a ball in the chin which just grazed the skin, singeing his beard, and narrowly missing his head. The mahout, seeing this, turned the elephant's head, carried him out of the battle-field, and in one day brought him to the neighbourhood of Koel, a distance of forty miles, where his wound was healed. The sardárs of his army fled from the field on all sides; none remained with the wazír. The whole of the tents and baggage fell into the hands of the Rohillas.

Rája Isrí Singh, master of 7000 horse, died. As he had no son, his younger brother, Mádhú Singh, who was grandson of the Ráná, and had lived with the Ráná since his birth, was installed in his place. In the confusion consequent on change of rulers, Malhár Holkar Mahratta Dakhiní, who was Názim of the Málwá country, came with a large force and sat down before Jaipúr. Mádhú Singh, being unable to cope with Holkar's force, tried the effect of peaceful negociation; but Holkar would listen to no terms, except those of Mádhú Singh giving up all his treasure and guns, in which case he promised to evacuate the country; if not, he would take possession of the territory; and as an earnest of his intentions, he laid waste the country of Jaipúr for about ten or twelve miles, and the inhabitants of the town were unable to get supplies of grain and grass. Mádhú Singh, being thus reduced, came to Holkar, whose men at once seized all his jewels and money and plundered as they chose. Holkar then dismissed the Rája, and returned to his own territory.

The wazír sent Rája Rám Husain, his díwán, and Rája Jagat Kishor, who had the súba of Bengal, to Malhár Holkar, with a message that he ought to assist him in punishing the impudence of the rebel Afgháns. These two used their utmost powers of persuasion to influence Holkar to come over the Jumna by Ágra, and when the wazír heard of this arrangement having been definitely made, he himself started, but this time took none of the Játs, etc., with him. He gave the whole charge of the force into Holkar's hands. At that time there was no great sardár of note in Hindústán who had obtained a superiority over the rest. The wazír used to go sometimes to Holkar's tents, and Holkar came to his. Holkar left his tents two or three miles ahead of the wazír, and in this way proceeded till they reached the country of the Afgháns. They had this time collected together a force one hundredfold as great as the former one. Holkar's army, as it proceeded, laid waste the country, cutting off all supplies from the Afghán force. On the other side of the Ganges the road was in the hands of the Afgháns, who guarded it on both sides. A battle took place between the two forces, but Ahmad Khán Afghán was unable to withstand the enemy, and retreated along the banks of the river, till he found a ford where he crossed, and thence fled.

The towns of Farrukhábád, Ataipúr, and others, fell into the possession of the Dakhinís. They destroyed the houses, and took away as plunder all the guns, etc., and a large amount of treasure which the Rohilla force had been unable to carry away with them. The Afgháns, because that the Dakhiní force was unable to pursue them, encamped on the Rámganga, near Bareilly. The wazír, crossing over the Ganges with his army, went to attack the Afgháns. The Dakhiní army remained on this side, and the Afghán force on the other side of the river. The wazír and Malhár Ráo separately went in pursuit of the army, which was encamped on the banks of the Rámganga. A running fight was kept up between the contending forces for several days. At last the Afgháns, departing from thence with all their families and baggage, went to Alola, the residence of Sa'du-llah Khán. The wazír and Malhár followed them thither, and blockaded Alola. Ahmad Khán and Sa'du-llah Khán first went in the direction of the Jumna, which is towards the northern hills, and has a ford at Burya, that they might cross the river there, and having plundered Sirhind, might go on to Láhore. But they were afraid to undertake this enterprise, from fear of the enemy. They sent off their families into the hills, and hid themselves in the thickest jungles of a forest, which is one hundred miles in length, and thirty or forty miles in breadth, and there remained con­cealed. The victorious army entrenched themselves near these jungles, and held themselves in readiness for a fight. During this time the forces of the Mahratta Dakhinís, splitting up into small bodies, began plundering Murádábád, and all the cities and parganas of that part of the country. These places, having never before been visited by any plundering army, had been in­habited long time by merchants and bankers, who had amassed great wealth, which they kept in these cities. The Dakhiní force attacked and ransacked the whole country, not allowing a single man to escape, and every article of money or property they carried off as booty. Many of the old families were completely ruined. Most of the better class of men, to save themselves from disgrace, committed suicide.