The Vezir continuing to advance, was at two short journeys from the capital, when he received intelligence that his brother had been killed, together with his younger brother, N8r-eddin-aaly-qhan, and his nephew, Ghaïret-qhan. This intelligence was contained in a short note brought by a dromedary courier, which Ratan-chund had hurried away on the first tumult. And here is a detail of this event.
As the Emperor was a mere cipher in his own dominions,
his situation set daggers in the hearts of some nobles and lords
of the old court of A8reng-zib’s, such as, Nizam-el-mulk, Mahmed-aamin-qhan,
and several others, who beheld with indignation the
enormous power of the two brothers, and were perpetually revolving
in their minds the various means by which they might be
delivered from a boundless influence, so injurious to the Imperial
family, and so capable to eclipse them with every one of their
party. Mahmed-aamin-qhan, although narrowly watched, had
found means to say a few words of Turkish to the Emperor, both
to obtain his consent, and to put him upon his guard; and this
consent having been imparted to Nizam-el-mulk, it put him upon
asserting his own independence and upon wresting all the Decan
from the two brothers; and it is to these intrigues at court, and
to that General’s exertions in the field, that Dilaver-aaly-qhan
and Aalem-aaly-qhan owed their misfortune, although after all,
it cannot be denied but that the whole did happen by the immediate
impulse of an unavoidable destiny. For Mahmed-aamin-qhan,
who saw that the Viceroy was bent on the destruction of
of his confederate, Nizam-el-mulk, and who suspected that the
latter was not a match for his adversary, concluded that his ruin
would be followed by his own downfall and that of all the T8ranians.
Impressed with such ideas, he was watching day and
night with his confederates for a favourable opportunity of falling
at once upon Hossëin-aaly-qhan, and of making an end of him.
But it must not be believed that they would have raised their
Conspiracy
against Hossëin-ally-
qhan.
views so high, had they not been assured of a vigorous support
by a powerful party; and this they were augmenting every day.
The first person they thought of acquiring, was Sëid-mahmed-aamin,
better known under the name of Saadet-qhan, an Iranian,
born at Nishap8r, in Qhorassan. This man’s first rise in the
world was by appearing as Colonel or Hezary in that corps of
of Musqueteer guards called Vala-shahies. It was in Feroh-syur’s
time. Some time after, he was promoted to the Fojdary of
Hendon-biana, one of the principal and most refractory districts
of the province of Ecber-abad. It was here he first gave a
specimen of his valour and abilities. With a few troops which
he obtained from the Vezir Abdollah, and a few more which he
added of his own, he found means to bring that whole country
under order and control; and this service having produced him
an augmentation of five hundred horse to his military grade, he
henceforward became known at Court, where he bore the character
of a resolute man and an able commander; and he was
now come to camp to carry some points of his own. Mahmed-aamin-qhan,
finding by his looks that he was exactly cut out for
his purpose, insinuated himself so artfully into his mind, that
he became henceforward his bosom companion, and the depositary
of all his secrets; and as this association had been greatly
facilitated by their being both Moghuls,*
they cast their eyes
upon a third Moghul, a man altogether fit for their purpose. This
was Mir-haïder-qhan, a Djagatäi Calmuc,*
of Cashghar, in
T8ran, whose family enjoying these many years the office of
sword-bearer, or Mir-shimshir, to the Prince of that northern
country, had assumed the appellation of Mirs or Miranies. He
was sounded by the two confederates; and Mir-haïder, who was
a man of an intrepid daring temper, whom no danger could appal,
accepted the proposal, not only out of a principle of ambition,
but also out of a religious zeal, he being as zealous a Sunny, as
the Viceroy was a zealous Shyah. He even took upon himself the
task of dispatching him with his own hand, a desperate attempt that
had never entered the head of a man in his sober senses. These
three resolute men being closely knit together by a conformity of
characters and a similarity of views, were examining amongst
themselves who should give the first blow, and in what manner;
and having for this purpose applied to the Coran, the sort fell on
Mir-haïder, that man unworthy of living either in this world or
the other. This man without suspecting how near he was to his
own end, framed a petition full of complaints against Mahmed-aamin-qhan;
and to present it, he took for his partner a countryman
of his, who was his particular friend, and whom he knew to
be as stout and as daring as himself. It was on a Tuesday, which
fell on the sixth of Zilhidj, in the year 1132 of the Hejrah. The
army was encamped at fifty cosses south of Ecber-abad, and the
Emperor was just alighting to get into his quarters. This moment
having been seized by Mahmed-aamin-qhan, to drop a few Turkish
words, by which he advised him to be ready and upon his guard,
he made his bow, and retired to the quarters of Haïder-c8ly-qhan,
who was one of the principal conspirators. As he was retiring,
the Viceroy advanced, and having accompanied the Emperor as
far as the first entrance of the Ladies enclosure, where he saw
him enter, he withdrew, and took the road of his own quarters,
which being in the vanguard, could not be at less than one cosse
distance. As he was approaching the outlet of the Imperial
paling, called Calal-para, Mir-haïder, who had availed himself of
a rising ground to shew himself from afar, and to make his
bow, raised his petition as high as he could; but the chopdars,
and slave-guards having forbidden his approaching nearer, fate,
unavoidable fate, put it into the Viceroy’s mind to becon to the
man, and to command his people to let him draw nearer. Mir-haïder
having augured well of this extraordinary condescendence,
drew close, presented his petition, and as the Viceroy’s paleki
was going on, he went on likewise, holding, as it is usual on
those occasions, the foot of that carriage with one hand,*
whilst he gesticulated with the other, in explaining the objects of
his complaints. But the moment he saw his attention engaged
by the contents of the petition, he drew his poniard, and gave
that valorous innocent Sëid such a violent stab, as threw him on
the opposite side of the paleki, where he expired without a groan,
Hossein-aaly-qhan
is assassinated.
and in an instant put on the crown of martyrdom. But even in
falling on the opposite side, he gave his murderer a violent kick
in the breast which overset the paleki, but the body fell motionless
on the ground. N8r-ollah-qhan, a relation of the Viceroy’s,
was likewise marching on foot, and holding the paleki likewise;
A furious
combat about
his body.
but on seeing the blow, he drew his sabre, and felled the murderer
to the ground, and was himself felled down by the Moghul, or
second partner, who was himself collared and killed by Mir-mushref,
who although grievously wounded in the scuffle, found
means to escape alive. From that moment a promiscuous slaughter
took place round the paleki; but numbers of Moghuls arriving
one after another, the ground was cleared, and both the heads of
Hossëin-aally-qhan, and N8r-ollah-qhan, being severed from their
bodies, were carried to the Emperor’s quarters. This sight made
so deep an impression on the eunuch Macb8l, superintendent of
the Viceroy’s seraglio, that assuming courage from his very despair,
he drew his sabre, attacked the Moghuls vigorously, and
received several wounds of which he died three or four days
after. Whilst so much noble blood was streaming round Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s
body, his head-water bearer and head-scavenger,
taking to their sabres and buclers, ran with all their might towards
the Imperial paling; and throwing themselves headlong amongst
the bodyguards, they cut their way towards the Emperor as far
as the part called Tesbigh-qhana, where they were hacked to
pieces, or, as some others say, hewed down by Saadet-qhan, who
barred the passage with his body. A troop of resolute men,
attached to Mohcum-sing, Divan of the murdered Viceroy, having,
on the very first tumult, run with drawn sabres as far as the
Calal-para, through which many of them cut their way as far as
the main tent of audience, fought valiantly; and although they
were mostly wounded, they cut their way back on hearing that
their master could not recover. As for Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s
musqueteers, who had already commenced firing, they were soon
silenced, or they dispersed of themselves, on hearing that all was
over.
The news of Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s death was directly carried to Ghaïret-qhan, his nephew, who was actually in camp. That valorous young man, without calling up his troops, or bringing up his artillery, or even giving himself time to assemble his friends about his person, without sending word, or waiting until they should come, directly quitted the meal he was taking, and having wiped his mouth and hands with a handkerchief,* he mounted his elephant, and without uttering a word, he advanced to fight himself against the Emperor and all the murderers of his uncle. With about three thousand horse and foot that joined him troop by troop by the way, he rushed on the enemy with a fury which can be compared to nothing but to the rapidity of lightning, or to the fury of a storm. Whilst he was advancing, Saadet-qhan, and Mahmed-aamin-qhan with Haïder-c8ly-qhan, sensible of the Emperor’s danger, had rushed headlong amongst a number of enemies that had penetrated as far as the women’s enceinte, and were thronging and barring the very entrance; and having cleared the passage by mere bodily strength and a vigorous execution, they called on the Emperor to shew himself. But the Emperor was actually held body to body by his mother, and entangled amongst a crowd of women that had seized on his person. Saadet-qhan, sensible of the importance of the moment, and how little rules of etiquette deserved then his attention, had the boldness to rush beyond the door, and having entreated the Emperor to shew himself at the head of a number of faithful servants ready to shed their blood in his cause, seized his hand, and having by mere strength of body disengaged him from the women, he brought him out to Mahmed-aamin-qhan, who mounted him upon his elephant, and took his post in the qhavvas behind, to protect his person. As it was customary for the Emperor’s guards and for some other corps to assemble early at the entrance of the Imperial enceinte; and they had hastened thither that day earlier than usual, whilst some troops of Moghuls were hastening towards Saadet-qhan, and some others were joining Mahmed-aamin-qhan by detached bands; the Emperor at once appeared surrounded by a respectable body of men. But still his danger had been great, but for Haïder-c8li-qhan’s activity, who sensible that some such emergency was at hand, had had the foresight to exercise every day the troops of the artillery, whose hearts he had been gaining all this while by his liberality; insomuch that on the first report of the tumult, he had marched up to the Emperor’s quarters; and whilst Ghaïret-qhan was advncing on one hand with a confused disorderly body of men, he was marching up on the other with a steady pace, and a numerous troop marshalled in order, with which he surrounded the Emperor’s person, forming without his own circle another circle of field-pieces and war-elephants. A bloody battle betwixt the Emperor’s party and that of the Viceroy’s, in which Ghaïret, who commanded for the latter, loses his life with the victory. This once done, he went up to a body of his own horse, and advanced to the charge, himself the foremost. It was high time. A battle, as terrible as the Day of Judgment, had already commenced. Ghaïret-qhan, who had come with all the fury of a hungry lion, or a famished tiger, was broiling like incense upon the fire of impatience. His eagerness did not give him time to take breath, so little was he apprehensive that all his eagerness would only serve to precipitate him into the abyss of eternity. He had resigned his own life, and was ready to part with it, if he could but revenge his uncle’s murder, and close with the Emperor’s person, or those of Mahmed-aamin-qhan, and Haïder-c8li-qhan. The cannon and musquetry of this General accustomed long ago to order, were already firing with a steady hand, and already balls were raining as thick as it had been a storm of hail. The two adverse parties were engaging with so much fury, that nothing was heard but the groans of the dying, and the cries of—have at you. For by this time the Lords of the Emperor’s party were flocking from all parts round his person; and Ghaïret-qhan’s troops were likewise hastening to their Lord’s assistance. So that the two parties, which had now assumed the appearance of complete armies, were already come to hand-blows, and engaging body to body. In a little time Ghaïret-qhan had advanced so near Haïder-c8li-qhan that he had shot an arrow at him, which sunk with so much violence in the latter’s bow, that it required afterwards a great force to extract it. This was no sooner seen by Saadet-qhan, and Camer-eddin-qhan, than they ran to his assistance, and performed exploits worthy of their attachment to the Emperor. This Prince himself was incessantly filling his bow, and shooting arrows on all sides. Whilst the two parties were solely intent on each other’s destruction, the sharpers and robbers of both sides, availing themselves of the confusion, fell on Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s quarters, set them on fire as well as all the tents of his body of Sëids; and whilst the servants were busy in putting out the fire, they plundered out of the Viceroy’s tents, money, and jewels to the amount of several corores. It was at such a time that Qhandö8ran arrived to the Emperor’s assistance. The action seemed then inclining to one side. Ghaïret-qhan, enfeebled already by two wounds, now received a third. He was shot dead with a musquet-ball by an Habeshinian who sat in the qhavvas behind Haïder-c8li-qhan; and the young Sëid, without uttering a groan, went to sit close to, and to wait upon, his glorious ancestor, the Doctor Aaly, the Prince of the pious, (on whom be grace and mercy for ever!) All this while the Viceroy’s baggage had been plundered leisurely, and there remained but little of it to be secured for the Emperor’s use.