After these victories, the Sulān one night was holding a wine party quite at his ease with his companions, and was quaffing copious draughts of wine. The night, like the circulation of the ^187. wine cup, had come near to an end; suddenly some of the assembled guests began to make signs to each other* with hand, and eye, and brow that it was time to break up,* the Sulān happened to perceive it, he was annoyed and cried out Mutiny! Mutiny! and on the instant gave orders for Bahā (who was one of his boon-companions and choice spirits) to be killed. The rest fled in confusion. On the following morning when he came to realise what had occurred, it was as clear as day to the Sulān* that his suspicion was groundless.

Wait, till the world removes the veil from the face of events,
And till that thou hast done this evening, tomorrow is
plain to thee.

Then he asked for Qāẓī Bahā.* They replied, He was sent into eternity at that very moment.* The Sulān was very repentant and ashamed at hearing this, and vowed never again to drink wine, and ordered it to be proclaimed that the use of wine should be absolutely abandoned throughout the kingdom. Cask upon cask of wine was poured out in the court till it became a flowing river. Everyone who was discovered intoxicated, was hauled off to prison, and punished by imprisonment* and confiscation of property.

Piety and penitence became the order of the day, the taverns were in ruins,* and the police officers had plenty of work, and there was no longer any need to purchase vinegar,* while the wine bibbers were giving expression by their actions to these verses:

Now he sprinkles the flagon with salt, now he shatters the
cup,*
How the policeman disturbs the peace of the tavern in
which we sup.

And in the year 697 H. (1297 A.D.) the Sulān becoming suspi­cious of the newly-converted Muslim Mughuls was contemplating ^188. to murder and eradicate them, and they also for their part, goaded by the extortion of the revenue collectors and their extortionate demands for refunding money,* were plotting a rebellion whilst the Sulān should be hunting and hawking.* One of them who was opposed to this scheme made it known to the Sulān. Secret orders were written and despatched to the Governors of the country saying that on a certain day* they should put to death all the new Muslim Mughuls with one consent wherever they found them.

Accordingly on the appointed date they despatched so many poor hapless Mughuls with the sword of injustice, and sent them on their travels to the kingdom of annihilation, that the mind cannot compute their number, and the name of Mughul no longer survived in Hindustān, although this custom of killing strangers has survived from that time.

And in the commencement of affairs, the fact of so many victories following one another in close succession led to extrava­gant ambitions in the mind of the Sulān; one of these was reli­gious innovation, and moreover by the assistance of these four Ulugh Khān, Nusrat Khān, afar Khān and Alp Khān he was led to estimate himself as being superior to the Prophet on whom be the peace and blessing of God,* and his companions may God be gracious to them all.* The second was the conquest of the whole inhabited world like Sikandar; this led to his ordering his name to be inscribed on the currency and mentioned in the proclamation as Sikandar-i-ānī.* When he sought the advice of ‘Alāu-l-Mulk Kotwāl of Dihlī he restrained the Sulān from pursuing both these claims and said, “No one can evolve a reli­gion out of his own brain unless he be aided* by God, and till he can perform miracles* This object cannot be acquired by the strength of dominion, and wealth, and majesty, and splendour, moreover such an attempt may be expected, nay is certain to result in violent disorders and tumults of all kinds, nothing will be gained while disgrace will follow the attempt: as for conquering realms, it is a worthy ambition, but needs the highest qualifica­tions, as well as perfection of rule and a vazīr like Aristotle, none of which are here existent.

If the Sulān clears Hindustān of infidels and frees the envi­rons of Dihlī from these contumacious ruffians, this will be in no way inferior to the world conquests of Sikandar.”

The Sulān, after due meditation, was greatly pleased with these ^189. proofs deduced from reason and supported by precedent, and bestowed a robe of honour upon ‘Alāu-l-Mulk and gave him large rewards, and abstained from attempting to satisfy either of his ambitions. The Amīrs, who on account of the harshness of the Sulān, and the roughness of his temper, were unable to say any­thing of service, all sent presents of horses and valuables for ‘Alāu-l-Mulk and were loud in praise of him.

Verse.

In my opinion that one is thy well wisher,
Who says that will be a thorn in thy path.

In this year the Sulān proceeding to Deogīr gained a fresh conquest* and doubled his spoils:

That which he cut after that his sword cut double,
That which he defeated after that his mace defeated again
and again.

And in the year 698 H. (1298 A.D.) he appointed Ulugh Khān to the command of a powerful army, to proceed into the country of Gūjerāt against Rāi Karan who had thirty thousand cavalry, and eighty thousand infantry, and thirty head of elephants. Ulugh Khān, after Rāi Karan was defeated, ravaged and laid waste Nahr-wāla, and pursued him;* and Rāi Karan took refuge with Rai Rāmdeo* who was the ruler of Deogīr, in the country of the Deccan. The family of Rāi Karan, with his treasury and elephants and all his possessions, fell into the hands of the Muslim warrior. Among the ladies of his harem was one Dewalrānī, of whom Khizr ^190. Khān the son of Sulān ‘Alāu-d-Dīn ultimately became enamoured. He related the account of his amours to Mīr Khusrū for him to turn into verse, and the book of Khizr Khān and Dewalrānī, which is known as the ‘Ashīqa, is in his name. Ulugh Khān carried off an idol from Nahrwāla (in place of the idol of Somnāt which Sulān Maḥmūd had carried* to Ghaznin, and the Hindūs had made an object of their worship,) and took it to Dihlī where he caused it to be trampled under foot by the populace; then he pursued Rāi Karan as far as Somnāt, and a second time laid waste the idol temple of Somnāt, and building a mosque there retraced his steps.

Nusrat Khān having proceeded to Kuhanbāyat,* a well-known post, seized much spoil of valuable goods and rubies and other jewels from the traders;* Kāfūr Hazār Dīnārī whom the Sulān Alāu-d-Dīn had latterly taken into close favour, and made Nāibu-l-Mulk, was part of that booty.

When Ulugh Khān arrived on the frontiers of Alwar he occupied himself with verifying the amount of property and spoil which had fallen into the hands of his people during these several battles, and exacted the giving up of much of it with great severity. A certain party of Mughuls who accompanied him thought this rather unfair, and consequently plotted a rebellion, but eventually were dispersed; some of them went off to Rāi Hamīr Dev in Jhāīn,* which is near Rantanbhor, and some went else­where.