About the middle way, as we had passed Feroh-abad, we heard at once a multitude of news. That Mahmed-shah had departed this life; that his son, Ahmed-mirza, had returned, after having gained an important victory; that the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan had been slain; that Mir-mannoo, his son, had been pro­moted to the two Viceroyalties, Lahor and Mooltan; and lastly, that Abool-mansoor-qhan had installed Ahmed-mirza in the Imperial throne at the seat of Shahleh-mar. Nevertheless, the death of Mahmed-shah had made such an impression in the country, that the roads were swarming with robbers and banditties, that did their business by troops; so that it became necessary to march with great precaution, and to be continually upon the watch. My father being arrived at Shah-djehan-abad, waited upon Ghazi-eddin-qhan, son to Nizam-el-mulk, in whose Djaghir was Berhëily and its districts; but finding that he had but little inclination to provide for such a loss, he turned his views towards Abool-mansoor-qhan. That General, who heard of his intention, sent him Radja Maha-naraïn, son of his Divan, and did him the honour to invite him to his Palace, where he repaired with the Radja, and where he paid his respects to that General, now Vezir of the Empire: an interview of which I availed myself to make my bow to that Prime Minister, and to exchange a few words with him. In a few days he was pleased to bestow on my father the command over Panipoot, Sonpoot, and the thirteen Districts under the immediate management of the Qhalissah-office; after which he got him decorated by the Emperor with the grade of five thousand horse, and with the insignia of a kettle-drum and a fringed Paleky. This appoint­ment, being so strictly connected with the Qhalissah-office, at the head of which was Issac-qhan, afforded a fair opportunity of making a connection with that great Lord himself, by whose means he obtained for Cootoob-eddin-mahmed-qhan, his valuable friend, the Fodjdaries of Hyssar and Djudjar; and he therefore invited over that invaluable pearl of the seas of prowess, generosity, and fidelity. But that hero, who had his heart full against the Afghans and Rohillas, and who held them to be so many usurpers that had deprived him of the post of Moorad-abad, an office which was hereditary in his family from the time of Feroh-syur, and which was thought in every sense equal to a Viceroyalty, declined the appointment, having then other designs in his mind. Moorad-abad, the place of his birth, was what he wanted, and all his thoughts were bent on driving the Rohil­lahs from thence, and on regaining that hereditary Government. This could not be attained in the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan’s life-time, who was evidently Aaly-mahmed-qhan’s protector. But now circumstances had become more favourable; for Aaly-mahmed-qhan, who had come back with an army in those countries, and had conquered Moorad-abad and all the Districts that had once been in his power, was sometime since dead of a cancer. His conquests had been divided and parcelled out by his relations, for instance, by his father-in-law, Doondy-qhan, by Hafyz-ahmed and one of his sons, and by several other Chieftains, who under pretence of securing the estate for his sons-in-law, had taken possession of it for themselves; insomuch that when the real heirs came to ask their right, they were only allowed some Districts sufficient for their maintenance, but were kept out of the estate by a strong grasp. In process of time, the usurpers became masters of extensive dominions, and saw them­selves Lords of armies, as well as Sovereigns of a Court.

It was such dissensions that engaged Cootoob-eddin’s atten­tions. He concluded that this was the time to fall upon the Rohillahs, and to drive them from Moorad-abad and their other recent conquests; and he applied to Intyzam-ed-döwlah, son to Camer-eddin-qhan, for the patent of the Fodjdary of those parts, a request which was complied with the more willingly, as those countries had ceased to acknowledge any subordination to the Capital. Cootoob-eddin, then having his hands full of this project, had some reason to excuse himself from accepting my father’s proffers, and he remained at the Capital to push his point with the Minister. The latter gave him, without delay, the patents he requested, but went no further; and he had thn stinginess to assist him but feebly towards putting himself in equipage, and assembling an army with the necessaries for such an expedition. But such was the high opinion entertained of Cootoob-eddin’s prowess and conduct, that he found private purses that assisted him with the sums of money which his expedition required. The same renown that procured him money, procured him an army, still more than the Minister’s exhortations. Vast numbers of people, accustomed to a camp-life flocked in shoals to his standard, desirous to serve under the Her­cules of his age, and soon formed him something like a Court and something like an army. Notwithstanding these reinforcements, he tarried awhile for a body of three hundred men that had been his war companions, and whose bravery and attachment he had always experienced; and it was with such a small force, and such a handful of bravoes, that he undertook to dispossess a nation of fresh conquerors, that could muster more than fifty thousand men in the field, and had plenty of money, cannon, rockets, and ammu­nition. When he saw himself at the head of a force which he though sufficient for his purpose, he came out of the city, and encamped in the environs, resolved to compass his purpose or to perish in the attempt. The Afghans having got intelligence of this, assembled from all parts, and joined together at Moorad-abad. But on his drawing near, and even on his setting out from the Capital, they sent him several messages, offering to come to an accommodation, under condition that he would give up all pretensions to Moorad-abad. Their proposals were to come in for a share of the country, on the same footing with themselves, in which case they would be glad to assign him a portion suitable to his rank and pretensions, as they were desir­ous to see him come and enjoy the products of that country, and live happy and quiet as they did themselves. But Cootoob-eddin was too high-spirited to stoop to such an agreement, and resolved to have the whole or nothing. He advanced on them at the head of his force. The Afghans intimidated by so much obstinacy, commenced despairing of their cause, although they were so far superior to him in numbers, and in every thing necessary for war and battle; for they were impressed with the highest opinion of the prowess and conduct of that Lion, accustomed to tear his enemies. Cootoob-eddin, still advancing, was soon in sight of his foes, and an engagement took place; when that hero alighting from his horse, put himself at the head of his three hundred bravoes, and did so much execution, that the Afghans were pushed back as far as two or three cosses. But he was now come into a spot full of broken ground, where their dis­persed troops, observing how ill their enemy was accompanied, and how he was far from his main, commenced firing under a variety of covers, and little by little they destroyed that formidable troop, which was now reduced to twenty or thirty men, mostly wounded, but which stuck close to their heroic commander. This latter had already received several wounds; and now being aimed at on all sides like a mark, several bullets were lodged in his breast, and he at last fell, after having performed in that trying day a number of memorable actions. About one hundred of his bravoes fell round his body, mixed their blood with his own, and afforded an everlasting topic to the encomiums and regrets of both their friends and enemies. Ten or twelve men of that heroical troop having survived this scene of blood and slaughter, were taken up from the field of battle, and cured of their wounds; but it was only to become so many objects of envy and jealousy amongst military men, who all envied their fate. O God! vouchsafe to forgive their sins, and accept them in the Day of Judgment amongst the martyrs and the just!

We have already mentioned that the Imperial Prince, Ahmed-mirza, after his victory, had come to Shaleh-mar, where he was saluted Emperor by Mahmed-issac-qhan, the Minister, and by Djavid-qhan, the eunuch, as well as by all the Grandees of the city, with whom he made his entry in the Capital, and at last in the Imperial Palace. The new Emperor had offered the Vezir­ship to Abool-mansoor-qhan, but that General, although so very worthy of that high office, did not choose to meddle with it during Nizam-el-mulk’s life, so high an opinion he had conceived of his wisdom and power. Letters and messages went to him in Decan both from the Emperor and from his Ministers. Nizam-el-mulk, already on the wing for the regions of eternity, answered by excusing himself on his old age, his inability to make voyages, and his disinclination from meddling with the affairs of the Capital. He even wrote to Abool-mansoor-qhan to exhort him to assume that high office, and he ended his letter with these words: “You are now the most promising of the children of these days. Take that office upon yourself, and exert your­self in recovering the affairs of the Empire and bringing them to some order.” This letter had its effect on Abool-mansoor-qhan; but such was the high respect he bore to the very name of Nizam-el-mulk, that he declined assuming the office in that Viceroy’s life-time, who, however, lived but a few days after the above letter. So that on hearing that he had set out for the other world in the territory of B8rhanpoor, from whence his body had been carried to Döulet-abad, in which city it had been buried without the fortress in a garden, close to Shah-burhan-eddin, he gave his consent, and conscious of adequate abilities, he went to the Palace, where he was installed in that high office by a Qhylaat of seven pieces, to which were added four plates, full of gems and jewels. So soon as he had put it on, he was saluted in full Derbar by the titles of “Principal of the King­dom, —Centre of all Business,—Hero of the Age,—Trustworthy of all the Provinces of the Empire,—The Father of Victory,— The Hercules in Battles,—and the Generalissimo of the Imperial Forces.”