As yet Alī Vardī Khān had not passed through the forests of Morbhanj, when the army of Mahratta freebooters swooped down from the direction of the chaklah of Bardwān.* Mahābat Jang, with the celerity of lightning and wind, marching swiftly by night and day, reached the inn of Ujalan adjoining to Bardwān. The armies of Mahratta freebooters, concentrating from different directions, commenced looting baggages and tents. The Ben­gal army, which was ignorant of the tactics of Mahratta free­booters, but which had heard tales about their barbarity and ravages, stood motionless from fear like an army of statues, and were hemmed in and attacked by the freebooters. Their baggages were looted, and their food-supplies were cutoff. Horses, elephants, and camels of the Bengal army were captured, and carried off by the freebooters. The army of Mahābat Jang, being tired out by the devastating onslaughts and sieges of the freebooters, broke in disorder. The Mahrattas at once hemming in attacked the elephant Landāh on which Mahābat Jang’s Begam* was mounted, and capturing the elephant dragged it towards their own camp. Muṣāḥib Khān Mohmand,* son of U‘mar Khān the General, having his Hindustānī courage aroused in him, attacked the freebooters, and advancing his feet of valour and gallantry, by means of valorous onslaughts and Rustam-like onsets, rescued the elephant together with its fair rider from the clutches of the free­booters. In consequence, however, of numerous mortal and ghastly wounds that they received, Muṣāḥib Khān and a large number of his comrades and kinsmen drew the red paint of martyrdom on the face, and on that very spot of slaughter were buried. And when the freebooters from impudence and insolence made onslaughts from all sides, Mahābat Jang, of necessity, opened leathern bags of coins, and scattered them on the field.* Thus diverting the freebooters with the work of picking up coins, Mahābat Jang seized this respite, and with the celerity of lightning and wind riding out at full gallop arrived at Bard­wān. The hungry troops, who for three days and nights had not seen the face of food-stuffs, quenched the fire of their hunger with the stores of Bardwān. The army of Mahratta freebooters followed up in pursuit. Sacking villages and towns of the sur­rounding tracts, and engaging in slaughters and captures, they set fire to granaries, and spared no vestige of fertility. And when the stores and granaries of Bardwān were exhausted, and the supply of imported grains was also completely cut off, to avert death by starvation, human beings ate plantain-roots, whilst animals were fed on the leaves of trees. Even these gradually ceased to be available. For breakfasts and suppers, nothing except the discs of the sun and the moon feasted their eyes. And for nights and days together, being constantly mounted on their high saddles, they did not even dream of sleep. The Afghān and Bhalīah troops becoming desperate, determined to die hard. Mahābat Jang, seeing signs of defeat, owing to the exhausted condition of his soldiery, held a Council of War. It was at last decided to place the artil­lery round the army, and to put baggages in the centre, and in this form to march out expeditiously from Bardwān to Katwāh, where food and fodder would be either procurable, or could be imported by waterways or highways from the environs of Murshidā­bād, to relieve the distressed soldiery. In short, in pursuance of this plan, setting out at night from Bardwān, Mahābat Jang’s army marched towards Katwāh, and in a short interval by forced marches reached Katwāh. The light Mahratta cavalry, however, covered forty karoh a day, and thus before Mahābat Jang’s arrival at Katwāh, they had already burnt down its fields, farms, and granaries, and reduced them to ashes. The army of Mahābat Jang now being in a state of utter despair, sent up to the skies wails, similar to the following:—

However, Ḥājī Aḥmad collecting the bakers of Murshidābād got breads prepared, and sent these together with other eatables and food-stuffs on boats to Katwāh. Other provisions and food-grains were also similarly conveyed gradually and in large quanti­ties. At last, Mahābat Jang’s army were saved from starvation, and their cattle also received a grateful supply of fodder and grass. Mahābat Jang’s soldiers, whose houses were in Murshidā­bād, felt home-sick, and gradually drifted away towards their homes.

As Mīr Sharīf, brother of Mīr Ḥabīb, together with the family treasures, dependants and children, was at Murshidābad, Mīr Ḥabīb with seven hundred Mahratta cavalry swooped down on Murshidābād, in order to relieve his brother. Marching expe­ditiously, night and day, early at day-break, Mīr Ḥabīb reached Dihpārah and Ganj Muḥammad Khān,* to which he set fire. And opposite to the Citadel, crossing the river Bhāgiratī, Mīr Ḥabīb reached his residence, and taking out Mīr Sharīf, together with his treasures, effects, followers, and dependants, he kept them in his company. Sweeping clean the houses of numerous residents of the City with the broom of plunder, and looting as much gold and silver coins as he could from the houses of Jagat Set, and captur­ing Murād Alī Khān,* a son-in-law of Sarfarāz Khān, and Rājah Dūlabh Rām* and Mīr Shujāu-d-din, Superintendent of the Bājutarah Sair duties, he encamped at Tīratkonah, which was to the west of the City, at a distance of one farsakh. Ḥājī Aḥmad, Nawāzish Aḥmad Khān and Ḥusain Qulī Khān, who were in the City, at the very sight of the Mahratta cavalry, firing their guns once or twice, and closing the avenues to the City as well as the gates of the Citadel, entrenched themselves, but found it impos­sible to fight and disperse the enemy, or to defend the City. On the next day, Mahābat Jang, with his army marching night and day, entered Murshidābād. Then the Mahrattas abandoned the idea of assaulting the City, and after desolating the surrounding tracts across the river returned to Katwāh. The rainy season now set in. In view of the tumultuousness of the river, the Mahrattas now suspended their fighting, established their quar­ters at Katwāh, and from there commenced making administrative arrangements. Giving Mīr Ḥabīb a free hand in all affairs, Bhaskar Paṇḍit himself remained at Katwāh, and sent out detachments in all directions for raid and plunder. Similarly, Mahābat Jang, in view of giving rest to his army, did not move out of the City.

As in his earlier years, Mīr Ḥabīb had lived at Hugli, the latter place still abounded with many of his kinsmen and friends. Their headman, Mīr Abu-l-Ḥasan Sarkhīl, now laid plans to sur­prise Hugli. He won over many of the Mughals to his side, and held secret correspondence with Mīr Ḥabïb. Mīr Muḥammad Riẓā, the Deputy Faujdār of Hugli,* used to treat Mir Abū-l-Ḥasan as his right-hand in all affairs.

In blissful ignorance of the fact that he had a traitor in his camp, the Deputy Faujdār passed nights and days in carousals. At length, at the instigation of Mīr Abū-l-Ḥasan, Mīr Ḥabīb with a detachment of two thousand cavalry commanded by Sis Rāo advanced to Hugli, and at midnight arriving at the gate of its Fort announced his arrival to Mīr Abū-l-Ḥasan. Whilst Muḥam­mad Riẓā, arranging a feast of revelry, was quite absorbed in watching the dancing of some pretty women, Mīr Abū-l-Ḥasan said to the former: “Mīr Ḥabīb has come alone to visit you, and is waiting at the gate of the fort.” Under the influence of liquor, the Deputy Faujdār unhesitatingly ordered the gate of the Fort to be thrown open and to admit Mīr Ḥabīb. Entering the Fort, Mīr Ḥabīb with the concurrence of Mīr Abū-l-Ḥasan placed Muḥammad Riẓā and Mīrzā Pīran under surveillance, established himself inside the Fort, and posted his own guards at its gate. The noblemen and residents of the town that very night fled to Chūchrah (Chinsurah) and other places, and took refuge in the houses of the Dutch and French. Next morn­ing, Sis Rāo with his detachment of cavalry entered the Fort. Many of the Mughal residents who were Mīr Ḥabīb’s acquaintances were introduced to Sis Rāo by Mīr Ḥabīb. The Rāo treated them courteously and deferentially, reassured every one of them, and issuing proclamations of peace and security forbade the Mahrattas from looting or sacking the town. He persuaded the Zamīndārs to assess and collect the revenue, and appointing as usual Qāẓīs, Muhtasibs and other officers to administer justice, he bestowed the office of Faujdār on Mīr Abū-l-Ḥasan. Mīr Ḥabīb, carrying off some guns and ammunitions together with a flotilla of sloops from Hugli, rejoined Bhāskar Paṇḍit at Katwāh.