During the first part of the blessed month Muḥarram*
of
the year nine hundred and eighty-four (984) the Emperor
introduced Mán Singh, son of Bhagvan Dás, into the burial place
of the saint Mu'ín (may its occupants attain a happy resurrection!)
and treating him with kindness, and showing him the greatest favour,
presented him with a robe of honour, and a horse with (P. 228) all
its appointments, and ordered him to proceed to the hostile district
of Kokanda and Kombalmír,*
which was a dependancy belonging to
Ráná Kíká. And 5,000 regular troopers, partly from his own bodyguard,
and partly belonging to the Amírs who were in command,*
he
appointed and dispatched as his force. And he sent with him Áçaf
Khán Mir-bakhshí,*
and Ghází Khán Badakhshí, and Sháh Ghází
Khán Tabrízí, and Mujáhid Khán, and Sayyid Aḥmad Khán, and
Sayyid Háshim Bárha, and Mihtar Khán a servant of the Family,
and other Amírs. And when the author, in the train of Qází Khán
and Áçaf Khán, arrived at about three cosses from Ajmír, and ardour
for fighting against the infidels kindled in my breast, I represented
the state of the case to the High Çadr, Shaikh 'Abd-un-Nabí,
Shaikh-ul-Islám, and made interest with him to obtain leave of
absence from the Emperor. Although he granted my request he
left the presentation of the petition to his Wakíl, Sayyid 'Abd-ur-
Thine is a perilous service, but I wish to undertake it,
That I may gain renown, or death,* for thy sake.”
He replied, “If God (He is exalted) will, thou
Shalt return the bearer of news of victory.”And when I put out my hand towards the couch in order to kiss his foot, he withdrew it; but, just as I was going out of the audience chamber, he called me back, and filling both his hands he presented me with a sum of 56 ashrafí,* and bid me farewell. And when I went to take leave of Shaikh 'Abd-un-Nabí, who reached the very acme of kindness in removing all my former obstacles, he said: “Be sure that at the moment of the meeting of the two armies in battle, which according to a sure tradition of the Prophet (may the best of blessings and peace he upon him!) is the most favourable time and place for the acceptance of prayer, be sure, said he, that you remember me for good in your prayer: do not forget.” I consented; and, having prayed the Fátḥah, joined that army with horse and arms in company with a number of friends of one mind with myself in the matter:—
‘Every day on the march, and each night a new halting-place.’And this journey from beginning to end turned out most successful and prosperous, till eventually I came back to Fatḥpúr with news of victory, and brought with me the well-known elephant (the subject of dispute)* form Ráná Kíká.
On the twentieth of Muḥarram* in this year having arranged the affairs of the army of Kokandah, the Emperor started on his way back to the Seat of Felicity Fatḥpúr, and on the first of the month of Çafr* he reached his usual dwelling-place. At this time messengers brought word that after the Khán Jahán had left Garhí,* Dáúd had advanced from Tándah to a place called Ág-Maḥall, on one side of which is the river Ganges, and on the other side it joins the mountains. And that there he had taken up his position, and strengthened it with a trench, and fort, and was every day making sallies thence. And that Khwájah 'Abd-ulláh, (P. 230) grandson of Khwájah Aḥrár (may God sanctify his glorious tomb!) had fallen after making repeated and vigorous attacks on the trench. And that on the other side Khán Khánán (?) the leader of the Afgháns had been slain. Upon this the Emperor wrote a farmán to Zafr Khán, commandant of Patnah and Bihár, ordering him to collect all the forces of that district and to proceed to the assistance of Khán Jahán.*
In the month Rabí'ul-awwal* of this year Mírzá Muḥammad Sharíf, son of Mír 'Abd-ul-Latíf Qazwíní, who was a young man of the very greatest ability, and sharpness of intellect, and possessed of a sweet disposition, and a sweet voice, and endowed with all sorts of perfections, while playing at Chogán* with the Emperor in the open space of Fatḥpúr, fell from his horse, and immediately gave up his soul of the Beloved.* And a great cry arose in the city and neighbourhood, and this report* spread on all sides. The Emperor was an eye-witness of this accident, and did not know what to do. Meanwhile Quṭb-ud-dín Muḥammad Atgah seized the rein of his Majesty's horse, and said: “My Lord, what are you doing here? go away.” And so he turned his rein towards the palace. Then he sent farmáns with assurances of the soundness of his health and strength to the Amírs of the frontiers, so that the panic was stayed. Of the number of these farmáns one arrived at Kokandah, addressed to Mán Singh, and Áçaf Khán, with the contents aforesaid. And so that grief of ours was changed into rejoicing.
During the first part of the month Rabi'ul-awwal of the year nine hundred and eighty-four (984) took place the victory of Ko-
kandah. And the following is a succinct account of it. When Mán Singh and Áçaf Khán with the army of Ajmír, on their way to Mandalgaṛh, arrived by forced marches at the town of Darah, seven cosses from Kokandah, the Ráná came out to oppose them. Then Mán Singh mounted an elephant, and with a number of the imperial horsemen, such as Khwájah Muḥammad Rafí Badakhshí, and Shihábud-dín Guroh-páyandah Quzáq, and 'Alí Murád (P. 231) Uzbek, and Rájah Loun Karan, commandant of Sámbhar, and other Rájpúts in the centre, and a body of renowned youths took his place in the advance-body. And some eighty or more picked men of these were sent, with Sayyid Háshim Bárha,* as skirmishers in front of the advance-body (and such are called the ‘chickens of the front line).’ And Sayyid Aḥmad Khán Bárha with a body of others* had the right-wing, and Qází Khán with a body of sons of Shaikhs of Síkrí, relatives of Shaikh Ibráhím Chishtí, had the left-wing. And Mihtar Khán was in the rear. And Ráná Kíká advancing from behind Darah with a force of 3,000 horse, divided his men into two divisions. One division, of which Ḥakím Sár Afghán was the leader, came straight from the direction of the mountains, and attacked our advance-body. And on account of the broken and uneven state of the ground, and the quantity of thorns, and the serpentine twistings of the road, the skirmishers and the advance-body of our troops became hopelessly mixed up together, and sustained a complete defeat. And the Rájpúts of our army, the leader of whom was Rájah Loun Karan, and who were most of them on the left, ran away like a flock of sheep, and breaking through the ranks of the advance-body fled for protection to our right wing. At this juncture the author, who was with some of the special troops of the advance-body said to Áçaf, “How are we now in these circumstances to distinguish between friendly and hostile Rájpúts?” He answered “They will experience the whiz* of the arrows, be what may:—” ‘On whichever side there may be killed, it will be a gain to Islám.’ So we kept firing away, and our aim* at such a mountain-like mass of men never missed. And there was even a surer proof [of the righteousness of my conduct in so doing, for]—