Next morning, being Wednesday, the 7th of the first Jumáda, I commanded the troops to arm themselves, to repair to their posts, and prepare for an assault, directing that as soon as I raised my standard and beat my kettledrum, every man should push on to the assault. I did not intend to display my standard, nor beat the kettledrum, till we were ready to storm, but went to see Ustád 'Alí Kúlí's battering-cannon play. He discharged three or four shot; but his ground having no slope, and the works being very strong, and entirely of rock, the effect produced was trifling. It has been mentioned that the citadel of Chánderí is situated on a hill; on one side of it they have made a covered way, which runs down to the water. The walls of this covered way reach down below the hill, and this is one of the places in which the fort is assailable with most hopes of success. This spot had been assigned to the right and left of the centre, and to my own household troops, as the object of their attack. The citadel was attacked on all sides, but here with particular vigour. Though the Pagans exerted themselves to the utmost, hurling down stones from above, and throwing over flaming substances on their heads, the troops nevertheless persevered, and at length Sháham Núr Beg mounted, where the wall of the outer fort joined the wall of the projecting bastion. The troops, like­wise, about the same time, scaled the walls in two or three other places. The Pagans, who were stationed in the covered way, took to flight, and that part of the works was taken. They did not defend the upper fort with so much obstinacy, and were quickly put to flight; the assailants climbed up and entered the upper fort by storm. In a short time the Pagans, in a state of complete nudity, rushed out to attack us, put numbers of my people to flight, and leaped over the ramparts.* Some of our troops were attacked furiously, and put to the sword. The reason of this desperate sally from their works was, that, on giving up the place for lost, they had put to death the whole of their wives and women, and, having resolved to perish, had stripped themselves naked, in which condition they had rushed out to the fight; and, engaging with ungovernable desperation, drove our people along the ramparts.* Two or three hundred Pagans had entered Mediní Ráo's house, where numbers of them slew each other, in the following manner: One person took his stand with a sword in his hand, while the others, one by one, crowded in and stretched out their necks eager to die. In this way many went to hell; and by the favour of God, in the space of two or three gharís, I gained this celebrated fort, without raising my standard, or beating my kettledrum, and without using the whole strength of my arms. On the top of a hill, to the north-west of Chánderí, I erected a tower of the heads of the Pagans. * * *

Next morning, being Thursday, I marched round the fort, and encamped by the fort of Mallú Khán. When I came it was my design, after the capture of Chánderí, to fall upon Ráí Sing,* and Bhílsán (Bhílsa), and Sárangpúr, which is a country of the Pagans that belonged to Saláhu-d dín, the Pagan; and I intended, after conquering them, to advance to Chítúr against Sanka. On the arrival of the unfavourable news that has been alluded to, I convened the Begs and held a council, in which it was decided that it was necessary, first of all, to proceed to check the rebellion of the insurgents. I gave Chánderí to Ahmad Sháh, who has been mentioned, the grandson of Sultán Násiru-d dín, and fixed a revenue of fifty lacs to be paid from it to the imperial treasury. * *

On Sunday, the 11th of the first Jumáda, I set out on my expedition. * * * On Saturday, the 24th, having halted at the passage of Kinár,* I ordered the troops to lose no time in cross­ing with all possible speed. At this time I received intelligence that the detachment which I had sent forward, after abandoning Kanauj, had fallen back to Rábrí, and that a strong force had advanced and stormed the fort of Shamsábád, which had been garrisoned by the troops of Abú-l Muhammad Niza-báz. We were detained three or four days on the two banks of the river, while the army was passing. Having transported the whole army across, I proceeded, march after march, for Kanauj, and sent on a party of light troops before us, in order to gain intelligence of the enemy. We were still two or three marches from Kanauj, when they returned with information that, instantly on dis­covering from a distance the troops who had advanced to re­connoitre, the son of M'arúf had fled from Kanauj and abandoned it, and that Biban and Báyazíd, as well as M'arúf, on hearing of my motions, had recrossed the Ganges, and occupied the east side of the river opposite to Kanauj, hoping that they would be able to prevent my passage.

On Thursday, the 6th of the latter Jumáda, I passed Kanauj, and encamped on the western bank of the Ganges. My troops went out and seized a number of the enemy's boats, which they brought in. From above and from below they collected about thirty or forty boats in all, of different sizes. I sent Mír Muhammad Jálahbán to throw a bridge over the river. He accordingly went and marked out a situation, about a kos below our encampment. I appointed commissaries to provide every­thing requisite for the bridge. Near the place pitched on, Ustád 'Alí Kúlí brought a gun for the purpose of cannonading, and having pitched upon a proper spot, began his fire. * * * Having planted a swivel on an island, at a place below where the bridge was constructing, a fire was commenced from it. Higher up than the bridge a breastwork was raised, over which the matchlockmen fired with great execution. * * * For several days, while the bridge was constructing, Ustád 'Alí Kúlí played his gun remarkably well. The first day he discharged it eight times; the second day sixteen times; and for three or four days he continued firing in the same way. The gun which he fired was that called Deg-ghází (the victorious gun). It was the same which had been used in the war with Sanka, the Pagan, whence it got its name. Another gun, larger than this, had been planted, but it burst at the first fire. * * *