Alla-ood-Deen Shah, on receiving this intelli­gence, called a council of his ministers and mili­tary chiefs, to concert measures for acting at such a critical moment. It was recommended that the King should proceed in person against the enemy, it being probable that both the kings of Guzerat and Malwa, as also the rays of Gond-wara, were prepared to aid in assisting Nuseer Khan. The King, however, suspecting the fidelity of his chiefs, appointed Mullik-oot-Toojar, then governor of Dowlutabad, to conduct the cam­paign.

Mullik-oot-Toojar having accepted the com­mission, observed, that servants had no option but submission, and it was their duty to resign even life itself at the command of their masters; but he ob­served, that it was notorious the defeat at Mahim (Bombay) was occasioned solely by the enmity of the Deccany and Abyssinian officers towards him, since they could not bear to see a foreigner * distinguish himself. He humbly requested, there­fore, that the King would, on the present occa­sion, give him the command of the household troops, and all the foreigners, without any Dec-canies or Abyssinians, when he trusted, by the bless­ing of the Almighty, and the royal auspices, he should be able to bring affairs in Berar to a pros­perous issue. Alla-ood-Deen Shah consenting, directed three thousand Mogul bowmen from the body-guard to attend him, as also many Mogul officers, who had been brought up in the ser­vice of Feroze Shah and Ahmud Shah. Among these guards were two princes, Mujnoon Sooltan and Shah Koolly Sooltan, both lineal descendants from the great conqueror Chungiz Khan. Mullik-oot-Toojar proceeded, in the first place, to Dow-lutabad, from whence he despatched an army of observation to the frontiers of Guzerat and Malwa, and entered Berar with a well equipped army of seven thousand veteran Moguls†; * Khan Jehan, also, having found an opportunity of quitting Nar-nala, joined the King's army at Mehkur. Mullik-oot-Toojar now detached Khan Jehan with his troops to Elichpoor, in order to prevent the Ray of Gondwara from entering Berar by that route, while himself moved with the main body towards the Rohunkehra Ghat, where the enemy was en­camped. At the foot of the pass, he was opposed by a detachment of Kandeish troops, whom he routed with great slaughter; and Nuseer Khan, thinking this defeat an ill omen, retreated with precipitation to Boorhanpoor, to which city he was pursued by Mullik-oot-Toojar; and not thinking himself safe even at that capital, he fled to the fortress of Lulling.*

Mullik-oot-Toojar, having levied heavy contri­butions from the citizens of Boorhanpoor in jewels, money, and effects, proceeded to lay waste the province of Kandeish; which having done to the extent of his wishes, he returned to Boorhanpoor, burned down the royal palaces, and dug up their foundations, and then marched as if towards the Deccan; but during the night, having changed his route, he made one forced march, and appeared suddenly before Lulling with four thousand horse. Nuseer Khan, who had with him twelve thousand men, thinking he must have the advantage over an enemy inferior not only in numbers, but exhausted with fatigue, gave battle. The Kandeish troops, however, were totally defeated, and many of Nuseer Khan's principal officers, together with the rebel chiefs of Berar, were slain; while Mullik-oot-Toojar having secured a large booty, part of which con­sisted of seventy elephants and some artillery, re­turned in triumph towards Ahmudabad Bidur.

On his approach, Alla-ood-Deen Shah, to mark his sense of the meritorious services of his general, sent the Prince Hoomayoon, attended by all the court, to meet him at a considerable distance from the city; where, on his arrival, the King gave him a suit of the royal robes, an elephant, and a sabre set with jewels, with permission to retire to his go­vernment of Dowlutabad. At the same time, all the chiefs who had accompanied him were gratified with titles, promotion, and grants of lands. To Shah Koolly Sooltan, who had particularly distin­guished himself, the King gave his daughter in marriage; and ordered that the Moguls should, in future, take precedence of the Deccanies and Abyssinians. From the day of this distinction till the present time the most rooted inveteracy has existed between the Deccanies and Moguls, which the former have evinced on all occasions, when opportunities offered.

About this time, Dew Ray of Beejanuggur sum­moned a council of his nobility and principal bramins; observing to them, that as his country (the Carnatic), in extent, population, and revenue, far exceeded that of the house of Bahmuny, and also as his army was more numerous, he requested them to point out the cause of the successes of the Mahomedans, and of his being reduced to pay them tribute. Some said, that the Almighty had decreed to them a superiority over the Hindoos for thirty thousand years, a circumstance which was foretold in their own writings; that it was on this account, therefore, the Hindoos were ge­nerally subdued by them. Others said, that the superiority of the Moslems arose out of two cir­cumstances: first, that their horses were stronger, and able to endure more fatigue than the weak animals of the Carnatic; secondly, that a great body of excellent archers was always maintained in pay by the kings of the house of Bahmuny, of whom the Ray had but few in his army.

Dew Ray, upon this, gave orders to enlist Mus-sulmans in his service, allotting to them estates, and erecting a mosque for their use in the city of Beejanuggur. * He also commanded that no one should molest them in the exercise of their religion, and, moreover, he ordered a Koran to be placed before his throne on a rich desk, so that the faith­ful might perform the ceremony of obeisance in his presence without sinning against their laws.† * He also made all the Hindoo soldiers learn the art of archery; to which both he and his officers so applied themselves, that he could soon muster two thousand Mahomedans and sixty thou­sand Hindoos well skilled in archery, besides eighty thousand cavalry, and two hundred thou­sand infantry, armed in the usual manner with pikes and lances.

With this host, he resolved on conquering the Bahmuny kingdom; and, accordingly, in the year

A. H. 847.
A. D. 1443.

847, having crossed the Toongbudra suddenly, he took the fortress of Mood-kul, sent his sons to besiege Rachore and Bunkapoor, and encamped with his army along the bank of the Krishna. From hence he sent detach­ments which plundered the country as far as Sagur and Beejapoor, laying it waste with fire and sword. Alla-ood-Deen Shah, on receiving intelligence of these events, prepared to repel the invasion, and commanded all his troops from Tulingana, Dowlutabad, and Berar, to repair to the capital of Ahmudabad Bidur without delay. On re­viewing them, he found his army to consist of fifty thousand horse, sixty thousand foot, and a considerable train of artillery. With this force he marched against the enemy; and Dew Ray, on his approach, encamped under the walls of the fortress of Moodkul, and detached a large body of light troops to harass the King on his advance. The King's army halted at the distance of twelve miles from Moodkul, and Mullik-oot-Toojar was detached with the Dowlutabad divi­sion against the sons of Dew Ray; while Khan Zuman, governor of Beejapoor, and Khan Azim, commander of the forces of Berar and Tulingana, were opposed to the main body of the enemy. Mullik-oot-Toojar, going first to Rachore, gave battle to the eldest son of Dew Ray, who was wounded in the action, and fled towards Bun-kapoor, from whence he was joined by his younger brother, who quitted the siege of that fortress.

In the space of two months, three actions took place between the two grand armies; in the first of which, multitudes were slain on both sides, and the Hindoos having the advantage, the Mus-sulmans experienced heavy losses. The King was successful in the second; and in the last, the eldest son of Dew Ray was killed by a spear thrown at him by Khan Zuman; which event struck the Hindoos with a panic, who fled with precipitation into the fortress of Moodkul. Musheer-ool-Moolk and his brother (officers of note), following the fugitives, entered the fort with them; and the in­fidels, admiring their valour, took them both pri­soners without injury, and carried them before Dew Ray, who caused them to be kept in con­finement. Alla-ood-Deen Shah, upon this, wrote to him, that he valued the lives of the two chiefs equal to that of two hundred thousand common men, therefore, as it was a rule with the princes of his family to slay a hundred thousand Hindoos in revenge for the death of a single Mussulman, he swore, should Dew Ray take away the lives of the two captive officers, he would revenge the death of each by the slaughter of a hundred thousand Hindoos.

The Raja, who knew by experience the deter­mination with which the Bahmuny princes fulfilled their vows, despatched confidential persons to the King, proposing, on condition of his promising not to molest his territories in future, to pay annually the stipulated tribute, and to release the two prisoners. The King acceding to these terms, a treaty was concluded, and Dew Ray imme­diately sent back Musheer-ool-Moolk and his brother. He also made an offering of forty war elephants, and valuable effects to a great amount, paying at the same time the tribute due for some years past. The King then honoured the Ray with a handsome dress, and presented him with several horses covered with rich furniture set with jewels; after which he began his march home­ward; and during the rest of his reign, Dew Ray regularly remitted his tribute, the King strictly observing, on his part also, the treaty formed on this occasion.