To return again to Nadyr-shah. That Prince, after the capture of Candahar, ordered that fortress to be ruined, and its inhabi­tants to be transported to Nadyr-abad; and from thence he marched towards Ghaznin and Cab8l. In his way thither he sent this message to the Cutval of the latter place:* “Know, that I have no business with Mahmed-shah’s dominious; but as these frontiers are an inexhaustible mine of Afghans, and a number of those runaways have joined him as well as you, I wish only to destroy that race of miscreants. Be, therefore, under no con­cern or apprehension for yourself, and make every thing ready to receive me as your guest.” After this message, he advanced and encamped under the very walls of the fortress, on the turrets of which the Cab8lians, with the Cutval at their head, appeared in great numbers, ready to defend themselves, without paying any regard to the admonition sent them. A body of Cuzzel-bashes being ordered to escalade the walls and to undermine the forti­fications the Burghers, on the first attack, called out for quarter; and quarter being granted, they came out of the gates and sur­rendered the fortress, and acknowledged themselves his subjects. Intelligence coming at the same time that several bodies of Afghans were skulking about in the mountains, troops were sent after them, and as many of those mountaineers as could be come at, were put to the sword. No news meanwhile coming from Mahmed-qhan-Turkman, the envoy, Nadyr-shah made a choice of a certain number of considerable Cab8lians, and sent them with a message to Mahmed-shah and his Ministers. The envoys mak­ing haste, went by Lahor to Shah-djehan-abad, where they delivered their message, but where none would hear it, or if he did, none would comprehend it. It is reported by men of consequence and persons of veracity and credit, that whenever these Cab8l­ians, or any other persons of understanding that came from those parts, would open their mouths, and mention any thing of Nadyr-shah, Qhandö8ran turned the whole into ridicule, and used to add: That the houses of this Capital had very lofty roofs,* from which the citizens were enabled to see Nadyr-shah and his Moghuls from afar. Himself with his friends and favourites looked upon this embassy and message of the Cab8lians as a farce contrived by the Vezir, by Nizam-el-mulk, and by the T8ranians at court, and especially by Zekeriah-qhan, the Viceroy of Cab8l, whom they knew to be a relation of the Vezir’s; and they treated with contempt and with raillery those that pretended there was no contrivance at all, but that the whole was mere matter of fact. In a country where the Prime Minister is actually under such an infatuation of mind, and where the intellects of those about his person extend no farther, it is curious to see how they will manage to curb the aspiring Grandees, and how they shall introduce order and subordination in the affairs of the Empire! Nadyr-shah not tired with the repeated miscarriages of his envoys, dispatched from Cab8l another man under the escort of ten troopers. These being arrived at Djelal-abad no sooner alighted at a house, than they were set upon by a mob that assembled about them, and were all slain, after having been first disarmed. None escaped but the tenth, who found his way back to Cab8l, where he gave an account of what had passed. Nadyr-shah, who had been already full seven months in this province, busy in discovering bodies of Afghans, and in putting them to the sword, hearing of this affair at Djelal-abad, lost all patience; and marching to that place, he surrounded it on all sides, and ordered all the inhabitants to be massacred. It is very strange, but true, that many Qhylaats had been sent from Court to reward those concerned in the murder of those ten men, and nothing prevented their being put on by the perpetrators, but the general massacre that followed soon after. It is no less true, that on the first intelligence of Nadyr-shah’s having entered the province of Cab8l, Qhandö8ran and Nizam-el-mulk had been ordered to march out and to oppose him; but they contented themselves with loiter­ing their time in the city, after spreading several times the report of their marching out: a conduct which they thought to be a piece of refined policy, and a political stroke in the art of govern­ment. Nadyr-shah having sacked Djelal-abad, marched to Pis­havor, in the environs of which place he was encountered by Nassyr-qhan, Governor of Cab8l, who, having joined to what troops he could muster a multitude of Afghans, which he brought together, resolved to make a stand in a certain defile and a narrow valley, as difficult as that of Qhaïber,* and which he imagined to have put beyond insults. Nadyr-shah, hearing of his preparations, sent him this short message: I inform you that I shall be on such a day in such a place, from whence you will do well to retire, until I am passed. The message produced no effect. That very day Nadyr-shah appeared, and having put to the sword every one that attempted to stand before him, whether Indian or Afghan, Nassyr-qhan himself was wounded, and fell in the hands of the Cuzzul-bashes; but on his informing them who he was, they carried him to Nadyr-shah, who in a few days after sent for him and honoured him with a Qhylaat. That Prince from Pishavor, advanced to the Ateck,* which he crossed in boats, and he entered the province of M8ltan, the capital of which is Lahor. This unfortunate country exhibited already a scene of confusion and massacre. Several thousands of banditties, availing them­selves of the weakness of Government, coalesced into two opposite bodies, and these waging war amongst themselves, had put under contribution and ruined several of the best districts. On the approach of Nadyr-shah, Zekeriah-qhan, proud of the troops he com­manded, and of the artillery with which he could support them, came out of the city, and having choosen an advantageous post on the Ravi, the river that washes that city, he prepared for battle. But fools never know anything of either war or peace, but when it is at their own expense. Nadyr-shah, on descrying that multi­tude Zekeriah-qhan, Viceroy of Lahor, is beaten and defeated. of Indians huddled together, spurred his horse into the water, and, with the few Cuzzel-bashes that were at hand, he pushed on to the opposite side, where he soon put to flight the foremost of those that seemed the best mounted and skilled; the rest, seeing this havoc, fled with the utmost consternation; and the Gov­ernor joined them, and took shelter within the city, whilst Nadyr-shah encamped close to the walls. Zekeriah-qhan, sensible now of his error, wrote a supplique to the Monarch to excuse the error of his conduct, and to offer a surrender. The offer being accepted, he came out, paid his respects, and was honoured with a Qhylaat. From Lahor, Nadyr-shah proceeded directly to Shah-djehan-abad, from which city Mahmed-shah had likewise set out with his whole court and a numerous army. But he moved on with so much slow­ness, that in two months time he had only advanced to Carnal, a town seated at the head of the canal made by Aaly-merdan-qhan, and this was just four days journey from the capital. There he encamped, and having a numerous artillery, he ordered it to be placed round the camp, and the guns to be made fast to each other by chains. Nadyr-shah, on his march from Lahor, had two or three times sent a message to the Indian Emperor, informing him of Mahmed-qhan-Turkman’s embassy to his Court, to all which messages no answers were given, nor was the Ambassador him­self dismissed. He was kept in camp, without any one being able to guess what might be the intent of such a strange policy. Qhandö8ran had long ago wrote to Radja Djehi-sing-seväi and to some other powerful Radjas, on the valour and prowess of whole Radj­p8ts that Minister reposed the highest confidence, and whose assistance he reckoned as certain; but it failed him, and every Gentoo Prince contented himself with amusing the Minister with frivolous pretences, and far-fetched excuses. Every one kept him­self at home, and not one of them did move a foot. The Emperor and his whole Court expected with impatience the arrival of Saadet-qhan, and the eye of hope was fixed on the ground he was to tread on the highway. What looks strange is, that although Nadyr-shah was now so very near, and his army was a numerous one, nevertheless not a man, either public or private, in the Hindostany army, knew for certain where he might be; and the first intelligence received, was from the grass-cutters,* and other army men, who going out of camp at about eleven in the morning for the purpose of bringing forage and other necessaries, had advanced about three or four cosses in the plain, where having been set upon by some detached troops of the enemy’s, they returned wounded to camp, which they filled with mighty reports of the heaviness of the blows they had received, and of the prowess of the Moghuls. The camp was in a tumult in an instant, and a general panic seemed to have seized every mind, and eager was every one to see Saadet-qhan arrive. At last news came, that he was at hand, and on a Wednesday, the fifteenth of Zilcaadah, in the year 1150, Qhandö8ran advanced out of camp to meet him, and having embraced him, he brought him to the Emperor, who received that General with distinguished marks of favour and attention, and ordered him to encamp close to Qhandö8ran’s troops. That General repairing to the spot, was waiting for his baggage, when news was brought that his baggage had been set upon by some of Nadyr-shah’s light troops, which were committing much havoc there. Saadet-qhan alarmed by such intelligence, sent Qhandö8ran notice that he could not help going to assist his people, actually engaged with the enemy, and he immediately advanced to the spot. Meanwhile this message having been imparted by Qhandö8ran to the Emperor, and by him to Nizam-el-mulk, the latter answered: “That it was already three in the afternoon, by which time Saadet-qhan’s people must be spent by the length of their march, and that it was unreasonable, therefore, to fight that day. Let His Majesty,” added he, “issue his commands to that General to contain his eagerness for a few hours until tomorrow morning, at which time the army being assembled, and in battle array with that numerous artillery in their front, would march up to the enemy, and, under His Majesty’s auspices, would perform some glorious action.” This answer of Nizam-el-mulk’s having been imparted by a message to Qhandö8ran, the latter ascribed it to some neglect or jealousy in Nizam-el-mulk, and he returned for answer: “That Saadet-qhan was already far off, and must undoubtedly be already engaged with the enemy, and that it would be ungenerous, indeed, and cowardly, to suffer so brave and so faithful a servant to be exposed alone to the enemy. Such neglect,” said he, “is very con­trary to rule, and highly dishonourable to the service. Let others do as they please, for my part I must go, and support Saadet-qhan.” He said, and immediately mounting his elephant, which was standing in readiness, he marched forward, being followed by his own troops and by some light artillery; and there remained only two or three hours of daylight, when he arrived on the field of battle, where he took his post on Saadet-qhan’s elbow, at about one mile distance from him. Nadyr-shah, on seeing his van engaged, left part of his army for the guard of his camp, and marching out with the main body, as far as the field of battle, he divided his troops in three parts—kept one with himself, and sent the two others to engage the two Indian Lords—when the brave Cuzzel-bashes spurring their horses, rushed upon the enemy, and fell a wounding, killing, and dismounting, and in a couple of hours, they did so much execution, that the troops of those two Lords were thrown into the utmost disorder and fled, especially those of Qhandö8ran’s, who lost the bravest and most illustrious of his com­manders. These with Muzfer-qhan, his brother, at their head, set out in a body for the regions of eternity. Of this number were Qhandö8ran’s eldest son, Aaly-hamed-qhan, Sheh-zad-khan, Yad-gar-qhan, with Mirza-akyl-beg the cuirass-wearer,* and most of the men of his corps, as well as Mir-g8l8 son to Mir-mushreff, and Ratun-chund, son to Räy-qhoshall-chund. Qhandö8ran him­self being severely wounded, and senseless, was carried away by a few friends who, on the dusk of the evening, arrived at the army, where in consequence of that discipline so conspicuous in the camps of the Emperors of Hindostan, they found nothing of Qhandö8ran’s encampment, but an empty waste, with not even a tree to afford shelter to that Minister’s senseless and expiring body. The whole including treasure, furniture, tents, equipages, horses, and cattle, had been plundered by the Hindostanies and his own people. At last a small tent was sent by some person, and Qhandö8ran was stretched at his length upon the ground; where the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan, and Nizam-el-mulk, together with the principal eunuchs of His Majesty’s seraglio, came to visit him to condole on his misfortune, and to supplicate Heaven for his preservation. Qhandö8ran, who was now come to himself, opened his eyes with difficulty, and finding himself going, he said these words: “As to me, my business is done. Indeed, we have done it ourselves. Now take care of your own concerns. Let me tell you only a few words: Beware of letting the Emperor go to visit Nadyr-shah, and beware of letting Nadyr-shah proceed to the Qhandö8ran slain. city. Better to avert that calamity from hence, and to make him go back. Procure this by every means in your power.” The two Lords, after hearing these words, and conferring a little together, returned to their homes; and Qhandö8ran, on the nineteenth of the same month departed this life, and repaired to the mansions of eternity.