The Prince being disarmed by this manœuvre, the Vezir remained inactive for a fortnight; when one day, on pretence of going to visit Shah-nizam-eddin’s Monument, he assembled vast number of armed men at his Palace gate, and at once sent ten or twelve thousand of them to Aaly-merdan-qhan’s Palace, with orders to besiege it, and to confine the Shah-zadah’s person. The troops having in a short time bored holes through the walls, penetrated within the outer courts, whilst others were getting upon the terraces, and began firing so briskly that they soon killed the greatest part of those who had shewed themselves from within. Mir-djaafer-aaly and Ozm-aaly-qhan, who saw all this, and were ready armed, as well as the Prince, observed to him, “That it was better to make a fortie upon the enemy, and to fight them manfully, as the consequence would be either to perish bravely like men of honour and character, or to effect an escape. That in the first case, they would jump at once into eternity, with their heads encircled by the Tulip garlands of martyrdom; and in the second, they would get rid of their pursuers, and recover their liberty.” The Prince consented. He had only a few men with him, but these were determined and resolute. Mounting their horses, they advanced to the back part His heroical retreat through a whole army. of the house, where there was a certain breach in the wall which looked on the river; and falling unexpectedly upon the enemies, sabre in hand, they in a moment cut their passage through them, strewing the ground with their dead. The Prince slew two men with his own hands, and he behaved throughout the whole action with so much personal prowess and heroical conduct, that the Cahremans and Heroes of old times would have bit the finger of astonishment, had they been witness of his valiance. The enemies ashamed to see their prey ready to escape, crowded after them, and pursued hotly. In this extremity that intrepid troop used to turn about, rush upon their pursuers, put the foremost to flight, kill some of them, and then continue their route as before; and it was by such continual exertions that they cut their way towards Atel-räo, the Marhatta, who was encamped at Tila­mahnoo. That General informed of what passed within sight of his encampment, came out with a body of cavalry, and having received the Prince with every mark of respect, he brought him within his camp; and as that Commander had been some time ago a strenuous adviser of the Prince’s repairing to the Capital, so as in fact to oblige him to return thither, and had moreover parted company with him, he now exerted himself in making an apology for being in some measure the cause of the Prince’s danger. After that, he did every thing in his power to sooth his mind; he then pitched a number of tents for him, and several more for his men, with others apart for his wounded, of whom he took great care, assisting with necessaries both these and the others. During that trying retreat, the enemy pressed so hard, that every one saw that the Prince was going to fall in their hands or to be slain. In that citical moment, that would have appalled a Rustem and a Sam*, the illustrious Sëyd, Ozm-aaly-qhan, with that daring courage hereditary in his family, and that heroical valour which came to him from the founder of his race, Aaly, the King of braves, turned about to the Prince, and said, “Prince, thou art destined to be one day a resource to an infinity of people, and thy life is, therefore, more precious to-day than ours. Run then forwards and gain some distance, and I will undertake meanwhile to stop the enemy, until thou shalt have distanced him.” He said, and with a daringness the more admirable, because of his youth, he turned about and fell amongst the purfuers with such fury, that the sphere of heaven stopped short to look at so much prowess; and when that young hero fell at last, spent with the fatigue of the slaughter, its eyes were seen to drop tears in great abundance*. Atel-räo having seen his guests refreshed and recovered, made a return upon himself, and reflected that his masters in Decan might find fault with him for so openly espousing the interests of Umad-el-mulk’s enemies. He therefore thought proper to afford no more a handle against himself, and he escorted the Prince as far as Feroh-abad, a place different from Bangashe’s Capital. There he was received by M8ssa-qhan, the Ball8ch*, Zemindar of that country, and son to Cam-car-qhan, who expressed great respect for the Prince’s person, pitied his situation, and made him a present of three lacs of rupees. Atel-räo having seen his Royal guest in a place of safety, took his leave, and returned. The Prince quitting M8ssa-qhan’s country, advanced by C8ndj-p8ra to Soharenp8r where he found Nedjib-ed-döwlah. The latter entertained the Prince for eight months together, and neglected nothing of what could conduce to alleviate his sorrows; but a great Revolution having at that time taken place in Bengal, where Mir-djaafer-qhan had possessed himself of that country by the assistance of the English, he advised the Prince to avail him­self of that opportunity to shew his person in those regions, and to try whether he could not take possession of them. By these insinuations he freed himself honorably from a guest that was likely to attract upon his person and country the whole weight of Umad-el-mullk’s resentment. Having, therefore, presented the Prince with as large a sum of money as he could afford, he took his leave. The Prince having listened to that advice, left at Mehranp8r both my father and Munnir-ed-döwlah, with orders to assemble troops, and to prepare some artillery and ammunition; and taking his leave of them, he marched by Moorad-abad and Berëily with intention to repair to the country of A8d. In his way thither he was entertained by Saad-ollah-qhan, son to Aaly-mahmed-qhan-Rohillah, who exerted in pleas­ing and assisting him. It was the ninth of the first Djemady in the year 1171, when he arrived at Mohan, a town at seven cosses The Imperial Prince, obliged to fly from his father’s house, is received every­where with respect. distance from Lucknow. Shudjah-ed-döwlah informed of the Prince’s circumstances and arrival, advanced to that town, paid him his obeisance, presented him with a Nuzur of one hundred and one Eshrefyes*, and behaved himself in everything with the utmost obsequiousness and respect; the moment after he supplicated the Prince to accept a small present from him. It consisted in one lac of rupees in ready money, a table or qhoan covered with jewels, several such tables covered with precious stuffs, a set of tents, utensils for all kind of offices, and a quantity of arms. To these, he added two elephants with their covered and shaded Amharies, and a Taht-revan, or moving throne, with ten baggage-carts. The Prince having cast a glance at that offering of Shudjah-ed-döwlah’s, invited him to a closet*, where he remained two hours with him, after which he dismissed him, making him a present of the Turbant he wore, with his own Serpitch and his own Paleky. From thence the Prince marched to Ilah-abad, where having attached Mahmed-c8ly-qhan to his cause, they marched together to Azim-abad, as we have mentioned at length in our account of the affairs of Bengal. Whether Shudjah-ed-döwlah would have followed the Prince, is not clear; but at any rate he had at that time much business of his own.

We have already mentioned that the Vezir Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, having got himself joined by a body of Marhattas, had ruined the power of the Afghan, Ahmed-bangash, and had given the country of Antervid, alias the Dö-abah, to those people, for the purpose of insuring their pay and arrears. The Marhattas having extended their ravages throughout that country, had cast their eyes on the neighbouring province of A8d, and were biting the finger of regret for not having yet attacked and seized that fine region, as well as the rest of the Rohillah country. And they Umad-el-mulk’s attempts to embroil the Rohillahs, and Shudja-ed-döwlah, serve only to bring them to an understanding. were yet brooding on their grief, when Umad-el-mulk, who was personally incensed against Nedjib-ed-döwlah, conceived the design of ruining him intirely; but as in spite of the Abdali-king’s countenance, he had found means to drive him from the office of Prince of Princes, so he expected that without being apparently concerned in the matter himself, he would as easily drive him from his principality, by committing him with the Marhattas; his intention being to serve Shudjah-ed-döwlah in the same manner, as soon as he had finished Nedjib-ed-döwlah. Such a scheme having been soon guessed at, brought about an union of concerns between those two Princes, equally threatened; and here we must admire that Providence which overset that well concerted scheme by bringing friendship and union out of the chaos of aversion and mutual mistrust, and could render the Afghans, those inveterate enemies of Ab8l-mans8r-qhan and his family, so many faithful assisters, and so many zealous well-wishers of Shudjan-ed-döwlah’s prosperity. It is true the latter had cultivated a friendship with Nedjib-ed-döwlah, and with the several Princes of Aaly-mahmed-Rohillah’s family; but now the common hatred against the Vezir, Umad-el-mulk, and the common dread of an addition of power to the Marhattas, had drawn closer the bands of union between those Princes, so as to verify the famous sentence:

“Even an enemy will promote thine welfare, if it so pleases God.”