But now a general rumour had spread everywhere that Data-sindia, nephew to Djingo-dji, had in the first month of the year 1171 marched from Decan at the head of a powerful army, com­manded by renowned Generals, and with a firm resolution to finish the conquest of Hindostan, and after having spent that year in strengthening his former conquests, he intended to invade the country of the Rohillahs, as well as the dominions of Shu djah-ed-dowlah. No wonder, therefore, if the latter joined their councils together, and prepared in concert for their common defence. The Marhatta General’s scheme was to cross the Ganga at a certain ford in the winter season, and to fall at once upon the Rohilcund; after which he intended to proceed to the conquest of the A8d; and it was with an intent to favour such an invasion, that Umad-el-mulk, who was at the bottom of all this mighty scheme, and the real inciter of the Marhatta motions, had set out from the Capital. Meanwhile the Marhatta General crossed the Djumnah, and fell at once upon Nedjib-ed-döwlah’s country. This Prince unable The Marhat­tas set out with a firm resolution to conquer Hindostan. to stand the contest in the field, retired to Sukartal, a difficult post on the Ganga, where the passage of that river may be easily defended, and where he intrenched himself, resolved to stand his ground to the last. The Marhatta General encamped close to him; and for four months together, which the rainy season lasted, no other thunder was heard but that of continual dis­charges of cannon, rockets, and musketry, and no other lightning seen, but that of famished flaming sabres, and blood-thirsty spears; so that the earth seemed to hold a conversation with the heavens*. Meanwhile the Rohillah Princes, such as Hafyz-rahmet-qhan, and D8ndy-qhan, and Saad-ollah-qhan, took care to represent to Shudjah-ed-döwlah, “That the Marhattas waited only for the end of the rainy season, and the sub­siding Are jointly opposed by the Rohillahs and by Shud­jah-ed-dowla. of the Gange, to cross that river at some ford, and fall upon the Rohilcund, which they would either subdue or ruin intirely; in which case it was past doubt that they would turn their steps towards the country of A8d. That such an event must be prevented; for that to defend a country, when the enemy is already at your doors, is not the business in question; remedy must be sent before the evil is arrived. March then,” added they, “to our assistance, set out immediately, and make haste to join us.”

Those insinuations could not fail to make a deep impression on the mind of Shudjah-ed-dowlah, who felt how critical his situation was, and he resolved to be beforehand with the enemy. It was then the height of the rainy season, and the roads, on account of the incessant rain and the swelling of all the rivulets and brooks, had become so miry as to be impassable. Neverthe­less, he set out from Lucknow, and advanced as far as Shah-abad, where he was stopped by the swelling of the Ganga, and the inundation of the country, which had rendered it impossible to approach nearer to the camp at Sukartal, so as to effect a junc­tion. The Marhatta General hearing of Shudjah-ed-döwlah’s approach, ordered one of his principal Commanders, called Govind-pandett, to cross the Ganga with twenty thousand horse and foot, and to ruin the whole Rohilcund. This officer having advanced as high as T-hac8r-d8ara*, a spot that touches the foot of the northern mountains, forded the Ganga at that place, and spread throughout the Rohilcund, where he burned thirteen hundred villages from Chandpoor down to Amr8a; after that, he fell upon Hafyz-rahmet, Doondy-qhan, and Saad-ollah-qhan, the Rohillah Princes, who were preparing to march to Nedjib-ed-döwlah’s assistance, and put them to flight. The Afghans, sur­prised at the suddenness of the irruption, and incapable to with­stand so great a force, retreated as far as the foot of the mountains of Camä8, where they intrenched themselves in a difficult post; but Shudjah-ed-dowlah no sooner heard of this disaster, than he decamped from his post on the beginning of the first Reby, in the year 1173, and marching with the utmost rapidity, he arrived at Chandpoor over against the place where Nedjib-ed-döwlah was intrenched. It was high time. The besieged Prince, finding himself abandoned by his countrymen who were fled amongst the fastnesses of the Camä8, had despaired of being freed from his forlorn situation, and as he had already despaired of his life, he thought only how to sell it to the highest bidder, when his spirits were recruited at once by Shudjah-ed-döwlah’s approach. The latter had already discovered some of the runners of the Marhatta army; but nothing more had happened, as he advanced to Holavah, which is at five cosses farther than Chandpoor. There he heard that some of his sutlers had been set upon and plundered by the enemy. On the first intelligence of this, he detached the two Commanders that were then at hand, with orders to chastise the Marhattas. These were An8b-ghir-ghossaïn, and Amrä8-ghir-ghossaïn, two Fakirs in his service, both of great character. After their departure, he got them followed by Mirza-nedjef-qhan, at the head of five thousand horse, and by Mir Bakyr-qhan-temeni, with four thousand more, all Moghuls. All these had orders to leave the plunderers to their own work, and to push for Govind-pandett’s head-quarters. These officers, all eager for action, commenced by skirmishing, and the engagement growing warmer, they strewed the ground with Marhatta bodies. An8b-ghir the Ghossaïn made a great massacre amongst them, and took a hundred prisoners, and a vast booty in horses and cattle. The Marhatta General finding himself so severely handed fled from the field of battle, and with all the difficulties imaginable he found his way again to the ford, where he had some­time ago crossed the Ganga. But his confusion and that of his followers was so great, that he mistook the part, and lost vast numbers of his people who were swallowed up by the Ganga, that insatiable crocodile of the sweet flood. The next morning, Shudjah-ed-döwlah, after having ordered his music to play in token of victory, marched forward; and the report of it having spread everywhere, reached also the Afghans, who had been hitherto lurking in the brambles at the foot of the Camä8. It made them move from their holes, and join Shudjah-ed-döwlah. The two armies after this junction marched on to Sukar-tal, where Nedjib-ed-döwlah was besieged, and they delivered him from the miseries he was undergoing. Nevertheless, the Afghans intimidated by the power of the Marhattas, thought proper to send proposals for an accommodation both to Data-sindia and to Djingo. These two Generals, on the other hand, who had heard of the Abdali-Monarch’s coming, and thought of providing for their own safety by advancing as far as Lahor to stop the enemy in Pendjab, were glad to hear the proposals. Data-sindia signed an agreement, which was sworn to on both sides, after which he withdrew his troops, and advanced towards Lahor. Shudjah-ed-döwlah, on his side, returned to Lucknow, where he made his entry the twenty-ninth of the first Djemady, in the year 1173.

Whilst Sindiah was besieging Nedjib-ed-dowlah at Shukar­tal, by the Vezir Umad-el-mulk’s instigation, he wrote to the latter to come to his assistance. That wicked man, encumbered on one hand, by an Emperor whom he knew to be a well-wisher to Nedjib-ed-dowlah, and to hold a correspondence with the Abdali-king, and on the other, by an uncle whom he mistrusted full as much, although he actually kept him in confinement, took his party without any scruple. He resolved, first of all, to make himself easy on those two accounts, and then only to depart; and first he ordered Intyzam-ed-dowlah, his uncle, to be put to death, and three days after, he provided also for the Emperor. Having properly tutored Mehdy-aaly-qhan, the Cashmirian, he sent him to that Prince. That artful man went, and turned so well the Emperor’s mind, that he engaged him to go out and The Vezir murders both his uncle and the Emperor Aalem-ghir. pay a visit to a certain Fakyr of uncommon sanctity and charac­ter, who performed miracles, and was said to be lately landed at Firoz-shah’s Mausoleum. That imbecile Prince, entrapped by the diabolical suggestions and artifices of that infernal man, took it into his head to pay incognito a visit to so extraordi-nary a personage. Being arrived at the spot, he was shewn a door before which hung a curtain. But he had a sword in his hand*. The Cashmirian having taken it with one hand, lifted up the curtain with the other, and the Emperor entered the room, which the Cashmirian immediately shut up, by making the door fast from without, and then dropped the curtain. Yzzeddin’s son, Mirza-babr, who was also son-in-law to the Emperor, no sooner saw these strange motions, than he drew his sabre, and wounded one or two men. But he was instantly overpowered and seized; and being put into a covered Paleky, he was sent to the apartment where the Princes of the blood are usually kept confined*. Meanwhile the four men concealed within the room, fell upon the defenceless Emperor with their poniards, and having dispatched kim in an instant, they threw his body out, and left it stretched upon the strand of the Djumna. There he was soon stripped of his clothes, save only his drawers, in which condition he remained eighteen hours. After which time the Cashmirian above sent some people, who took up the body, and carried it to the Emperor H8mayon’s Mausoleum, where they committed it to the earth.