On the morning of Sunday the army began to pass the Ganges.* I embarked and crossed over about the first watch.* The third watch was past when Zard-rū, and those who had accompanied him to search for the ford, returned without having found it. They brought word, that by the way they had met the boats, and the detachment of the army which had been ordered up the river.*
May 4. On Tuesday we marched from the place where we had
crossed the river, advanced towards the field of action,
which is near the confluence of the two rivers, and encamped
about a kos from it. I myself went and saw Ustād Ali
Kuli employed in firing his feringis and artillery. That day
Ustād Ali Kuli struck two vessels with shot from his feringi,
and sank them.*
Having dragged on the great cannon
towards the field of battle, and appointed Mulla Gholām to
forward the necessary preparations for planting it, and
left him some yasāwels*
and officers to assist him, I embarked
in a boat and went to an island opposite to the camp,
where I took a maajūn. While I was under the influence
of the maajūn, they brought the boat near the royal tents,
and I passed the whole night aboard. This night, a singular
Singular
occurrence.
occurrence happened. About the third watch of the night
an alarm was given by the boat-people. I found that my
servants had each of them laid hold of some piece of wood
belonging to the ship, and were calling out, ‘Strike him,
strike him.’ The vessel Farmāish, in which I slept, was
close by the Asāish,*
on board of which was a tunkitār,*
who, as he waked from his sleep, saw a person that had
laid hold of the ship Asāish, and was endeavouring to climb
up her side. The tunkitār struck him with a stone on the
head. The unknown person, while in the act of falling from
above into the water,*
let fly a blow with his sword at the
tunkitār, and wounded him a little. The man made his
escape in the river. This had produced the alarm. The
night that I left Munīr, one or two of my tunkitārs had
chased a number of Hindustānis who had come near my
vessel, and took two of their swords and a dagger, which
they brought in. Almighty God preserved me:
May 5.Let the sword of the world be brandished as it may,
It cannot cut one vein without the permission of God.
The following morning, being Wednesday, I went aboard of the Gunjāish, and having approached the place where they were firing the artillery, I allotted to every one his particular duty. I dispatched about a thousand men, under the command of Aughān Berdi Moghul, with orders to ascend the river for two or three kos, and use every endeavour to cross it.* While they were on the march, not far from Askeri’s camp, they fell in with twenty or thirty Bengali vessels which had crossed the river and landed a number of infantry, with the intention of making a sudden attack on one of our divisions.* Our men charged at full gallop, threw them into confusion, put them to flight, took some prisoners, whose heads they cut off, killed and wounded a number of others with their arrows, and seized seven or eight of the vessels. The same day, the Bengalis landed from a number of vessels, near Muhammed Zemān Mirza’s quarters,* and made an attack on him. He, on his part, received them with great firmness, put them to flight, and pursued them; the men of three vessels were drowned, and one vessel was taken and brought to me. On this occasion, Bāba Chihreh particularly exerted himself and signalized his bravery. I ordered Muhammed Sultan Mirza, Yakkeh Khwājeh, Yunis Ali, Aughān Berdi, and the body which had previously been appointed to pass the river, to make use of the seven or eight ships which Aughan Berdi and his men had taken, to row them over* during the night while it was dark, and so cross the river.
Passage ofThe same day, a messenger arrived from Askeri with information that his army had now all crossed the river, and that early next morning, being Thursday, they would be ready to fall upon the enemy; I immediately issued orders, that all the rest of our troops who had effected their passage, should co-operate with Askeri and fall upon the A. D. 1529. enemy, in conjunction with him. About noon-day prayers, a person came from Ustād with notice that the bullet was ready to be discharged,* and that he waited for instructions. I sent orders to discharge it, and to have another loaded before I came up.
About afternoon prayers I embarked in a small Bengali boat, and proceeded to the place where the batteries had been erected; Ustād discharged a very large stone bullet once, and fired the feringis several times. The Bengalis are famous for their skill in artillery. On this occasion, we had a good opportunity of observing them. They do not direct their fire against a particular point, but discharge at random. The same afternoon prayers, I ordered that some vessels should be rowed right up the river Sarū, in front of the enemy. The persons appointed to row the boats, without any hesitation, though unsheltered, rowed up about twenty vessels.* Orders were given to Isān Taimūr Sultan, Tukhteh Būgha Sultan, Bāba Sultan, Arāish Khan, and Sheikh Gūren, to proceed to the spot where the vessels were, and to guard them. I then left the place, and reached the camp in the first watch of the night.
Towards midnight, news came from the ships that had been collected higher up the river, that the detachment ordered on the service had advanced as directed; that while the ships which had been collected were moving according to orders, the Bengali ships had occupied a narrow pass in the river and engaged them*; that one of the boatmen had his leg broken by a shot, and that they found themselves unable to make their way.
May 6.On Thursday morning, I received intelligence from the men in the batteries, that the ships which were higher up the river were all sailing down,* and that the enemy’s whole cavalry had mounted, and were now moving against our troops, who were advancing. I set out with the utmost expedition, and repaired to the vessels which had passed up by night. I dispatched a messenger full gallop to Muhammed Sultan Mirza,* and the detachment which had been appointed to pass, with orders for them to cross without delay, and to join Askeri. I ordered Isān Taimūr Sultan and Tukhteh Būgha Sultan, who were protecting the vessels, to lose no time in crossing. Bāba Sultan had not yet reached the appointed place. On this occasion, Isān Taimūr Sultan embarked with about thirty or forty of his servants in a boat; they swam over their horses by the side of the boat,* and so effected a passage; another boat got across after him. On seeing that the first party had landed, a large body of Bengali infantry marched down to attack them. Seven or eight of Isān Taimūr Sultan’s men mounted their horses, rode out to meet them, and kept them occupied in skirmishing, drawing them on towards Isān Taimūr, till he was prepared. This gave Taimūr Sultan time to mount and make ready, and in the meantime the second boat had also come across. He now set upon the large body of infantry with thirty or thirty-five horse, and put them to flight in grand style, distinguishing himself in several respects; first, by the vigour and celerity with which he crossed over before all the rest; and next, by advancing with a handful of men to charge a numerous body of foot, which he threw into confusion and defeated. Tukhteh Būgha Sultan also passed the river, and the vessels now began to cross in uninterrupted succession. The Lahoris and Hindustānis also began to pass separately,* some by swimming* and others on bundles of reeds, each shifting for himself.
On observing what was going on, the Bengali ships, which lay opposite to the batteries down the river, began to flee.* Derwīsh Muhammed Sārbān, Dost Ishek-Agha, Nūr Beg, and numbers of our troops now passed, opposite to the batteries. I dispatched a messenger to the Sultans, to desire them to keep together in a body such as had crossed, and that as the enemy’s army drew near, they should take post upon its flank, and skirmish with them. The Sultans accordingly formed such as had crossed into three or four divisions, and advanced towards the enemy. On their approach, the enemy pushed forward their infantry to attack them, and then moved from their position to follow and support their advance. Kūki arrived with a detachment from Askeri’s division on the one side, and the Sultans advancing on the other direction, they both charged. They fell furiously on the enemy, whom they bore down, taking a number of prisoners, and, finally, drove them from the field. Kūki overtook one Basant Rao, a pagan of rank, and having unhorsed him, cut off his head. Ten or fifteen of his people, who threw themselves upon it,* were killed on the spot. Tukhteh Būgha Sultan signalized his valour by pushing on, and engaging the enemy hand to hand. Dost Ishek-Agha also showed great intrepidity.* Moghul Abdal Wahāb and his younger brother likewise distinguished themselves. Although Moghul could not swim, he yet contrived to get across in his corslet.*