(P. 331) Muzaffar at the time of their meeting advanced towards him with greatest respect, and gave him a place on his own private sofa, and although he treated him in a conciliatory manner he did not cease to oppose his being put to death. At last at the instigation of one named Nawárí, a zamíndár of Rájpíplah, and others of the soldiery, he had the ground levelled over his head like his own buried Qárún treasures.* Then going from Parwár to Baroṇch, he took that fort from the wife and dependants of Quṭb­ud-dín by capitulation. And there he found fourteen lacs of rupees from the treasury of Cambay, which I'timád-ud-dín, the krorí, had carried off, together with all the property moveable and im­moveable, and the immense private treasures of Quṭb-ud-dín Khán which exceeded 10 krors; and collected them together. And as for the other goods and chattels how can one describe them! And, which is very strange, Naurang Khán, the able son of Quṭb-ud-dín Khán, together with Qulíj Khán, and Sháríf Khán, and Tulak Khán, and other Amírs of Málwah, in these harrowing circumstances* did not stir a foot from Nazarbár and Sulṭánpúr, which were very near, and so could not receive any news of his parents:—

“When once you know that Destiny is all tangles,
Nobody is anything to you.”

And the army, the number of which has been before mentioned, consisting of Mogúls, Afgháns and Gujrátís, gathered round Mu-zaffar. On hearing this news Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad and the other commanders went to Patan, and joined those two* renowned Amírs. There they kept expecting the arrival of Mírzá Khán, son of Bairám Khán Khánán, and all the Amírs who had been appointed to go from the Court, and were marching towards Aḥmadábád through Jálor and Patan. Mirzá Khán remained one day at Patan, and then march­ing on halted at Sarkich.* And (P. 332) Muzaffar returned from Barodah, and committing the charge of the fortress of Baroṇch to his wife's brother, Naçír by name, and to a Rúmí named Jarkas,* (who was a servant who had fled from the imperial Court,) and having pitched his tent in the neighbourhood of the burial place of Sháh B'hekan (?), (God sanctify his glorious tomb!), which was but two cosses distant, he there encamped. The next day a fierce battle took place, and Muzaffar was defeated, and retired to Ma'múrábád. And Sayyid Háshim Bárhah and Kizr Aqá the wakíl of Mírzá Khán were stained in the gore of victory,* and many men were wounded; and on the side of the enemy, who could number the slain! This action took place on 16th of the forbidden month of Muḥarram in the year nine hundred and ninety-one (991). And, since Mirzá Khán before the victory had vowed that if the bride of victory showed her face from behind the veil, he would give all the goods and chattels that might be among the baggage, as a thank-offering for that event,* to the poor and needy, with a view to paying this vow he ordered some of his servants to fix a price on all stuffs and horses and elephants and fur­niture, that he might expend that money in disbursements. These untrustworthy, deceitful, irreligious valuers set such a price on them, that not a fourth, or a fifth or even a tenth of the market-value came to the poor. And some things they gave away in order to bring joy to their own hearts, and to comfort their own hearts, and so it did! And some domestics,* who were servants of Mirzá Khán, such as Daulat Khán Afghán Lodí, Mullá Maḥmúdí, and others, represented to him: “Ever since we have been your attendants, we have not committed a fault. How comes it then that we should be so lorded over and oppressed by the imperial servants, and that they should always take precedence of us at assemblies, when they are really our inferiors with respect to salutations and other points of court etiquette? Mirzá Khán found these weak and fallacious arguments very agreeable and reasonable, and having got ready some dresses of honour and many horses destined for each one of the Amírs, and having caused their names to be written on them, (P. 333) he prepared a great levée. He himself went into an attiring room, and became engrossed in the occupation of making his guests sit down, and in putting their dresses on them. Then he sent for Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad (who some time during the life of Bairán Khán Khán Khánán had married his foster-sister) and put the case before him. He gave the following advice. These followers* of yours are possess­ed by a spirit of wrong-headedness in this matter, if the Emperor were to hear of it, what would he order? As far as salutation on your part is concerned, what reason would there be in his ordering you to salute Shiháb-ud-dín Khán who is your superior both from the dignity of commanding 5000 and also from being older in years?* and similarly, how would it be right for him to order I'timád Khán, who once upon a time was commander of 20,000, horse, to salute you? And since Páyandah Muḥammad Khán Moghul has most unmistakably declared himself opposed to it, and the others are not in the least worth considering, you had better ignore the matter altogether. Mirzá Khán accepted their advice, and gave up the pretension.

Three days after the victory Qulíj Khán and the other Amírs of Málwah came to Ahmadábád. And when they heard that Muzaffar, had gone to Cambay from Ma??múrábád, which is on the banks of the river Mahindra, and a company of 20,000 horsemen had gathered round him from the fugitive, Mirzá Khán with the Amírs went in that direction in pursuit. Muzaffar betook himself to Barodah, and thence towards Rájpíplah, and Nádot. And Mirzá Khán having come to Barodah, sent an army against a servant of Muzaffar's, named Daulat to the gates of Cambay, and brought him out, and then hastened to Nádot; Qulíj Khán and the rest of the great Amírs he appointed to go to the mountain district of the interior, where Muzaffar had taken refuge. And everywhere Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad kept that force continually on the move, which entailed much baggage and munitions requiring heavy dragging about, and showed a gallant perseverance quite exceeding what could be ex­pected of one in his poor position, (P. 334) nay even beyond the limits of human power. At last through his efforts a great battle, like the first battle of Sarkich, took place with Muzaffar. They gained the victory, and Muzaffar's forces were dispersed in all directions. Mirzá Khán came to Aḥmadábád, and directed the Amírs of Málwah, and the rest, to besiege the castle of Baroṇch. After seven months, Jarkas Rúmí, who held the command of that fort on the side of Muzaffar, was killed, and Naçír Muzaffar's wife's brother capitulated.

This year after sending Mirzá Khán and the army of Málwah to Gujrát the Emperor started from Ágrah in a boat on a pleasure ex­pedition to Iláhábád, which is a new erection on the site of Prayág, an old sacred city of the Hindús, where they had built several fortresses. On the day of his starting they brought from Makkah the news of the death of Shaikh Badr-ud-dín, son of Shaikh Islám Chishtí, who had kept a voluntary fast for seven whole days, and in intense ecstacy had made the circuits of the Ka'abah barefooted until his feet were blisted, and violent fever supervened. On the Feast of Qurbán in the year nine hundred and ninety he drank the draught of martyr­dom of death, in the path of God from the hand of the cupbearer of eternal grace:—

“Last night on account of my sincerity and purity of my heart
In the wine tavern that soul-gladdener of my heart
Brought me a cup, saying ‘Take and drink,’
I said ‘No!’ he said ‘Do! for my heart's sake.’”

This news the Emperor sent to Ḥájí Ḥusain, the attendant of the monastery of the said Shaikh, and great dismay and distress found its way into that family, and the line of guidance (P. 335) and teaching which he had left was cut short. The Emperor stayed four months there, and sent Zain Khán Kokah, and Bír Bar, who had formerly been a servant of Rájah Rám Chand B'hatta, on an em­bassy to Chorágaṛh. Rám Chand agreed to submit, and after paying Zain Khán all sorts of hospitality, he kept him with him, until he came in his company to Fatḥpúr, and did homage there. There he offered 120 rubies, and other jewels in the same propor­tion as a proper present. And among those jewels was one, the worth of which was 50,000 rupees. He left his son, named Bábá, in the service of the court, and himself after some time obtained leave to go home. And soon after he went to his natural abode—Hell, where he got into hot water.* This Rám Chand in his natural disposition was of such high spirit, that he has none equal in our days. And among his presents was this: he gave in one day a kror of gold pieces to Miyán Tánsingh, the musician. And I have mentioned above,* how that he gave to Ibráhím Súr the ensigns of royalty. Miyán Tánsingh did not wish to leave him. Finally Jalál Khán Qurchí came, and brought him back to his sense of duty.

At that time A'zam Khán came in haste from Ḥájípúr to Iláhábád and did homage, and receiving leave to depart he went quickly back again to bring his army. And the Amírs laid in that city the foundations of a great building; and it was determined that thence­forth that place should be the Capital. And they struck a new coinage, and Sharíf Sarmadí, the registrar of outposts of whom some one said:—