At this time, Makbúl Khán Ghulám and Surokh* Badakhshí joined His Majesty, and he sent them in pursuit of his assailants. The royal forces, seeing the danger in which the Emperor had been placed, were roused to desperation, and made a fierce onslaught upon the enemy. Ibráhím Husain Mirzá was disheartened, and took to flight. Some brave men pursued him, and cut down several men on their way. But the night came on darker than the fate of that band, so the Emperor gave orders to stop the pursuit. Ibráhím Husain Khán, glad to save his life, made off with a few persons by the Ahmadnagar road to Sirohí. The Emperor went into the town of Sarnál, and offered thanks for his victory. Every man who served in this engagement received his reward in increased rank and in jágírs.
Next day the Emperor started on his return to the royal camp, but he sent on in advance Surokh Badakhshí, whose conduct in this affair had gained the royal approbation, to carry news of the victory to the princes. When the news arrived, the princes and the ladies of the harem, and the amírs and the officials, were filled with joy sufficient to last them their lives. On Wednesday, the 18th Sha'bán, when one watch of the night was passed, the Emperor rejoined his camp at Baroda. Next day he conferred a banner and a kettle-drum on Rájá Bhagwán Dás, who had so greatly distinguished himself in this action.
The fortress of Surat is small, but exceedingly strong and secure, and remarkable among fortresses. It is said, that a slave of Sultán Mahmúd Gujarátí, Safar Áká by name, who received the title of Khudáwand Khán, built this fortress on the seashore * in the year 947, in order to resist the attacks of the Europeans, for before the fort was built, the Europeans did all kinds of mischief to the Musulmáns. When Khudáwand Khán was engaged in the erection of the fort, the Europeans several times fitted out ships to attack it, but could not succeed in their object. Khudáwand Khán then called for his architect, a very clever man, to provide for the security of the fort. After a little reflection, the careful builder determined on his plan. On the two sides of the fort which face the land, he formed ditches reaching to the water, which were twenty yards (dará)* wide, and filled with water; they were built of stone, chunam, and burnt bricks. The thickness of the double walls* is five yards, and the height twenty yards, and these are likewise built of stone, chunam, and burnt brick. The thickness of the four walls is fifteen yards, and the height twenty yards. It is a remarkable circumstance that each stone is firmly fastened to the next with cramps of iron, having molten lead poured into the interstices. The battlements and embrasures are formed of stone, and are formidable to look at. On the top of the tower there is a chaukandí,* which, in the opinion of Europeans, is an invention of the Portuguese. When the Europeans were unable to prevent the erection of the fortress by force of arms, they offered large sums of money to prevent the raising of this structure. But Khudáwand Khán, in contempt of the Europeans, rejected their application and raised the structure.
After the death of Changíz Khán, the fortress came into the possession of the Mirzás. When the Emperor marched into Gujarát, the Mirzás placed all their soldiers in the place, and left it under the command of Ham-zabán, who had formerly been one of the orderlies (korchíán) of the Emperor Humáyún, but had fled from the Imperial Court, and joined the rebels. The Mirzás themselves did their best to stir up war and strife outside.
When Ibráhím Husain Mirzá was defeated and put to flight at Sarnál, the Emperor returned to Baroda, and renewed his design of conquering Surat. He sent forward Sháh Kulí Khán and Sádik Khán, with instructions to invest the fort so that no one could get out. Upon this movement becoming known to the garrison, Gulrukh Begam, daughter of Prince Kámrán and wife of Ibráhím Husain Mirzá, took her son Muzaffar Khán Mirzá with her, and fled to the Dekhin before the arrival of the Imperial forces. When the amírs heard of her escape, Sháh Kulí Khán Mahram pursued her for fifty kos, and returned unsuccessful, but some of the Begam's servants fell into his hands. Some days afterwards the Emperor sent Rájá Todar Mal to examine and ascertain precisely the inlets and outlets of the fortress. After a week he returned and made his report.*
His Majesty, relying on the help of the Almighty, left Baroda on the 25th Sha'bán, and encamped at the distance of a kos from Surat on the 18th Ramazán. On the same night he went up and reconnoitred the fort. He distributed the batteries among his amírs, and three days afterwards he moved his camp, and pitched his tent so near the fortress that cannon shot and musket balls could reach it. But the chief carpet-spreader brought to his knowledge through the amírs that there was near at hand a tank called Golí-táláb, and although the bank of the tank was close to the fort, the uneven ground and the trees would prevent balls from reaching it. So the order was given for the removal of the royal tents to this spot.
The siege was pressed on, and in a short time the way for drawing water was closed. After it had gone on for nearly two months, the besiegers advanced their batteries, so that every way of ingress or egress was closed. (The soldiers and the followers of the amírs collected a vast quantity of earth, and raised a high mound, which commanded the fort. And the gunners and musketeers stationed upon the mound kept up a fire that greatly harassed the garrison, and prevented the men from moving about or bringing anything up. Every hole big enough for a mouse was closed. The miners pushed their mines under the bastions, and made such progress that the capture of the place was a mere matter of to-day or to-morrow. When the garrison perceived the state of affairs),* they were reduced to the greatest alarm and distress.
The wretched disloyal Ham-zabán and all the people in the fort sent out Mauláná Nizámu-d dín Lárí, who was a student and an eloquent man, to sue for quarter. The Mauláná was conducted to the royal tent, and made his plea for mercy through the amírs and officials. The chief amírs reminded His Majesty that the batteries had been advanced very forward, and when they saw that he was inclined to mercy, they remarked that the garrison had resisted and fought with all their might so long as they had any power; and now that they saw that the fall of the place was imminent, they were ready to beg for mercy. His Majesty, in his gentleness and humanity, granted the petition. Mauláná Nizámu-d dín Lárí was allowed to pay his homage to the Emperor, and, being dismissed, he returned to the fortress with the glad news of quarter having been conceded.
A royal order was then issued for Kásim 'Alí Khán and
Khwája Daulat Názir to proceed into the fortress with the
Mauláná, to give assurances to Ham-zabán and the men of the
garrison, and to bring them out with them. An order was also
given for a party of trustworthy clerks to be sent in to seize
upon all property, live stock and dead stock, and take care that
nothing was lost. The names of all the people in the place
were written down, and the list was presented to the Emperor.
Kásim 'Alí and Khwája Daulat Názir, by order of His Majesty,
brought Ham-zabán and all the men before him, and Ham-