At the beginning of the year nine hundred and ninety-three (993) which was the end of the thirtieth year of the Emperor's reign, Mirzá Sháhrukh and Rájah Bhagván Dás arrived near Fatḥpúr, and having sent the Prince Dányál with Shaikh Ibráhím Chishtí, and a num­ber of the Amírs to meet them, they conducted them to the Court. And the Emperor gave him a lac of rupees in ready money, and goods ont of the wardrobe, and three Persian horses, and five ele­phants, and ever so many camels and mules and servants.

Mean while the Emperor, in accordance with his established cus­tom, * married the Prince Sulṭán Salím to the daughter of Rájáh Bhagván Dás. And going himself to his house the Emperor cele­brated the ceremony of mariage in the presence of the Qazís and nobles. And the sum of two krors of tankahs was fixed as the marriage settlement. And they performed all the ceremonies, which are customary among the Hindús, such as lighting the fire &c., and over the litter of the Princess the Emperor ordered gold to be scat­tered all the way from that house to the palace:—

“From the quantity of jewels and gold, that were scattered,
Peoples hands were weary of picking them up.”

And Rájah Bhagván gave as his daughter's dowry, several strings of horses, and a hundred elephants, and boys and girls of Abyssinia, India, and Circassia, and all sorts of golden vessels set with jewels, and jewels, and utensils of gold, and vessels of silver, and all sorts of stuffs, the quantity of which is beyond all computation. And to each one of the Amírs, who were present, according to their station and rank, he gave Persian, Turkish, and Arabian horses, with golden saddles, &c. (P. 342).

And on Thursday the nineteenth of Rabi' ul-awwal* of the year nine hundred and ninety-three, the scouts of the army of spring, and the advance-guard of the Nouróz-i-Sultání came up, and according to the writings of Mirzá Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad, who has preserved all the dates in his history, the thirtieth year from the Accession began. But the fact is the beginning of the second cycle from the Ac­cession started in Atak Banáras from 25th of Rabí'ul-awwal of the year nine hundred and ninety-four, as shall be related* hereafter if God, He is exalted, will. And at the same time the origin of the mis­take on the part of the Mirzá was forgetfulness of the fact that, on account of the intercalated days, which every three years makes a difference of one lunar month, there is a difference in each cycle of a whole year, between the solar and the lunar years. And I, as I had no almanack with me, allowed myself necessarily to follow the Mirzá, and the responsibility rests on him (but God knows best!). More­over the Mirzá during these years was in Gujrát, and not with the Imperial Camp.

To return to our story. He kept the festival in the old manner, and held a high feast. And every day he received hospitality from every stall-holder* among the Amírs, and suitable presents, so that even food, and scents, and presents fit for dancing-girls, were admit­ted into the treasury. And from a commander of 5000, down to an Aḥadí they were all obliged to bring presents and gifts and offerings. And even this worthless atom, who is of no account at all, except that I am called an Hazárí on account of my being honoured with 1000 bíghahs of land, followed the example of the old father of Joseph (peace be on him!) and brought my 40 rupees,* and they had the honour of being accepted:—

“My service is not according to my liking,
Pray give me another service.”

At this festival they gave to the eldest prince the rank of comman­der of 12,000, and to the next 9,000, and to the third 7,000, and gave them a separate wardrobe, and royal insignia, and a tumantogh,* and kettle-drum.

And at the beginning of this year Mír (P. 343) Murtaza', and Khadáwand Khán, the Amírs of the Dak'kin, who had gone from the district of Berár against Aḥmadnagar, which is the metro­polis of Nizám-ul-mulk, were beaten in a battle with Çalábat Khán, the Vazír of Nizám-ul-mulk. Then they went to Rájah 'Alí Khán to Burhánpúr. And Rájah 'Alí Khán plundered them of all their elephants, sent 150 of them by his son, Ibráhím Khán, to the Court, where he arrived at the festival of Nouróz. After he had done homage he presented the rest of the goods,* which remained over, and stimulated him to conquer the Dak'hin. In consequence of this the Emperor made Sháh Fatḥ Ulláh (whom he afterwards called Mír Fatḥ Ulláh), with the title of 'Azud-ul-doulat and a present of 5,000 rupees, and a horse and a robe of honour, Çadr-in-chief of the districts of Hindústán, and appointed him to the Dak'hin; in order that looking after Khán-i-A'zam and Shiháb-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán and the other Amírs, and leading an army into that district he might become a rallying point for the Amírs.

And he left his servant Kamáláí Shírází at home as his Deputy, to bring to Court the lackland Aimahdárs, some of whom still re­mained scattered here and there. And under him the Çadrate reached its acmé,* but afterwards little by little things reached such a point, that Sháh Fatḥ Ulláh, for all his pomp and circumstance, could not make a grant of 5 bígahs of land! Nay, after with­drawing the whole of the grants of lands, his duty of collecting* from them became a mere phantom. The very land in the same manner became the dwelling-place of wild animals, and of noxious beasts and reptiles, not of Aimahdárs and ryots. And now those oppressions are chronicled in the books of the acts of the Çadrs, al­though their names are forgotten:—

Of all the Great Çadrs naught remains
In the heart of the Earth but the bones of the Çadrs.*

In the month of Rajab* of this year news arrived from Kábul, that Mirzá Sulaimán, who after being defeated had gone from Badakhshán to Mirzá Muḥammad Ḥakím, had been satisfied (P. 344) with one village called Asálú (?). Then with the help of the Uy-máqs * he fought a battle with the Uzbeks within the boundaries of Badakhshán, and gained the victory. He put many of them to the sword, and to those whom the sword had spared he gave dresses of honour, and dismissed them. And that district found as it were a second life: “He it is who sendeth down rain, after that they have despaired”.*

And in the month of Shábán* of this year the Khán Khánán, in accordance with orders, came by forced marches from Gujrát to Fatḥpúr, and Muzaffar once more created a disturbance in Gujrát. And on account of the great trouble which the Jám,* and Amín Khán Ghorí, governor of Júnágaṛh, gave him, and the tricks they had played him, he went and laid seige to the fortress of Júnágaṛh. Qulíj Khán remained in Aḥmadábád, and Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad sent the Amírs of that district against Muzaffar, who was not able to with­stand them. He crossed the marsh of the Rin* (which is separated from the salt sea by a distance of from ten to thirty cosses, and enter­ing the sandy desert of Jaisalmír, there loses itself), and came into the district of Kachh.

At this time Nizám-ud-din Aḥmad wrote a letter to me from Gujrát, saying that since the Khán Khánan at the time of setting out [for Fatḥpúr] made a promise, that if he got the Emperor's leave he would at this time bring with him Mullá Iláhdád Amrohah, and yourself* from the Court. Consequently it is right that he should treat you both with every proper politeness, and having got leave for you from Court should bring you at once hither. As a wise man has it:—

“And afterwards, whatever may be best.”—

So I saw at once the Khán Khánán, when he came into the writ­ing office, which had been set apart in Fatḥpúr as the translation-department. But he, as quickly as possible, was sent off to Gujrát (P. 345), and then immediately afterwards Kábul came in the way, and so my hope of employment, which I had looked on as the key of salvation, and a secured provision for life, became clouded over: “wish for nothing, but what God wills.”

And the Khán Khánán having arrived within 10 cosses of Sarohí, determind to take Sarohí and Jálór. And Nizám-ud-dín Aḥmad and Sayyid Qásim Bárhah hastened thither to meet him, and arrived with a large force. The Rájah of Sarohí brought many presents, and give in his submission. And as for Ghaznín Khán of Jálór, although he had an interview with him on this occasion, yet, since before, when the Khán Khánán had gone to the Court, he had exhibited some unpleasing actions, and shown tokens of rebellion, the Khán Khánán made him prisoner and brought him to Aḥmadábád. He deprived him of Jálór, and left his own army in that place.

And some time before this Sayyid Jamál-ud-dín, the grandson of Maḥmúd Bárhah, on account of a love affair with one of the dancing-girls of the Court by name Siyáh Yamín, who may now be called Ahrimaní,* had fled from the Court and gone to the skirts of the mountains. There he had collected a force, and kept looting the pargannas of that neighbourhood, and robbing on the highways. Afterwards he left the skirts of the mountains, and took refuge at Patan in Gujrát with his uncle Sayyid Qásim. Some time after the events related above, the Khán Khánán, in accordance with a far­mán , demanded him from Patan (which was Sayyid Qásim's jágír) and sent him bound to Láhór. And eventually he married Ghaznín Khán to the little daughter of Muḥammad Wifá, the late treasurer, and to please Miyán Fatḥullah Sharbatí, his wife's brother, he treated him with great kindness and consideration, and allowed him to re­main in attendance at Court. And Sayyid Jamál-ud-dín they hung on a stake in the same market,* and shot at him with arrows. So that was the only exaltation he got from love!

And in those days a representation came from Mán Singh and Khwájah Shams-ud-dín from Aṭak Banáras (P. 346) to the effect, that Mirzá Muhammad Ḥakím had been taken sick, and that Faríd-ún having set out from Pasháwar with a caravan with a view to going to Kábul, had had an encounter in the Khaibar pass with the son of Roshaní* the heretic (who was a Hindústání and possessed of but little knowledge, and has now gained a reputation as a priest of darkness), and being defeated had returned to Pasháwar. By chance the fortress was set on fire, and 1,000 merchantmen's camels were burnt. And Farídún having escaped from that fire-like smoke* went towards Kábul by another route. Seventy persons through thirst, and want of water, perished on that journey.

Meanwhile news arrived that 'Abd'ullah Khán* had fitted out an army of superior numbers against Mírzá Sulaimán, and after a victory, which was as brilliant as a lamp's illuminating of a house, had expelled him from Badakhshán, and seized the whole of that country himself. The Mirzá being unable to withstand that army fled to Kábul.

At this time news arrived from Kábul that Mirzá Muḥammad Ḥakím through drinking habits had brought on a number of con­flicting diseases, and having fallen sick had developed a palsy. And on the twelfth of Sha'bán of the year nine hundred and ninety-three (993) he passed from this dwelling of sadness and deceit, to the world of joy and happiness:—