The head of Qambar was sent as a present to the battlements of Kabul, and encouraging letters were sent to Bāqī Qāqshāl and the men of Kabul to inform them of the arrival of the army of fortune. When the news of the favour and of the helping-hand of H.M. the Shāhinshāh, and of the capture of Jalālābād reached Kabul, the sound of joy rose high, and the head of Qambar was made an ornament to the battlements. Though M. Sulaimān was disconcerted by the capture of Jalālābād and the noise of the approaching army, yet he comforted his panic-stricken men by declaring the news to be false. He said it was a clamour of the Kabulis, till at last the two Badakhshīs came and confirmed the tidings of the victory. Thereon, the thread of patience fell from the hands of M. Sulaimān and Ḥaram Begam, and the cord of coherence became unloosed. Disheartened, and in evil case, they debated as to whether they should fight the victorious army or return to Badakhshān. After argument they decided upon flight.
Next day M. Sulaimān retired from the siege of Kabul and turned back his horses (lit. shod them backwards). He went in the direction of Jalālābād and arrived at Khwāja Riwāj. He gave out that he was going to fight the Mīrzā. At nightfall he became perturbed and went towards Badakhshān. As he was crossing the river Parwān a great flood came down, and carried away much of the Badakhshīs' baggage. With a thousand difficulties, and with precautions that no one should see him, he reached Badakhshān. The victorious army had arrived at Jagdalak when the news came to Kabul of the flight of M. Sulaimān. M. Ḥakīm and the officers came to Kabul. The inhabitants being released from the troubles of defending the fort raised shouts of joy to heaven. The whole population rejoiced, and offered up prayers for the long establishment of those royal standards which cast the shade of justice far and near. After some days Qubu-d-dīn K. went to visit Ghaznīn, which was the home of his family, and took Kamāl K. with him. He spent days in pleasure in that place where he had been born and brought up. He showed kindness to all his clan, and to all his friends, near or remote. He returned after laying the foundations of stations, gardens and buildings, which are marks of auspiciousness, and produce pleasant memories. After arranging the affairs of Kabul, the Khān Kilān foolishly resolved to take upon himself the office of the Mīrzā's vakil and stayed in Kabul. He bade adieu to the officers, and they returned to India. Sakīna Bānū Begam, the younger sister of M. Ḥakīm, went to India in order to thank the Shāhinshāh for his kindness and from a wish to enter* the holy service. She proceeded under the guidance of Qubu-d-dīn Muḥammad K., and obtained fortune by kissing the threshold.
As there was no inborn goodness in M. Muhammad Ḥakīm's disposition, nor any development of sound reason, and no honest and loyal servants, disturbances arose at this time when by the Shāhinshāh's influence the affairs of Kabul had been arranged, and the Khān Kilān was established as administrator. The sedition-mongers of Kabul stirred up strife and Muḥammad Ḥakīm Mīrzā on account of his youth was always giving ear to falsehoods. And Mīr Muḥammad K., who was noted for his impetuosity and roughness, did not adopt conciliatory ways and was put out by petty matters. He conducted things with severity, and so things did not proceed harmoniously between him and the Mīrzā and the Kabulis. Though the Mīrzā used expressions of obedience, yet he transacted many important matters without consulting the Khān Kilān. One of them was that Khwāja Ḥasan Naqsh bandī was passing his days in Kabul, and that the Mirza without consulting H.M. the Shāhinshāh, or reference to the Khān Kilān, gave his sister, whom his mother had formerly married to Shāh Abu-l-m'aāli, in marriage to the Khwāja. When the latter had the glory of such an alliance, he took to managing the affairs of the Mirza's household, and used to do things which he ought not to have done. Also many men of the Mirza's household used to say things which were not agreeable to the Khān Kilān's disposition. Mir Muḥammad Khān, in spite of the hastiness of his character, could read men, and was acute and far-seeing. He could see in the diary* of to-day the catalogue of the events of the morrow, and in his ill-fatedness he thought it proper to consult his own repose though he should act contrary to the Shāhinshāh's order. He perceived that evil days were coming upon him, and as he saw that the outcome would not be good he proceeded to look ahead. In a night* of nights he, without anyone's knowledge, marched from Kabul, and took the highroad to India.
He also sent a report to the sublime court, detailing the intrigues of the Mīrzā's palace, and the commissions and omissions which were taking place in Kabul. If the Khān Kilān for his own satisfaction took such a bootless course, he should have from his knowledge of the world, etc., sent Khwāja Ḥasan, Yār Muḥammad Ākhūnd, Fīrūz and some others along with the officers to India, so that the Mīrzā's affairs should not go the length of becoming sedition and also he should not have returned in such fashion. But when there is a Divine design for some act, the wise and farsighted are previously made foolish, and then the hidden purposes are revealed. And, in fact, in such matters there is nothing left for the acute and intelligent, but to be spectators and to become acquainted with the Divine decrees.
One of the occurrences was the sending of Qulīj K. to Rohtās in order to conciliate Fatḥ K. The short account of this is that there is in Bihar a fortress named Rohtās which is one of the greatest in India, and which is a marvellous work of the Creator. It stands on a very high hill and is guarded from the thought of disturbance. Its length and breadth are more than five kos. The ascent from the plains to the terrace of the fort may be more* than a kos. A wonderful thing is that though the fort is situated so high, good water is found whenever the soil is dug to the depth of two yards. From the time it was built, no ruler had ever got possession of it, except Sher Khān, and he took it by fraud by introducing troops dressed as women, as has already been briefly related.
After that it fell into the hands of Fatḥ Khān Patni,* who was one of the great sirdars of Sher Khān and Selīm Khān. Supported by this fortress he used to contend hotly with Sulaimān who had acquired the government of Bengal. From far-sightedness he was always making representations to the well-wishers of the empire. At this time, when the notes of the disloyalty of 'Alī Qulī K. Zamān were visible far and near, H.M. sent Qulīj Khān to Fatḥ Khān, who was always sending representations of his submissiveness, to ascertain his disposition and to confirm him in the path of service and obedience. He was to arrange that when the standards of fortune reached the borders of Jaunpur, he (Fatḥ Khān*) should attain the reward of performing service and should bring the coin of his fidelity to be tested by H.M., and should prove to all and sundry the genuineness (saragī) of its quality. Qulīj Khān reached Rohtās with all possible speed, and confirmed him in the straight path of service. And he brought his younger brother Ḥasan K. Patnī into service in order that he might obtain princely favours by being admitted to the Presence. At the time when the glorious cavalcade returned from elephant-hunting in Karhara and Narwār, of which an account will shortly be given, to the capital, they were exalted by kissing the ground. Ḥasan Khān was encompassed by the Shāhinshāh's favours.
In the beginning of this year the cupola of chastity, Ḥājī Begam, who was one of the pure wives of H.M. Jahānbānī Jinnat Ashiyānī* and the daughter of his mother's maternal uncle, and mother of Alāmān Mīrzā, was permitted to go on a pilgrimage to the holy places. H.M. arranged this pilgrimage to the holy places in an excellent manner and provided all things necessary, and bade her goodbye. Though his holy heart did not wish to be separated from her, yet he preferred her wish and granted her request. A large number of persons obtained the same favour by this opportunity.