One of the occurrences of this time was that, when H.M. was in Jaunpūr, Sher Muḥammad Dīwāna* set to plundering Samāna* and soon got the punishment due to his actions. This ill-omened wretch was one of the servants of Khwājah M'ūaam. Afterwards he entered into the service of Bairām Khān, who made him a favourite on account of his good looks. In the time of Bairām's power he held a confidential position, but when adversity came he took the path of ingratitude. Something of this has been already said in its proper place. As H.M. is a fountain of justice, though the desertion was advantageous to himself, yet he could not approve of it as such vile conduct is the worst of qualities in a man. So Sher Muḥammad did not become a persona grata. For some time he lived in the town of Sāmāna. When 'Alī Qulī Khān and a number of others rebelled, and H.M.'s forces marched to extinguish the flames of their sedition, this predestined wretch collected a crowd of vagabonds, and proceeded to make a disturbance. Mulla Nūru-d-dīn Muḥammad Tarkhān, who was the faujdār of that part of the country, had left one Mīr Dost Muḥammad in Sāmāna to manage the affairs of the pargana. One day that scoundrel invited Dost Muḥammad to his house, and, in the very midst of the entertainment, was sharpening the arrow (for his destruction). Suddenly, while the feast was going on, he put the arrow into the notch (curve) of the bow and struck that innocent man in the breast and killed him. He then laid hold of all the goods and chattels which were in that pargana and rushed off to pargana Māler.* He killed likewise the Shiqdār of that pargana, which appertained to the exchequer-lands, and seized whatever property was there. Vagabonds flocked round him and he made incursions into the provinces, till at length Mullā Nūrū-d-dīn collected a number of men and set about putting him down. The madman was enjoying himself in the village of Dhanūrī*(?) which is on the borders of Samāna. On hearing of the arrival of Mullā Nūru-d-dīn he did not make much account of it and proceeded to attack the Mullā with a small force.
In the moment of the attack his horse struck against the trunk of a tree and fell. A number of men ran on foot and seized him. The Mullā put the ill-omened madman to death, and was rewarded by princely favours.*
One of the occurrences was that H.M. visited Chunar from Jaunpūr. As the Shāhinshāh's natural disposition is to forgive injuries, he, at the urgency and intercession of Mun'im Khān Khān-Khānan, drew the pen of pardon over the record of the crimes of 'Alī Qulī Khān and other rebellious lords, and then was struck by the idea of seeing Benares and the fortress of Chunar, which is one of the celebrated forts of India. With this intention he left Āshraf Khān in charge of Jaunpūr and marched off on the day of Dai-bamihr 15 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to Friday 3 Rajab, 24th January, 1566. In three marches he reached Benares and shed the lights of justice over all the inhabitants thereof. He ordered his camp to halt there, and went on with some chosen followers to Chunar. He surveyed the inside and outside of the fort and received inward and outward pleasure. Meanwhile the hunters brought the glad news of elephants being in the forests in the neighbourhood of the fort, and he proceeded with a number of special attendants to search in these forests. After exploring about two kos they came upon a herd of elephants. He directed that those mountain-like forms should be surrounded on all sides and then following out the rules of hunting, ten elephants were captured.
Their necks were bound by strong ropes, and they were brought along with the tame elephants to the fortress. From there he returned to his camp at Benares.
One of the occurrences was H.M. the Shāhinshāh's making a rapid expedition against the Khān Zamān. As he is a talisman of constant wakefulness he perceives every Divine and material truth even before they reveal themselves, and gives indications thereof by the tongue of fate. Accordingly at the time when Mun'im Khān opened the lips of supplication and interceded for 'Alī Qulī Khān, H.M. said: “We pardon him, but it will be surprising if he remain constant in the ways of obedience.” And so it turned out in a short space of time. For when in accordance with the Khān-Khānān's request 'Alī Qulī Khān and Bahādur Khān were granted their fiefs, this was conditional upon Khān Zamān's not crossing the river while H.M.'s camp was in the neighbourhood.* It was also stipulated that when the royal standards returned to the capital their agents should come there and have the patents (title-deeds) passed through the offices, and that thereupon possession of the fiefs was to be given. On the very day when H.M. was proceeding to Benares and Chunar, 'Ali Qulī Khān crossed the river and came to Muḥammadābād, and sent men to Ghāzīpūr and Jaunpūr. H.M. had returned from hunting and had halted at Benares when the news came that the wretch had broken his compact and crossed the Ganges. The world-melting wrath of the Shāhinshāh blazed forth, and the disloyalty of those blackfated ones, which he had winked at, became manifest. He spoke in an imperious manner to Mun'im Khān about their conduct. The Khān-Khānan was completely confused and hung down his head. His lips were closed and the thread of reply was broken. Khwāja Jahān, Moaffar Khān, Rajah Bhagwant Dās and a number of the faithful officers were left with the camp, to follow slowly and stage by stage, while H.M. himself set out on the night of Dai-bādīn 23 Bahman, Divine month, corresponding to the night of Saturday 11 Rajab, 2 Feb. 1566, in order to chastise 'Alī Qulī Khān. His courtiers and devoted followers gathered round and in front of the state umbrella, and vied with each other on their coursers and bore away the ball of swiftness from the north wind and the breeze of morn. Jáfar Khān Taklū and Qāsim Khān were sent against Ghāzīpūr. When they reached the gate of the fort, the ill-fated inmates became aware of their coming and cast themselves down into the river from a bastion which was near it, and went to Muḥammadābād, where they informed 'Alī Qulī Khān. He got confused and fled in consternation. When he came to the bank of the Sarwār* he and those who were with him got into some boats which were kept there for such an emergency, and carried themselves into safety. The royal cortège crossed, on the night they set out, the Jaunpūr river on elephants.
At the end of the night he halted for some time on his elephant and in the morning set off again. A portion of the day had passed when by marching rapidly they came up with 'Ali Qulī's camp. He had left his tents and baggage and taken the road of flight. They went on till the third pahar. 'Alī Qulī Khān's elephant Bakht Buland had become mast and fell into their hands. Thereafter Majnūn Khān Qāqshāl, M. Najāt Khān and a number more were sent on ahead. It was evening when the news came from them that 'Alī Qulī was in the act of crossing the Sarwār. As they had come a great way, and but little of the day remained, a halt was made. At dawn the march was resumed, and on that day Āwāz Khān, son of Islām Khān and brother of Farrakh Ḥusain Khān, left the enemy and joined the imperial forces. The advance-guard arrived at the bank of the river, and seized as the gifts of victory the boats which 'Alī Qulī Khān and his people had left, and which were full of goods. They ascertained from the boatmen the particulars of 'Alī Qulī Khān's adventures, and then the army marched along the bank of the Sarwār. The whole of the country high* and low (?) was searched, but no trace could be found of the vagabonds. It has been stated by trustworthy authorities that had 'Alī Qulī Khān been in Muḥammadābād on the night it arrived, the wretch would have been caught. Apparently Mun'im Khān played this trick, as he did not, for his own purposes, wish that 'Alī Qulī should be caught. In the first place, he did not permit a march against him that night, and, secondly, he sent him warning. It became known that 'Alī Qulī had gone to the fort of Cilūpāra* by forest-routes. H.M. wisely winked at Mun'im Khān's conduct and took no notice of it. Next day, as there were no boats, and the ford by which that swelling river (the Gogra?) could be crossed was not known, the army marched along the bank and encamped opposite Cilūpāra. Shots* were fired on both sides. When 'Alī Qulī knew that H.M. was present in person he left the place. Next day the army marched from there, and going along the river-bank came to Mau* and encamped.