One month and seventeen days had been spent in besieging Súrat: at which time the mines were advanced to the door of the place, and the mounds for carrying it had been all prepared. The besieged despaired of assistance from any quarter; when Hamzabán sent a message to the Emperor, through his father-in-law, Múlá Nizámu-d-dín Lárí, saying that if his life was spared he would surrender the fort. Kásim Ali Khán and Khoájah Daolat were therefore ordered to promise safety to Hamzabán and the others, and were directed to conduct them to the Emperor. All of them appeared before him on Thursday the 23d of Shawál, in the above year; and, being much ashamed of their con­duct, had their lives and property respected. But Hamzabán, who was a great talker, and a foolish prattling fellow, had used no measured language in regard to the Emperor, and was doomed to lose his tongue. The following day, the imperial troops, accompanied by Akbar, walked into the fort, where they found a large gun, called Suleimání,* of which the model was so exquisitive, that an order was given to have it transported to the capital of Agra. This is the very gun which belonged to Salím (Selim), the Emperor of Constantinople, whose troops were sent with several large guns to take the ports on the shores of Hindústán from the Europeans: but returned without effecting any­thing, as the force was discomfited, and received no assistance from the rulers of Gujarát. The Emperor not finding means for transporting the gun from Súrat, it consequently remains there.

A strange event happened at this time, when the Emperor was wounded in the hand, of which the following is an account. One night he was elevated with wine, in an assembly of his friends, when the conversation turned on the careless­ness which the Rájpúts manifest in regard to life. Some one said, such was their disregard of it, that two of them, when engaged, would run their breasts against a double-headed spear, held by a third person, until the same had gone through them; and that, in this manner, they would continue fighting with one another. On this, Akbar, who was bold and daring, fixing a sharp sword in the wall by its handle, and having the point towards himself, said that no one could better follow the example of the Ráj­púts than he, as would be seen by his running against the sword. Those present, though astonished at this conduct, were afraid to speak for fear of offending him, and remained silent, until Ráná Mán Singh, in the sincerity of friend­ship, running forward, struck the sword so for­cibly from the Emperor's hand, that it wounded him betwixt the thumb and forefinger. The latter, who was much enraged, threw Mán Singh on the ground; when Sayyid Muzaffir Sultán, brother of Sayyid Abdúlah Khán, imprudently released Mán Singh from the Emperor's gripe. During this scuffle, the wound became much enlarged; but this being soon healed, the Emperor was again able to join society.

Akbar, after the capture of Súrat, gave Kalíj Khán charge of the place; and on Monday

6th March,
A.D. 1573.

the 4th of Zú-l-kadah, marched back towards Ahmadábád. On his arrival at Bhroch, the mother of Jangíz Khán came to implore assistance against Shujár Khán Habshí, who had put her son to death under the cloak of friend­ship. On its being fully ascertained that Shu­jár Khán had committed an unjust murder, he was trod to death by the foot of an elephant. The troops arrived at Ahmadábád on the 29th

31st March,
A.D. 1573.

of the above month, when the Emperor began to make a settlement of the country.