Aazem-shah, without minding his retreat, fell on the enemy with the utmost fury; and the valorous on both sides being as eager as himself to shew their prowess, a mighty slaughter was taking place on both sides. But the wind blowing with more violence than ever, raised such clouds of dust and sand, that the field of battle was entirely darkened, the troops were blinded; and it became impossibIe to distinguish the friend from the foe. It has been assured by several persons of charac­ter who had fought in that battle, that the sand was so hot and so big, and it choked so effectually the mouths and eyes of the combatants, that no one could stand such a tempest, but by turning his head about; no arrow fallen from a bow could be distinguished at more than a only a few paces distance; and beyond a few paces it could be taken up no more. Notwithstand­ing all these disadvantages against themselves, the troops of Aazem-shah were gaining ground; the enemy’s army was in danger; and the fury both of officers and men was so great, that to this day this battle of Ecber-abad is renowned all over Hindostan for obstinacy and slaughter.

There was then in Aazem-shah’s army an Afghan officer, of great strength of body, and much prowess, called Munevver-khan: he was followed by five thousand men of his nation; and as he used to say that a day of battle was a wedding day for the brave, he had dressed himself in cloth of gold, and had given a similar turban to every one of his men, every one of whom was ready to shed his blood with that of the enemy. This officer having found a favourable moment, drew near Aazem-shah, and requested leave to get on horseback, in order to rush on the enemy, and shew to all the world how zealous he was for his master’s cause, and how prodigal of his blood in so noble a service. The Prince answered his request, by desiring him to remain upon the elephant he had been allotted from the imperial stables;* and the officer mortified at the refusal, pushed at the head of his troops as far as the centre, where commanded Azim-ush-shan himself. He was opposed by Hussëin-aàly-khan, and some other officers of character, who were sons to the illustrious Séyd-abdollah-khan of Adjmir, better known under the appellation of Mïa-khan. But the enemy pushed on with so much violence, that most of those officers were slain together with their men; and Hussëin-aàly-khan himself, having received several hideous wounds, fell senseless on the ground. The enemy had lost full as many men; but Munevver-khan having exhorted the few that remained to him, pushed as far as Azim-ush-shan’s elephant, and having then in his hands one of those spears called Belem by the Indians, he ran it with so much violence against the boards of the Prince’s haödah, that it came out at the board on the opposite side; and the Prince had infallibly been killed, had he not shunned the blow, by inclining his body quite to the left. That brave man after performing such feats of prowess, fell at last among the few intrepid men that had refused to survive their heroical commander.

This bloody action cost the lives of an infinity of illustrious persons. The Prince Bidac-baqht, who commanded the left wing, fell dead, as did Valadja, his brother, a young prince who had never seen an action, and then drank up to the dregs the bitter potion presented him that day by the grim cup-bearer, death. It became necessary to announce these two losses to Aazem-shah, their father; and this unfortunate Prince, who tenderly loved his children, and had a particular affection for the eldest, fetched a deep sigh, and said: that victory and life were henceforward of no use to him. With these words he ordered his driver to carry him into the middle of the enemy’s ranks, where his haödah was so thick stuck with arrows, that one would have imagined there had rained arrows that day. He was followed by a chosen body, personally attached to him, not one of whom would leave their master. The Prince, careless of his own safety, but anxious about the royal child, Aaly-tebar, had covered him with his bucler, after having made him squat in the haödah; and he himself now remained uncovered: still he was pushing on, filling his bow incessantly: But vain were all those efforts: the day was already far spent; fortune had declared herself; and his best officers were slain, such as Terbyet-khan, Aman-ollah-khan, and Metleb-khan, with the two brothers, Munevver-khan and Khan-aalem, together with the Gentoo Princes, Radja Ram-sing and Radja Dilpet, with an infinity of their troops: in one word, his two hopeful sons were no more. Aazem-shah himself wounded by several musquet-balls, had fallen senseless in his haödah, when a wretched officer of the name of Rostem-dil-khan, having got upon that hero’s Valor and death of Aazem-shah, the second brother. elephant, was not ashamed to cut off his head. He then took the Royal child Aaly-tebar by the hand, and carried the one and the other to Sultan Muäzzem, his master. This sight made a deep impression on the Emperor: the sight of his brother’s bloody head was more than his sensibility could bear; he fetched many a deep sob, and wept bitterly. As to the royal orphan, he pressed him to his bosom, did everything to pacify him; and in the sequel, he conceived so much affection for him, that he never put any difference between him and his own children. The latter took umbrage at so much tenderness, and once they represented, and complained. But they were silenced with this answer from the Emperor’s mouth; “If your inquietude be about his being inimical to my fortune and crown, I inform you, that you are much likelier to be so yourselves than he; and that this child, in case of need, shall prove more anxious for my preservation than any of you.”

Fortune having put an end to Aazem-shah’s reign and party, his ministers and generals joined Assed-khan, the Vezir, and Zulficar-khan, the generalissimo; and went in a body to pay their homage to Sultan Muäzzem, now styled Bahadyr-shah, or the Valiant King. The Vezir and the generalissimo had got their own hands bound with a handkerchief; and it was in that condition they presented themselves, and made a pro­found bow: this sight affected the Emperor’s sensibility; he was seen to move from his place, and with his own hands, to set the Vezir’s hands at liberty: turning at the same time to his son, Muëzzeddin, he bid him go, and loosen the generalissimo’s hands. Not content with so much condescension, he made it a point to speak with the utmost kindness to both the father and son, especially to the former; and sending for one of his imperial suits of clothes, he ordered him to put it on directly, an honor, very seldom conferred on a subject, and which raised the old minister as high as the celestial mansions. When he saw him dressed, he did him the honor of an embrace, made him sit down in his presence, gave him the command and pay of 7,000 horses, with the grade attached to one of nine, added to all this a present of two corrors of Dams,* and directed, that his Paleky should be admitted within the Imperial enclosure, as far as the gate of the Gh8ss8l-qhana or Bathing-place,* (an honor granted only to Imperial Princes); and that his music might play within the Imperial precincts: As a last token of his favour, he gave him the title of Djelil-al-cadr, with the office of Vekil-M8tlac or Lieutenant-General, and absolute all over the Empire. Munaam-khan received at the same time the title of Djumlet-el-mulk,* with the office of Supreme Vezir, and the Government of the Province of Ecber-abad, which became an annex to that office. His station in the Cachury or Office-hall, was fixed at the right hand of Assed-khan, with power to set his own seal upon all Public Papers below that of the Prime Minister’s.

After all these arrangements, the new Emperor turned his attention towards the conduct of some Gentoo Princes, and chiefly towards that of Djehi-sing, Radja of Amber, who had sided with Aazem-shah; and as his own brother, Bedji-sing, had sided with the Emperor, to whom he proved very useful, he was placed in his brother’s stead, and the latter received orders to attend at Court. Adjet-sing son of Djesvent-sing-rhator, Zemindar of Djoodeipoor, had likewise sided with Aazem-shah, and, moreover, had proved refractory and rebellious Such a conduct deserved immediate attention; and the Emperor having marched into those countries, took those two fortresses out of the hands of the hereditary Princes, and put them under the management of the Imperial Officers, after having ordered the dispossessed Zemindars to attend the Imperial Stirrup, and to live henceforward at Court. At the same time, Assed-khan was ordered to repair to the capital of the Empire, which, with its Province, was henceforward to be under his special care. And in this manner every part of the Empire was coming into order; and every heart being gained by the Emperor’s goodness, served to strengthen the throne. Unluckily, there arose a civil war between the two remaining sons of Aoreng-zib.

Prince Cambaqhsh no sooner heard of his brother’s death, than he prepared to oppose the victorious party, being of too haughty a disposition to brook submission, or even tranquillity. In vain did the new Emperor send him soothing messages, and advised him, in a mild manner, to be quiet and to live in peace. This mild pacific disposition served only to encourage Cam­baqhsh; and he sent answers that breathed nothing but anger and defiance. Even these the Emperor would have over looked; but finding himself urged and reproached by his own sons, he resolved to oppose Cambaqhsh. With that view, he set out at half an hour before midnight, being on Monday, the seven­teenth of Shaaban, in the year 1119, and marched towards Bidjapoor, by the way of Fateh-poor and Adjmir. The third of Zilcad of the ensuing year, being a Wednesday, the two armies fought in the environs of Haiderabad, of which city Cambaqhsh had made himself master. After repeated attacks, and much slaughter, Bahadyr-shah’s army drove the enemy out of the field of battle, and remained victorious. This happened at midnight, and by this time, most of those that were personally attached to Cambaqhsh being slain, the rest betook themselves to flight, leaving a complete victory to the enemy. The Prince himself, after exhibiting several feats of royal prowess, and receiving several mortal wounds, had fallen senseless on the ground, with hardly any other sign of life, than a faint respira­tion. It was in that condition that the victorious found him. He was immediately raised, placed upon an elephant with his children, and sent to the Emperor. On notice of this, the Emperor sent his eldest son, Muëzzeddin, with orders to shew him every mark of honor and respect; and on the wounded Prince being arrived, he directed he should be lodged in a retired tent, within the Imperial enclosure; and he went on foot to pay him a visit. On discovering his body, he fetched a deep sob, and said, “I have never wished to see you in that condition.” The Prince raising with pain his dying eyes, answered, “nor did I ever wish to see you in that condition, neither,” and expired. The Emperor exceedingly affected by such a sight, retired to his own apartment, taking with him the young orphans, his nephews. He ordered them to be educated in the same manner, as he had done Aaly-tebar; and he made it a point always to lend a deaf ear to the repeated remon­strances and bitter reproaches of his own children.