The Nawaub now began to revolve in his great mind, that the siege had continued to a consider­able length, but that, with all the exertions of his brave army, the insolent Poligar had not yet been reduced. He, therefore, by presenting Muhammad Alí land in gift and Jageer,* soothed and conciliated him, and sent for him to the presence. Muhammad Alí, in his reply, asked what he (the Nawaub) wanted with him, and what he required from a poor man who had abandoned the wicked world? On receiving this impudent answer, the Nawaub, outwardly affected great anger, and despatched Alí Zumán Khan, Budrooz Zumán Khan, and Ghazi Khan, to bring him to the presence; and they immediately went to his tent, and, with soft and hard words, brought him to reason, and presented him to the Nawaub. Hydur, notwithstanding his regard for him, addressed him in angry language, and said, “Aí Sáhiban, O Friends, say, if a low fellow among my servants takes upon himself to make presents of camels and ele­phants, what should I, his master, be able to give?”— Those present replied, “Bulli (or true) the fault is great; but, agreeably to the exceeding kind­ness of our master, it ought to be forgiven; for, ‘of a truth, God loves the righteous* or merciful.’”

Muhammad Alí, rash and impudent, notwith­standing the signs and hints of his companions, broke out, and said, “my honoured* master, the presents and gifts made by me were purely for the increase and advantage of your own service; for, as the wise say, ‘a labourer pleased or well rewarded will do the more work.’ And you will also please to consider, that honours, and increase of pay, the gifts of districts, towns, Jageers, &c. remained entirely in your own hands.” But, to be concise, after a few words, mixed up with advice, he received a dress of honour, restoring him to his rank, with a Gorget and Jomala, or a string of pearls. As a return for the dresses and presents he had received Muhammad Alí now asked for an increase of pay monthly, for the men attached to his troop, or division, that they might exert themselves the more heartily in the Nawaub’s service; and the Nawaub, after many objections, increased their pay by adding two rupees to the monthly allowance of each man; and he then despatched him to attack his enemies, and take the fort.

No sooner had the brave commandant arrived among his own people, than he sold the Gorget, pearls, and dresses of honour, he had received, and with the proceeds purchased the materials for a feast; and, having caused a most delicious dinner to be cooked, divided it among the Fuqueers or reli­gious mendicants, and his own men, and the same night, accompanied by the Hurpunhully and Rai Droog foot soldiers, he, like an angry lion, assaulted and took a battery, which might be called the nose of the fort, and upon which, indeed, the whole strength of the mountain depended; and with four Risalas of regular and two thousand irregular infantry, and six guns, he fixed his station there. The Chief of the fort, at the head of two or three thousand infidels, now determined to attempt the recovery of this strong position, and exerted himself strenuously to effect its recapture; but still, every time they attacked it, the welcome intelligence,* “God will aid thee, and give thee a great victory,” sounded in the ears of the Mussulman troops. As the soldiers of the enemy now grew weaker every day, they were not able to contend openly with the brave Moslems; and, fear seizing on them, they no longer dared to step beyond the walls of the fort. When, however, the garrison was reduced to extremities, troops of them of all tribes, fearing the loss of their property and honour* crept out of the fort, under pretence of fetching wood and water, and joined the Nawaub’s army, and only five or six thousand men, of the Bedur tribe, had the courage to exert themselves in defending the fort.

The Nawaub, however, seeing that the Chief of the infidels was a very brave man, and that the keepers of the walls were also stout of heart, was convinced that the fort would not immediately sur­render, and that, by obstinately persevering, he would only gratuitously sacrifice the lives of his brave men. He therefore left, under cover of the surrounding hills, an ambuscade,* consisting of five thousand foot, two thousand regular foot, and a thousand horse, and gave them orders to look out for an opportunity, and all at once to attack, and, having taken the fort, make the Poligar prisoner.

The Nawaub himself, decamping from the foot of the mountain, now pitched his tents four fursungs from that place. His plan was this, that if the Poligar left the fort, and presumed to follow him, he might attack him on all sides at once, and destroy him.* If, on the contrary, the Poligar did not follow him, it was his purpose to give to his (the Nawaub’s) tributary or dependent Poligars the charge and government of all the towns and vil­lages depending on the Droog, that they, with a view to their own advantage, might use every art to seize and make him prisoner.

On the day the Nawaub marched, he set fire to the materials of the batteries and trenches, which were of wood, and had been collected at a great expense. As soon as the besieged became acquainted with this movement, the whole of them, with the greatest impudence, manned the battlements and towers of the fort, beat their drums, and began yelling and howling like a pack of hounds. Meer Alí Ruza Khan marched from the same encamp­ment, with his own troops, for the purpose of the celebration of his marriage with the daughter of Meer Gholaum Alí Khan, otherwise called Guloo­maen, the Jageerdár of Bikhun Pilly, to whom he was affianced; and also to find out the intentions, plans, and strength, of Huleem Khan, and to receive the Paishkush or tribute due from him. He there­fore marched towards Kirpa. The Nawaub himself halted a week in the same place.

At this time, the season for the breezes of victory to wave the Hyduri standard, was fast approaching; for the sons of the Chief of Juremla arrived in the camp. This Chief was the father-in-law of the Poligar of the Droog, and, during the siege, was in the fort with him; but, after the siege was raised, he obtained leave of the Poligar to pay his devotions at the shrine of an image, the temple con­taining which was situated at the foot of a small hill, at the distance of a fursung from the fort, and thither he proceeded with a few horse and foot. The motive of this journey was, however, entirely misrepresented to the Poligar by interested persons, and he was informed that his brothers-in-law had proceeded with an intention to visit the Nawaub, and negociate for the release of their own Jageers, that they might be free from being molested by him. The infatuated Poligar, on hearing this trumpery story, became jealous and suspicious of them, and ordered his executioners to follow them; and they accordingly followed, and cut off the head of his innocent father-in-law, and plundered his house. His sons, who were adoring the idol, had not lifted up their heads from their prostration, when the news of the murder of their father and the plunder of his house arrived. This intelligence caused a sudden revolution in the feelings and sen­timents of the brothers; and, plunged in astonish­ment and grief, they consulted as to what they should do in such circumstances, and, swifter than the wind or lightning, they turned the bridle of their views and intentions towards the Nawaub’s camp, where, through the medium of the Vakeel of the Poligar of Hurpunhully, who bore the same degree of relationship to them with the Poligar of Chituldroog, they were presented to the Nawaub, and immediately placed the sandal of devotion on the forehead of friendship and obedience,* and were made happy with Royal dresses and presents.

The Nawaub having granted the Sunnuds of the Talookas of the Droog to these devoted friends, after the Droog or hill fort should have been con­quered, both the brothers strove the more to stimu­late and incite him to attack the fort, and moved on before him. The Nawaub, therefore, accord­ing to the suggestions of these intelligent well-wishers, again marched to the fort, and appointed his Chief officers and Foujdárs to the points of attack. The brave Mussulmans now, in the course of a week, gave convincing proofs of their power to break down the forts and overcome their enemies; and by a path, shewn to them by guides,* such a path as the eyes of fancy never figured, nor the imagination of the learned ever conceived, they made their attacks. After a little fighting, the bonds which united the garrison of the fort were broken asunder, and, like falling leaves in autumn, they were dispersed and scattered on all sides, while the besiegers, now fearlessly mounting the hills, beat their drums, in token of victory, and watered the swords and spears of their resentment in the blood of the infidels, and beat the black dust of existence out of the bodies of the unfortunate garrison.

When the Chief heard the drums within the fort, and saw the heads of his men rolling about on the plain of revenge, like the balls of boys at play, he understood well that fortune was now bidding him farewell, and that the genius* of wealth and prosperity was about to depart from him. He did, indeed, leave his house armed and ready for the fight, but, when he saw that most of his bravest com­panions were killed or wounded, and that the few men round him were without arms, rubbing their hands, and shedding tears, the feet of his firmness failed him, and he stood like a picture painted on a wall; till the brave Commandant with other officers came upon him and seized and made him prisoner, and brought him to the presence, in the year 1191. H. Committing him with his women and children to the care of his confidential servants, the Nawaub sent him and them to Puttun. The Nawaub distin­guished and rewarded every brave officer and sol­dier in his army, on this occasion, by giving them presents, dresses of honour, and increase of pay.*