[Other Rebel Affairs and Related Alliances]

Among other objects which I accomplished about this period was the sup­pression of a tribe of robbers called Fehndiah, who had long infested the roads about Agrah, and whom getting into my power, I caused to be trampled to death by elephants.

Râi Durgah, a dignitary of seven hundred at my accession, and a man of the highest courage, signalized in many a conflict, although now far stricken in years, I advanced to the order of one thousand, bestowing upon him, at the same time, the donation of a lak of rupees. I also raised Mokheim Khaun, the son of Shûjayet Khaun, from the order of seven hundred to that of one thousand horse. The father, Shûjayet Khaun, was one of my father’s most distinguished Ameirs; and I well remember receiving my father’s orders, while yet a youth, to take my lessons in archery under his tuition. Under these considerations I now made him an Ameir of five thousand, with the insignia of the drum and standard.

A certain Roup Khawauss, after seducing from their duty one hundred and twenty of my father’s slaves (qu. guards) had absconded; but was again taken at the discomfiture of Himmetpour. He was a man of the greatest courage, but an incorrigible drunkard. Add to this, he had never in the whole course of his life, once kept the fast of Ramzân nor uttered a prayer. For all this, I pardoned his guilt and spared his life.

Shahbauz Khaun again, although a fellow taken from the common bazar, an obscure market-man, nevertheless possessed the capacity of being extensively useful. Foul-mouthed and scurrilous as he was, even in the presence of my father, he received from him the first dignity of a grandee of five thousand. He understood, however, the Turkish language, and was well acquainted with the maxims of military discipline. Nevertheless, when front to front with the enemy, the terrors of the conflict were more than he could stand: I therefore removed him from the order of five thousand, and appointed him chief huntsman, with the rank of two hundred only.

Furthermore, to the different Munsebdaurs or functionaries, from the rank of five hundred downwards to the ohedy, or private horseman, such as are furnished with four horses each, I allotted to every one an augmentation of stipend accord­ing to circumstances of rank and merit. I also directed that thirty thousand of the ohedies should be always in attendance on the imperial stirrup, for the pur­pose of furnishing the nightly guards, in conformity with the established regula­tions of my court.

Mirza Shah Rokh, prince of Badakhshaun, the grandson of Mirza Sûliman, and my own relative, had attained under my father’s authority to the rank of a com­mander of five thousand horse, and him I now advanced to the dignity of a grandee of the order of seven thousand, although somewhat at variance with the rule which dictated, that no Turk should rise beyond the rank of five thousand. Shah Rokh was a man of great simplicity of mind, highly esteemed by my father, who permitted to him, in common with his own sons, the indulgence of being seated in his presence. So much, indeed, did he partake in the simplicity natural to the Tartar race, that although he had lived in India for a period of twenty years, he could never accomplish the enunciation of one word in Hindûstauny. In the whole world, perhaps, there does not exist a race of men more notorious for their disregard of truth than the natives of Badakhshaun, although by no means deficient in intellect; but no one would have taken Shah Rokh for a Badakhshy, to whom he did not bear the slightest resemblance.

Notwithstanding the indulgence in which he had so largely partaken, it was the misfortune of this prince, through the seduction of Meir Allâi-ud-deen the Badakhshanian, to incur the displeasure of my father, in consequence of which he had been sent towards Kabûl in custody of Khaujah Abdullah the Kabûlite. There happened at this period to be imprisoned in that city about four hundred individuals, taken in arms against their sovereign, and orders were despatched by the same opportunity, after proper admonition, and an oath never more to violate their allegiance, to set them at large, and conduct them to the metropolis of the empire. Without consulting Khaujah Abdullah, who was proceeding, as he well knew, to the same destination, this Allâi-ud-deen contrived to persuade the feudatories of the station that the instructions were to furnish these prisoners with arms and horses, and even with khelaats, and that he was employed to con­duct them to the capital.

Unsuspicious of any perfidious design, the governor of Kabûl yielded to these insidious representations, and issued his warrant for the supply of the four hun­dred prisoners with arms and every necessary military equipment, as well as honorary dresses. On which these traitors, uniting themselves with Meir Allâi-ud-deen, before the governor could be made aware of their intentions, fell upon the city, and commenced an indiscriminate plunder of the bankers’ shops and bazars, and with all they could lay hands on hastily withdrew through the city gates, and made the best of their way towards Badakhshaun. Nevertheless some years afterwards, although, after being admitted into the order of two thousand, he could thus absurdly as well as basely, and without the slightest grievance to complain of, violate his allegiance, when, after enduring every species of priva­tion and wretchedness, he conveyed himself to my presence, and I demanded of him with what face he could venture to appear before me after such an act of perfidy and ingratitude towards my father, he replied in such terms of humilia­tion and contrition, that, notwithstanding such experience of his falsehood, I could not, in compassion to his misfortunes, withhold myself from restoring this Allâi-ud-deen to the appointments which he held under my father, and advanc­ing him, moreover, from the order of two thousand to that of two thousand five hundred. In this I was supported by the opinion of my Ameir-ul-Oomra, who referring to this man’s distinguished courage as a soldier, urged the danger and inexpediency of discarding him for ever for a single offence, taking into consideration that for such offence he had already been the victim of so much suffering.

I may here observe, that at the moment I am writing, there are enrolled in my service not less than one hundred and fifty thousand Ouzbek cavalry, from the rank or order of one hundred downwards to the private horseman. Never­theless I am constrained to remark, that however brave in battle, they are very easily prevailed upon to desert their employers.

Some time previous to my accession, I had conferred upon Sheikh Hussun Bulnâr the title of Mokurreb Khaun; and this person it was that I selected to proceed into the Dekkan to the camp of the Khaun Khanan, in order to bring away the children of my deceased brother Danial; for which purpose he received from me the best instructions I could devise, to be communicated to that minis­ter. The commission thus entrusted to him, he finally executed with eminent ability, bringing away my brother’s family and effects to a prodigious amount: the jewels alone being estimated at the value of nearly five krour of five meth­kaly ashrefies,* with two krour of the same currency in treasure.* He had at the same time two hundred elephants of the largest size, and nearly two thou­sand Persian horses in his stables. In justice I cannot omit to add, that as a servant the merit of Mokurreb Khaun is of the very highest order, and few are the sovereigns who possess his equal. In fine, I raised him to the dignity of an Ameir of five thousand horse, with the insignia of the great drum and standard, presenting him, at the same time, with a scimitar (shemsheir) set with diamonds, a charger with enriched caparison, a jewelled aigrette, a sumptuous honorary dress, and a trained elephant. It was on this occasion also that I conferred upon him the government of Gujerat.

Another whom I thought fit to elevate to the order of two thousand horse was Nekkeib Khaun, who bore originally the name of Ennayet-ul-Remly. He received his title of Nekkeib Khaun from my father, and was of the Seyeds of Kazvein. In other respects he was so extensively gifted in the knowledge of history, that however remote the points on which information was required, he gave it with as much facility as if consulted on the very spot, so unbounded were his powers of memory. He has completed seven volumes on historical subjects, and it must be confessed that in this branch of literature he is without a rival, and it might be justly said that of all creation there is no earthly monarch who possesses one like him. I shall lastly observe, that in early youth I studied for a short time under his tuition.*

On the seventh day of the month of Shabaun (year not mentioned) Ramjee and Butcharam, and Seyam, the sons of Bugwandas, who was the uncle of Rajah Maun Sing, received the rewards of their perfidious deeds, having their heads crushed under the feet of my elephants, and being thus despatched to the hell prepared for them. Ramjee in particular was an idle and mischievous babbler, who when his kinsman Pahar Sing, the son of Rajah Maun Sing, was raised to the order of two thousand at Allahabad, succeeded, with heartless officiousness, in persuading that unfortunate person to bring disgrace upon himself; and he was beginning to give effect to his malignant proceedings when he received the just compensation of his evil deeds.

Eiltcha Ram, another of the tribe, becoming alarmed at the execution of these men, was beginning also to exhibit some suspicious movements, with the same heartless indifference to consequences, when I consigned him to the custody of Mahommed Amein, the kroury (or collector) of Bengal, with injunc­tions to watch over him with the strictest vigilance. The father of Mahommed Amein, by the way, was one of the Seyeds Termed. He was instructed at the same time, that on his arrival in Bengal he was to place this man under the care of Rajah Maun Sing. With the greatest simplicity, after securing his hands and feet, this officer puts his prisoner into a common hackery, or covered bullock carriage, and thinking all sufficiently secure, proceeded with him, without any further precautions, on the way to Bengal. Between Serrâctaal and Ghazipour, about midnight one evening, when all were asleep, the prisoner watches his op­portunity, and effects his escape, with the notorious design of joining the Rana. However, as this could not be accomplished without some noise, Mahommed Amein became apprised of the circumstance, and instantly proceeded in pursuit of the fugitive. The latter coming by accident to a part of the Jumnah where there was no ferry-boat, boldly plunges into the river, and gains the opposite bank in safety. But here his career terminates: he is laid hold of by some of the country people, and bound with ropes until the arrival of Mahommed Amein, to whom he is once more safely delivered up.

Mahommed Amein, upon this, transmits a despatch to my presence, announc­ing that he was again master of the person of his prisoner, whose design had been, as he alleged, to join the Rana, and requesting my further orders. I sent to acquaint him in reply, that if there were among the Hindûs of the Raj­pout tribes any individuals willing to be his securities, I was disposed to pardon and give him a jaguir. Finding, however, probably from the notorious turbu­lence of his disposition, that no one would venture to become security for him, I consulted with the Ameir-ul-Oomra as to what, under such circumstances, ought to be done; for, if suffered to escape, such confusion might arise as it would be difficult to control, considering that the Rajpouts were in the country more numerous than cats and dogs. The Ameir-ul-Oomra stated, that to him there occurred only two alternatives, either to place him in the custody of some confi­dential individual, who would engage for his safe keeping, or at once to confine him in the fortress of Gualiar. Things came to this crisis, when Ibrauhim Gau­gur, who had received the title of Dillawer Khaun, and Hausham Monguly, who had received that of Shahnowauz Khaun, both armed themselves, and putting their followers in order, prepared to rescue this Eiltcha Ram from the hands of Mahommed Amein, and carry him off to the enemy.