Of his Majesty’s marching again from Ouch, and of the difficulties he experienced in the Desert. A. H. 948.—A. D. 1541.

When the seeds and fruit of the trees Sunker and Perhem (probably the Jack fruit and wild bean) were all expended, it so happened that an erratic Dervish, who had been wandering through the Desert, saw a fort on the boundaries of Joudpûr, the territory of the Rajah Maldeo. The aforesaid Dervish immediately returned and informed his Majesty of the circumstance, who instantly said he would proceed thither. We therefore marched to the neighbourhood of the fort, and happily procured abundance of grain and water. We halted there for three days, during which time one of the officers, named Shykh Aly, proposed to the King to take possession of the place by surprise; but his Majesty said, “if you could make me King of the whole world I would not attempt so foul an action, or be guilty of such ingratitude.”

In short having marched from this fort we travelled all night, and till twelve o’clock next day in the Desert, without finding water; at length we discovered some wells, and halted there.

The next day we marched at noon, and travelled for twenty-seven astronomical hours before we again found water: during this horrid journey many of our people died, and all suffered exceedingly. When about four hours of the day remained we came to a few trees, where, through the grace of God, we found a well, a rivulet, and a pond of water: here his Majesty alighted, and having pros­trated himself on the ground, returned thanks to the Almighty for his beneficence. He then ordered all the water bags to be filled, to be loaded on his own horses, and to be sent back to the people who had fallen in the rear to assist them in join­ing the party.

It so happened that a Moghul merchant, to whom the King was much indebted, was one of the persons who from fatigue and thirst had fallen down on the road, and his son was standing by him; as the King had also rode back part of the way, he came to where the Moghul was lying, and deeming it a favourable opportunity to cancel his debt, proposed to the unfortunate sufferer, that he should have as much water as he could drink, provided he would relinquish his pecuniary demand. The poor man said, “a cup of water is, in my present situation, more valuable than the wealth of the whole world, and I consent.” Three of the attendants having witnessed the agreement, the King ordered them to give him as much water as he wished: the Moghul being satiated, proceeded and joined the camp. His Majesty then gave orders to bury all the persons who had died from thirst, and to supply the survivors with abundance of water, to enable them to join the camp.

After being well recruited, we marched from the trees, and arrived at a village called Pylpûr; thence we proceeded to Pehlûdy,* where we procured abundance of grain; from thence in one march we arrived in the vicinity of the residence of the Raja Maldeo.

As soon as his Majesty had alighted, he sent a Firman to the Raja to wait on him, but that chief made some idle excuse: he, however, sent a present of fruit.

We remained there for three days without any act of hospitality being shewn us, or any comfort given to the distressed monarch; during this time one of the King’s porters, named Rajû, deserted, and informed Maldeo that the King had a number of valuable rubies and pearls in his possession; another of the royal attendants, named Muhammed Ayshek, also deserted, and instigated the Rajã to demand these jewels. When the King found that Maldeo had no intention of waiting on him, but was rather inclined to molest him, he again marched, and halted at the pond of Jougy.