CHAPTER XXXI.

An account of the victory gained by the royal army at Machwareh. A. H. 962.—A. D. 1555.

Soon after this time letters were received from the Khan Khanan, Byram Khan, then at Sirhind, stating that the enemy who had at first retreated were now advancing in very great force against him, under the command of the Afghan generals, Tatar Khan and Hybet Khan, and requested orders for his conduct: his Majesty replied, “have you not heard that my young general, Shah Abu al Mualy, with only eight hundred horse, has defeated twelve thousand of the enemy, why should you ask for further orders? do as he did.” On receipt of this reprimand, all the chiefs resolved to exert themselves to the utmost.

About this time the Afghans, being puffed up with pride and self-sufficiency, marked out a ford across the Sutlege, opposite to the town of Machwareh, with an intention of crossing the river and of annihilating our small army; but Byram Khan, trusting in the divine protection, and the good fortune of his Majesty, crossed the river by the very ford the Afghans had marked out, and the enemy having in their retreat set fire to some villages enabled our troops by the light of the fires to pierce them with our arrows: thus by the grace of God we obtained a second victory.

After this success our army advanced to Sirhind; from thence the Khan Khanan sent letters to inform his Majesty that Sultan Sekunder, the Afghan emperor, was advancing with an army of eighty thousand horse, while his forces amounted only to seven or eight hundred. As it was impossible for him to contend against so great a superiority, he requested the king would advance to his assistance, or allow him to retreat and form a junction. On receipt of these letters his Majesty wrote, “be patient only for two days, and I will join you.” Accordingly the king crossed the Sutlege at Mach­wareh, and on the next day joined the army at Sirhind.

The Afghan Emperor advanced at the same time, and encamped opposite our army; he then said to his courtiers, what presumption it is in the king Humayun to oppose our army of eighty thousand horse with only five thousand!”

It now becomes requisite to mention an event in which I was personally concerned. It has been stated, that when the king took possession of Lahore, he appointed collectors to each of the districts of that province: thus when our army had crossed the river Sutlege, we were left without any military support; in consequence of which a body of four hundred Afghans entered the province of Lahore, and began to plunder all around. When this intelligence reached the collectors,* we consulted together on what was to be done. I advised that we should assemble every man bearing arms that we could, and trusting to the good fortune of his Majesty and the divine favour, advance against the plunderers. This measure being agreed to, we appointed Jellal Sunbuly, a brave and active young man, to lead our advanced guard, and having assembled about four hundred men, we crossed the river Zengy-sar during the night; and at the dawn of day having taken the Afghans by surprise, and led on by the gallant Jellal Sunbuly, we made a vigorous attack on them, and through the good fortune of his Majesty, completely defeated them, and took five of their chiefs prisoners.

We then wrote an account of these transactions to the king, and said, “your slaves have gained a victory over the enemy, and hope it will be a har­binger of your Majesty’s conquest of the Afghan Emperor;” in answer to this letter we received a most gracious firman, approving our conduct, and desiring us to keep the prisoners till the end of the war, when their fate should be decided.