Early in the year 1187 of the Hejiree, Bukshee Sur­dar Khan died at Ownlah, at the advanced age of one hundred years. He was one of the original followers of Dâood Khan, and had been appointed paymaster of the troops by Ullee Mahomed Khan, which office he held till his decease. His eldest son, Ahmed Khan, solicited the appointment in succession to his father, and offered a nuzzur of sixty thousand rupees; while Mahomed Khan, the younger son, offered a nuzzur of three lacs of rupees, and entreated that he might be appointed in preference to his brother, who wanted the situation, solely that he might be able to take possession of the family property to the prejudice of the juniors. Hafiz Rehmut considered Ahmed Khan to have the best claim to the situation on account of his seniority, and accord­ingly appointed him Bukshee, when Mahomed Khan quitted the country, and Saadut Khan, his youngest brother, joined Hafiz at Bareilly. Ahmed Khan on taking possession of his new office, and of the wealth left by his father, became negligent of his duty, omitted to send the nuzzur which he had proffered, and (as will hereafter appear,) was one of the first to join a plot for the ruin of his patron.

In consequence of the mortality which had occurred among the troops while encamped at Gungapore and Nanikmutta, the russalas were very incomplete, and Enayit Khan represented to his father the necessity of raising new levies to supply the place of those who had died. Hafiz said, that having allowed the widows and children of the deceased to receive as pensions the allowances originally granted to their husbands and fathers, his funds would not admit of his entertaining an equal number of new levies, but that Enayit Khan would do well to raise two or three thousand men, selecting them from among the troops of Zabita Khan, who since his defeat had been unemployed, and for this purpose Enayit Khan went to Bareilly.

The advice given by Enayit Khan to his father, on the occasion of the misconduct of the army at Furrukhabad, had caused him to be disliked by the sirdars; and the pusillanimous conduct of the sirdars on the invasion of the Mahrattas, added to their selfishness in refusing to contribute towards a payment, for which they had intreated Hafiz to become answerable, rendered them contemptible in the eyes of this high-spirited young man. No sooner, therefore, had Enayit Khan enter­tained these new levies, than the sirdars represented him as preparing a force to oppose his father. For a time Hafiz refused to listen to insinuations so derogatory to the character of his son; but when frequently repeated, he desired Enayit Khan to enlist no more, and to dis­charge those whom he had entertained. The order to desist from further levies was readily obeyed, but it was represented to Hafiz that the three thousand men already entertained in conformity to his orders, could not with propriety be discharged, and that it was neces­sary to provide for their regular payment. On receipt of this answer Hafiz visited Bareilly, and meeting his son as usual, his suspicions were for the time dissipated; but Enayit Khan very imprudently continued to enlist more men, and thus gave a colour of truth to the slanders perpetually whispered to his prejudice, when Hafiz returned to Pillibheet and gave orders for assembling his forces. In a few days he marched, and encamped on the banks of the Nukteea Nuddee, where he remained inactive four days, in the hope that his son would return to his duty. In this interval Sheikh Kubbeer died, in whom Hafiz lost his best officer; his troops alone had retained their character for bravery, and the Sheikh had on every occasion distinguished himself as a good poli­tician, as well as a good commander. Moostukeem Khan was immediately promoted to his father’s situation. Enayit Khan had depended on obtaining his father’s pardon, through the intercession of Sheikh Kubbeer, and was consequently the more afflicted at his death at this critical juncture; nor could he apply to any other of the sirdars, all of whom he knew to be his enemies; thus circumstanced, he barricaded the streets of Bareilly, and himself remained in the fort with his two younger brothers Deedar Khan and Allayar Khan.

Finding that his son prepared to oppose him, Hafiz sent his artillery to the west side of the fort, and gave orders for its being battered to the ground; but Enayit Khan seized the families of such of the sirdars as resided in the town, and placed them in the fort opposite to the guns, saying, that those who had caused this quarrel, should be the first to suffer from the effects of it. Afzul Khan and Sooltân Khan (uncles of Zabita Khan) reported this to Hafiz, who directed that the attack should be postponed; and after a time they prevailed on him to sign a grant of the pergunnahs of Fureedpore, and Sulémpore Jooxa, as a jaidâd for the new levies, which document they carried into the fort. Enayit Khan told them that he knew how it had been obtained, and that his father did not intend to adhere to it; that he should nevertheless march and take possession of the pergunnahs, and that if any of his enemies chose to follow, he would meet them in the field. After three days, Enayit Khan, at the head of five thousand men, marched out of Bareilly, and encamped at Keearee, on the banks of the Ramgunga; on the following day he proceeded to Kookree, a distance of about ten koss. Hafiz Rehmut without entering the town marched to Sirdar-nuggur, and three days were spent in cross­ing the army over the river; on the fourth day he encamped within two koss of Kookree. Early on the morning of the fifth day, Abdoolla Khan, Khan Mahomed Khan, and Syyud Kasim Shah, with fifteen thousand men, proceeded to the attack of Enayit Khan, who at the head of his forces advanced to meet them, and rushing into the division commanded by Abdoolla Khan, defeated them with great slaughter; their commander had a narrow escape for his life, and on quitting the field he hastily retreated to his house at Shahjehanpore. Mahomed Deedar Khan attacked the next division commanded by Bukshee Ahmed Khan, and having wounded their leader, the whole body returned to camp. Enayit Khan withdrew to Kookree, but some of his men pursued the fugitives, and obtained a considerable number of cattle.

Intelligence of this engagement was communicated to Hafiz just as he had finished his morning prayer, and he immediately set off to meet Enayit Khan’s men, expecting to find his son with them. On his approach, they had taken post in a waste village, and from behind old walls kept up a running fire of matchlocks. Hafiz was so much enraged, that his prudence forsook him, and he advanced so close to them, that it was astonishing he had not fallen a victim to his rashness, as his bow was shot out of his hand, and several of his followers were killed: the artillery, however, soon came up, and a few rounds sufficed to dislodge the rebels, who were obliged to beg for quarter. Hafiz now sent Shah Mahomed Khan and Iradut Khan to inform Enayit Khan, that hitherto he had wished to avoid the distressing spectacle of a father opposed to his son in the field, but that it was now inevitable, and that on the ensuing morning they must meet in arms. Enayit Khan answered, that nothing would gratify him more than an opportunity of meeting those who, for their own malignant purposes, had defamed his character, but that he neither could, nor would oppose his father, and requested admission to his presence; but to this Hafiz would not consent, and next morning marched out with his troops. Enayit Khan left Deedar Khan in charge of the camp, and advanced with only twenty men to meet his father, sending forward a horseman to announce his approach to Moostukeem Khan, who dismounted to receive him, and notified his arrival. Hafiz desired that he might be sent back to his camp, and directed to make the best resistance he could, but he insisted on throwing himself at the feet of his father. Hafiz told him that if he yet entertained any thoughts of offering opposition, there was still time to do so; and if not, he must prepare himself for imprisonment: to which Enayit Khan answered that he cheerfully resigned him­self to his father’s pleasure; and he was then committed to the care of Fyzoolla Khan.

After a few hours Molovee Gholam Jeelanee, and Bilas-roy Bukshee of the Khas Russala, waited on him by order of Hafiz, and desired that he would send some person to disband his followers, and to restore the ele­phants and horses plundered on the preceding morning, on which conditions his pardon would be granted. Enayit Khan in vain urged the improbability of the cattle being given up while he remained in confinement; and that he had no person with him whom he could send to disband his followers. These objections Hafiz would not listen to, and insisted that if his orders were not obeyed, Enayit Khan should leave the country.

On the second day, Enayit Khan clearly saw that his enemies would not permit a reconciliation to take place between him and his father: he therefore returned to his camp, and sending back to Hafiz the elephants and horses which had been captured, proceeded to the province of Oude.

Enayit Khan joined the camp of the Nuwab Vizier Shooja-ood-dowla at Tooryee, seven koss from Fyzabad, and was conducted by Saadut Ullee Khan and Moorteza Khan Bahraitch to the Nuwab’s tents, while his fol­lowers encamped at a little distance. In the course of conversation, Shooja-ood-dowla one day speaking of the number of his troops and the expense of his military establishments, observed, that an increase of territory had become absolutely necessary; and as except Kutheir, no other country lay open to him, Enayit Khan remarked to his brother Deedar Khan, that before the Nuwab carried his scheme into execution, it behoved them to leave his camp, and to prepare their father for the contest.

Soon after this Shooja-ood-dowla returned to Lucnow, when he presented to Enayit Khan twenty thousand rupees for his expenses, and promised to allot a certain portion of territory as a jâidâd for his followers. From Lucnow they proceeded to Mindee Ghaut, when Enayit Khan took leave of the Nuwab and returned to Kutheir.

On reaching Shahjehanpore, Enayit Khan received orders from Hafiz to disband his followers, and appear before him unattended; and he accordingly arrived at his aunt’s house in Bareilly with only twenty-five servants.