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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1930
took away the sail and, having driven a hole through the bottom of the vessel, quitted her, in the hopes that she would sink and drown the poor wounded creatures left on board. These latter, however, after the departure of the pirates, which was about dusk in the evening, oontrived to provent the vessel filling. Tying together their few remaining olothes they formed a kind of sail and in that way reached Bate. Every assistance was afforded them by the Company's officer at that station in binding up their wounds and supplying them with food; six had notwithstanding died, and it was not expected that more than ten would eventually recover.
At the date of our advices there were then six pirate vessels within 2 miles of the shore, one of the Honourable Company's cruisers was also in sight outside of them, but the shallows and shoals on the coast would preclude her being able to come near them, nor was there any force on shore sufficiently disposeable or provided with light artillery to prevent these plunderers from landing at different places on the coast and sacking and pillaging the neighbouring country. There were reports received from the coast of Mekran, which were confirmed by the persons, who had been fortunate enough to escape out of the pirates' hands, that they intended to attaok the temple of Dwarka, where they expected to find great plunder."
[Calcutta Journal, 12 January 1820.] (To be continued.)
THE HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAH KINGS OF AĦMADNAGAR.
BY LIEUT.-COLONEL T. W. HAIG, C.B.L., C.M.G.
(Continued from p. 75.)
V.-AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE PRINCE, UNDERTAKEN IN ORDER TO ASSIST THE KING, AND OF THE PRINCE'S WARFARE WITH THE ENEMIES
OF THE EVERLASTING STATE.19 While those affairs were in progress, a number of the amirs of the Dakan, being inclined to rebellion against the king of the earth, collected a large army and marched on Bidar with the object of stirring up strife, of which circumstance some mention has already been made. The king of the world at once wrote a farman detailing the seditiousness and faithlessness of the amírs, and sent it with speed to the prince, whom he summoned to the capital. As soon as the prince had read the farman he turned his attention to his army, and, having assembled it, set forth for Bidar.
When the prince's army neared Bidar, the amirs and officers of state went forth to welcome him and attained the honour of kissing his feet. Thence the prince hastened at
19 The whole of this chapter is a perversion of historical facts. Aḥmad visited the capital to support his father the regent, who was attempting to crush the foreign amire, headed by Yusuf 'Adil Khan of Bijậpûr. Active hostilities began by a massacre of some of the Turkigh troops. Fighting then began between the troops of Yâsul 'Adil Khan and those of Abmad and lasted for twenty days, in the course of which three or four thousand men were slain. The 'ulamd at length made peace between the factions. Yusuf returned to Bijapur and Aḥmad to Junnar but the Dekani faction retained all power in the capital and Malik Naib and Fathullah 'Imad-ul-Mulk of Berar were regont and prime minister for the next three yoan.