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OCTOBER, 1886.]
THE LAST YEARS OF SHAH SHUJAA.
289
THE LAST YEARS OF SHAH SHUJAA, WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE
AFFAIRS OF HIRAT. Translated from the Tarikh Sultání of Sulļán Muhammad Khán Barukzái.
BY E. REHATSEK.
(Concluded from p. 267.) W HEN the population of Kábul found that as his halting-place. He really intended not
V the Padshah was pursuing a policy of to reach JallAlAbad in less than a month, being delay, they asserted that no faith was to be under the impression that during that period placed in his promise to go to Jallâlâbâd, as an English army of succour would arrive from he was himself in reality a Farangi, and they Hindustan, as is recorded in his Memoirs. ridiculed the legend on his coing, which was as He had also taken this opportunity to remove follows:
his jewels, for it is said that he picked out all Coins of silver and gold, brighter than the sun the best gems and most valuable rings, the and moon,
price of which amounted to fifty lakhs of rupees, Were struck by the favourite of the age, the King from the treasury, and carried them off; but Shuja'au'l-Mulk Shah.
Allah knows best! He held a general Darhár By changing it into the following distich :
at Sikh Sang, where he summoned the Shahzadah Coins of silver and gold were struck by Shuja's Shahpur to his presence and appointed him the Armenian,
Hakim [Governor of Kabul] with Naşru'llah The favourite of Lord Burnes, the dust of the Khân for his Lieutenant, and gave them both feet of the East Indian) Company.
leave to return to the city ; whilst he himselt There is, however, a proverb that the gate took a palanquin about the time of evening of a town may be closed, but not the mouths of prayer, and went on some private business to the enemies; and after all, the assertions of the BAIA Higår. On entering he ordered the guarwicked are not deserving of credence.
dians of the road to be present and watchful, The populace of Kabul, having appointed because the Shahzâdah Shahpûr would depart Mir Haji, a son of the late Wazir Mir Wai', to from the camp towards morning. The inmates of be their leader, followed him in crowds, waving the haram and other confidential persons about banners and parading Quráns taken from the the Shah have revealed that he was very holy shrines of pilgrimage. Maltitudes of faqirs uneasy during the whole of that night (in the and sufis, shouting the name of Allah, likewise Balâ Hişar), moving about, and often asking the departed with them in the direction of Jallal- eupuch for the time. When the morning dawned båd. When Shâh Shujaa witnessed this he performed the two matutinal prayer flexions tumult, he concluded that if he failed to join of the sunnah, but delayed the two prayerflexions the populace, the insurrection might become of the fara till his arrival in camp, to be performgeneral and his own existence imperilled. He, ed in his tent. Then he entered the palanquin therefore, determined to accompany the crowd as before, and urged the bearers to make haste. to Jallalábad to prosecute a ghand (crescentade] On his arrival (on the preceding day) in against the infidels, and despatched the the BAA Hişar, some ill-starred schemer had Shahzadah Fath Jang with the vanguard, in given information to Shuja-au'ddaulah Khân, conformity with a decision arrived at, as far as the son of Nawab Muhammad Zaman Khân, Deh Khudadad, where it halted. On Tuesday that the Padshåh was secretly spending the the second of the victorious month Şafar in the night in the BALÂ Hişar, and would return to year 1257 the Padshah at last marched out of the camp in the morning. Shuja'an'ddaulah, the Bald Hişâr with royal pomp and a great deal thereupon, with a number of followers, deterof baggage, and selected the múz'a Sikh Sangmined to kill him, and lay all night in ambush
The above date is, scoording to our reckoning, the 5th April 1841, which being earlier than that of the event preceding it, must be a mistake, the date given for it having been the 20th January 1842; but if we retain the date of the month and take the year 1958 instead
of 1257, we get the 26th March 1842, which is more in consonance also with Kaye's statement, Vol. II. p. 378, that on the 39th March 1842 the ShAh sent round criere to proclaim that he was about to march southward on the 31st.
