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264
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
SEPTEMBER, 1887.
thus:
Shah adorned the frontispieces of pulpits, and despatch to the following purport arrived from dinárs and dirhams with his exalted name the Sardar Jahân Khân :-"After I, your slave,
most eager to serve you, had crossed the river The order came from the inscrutable Creator Sind [Indus] to punish Nasr Khảo, he felt to Ahmad Badshåh:
dnable to offer resistance, and, fleeing in the Stamp the silver and the gold currency from direction of Lâhôr, abandoned his family with Pisces to the moon.
all his belongings, and they fell into the posHe also had a ring made in the form of a pea- session of the world-conquering army. We are cock, with the following legend on the beazle now with body and soul prepared to receive of it :-The government belongs to Allah, O further orders." Ahmad Shah, having in conqueror. Ahmad Shah, the Durrant." 80 short a period of time seen his affairs
After having put in order the affairs of Qan- prosper beyond all hopes, determined to try his dahår, he left it when he heard of the revolt of luck further, by undertaking an expedition of Naar Khân, intending to subjugate Kábul and conquest. He wrote accordingly in reply :Peshawar. When he arrived in Kabul, the "Let our people likewise remain till our arrival, yovernor of it being unable to offer resistance and make all necessary preparations for marchand being also an adherent of Nasr Khai, fleding. We shall also come in all haste after in the direction of Peshawar to join him. terminating our affairs." Being Ratisfied with Nașr Khan, having got ready for hostilities, most of his officers in Peshawar, he marched, made haste first to attack the fort of Samad and having constructed a bridge of boats over Khan, who was one of the great chiefs of the the Sind river near the fort of Atak, crossed Ashangår, and who fled in the direction of it. At that time Hayat Khan, surnamed Jallalabad. Here he was honoured by being Shahnawaz Khan-son of Zakira Khân, the allowed to pay allegiance in the town of Lalpur cousin of Qamara'ddin Khan the Wazir-was to Ahmad Shah, who enrolled him in the ranks governor of Lâhôr on behalf of the Padshah of his great Amirs. Ahmad Shah had, after of Dehli. He wrote a letter at once to his mesubjugating Kabul and arranging the affairs ternal uncle Qamaru'ddin Khan in the capital, of Khurd Kabul, taken with him the troops informing him of the invasion of Ahmad Shah of that locality for the purpose of annihilating
and asking for aid; but the reinforcements from Naşr Khân, and when he arrived in Lalpur, Shahjahânâbâd [Dehli] had not yet arrived which is situated between JallalAbad and when Ahmad Shah Abdali made his apppearPeshawar, he received the homage of Şamadance in those regions. ShahnawÅz Khân, trustKhân Muhammadzai Ashanqêrî and bestowed ing in the numbers of his army, marched from upon him an exquisite robe of honour.
Lahôr with great pomp, and pitched his camp According to some accounts Şamad Khan did on the river Chinâb. Ahmad Shah, who had not wait upon Ahmad Shah when he left Kábul taken up a position on the other side of the and appointed to the command of the vanguard river, was considering how to act, and it occarthe Sardar Jahan Khan Popaleai, bat joining red to him to imitate the mode of attack used the latter, marched to attack Naạr Khân; who, by Nadir Shâh in the war of Baghdad, when seeing himself without an ally, fled from Péshá- he crossed the Tigris. Accordingly he started war without waiting to be attacked, and took before dawn with ten thousand picked sawárs refuge in the Chacha and Hazara country. towards the ford, which was several farsakhs Ahmad Shah ordered the Sardar Jahan Khan above the camp. Trasting in Allah he crossed to by no means cease pursuing Naşr Khân, and the river and marched in the direction of entered Peshawar with the greatest pomp. There Lahor. When Shahnawaz Khan perceived the nearly all the YAsafzai and other chiefs paid vanguard of the army of Ahmad Shah, which him allegiance, all of whom received splendid he did not expect would arrive so quickly, the robes of honour with good appointments. verse "and He cast terror in their hearts," While these affairs were being transacted, a became verified ; and he, abandoning all his
From durr, .pearl. Ahmad Shh is called both The season of 1747-48 is memorable in Hindustan, Durrant and AbdAlt European authors generally preferby its being the period of the first invasion of Ahmad to use the latter epithet; in our text they ooour promis- sheh AbdAll." -Grant Duf. History of the Mahrattas. cuously. He is also often known as Ahmad Shah Ghilzai. London, 1826. Vol. II. F. 37. • Quran, oh. Lin. v. 2.
