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OCTOBER, 1887.)
THE REIGN OF AHMAD SHAH DURRANI.
299
arrived in sight of the enemy they fired their doing, that was only a handful of earth, but had muskets and halted whilst another detachment been granted by the mercy of the Almighty, came up and did the same. Whereon all advanc. who had thus delivered the Musalmans from ing simultaneously poured showers of bullets the power of the sanguinary infidels. He told apon the Marathâs, so that Bhao, who was the them that now, as Hindustan had been libegreatest of their Sardars, as well as Wiswas RAO, rated from the rebels, gratitude to God was inwho was another of them, surrendered their souls combent not only upon Islâm, but upon the to the possessor of hell. Being wounded by balls whole population, which onght to live in peace and also frightened by the tumult the ele- and tranquillity, and to pray for the prolongaphants broke their ranks and fled in all directions; tion of the God-given government, as he would and as victory and conquest depend upon divine now depart from Hindustan and take with him aid and not upon the strength of human arms, the Nawab Shuja'au'ddaula, the Şabahdår of the confusion in the camp of the defeated in Lakhnau, whom he had adopted for his spn. fidels became even greater than the turbulence In reply the Sardars unanimously represented of the elephants, when the Durrant cavalry, that as the exalted banners were to return to in spite of their slender numbers, attacked the their own country, the said Nawab ought to be discomfited Dakhani army, according to the left there, in order that he might, in concert verse, "How often hath a small army conquered with them, protect them from the wickedness a great one," with the greatest display of of the infidels. Whereon the Padshåh conbravery. The Hindustani Muslims were like. sented to the proposal and bestowed the wise not remiss in slaying the infidels. In short, government of Dehlt upon the Shấhzâda (of the army of Islam was till evening engaged high lustre) 'AU Gauhar, son of 'Azizu'ddin, in slaughtering the infidels, so that not one of surnamed Shah Alam, who was, however, in the Maratha chiefs escaped with his life, except Bengal. Accordingly his son was made his Malhar R&O [Hulkar) who took refuge in the lieutenant in Dehli, the office of wasir being sangar of the Indian Masalmâns, but being given to Shuja'au'ddauls and that of amir unknown to everybody left it again unharmed. [generalissimo) to Najibu'ddaula. After this Also another chief, namely, Mahaji Sindhi, Ahmad Shah departed in the year 1174 A.H." the paternal uncle of Daulat Rao, although to Qandahår, and never went again to Dehlt, wounded, succeeded in his flight. It is a fact although he undertook two more invasions of that the number of infidels slain, when men- India, in which he did not pass beyond Ambala tioned, causes the narrator to be suspected of and Sarhand, as will be narrated further on. falsehood, because it amounted to not less than After Ahmad Shah Darrant had during the jast. one lakh. The whole plain of Panipat was strewn named year returned with Solomon-like pomp with corpses, but many chiefs were taken alive, from India and had entered Qandahår, he conone of them being Ibrahim Khan Gardi, who, ceived the idea of destroying the town of having been brought into the presence of Nadirabad, on account of the unpleasantness Ahmad Shah, was ordered to be killed, in of the sorrounding country and the insalubrity spite of Shujafau'ddaula's pleadings for mercy, of its air, and of building in lieu of it another because he had several times before refused town in an agreeable locality. For this purpose Ahmad Shah's invitation--conveyed by a mutual he first dug a deep canal on the western friend-to side with him."
side of the Arghandab River towards the The booty taken on this occasion was enor. plain, but as the place selected belonged to mous, and every Sardar of the Hindustani the Ghanikhani sept of the Alukzki tribe, Muslims obtained a dress of honour. Ahmad who disliked to see a town founded in their Shâh complimented 'Inayat Khân on his bravery, neighbourhood, he gave up this intention. and then turning to the others said to them When, however, his mother died, he caused that this great victory was none of his own her to be interred in that locality and surnamed Quran, ch. II. v. 150.
1761. This date is vague; Grant Duff does not mention • This great battle was fought on the 7th Jannary the time when Ahmad ShAh left India, and W. Franoklin 1761', and is described with many details by Grant Duff, is equally retioent; but there is no doubt from the above Vol. II. p. 149, 156.
that he departed in 1761, before the month of August. Began 18th August 1760, and ended let August
