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2(8
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1898.
and mun, both prefixed. As will have been already seen, the Mêchs and the Bodos are essen. tially the same people. Though not mentioned by Mr. Endle, mang', man, mun is clearly a coefficient, as it will be seen to disappear in the counting of money. Thus, the Gâro I examined called an anna gonda, i. e., garda, or a quartette (of pice), a fact of great inte:est in the presont connection, and proceeded to reckon his annas entirely as gondas of pice. Thus:
1 auna...
3 annas and so on to 15 annas.
His numeral coelicient for rupee was kap, and he counted his rupees kapsà, kàpg'ni, kapy', and so on. Similarly he counted his pice, nsing the Indian word poisá, straightforwardly, poisi prak, poisá-'n', poisá-g'lùm. Like the Zô Lûshais, he mixed up his silver with his rupees, calling both tank. For brass he used the Indian word for lead, strú. (To be continued.)
gonda-sà . gondi-g tàm
...
2 annas
4 annas
gondi-g'ni ... gonda-bri
THE SIEGE OF AHMADNAGAR AND HEROIC DEFENCE OF THE FORT BY CHAND BIBI A NARRATIVE OF AN EYE-WITNESS.
BY MAJOR J. S. KING.
Indian Staff Corps (retired).
(Continued from p. 237.)
Mujahid-ud-Din Shamshir Khan, who, having undertaken the defence of the city and country, was engaged in collecting a force and making preparations to repel the vindictive enemy (some explanation of which we have already given); and when he heard of the death of Anşâr Khân, and of Her Highness Chand Libi having ascended the tower of the fortress, he hastened to attend at court with all his glorious sons; and in like manner Afzal Khan and Mir Muḥammad Zamân, more than all, were distinguished by the happiness of attendance at the foot of the throne of sovereignty. After that, all the inhabitants and great men of the city, small and great, going to the foot of the throne, assembled under the shadow of Her Highness' favour.
At this juncture a body of troops from the north side of the city came into view, and arrived in the vicinity of the namáz-gáh. A number of them rushed to the summit of the namár-gáh, and some proceeded to the city. Since no one imagined the near arrival of the Mughal army, some people thought this was Sa'adat Khan's force, and some imagined it was the army of the Habshis. Shamshir Khan, in order to ascertain the circumstances of that force, sent a person among them, and he brought back the news that this was the force of the Khân-Khânân and the advanced guard of the Mughal army. The garrison of the fortress and the nobles when they became aware of the arrival of the Mughal army, fired some guns towards them and dispersed those who had come on the plain of the chabútra. Then with all their might they engaged themselves in strengthening and protecting the fortress and getting ready the warlike apparatus. When the day had come to an end, the KhânKhânan's force did not remain in the vicinity of the fortress, but hastened back to the Khân-Khânân, who had encamped near the garden of the old káríz; and that night till the appearance of the true dawn they remained cautious and wakeful.
Her Highness Chând Libî cast the rays of attention and favour on the state of the well-wishers and nobles of the country; especially Muḥammad Khân, whom she treated with much affability and kindness; and as a reward for his virtuous efforts and honourable services, she conferred on him the rank of wakil and amir-ul-umará and the office of na,b; and the reins of the control of all
One of the subterraneous water-leads, of which there were fifteen in all-vids Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XVII.
P. 670,
