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NOVEMBER, 1898.)
THE SIEGE OF AHMADNAGAR.
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should throw the fire of chastisement into the harvest of the existence of the hostile troops, and with the sponge of the sharp swords of his warriors, he should make the face of the earth a sea of blood, and clear the kingdom of the Dakhan from the discord and rebellion of the lords of perverseness and injustice.
From the Kutb-Shahi court also, Kult Sultan Talash -- who was renowned for his bravery - with about 10,000 celebrated cavalry and 20,000 brave infantry, was sent to repel the enemy. In like manner, from the court of Adil-Shah, farmáns were issued to Ikhláş Khan and all the Habshi amirs, inviting them to put aside their hostility, which was the cause of the ruin of the country and State, and join the nobles in repelling the enemies of the country. According to His Majesty's orders, Ikhlâs Khan and the other Habsbî amírs, with about 20,000 cavalry collected from the various cities, marched in that direction. Through the kindness of Adil-Shah, in a short time about 70,000 well-equipped cavalry, with elephants, cannon and all the implements of war, were assembled on His Majesty's frontier. From the thronging of them, the plains and hills were pressed for room,
A breach is made in the wall of the fortress of Aḥmadnagar. Fight with the enemy, in which fight the defenders are victorious. Great exertions of
Her Highness Chand Bibl, and the sincerity of her faith. When the siege of Ahmadnagar - owing to the perfection of its strength and fortification - had lasted a long time, and the face of its conquest still remained hidden by the veil of protraction and delay, it became manifest to the Mughal amirs that by the agency of guns and the filling in of the ditch, they would not be able to reduce the fortress ; so, after praying for success, and taking council together, they decided on making excavations under the foundations of the wall and towers; and in order that the defenders might not obtain information of their plan, they kept it concealed from both small and great, and used their utmost endeavours to carry it out. Opposite the Prince's battery they excavated several places, and hollowed out the pillars of the wall of the fortress. When they had finished the excavation, on the night of Friday, the first night of the moon in the month of Rajal [20th February, 1596], by the Prince's orders, they filled the hollow of that excavation with gunpowder and tamped it with clay and stones, in order that at the time of dawn — which is the time of ease and repose of the sentries vigilant during the night, and time of the owl of negligence of the defenders of the fortress - they might fire the mine and throw down the wall of the fortress, and by that means their troops might complete the conquest of the fortress. But since Fate had decreed that the fortress was not to be taken, Khwajah Muhammad Khan - who was one of the nobles of Fårs and a wasir of Shiraz, and was distinguished for the integrity of his faith and the sincerity of his intentions - having become aware of the position of the enemy's mine, employed the people of the fortress, both small and great, on that dark night in digging down, to the foundations of the walls of the fortress in the positions where they imagined the enemy's mines to be. They found one mine, and carrying away the powder which the enemy had put into it, they filled up its place with stones and earth. The defenders being relieved from the fear of this mine, commenced digging out another. And Sadiķ Muḥammad observing the day of Friday, the first day of the inoon of Rajab, which is the sacred month, postponed the firing of the mines till after noon. In truth, according to the saying, "Good in what happens," the defenders benefitted by this delay; for on that night both small and great of the people of the fortress were e:nployed till the appearance of the true dawn, in excavating the mines; and after dawn, all of them, very tired, went to their honses to rest and repose.
The Prince and Sadik Muhammad Khân, at the first appearance of dawn on Friday ordered their forces to assemble and get ready all the implements of war, and parade fully armed at the foot of the fortress. When the Mughal army, with swords, shields, spears and daggers flocked from all quarters towards the fortress of Ahmadnagar, the ground round the fortress, from the thronging together of the forces was like a swelling sea in a state of commotion. Prince Shah Murâd in his own person took an active part in the operations; and all the amirs and kháns of high rank - except the Khen
