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290
THE INDIAN ANTIQUABY.
(NOVEMBER, 1898.
But Her Highness Chånd Bibt remained fized as a mountain in the same place, and ordered expert workmen to build up the foundations of the wall of the fortress ; she herself waiting in the same place till the skilled builders and stone-catters, with clay and stones built up the wall about four cubits high ; thus blocking the way against the entrance of the Mughal force; and then fortifieul the wall with many hukkah. [guns ?] and much ammunition,
After that, the Queen, with much courtesy and queenly favour, rewarded those of the defenders who in the place of battle had remained firm as mountains and displayed conspicuous bravery. Among the foreigners, Khwajah Husain Kirmani - since he had shown much valour on that day, and had killed many of the enemy with arrows - Was ennobled by the title of Tir-andaz Khân ;!' and Husain Aķa,1 Turkman received the title of Kazal-bash Khin. After straining every nerve in fulfilling the requisites of deience and the observance of vigilance, the Queen returned to the haram.
But Prince Shah Murad on that night, owing to the loss of his prestige, and the weakness which had found its way to the foundation of his good fortune ; brooding over the fact that the face of bis object was not reflected in the mirror of his desires, was biting the finger of anxiety with the teeth of Astonishment; while tears of sorrow were streaming from his eyes. He took counsel with his amirs and the leaders of his army as to the best means of reducing the fortress
In the morning, at the first streak of dawn, the Prince, son of Akbar Shah, paraded his forces and advanced to the breach of the fortress. When he reached the wide ditch he wished withoat delay to attack the fortress ; but a number of the amirs and great men of the State dependent on his favour were opposed to entering the ditch, and to his personally engaging in the fight. On account of the advice of his well-wishers, the Prince dismounted from his horse on the very edge of the ditch, and encouraged his men in fighting against the people of the fortress ; making them hopeful by promises of increased rank. He sent one of the nobles to the Khin-Khanan to ask him for assistance ; but the latter hung back with excuses, and abstained from taking part in the war. Prince Shah Marid's sense of honour being roused, he ordered his troops to commence the attack ; and special corps of ahadi 80 and men of rank, under the Prince, at once attacked the fortress with swords, arrow, cross-bows and baldraks.21
The defenders, whose strength (in spite of the weakness of the wall of the fortress), owing to their success of the previous day, was increased a thousand-fold; having built up the breach to the height of several cubits, with their fire-arms had made it like the vestibule of hell ; and fought with the utmost bravery and strength, and with the fire of hub kahe, pak-bains, guns and matchlocks which they brought to bear on them, barnt up the harvest of the existence of many of the enemy.
Althc gh the intrepid ones of the distinguished army rushed in close order towards the breach of the fortress, yet the warriors in the fortress, with their arrows, guns, bukkahs and paik-báns, scattered them and killed numbers of them, and cleared them away from the neighbourhood of the breach : till
from the number of killed in the ditch, it appeareil like a repetition of the story of the seven-fold • slaughter of Mizandaran.
Prince Shah Murad, on the page of whose fortune the signs and indications of regret were showing themselves; with his heart full of grief and his tongue full of lamentations and sighe, returned towards at camp, having abandoned the desire for war and the acquisition of a name and reputation; and removed from his mind the sovereignty and dominion of the Dakhan, which had been fixed in the world of his boasting imagination.
20 A kind of Indian military corps. - Dict.
11 Tir-andAs meaning "archer." 2 'A kind of sword.
