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NOVEMBER, 1898.)
THE SIEGE OF AHMADNAGAR.
291
Terms of poaco arranged between Chand Bibt and Prince Shah Murad.
Completion of the predestinad events whioh ooourrad in that interval.
It has been already mentioned that Ibrahim 'Adil-shah had ordered about 3,000 trained cavalry to go to the assistance of Nizam-Shih Muhammad Kull Kutb-ShAh also had sent about 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry to the assistance of Queen Chånd Bibi and the Nizam-Shâhi army. From all quarters within the limits of the Alil-Shabt dominions a force was collected, and about seventy or eighty thousand cavalry, with elephants, artillery and rockets, after making all warlike preparations, marched towards Aḥmadnagar.
The days of the siege of the fortress being prolonged, the defenders were reduced to helplessness owing to the scarcity of provisions ; so the nobles of Her H ghness Chånd Bilt wrote letters to the amirs of the Dakhani ariny, and me. tioned in them the superiority of the enemy's force and the weakness of the defenders. By chance the sp.es who were the bearers of these letters, were captured by the alvanced-guarl of the Mughal force, and the letters were shown to the Khin-Khanan and Radik Muhammad Khan. Akbar's amirs then wrote the following letter to Suhail Khin, who was the Amirul-Umara of the army of His Majesty Adil-Shah :- "We have long been expecting your coming in order that this fighting may be put a stop to ; and the quicker you come, the better." Giving this as weil as the letter from the people of the fortress to the same spy, they sent him on. It is said that when the letters reached Suhail Khân, and he became acquainted with the contents, in the same hour he sounded the dram of march, and with the utmost possible speed, from the road of the mountainous country, turned towards Ahmadnager.
When the news of the approach of this formidable army of the Dakhan reached Prince Shah Murad and all the amirs and khans of the Mughal army - who, having become hopeless of taking the fortress of Ahmadnagar, had given up fighting - it increased the fear and terror of their army ; 80 that all at once the foundations of their patience and firmness being shaken, the reins of self-possession and repression went out of the hands of their power. Consequently a council of war was assembled, and after consulting together, it was unanimously agreed that since the army of the Dakhan, in great numbers and well equipped, was advancing to take vengeance on them; and as the conquest of the fortress had gone beyond the area of their power, it was necessary to show a bold front ond make some kind of terms with the de enders ; and by this pretence the abandonment of the siege would not be attributed to their weakness. Accordingly Sayyid Murtaza (who from olden time had been the arranger of this royal family, and used constantly to perform similar diplomatic duties for the State) was charged with the duty of arranging the terms of peace.
Sayyid Murtaş, by the advice of the Prince and amers, wrote to the rulers of the State and sent into the fortress a letter to the effect that they should send out a person to arrange terins of peace, and induce the Prince in some manner to raise the siege and quit the foot of the fortress.
Althongh the people of the fortress were reduced to extremities owing to scarcity of provisions ; and the reins of choice having gone from their hands, were all demanding peace and a treaty; yet since they perceived an odour of weakness from the signification of Sayyid Murtazi's message, and knew that only when the arrow of the enemy's desires had missed the target of their intentions, and the dawn of happiness had failed to appear on the horizon of their fate, they entered by the door of peace and knocked with the knocker of agreement; consequently becoming hopeful of victory, in order that the enemy might bear the burden of weakness, they wrote as follows, in reply to Sayyid Murtaza :“If first on your part a confidential person will come to this court, and propose terms of pence, on our behalf also an ambassador will be appointed to complete the matter."
Sayyid Murtaç and Mir Hashim (who for a long time had been paymaster of the Prince's army, and for his great intelligence, bravery and sagacity was greatly distinguished above his equals) wero sent to the Nizâm-Sbåhi court.
The sayyid remained in the fortress for the space of ten days without getting permission to depart, so that the Mughal amirs became hopeless of obtaining terms of peace, and dismal news was
