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DECEMBER, 1899.]
HISTORY OF THE BAHMANI DYNASTY,
318
troops; and the whole of the Habshf, Turks and Dakban amirs and wazirs were in attendance on the Sultan. Though several of the Turks and intrepid Dakhanis secretly sympathised with the blood-thirsty Bahadur, yet, through fear of the Sultan, they did not hasten to show it.
The royal army surrounded the fort of Miraj, and engagements used to take place daily, till the son of Bunah Naik, the governor of Miraj, was killed. Bûnah Naik and his followers then, becoming terrified at the assaults of the royal army, cried for quarter; and their agreeing to give a reasonable amount of money, Arab horses and elephants was made the condition on which their freedom was granted and their lives spared. Bûnah and his followers went forth from the fortress, and had the honour of kissing the ground before the Sultan, and were made content with kingly favours and courtesies; and through the infinite kindness of the Sultan all the people of Miraj obtained security for their lives a: d the lives of their families. The troops of Bahadur Gilini who were in that fort were given the option of accepting pay and service under the Sultan's government or going to join the misguided Bahadur. Of that band, each one who accepted service under the State was distinguished by rewards and kingly courtesies; and all who elected to join Bahador were given permission to depart with their horses and arms. In truth never have any of the kings of the world shown such mercy and kindness as he who after defeating his enemies gave permission to depart, and sent on to his opponents 2,000 cavalry of the enemy with their horses and arms. • The tyrant Bahadur after hearing this news was much confounded, and coming forth from Dabhol, hid himself in the ancultivated country and jungle. He then sent to the royal court Khwajah Ni'mat-Ullah Yazdt (who was Malik-ut-Tujjår of that province) to make terms with the Sultân. Khwajah Ni'mat-Ulláh taking with him a written agreement from Babâdur, in which the latter promised to abstain from opposition and rebellion, hastened to the royal presence, where he had the bonour of kissing the ground, and was treated with much kindness and courtesy. The Sultan in his infinite mercy and kindness lent a favourable ear to the requests of Khwajah Ni'mat-Ulláh. Ho consigned to Bahadur the whole of the territory of which he was in Possession, and drew the pen of forgiveness through the volumes of his crimes on condition that he restored the property and elephants of the Sultan of Gujarat and the goods of the mercbants; also that he should send a reasonable sum of money each year without delay or negligence to the public treasary, and in future not practise tyranny or sedition or become a traveller on the road of rebellion and resistance.
Khwajah Ni'mat-Ulláh, having obtained the completion of his wishes, took his leave of the Sultan and proceeded towards the fortress of Kalhar (Karbåd ?]. After that, Bahadur Gilânt at the soggestion of the devil got a perverse idea into his head; evil impulses made him proud and threw him off the right track of obedience and subjection; and the agreement he had made through Khwajah Ni'mat-Ullah he considered as though it did not exist. The fortresses which be held on feudal tenure he garrisoned with experienced veteran troops ; and the whole of his army and followers he gratified by increased rewards; then making the jungle his own fortress he took up his abode there. When the Sultan heard of the flight of Bahadur into the jungle and uncultivated country he ordered Dilawar Khân Habshi and 'Ain-ul-Mulk Tork with 5,000 cavalry armed with spears and 1,00,000 well-armed infantry to lay siege to the fortress of Kalhar and not fail to take it. He sent 7,000 cavalry and 50,000 infantry under the command of several celebrated amirs to seize the towns and districts of that province; and he hir..self with all the amirs and wazirs went after Bahadur, and pitched his camp in the neighbourhood of the jungle in which that evil-doer remained and had concealed himself by a hundred artifices. When the Sultan had remained a long time in that place Babador's predestined moment drew near; the jungle became his prison, and the claws of the falcon Aja267 seized him by the collar and drew him out of that jungle. The eye of his judgment became sightless and unable to discern the advisable course ; consequently, with the intention of fighting, he left
The period or end of life, the predestined moment, death.
