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SEPT RMBER, 1921] HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHI KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
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weaker and more disbeartened. Among those then who had the honour of entering the royal service were Asad Khân, whose subsequent exploits and promotion to the highest rank will be mentioned hereafter, Adil Khân Mangi, Bai Khân, and other officers and brave men, a list of whose names would be tedious.
The royal army continued the pursuit of Tufal Khân; and Khudâ vand Khân, Rustam Khân and the other officers with the advanced guard remained still a day's march ahead of the main body of the army and a day's march behind Tufâl Khân.
LXXX.--AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISASTER WHICH BEFELL THE ROYAL ARMY. After Tufâl Khân had twice disgraced himself by fleeing before the royal army, the amire of the royal army, and especially Khudavand Khan and Rustam Khan, who commanded the advanced guard, began, in their pride and their contempt of the enemy, to neglect the most ordinary precautions of an army in the field and to spend their time in idleness, making no attempt to ascertain the disposition or whereabouts of the enemy, while the enemy, on the other hand, lost no opportunity of acquainting themselves with the condition of the roya army. Shamshir-ul-Mulk, the son of Tufal Khân, having satisfied himself of the negligence and carelessness of the amire of Ahmadnagar, attacked Khudavand Khan with a large army at the time when the amits were engaged in drinking. The attack was so sudden that the amirs were completely surprised. They had no opportunity of even girding on their arms or of going forth to the fight, and were forced to flee. Rustam Khan and a few valiant companions preferred death on the field of battle to a shameful existence, and faced the foe manfully. Khudavand Khân, aroused from the sleep of negligence and the drankenness of pride, bethought himself of his good name and of the disgrace which he was incurring and, regardless of the flight of most of his men and of the numbers and bravery of the enemy, turned back from his flight with a few companions and threw himself on the enemy's centre and fought most valiantly, slaying many of the enemy, both man and horse, with his sword, and clove & way for himself through the host. At this moment his eye fell on his own standard which was being carried off by a body of the enemy. He at once rode towards them, but found his way barred by a fierce elephant. He struck the beast such a blow with his sword that he cleft its trunk as if it had been a cucumber, and the enemy seeing Buch determined valour left his standard and fled. Khudavand Khân, having thus overcome the enemy, contrived to separate several elephants from their army and he raised his standard against them. Although these valiant efforts of Khudavand Khân saved the honour of the army, Rustam Khan and most of his men were slain, and all the baggage, camp equipage, transport and elephants of the army, with the royal standards and ensigna, fell into the hands of Shamshir Khân.
After the defeat of the royal army, Shamshir Khan retired from the field to rejoin his father, and when the news of his retreat spread through the royal camp, the king issued an order to Khudåvand khân, forbidding him to advance until he was joined by the main body of the army. The main body then advanced by a forced march and reached the scene of the battle, where the royal pavilion was pitched. The officers of the advanced guard were then reproached and rebuked for their neglect and lack of caution and everybody who had displayed bravery in the action was promoted. It was then ordered that nobody should thenceforth separate himself from the main body of the army, nor act independently of it in any way, and that all should be extremely watchful and wary lest the enemy should make a night attack on the army. The army then set forth again in pursuit of Tufal Khan, and the distance between him and the royal army was steadily maintained at a day's march,
