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OCTOBER, 1022 )
HISTORY OF THE NIZAM SHAHI KINGS OF AHMADNAGAR
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deep, and on the fourth side on which it is approached, by a ditch 40 şar' wide, and 40 par long, cut out of the hard and solid rock. The slope between the wall and the edge of the ditch measures about 100 şar' but has been so steeply scarped that a bird or an ant, much less a man, could hardly scale it.
Towards the end of the month of Ramzan A.H. 989 (October A.D. 1681) the allies encamped before the fortrees. On the following day the amir-ul-umard 261 in person reconnoitred the fortress and inspected it with a view to ascertaining on which side it could be best attacked. He ordered the batteries to be thrown up on that side of the fort which was not surrounded by water. The armies then encamped over against that face of the fort, and straitly blockaded it. In the meantime the heavy Nizâm Shâhî guns, such as the Nuhgazi Túp, the Laild va Majnün Tüp, the Havdi Tüp and others, which had been sent to the army in the field by Asad Khân, arrived and were set up in the position selected by Sayyid Murtaza. The Qutb Shahi guns, such as the Túp-i-Paidari and others also arrived and were set up in the same place, and the gunners, having ascertained the range, opened fire on the fortress and maintained it daily doing much execution on the walls.
Vazîr-ul-Mulk, 262 who was the commandant of the fortress, had great confidenos in its strength, in his treasures, and in the garrison, and therefore prepared to stand a siege and to attack and harass the besiegers whenever possible, being assiduous, day and night, in the pursuit of military glory. The ground around the fortress was apportioned to the several amfrs and the trenches were pushed forward ; mines were sunk and the sap was carried to the edge of the ditch, and the infantry, elephants, camels, and bullocks of the army were employed in transporting stones, wood and rubbish to the ditch, in order to fill it, while the gunners brought the guns up to the counterscarp and from that point opened fire against the fortrese.
The armies lay in the trenches for nearly two months, during the whole of which time there was constant fighting and the troops had hardly a moment's rest. Sometimes the defenders would make a sortie and attack the droops in the trenches, slaying many, and fierce conflicts took place. Whenever the wall was breached the defenders would make another wall, stronger than the first, behind the breach.
At this time it occurred to the amir-ul-umard that it would be well to write a letter to Vazir-ul-Mulk, the kotwal of the fortress, setting before him the advantages of submitting and entering the service of Ahmadnagar, and the ill results of persisting in his resistance, so that haply he might be induced to make peace and to avoid further strife, which could only lead to bloodshed and to the destruction of the honour of the servants of God. He therefore wrote to him a letter to this effect, adding that the powerful king Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, aided by the army of Murtaza Nizam Shah, was resolved on taking the fortress and would not abandon the task.
When Vazîr-ul-Mulk had read this letter he sent an answer to the amir-ul-umard saying that he had read the letter from beginning to end and was surprised that the amir-ul-umard sbould advise him to commit an act so base. Forts were as the houses of kings, and when a king entrusted his house to a servant that servant would indeed be vile who should sur. render it to an enemy at his summons. He pointed out that so far as any blame for the outbreak of war went the amir-ul-umara was the aggressor, and that he should remember, in the midst of his threats, that strife had long arms and that a stick had two ends, and that it was possible that fate might play him a trick, while even if the fort were taken its defender would
241 Sayyid Murtara Sabua väri. 363 Muhammad Aga the Turkman had probably received this titlo.
