Vol. Ill, Ifo. 6.1 The Go7iqttest of Chatgaon. 413 



[N.8.] 



been seized with terror. It behoves [us] as brave men [169, a] 

 not to give the enemy time, nor let the oppoi^tnnitj slip out of 

 our grasp, "but to attack them with full reliance on God. " These 

 words had effect on tlie Bengal crew ; they agreed and started for 

 Hurla. The enemy learning of it issued from the creek and stood 

 Jtt sea in line of battle. Ibn Husain arriving there found their 

 line stronger than Alexander's rampart. He felt that to run his 

 smaller ships against the [enemy's] larger ones,— whose many 

 guns would, at every discharge, command [his ships], — w^as to court 

 needless ruin, but that he ought to stop in front of the enemy, 

 engage in firing, and wait for the arrival of his larger ships {salhs)^ 

 when he would put the latter in front and attack the enemy. 

 He thei*efore began firing his gnns and sent a man to hurry up 

 the salba. These arrived at the time of the evening prayer. 

 From that time [169, 6] to da^vn, there was cannonade between 

 the two sides. ^ 



Second Naval Encounter, 24th January. 



Next morning, the Muslims flyiugr their victorious banner, 

 beating their drums, and sounding their bugles and trumpets, 

 advanced towards the enemy firing guns and in this order : First 

 the salhs, then the ghurabs, and last the j albas and kosas side 

 by side. The enemy lost all courage and firmness, and thought 

 only of flying. [170, a.] They turned the heads of their 

 larger ships away from the Imperialists, attached their j albas to 

 them, and began to tow back these big ships, fighting during 



their flight. 



Ibn Husain without throwing away caution or making rash 

 haste advanced in his previous formation. At last at about 

 3 P.M., the enemy entered the mouth of the Karafuli, reached 

 the island in mid stream in front of Chatgaon fort, and drew ap 

 their ships off the bank on which Chatgaon stood. The Imperial 

 fleet too came to the Karnfuli and seized its mouth. On the 

 [further] side of tl>e Karnfuli, near the moutli and close to the 

 village called Feringi-bandar, where theFeringi pirates had their 

 houses, the enemy had built three bamboo stockades on the brink 



1 The 'AtamgJrndmnh, p. fi50, says :— " [Afier the first naval battle] the 

 enemy fled. Ibn Hasam with his light and' swift ships gave chase and cap- 

 tnred \0 ghuruhs &ud three hnlias l=jallas'] from them. Soon afterward, 

 the larger ships (nawwdra-e-buzurg) of the enemy came in sight, for a 

 second time foua-ht a Ions and severe fight, and at sunset fled from the scene 



of action. Ihn Hasain pursued them, [p. 951] but ns the enemy's ships 

 entered the Karnfnli, and his own larger ships had not come up with him, he 

 thought it inadvisable to advance, but withdrew his fleet to a suitable place, 



and passed the night in keeping watch. 



When Buzurg Ummed Khan heard of it, he wrote strongly urging 

 Farhad Khan and Mir Murtaza not to wait for clearing the jungle, and 

 making a roafl, but to hasten to join hands with the nai/mjani. He himself 

 gave up road-making and advanced quickly. Next day [24th January,] 

 Farhad Khan arrived at the bank of the river [Karnfuli.] The enemy lost 

 heart at the sight of the Islamic army. '* 



