3874.] H. Blochmann — On SaJcH Inscriptions. 103 



ed and resolved to fight. The whole imperial camp did not consist of more 

 than one thousand people ; but as so many had been sent over the surround- 

 ing country, the number actually present did not exceed two hundred. 

 There were besides about two hundred elephants in the camp. Although 

 the robbers numbered more than four thousand, the emperor gave orders to 

 attack their fortification. But no success was obtained, and the soldiers 

 on account of the heat produced by the conflagration of the houses, climbed 

 up the trees for protection. Akbar mounted on his elephant Dastkar, and 

 rushed forward ;* but the fire drove him back, and,- he rode to the rear of the 

 place. When the elephant entered the narrow street of the village, a man 

 in yellow armour (jaihah) appeared on the roof of a house. Akbar took him 

 for Dastam Khan,f who had a similar armour, approached the house in 

 spite of the arrows, pieces of wood, and stones that flew about, and found 

 that the man in yellow was Muqbil Khan, who in pursuing a robber had 

 gone up the roof of a house, where he was surrounded by several dacoits. 

 The emperor at once drove the elephant to the house, and Bandah 'All, 

 quzbegi of Mun'im Khan and elder brother to Sultan 'All Khaldar, ran 

 up and speared the rebels. At the same time, the forefoot of Akbar's ele- 

 phant sank into a grain-pit, and Jhujhar Khan, the Faujdar,J who was 

 sitting behind the emperor, fell with force upon his Majesty. But Akbar 

 remained cool, managed to get the elephant out of the hole, and at once 

 drove up to the place which the robbers had fortified. Only Eajah Bhag- 

 wan Das and Rajah Bidhi Chand were with the emperor, who had to ask 

 the former for a drink of water. A Hindu struck at Akbar's elephant, and 

 the sword hit the iron rings, which for the sake of beauty are attached to 

 the tusks, in so powerful a manner, that the sparks flew about, and the ele- 

 phant got wild and trampled the robber to death. Immediately afterwards, 

 a boy of about fifteen ^^ears, from fright, threw himself from the roof of a house 

 on the emperor's elephant. Jhujhar Khan was on the point of killing him, 

 when the emperor told him to keep him a prisoner. 



"When they reached the fortified place, they saw that the officers of the 

 imperial elephants had arrived, but stood perplexed on account of the un- 

 expected extent of the fight. They were now ordered to attack the wall. A 

 Bajput archer aimed seven arrows at the emperor, who caught them with 

 his shield : five of them pierced the shield and passed five and three inches 

 (ungli) through the back, and two stuck in the shield without passing 

 through the back. God's protection is quite another shield. 'Alawal Khan, 

 one of the officers of the elephants, seeing how gallantly the emperor's 

 elephant went forward, called out, " Well done ! Who are you ? I 

 shall not forget to mention you to his Majesty." Akbar lifted his visor, 



* Abul Fazl says that the emperor himself gave him an account of the fight, 

 t Ain Translation, p. 398. Vambery spells this name Dostum. 

 X I. e. an officer in charge of elephants ; Am Translation, p. 126. 



