1896. ] W. Irvine— Later Mughals (1707-1803). 139 
indication of the same strained relations between the four brothers may, 
I think, be detected in a sudden attack made upon Jahan Shah on the 
15th Za-l-hijjah 1123 H. (23rd January 1712) near the kettledrum stand, 
as he was leaving the camp after an audience. A man with a drawn 
sword rushed at his retinue, wounded a stick-bearer, and was him- 
self cut to pieces. ! 
Jahandar Shah had no money and therefore no troops: his whole 
foree consisted of seven hundred horsemen. Against ‘Azimu-sh-shan 
he felt that, under such conditions, it was hopeless to attempt hostilities ; 
and he would have been content with, nay would have thought himself 
lucky in getting, one city only. He had made up his mind that on liis 
father’s death he would make his escape to Multan, where he was well 
known, and there make ready for an attempt to retrieve his fortunes. 
All the leading men paid assiduous court to Azimu-sh-shan. Among 
the rest Zu-l-fiqar Khan, Amiru-l-umara, the first bakhshi, made an offer 
of his services through the means of Iradat Khan. One Shekh Qudrat- 
ullah? wrote a note in reply, of a very curt and unceremonious kind, such 
as a person of his rank should not have written to a mansabdar of 7,000, 
saying that all the officers of the State were in attendance at the prince’s 
court, there could be no question of any other place, and the Amiru-I- 
umara ought to present himself there, when he would be fittingly 
received. Zii-l-fiqar Khan, with tears in his.eyes, lamented over such 
manuerless conduct, and quoted the saying ‘when Fortune turns 
against any one, everything conspires against his success.’? He left 
the imperial guard-room at once, collected his troops, and moved with 
all his tents and effects to the camp of prince Jahandar Shah, the eldest 
son. * 
But Zu-l-fiqgar Khan had not been so imprudent as to leave his own 
fate completely in the hands of ‘Azimu-sh-shan. For a long time he 
had been negociating with the three princes opposed to ‘Azimu-sh- 
shan, and had succeeded in bringing them to an agreement. The court 
chroniclers noticed, as the outward sign of these intrigues, that on the 
22th Zu-l-bijjah 1123 H. (2nd February, 1712) Rafi‘u-sh-shan and on the 
Ist Muharram 1124 H. (8th February, 1712) Jahandar Shah visited the 
quarters of Zu-l-fiqar Khan. As ‘Azimu-sh-shan’s power was held to be 
overwhelming, it was considered wise by Ziu-l-fiqar Khan, acting for 
Jahaudar Shah, tomake overtures for joint action to the two younger 
1 Kamwar Khan, 70, 100. 
2 A native of Allahabad. He was hung by Mir Jumlah early in Farrukhsiyav’s 
reign. 
8 Cu tirah shavvad mard ra rozgar, Hamah dn kunad kash nayadyad ba kar. 
4 Warid, 60, 61; Yahya Khan, 117 b; J. Scott, 65; or text (my copy) 68. 
