144 W. Irvine — Luter Mughals (1707-1803). [No. 2, 
In two or three days’ time a large force of soldiers, some of long 
service but most of them greedy mercenaries, had been collected, and 
the artillery had been strengthened by the guns removed from the city 
walls. Three of the very largest guus were’ removed from the fort, 
each being dragged by two hundred and fifty oxen aided by five or six 
elephants, and it was ten days before the distance to camp was covered, 
One of these was sent to Rafi‘u-sh-shan and one to Jahan Shah. When 
everything was ready, the three princes left their old positions and 
encamped close to each other ina wide and open plain. ‘Azimu-sh-shan 
all this time never left the shelter of his earthen entrenchments, but 
contented himself with the daily discharge of a gun or two. On their 
side, the three princes advanced daily at the rate of about one-eighth of 
a kos, or one-third of a mile, encamping each evening on the ground 
where they stood, and keeping an active look-out for fear of a night 
attack. In these nightly halts many of the new troops left the army, and 
it almost looked as if Jahandar Shah would be forced to retreat with- 
out fighting. But Zi-l-fiqar Khan and ‘Abdu-s-samad Khan exerted 
themselves to keep the men together. At length, early in the month of 
Safar (1st Safar 1125 H.=9th March 1712), they pitched their camp not 
far from the entrenchment of ‘Azimu-sh-shan. For another two or three 
days, an artillery duel was maintained, and from time to time ‘Azimu-sh- 
shan’s men made sallies and engaged the outposts of the attacking 
army.! 
On the other side, Mirza Shah Nawaz Khan, Safawi, urged prince 
‘Azimu-sh-shan to take the field and give battle in the open. Daya Baha- 
dur and others joined with him in his entreaties.? They believed that by 
one sudden onset they could drive the whole of the enemy’s force away. 
The only answer they could obtain was ‘ wait a little longer.’ After 
that they could say no more. ‘Azimu-sh-shan relied on the extent of 
his treasure ; he hadalso received pledges from Curaman, Jat, and the 
Banjarah grain-carriers that his camp should not suffer from scarcity 
of grain. In his opponents’ camp there was, as he thought, nothing 
Multani, and said to have been compiled in Mhd. Shah’s reign (1131-1161 H.). In 
it Jahandar Shah expostulates with ‘Azimu-sh-shan, and ends with the defiance, 
Dam az mihr dah, ya ba kin zan payam, Kalam-am bar in khatam shud o us-salam. 
‘ Breathe words of love, or send your challenge, My speech closes with this and so 
farewell.’ According to the true Inshade Har Karan the letter, of which the above is 
an imitation, was addressed in 1068 H. by Aurangzeb to Dara Shikoh. 
1 Kamwar Khan, 107; Nuru-d-din, 28. 
2 The Dastéru-l-inshd, 17, also names Aminu-d-din, Ni‘mat-ullah Khan, Nawab 
‘Aziz Khan, Rajah Muhkam Singh Khatri, Rajah Raj Singh Bahadur, Baz Khan and 
‘Umr Khan. 
8 Andak bashid. 
