1896.] W. Irvine — Later Mughals (1707-1803). «+151 
Azimu-sh-shan. Sulaiman Khan tried all in vain to re-inspire his troops, 
with confidence, Resolving to sell his own life dearly, he met Jahandar 
Shah’s men with repeated discharges of arrows, until in a short time 
final disaster fell on ‘Azimu-sh-shan’s partisans through the loss of the 
prince, their leader. ! 
During this day ‘Azimu-sh-shan had preserved the same attitude 
as hitherto of a helpless waiter on events. When Daya Bahadur and 
Muhkam Singh entreated him to give orders to assume the offensive, no 
other answer could they force from him except his eternal andak bashid, 
‘Wait a little longer.’ They spoke their minds freely to him and went 
against the enemy without waiting for his orders. We have seen above 
how little advantage they reaped, in spite of all their exertions. Suffi- 
cient reinforcements were not sent, and by the end of the day most of 
the troops had vanished, having sought a refuge in Lahdér city. At last 
out of the 60,000 to 70,000 men that he had at first under his com- 
mand, ‘Azimu-sh-shan was left with 10,000 to 12,000 men only. Dur- 
ing the night which preceded the last day’s fighting, the rest of the men — 
deserted. The artillery fire continuing all night long, every man thought 
of his own safety. Only a few determined to remain steadfast so long as 
‘Azimu-sh-shan was still alive, and these passed the night in watching and 
prayer. At early dawn the drum beat for them to take horse. But, when 
the prince’s war elephant was brought up, it refused to allow him to 
mount, and his attendants were forced to send for another. Round 
him were grouped Ni‘mat-ullah Khan and ‘Aqidat Khan in palkis, for 
they said they were wounded, Rajah Raj Singh of Kishngarh with about 
1,000 men, and Aminu-d-din, Sambhali, with twelve relations or depend- 
ents andtennewmen. Shortly afterwards Khwajah Muhammad A‘sim,? 
pay-master of the Ahadis, with Ghulam Husain, an Afghan of Kasur near 
Lahor, joined the party. In all there may have been two thousand men 
round the prince. ? 
It so happened that a high wind sprang up and the sand from the 
Ravi banks rose in clouds. Hverything was blotted from view; all 
first day’s fighting and wandered all night round his own camp without being able to 
find it. At dawn one of his servants found him, changed his clothes, put him on a 
horse and took him to a weaver’s house in the quarter of Talbagha, near the shrine of 
Pir ‘Ali, Hajwiri. This saint died in 456 H. (1063-4) and was buried at Lahor—( Beale 
246). The mausoleum is now known as Data Ganj-Bakhsh (S. Mhd. Latif, 
History of the Panjab, 84). 
1 Nuru-d-din, 44. 
2 Afterwards Ashraf Khan, and subsequently Samsamu-d-daulah, Khan Dauran 
Bahadur (d. 1151 H., February, 1739). 
3 Dasturu-l-insha, 18. 
