1879.1 W. Irvine — The Bangasli ■ Nawdbs of Farriolchdbdd. 83 



promised him all the money she possessed. Thus encouraged he sent for Rajah 

 Nao-ar Mall, Lachmi Narayan, and Isma'il Beg Khan. The latter advised 

 waiting for an army from Afghanistan. Nagar Mall proposed calling in the 

 Rohelas, who, owing to the attack on them hy Kaim Khan, bore ill-will to 

 the Farrukhabad Pathans. The Wazir rejected this advice, saying that 

 though Pathans might fight amongst themselves, they would always unite 

 against any third person. He then asked Lachmi Narayan for his 

 opinion. In reply he called attention to the large force of 70,000 or 80,000 

 Mahrattas, under Jai A'pa and Mulhar Rao, then in the neighbourhood of 

 Kotah,* and reminded the Wazir that the Pathans started at the sound of 

 the Mahratta name, and that one thousand Mahrattas could dispose of 

 ten thousand Pathans. The Wazir determined to invoke the aid of the 

 Mahrattas. 



The next important point was to effect a reconciliation with the Em- 

 peror. For this purpose Jugal Kishor was sent to ask help from Nawab 

 Nazir Jawed Khan, the Emperor's favourite eunuch. After he had heard 

 the full details of the Wazir's case, the Nawab Nazir said the matter could 

 only be discussed in a personal interview. On Wednesday he would ride 

 out to pray at the shrine of the saint, Sultan-ul-Mushaikh Nizam-ud-din. 

 On his way back he would come to the Wazir's house, when he would state 

 the obstacles to a settlement. Jugal Kishor returned and reported these 

 words to his master. On the Wednesday, after paying a visit to the shrine 

 of Nizam-ud-din, Jawed Khan came privately to the Wazir's house. After 

 other conversation, the Nazir said to the Wazir that the Emperor's mind 

 had, in an extreme degree, been turned against him, nor could any remark 

 favourable to him be ventured on in the Emperor's presence ; and Nawab 

 Firuz Jang was so strenuous in support of Nawab Ahmad Khan, that no 

 one dare open his mouth to say a word to the contrary. The Wazir said 

 some words easy to understand (karib-ul-fahm, i. e., offered a bribe, I sup- 

 pose) to the Nazir, asking his intercession with the Emperor and using at the 

 same time powerful arguments. The Nawab Nazir professed himself con- 

 vinced, and promised that when he saw a chance he would speak in Safdar 

 Jang's favour and, please God, he would turn the Emperor's heart towards 

 him. He then rose, mounted, and went home. 



Three days afterwards a news-letter came from the winter attached to 

 Ahmad Khan's camp. He wrote that the eastern zamindars, Rajah Pirthi- 

 pat, Rajah Balwant Singh and others, had brought treasure and had sub- 

 mitted themselves to Nawab Ahmad Khan ; they had joined him in laying 

 siege to Allahabad, which would shortly fall ; a large army had collected and 

 was gathering strength every day, a hundred thousand horsemen and number - 

 * On the Chamhal, 195 miles S. W. of Agra, and 260 miles from Delhi. 



