88 W.Irvine — The Bangash Natodls of FarruJcMbdcl [No. 2, 



By order of the Nawab, his son, Mahmud Khan, then about fifteen 

 years of age, moved from Jhiisi westwards through Audh. On the road the 

 zamindars of Dundyakkera, fifty miles south of Lakhnau, plundered 

 the carts carrying the Nawab' s personal effects (tosha-Jchdnd). When it 

 was reported to Mahmiid Khan that the baggage had been plundered and 

 several soldiers killed, he halted, and in six hours sacked the village and 

 massacred the inhabitants. After the fight some thousands of boxes were 

 recovered in the village. As he advanced further west, he learnt that the 

 Shekks of Lakhnau and Kakauri* had risen and ejected the Pathans 

 from those two places. At that time no reprisals were possible', and the 

 young Nawab marched on, near Bilgramf where he met with some resis- 

 tance, past Sandi and Pali, J to the bank of the Ganges opposite his father's 

 entrenchment at Fatehgarh. 



Commencing his march westwards from Allahabad, Nawab Ahmad 

 Khan in six days reached his own capital. But the adventurers, who had 

 before joined him from all sides, being pure mercenaries, melted away on 

 the road and retired to places of safety. Only those of good name and 

 position remained true to his standard. His first care was to send off the 

 Bibi Sahiba and his female relations, who with considerable reluctance cross- 

 ed the Ganges and set out for Shahjahanpur or Anwalah. Many of the 

 inhabitants of the city, seeing her departure, began to desert their homes. 

 The Nawab now summoned all the commanders and leaders, name by name, 

 to devise means of opposing the enemy. All the commanders and leaders, 

 the bankers and chief traders of the bazar, all who were noted for their 

 intelligence and ability, appeared before the Nawab. They represented to 

 him that the enemy was very numerous, while the Nawab's force in compa- 

 rison was like salt in flour. Admitting that though few they were brave, 

 yet the wise men of old had said " one fights with one, not one with a thou- 

 sand." It was true the Nawab was capable of meeting the kings of 

 Europe in battle array, yet on this occasion the Wazfr, to remove the stain 

 to his name caused by his previous disgrace, had brought all the fighting 

 men of Hindustan, the Jats and the Mahrattas, like a tribe of ants or a 

 flight of locusts. They therefore thought it advisable to move to the 

 Ganges bank, near the ferry of Hussainpur, three miles east of the city 



Siyar-ul-M., p. 883, indirectly confirms the date of 1165 H. The Oudh Gazetteer 

 (II. 477 and III. 147) states the scene of the assassination to have been Gutni, on 

 the Ganges, five miles south of Manikpur. 



* About 12 miles "W. of Lakhnau. 



t In the Hardoi district, about 34 miles from Farrukhabad. 



1 Both in the Hardoi district. 



