94 W Irvine — The Bangash Nawals of Farrulclidhd.il. [No. 2, 



party of Patkans. They made an onset in the other direction, and at this 

 point the men from the next battery on the left or east came up to rein- 

 force them. Abdullah Khan Warakzai, Zabita Khan Khatak, Anwar Khan 

 Kochar, and others used their swords with such effect that the Mahrattas 

 gave way. When Tantia saw that his men were on the point of taking to 

 flight, and being angry at the disgrace of his former defeat, he dismounted 

 and exclaimed that he would give up his life sooner than retreat. But his 

 attendants forced him to remount and led him off to his camp. As the 

 defeated Mahrattas began to flee, Nawab Mansur 'Ali Khan Sahibzadah 

 and the other leaders sent for their horses, and mounting hastened after 

 them as far as the eastern corner of the odgh, whence they saw that the 

 Mahrattas in great confusion had reached their own camp. Mansur 'Alj 

 Khan and the others, leaving the hdgli on their right hand, came round to 

 the west of it and halted. Nawab Ahmad Khan now rode up to the bat- 

 teries, and directed the commanders not to leave their batteries nor to draw 

 up their troops beyond the ravines, for the Mahrattas would give no fur- 

 ther trouble. Mansur 'Ali Khan then returned to his old position, and Nawab 

 Ahmad Khan accorded him great praise. All the commanders were ordered 

 to remain in their batteries on the alert. After this Nawab Ahmad Khan 

 returned to his own quarters. 



After the investment of Fatehgarh had lasted a month and some days, 

 there came the report of the near approach of Nawab Sa'dullah Khan. 

 This news caused great anxiety to the Wazir, Mulhar Rao, and Apa, Sendhia. 

 Hafiz Kahmat Khan had written to the Wazir, that although he had done 

 his best to dissuade Sa'dullah Khan, his advice had been rejected and the 

 Nawab had marched to the aid of Ahmad Khan. He therefore advised the 

 Wazir to make a peace with Ahmad Khan, in the best way he could, before 

 Sa'dullah Khan arrived, for, according to the tradition, " Peace is prefer- 

 able to enmity." 



Next day the Wazir went to Mulhar Rao and Apa Sendhia' s quarters, 

 and informing them of Sa'dullah Khan's march, he asked what they 

 thought. Mulhar Rao and Apa Sendhia sending for their principal men 

 reported the matter to them and asked their opinion. All the leaders, 

 except Apa Sendhia, who was privately favourable to Ahmad Khan, said 

 they were entirely at the disposal of the Wazir, their opinion need not be 

 asked, they would carry out whatever orders they received. The Wazir 

 turning to Apa Sendhia asked the reason of his silence. He replied that 

 there could be no dispute about the self-evident, what all men could see 

 could not be doubted. They had in no way been slack in carrying on the 

 war, Rao Tantia had kept up constant hostilities, yet they had not succeed- 

 ed. As for the Wazir's army, which was made up of picked troops, its 



