110 W. Irvine — The Bangash Nawoibs of ffizrru7cMbdd. [N° 2, 



tresses. Indar Gir Atith then said, that their enemy was in the open, not 

 in either entrenchment or fortress. The only obstacle was the water. 

 Now, there were two corners, where there was no water, one to the east 

 and one to the west ; that to the east was the battery of Najib Khan and 

 Sayyad Ahmad, that to the west was defended by Nawab Ahmad Khan . 

 If any one chose to take the slightest trouble, they would gain a victory. 

 Apa Sendhia said to him, " You, too, are in the service of the Nawab 

 Wazir, wherefore do you not take this trouble you speak of ?" Rajah 

 Indar Gir said, that the next day he would make an assault on the battery 

 of Nawab Ahmad Khan, and he would take it unassisted. By the Wazir's 

 good fortune he would bring Ahmad Khan alive a prisoner, or else he 

 would bring his head on the point of a spear. The Mahratta leaders 

 said, that nothing could be better than this, and taking leave of the Wazir 

 they rose and departed. When they reached their tents, Apa Sendhia sent 

 word to Nawab Ahmad Khan that he might expect next day an attack by 

 Rajah Indar Gir Atith, who would, they hoped, be killed or defeated. 



When night had passed and the sun arose above the eastern horizon, 

 Rajah Indar Gir's fifteen thousand men, horse and foot, all Atiths and 

 Nagas, each having a musket and rockets, were passed in review by the 

 Wazir and despatched to the assault. Before he set out, Indar Gir re- 

 quested the Wazir to make a feigned attack with the Mughals and " Sher- 

 bacha" in the direction of Najib Khan's and Sayyad Ahmad's outwork, in 

 order to draw all the Pathans to that quarter, leaving Ahmad Khan's 

 battery unprotected. The Wazir did as requested, and the fighting began. 

 Rajah Indar Gir posted himself in a hollow and awaited a favourable 

 moment. The Mughals did their best. But Najib Khan maintained his 

 position, and called to his friends to cease firing and await the near ap- 

 proach of the enemy, and then meet them with the sword. Najib Khan 

 sent a message to Mulla Sardar Khan and Donde Khan, asking them to 

 leave their own posts, thinking the main attack was directed against him. 

 Hafiz Rahmat Khan, on seeing that Najib Khan was attacked, rode off to 

 Nawab Ahmad Khan. Before he arrived Ahmad Khan had mounted his 

 elephant and had taken up position in his battery. Hafiz Rahmat Khan 

 came up and represented that the chief attack that day was against Najib 

 Khan. The Nawab replied, that the attack on Najib Khan was entirely a 

 feint, the real attack by the Atiths would be made there, on Ahmad Khan's 

 entrenchment. He therefore requested Hafiz Rahmat Khan to return to 

 his own battery. Then the Nawab ordered all his own leaders to be on the 

 alert. At an hour and a half before sunset the Atith's troops began to 

 show in the open. The Pathan commanders asked for leave to draw up 

 their men in battle array. The Nawab told them to offer up a prayer 



