1879.] W. Irvine—The Bangash Nawdbs of Furrukhdbdd. 153 
Another cheat was Sayyad Bakir. He wrote a forged letter in the 
name of a holy man of Lakhnau to Jan ’Ali Khan, saying he had heard 
that Nawab Ahmad Khan had lost his eyesight and had given up all hope 
except in the intercession of fakirs. Now in the city of Farrukhabdd 
would be found a fakir of great holiness, chief of the age, whose name was 
Sayyad Bakir. There was little doubt that he would be able to restore the 
Nawab’s eyes. Jan ’Ali Khan went with the letter to the Nawab. The 
Nawab told him to obey its directions. Bakhshi Fakhr-ud-daula and Jan 
*Ali Khan proceeded to that deceiver and with the profoundest respect 
brought him to the Nawab. The Nawab presented him with five hundred 
rupees and a number of rich dresses. The fakir said food must be distribu- 
ted daily, while he underwent a forty days’ fast, for which a secluded place 
must be provided. The Nawab ordered Jan ’Ali Khan to find the man 
a place in his garden. Then that lying philosopher promised the Nawab 
that sight would return to his eyes on the festival of the ’Id-ul-fitr. 
_Jan ’Ali Khan took the fakir to his garden and placed men to wateh him, 
As the promised time drew near, one night in the end of Ramzan, the cheat 
got over the back wall of the garden and escaped. On the day fixed Jan 
’Ali Khan was sent to bring the fukwr. He went into the garden and 
called, but there was no answer. Then he looked about and could find the 
man no where. Wringing his hands, he came out of the garden and sat 
down at his own entrance gate. or very shame he was unable to appear 
before the Nawab. At length the Nawab sent to know what had happened. 
Jan ’Ali Khan was forced to go and reported how they had been deceived. 
The Nawab after this ceased to repine and put his full trust in God, whose 
will is best. 
Nawab Ahmad Khan breathed his last on the 28th Rabi I, 1185 H. 
(12th July, 1771), the day on which ’Ali Guhar Shih ’Alam reached 
Khudaganj, on his way from Allahabad to Delhi. After a delay occasioned 
by the disturbance raised by Murtazza Khan, the body was taken out and 
buried in the Bihisht Bagh, in the tomb prepared by Ahmad Khan in his 
own lifetime. 
The date of his death is given by the following chronogram— 
Kunand giriya khalaik ba-nalah o Afghan. 
Maldik ch kashand az wafit Ahmad Khén, (1191—6 = 1185).* 
Another is—“ Hai, Hai, Hatim Tae sani na mand,” (1185). 
The Emperor with his escort of some five thousand men marched on 
the next day, accompanied by Shuja’-ud-daula and others,f and encamped 
* Miftéh-ut T., p. 526. 
+ The ’Ibrat-némah states that Shuja’-ud-daula, after visiting the Emperor at Al- 
lahabad, returned to Faizabad, ‘The text gives the local tradition, 
U 
