206 B. Bandyopadhyaya—Hamir Rasa, [No. 3, 
legions began to advance, it seemed as if an ocean, having left its boundary, 
rolled on, sweeping everything before it with great fury.. The cavalry, 
consisted of 27,00,000 of excellent horsemen, of whom 700,000 were Hindts. 
There were 10,000 messengers of war, 400,000 of pioneers, 100,000 of 
writers, 200,000 of merchants, 400,000 of female cooks, 200,000 of mules 
laden with treasure, 400,000 of grooms and 100,000 of mendicants, 200,000 
of artilleryinen, very able and powerful in the art of destruction, and 300,000 
of camels, loaded with tents, furniture and powder bags. 5000 elephants, one 
exceeding the other in strength, followed the camp. They seemed as if 
the dark clouds of the rainy season advanced roaring and thundering in their 
way. 
Drums and trumpets sent forth their warlike peals and stirred up spirit 
aud enthusiasm in every heart. ’Ali Khan headed the van of the army, 
and Himmat Bahadur the rear. 8000 banners were unfurled. A space of 
more than eighty miles was taken up by these innumerable hosts, so that 
at every halt the pioneers had to clear such an extent of land of dense for- 
ests. All wells and tanks which they happened to pass by were drained, 
many a narrow valley was blown up and extended. 
The report of the expedition of Ald-uddin reached the territory of 
Hamir. Many cowardly Bhumids (petty chiefs) fled, leaving their posses- 
sions, to live amidst defiles and winding caves of mountains, whereas heroes, 
nobles and soldiers made themselves ready for battle. There was a 
hill-fort named Malarna from which descended a body of brave Rajpits. 
They took by surprise a detachment of Muhammadan troops encamped 
below in fancied security. 10,000 soldiers of the Shah of Kablanir were 
cut off, and the camp pillaged. 
When the intelligence of this event reached the emperor, he ordered 
his soldiers to pursue the plunderers closely. They succeeded in overtak- 
ing them on the bank of the Banas. <A party of 20,000 Rawats, headed by 
five heroes—Puafir Abhay Singh, Rattor Bharji, Bagel Hari Singh, Katch- 
wa Bhim Singh and Chohin Sardul—hastened to the aid of the pursued 
even without taking the orders of their liege-lord Hamir. The imperial 
tents arrived there and had to halt for two days. 
A detachment of troops, commanded by Himmat Bahadur, came for- 
ward. They were met by a body of Rajpit soldiers under Hari Singh 
Bageld and Bhim Singh Katchwa. ’Ali Khan, at the head of 200,000 sol- 
diers, joined his brother Himmat’s ranks. The Rajptit warriors, although 
surrounded on every side by the masses of the Muhammadan army, pressed 
on and began to fight. Very great was the skill displayed by them. Now 
they applied arrows to their bows, now they shot them, pulling the strings 
