148 
W. Irvine — The Later Mu gh als (1707-1803), 
[No. 2, 
Khan began to eat. The Khvvaja then remarked that to eat food in 
the tent used as Hall of Justice was not fitting, had they not better 
move to the screens outside and eat there ? It so happened that two 
canvas screens had been put up in the space before the Hall of Justice, 
an entrance having been left at one end only. The two nobles came 
out. As soon as Zu-l-fiqar Khan had entered within the screens, and 
while Khwaja ‘Asim was still outside them, the tent-pitchers with the 
greatest expedition brought the screens together and closed the entrance. 
In an instant about two hundred men, each armed with sword and 
shield, sprang from their place of concealment and drew up round the 
screen, shoulder to shoulder, leaving no space whatever between them. 
When the capture was reported to Farruldisiyar who was seated in the 
Chaplet tent ( tasbih-Jchdna ), ‘Ibad-ullah Khan, ddroaha of the Pages, 1 
was sent out. Entering between the screens, he said loudly, “ His 
“ Majesty asks what reason there was for you to imprison Muhammad 
“ Kara Bakhsh and inflict injury on his followers. Does it accord with 
“ the rules of loyalty and of submission to a gracious master to act 
“thus to his sons?” Zu-l-fiqar Khan answered:— 
“ The imprisonment of Kam Bakhsh was by his father’s order • 
“ I was ‘Alamgir’s servant and Kam Bakhsh, his son. If he had told 
“ me to make my father a prisoner, I should have obeyed.” 
After each answer ‘Ibad-ullah Khan returned to Farrukhsiyar and 
came back with a new demand. The questions and answers continued 
on this wise as follows : 
“You were generalissimo and chief adviser of Muhammad A‘zam 
“ Shah. Was it fitting for a general to flee, as you did, and leave his 
“ prince all alone?” 
“ As long as he was alive, I remained with him; when he was 
“ slain, what right had I to continue a contest in the field.” 
“ What was your quarrel with the martyred Prince, ( i.e . ‘Azimu- 
“ sh-shan, Farrukhsivar’s father) ?” 
“ He did not look on me with favour, thus I was not in a position 
“ to join his side. All the officers of the State took one side or 
“ another. I, too, took a side ; nor did I thereby commit any crime.” 
“ Why did you kill Mukhlis Khan and Rustam Dil Khan ? ” 
“ I had nothing to do with that matter. These things were done 
“ on the advice and by the instigation of Kokaltash Klian.” 
“ All the other princes survive: what was Muhammad Karim’s 
“ offence that you should seize him, bring him to your house, and slay 
1 Afterwards Mir Jumlah, Mu'azzam Khan, Khan Khauan, Bahadur, Muzaffar 
Jang. 
