38 ■ H INDO 
The fultan/deferte'd on all fides, and become a fugitive 
in defpair, fled to Seiflan, where he was received by Sham- 
lu, who governed there on the part of Tahmafp, king of 
Perfia. He treated Humaioon with-the greateft refpeft, 
and prefented him with money for the fupport of the ful- 
tana and her flaves. He from thence fet out for Herat, 
and was met in that city by the prince Mohammed, the 
king of Periia’s eldeft Ion. This prince forgot nothing of 
that generality and politenefs which fo remarkably dif- 
tinguifhed his character; and immediately provided the 
unfortunate exiles with all necefiaries for their journey to 
• the Perfian court. When he arrived at Kizvi, he- dif- 
■ patchediris faithful omrah Byram to the Perfian king at 
Ifpahan ; from whofe princely bounty he received every 
comfort that could alleviate his diflrefs, or calm his wound¬ 
ed feelings. 
Upon the flight of Humaioon, Shere, in the year of the he- 
gira 950, A. D. 1542, fet up for fultan at Agra. His ori¬ 
ginal name was Ferid. His father was Hufiein, of the tribe 
of Afghans of Roll, a mountainous diflrift on the confines 
■ of India. When Beloli afcendedthe throne, Ibrahim, the 
grandfather of Shere, went to Delhi in quell; of military 
preferment; and, when the empire fell to Secunder, the 
chief Jemmal being appointed foubah of Jionpour, he took 
Hufiein, the fon or Ibrahim, in his retinue. Hufiein had 
eight ions ; Ferid and Nizam of one mother, of aPatan fa¬ 
mily; the other fix were born of flaves. Ferid, being in- 
fulted by one of his ftep-mothers, abandoned his father’s 
houfe, and. enlifted himfelf a foldier in the army of Jem¬ 
mal, the governor of Jionpour. After three or four years 
-had elapfed, Hufiein went to Jionpour, and, by the medi¬ 
ation of friends, the father and fon were reconciled. Huf- 
■ fein then gave Ferid -the charge over his efiate and diflrift 
• of Saffaram ; while he himfelf chofe to remain at Jionpour. 
In this new appointment the reputation of Ferid grew 
.apace; and all his aftions difcovered uncommon genius 
and refolution. 
Amidft the diffractions which followed from the inva- 
, lion of Baber, Ferid joined the ffandard of Pit Khan, the 
Ton of Dirio Lohani, who. had fubdued Behar, and af- 
ftimed the royal dignity, under the-name of Mahmud. As 
that prince was one day on a hunting-party, he routed a 
royal tiger, which Ferid immediately attacked, and difa¬ 
bled with one blow of his fabre. For this intrepid action, 
which happened in Mahmud’s prefence, he wasTurnamed 
■ Share Khan, or lion-lord: there fignifying a lion. 
After the death of Mahmud, Shere. fixed his eyes upon 
his dominions, the provinces of Behar and Bengal ; and, 
to obtain the fovereignty, made war upon Jelial, the young 
.foil of Mahmud. It was at this Crifis that Humaioon 
-marched to Bengal, to- quiet thefe infurreftiolis; but, the 
unnatural rebellion of his brothers taking , place- at that 
' time,, he. was glad tarefign thole two provinces entirely 
• to Sliere.; who, as we have feen above, pretended to be la- 
tisfied with them; and then, under the femblance of paci¬ 
fic meafures, treacherctifly availed himfelf of the unguard¬ 
ed ftate of Kumaioon’s army, to cut it to pieces. But an 
■ aft of lavage ferocity and treachery, infinitely beyond this, 
. is recorded in the long catalogue of the atrocities of Shere. 
Doubtful, when he began to wage war for the empire, 
what might be the underlain iffue, he wiihed to 'fecyre an 
impregnable ■ fort refs, to which he might at ; any time re¬ 
treat* in cafe of dilcorqfiture, or danger of being taken ; 
and where he might, in the mean While, lodge his family, 
and depofit his wealth, in fafety. He foon fixed his choice 
on the hill-fort of Rhotas. , But to, take Rhotas by open 
force was impoffible. It was therefore neceffary to devife 
fonie fc rata gem to entrap the rajah. Shere, for this pur-' 
pole, fent a meflage to Berkis, who was in po.fiefiion of 
this. impregnable fortrefs, informing him, “That, as he 
was going with a large army into Bengal, he hoped-, from 
their former friene.fnip, that lie. would permit him to fend 
his family and treafure into that- place, with a, few atten¬ 
dants.” Berkis at firfl excufed himfelf from, affording this 
friendly accommodation ; but Shere fent an artful meffen- 
O S T A N. 
ger to him, a fecond time, with a handfome prefent,' ac¬ 
quainting him, “ That it was only for his women and trea¬ 
fure he requeftedhis proteftion: that, Ill quid he be fortu¬ 
nate enough to conquer Bengal, he would make proper 
acknowledgments for the favour on his return ; but, if he 
fhould iofe his life in the conteft, he rather chofe that his 
family and wealth fhould fa!L into the hands of Berkis, 
than into thole of the Moguls, his inveterate enemies.” 
Berkis, buffering himfelf to be thus deluded, confented to 
Shere’s requeft. The Afghan, having provided covered 
chairs, filled them ail, except the find two or three, with 
armed men and arms. He, at the fame time, filled five 
hundred money-bags with leaden bullets, and appointed 
feme of his belt foldiers to carry them, in the difguife of 
. flaves, who were deflined in appearance to afiift in bear¬ 
ing the treafure up the mountain; The men, who carried 
the clofe chairs, were difguifed in the fame manner. This 
train accordingly fet out; and the firfl: and fecond chair 
being qxamined at the gate, and found to contain only 
fonie old women, all further examination was neglefted. 
The rajah was in the mean time bufy in counting the 
bags, which he now began to reckon as part of his own 
fortune. When the chairs had reached the great hall 
which the rajah had appointed, the foldiers rufhed out, 
and began a terrible (laughter on the rajah’s unfufpeft- 
iug domeltics. The difguifed troops fupplied themfelves 
with arms from the chairs, and eauly fubdued the garri- 
fon, and threw open the gates to Shere, who was only at 
a frnall diftance. The rajah Berkis, with a few of his fol¬ 
lowers; found means to efcape into the woods, by a pri¬ 
vate paflage behind the fort. Thus the moil impregna¬ 
ble fortrefs in India fell into the hands of Shere, toge¬ 
ther with a vaft treafure, which had been there accumu¬ 
lating for ages. 
Having at length, by fuch praftices, overcome all dif¬ 
ficulties, and obtained the object in view,. namely the fo- 
vereignty over' Hindooflan, Shere continued undiflurbed 
in Agra for a whole year, employing his time in fettling 
the internal police of that great metropolis, and in regu¬ 
lating the discipline of his army. In the meanwhile Mal- 
deo, who had chafed the unfortunate Humaioon through 
the defert, had affirmed the fovereign authority over Na- 
gor and Todnour, which were fo extenfive, -that Maldeo 
was elteemed the moft-powerful Hindoo prince in India. 
To quell this infurreftion,' Shere fet off with no very for¬ 
midable army, as looking upon the infurgents with an eye 
of contempt, But they oppofed to him fifty thoufand ra- 
jahputs, or native Hindoo foldiers; and both armies lay 
. for thirty days in fight of each Other without offering to 
come to battle. Shere would have been glad to retreat qui¬ 
etly, but the danger' was too great; at the fame time the 
enemy was fo advantageoufly polled, that they conlidered 
marching out to begin the attack as too hazardous. In. 
this dilemma, a fuccefsful ftratagem fuggeffed itfelf to the 
fertile mind of Shere. He forged a letter in the Hindoo 
language* in the name of the rajahput chiefs, addrefled to 
himfelf, Rating, “ that, having been conquered by the ra¬ 
jah, they only ferved him through-fear ; but, if Shere would 
■ reinftate them in their former poffeliions, they would turn 
their- fpears in his favour.” On this letter Shere fuper- 
feribed, as-ulltal, in Perfian, “that, if they woulcl delert 
to him, all their delires fhould be fully complied with.” 
This letter was purpofely dropt in the way of Maldeo ; 
who,, being always jealous of his chiefs, readily fwaliowed 
the bait.' He therefore declined the battle, and marched 
. away with his own vaffals ; while Shere fell upon the aflo- 
nifhed rajahputs, and cut them in pieces. 
Sliere, finding himfelf in poffeffion or a viftory_ which, 
nothing but perfidy had fecured, exclaimed,, “that, for a 
handful of barley, he had almoil given the empire of In¬ 
dia to the wind thus. congratulating himfelf upon the 
fuccefs of his treachery ; which, however, was foon to 
have an end. He followed up his victory, by invelting 
the flrong fort of Callinger; which Paran Mull, the then 
rajah, refblved to defend to the laft extremity. Shere, 
having 
