56 H 1ND0 
rifen in rebellion, and taken pofi’effion of Sirhind, and 
were laying wafte the country towards Lahore. The em- 
{ >eror, therefore, refolved to march in perfon, without d’e- 
ay, towards Lahore; and, having by forced marches ar¬ 
rived at that city, he refolved inftantly to lay fiege to Sir- 
hind ; but which place the rebels deferted on his approach, 
and retired to the fortrels of Daber, the refidence of their 
goorrah, or chief, where they fortified themfelves as ltrongly 
as poffible. The imperial army foon arrived within fight of 
the goorrah’s camp, which lay round the walls of Daber, 
on different heights commanding the paffes to that for- 
trefs, fituated on a fummit, furrounded by hollows, craggy 
rocks, and deep ravines. Shah Aulum had refolved to lie 
inactive before the enemy for fome time, in hopes by this 
means to render them confident, and tempt them to an 
engagement; on which account he iffued pofitive orders 
to the princes and all the omrahs, not to advance near 
the enemy’s lines on any pretence, however favourable. 
Some days palled in this ftate of inactivity, when the 
khan khanan, or chief general, entreated permifiion of the 
emperor to advance, with his own followers, to recon¬ 
noitre the enemy’s pofition: which was granted, on con¬ 
dition that he lhould not commence an attack without 
•further orders from the prefence. However, when he had 
approached near their lines, the-enemy began a warm can¬ 
nonade from their works, while bodies of their infantry 
on the heights galled him with rockets, mufquetry, and 
arrows. His foldiers, enraged, were not now to be re¬ 
strained ; and the khan khanan, more jealous of his mili¬ 
tary fame than fearful of the emperor’s difpieafure, ven¬ 
tured for once to difobey, by giving directions to attack. 
He difmounted from his liorfe, and led his troops on foot 
up the molt difficult acclivities, driving the rebels before 
him with the greateit rapidity and fuccefs. This feene 
palTing within fight of the royal camp, the chiefs and 
foldiers, emulous of glory, waited not for orders, but 
haftened to join in the affault; while the emperor and 
fhe four princes viewed the fight from the fquares of their 
encampments, with a mixture of anger and fatisfaCtion. 
At lalt the rebels were driven from all their works, to the 
narrow fummit round the fort of Daber, where they con¬ 
tinued to defend themfelves in a defperate manner, but 
without even the hope of efcape from inevitable daugh¬ 
ter ; when night coming on, rendered friends and foes 
undiftinguilhable to each other. The khan khanan, lure 
of having the goorrah or chief in his power, gave orders 
for his troops to ceafe the attack, and lie upon their arms 
in their prefent pofition, till the morning fhould enable 
him to finilh it with fuccefs. He had, however, unluckily 
negleried to block up a fecret path leading from the fort 
to the hills. The goorrah, a man cf great art, generally 
appeared in the drefs and fplendour of a prince; but, 
during the night, without acquainting his followers of his 
intentions, he changed his habit, and left the fort undil- 
ccvered. The khan khanan, at early dawn, renewed the 
attack, and gained the place fword in hand, exulting in 
the certainty of carrying the goorrah dead or alive to the 
emperor, wbofe difpieafure at his dilbbedience of orders 
would by this fervice be changed to approbation: but 
who can relate his grief and disappointment at finding 
that his prize had elcaped, without leaving a trace of his 
footfteps behind him ? The goorrah’s fpeed of foot was 
alfo uncommon ; and he alone was acquainted with the 
paths and mazes through the hills that led to the fnowy 
mountains which he had marked for 'heifer. The khan 
khanan loft for a time almoft the ufe of his faculties, 
which wer^ abforbed in the dread of the emperor’s dif¬ 
pieafure. Indeed he had foon the cruel mortification of 
learning from meffengers, that his majefty was highly en¬ 
raged againft him. But though this did not continue 
long, and Shah Aulum, regarding his former fervices, re¬ 
ceived him again into favour after a few days; yet this 
noble and faithful minifter never recovered from the lhock 
he now received, added to the pain he felt at feeing three 
cf the princes, and the emir ul omrah Zoolfeccar Khan, 
O S T A N. 
ufing all their arts to complete his min, which ftuck like 
a poifoned arrow in his breaft. He loft all fatisfacrion 
from worldly enjoyment, and died in a few days, fincerely 
lamented by the emperor. 
After the Seiks were thus completely routed, Shah Au- 
ium directed his march back to the city of Lahore; where 
he had no fooner arrived, than he was feized with a dead¬ 
ly maladjr, which all at once infeCted his head and heart 
with infupportable pain, and fo inftantaneous was the fa¬ 
tal effect, that it gave full reafon to imagine it proceeded 
from poifon. Fie was feized with faintings, which con¬ 
tinued without intermiffion, till, on the 21 ft of Mohirrim, 
1124, A. D. 1712, he deferted this tranfitory world for 
that of eternity. He had been, from the firft inftant of 
his illnefs, given over ; and the princes, and ladies of the 
harem, made loud and violent lamentations round his 
bed, and put on every token of the molt heartfelt forrow. 
Bahadur Shah Aulum reigned five years and eight 
months ; and his biographer, Eradub Khan, has left on 
record the following character of him :—“ Shah Aulum 
was generous and merciful, of a great foul, tempered with 
affability, difeerning of merit. He had feen the ftriCt 
exercife of power during the reigns of his grandfather and 
father, and been ufed to authority himfelf for the lalt 
fifty years. Time received a new lultre from his acceffion, 
and all ranks of people received favours equal, if not 
fuperior, to their merits; fo that the public forgot the 
excellencies and great qualities of Aurungzebe, which 
became abforbed in the bounties of his fon and fuccefl'or. 
Some narrow-hearted perfons, however, out of ingratitude 
and envy, attributed his general liberality to ill-placed 
extravagance and profufion; but it is a fact, that the de¬ 
fending of every profefiion, and worthy of all degrees, 
whether among the learned or the eloquent, the noble or 
the ignoble, received an attention from the throne, which 
the eye of time prior to this had never feen, nor had fuck 
been heard of before by the ears of fame. His perfonal 
qualities and perfections fpeech is unequal to relate. His 
valour was luch, that he had refolved on meeting Azem 
Shah, whole bravery was celebrated, in fmgle combat. 
His four fons, pollened of great power and confiderable 
force, he fuffered conftantly to be near his perfon, never 
giving himfelf a moment’s iufpicion regarding them, nor 
preventing their forming connections with the prime no¬ 
bility. He permitted the fons of thofe princes who had 
fallen in battle againft him to appear at all times com¬ 
pletely armed in his prefence. The infant children, in- 
ftead of fending into captivity, which had ever been the 
cuftom, he let remain unmolefted with their mothers; 
while thofe arrived at manhood daily accompanied him 
in the chace, unguarded, and fhared in all his diverfions.. 
His court was magnificent to a degree beyond that of 
Shah Jehan. Seventeen princes, his Ions, grandfons, and 
nephews, fat generally round the throne, in the manner 
following:—On his right hand, Jehander Shah, his eldeft 
fon, with his three fons; his third fon Ruffeh Oolhaun 
with his three fons ; and Bedar Dil, fon to his nephew 
Bedar Bukht. On his left, Mohammed Azeem Oolhaun 
with his two fons, and Jehan Shah with his fon. Ali 
Tibbar, the only furviving fon cf Azem Shah, fat on the 
right hand of Azeem Oofhaun ; and a little to the right, 
fomewhat advanced, the two ions of Mohammed Kam- 
buklh. Behind the royal princes, on the right, ftood the 
ions of conquered fovereignsj alfo a vaft crowd of the 
omrahs, from the rank of feven to three thoufand, fuch 
as were allowed to be on the platform between the filver 
rails. How can I mention every particular of the fplen- 
did lcene? On the eede, and other feftivals, his majefty, 
with his own hands, gave the betel and perfumes to all 
in his prelence, according to their ranks. His gifts of 
jewels, dreftes, and other favours, were truly royal. When 
in private, he dreffed plain and humbly, like a religious, 
and daily, without fail, prayed with many in company. 
Frequently,on holidays and Fridays, when travelling, he 
would read the prayers himfelf, in the grand tent cf 
audience., 
