/ 
HINDO 
friends or Grangers, were turned againft him. Hindoos 
and Muflfilmans, though at variance in all other refpefts, 
agreed in praying to heaven for the fall of his power, and 
night and day meditated his deftruftion. 
In this wretched manner was the government and fove- 
reignty of the molt exalted empire of the world conduct¬ 
ed, when all at once a report prevailed that the prince 
Ferokhfere, l'on to the martyred Azeem Oofhaun, hp.d 
inarched from Bengal towards Bahar, intending to revenge 
his father’s death, and feize the imperial throne. Jehander 
Shah, and the emir ul omrah, though they feigned to dif- 
believe the intelligence, yet in their hearts were ftruck 
with dread, and mutually recriminated and reflefted on 
each other. Jehander Shah would often exclaim, “ I did 
not kill Azeem Oolhaun : it was the emir ul omrah, who 
mult now go and anfwer the claims of his fon for fatif- 
faftion. What have I do with it ?” Zoolfeccar Khan, 
offended at thefe reflections of his mafter, took not the 
neceflary precautions againfl the enemy, but employed 
his time in forwarding his own immediate interefts; and, 
while the rebellion was daily gathering force, the empe¬ 
ror’s minilters, divided againft each other, were undeter¬ 
mined how to aft. Kokultafh Khan, the principal gene¬ 
ral, refufed to take the command of an army, if the emir 
ul omrah remained at Delhi, pretending that the emperor 
was not fafe in his hands ; and the latter did not think it 
proper to quit the court, where, in his abfence, fuch a 
dangerous rival would poffefs the whole power. Jehander 
Shah did not dare to think, much lei's to fix, whom he 
fhould entruil with the command; but at length it w'as 
refolved that Aiz ul Dien, eldeit fon of Jehander Shah, 
ihould march at the head of the army, under the tutelage 
of Khan Dowran, fon-in-law to Kokultafh Khan, a weak 
man, w'ho had fcarcely ever feen a fhot fired. The troops 
who marched with him did not amount to fix thouiand, 
though there were among the officers many omrahs of the 
higheft rank. On his arrival at Agra, he was joined by 
Jauts, Rajahpouts, and many Fojedaurs, with a fine train 
of artillery. From Agra, Aiz ul Dien marched without 
delay to Etawa, and from thence to Cudjwa, where Fe- 
rokhfere had arrived with the two chiefs of the Syeds, 
and near feventy thoufand horfe and foot, ftedfaft in his 
caufe, and who ferved from the earneft hope of enriching 
themlelves by a revolution. 
The two camps being in fight of each other, on the 
29th of Showal, early in the morning, Syed Abdallah Khan, 
at the head of his detachment, advanced to reconnoitre 
the enemy’s pofition. This brought on a fkirmifh, and 
afterwards a cannonade on both fides, which continued 
till night, without much execution ; but Khan Dowran, 
a perfeft ftranger to war, was much alarmed at the dan¬ 
gers of his new proreffion. . He thought he fhould do the 
(late moll fervice by faving the prince from inevitable de¬ 
ftruftion. Accordingly, unknown to his officers, about 
midnight he fled with him in a woman’s covered palan¬ 
keen, flopping not till he arrived at Agra; from whence 
he difpatched to Jehander Shah accounts of his gallant 
fervice, and zealous, care of the heir-apparent. The offi¬ 
cers of his army, in the morning, finding their chief had 
fled, laid afide all thoughts of refiftance, ■ and each pro¬ 
vided for his own fafety. Moll of them went qver to the 
fervice of Ferokhfere, and the remainder returned preci¬ 
pitately towards Agra. Syed Abdallah Khan would not 
allow them to be purified, and, what is more extraordinary, 
advifed Ferokhfere to halt fome time in the camp, inftead 
of following his fuccefs with rapidity. The news of the 
defeat reaching Delhi, threw the court into fuch confu- 
fion, that no other plan was at firft refolved on, than to 
■wait the enemy’s approach in the vicinity of the-city, and 
hazard all in one engagement, as it was expefted time 
would not allow of more diflant operations. Accordingly, 
Rajee Khan was ordered with the imperial artillery to 
Feridabad, about three cofs from the city, where ground 
was chofen for the encampment; but, as loon as it became 
known that Ferokhfere had not advanced beyond the field 
O S T A N. 39 
of battle, Jehander Shah altered his plan, and began his 
march towards Agra. On his arrival there, the emir ul 
omrah opened the royal treafures, which had been for ages 
fhut up, difpofmg of money, jewels, plate, and valuable 
effects, to the amount of two crores of rupees, among t}ie 
troops, who were now feventy thoufand horfe, and foot 
without number. Moll of them too were veteran foldiers, 
but little affefted to the royal caufe, becaufe they had ex¬ 
perienced flights in the days of peace, and knew this pro- 
fufe bounty to proceed only from the dread of the times. 
The imperial army encamped at firft near the gardens of 
Dehera; bfit upon intelligence arriving that Ferokhfere 
had advanced to Eatimadpour, near the Jumna, intending 
to crofs, it was thought advifable to move along the op- 
pofite bank to prevent him. Both armies remained a week 
thus, on different fides, in fight of each other, as if each 
was afraid to attack his rival. 
On the night of the 13th of Zeekaud, intelligence was 
received that the Syeds had, by a countermarch of twenty 
miles, gained the ford of Gaow Ghaut, and eroded the river 
with their advanced corps and all the artillery'; alfo that 
Ferokhfere, with his whole army, intended to follow the 
next day. When this news was brought to the emir ul 
omrah, he was vifibly affefted and alarmed, as were all the 
nobility in his train. Orders of march were judicioufly 
illfied for the next morning, to take the enemy by fur- 
prife. Jehander Shah moved accordingly; but moll un- 
advifedly halted before he had fight of the enemy, en¬ 
camping on the broken ground and hollow ways on the 
banks of the Jumna. This at once difpirited the trqops, 
who judged that their generals had chofen a flrong pofi¬ 
tion, more from fear of a lfidden attack, than proper cau¬ 
tion and judgment of the ground. The next morning, 
however, the imperial army continued the march to $e- 
cundra, and the day after to Gaow Ghaut, where the ene¬ 
my’s troops were ltill eroding, and Ferokhfere had not yet 
joined. The emir ul omrah Zoolfeccar Khan, with a 
number of nobility, refolutely advanced in front, to re¬ 
connoitre the pofition of the enemy; as did alfo the em¬ 
peror, when he arrived with the main army. The Syeds, 
notwithllanding their inferior force, drew up to a man, 
and prepared to receive them; but the emir ul omrah 
chofe to defer taking advantage of his prefefft fituation, 
as it was late in the afternoon, and the approach of night, 
during an aftion, would create much confufion and dis¬ 
order. With this idea he encamped on the banks of a 
rivulet which ran between him and the 1 enemy. 
Early in the morning the imperial troops were com¬ 
manded to form; the emir ul omrah in front, and upon 
his right Kokultafh Khan. In the centre flood the em¬ 
peror Jehander Shah, attended by Rajee Khan, with the 
royal artillery. To the left were the troops of Kokultafh 
Khan, and many other omrahs. The enemy’s army ad¬ 
vanced ilowly till within reach of cannon-lhot, when they 
commenced the battle with their artillery and rockets; 
which were anl'wered with great fury by Rajee Khan. Af¬ 
ter a cannonade of fome time, two bodies from the enemy’s 
line vehemently charged the imperial army, one with a red, 
the other with a green, flandard. The former was the corps 
of Rajah Jubbeeleh Ram, and the latter of Syed Houflein 
..All Khan. The firft body charged direftly on Kokultafh 
Khan; and the other puihing through the line of Rajee 
Khan’s artillery, which was deferted as it approached, at¬ 
tacked the centre, in which was Jehander Shah. The impe¬ 
rial troops fell back upon the camp, and great confufion 
took place; as the men, elephants, and horles, became en¬ 
tangled among the ropes of tents, carriages, and baggage. 
Numbers fled; but the emir ul omrah Zoolfeccar Khan 
remained firm, and the enemy was kept long at bay by his 
gallantry and fleadinefs; but he was not lfipported. It 
was now about five o’clock, and the viftory doubtful; 
when, juft at the inftant, Syed Abdallah Khan, with a great 
body of referve, charged Jehander Shah, who flood with 
his troops at fome dillance in the rear of the emir ul 
omrah, to whofe fupport they never came up. They 
1 fcarcely 
