m HINDO 
fcarcely waited to be attacked; but broke their line, and 
fled on all lides. Jehander Shah haftily joined the corps 
of Kokultafh Khan, and was clofely purfued by the ene¬ 
my, who thus forced him between two fires, Ferokhfere 
having now come to the affiftance of Jubbeeleh Ram, who 
had renewed the attack in front. Kokultafh Khan was 
killed after a short ftruggle, his troops difperfed, and Je¬ 
hander Shah fuddenly difappeared from his elephant. 
The rout became general, and only the emir ul omrah 
kept his ground. When he could hear no tidings of the 
emperor, and it became dark, he retired llowly to Shah 
Gunge, near Delhi, where he remained till midnight, dif- 
patching meffengers on all frdes in fearch of his fovereign, 
with the hopes, if he could be found, of rallying the 
troops, and making another effort the next day ; but all 
in vain; Jehander Shah could not be heard of; upon 
which he thought proper to provide for his own fafety, 
and marched to Delhi. Thus, in the fpace of a few hours, 
was the empire of Jehander Shah deftfoyed, and poffeffed 
by Ferokhfere, who founded the joyful march of triumph. 
As yet it was not known to what quarter Jehander 
Shah and the emir ul omrah had retired. Affud ul 
Dowlah, father to the latter, was in the command of 
Delhi, and had in his power the confined princes. It was 
apprehended that the emir -ul omrah would retreat to the 
Deccan with his mailer; but he, not being able to find 
him, gave up that intention. Jehander Shah, who had 
fliaved his beard and whilkers to prevent his being known, 
arrived a ihort time before the emir ul omrah, at the pa¬ 
lace of Aifud ul Dowlah. This became known throughout 
the city; upon which the friends to the family of Azeem 
Ooihaun furrounded the houfe, and demanded the deli¬ 
very of the royal fugitive. Afl'ud ul Dowlah was obliged 
to confine him, to fupprefs their clamours. Making a 
virtue of neceffity, he wrote a petition to Ferokhfere, 
Hating, that he had imprifoned Jehander in his own houfe, 
and waited the imperial orders concerning his difpofal. 
In return, firmauns were difpatched, applauding his con¬ 
duct, forgiving all pall offences, and continuing him in 
the vizaret, with Syed Abdallah Khan as his deputy, to 
W’hofe care Jehander Shah was for the prefent to be en- 
trufted. All thefe gracious affurances s finished Affud ul 
Dowlah, and had fuch an effeft on the emir ul omrah, his 
fon, that he thought it belt to remain at Delhi, and wait 
the emperor’s mercy, which he hoped would fpare his 
life and fortune. The reign of Jehander Shah was ele¬ 
ven months and five days. 
When Ferokhfere had reftored order in the city of 
Agra, he began his march to Delhi, and halted at Khiz- 
zerab, about four miles diftant from that capital. The 
, next morning, Affud ul Dowlah, and his fon, the late emir 
u! omrah Zoolfeccar Khan, came to pay their refpefts, 
and were honoured with dreffes and other marks of fa¬ 
vour; after which the former was difmiffed, but the lat¬ 
ter commanded to wait. He accordingly remained with 
Khaujeh Affim. In a little time a dinner was fent from 
the royal table for the emir ul omrah, who at firfi reful'ed 
to eat, lufpefting poifon; but on the khaujeh’s offering 
to partake, his fears fubfided, and he agreed to dine. 
Half an hour had not elapfed, before the Syed Abdallah 
Khan came from the emperor’s apartment, and fpoke as 
follows to the emir ul omrah : 
“ His majefty commands you to inform him why you 
confined the prince Kambuklh in the Deccan, contrary to 
royalty and refpeft to the emperor?” The emir ul omrah 
unheficatingly anfwered : “ I confined the prince by the or¬ 
ders of Aurungzebe, his lovereign and mine. Had he 
commanded me to imprilon my own father, I fhould have 
complied.” Abdallah Khan then withdrew, but inftantly 
returning from the emperor, faid : “You were the gene¬ 
ral and chief minifter of Azem Shah ; was it afting loy¬ 
ally to del'ert him in the field, and leek your own fafety by 
flight ?” He anfwered,. “ While he was alive I kept the 
field ; but, when he was flain, I dared not to oppofe a 
prince of the blood, without a rival of equal dignity at 
O S T A N. 
the head of our army.” Upon this Abdallah Khan re¬ 
turned ; but, coming back foon, laid, “ What were the 
circumftances of your conduct to the martyred prince, 
his majefty’s father, Azeem Ooihaun ?” The emir ul 
omrah anfwered, “ He behaved inattentively to me, and I 
then attached myfejf to his brother; but in this I did no 
more than other nobles, who each embraced the caufe of 
the prince he belt loved, and from whom he received the 
greateft favours.” Abdallah Khan then faid, “ Why was 
his majefty’s beloved brother inhumanly murdered in cool 
blood, many days after the battle, when other princes were 
allowed to live ?” The emir ul omrah, convinced by this 
queftion, that no fubmiflions or entreaties could fpare his 
life, angrily exclaimed, “ If I am to die, kill me inftantly, 
nor vex me longer with vain interrogations.” Upon this, 
a band of chelas, or ruffians, ruffling in upon him, threw 
him on the ground; and, having firangled him with a 
bowftring, flamped upon his breall, .and flabbed him with 
daggers in feveral parts of the body. He was then call 
without the court of the divan, as a fpeftacle to the po¬ 
pulace. His effefts and eftates, with thofe of his father, 
were conftfcated to the royal ufe. 
The day fucceeding tiris tragedy, Ferokhfere made his 
public entry into Delhi, where he afcended the mufnud 
or throne. On this occafion the heads of the late empe¬ 
ror his uncle, Jehander Shah, and the emir ul omrah, were 
carried on poles, their bodies hanging feet upwards acrofs 
an elephant, as marks of his triumph. The aged minifter 
Affud ul Dowlah was alfo compelled to attend the pro- 
ceffion, fhabbily drefl'ed, in a palanquin, and accompanied 
by the ladies of his family, as fpeftators of their own dif- 
grace. Rajah Soubeh Chund, dewan to the late emir ul 
omrah, had his tongue cut out; but he firft laid to the 
cruel Ferokhfere, “ Be not felf-fecure from the retribution 
of your actions, for every feed fown produceth its kind.” 
Many nobles and dependants of the late emperor were 
put to death by the bowftring. Aiz ul Dien, fon of Je¬ 
hander Shah, Ali Tibbar, the Ton of Azem Shah, and Hu- 
maioon Bukht, younger brother to Ferokhfere, v/ere de¬ 
prived of fight by a red-hot iron drawn over their eyes. 
Owing to the unjuft (laughter and punifhments inflifted 
on numbers inridcent of crimes, perfons of all ranks v/ere 
feized with horror. The dread of death was fo great, 
that many nobles, previous to going to court, ufed to take 
leave of their families, and on their return home offer 
prayers and alms, as in thankfgiving for their efcape from 
imminent danger. 
Ferokhfere had not long enjoyed the throne, before a 
jealoufy'arofe between him and his vizier Abdallah Khan, 
which finally occasioned the downfall of the empire. The 
vizier had difpofed of two principal offices to his friends, 
which the emperor wifhed to confer on other perfons.. 
Abdallah upon this obferved, that if, in the very com¬ 
mencement of his office, his advice fhould not be follow¬ 
ed, it would deftroy his credit as vizier ; while Meer Jum¬ 
lah, Ferokhfere’s private favourite, remarked, that, how 
far foever princes might truft fervants with power, yet 
they ought not to appoint to important ltations, without 
orders from the prefence. In fliort, though this difpute 
ended in the vizier’s giving up one of the offices to the 
emperor’s choice, yet it left mutual hatred in their minds. 
Meer Jumlah now fought fuperiority over all the nobi¬ 
lity ; and, having feized the fortunes of Affud ul Dowlah 
and his fon, was meditating the deftruftion of the Syeds, 
of which Abdallah Khan, and his brother Houffein 
Khan, who had lucceeded to the office of emir ul omrah, 
were the principal. He could not bear to lee thefe bro¬ 
thers the patrons of the people, and guiders of the admi- 
niftration. Abdallah Khan being vizier, and his brother 
emir ul omrah, or chief treafurer of the empire, it was 
difficult to exercile any aft of government without 
their approbation. At the fame time, Meer Jumlah, the 
confidential minifter of the emperor, who had publicly 
fignified that his promifes and.fignature were the fame as 
his own, received applications, and granted petitions, in 
oppofition 
