1904.] 
W. Irvine —The Later Mughals. 
311 
Sarbuland Khan.that he and his brother meant the contest to be one for 
death or life, that they meant to stake their heads on the cast of the dice. 
From that day Sarbuland Khan drew back. Although in appearance he 
continued to act and talk as before, in his heart he resolved to do nothing 
further. Finally he was appointed to Agrah on the 19th Shawwal (14th 
September, 1718), but on the 1st Muharram 1131 H. (23rd November, 
1718) he resigned office and returned from Faridabad, having gone no 
further than that place on his way to his new government. 1 
Section 26. —Attempt to Seize Qutb-ul-mulk. 
The next phase in the struggle was a project to seize Qutb-ul-mulk 
in the ‘Idgah oritheday of the ‘Id (1st Shawwal, 1130 H., 27th August, 
1718). It was argued that the Emperor’s party would be there in force, 
to the number of seventy or eighty thousand men, ready to sacrifice their 
lives, while Qutb-ul-mulk would have round him none but a few rela¬ 
tions and followers. They could fall upon him and cut off his head be¬ 
fore he could cry out. But spies had warned Qutb-ul-mulk of this plot, 
and he redoubled his precautions. The night before the ‘Id, while one 
watch of the night still remained, Sayyad Khan Jahan, the minister’s 
maternal uncle, repaired with his sons and his soldiers to the ‘Idgah, and 
occupied it. Before daybreak Qutb-ul-mulk’s men reached the spot, and 
they sufficed to fill the whole of the space. In the morning, when the 
Emperor’s people arrived and saw what had been done, they drew in 
their claws and made no attempt at violence. Nawab Qutb-ul-mulk 
reached the ‘Idgah before His Majesty and at the head of his followers 
came out to make his bow. Farrukhsiyar saw it was useless to attempt 
anything, and much dejected left directly the prayers were over. 8 
Section 27. —Maharajah AjIt Singh is Sent for. 
Sarbuland Khan’s defection did not trouble Farrukhsiyar very much ; 
his hopes now centred in his father-in-law, Maharajah Ajit Singh, for 
whom he had sent through Nahar Khan, the only person believed to 
have sufficient influence over the Rajah to secure his adhesion. Nahar 
Khan is the man whose good offices the Rajah had employed to secure 
1 SKiu Das, fob 19a and b, Kbafi Khan, II, 792. Faridabad, 16 miles S. of city, 
Indian Atlas, Sheet 49, S.E. 
3 Mirza Muhammad, 384, KhafI Khan, II., 792. Mirza Muhammad (385), who 
was there, says that even after the Emperor, with many nobles and a number of 
spectators had left, there were still so many of Qutb-ul-mulk’s men present, that you 
could not tell that anyone had gone away. As a consequence of this attempt, Qutb- 
ul-mulk enlisted twenty thousand new men, and, contrary to his previous practice 
accepted the services of men who were not Barhah Sayyads. 
