1904.] 
W. Irvine —The Later Mu ah als. 
329 
He left Burhanpur on the 22nd Muharram 1131 H. (14th December, 
1718) and TJjjain on the 4th Safar 1 (26th December, 1718), having 
crossed the Narbada by the Akbarpur ferry. The embassy of Ikhlas 
Khan, who had met him near Mandu, had been unsuccessful in arrest¬ 
ing his march. Then by letters from Barqandaz Khan, faujdar of 
Gwaliyar, and from his own agent at Court, he heard of the renewal of 
friendly intercourse on the 26th Muharram 1131 H. (18th December, 
1718), between the Emperor and Qutb-ul-mulk. Publicly, he received 
the news with the remark that if His Majesty had no longer ill-will to 
them, they had no other object left than to serve him loyally ; after he 
had seen the Emperor and settled certain matters, he would return to the 
Dakhin without delay. The Dakhin officials, on leaving Aurangabad, 
had been told that they would be dismissed at the Fardapur pass; on 
reaching that pass, they were ordered to come on to Burhanpur. At 
Burhanpur, much to their disgust, their continued attendance was 
enjoined. Thus, when the news of a return march to the Dakhin 
spread from tent to tent throughout the camp, all men received it with 
joy and looked forward to speedily seeing their homes again. But, 
in a day or two, persons in the confidence of Husain ‘All Khan divulged 
the fact that privately he had expressed the opinion that this was 
only a new plot hatched by Farrukhsiyar, that it was absurd on the 
face of it; had they never heard the saying : “ When was a secret kept 
if it was told in an assembly ? ” A wise man could perceive the only 
possibly result, namely, if they fell into the clutches of the Emperor, 
their lives would be forfeited ; but if they get hold of him, his escape 
was hopeless. 2 * 
All this time the supposed prince was surrounded and guarded 
with the greatest care. An elephant with rich trappings was set apart 
for him, and he rode in a canopied seat with the curtains drawn on all 
four sides, so that no one could see or recognize him. A separate divi¬ 
sion of the army was told oft to escort him, and surrounded his ele¬ 
phant on every side. He was accorded the state and dignity of an 
imperial prince, men of rank stood on watch all night round his quar¬ 
ters ; and on the march, two men sat behind the canopy waving fans of 
peacock feathers. 8 
When they came to the Rana of Udepur’s country, some vil¬ 
lages and a great deal of sugar-cane were plundered by the 
men of the army. Soon afterwards a brahman sent by the Rana 
1 Khafi Khan says the 14th, bat Mirza Muhammad, a more precise writer, 
gives the 4th. The report reached Dihli on the 29th (20th January, 719). 
2 Mirza Muhammad, 433, Khafi Khan, II,, 799, 800. 
8 §>hiu Das, 20a. 
