1873.] 
J. Wise —Shah Jalal of Silhat. 
279 
Shah Jalal proceeded on his course, but four days afterwards he was 
overtaken by the Shahzadah, who had determined on leaving his kingdom 
and on folio wins: the saint in his wanderings. 
After journeying for many days, they arrived at Dihli, where the 
celebrated Nizam-uddin Auliya then resided. When Shah Jalal entered the 
city, Nizam-uddin was sensible of the arrival of a saint. He, therefore, sent 
messengers to search for him and to invite him to come and eat with him. 
Shah Jalal accepted the invitation and gave the messengers a bottle filled 
with cotton, in the centre of which he placed a live coal. The receipt of 
this wonderful bottle satisfied Nizam-uddin that this was no common 
Darwish. He accordingly treated him with every honour, and on his 
departure he gave him a pair of black pigeons. 
The narrative is now transferred to Silhat. In a Mahallali of that 
city, called Tol-takar, resided at this period Shaikh Burhan-uddin. How 
a Muhammadan got there, or what he was doing so far away from 
his own countrymen, puzzles Muhi-uddin, who thinks that this solitary 
believer must have belonged to some Hindu famity, and that he could not 
have been a true Muhammadan. Burhan, the story goes, had made a vow, 
that if he was blessed with a son, he would sacrifice a cow. A son being born, 
he performed his vow ; but as bad luck would have it, a kite carried off a 
portion of the flesh and dropped it in the house of a Brahman. The incensed 
Brahman went to Gfaur Gobind, the king of Silhat, and complained. The king 
sent for Burhan and the child ; and on the former confessing that he had 
killed a cow, the child was ordered to be put to death, and the right hand 
of the father cut off. 
Burhan-uddin left Silhat and proceeded to the court of Gaur. The king 
on hearing of what had occurred, ordered his nephew (bhanja) Sultan Sikan- 
dar, to march at once towards the Brahmaputra and Sunnargaon with an 
army. 
When news reached Silhat that an army was approaching, Gaur Gobind, 
who was a powerful magician, assembled a host of devils and sent them 
against the invaders. In the battle that ensued, the Muhammadans were 
routed, and Sultan Sikandar with Burhan-uddin fled. The Prince wrote to 
his uncle, informing him of the defeat and of the difficulties met with in 
waging war against such foes. The monarch on receiving the news, ga¬ 
thered together the astrologers, and conjurers, and ordered them to prophesy 
what success would attend a new campaign. Their reply was encouraging, 
and Na^ir-uddfn Sipahsalar was directed to march with a force to the 
assistance of Sultan Sikandar. This re-inforcement, however, did not restore 
courage to the Muhammadan soldiery, and it was decided to consult with 
Shah Jalal, who with 360 Darwishes was waging war on his own account with 
the infidels. The Sultan and Na^ruddin proceeded to the camp of the saints, 
