English
This throst, however, was not qmte> effc 3 ct.ve as Abdar Rashid’s hand faltered. Then another cowardly assassin, Murad Sher Khin quickly gave another sword-cnt to Zainu-d-din Khan, and instantly killed Um. ’The Afghans shewed ferocious barbarities ,n ^ eU C ° nd ° Ct ladies and children of Zainn-d-din’s household. The Setr 561 >’ commencement of Ahmad ShSh Abdali’s invasions of India at this Urn* 1 Her name was Amena Begam. She was a daughter of All Yard., and wife of Zainu-d-din g&an. ....... 8 The fliji after all met with his desert, for his black: ingratitude to b>B benefactor’s (Shujau-d-din Gian's) memory, and for his dark treachery to¬ wards his benefactor’s son, Nawab Sarfaraz Khan. 8 See description of this loot and carnage in the 8eir( pp. 660-561). Happening as it did towards the middle of the 18th century, this fact „„“dT,plafni n pe a tme M ure the .mallne.. of Masehneu Pjlatton >n Beh.r, compared with that in ZZ ^wMob— modern fame. " “J „ hich wo „ ld , therefore, nator.il, aord an — refngeee not on,, front the diatnrhod part. of We.tem ^"r (PeT^ at thU time, which was toward, the month of winter, A Vardi ghin war, encamped at Amantgap,. to order 357 freebooters, suddenly received the terrible intelligence of the slaughter of Zainu-d-din Aljimad Khan and Haji Ahmad, and of the hostile advance of the Afghans. Inconsequence, an indescrib¬ able agony seized him, and his family and kindred. From exces¬ sive depression and agony, he wanted to isolate himself from all in¬ tercourse with the world, and to abandon the City with its Bazar to the Mahratta freebooters. His generals employing various consolations and assurances recited passages inculcating fortitude, and tied the girdle of courage in pursuit of revenge in the waist of their hearts. But when for accomplishing this avenging mission* they applied for the payment of the soldiers, Mahabat Jang plead¬ ed he had no money. Then Nawazigh Muhammad Khan Shahamat Jang, standing surety for the expenses of the soldiery, paid to the soldiers eighty laks of rupees in cash from his own treasury, and made them agree to undertake the avenging expedition. Maha¬ bat Jang, being somewhat now relieved from anxiety, left Nawa- zisfc Muhammad ©an Shahamat Jang at Murshidabad, and him¬ self marched to Azimabad with a large army. 1 Mir Habib at the instigation of Sham Sher ©an, with hordes of Mahratta free- hooters, pursued Mahabat Jang from the rear, tracking jungles and setting fire, right and left, to the villages, with their grana- ries. Mir Habib looted Mahabat Jang’s baggages and tents, and did notallow Mahabat Jang’s aimy a breathing interval either for sleep or for food, nor suffered a single day to pass without skir- to march out against the Mahrattas under Mir Habib and Jnnoji. There in ^dof the reCe ' Ted th rr rib,e D6Wa ° f the B,ttn *htor of his son-in-law, He slmmnnTK ° nm r dan * hUjr ftnd ^-children. He summoned.hw officers to a Darbar, and broke to them the news of the great cnlarmty in the following solemn strain Gentlemen, a stone has fal- en on me, and that, too, a heavy one; my son-in-law has been killed and mv brother and children are in the disgrace of capture. Life is now a’trash L me; I have resolved to kill and to be killed. What is your intention men Who amongst yon, my comrades and friends, shall join mo in my aven* mg expedition? All who were present cheerfully responded to AH Vardi — an s appeal, and resolved to fight and fall with him * The account in the 8eir (p. 685), shews that Mir Habib with hi. Mahratta friends opposed ineffectually Ali Vardi’s march on the banks of the OhaL™ gar stream, and then dispersed to the jungles, whilst Ali Vardi m^ed ^ the Monghyr Fort, whore he halted some days Then Hi;** r ^ a to “ of Titati ' “ a n- 2 - vtKS^-^—- 358 mislies with swords and spears, till they passed beyond Barh. At Baikantpur 1 an engagement took place with the army of Sham Sher Khan. Rajah Sundar Singh, Zamindar of Tikari, with a powerful corps, joined All Vardi. And when on both sides, the fire of slaughter flared up, the army of Mahratta freebooters, who, like the shadow, always followed Mahabat Jang’s army, attacked its rear. Afghan troops from front and Mahratta freebooters from the rear attacked and hemmed in the array of Mahabat Jang. The heroes of Mahabat Jang’s army, perceiving the approaching inrush of calamity towards them from both sides, prepared to die hard, and fought desperately. In that victory lies with God, by a stroke of good luck, Sham Sher Khan, Sardar Khan, Murad Sher Khan, and other Afghan Generals were hit by bullets of guns, in retribution for their disloyalty, and were killed, whilst other Afghan troops cowardly fled. The sol¬ diers of Mahabat Jang, by brave onslaughts, routed the enemy’s army, charging them with swords, spears, arrows, muskets and rockets, killed those wretches, and raised hecatombs of the slain. The Mahratta army, on seeing All Yardi’s glorious vic¬ tory, retreated, and dispersed like the constellation of the bear. Mahabat Jang after prostrating himself in thanksgiving to Go , triumphantly entered Azimabad, and rescuing the family and children of Zainu-d-din Al?niadKhan and Haji Ahmad fiom the rack of those outragers of honour, captured the wives and daughters of those treacherous wretches. Time itself with the sword in hand is always after retribution ; What need is there for anyone to seek for retaliation . Nawab Mahabat Jang, shewing considerateness, paid travel- 1 The Seir (p. 567), which gives a very lucid account of this battle, states '.ion on an isle, in front of Barh, he„.g-. ££££. £, " Sarni another the old bed of the aame nver. “ B-*” * *"* - Ha^nd the Mah- rattan held a conference with the Af^nrShin. The Shin, in order to concert com mo„ canae again.t crnshinKly defeated both, owing to hi. anpcrior generalship (See Seir p. BMJ- he treated hononrobly the women an! diildrenof r ghln and other Afghan,. He not oniy generen.iy 359 ling expenses to the Afghan ladies, and allowed them to depart honourably to Darbhanga, and followed the adage “Tarn Etfit by Good.” Appointing Siraju-d-daulali, son of Zainu-d-din Ahmad Kban, to be Subadar of Azimabad, in succession to bis father, and leaving Rajah Janaki Ram as Sirajn-d-danlah’s Deputy there, and finishing the administrative arrangements of that §ubah, Mahabat Jang returned to Bengal, in order to drive out the Mahratta freebooters. About this time, the office of Faujdar of the tract of Pornlah was vacant, owing to the flight to the Imperial Capital of the, KhSn Bahadur, 1 son of Nawab Saif Khan. All Vardi Kban con-; ferred the above Faujdarahip on Said Ahmad Khan Saulat Jang,: in whose heart ambition for the Nizamat of Bengal lurked, and in whose head visions of ruling over Bengal existed. At the time when Mahabat Jang was engaged in fighting with Sham Sfrer Khan, Siraju-d-daulak shewed his temper to Nawab Izazu-d- daulah Atiin 1-lah Kban Sabit Jang, a son-in-law of Haji A^mad, who held the office of Faujdar of Akbarnagar (Rajmahal). Know¬ ing Atau-l-lah Khan 8 to be brave and popular with the army, and ambitious and sound-headed, Siraju-d-daulah set to work his ruin, and plying Ali Yard! Khan with his suspicions gained over the latter, and induced him to send a message to Atau-l-lah to quit the oouutry, or else to prepare for death. The aforesaid Khan, after forgave them, and set them at liberty, bnt bestowed properties at Darbhanga for their maintenance. (See p. 570, 8eir). He never addressed the Afghan ladies except as ‘ Madams ’ or * Bibis.’ He studiously maintained the sauctity of their seclusion, and this, too, after the gross provocation he had received at the hands of Sham §her Khan and other Afghans. Ali VardPs chivalry towards women seems to have been remarkable, and his forbearance after victory is also commendable. A vaulting ambition that faltered not to break all ties of gratitude, nor sorupled to nso all weapons of treaohory in the reulisatiQn of that ambition—casts a dark and sombre hue on his otherwise great and remarkable personality. 1 His name was Fakbru-d-din Husain Khan. Ho succeeded his father Nawab Saif Khan, in the Fanjdarship of Purniah. Ali Vardi Khan got him dismissed, and kept him under surveillance for some timo at Murshidabad. Through the help of Mir Habib and hia Mabrattas, Fakhru-d-din managed to make good hia escape to Delhi, where ho died after a short time. (See Seir, Vol. II, p. 582, Pers. text). 8 Ho was a son-in-law of IJajI Al?mad, brother of Ali Vardi Khnn. {j e was Faujdar of Rajmahal or Akbarnagar during Ali VardPs regime. 46 360 fighting some time in self-defence, set ont at length for the Im¬ perial Capital, remained in the company of Nawah Vazira-l-molk Safdar Jang, 1 and then joining Rajah Nul Rai *in the Rohilla Af gh an war was killed at Farrukhabad. As in consequence of the insurrection at Azimabad, the Mab- ratta freebooters had taken possession of the Subah of Orissa, Mahabat. Jang, not halting in Bengal, set out for that Subah. Ex¬ pelling the Mahiatta freebooters from that Subah. Mahabat Jang put to death Syed Nur, Sarandaz Khan, and other officers, who were adherents of the Mahratta freebooters, and who were entrenched in the fort of Barahbati, by drawing them out of their entrenched position by use of diplomatic assurances. 8 And capturing the horses and armaments of their comrades, and expelling them all from Katak, Mahabat Jang returned to Bengal. As Mir Habib was the root of all the mischiefs and troubles, Mahabat Jang hatched a plan for hie destruction.