Muntakhab al-tawarikh 32.2.7

32.2.7

but the Sultan would not listen to his advice, and launching forth into extravagant eulogy of ‘Alau-d-Din declared that his mind was perfectly at ease on his account in every possible way, “for is he not” (said he) “my protege and foster child, he can never harbour any evil designs against me.” Malik Fakhru-d-Din, and the other Amirs also went with oily speeches to the Sultan, and brought forward all sorts of absurd arguments simply to suit the humour of the Sultan, and adducing weak examples induced him to return to Dihli; Malik Ahmad Chap rose up in wrath from that assembly, and spoke as follows: “If Malik ‘Alau-d-Din with all this pomp and royal display has arrived at Karra and crossing the river Saru makes for Lakhnauti, I do not know what can be done by any one to oppose him,” and lamenting exceedingly the condition of the Sultan he repeated the following lines— A foeman, though small, one should never despise, For a mountain is made up of stones of small size. The Sultan then came from Gwaliar to Dihli, and ‘Alau-d-Din having reached Karra wrote despatches full of craft and cunning to the Court, and worked upon the avarice of the Sultan by presents of elephants and endless wealth, and begged for a kindly-worded letter summoning him to the Court, while all the time he was engaged in preparations to start for Lakhnauti; and having sent his brother Zafar Khan to Oudh, ordered him to hold in readiness all the boats on the river Saru.