The Book of Akbar 287: CHAPTER LVIII.

287

master-couplet (shahbait) on the front of the noble page emerged as a preamble of victory and was like the writing on the forehead of dominion.
Verse.
“Ask dominion from the auspicious bird (murgh-i-humāyun) and from his shadow For the crow and the kite have not the master-plume of genius (text, himmat, but Hafiz, apparently wrote daulat).”
Though the practically wise applied this truthful verse to the dominion and victory of His Majesty Jahanbani, the far seeing of wisdom's Court understood it as announcing the great khilafat and the supreme sovereignty of His Majesty the Shahinshah and waited at the gate of the expectation of the upward flight of the holy bird. His Majesty Jahanbani laid firm hold of the strong hand of the Divine favour and grasped the stout cable of heavenly tidings and went off with few men—they did not amount to 3000,—but with large help from the armies of Providence, which could not be calculated by intellectual accountants. Bairam Khan obtained leave for the purpose of settling some royal matters, and of arranging his equipment and remained in Kabul. His Majesty Jahanbani went from Jalalabad down the river on a raft, and encamped at Bikram (Peshawar) in the end of Muharram 962, (near end of December, 1554). Sikandar Khan Uzbak who had done good service, was made the subject of favours and on that day was raised to the rank of Khan. On 5th Safar, (31st December, 1554), the bank of the river Sind, known as the Nilab, was made the camping ground, and three days were spent there. Here Bairam Khan arrived from Kabul, and with sundry intelligencers brought the good news that Tatar Khan Kasi who had been appointed with a large force to guard the fort of Rohtas had, in spite of the strength of the fort etc., fled merely on hearing of the uprearing of the royal standards on the borders of the Indus. His Majesty took into account the good offices, old and new, of Sultan Adam Gakhar and sent him a gracious letter inviting him to come and do homage. As he had not a happy star, he made landholder-like excuses and represented that he had concluded a treaty with Sikandar who had taken his son Lashkari along with him. Should he come and do homage, he would both break his compact, and incur the risk of having his son killed. The imperial servants represented that it was proper to order the victorious army to look after him (Sultan Adam) before advancing further, and that it was not wise to move on and leave such a disaffected person behind. His Majesty, who was a mine of gentleness and generosity, said that he belonged to a family which was faithful from of old, and that recently he had done good service, as already related, and that to punish him now was not in accordance with prestige, especially as he had used humble language and had made apologies.
When the grand army crossed the Indus, the Afghans who were collected in the neighbourhood of Rohtas retreated and the army continued to advance. Every day a delightful spot presented itself, and cities and villages came under the shadow of justice and enjoyed the luxury of tranquillity. And now that we have come so far,