The Memoirs of Bābur 935.10
The Bābur-nāma in English (A. S. Beveridge) 935.10
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935.10.1
(_April 15th_) Next day, Friday (_7th_), no move was made. Muḥammad-i-zamān M. who, his preparations for Bihār complete, had dismounted one or two _kurohs_ from the camp, came today to take leave of me.[2570] (_xx. News of the army of Bengal._) Two spies, returned from the Bengal army, said that Bengalīs[2571] under Makhdūm-i-`ālam were posted in 24 places on the Gandak and there raising defences; that they had hindered the Afghāns from carrying out their intention to get their families across the river (Ganges?), and had joined them to themselves.[2572] This news making fighting probable, we detained Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā, and sent Shāh Iskandar to Bihār with 3 or 400 men. (_yy. Incidents of the eastward march resumed._) [Sidenote: Fol. 368b.] (_April 16th_) On Saturday (_8th_) a person came in from Dūdū and her son Jalāl Khān (son) of Bihār Khān[2573] whom the Bengalī (Naṣrat Shāh) must have held as if eye-bewitched.[2574] After letting me know they were coming,[2575] they had done some straight fighting to get away from the Bengalīs, had crossed the river,[2576] reached Bihār, and were said now to be on their way to me. This command was given today for the Bengal envoy Ismā`īl Mītā:—Concerning those three articles, about which letters have already been written and despatched, let him write that an answer is long in coming, and that if the honoured (Naṣrat Shāh) be loyal and of single-mind towards us, it ought to come soon.
935.10.2
(_April 17th_) In the night of Sunday (_9th_)[2577] a man came in from Tardī-muḥammad _Jang-jang_ to say that when, on Wednesday the 5th of the month Sha`bān, his scouts reached Bihār from this side, the Shiqdār of the place went off by a gate on the other side. On Sunday morning we marched on and dismounted in the _pargana_ of Ārī (Ārrah).[2578] (_zz. News and negotiations._) To this ground came the news that the Kharīd[2579] army, with 100-150 boats, was said to be on the far side of the Sarū near the meeting of Sarū and Gang (Ghogrā and Ganges). As a sort of peace existed between us and the Bengalī (Naṣrat Shāh _Afghān_), and as, for the sake of a benediction, peace was our first endeavour whenever such work was toward as we were now on, we kept to our rule, notwithstanding his unmannerly conduct in setting himself on our road;[2580] we associated Mullā Maẕhab with his envoy Ismā`īl Mītā, spoke once more about those three articles [Sidenote: Fol. 369.] (_faṣl soz_), and decided to let the envoy go.
935.10.3
(_April 18th_) On Monday (_10th_) when the Bengal envoy came to wait on me, he was let know that he had his leave, and what follows was mentioned:[2581]—"We shall be going to this side and that side, in pursuit of our foe, but no hurt or harm will be done to any dependency of yours. As one of those three articles said,[2582] when you have told the army of Kharīd to rise off our road and to go back to Kharīd, let a few Turks be joined with it to reassure these Kharīd people and to escort them to their own place.[2583] If they quit not the ferry-head, if they cease not their unbecoming words, they must regard as their own act any ill that befalls them, must count any misfortune they confront as the fruit of their own words." (_April 20th_) On Wednesday (_12th_) the usual dress of honour was put on the Bengal envoy, gifts were bestowed on him and his leave to go was given. (_April 21st_) On Thursday (_13th_) Shaikh Jamālī was sent with royal letters of encouragement to Dūdū and her son Jalāl Khān. Today a servant of Māhīm's came, who will have parted from the Wālī(?)[2584] on the other side of the Bāgh-i-ṣafā. (_April 23rd_) On Saturday (_15th_) an envoy from `Irāq, Murād _Qajar_[2585] the life-guardsman, was seen. (_April 24th_) On Sunday (_16th_) Mullā Maẕhab received his usual keepsakes (_yādgārlār_) and was given leave to go. [Sidenote: Fol. 369b.] (_April 25th_) On Monday (_17th_) Khalīfa was sent, with several begs, to see where the river (Ganges) could be crossed.
935.10.4
(_April 27th_) On Wednesday, (_19th_) Khalīfa again was sent out, to look at the ground between the two rivers (Ganges and Ghogrā). On this same day I rode southward in the Ārī (Ārrah) _pargana_ to visit the sheets of lotus[2586] near Ārī. During the excursion Shaikh Gūran brought me fresh-set lotus-seeds, first-rate little things just like pistachios. The flower, that is to say, the _nīlūfar_ (lotus), Hindūstānīs call _kuwul-kikrī_ (lotus-pistachio), and its seed _dūdah_ (soot). As people said, "The Son is near," we went to refresh ourselves on it. Masses of trees could be seen down-stream; "Munīr is there," said they, "where the tomb is of Shaikh Yaḥyā the father of Shaikh Sharafu'd-dīn _Munīrī_."[2587] It being so close, I crossed the Son, went 2 or 3 _kurohs_ down it, traversed the Munīr orchards, made the circuit of the tomb, returned to the Son-bank, made ablution, went through the Mid-day Prayer before time, and made for camp. Some of our horses, being fat,[2588] had fallen behind; some were worn out; a few people were left to gather them together, water them, rest them, and bring them on without pressure; but for this many would have been ruined.
935.10.5
When we turned back from Munīr, I ordered that some-one [Sidenote: Fol. 370.] should count a horse's steps between the Son-bank and the camp. They amounted to 23,100, which is 46,200 paces, which is 11-1/2 _kurohs_ (23m.).[2589] It is about half a _kuroh_ from Munīr to the Son; the return journey from Munīr to the camp was therefore 12 _kurohs_ (24m.). In addition to this were some 15-16 _kurohs_ done in visiting this and that place; so that the whole excursion was one of some 30 _kurohs_ (60m.). Six _garīs_ of the 1st night-watch had passed [8.15 p.m.] when we reached the camp. (_April 28th_) At the dawn of Thursday (_Sha`bān 19th_) Sl. Junaid _Barlās_ came in with the Jūnpūr braves from Jūnpūr. I let him know my blame and displeasure on account of his delay; I did not see him. Qāẓī Jīā I sent for and saw. (_aaa. Plan of the approaching battle with the Bengal army._)
935.10.6
On the same day the Turk and Hind amīrs were summoned for a consultation about crossing Gang (Ganges), and matters found settlement at this[2590]:—that Ūstād `Alī-qulī should collect mortar, _firingī_,[2591] and culverin[2592] to the point of rising ground between the rivers Sarū and Gang, and, having many matchlockmen with him, should incite to battle from that place;[2593] that Muṣṯafa, he also having many matchlockmen, should get his material and implements ready on the Bihār side of Gang, a little below the meeting of the waters and opposite to where on an island the Bengalīs had an elephant and a mass of boats tied up, and that he should engage battle from this place;[2594] that Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā and the others inscribed for the work should take post behind Muṣṯafa as his reserve; that both for Ūstād `Alī-qulī and Muṣṯafa shelters (_muljār_) for the culverin-firers should be raised by a mass of spadesmen and coolies (_kahār_) [Sidenote: Fol. 370b.] under appointed overseers; that as soon as these shelters were ready, `Askarī and the sulṯāns inscribed for the work should cross quickly at the Haldī-passage[2595] and come down on the enemy; that meantime, as Sl. Junaid and Qāẓī Jīā had given information about a crossing-place[2596] 8 _kurohs_ (16 m.) higher up,[2597] Zard-rūī(Pale-face?) should go with a few raftsmen and some of the people of the Sulṯān, Maḥmūd Khān _Nūḥānī_ and Qāẓī Jīā to look at that crossing;
935.10.7
and that, if crossing there were, they should go over at once, because it was rumoured that the Bengalīs were planning to post men at the Haldī-passage. A dutiful letter from Maḥmūd Khān the Military-collector (_shiqdār_) of Sikandarpūr now came, saying that he had collected as many as 50 boats at the Haldī-passage and had given wages to the boatmen, but that these were much alarmed at the rumoured approach of the Bengalīs. (_April 30th_) As time pressed[2598] for crossing the Sarū, I did not wait for the return of those who had gone to look at the passage, but on Saturday (_21st_) summoned the begs for consultation and said, "As it has been reported that there are (no?) crossing-places (fords?) along the whole of the ground from Chatur-mūk in Sikandarpūr to Barāīch and Aūd,[2599] let us, while seated here, assign the large force to cross at the Haldī-passage by boat and from there [Sidenote: Fol. 371.] to come down on the enemy; let Ūstād `Alī-qulī and Muṣṯafa engage battle with gun (_top_), matchlock, culverin and _firingī_, and by this draw the enemy out before `Askarī comes up.[2600] Let us after crossing the river (Ganges) and assigning reinforcement to Ūstād `Alī-qulī, take our stand ready for whatever comes; if `Askarī's troops get near, let us fling attack from where we are, cross over and assault; let Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā and those appointed to act with him, engage battle from near Muṣṯafa on the other side of Gang."