Tadhkirat al-waqiʿat 1.1

1.1

His Majesty then inquired from his ministers and nobles what intelligence there was of Sher Khan Afghan, where he was, what he was doing, and what he was intent upon? He was informed that Sher Khan had taken the fort of Rohtas and Bahrkunda, that he had been for some time besieging the capital of Bengal, and was upon the point of taking it. Upon hearing this untoward news, His Majesty exclaimed to his nobles, "To what a pitch the daring of these Afghans has reached; please God, we will to-morrow march to the fort of Chunar." His Majesty then questioned Rumi Khan as to the powers of resistance of the fortress, and he replied that by the Emperor's good fortune, and the favour of the Almighty, they would take the fortress by force. Thereupon the Imperial forces marched towards Chunar, and on the Shab-i barat they came to five kos distance from the fort. The engineer (Rumi Khan) then debated with himself how he could find out the exact condition of the fortress, what bastion he ought to attack, and on which side he should mine. He had a slave named Khalafat, whom in furtherance of his plan he so flogged that the weals were visible upon his body. He then directed him to go into the fortress, and say that he was the slave of Rumi Khan, and that his master had so beaten him without any cause that he had fled and sought protection with them. So he was to find out the particulars of the fortress and return. He acted in accordance with these instructions.