Muntakhab al-lubab 188.1

188.1

[Text, vol. ii. p. 901.] When Saiyid 'Abdu-llah Khan, on the 7th Zi-l hijja, had reached a stage forty kos from Dehli, a camel express arrived, despatched by Ghairat Khan (sic), with a letter from Ratan Chand, announcing the slaughter of Husain 'Ali Khan, Ghairat Khan, and Nuru-llah Khan. The facts of this strange and marvellous matter are these. When the representatives of the House of Timur lost the control of the State, the great and the small of all classes were disgusted with the arrogance of the two brothers, and by the fact of the general control of civil and revenue affairs being under the direction of Ratan Chand. For excepting men of Barha and the shop-keeping class, no one found any favour. The nobility of every province carried on their existence in disgrace and distrust. I'timadu-d daula Muhammad Amin Khan Chin Bahadur was convinced that, notwithstanding his covenants and protestations, Husain 'Ali Khan would, whenever it suited his designs, perform his engagements in the same way as he had kept them with the late martyr Emperor, Farrukh Siyar. So I'timadu-d daula was always scheming the overthrow of the Barhas, but he did not think it prudent to seek assistance of his friends and acquaintances in this dangerous project.