Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 14.11.2

14.11.2

So that Din-mahamed availed himself of this retreat, and of the darkness of the night, to march without discontinuation, until at day-break he met the detachment, with which he marched on leisurely, so as to reach the army betimes. The next day he paid his respects to Aaly-verdy-qhan, who loaded him with caresses and encomiums. The officer in relating his engagement with the Marhattas, mentioned that having spent all the powder he had received from his master, he requested a supply from the army's stores, lest he might be found destitute in the future engagement with the Afghans. This was a very natural request, but to the amazement of all, it was not heard; and the Viceroy, intent on sparing his stores, expressed doubts about the officer's spending all his powder. The latter observed the length of the engagement, which had lasted from morning till evening; but the Viceroy still doubted; and it required a deal of persuasion, and many intreaties to make him spare a small quantity of gunpowder. Strange to say! that so great a Prince, and otherwise so generous a man, should have taken up so much time to consider whether he should bestow some gunpowder on a deserving officer: an article too so cheap, and at that time, so very necessary to the petitioner. It was a little after this event, that a man who carried a letter of importance from Ata-ollah-qhan to the two Afghan Generals, fell in the hands of Dost-nick-bedaqhshani, an officer in the Bengal army.