Travels in the Mogul Empire (Bernier) 2.14.1

2.14.1

Sultan Sujah owed his discomfiture to the same trifling circumstance as occasioned the defeat of his eldest brother, — that of descending from his elephant for the sake of more expeditiously following the retreating foe: but it may be doubted whether the man by whose advice he acted was influenced by an honest or a perfidious intention. Allah-verdi-kan, one of his principal officers, earnestly entreated him to mount a horse, and it is remarkable that he made use of an artifice very similar to that of Calil-ullah-kan at the battle of Samonguer. He ran towards Sultan Sujah, and, when yet some way off, saluted him (as did Calil-ullah-kan), and then, joining his hands in the manner of fervent entreaty, he said: 'Why, my Prince, incur unnecessary risk on this exalted elephant? do you not see that the enemy is in complete disorder, and that it were an unpardonable fault not to pursue him with alacrity? Mount your horse, and you are King of the Indies.' As in the case of Dara, the sudden disappearance of the Prince from the view of the whole army induced a general idea that he was either killed or betrayed; the troops fell into disorder, and dispersed, without the possibility of restoring their ranks.