Later Mughals v1.c6.s12.10

v1.c6.s12.10

It was afternoon when Kam Bakhsh was brought in a palki to Bahadur Shah. Shortly afterwards his three sons, Muhi-us-sunnat, Firuzmand, and Bariqullah were brought in as prisoners. Bariqullah expired almost at once from an arrow-wound in the temple.* By the Emperor's orders the Prince and his sons were placed near his own quarters in the tent used as a tribunal (adalat). Rafi-ush-shan was charged with looking after their comfort and the most skilful surgeons were called to attend to their wounds. Then the Emperor went in person to his brother's bedside. After a salutation he said, "I had no desire to see you reduced to this state." Kam Bakhsh returned the greeting and said, "In all things praise be to the Lord."† Then he added that he had left on his elephant a copy of the Quran written and corrected with his own hand, he begged that it might be sent for as he wished to read it. Bahadur Shah washed the dry blood from his brother's wounds and with his own hands removed his blood-stained clothes. Then removing from his own shoulders the shawl he was wearing he laid it over his brother, and by urgent entreaty forced him to take a few spoonfuls of food, which till then he had persistently refused. On his asking for water Bahadur Shah mixed some rose-water in the drink and put it to Kam Bakhsh's lips. Bahadur Shah quitted the bedside full of sorrow and ordered the surgeons to exercise their utmost skill. In spite of all their efforts, Kam Bakhsh expired during the night. Next morning no audience was held, and Qazi Khan, the chief Qazi, and Muhammad Ghaus, the chief mufti, with other religious men, were entrusted with the preparations for the grave. As the bier was brought out of the adalat tent, the Emperor, his sons and the chief nobles recited the appropriate prayers. The bodies were placed temporarily in the tent, where were kept the relics received from Mecca. Finally they were despatched to Dihli on the 23rd January in charge of Arab Khan for burial in the imperial mausoleum of the Emperor Humayun. (Kamraj, 39a). Darbar Khan, nazir of the female apartments, took charge of the deceased Prince's women and children, who were brought from Haidarabad. For the two surviving sons of Kam Bakhsh, Muhi-us-sunnat and Firuzmand, who were only slightly wounded, allowances were fixed and a proper equipment granted.