Later Mughals v1.c7.s2.19

v1.c7.s2.19

After the first day’s fighting, in which Abdus-samad Khan had penetrated into the entrenchment, but retreated without effecting his purpose, Shah Nawaz Khan hired several deft-handed Qalmaq slaves and sent them to assassinate Jahandar Shah. Evading the outposts, these men succeeded in penetrating at night as far as the tent occupied by the Prince. The eunuch on watch called out, ‘Who is there, what do you want?’ Their only reply was to cut him down and attempt to enter the tent. But a groan came from the dying eunuch and his falling body shook the ropes and sides of the tent. This untimely noise roused a Qalmaq woman servant of the harem, called Raiman, who was possessed of considerable strength. She ran out to see what was the matter. Observing the strangers she gave the alarm. The men retreated, pursued by Raiman, and one of them caught his foot in a tent-rope and fell. Raiman slew him with a dagger and was herself wounded slightly on the arm. Hearing the noise, sentinels ran from all directions but the Qalmaqs mixed in the crowd and thus succeeded in escaping. After Jahandar Shah had obtained quiet possession of the throne, he conferred on Raiman the title of Rustam-i-Hind, a curious choice, giving as it did an opening for the scoffer to say that in India their only Rustam was a woman! [Nur. 35-36, Kamwar 108.]