Later Mughals v1.c9.s37.3

v1.c9.s37.3

During the night Farrukh-siyar had hidden somewhere or another in one of the small rooms or closets of the palace. His guard was formed of the Qalmaq or Turki women servants, armed with sword and shield. It is said that during the night Qutb-ul-mulk, with the approval of Sayyid Khan Jahan and Nawab Auliya, sent several messages to his younger brother to the effect that, all the offices connected with the person of the sovereign being in their hands, it did not much matter if they maintained the throne, the crown, and the coinage untouched in Farrukh-siyar’s name. Seated in consultation with Husain Ali Khan, were Ikhlas Khan, Sayyid Hashim Ali Khan, and most important of all, Muhammad Amin Khan. For the time being the last-named had declared himself openly on the side of the Sayyids, because of his anger with Farrukh-siyar for sending him against his will to Malwa, and then refusing him an audience upon his unauthorized return to Dihli. It is said that when Husain Ali Khan and Muhammed Amin Khan first met, the former changed colour, thinking that the man was his enemy. But he recovered his equanimity as soon as his visitor addressed thus: “O Nawab, why have you not ere this finished with this son of a Kashmiri. You must write a note asking the elder Nawab to depose him.” The three men now united in calling for Farrukh-siyar’s removal. The favourable moment, they said, would never recur; if not taken advantage of, their lives were lost. Besides, had not Farrukh-siyar forfeited all right to the throne by his want of discretion and his promotion of low fellows?† While this discussion was in progress a note arrived from Samsam-ud-daulah urging them to delay no longer, but seat another Emperor on the throne. Husain Ali Khan sent an answer to his brother’s letter in these terms: “If you cannot do the business, come out of the palace and let me enter, and I will settle it." Within the palace Maharaja Ajit Singh also urgently importuned for the deposition of Farrukh-siyar; and it was decided that one of the imprisoned scions of the house of Taimur should be brought forth and placed upon the throne. There is a local tradition among the Sayyids of Barha that someone proposed to set aside the imperial house altogether, the throne being transferred to one of the two brothers.* This would have been in accordance with Eastern precedent, where the successful rebel usually claims the crown as the prize of victory. And the virtues of the Mughal line as an instrument of rule being obviously expended, it would probably have been better, in most ways, if the sovereignty had been usurped by a newer and more vigorous family. Probably the difficulty, an insurmountable one as it proved, was to decide which brother should reign, neither being ready to give way to the other.†