Later Mughals v2.c13.s10.43

v2.c13.s10.43

Outwardly the Sayyids strove to preserve an attitude of unconcern. When any one condoled with them on the loss of their young nephew, they would say, "Praise be to God! no one of any importance has been lost," and express their joy that the youth had borne himself in a way to uphold the Sayyid name. But some of their chief men began to lose heart, and on pleas of sickness or other lame excuses declined to go on active service, among these being Sayyid Firuz Ali Khan, uncle of Alim Ali Khan. Husain Ali Khan, still full of confidence, thought nothing of these desertions, holding that his troops and those of his near relations were sufficient for every emergency. It was intended to raise the total numbers to 100,000 men; and urgent letters were sent by the hand of Sayyid Muhammad Khan, son of Asad-ullah Khan, to the most noted of the Barha Sayyids and the Afghans, calling upon them to join the column at once. But the numbers did not rise beyond fifty thousand men, including both the old and the new troops. [K. K. 897, Qasim 328.]