History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v2.c30.19

v2.c30.19

Everything being ready, Mir Jumla left Mahmudabad at 3 a.m. on 5th April, united with Dilir Khan's force on the way, and after a march of 10 miles down the bank came to the ford at dawn. The enemy were taken by surprise; they had posted only a small force with some guns on the opposite bank. Without a moment's delay the Imperialists began to ford. The leaders drove their elephants into the water; then the cavalry plunged in. "The soldiers rushed into the river from right and left, front and rear, troop after troop like a succession of waves." All order was gone; many swerved aside to avoid the enemy's shower of shot and bullet. In the rush of so many men and beasts the water was thrown into waves, the sand was kicked away, the two lines of sticks which marked the borders of the ford were knocked off, and the right track was lost. The smoke of gunpowder darkened the sky. Vast numbers went beyond their depth on the two sides. Swimming was impossible for mail-clad troopers on barbed horses. More than a thousand brave soldiers[*] were drowned,—Fatih, the son of Dilir Khan, a heroic Afghan youth of 20, being among them.[†]