History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c68.s6: § 6. Firuz Jang's surprise fails.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c68.s6
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§ 6. Firuz Jang's surprise fails.
v4.c68.s6.1
While these slow operations for breaching and assault were going on, the commander-in-chief made an attempt to take the fort by an escalade. On 16th May, he stole out of his camp at 9 P.M., and on reaching a bastion where the enemy's sentries were asleep, he planted a ladder against the wall and sent two men up to the rampart. The two other ladders he had taken with him proved too short, and so a rope-ladder was fastened to the top of the gate. By chance a pariah dog was standing on the wall, seeking a path for descending to the moat and feeding on the corpses lying there. Alarmed by the appearance of strangers, it set up a loud bark, which roused the garrison. The two Mughal heroes were slain at once. The enemy ran to the wall, with torches, discovered the assailants, threw the ladder down, cut the rope-noose, and despatched with hand-grenades the men at the foot of the wall. A smart musketry-fire drove away the Mughal supports. Firuz Jang was covered with failure, but returned to his camp in the early morning, beating his kettle-drums in a spirit of vain defiance.
v4.c68.s6.2
To the Muslims the dog is an unclean animal. But this dog had played the part of the sacred geese of the Capitoline Hill during the Gallic invasion of Rome. Abul Hasan rewarded his canine deliverer by giving it a gold chain, a collar set with jewels, and a gold embroidered coat, and styling it Seh-tabqa or "Peer of three degrees,"—in mockery of Firuz Jang's three titles of Khan, Bahadur, and Jang,—and remarking wittily "This creature has done no less a deed (than Firuz Jang)!"
v4.c68.s6.3
The garrison promptly retaliated for the surprise that had failed. Early in the morning of the next day (17th May), they made a sortie on the raised battery, slaying the artillerymen. Reinforcements were soon pushed up from the trenches, and the enemy withdrew after killing 70 men. They had also brought a large gun to a point on the wall opposite Aurangzib's own tent and began to fire it, the balls falling around his residence. To subdue its fire he ordered a new raised battery to be built opposite it; but no officer would undertake to heap up the earth quickly in the face of the enemy's murderous fire. The Emperor, therefore, ordered two hundred quilted coats (inscribed with extracts from the Quran) and leather helmets (mighfar) to be sewn and supplied to the forlorn hope for an assault on the walls. He had, in addition, some long ladders made, set them up against his tent-poles and himself climbed up one of them in order to charm them into invulnerability and thus put heart into his troops; for, did he not enjoy the reputation of being a living saint, *Alamgir zinda pir*?