Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c12.s1.19

v1.c12.s1.19

Towards the end of this year Ishwari Singh was appealed to by the Emperor to come to his aid for repelling the Abdāli invasion from the north-west. The Mahārājah demanded the imperial fort of Rantambhor as the price of his support, and when it was refused he lingered on the way at Mathura for weeks together, arriving at Delhi only on 24th December 1747. In the battle with the Abdāli at Mānupur (11th March 1748) he turned tail at the very beginning of the fighting and fled precipitately back to his own country, throwing his guns and kettledrums into wells to lighten his baggage! All the credit he had gained by his victory at Rajmahal was thus lost, and he shut himself up as if dumb-foundered in his capital. [S. P. D., xxvii. 30.]