Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c38.s8.13

v3.c38.s8.13

As Shafi stood up on his mount to give his embrace, Muhammad Beg seized both his hands in his own. Shafi, who was a delicate youth, could not wrest himself free; and while he was thus struggling helplessly Hamadāni's nephew Ismail Beg, who was seated on another elephant, jumped on to the Mir Bakhshi’s mount and plunged his dagger into the victim’s bowels. Shafi’s relation, Md. Amin Khan, who was seated behind him, grappled with the assassin and the two rolled down to the ground. But a servant of Muhammad Beg now finished the business of Shafi with his dagger. Md. Amin was killed, and so also was Dāud Beg Kurchi, another devoted follower of the Mir Bakhshi, who had offered fight. The main army of Hamadāni now rapidly arrived on the scene. The two sides exchanged fire for a short time, and then the outnumbered and leaderless imperialists broke and fled. Afrāsiyāb, who had arrived last, was the first in the retreat. Thus perished, in the prime of youth, Mirzā Muhammad Shafi, the last fighting army chief of the empire, a victim of the blackest treachery. The situation created by this crime is thus aptly described by the Maratha envoy, “Muhammad Shafi is dead. All Hindustan is lying bare. No sword for fighting is left in India.” [*DY.* i. 91.]