The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c24.16

c24.16

Najm-ud-dīn ʿAlī Khān, a drawn sword in his hand, rode on to enquire after and search for his brother. He found ʿAbdullah Khān standing on the ground quite alone, and although wounded in the hand, still fighting like a lion, while on every side the crowd of assailants grew greater every minute. Still not one of them had the courage to lay hands upon him; one of Khān Daurān’s men had wounded him on a finger of the right hand, but the Nawāb returned the blow by a cut, which struck the man’s leg and his horse’s shoulder. Najm-ud-dīn ʿAlī Khān dismounted from his elephant and joined his brother. ʿAbdullah Khān called out to him “Behold the inconstancy of Fortune, and the end of all earthly greatness!”, adding a verse of Saʿdī, Shīrāzī, fitting to the occasion ¹. Ḥaidar Qulī Khān, who had noticed that the howdah of ʿAbdullah Khān’s elephant was empty, made enquiries, and was informed by one of his soldiers that the Nawāb was on foot and wounded. Coming up at once with a led elephant, Ḥaidar Qulī Khān addressed the Sayyad, in the humblest manner, with words of praise and flattery. “Was he not a well-wisher, and was not his life one with his? Except to set forth for the presence of the emperor, what course was there left?” Najm-ud-dīn ʿAlī Khān made a movement to cut the speaker down, but ʿAbdullah Khān held his brother back. Then, with a haughty and dignified air, he took Najm-ud-dīn ‘Alī Khān’s hand and mounted the elephant. Ḥaidar Qulī Khān followed on his own elephant, and conducted his prisoners to the emperor, Muḥammad Shāh.