On this day the Qāẓī and the Chief Justice represented to me that ʿAbdu-l-Wahhāb, the son of Ḥakīm ʿAlī, claimed Rs. 80,000 from the Sayyids of Lahore, and produced a bond with the seal of Qāẓī Nūru-llah. He said that his father had placed that sum in deposit with Sayyid Walī, the father of these men, who denied it.[87] If an order were given, the Ḥakīm’s son, by way of caution,[88] would swear an oath on the Qoran, and would take what was his due from them. I told them to do whatever was right by the Divine Law. The next day Muʿtamid K͟hān represented that the Sayyids showed great humility and submissiveness. The matter was a complicated[89] one. The greater reflection shown in ascertaining the truth in the matter the better. I accordingly ordered that Āṣaf K. should take exceeding trouble and forethought in ascertaining the truth of this quarrel, and point out such a way (of unravelling it) that no doubt whatever should remain. With all this, if it could not be cleared up, I would examine them in my own presence. Immediately he heard these words, the Ḥakīm’s son lost both his hands and his heart in the affair, and made a number of his friends intercessors, and proposed a withdrawal. His representation was that if the Sayyids would not[90] refer the matter to Āṣaf K. he would give a release, and that hereafter he would have no right against nor claim from them. Whenever Āṣaf K. sent to fetch him, as he was a low deceiver, he passed his time in making excuses, and did not appear until he handed over the deed of release to one of his friends, and the true state of affairs became evident to Āṣaf K. They brought him by force into the place of examination, and, having no choice, he confessed that the deed had been prepared by one of his servants, who himself witnessed it, and had misled him. He gave a writing to this effect. When Āṣaf K. informed me of the real state of matters, I took away his mansab and jagir, and cast him out of my presence, and gave the Sayyids leave to return to Lahore in all honour and respect.
On Mubārak-s͟hamba (Thursday), the 8th of K͟hūrdād, Iʿtiqād K͟hān was promoted to the mansab of 4,000 personal and 1,500 horse, and Ṣādiq K͟hān to that of 2,500 personal and 1,400 horse. Zainu-l-ʿābidīn, son of the deceased Āṣaf K͟hān (Jaʿfar), was promoted to be Bakhshi of Aḥadīs. Rāja Bīr Singh Deo Bandīla raised his head of honour with the high mansab of 5,000 personal and horse.
In Kashmir the most juicy(?) fruit is the as͟hkan(?) (askamī in the MSS.). It is subacid (mai-k͟hūs͟h), smaller than the ālū bālū (sour cherry), much better flavoured, and more delicate. When drinking wine, one cannot eat more than three or four ālū bālū, but of these one can take as many as a hundred in twenty-four hours, especially of the paiwandī(?) sort. I ordered that the as͟hkan should hereafter be called the k͟hūs͟hkan. It grows in the hills of Badakhshan and in Khurasan; the people there call it jamdamī. The largest of them weigh ½ mis̤qāl. The s͟hāh-ālū (cherry), on the 4th Urdībihis͟ht, appeared of the size of a grain of pulse; on the 27th it reddened, and on the 15th K͟hūrdād it was ripe, and new fruit (nau-bar) had formed(?). The s͟hāh-ālū (cherry), to my taste, is better than most fruits. Four trees had borne fruit in the Nūr-afzā garden. I called one of these S͟hīrīn-bār, the second K͟hūs͟h-guwār, the third, which bore the most fruit, Pur-bār, and the fourth, which had less, Kam-bār. One tree in K͟hurram’s garden had also borne fruit, and I called it S͟hāhwār. There was a young plant in the little garden of ʿIs͟hrat-afzā (joy enhancing), and this I called Nau-bār (new fruit). Every day I plucked with my own hand sufficient to give a flavour to my cups. Although they sent them by runners from Kabul as well, yet to pick them oneself from one’s home garden gave additional sweetness. The s͟hāh-ālū of Kashmir is not inferior to that of Kabul; it is even better grown. The largest of them weighed one tānk, five surk͟hs.
On Tuesday, the 21st, Pāds͟hāh[91] Bānū Begam died (became a sitter in the bridal chamber of the permanent world), and grief for this heart-rending event laid a heavy load on my mind. I hope that Almighty God may give her a place near his own forgiveness. A strange thing is—that Jotik Rāy, the astrologer, two months before this, had informed some of my servants that one of the chief sitters in the harem of chastity would hasten to the hidden abode of non-existence. He had discovered this from the horoscope of my destiny, and it fell out accordingly.
One of the events (that now took place) was the martyrdom of Sayyid ʿIzzat[92] K. and of Jalāl K. Gakhar in the army of Bangash. The particulars of this are that when the season for the collection of revenue arrived, Mahābat K. appointed a force to go into the hill-country to eat up the crops of the Afghans, and not omit one tittle of raiding and plundering, and killing and binding. When the servants of the Court arrived at the foot of the Pass the ill-fated Afghans attacked them from all sides, and took the head of the Pass, and fortified it. Jalāl K., who was an experienced man, and an old man that had undergone labours, thought it better to delay for a few days, so that the Afghans might expend the few days’ provisions they had brought with them on their backs, and necessarily disperse of their own accord; that then his men would be able to cross with ease over the head of the difficult Pass. When he once passed the head of the defile they would be unable to do any more, and would be punished. ʿIzzat K., who was a battle-lighting flame and a foe-burning lightning, did not fall in with Jalāl K.’s idea, and excited the steed of courage of some of the Sayyids of Bārha. The Afghans, swarming round on all sides, like ants and locusts, attacked him, and caught him in their midst. Though the battlefield was not fit for cavalry, yet wherever the forehead of his wrath shone, he consumed many with the fire of his sword. In the midst of the fighting they hamstringed his horse, but he fought on foot and as long as he had breath, and at last fell bravely. At the time when ʿIzzat K. made his attack, Jalāl K. Gakhar[93] and Masʿūd, s. Aḥmad Beg K., and Bīzan (or Bīzhan), s. Nād ʿAlī Maidānī, and other servants, lost restraint, and rushed on from all sides of the pass, and the rebels seized the tops of the hills, and fought with stones and arrows. The devoted young men, both of the servants of the Court and the retainers of Mahābat K., performed the duties of valour, and slaughtered many of the Afghans. In this contest Jalāl K. and Masʿūd, with many other brave men, sacrificed their lives. Owing to the rashness of ʿIzzat K. such a disaster as this befell the Imperial army.
When Mahābat K. heard this fearful news, he sent a fresh body of men to assist, and strengthened the posts. Wherever they found a trace of those ill-fortuned ones, they did not fail to slay or bind them. When I heard this news, I summoned Akbar Qulī, s. Jalāl K. who had been told off for duty in the conquest of the fort of Kāngṛa, to my presence, and gave him the mansab of 1,000 personal and 1,000 horse, and confirmed to him, according to custom, his hereditary territory (the Gakhar country) in jagir, presented him with a dress of honour and a horse, and sent him to the support of the army of Bangash. As ʿIzzat K. had left a son of very tender years, keeping before my eyes, that discerned the truth, his life-sacrifice, I gave him (the child) a mansab and a jagir, so that those left behind should not be scattered abroad, and others might have increased hope.
On this day S͟haik͟h Aḥmad of Sirhind, who had for some time been placed in the prison of correction on account of his pretentiousness (literally, adorning his shop and selling himself) and immoderate language, was summoned to my presence, and I released him, giving him a dress of honour and Rs. 1,000 for expenses, and making him free to go or remain. He justly represented that his punishment had really been a valuable lesson to him, and that his desire was to wait on me.
On the 27th K͟hūrdād apricots arrived[94] (from Kabul). The picture-gallery in the garden had been ordered to be repaired; it was now adorned with pictures by master hands. In the most honoured positions were the likenesses of Humāyūn and of my father opposite to my own, and that of my brother S͟hāh ʿAbbās. After them were the likenesses of Mīrzā Kāmrān, Mīrzā Muḥammad Ḥakīm, S͟hāh Murād, and Sult̤ān Dāniyāl. On the second storey (row?) were the likenesses of the Amirs and special servants. On walls of the outer hall the stages of the road to Kashmir were recorded in the order in which I had come to them. A poet fixed the date by this hemistich:
Pictures of kings of Solomon-like glory.[95]
On Thursday, the 4th of the Ilāhī month of Tīr, the Feast of būriyā-kūbī[96] took place. On this day the Kashmir cherries came to an end. From the four trees of the Nūr-afzā garden, 1,500, and from other trees 500 had been plucked. I strictly ordered the officials of Kashmir to plant s͟hāh-ālū (cherry) trees in all the gardens. On this day Bhīm, s. Rānā Amar Singh, was honoured with the title of Raja, and Dilīr K., brother of the brave ʿIzzat K., was promoted to the mansab of 1,000 personal and 800 horse, Muḥammad Saʿīd, s. Aḥmad Beg K., to that of 600 personal and 400 horse, and Muk͟hliṣ-ullah, his brother, to that of 500 personal and 250 horse. On Sayyid Aḥmad Ṣadr the mansab of 1,000, and on Mīrzā Ḥusain, s. Mīrzā Rustam Ṣafawī, that of 1,000 personal and 500 horse, were bestowed, and the last-named was despatched for duty to the Deccan. On Sunday, the 14th of the Divine month of Tīr, Ḥasan ʿAlī Turkmān was made Governor of Orissa, and his personal and horse mansab was raised to 3,000. On this day Bahādur K., Governor of Qandahar, sent offerings of nine Iraq horses, some nine pieces of gold brocade, some brocaded satin, and some marten[97] skins, and other things; these were laid before me.