On Thursday, the 7th, with great joy and congratulation, the advance camp was started towards Agra. The astrologers and astronomers had already fixed the auspicious hour for the march. As excessive rain fell, the main camp could not cross the river of Maḥmūdābād (the Vātrak) and the Māhī at this hour. Out of necessity, the advanced camp was started at the appointed hour, and the 21st S͟hahrīwar[60] was fixed for the march of the main camp.
My son S͟hāh-Jahān took upon himself the responsibility of the conquest of the fort of Kāngṛa, over which the noose of victory had not been thrown by any of the Sultans of lofty dignity, and an army under the leadership of Rāja Sūraj Mal, s. Rāja Bāso, and Taqī, who was one of his attached servants, had before this been sent for that purpose. It was now clear that the conquest could not be achieved by the force that had been previously appointed. Rāja Bikramājīt,[61] who was one of his principal officers, with 2,000 horse who were present of his private attendants, and a force of Jahāngīrī servants, such as S͟hāh-bāz K. Lodī, Hardī Narāyan Hāḍā, Rāy Prithī Chand, and the sons of Rām Chand, with 200 mounted musketeers and 500 foot-musketeers (topchī, perhaps cannoniers), in addition to the force that had previously been sent, were appointed to the duty. As the hour for departure was fixed on this day, the aforesaid (Bikramājīt) presented as an offering a rosary of emeralds of the value of Rs. 10,000. He was honoured with the gift of a dress of honour and a sword, and took his leave for this duty. As he had not a jagir in that Subah, my son S͟hāh-Jahān asked for him as a jagir the pargana of Barhāna (?),[62] the revenue of which was 2,200,000 of dams, which[63] he himself (? S͟hāh-Jahān) held in inʿām.[64] K͟hwāja Taqī, the Dīwān-i-Buyūtāt, who had been appointed to the Dīwānī of the Deccan, was honoured with the title of Muʿtaqid[65] K., a dress of honour, and an elephant. I appointed Himmat K. to the faujdārship of the Sarkar of Bharūch (Broach) and that neighbourhood, with the gift of a horse and a special parm narm (shawl), and despatched him. The pargana of Bharūch (Broach) was also bestowed on him as jagir. Rāy Prithī Chand, who had been nominated for service at Kāngṛa, was promoted to the rank of 700 and 450 horse. As the anniversary of S͟haik͟h Muḥammad G͟haus̤[66] had arrived, I gave his sons 1,000 darbs (Rs. 500) for its expense. Muz̤affar, s. Bahāduru-l-mulk, who was attached to the Deccan, was given the manṣab of 1,000 personal and 500 horse.
As the events of twelve years of Jahāngīr-nāma have been recorded, I ordered[67] the clerks of my private library to make one volume of these twelve years, and to prepare a number of copies so that I might give them to my special servants, and that they might be sent to the various cities, so that administrators (arbāb-i-daulat) and the auspicious might adopt them as their code. On Friday, the 8th,[68] one of the news-writers had written the whole and made a volume, which he produced to me. As it was the first copy that had been prepared, I gave it to my son S͟hāh-Jahān, whom I consider to be in all respects the first of my sons. On the back of it I wrote with my own hand that I had given it him on a certain day and at a certain place. I hope that the favour of the receipt of those writings which are intended for the satisfaction of the creature and for supplication to the Creator may be a cause of good fortune.
On Tuesday, the 12th, Subḥān Qulī, huntsman, was brought to punishment. The details of this are that he is the son of Ḥājī Jamāl Balūch, who was my father’s best huntsman, and after his (the King’s) death, he entered the service of Islām K., and went with him to Bengal. Islām K͟hān, on account of his (Subḥān Qulī’s) connection with this Court, showed him proper consideration, and considering him trustworthy always kept him near him when travelling or hunting. ʿUs̤mān, the Afghan, who for many years passed his days in that Subah in disobedience and stubbornness, and the end of whose affairs has been recorded in the preceding pages, being much troubled by Islām K͟hān, sent someone to this wretch, and made proposals for his murdering Islām. He undertook the business, and associated two or three other men with himself. By chance, before the futile idea of this ungrateful fellow was carried into execution, one of them came and informed him (Islām K.). Islām K. immediately seized and imprisoned the scoundrel. After the latter’s death he came to Court. As his brothers and relatives were included among the huntsmen, he was also ordered to be enrolled among them. At this time the son (Ikrām K.) of Islām K. represented in an enigmatical way that he was unworthy of service near my person. After explanation it appeared what the charge was. Notwithstanding this, as his brothers strenuously represented that there was only suspicion, and Balūch K., the head huntsman, became security for him, I forbore to put him to death, and ordered him to do duty with Balūch K. In spite of this grace and the gift of his life, without cause or motive he fled from the Court, and went to Agra and that neighbourhood. Balūch K., having become his security, was ordered to produce him. He sent people to inquire for him. In one of the villages of Agra, which was not wanting in sedition, and is called Jahanda,[69] the brother of Balūch K͟hān, who had gone to make inquiries, found him, and although he endeavoured to bring him by persuasion to Court, he would in no way consent, and the people rose to assist him.
Being without remedy, he (the brother) went to K͟hwāja Jahān at Agra, and told him the circumstances. He sent a detachment against that village to take him by force and bring him. The people of the village, seeing their own ruin in the mirror of the case, handed him over to him. This day he came to Court in chains. I gave an order for his execution. The man of wrath (the executioner) took him to the place of punishment with all haste. After a while, through the intercession of one of the courtiers, I gave him his life, and ordered his feet to be cut off, but according to his destiny (what was written on his head) before the order arrived he had been punished. Although that doomed man was deserving of punishment, yet I regretted[70] the circumstance, and directed that whenever an order was given for anyone’s execution, notwithstanding that the command were imperative, they should wait till sunset before putting him to death. If up to that time no order for release arrived, he should without fail be capitally punished.
On Sunday there was a great commotion in the River Māhī, and very large waves were visible. Although there formerly had been (great) rains, yet such violence, or even the half of it, had never been known. From the beginning of the day the flood began to come, and at the end of the day began to decrease. Old inhabitants of this city represented that once, during the government of Murtaẓā K. (Farīd Buk͟hārī), a similar great flood had occurred. But with that exception they did not remember another such flood.
In these days mention was made of an ode by Muʿizzī,[71] the panegyrist of Sult̤ān Sanjar, and his Poet-laureate. It is a very smooth and equable[72] composition. It begins thus:
“O thou whose commands heaven obeys
Ancient Saturn is the slave of thy young Fortune.”
Saʿīdā,[73] the chief goldsmith, has a poetical temperament and he imitated this ode, and presented his paraphrase to me. It was very well composed. The following are some verses from it: