My scouts now brought me information that Mallu Khan with four thousand horsemen in armour, five
thousand infantry, and twenty-seven fierce war elephants, fully accoutred, had come out of the gardens of the city and
had drawn up in battle array. I left Sayyid Khwaja and Mubashar Bahadur with three hundred Turkish horsemen on gray
horses in the Jahan-numa and withdrew toward my camp. Mallu Khan advanced boldly toward Jahan-numa, and Sayyid Khwaja
and Mubashar went forth to meet him. A conflict ensued, in which my men fought valiantly; and as soon as I heard of the
action, I sent Sunjak Bahadur and Amir Allah-dad with two regiments to their support. At the earliest practicable
moment, they assailed the enemy with arrows and then charged them. At
the second and third onslaught the enemy was defeated and fled toward Delhi in disorder, while many
fell under the swords and arrows of my men. When the men fled, an extraordinary incident occurred, in that one of the
great war elephants fell down and died. When I heard of it, I declared it to be a good omen. My victorious troops
pursued the enemy to the vicinity of the city and then returned to present themselves at my tent, where I congratulated
them on their victory and praised their conduct. On the next day, Friday, the* third of the month (Dec. 13), I left the
fort of Loni and marched to a position opposite to Jahan-numa, where I encamped.
I now held a court, issuing a summons to the princes, amirs, and minor officers, all of whom came
to my tent. Each of my soldiers was a brave veteran, and had used his sword manfully under my own eyes, but there were
none that had seen so many conflicts and battles as I had beheld, and no one of the amirs or heroes of the army that
could compare with me in the amount of fighting I had gone through and the experience I had gained. I therefore gave
them instructions as to the mode of carrying on war; on making and meeting attacks; on arraying their men; on giving
support to each other; and on all the precautions to be observed in warring with an enemy. I ordered the amirs of the
right wing, the left wing, the van, and the centre to take their proper positions, and cautioned them not to be too
forward or too backward, but to act with the utmost prudence and caution in
Mohammedan armour
their operations. When I had finished, the amirs and others testified their approbation, and,
carefully treasuring up my counsel, they departed, expressing their blessings and thanks.
At this court Amir Jahan Shah, Amir Sulaiman Shah, and other amirs of experience informed me that,
from the time of entering Hindustan up to the present we had taken more than one hundred thousand infidels and Hindus
prisoners, and that they were all in my camp. On the previous day, when the enemy’s forces attacked us, the
prisoners made signs of rejoicing, uttered imprecations against us, and were ready, as soon as they heard of the
enemy’s success, to form themselves into a body, break their bonds, plunder our tents, and then to join the enemy,
and so increase his numbers and strength. I asked the amirs for advice about the prisoners, and they said that on the
day of battle these one hundred thousand prisoners could not be left with the baggage, and that it would be entirely
opposed to the rules of war to set these idolaters and foes of Islam at liberty, so that no course remained but to make
them all food for the sword.
An Indian Dagger
When I heard these words, I found them to be in accordance with the rules of war, and I immediately
directed the commanders to proclaim throughout the camp that every man who had infidel prisoners was to put them to
death, and that whoever neglected to do so, should himself be executed and his property given to the informer. When this
order became known to the champions of Islam, they drew their swords and put their prisoners to death. One hundred
thousand infidels, impious idolaters, were slain on that day. Maulana Nasir-ad-din Omar, a counsellor and man of
learning, who had never killed a sparrow in all his life, now, in execution of my order, killed fifteen idolatrous
Hindus, who were his captives.
After all the vile idolaters had been despatched, I gave orders that one man out of every ten
should be told off to guard the property, cattle, and horses which had been captured in the invasion, while all the
other soldiers were to march with me. At the time of midday prayer the signal was given for the march, and I proceeded
to the spot selected for crossing the Jumna, and there encamped. The astrologers who accompanied the army consulted
their books and almanacs as to the time propitious for battle, and they represented that the aspects of the stars made a
short delay advisable. In all matters, small and great, I placed my reliance on the favour and kindness of God, and I
knew that victory and conquest, defeat and flight,
