juncture the wife of Shuja Khan claimed the right of disposing of the appointment as daughter and heiress of Murshed Ali Khan. Such a pretension was contrary to the Moghul constitution, but Shuja Khan gave way, and Ali Vardi Khan went to the door of the lady's apartment, and received with the utmost deference and humility the dress of honour which constituted him Deputy Nawab of Behar. CHAP. X. faraz Khan, son Meanwhile the young prince, Sarfaraz Khan, boiled wrath of Sarover at the favour shown to the two Muhammadan of Shuja Khan. brothers. He told his father in public durbar that he was warming and cherishing two snakes that would sting him and his family to death. The Nawab was so exasperated at this presumption that he threw his son into confinement. But Haji Ahmad was crafty enough to intercede for Sarfaraz Khan, and the young prince was released, but he continued to hate the obnoxious minister as much as ever. signs of the two brothers. All this while both the Muhammadan brothers Ambitious dewere labouring hard to strengthen their respective Muhammadan positions. Haji Ahmad won over the Zemindars of Bengal by taking to himself all the credit of having released them from prison, whilst he undermined the authority of Shuja Khan by secretly sneering at his weaknesses and vices. Hindu Rajas in Behar by the Afghan contingent. Ali Vardi Khan was equally active in reducing all Destruction of the refractory Rajas in Behar. Some he invited to Patna with warm professions of friendship and respect, and then murdered them without hesitation or shame. Others he attacked by force of arms, and compelled them to pay tribute and acknowledge his authority. In all these transactions he was especially helped by an Afghan officer, named Abdul Khurim Khan, who СНАР. Х. Obstinate bravery of the Chukwar Каја. Submission of the new Raja. Shameless treachery of 1735. had entered his service with a corps of fifteen hundred Afghan mercenaries. Ali Vardi Khan.next attempted the conquest of the Chukwars, a brave and warlike race of Hindus who occupied a territory on the river Sambu, between Patna and Monghyr. The Raja of the Chukwars was a turbulent chieftain, who had never paid tribute, nor even acknowledged the supremacy of the Moghul; whilst, to crown his misdoings, he persisted in levying duties on all goods that passed up or down the river above Monghyr. It was this Raja, and others like him, that compelled the European settlers in Lower Bengal to maintain an armament for the escort of money and goods to Patna and back; and a Major Hunt, who commanded the East Indian Company's troops at Calcutta, had often had a brush with the old Hindu warrior, and fought him hand to hand. The Raja, however, died in 1730, and was succeeded by a son of seventeen, who came to terms with Ali Vardi Khan and agreed to pay tribute. The necessary precautions were then taken to prevent treachery on either side. Every year the young Raja brought the money to a specified spot near Monghyr, accompanied by thirty followers only; whilst a Moghul officer came to the same spot to receive the money, also accompanied by the like number of thirty followers. In 1735 an English convoy was going up the river Ali Vardi Khan, Ganges with money and goods for the factory at Patna. The boats were in charge of a young civilian named Holwell, whilst the escort of European troops was commanded by a Captain Holcombe. On the morning of the 20th of October the party encamped in a grove near Monghyr. About eleven o'clock they CHAP. X. saw a boat going by, apparently loaded with baskets of fish. The boat was hailed and came up, when the baskets were found to be filled with human heads. It appeared that a vile act of treachery had been just committed by Ali Vardi Khan. The yearly tribute had been paid that very morning by the Raja of the Chukwars, but an ambuscade of four hundred men had been posted in the neighbourhood by Ali Vardi Khan. The result was that the Raja and his thirty followers had been surrounded and murdered, and their heads were being dispatched in baskets to Patna for the satisfaction of Ali Vardi Khan. the city of the That same day Alivardi Khan sent another force Destruction of to plunder and destroy the city of Sambu, the capital Chukwars. of the Chukwars. Towards evening the English party at Monghyr saw clouds of smoke rising from the city. The young girl-widow of the Raja had shut herself up in the palace with an infant son and all her attendants, and had then set the building on fire and perished in the flames. The soldiers of Ali Vardi Khan found the city deserted. Accordingly they plundered the houses and set them on fire, and then returned to Patna. Afghan After this exploit Abdul Khurim Khan, the Afghan Murder of the commandant, began to presume upon his services, commandant. He grew insolent and insubordinate and resented every rebuke. Ali Vardi Khan saw that the Afghan was becoming dangerous, and laid his plans accordingly. Abdul Khurim Khan was summoned to the palace and sharply reprimanded, and just as he was about to reply in defiant language, he was overpowered by a body of assassins and cut to pieces on the spot. This catastrophe filled the Afghan soldiery with fear СНАР. Х. Intrigues at Suspicious death of Shuja Khan, 1739. Praises of Shuja and trembling, and henceforth no one dared to utter on. Suddenly Shuja Khan found that he had been outwitted. His old servant, Ali Vardi Khan, was appointed Nawab of Behar direct from Delhi; and the insignia of investiture-the fringed palanquin, the standard of the fish, and the imperial kettledrums— were received with the utmost pomp and rejoicings at Patna. Shuja Khan was furious at the tidings. He planned a safe and certain scheme of revenge against the two brothers; but on the eve of its execution he was carried off by death, and it was currently believed at Murshedabad that he had been poisoned in the seraglio at the instance of Haji Ahmad. Shuja Khan belonged to a transition period. The imperial sovereignty of the great Moghul was on СНАР. Х. the wane, but it was still recognised as the supreme authority throughout Hindustan. Shuja Khan was not a stern tyrant, like his father-in-law, Murshed Kuli Khan; on the contrary, he laboured hard to propitiate his grandees. He sent trays of excellent dishes of every variety of victuals to all persons in his service with whom he was acquainted, sometimes twice a week, sometimes every other day, and sometimes every day. Whenever the compliment was once paid, it was never discontinued. He sent presents to every stranger of note who came to Murshedabad, and even to strangers who were unknown, provided their manners and language showed that they were gentlemen. At the same time none of his servants or dependants were allowed to take a gratuity; all who disobeyed were dismissed his service, and all informers were handsomely rewarded. Shuja Khan also entered the name of every one he Peculiar money knew in a memorandum-book with ivory leaves, and every now and then he added a sum of money to one of the names. In such cases he did not order the amount to be paid to the person named, but he sent for some Zemindar who was behindhand with his rent, and told him that the person in question had been appointed to enforce payment of his arrears, and that he must give him in addition the sum specified as a perquisite. The offending Zemindar always complied with the demand, and generally gave an extra present to the person who had been so recommended by the Nawab. presents. Nawab of Bengal 1739-42: his Sarfaraz Khan, son of Shuja Khan, now succeeded Sarfaraz Khan, to the throne as Nawab of Bengal and Orissa. He was and Orissa, quite as much a slave to his pleasures as his deceased arrogance. father, but he was more insolent and violent. He did |