large city but an important fortress, supposed to be impregnable. The wonderful caves of Ellora and Ajunta show how advanced was the art of architecture; and in Warangal the remains of immense irrigation tanks and channels show that the rulers of the country devoted great attention to the improvement of agriculture. In both these cities there were enormous accumulations of wealth, consisting of gold, precious stones, and elephants, all of which were found within their own boundaries. The people appear to have been brave, happy, and prosperous, and from west to east there were scattered about numerous holy shrines which brought together thousands of pilgrims. It was this wealth that attracted the cupidity of the Mahomedans.

In the year 1294 Ala-ud-Din was the governor of the Bengal provinces. He was the nephew and son-in-law of the Sultan of Delhi-Jelal-ud-Din-and was an ambitious, cruel man. He had heard stories of the wealth which was stored up in the cities of the idolatrous Hindoos, and, taking religion. as his excuse, he determined to plunder them. In reality, what he wanted the riches for was to use them as a means of gaining his father-in-law's throne. Without mentioning his project to the emperor, Ala-ud-Din marched southwards with a large army, and was absent for more than a year. During this time no one knew what had become of him, but there were vague rumours that he was fighting with the Hindoos in Deogiri. This, indeed, was the case, and for a great part of this time he was besieging the fortress of Deogiri, afterwards Dowlatabad. This fortress is situated on an isolated hill, 640 feet in height. The hill is cone-shaped, and in addition to the steepness of the rock it was very strongly fortified with walls, bastions, and moats. There were in reality three distinct forts, one within another, and at the foot was the city which was the centre of a considerable trade. At the time of Alaud-Din's invasion, Ram Deo was king of Deogiri. Zia-ud-Din

Barni, the Mahomedan historian, says: "The people

of that country had never heard of the Mussulmans; the Mahratta land had never been punished by their armies; no Mussulman king or prince had penetrated so far. Deogiri was exceedingly rich in gold and silver, jewels and pearls, and other valuables." Ram Deo sent an army to meet the Mahomedan invader, but it was totally defeated, and Ala-ud-Din then invested the fortress of Deogiri. The fort was not taken, and the Rajah saved it only by agreeing to give up an immense amount of treasure, consisting of gold, jewels and elephants, with which Ala-ud-Din returned to Karra, his seat of government. So great was this treasure that it is said nothing had ever been seen like it before, and Ala-ud-Din used it to win

over as many to his side as possible. When the Emperor Jelalud-Din heard that his son-in-law had returned after so successful a campaign, he sent to congratulate him and to ask why he did not come to Delhi to report the circumstances in person. Ala-ud-Din replied, that, having gone away without permission, he was afraid the Emperor would be angry with him, and therefore he had not ventured to come to Delhi, but if the Emperor would come and see him, it would satisfy the minds of his officers that no harm was intended to them, and he would then introduce them to the Emperor, and at the same time hand over to him the treasure which he had brought. The poor old Emperor, suspecting nothing, and anxious, perhaps, to receive the wonderful treasure of which he had heard so much, fell into the trap thus laid for him. He sent word that he would start at once, and, so as to show that he had no evil intentions, would come with only a slight retinue. Karra is situated on the Ganges, and was some five or six. days' journey form Kilu-gadhi, where the Emperor was then encamped. Without listening to the advice of his counsellors, the Emperor set off on this journey in a boat, accompanied only by a few personal attendants and a body-guard of a thousand horse. The historian Barni thus relates the tragedy that followed: "Ala-ud-Din and his followers had determined on the course to be adopted before the Sultan arrived. He had crossed the river with the elephants and treasure, and had taken post with his forces between Manikpur and Karra, the Ganges being very high. When the royal ensign came in sight he was all prepared, the men were armed, and the elephants and horses were harnessed. Ala-ud-Din sent his brother Almas Beg in a small boat to the sultan, with directions to use every device to induce him to leave behind the thousand men he had brought with him, and to come with only a few personal attendants. The traitor Almas Beg hastened to the Sultan and perceived several boats full of horsemen around

him. He told the Sultan that his brother had left the city, and God only knew where he would have gone to, if he (Almas Beg) had not been sent to him. If the Sultan did not make more haste to meet him, he would kill himself, and his treasure would be plundered. If his brother were to see these armed boats with the Sultan he would destroy himself. The Sultan accordingly directed that the horsemen and boats should remain by the side of the river, whilst he, with two boats and a few personal attendants and friends, passed over to the other side. When the two boats had started and the Angel of Destiny had come still nearer, the traitor Almas Beg desired the Sultan to direct his attendants to lay aside their arms, lest his brother should see them as he approached nearer, and be frightened. The Sultan, about to become a martyr, did not detect the drift of this insidious proposition, but directed his followers to disarm. As the boats reached mid-stream, the army of Ala-ud-Din was perceived, all under arms, the elephants and horses harnessed, and in several places troops of horsemen ready for action. When the nobles who accompanied the Sultan saw this, they knew that Almas Beg had by his plausibility brought his patron into a snare, and they gave themselves up as lost. Malik Khuram asked: What is the meaning of all this?" and Almas Beg, seeing that his treachery was detected, said his brother was anxious that his army should pay homage to his master.

The Sultan was so blinded by his destiny, that although his own eyes saw the treachery, he would not return, but he said. to Almas Beg: "I have come so far in a little boat to meet your brother, cannot he, and does not his heart induce him. to advance to meet me with due respect?" The traitor replied: "My brother's intention is to await your majesty at the landing-place with the elephants and treasure and jewels, and there to present his officers." The Sultan, trusting implicitly in them, who were his nephews, sons-in-law, and foster-children,

did not awake and detect the obvious intention. He took the Koran and read it, and proceeded fearless and confiding as a father to his sons. All the people who were in the boat with him saw death plainly before them, and began to repeat the chapter appropriate to men in sight of death. The Sultan reached the shore before afternoon prayer, and disembarked with a few followers. Ala-ud-Din advanced to receive him, he and all his officers showing due respect. When he reached the Sultan he fell at his feet, and the Sultan, treating him as a son, kissed his eyes and cheeks, stroked his beard, gave him two loving taps upon the cheek, and said: "I have brought thee up from infancy, why art thou afraid of me?" The Sultan took Ala-ud-Din's hand, and at that moment the stony-hearted traitor gave the fatal signal. Muhammad Salim of Samana, a bad fellow of a bad family, struck at the Sultan with a sword, but the blow fell short and cut his own hand. He again struck and wounded the Sultan, who ran towards the river, crying: "Ah! thou villain, Ala-ud-Din, what hast thou done?" Iktiyár-ud-Din Hud ran after the betrayed monarch, threw him down, and cut off his head and bore it dripping with blood to Ala-ud-Din. Some of those persons who accompanied the Sultan had landed, and others remained in the boats, but all were slain. Villainy and treachery and murderous feelings, covetousness and desire of riches, thus did their work." This happened on the 17th Ramazan 695. H. equal to A. D. 1296, and Ala-ud-Din at once ascended the throne and marched upon Delhi. The fatal treasure was largely used to make men forget the terrible tragedy that had been enacted on the banks of the Ganges. Every day five maunds of golden stars were discharged by a kind of engine amongst the people in front of the royal tent, and from far and near people flocked to his camp in order to share in the wealth that was being scattered about. Delhi was entered in the midst of a magnificent display, and there still remained enough of the gold to fill the treasury