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hearing the news, dispatched his eldest son,
Prince Ahmad, at the head of a large force to
oppose the advance of the invading army. The
Prince, who had not the courage to meet the
Afghans in the open-field, entrenched himself
near Sirhind. Ahmad Shah on reaching the river
Satluj, found that a powerful Mughal army had
occupied all the available fords. With a con-
tingent of 12,000 men, he crossed the river at a
place where there was no ford. Leaving the
Indians in the rear, he made straight for Sirhind,
where the Indians had left their heavy baggage,
treasures and surplus stores. Ahmad Shah took
possession of these, sent a part of the booty to
Lahore, but kept the heavy guns with him, which
he needed badly.
The Imperial Army, on receiving the news,
immediately retraced its step with a view to
intercept the Afghans, but on reaching Sirhind,
lost courage and decided to entrench itself at a
village called Manupur. A small body of horsemen
that Ahmad Shah had at his disposal could do
little in face of such a formidable force, number-
ing at least 60,000 and supported by a much more
powerful artillery. Ahmad Shah, like the great
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.