Page image — the source of record
Machine transcription
133
was then at a low ebb; his country was in a most
unsettled condition, and his throne seemed to be
tottering under him. He made himself busy
collecting an army, and was projecting a great
military expedition. On the 14th of June the
Mission turned its back on Peshawar and left for
India.
Elphinstone had scarcely left Peshawar when
news was received that Kabul had been occupied
by Mahmud with the aid of Fateh Khan. Before
the Mission had cleared the limits of the Durrani
Empire, Shah Shuja had given battle to his
enemies, and had been disastrously defeated.
The month of June had not worn to a close
before it was evident that his cause was almost
lost. Still, he did not abandon the contest. It
was now rumoured that Mahmud had reached
Jigdalik with the object of making an advance
upon Peshawar. There was no time to lose.
The Shah, taking precautionary measures, sent
his family towards Rawalpindi for safety, accom-
panied by his blinded brother, Zaman Shah.
After making necessary preparations, Shah
Shuja left Peshawar for Kabul. He first encamped
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.