Page image — the source of record
Machine transcription
62
commanders, led an attack in person. The Afghans were able to inflict heavy losses on the Mughals, but they too suffered severely. Qamar-ud-din Khan, the Vazier, was killed in the engage-ment, while his son, Mir Mannu, next in command stood the ground without flinching. At this critical moment, when the fate of battle hung in the balance, some carts loaded with rockets exploded near the Afghan gun-powder magazine, burning to death some 1,000 gunners. This obliged the Afghans to stand on the defensive, and when night came, they marched off home-wards. The Mughals had not the heart to pursue them.
Mohammed Shah, the Mughal, was at this time seriously ill and expired at Delhi about a month after the battle of Sirhind. He was succeeded by his son Ahmad, under the title of Ahmad Shah. The Afghan King, on learning this, again appeared in the Panjab. Mir Mannu, who was left in charge of the Province, finding himself unable to cope with the situation, made his submission. Ahmad Shah Durrani allowed him to retain the governorship of the province on payment of 1,400,000 rupees annually as tribute.
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.