1 tiial. He then gave himseU' up to hi« £stie» and boffe his mbaequeot calami,
2 ties with patience and firmness. * .
3 Aiisud Kliaun, a bratber Futteh Khaun's, was instantly di^iatched to
4 iMUM Zeoiiiin, and aooB after in oBoa -mm wnt nilli a nugeoa to pot oat
5 bit eyei. The awmgtw met Zemanp oh hi»'»ny to Caobul, andpetfoniKd
6 their orders by piercing his eyes with » Inoct. He WM then OMCried td
7 Caubul and conifaed in the Balla Hissanr. :
8 He retnained in confinement ail Mahnit od's rei<?n, but tvas released on
9 Shiija's accession ; he has since lived in comparative ease and cotni'ort. ^ Wu^
10 tadar and his brothers were executed soon after their aetzure.
11 Mabmood's accession was at first joyfully weloMBed fej ell aaka of imeii.
12 ViiflUar had di^guited the gMat by his syitaaMlie deprewiflri of their ocdef^
13 aa well as the poq^ bj ha enctions > and the natioQ Ibndfy hoped that by a
14 diange of govanunent they might recover, if not the glorious and pitiqieious
15 career of Ahmed, the tranquiUity whicli they had enjoyed under his son.
16 But the character ot" Shauli Mahmood was calculated to disappoint all their
17 expectations : unprincipled, uuloleiii, and timid, he shared as little in the
18 care8 oi' government as in the toils and dangers oi' wai' ^ and while im own
19 eaie and n&tj were ipenreb he was iadMfcwiit to,the conduct of hanwinMteii
20 and to the welftre oif hit oeonle*
21 The government of the state waa left entirely to Aknm Khann Aliaye and
22 Futteh Khaun Baorikaye. The first of theie ehiefbiins had all the charac*
23 teristics of :i Dt)oraMnee nobleman. He was proud, hitrh-spirited, and obsti-
24 nate, irugal Ijnt not sordid in expence, steady in his attachment to his party,
25 and strict in couiurming to the uotions of honor which prevail among his
26 conhcrymen. F&t^ Khann hia dnoe beoenM one of die moat prominent
27 chancteiB in die Doofatmee hiitoiy« and now holds the oOoe of ^Amm, attd
28 enjoys the supreme power under Aa name <^ his rehidant aovereiglu
29 cepting the short and tnrinilent paEbd of MahnMiod's sneceMb the eerly part
30 of his life was spent in intrigues and adventures, sometimes supporting a
31 rebel force bv p!im(ipr, and sometimes living in jealous and precarious
32 friendship witii the Kmg. His character is such as such cu e uni-siances
33 might be expected to form. As iiis misfortunes uever reduced him to de-
34 • Dnrmjj his coiifmetnent lie secreted the Cohcenoor (one of 'lie nojt valuable diamonda in the
35 w orld), with some other jewels, in the wall of bis apartment, where thej were afterwarda fuupd on
36 ShajafsttccMioa. '
37 Digitized by Google