1 6 LAHOR TAKEN BY AHMED SHAH. A. D. 1747,
2 from allegiance, desiring him not to seek the degrada-
3 tion of serving Ahmed, the gusool or mace-bearer of
4 Nadir, but to be faithful to the hereditary sovereign of
5 his family and race. The young man's pride was touch-
6 ed, and although doubtful what might be the issue of the
7 complaint of his elder brother, he prepared himself
8 to oppose the advance of the Dooranees, and with-
9 drew from further correspondence with Ahmed Shah.
10 Undeterred by this change of counsels, the Abdalee
11 crossed the Indus near the fort of Attuk, in the year
12 1747, and sent his domestic priest, Sabir Shah, in
13 advance to Labor, hoping through his negotiations or
14 intrigues to bind Shah Nuwaz Khan to his first offers,
15 or at all events to secure a friendly reception to his army.
16 Shah Nuwaz, however, was now staunch in his alle-
17 giance to Dehlee, and placed himself in the best posture
18 of defence his scanty means would permit. He further
19 / gave to his court a pledge of fidelity by causing the
20 >i, agent of the Abdalee to be murdered. Ahmed Shah
21 was greatly incensed at this violence done to the person
22 of his ambassador and confidential servant, and crossing
23 the Ravee, marched immediately to attack Shah Nuwaz
24 Khan in the entrenched position he had taken up under
25 the walls of Labor. The resistance offered was slight;
26 the defences were soon mastered by the Dooranee war-
27 riors, and Shah Nuwaz escaping fled to Dehlee; the
28 city of Labor was shortly after reduced, and its resources
29 fell a prey to the Abdalee, who raised there a heavy
30 contribution.
31 Ahmed Shah when at Dehlee in the train of Nadir
32 Shah, bad not been an inattentive observer of the state
33 of things at that Court. The imbecility of Mohummud