Hindoos began to disperse. The sultan entered the camp, and Dewul Roy's
masters, hoping now for more valuable plunder than sugar-cane, hastened
to join their own fronds, leaving him to shift for himself. Dewul
Roy ran with his own troops, and about noon came up with some of his
nobles, by whom he was recognised and received with great joy. His
safety being made known, his army rallied into some order; but as he
regarded the late accident as an ill omen, he laid aside all thoughts
of engaging in the field, and fled to Beejanuggur.[105]

"Ahmad Shaw not stopping to besiege the city, overran the open country,
and wherever he came, put to death men; women, and children, without
mercy, contrary to the compact made by his ancestor Mahummud Shaw
with the roies of Beejanuggur. Laying aside all humanity, whenever
the number of the slain amounted to twenty thousand, he halted three
days, and made a festival in celebration of the bloody work. He
broke down the idol temples, and destroyed the colleges of the
Bramins. During these operations a body of five thousand Hindoos,
enraged to desperation at the destruction of their country and the
insults of their gods, united in taking an oath to sacrifice their
lives in attempting to kill the sultan, as the grand author of all
their sufferings. For this purpose they employed spies to observe
his motions, that they might seize the first opportunity of action.

"It happened, that the sultan going to hunt, in the eagerness of
chase separated from the body of his attendants, and advanced near
twelve miles from his camp.[106] The devoted infidels, informed of
the circumstance, immediately hastened to intercept him, and arrived
in sight when even his personal attendants, about two hundred Moguls,
were at some distance from him. The sultan alarmed, galloped on in
hopes of gaining a small mud enclosure which stood on the plain as