him Khan at
Farah, twenty miles from Agra, then marched on and occupied Delhi. He
was preparing to head an expedition to recover Jaunpur and Behar,
when he heard of danger threatening him from Kabul.

The events that followed were important only in their results.
Humayun marched from Kabul for the Indus in November, 1554, at the
head of a small army, which, however, gathered strength as he
advanced. Akbar accompanied him. Crossing the Indus the 2nd of
January, 1555, Humayun made for {62} Rawal Pindi, then pushed on for
Kalanaur, on the further side of the Ravi. There he divided his
forces, sending his best general, Bairam Khan, into Jalandhar, whilst
he marched on Lahore, and despatched thence his special favourite,
Abul Ma'ali, to occupy Dipalpur, then an important centre, commanding
the country between the capital and Multan.

Events developed themselves very rapidly. Bairam Khan defeated the
generals of Sikandar Shah at Machhiwara on the Sutlej, and then
marched on the town of Sirhind. Sikandar, hoping to crush him there,
hurried to that place with a vastly superior force. Bairam intrenched
himself, and wrote to Humayun for aid. Humayun despatched the young
Akbar, and followed a few days later. Before they could come,
Sikandar had arrived but had hesitated to attack. The hesitation lost
him. As soon as Humayun arrived, he precipitated a general
engagement. The victory was decisive. Sikandar Shah fled to the
Siwaliks, and Humayun, with his victorious army, marched on Delhi.
Occupying it the 23rd of July, he despatched one division of it to
overrun Rohilkhand, another to occupy Agra. He had previously sent
Abul Ma'ali to secure the Punjab.

But his troubles were not yet over. Hemu, the general and chief
minister of Muhammad Shah Adel, had defeated the pretender to the
throne of Bengal, who had invaded the North-west Provinces, near
Kalpi on the Jumna, and that capable leader was preparing to march on
Delhi. Sikandar Shah, too, who had {63} been defeated at Sirhind, was
beginning to show signs of life in the Punjab. In the face of these
difficulties Humayun decided to remain at Delhi himself, whilst he
despatched Akbar with Bairam Khan as his 'Atalik,' or adviser, to
settle matters in the Punjab.

We must first follow Akbar. That prince reached Sirhind early in
January, 1556. Joined there by many of the nobles whom Abul Ma'ali,
the favourite of his father, had disgusted by his haughtiness, he
crossed the Sutlej at