lhi requesting the monarch of India would give orders to the governors
of his northern provinces not to permit the enemies of Persia to find a
refuge from an avenging sword in the territories of an ally. No
satisfactory answer had been received to this mission; and, while the
Afghans were allowed to take shelter within the limits of the Indian
empire, obstacles were thrown in the way of the return of the Persian
envoy. Nadir, incensed at these proceedings, pursued the fugitives to
Kabul, and not only made himself master of that city, but of all the
country in its vicinity. After this conquest he addressed another letter
to the Emperor of India, in which he reproached him, in the bitterest
terms, for his past conduct, but still professed a desire of maintaining
the relations of friendship. The bearer of this letter was slain by the
Afghan chief: and Nadir, perhaps, did not regret an event which added to
the pretexts that before existed to justify him to the world in
undertaking the most splendid of all his enterprises--the invasion of
India (1738).

The progress of Nadir from Kabul to India was rapid and successful:
almost all the governors of the principal provinces through which he
passed anticipated the fate of the empire by their submission; but the
conqueror has, in a letter to his son, Reza Kuli, given us the most
authentic account we could desire to possess of events from the day on
which he left Lahore till that on which he resolved to restore the
vanquished Mahomet Shah to the throne of his ancestors. After informing
that Prince of an advantage which his troops had gained over an advanced
party of his enemies, and describing an ineffectual attempt he had made
to prevent the junction of an army under Saadut Khan with Mahomet Shah,
he states that the Indian monarch considered himself so strong from his
reenforcement that he left his intrenchments, and drew up his troops in
order of battle. The result will be best told in Nadir's own words.

"We," he observes, "who wished for such a day, after appointing guards
for our camp, and invoking the support of an all-powerful Creator,
mounted, and advanced to the charge. For two complete hours the action
raged with violence, and a heavy fire from cannon and musketry was kept
up. After that, by the aid of the Almighty, our lion-hunting heroes
broke the enemy's line and chased them from the field of battle,
dispersing them in every direction. This battle lasted two hours; an