Page:History of India Vol 3.djvu/261

 PKEPAKATIONS FOE BATTLE 213 exquisite palace-city of Fathpur where he was joined by the garrison from Biana. These men had already received a lesson from the Rajputs, of whose bravery and daring they spoke with deep respect. The enemy was evidently not one that could be trifled with. An outpost affair soon confirmed this impression: an incau- tious advance by one of the amirs was instantly de- tected by the Eajputs, who sent the Turks flying back to camp. Being now in touch with the enemy, the emperor put his army in battle array. As before at Panipat, he ranged the gun-carriages, and probably the baggage-wagons, so as to cover his front, and chained them together at a distance of five paces. Mustafa from Turkey ordered his artillery admirably in the Ottoman manner on the left wing, but Ustad Ali had a method of his own; where there were no guns or wagons, a ditch was dug, backed by portable wooden tripods on wheels, lashed together at a few paces apart. These preparations took twenty-five days, and were designed to restore the confidence of the troops, who were almost in a panic at the reports of the numbers and courage of the Rajputs and at the foolish predic- tions of a rascally astrologer. It was at this crisis that Babar renounced wine, broke his drinking-cups, poured out the stores of liquor on the ground, and calling his dispirited officers to- gether, addressed them: " Gentlemen and Soldiers: Every man that comes into the world must pass away: God alone is immortal and unchangeable. Whoso sits down to the feast of life must end by drinking the cup