हम्मीर महाकाव्यम् (रणथम्भौर चौहान वीरगाथा एवं इतिहास)

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upon the invaders at a place on the Varṇanâśâ, and gained
a decisive advantage over the enemy, great numbers of whom
were killed. Contenting himself with the advantage thus gained,
Bhîmasingh began to retrace his steps towards Raṇathaṁ-
bhôr, Ulugh Khân secretly following him with the main body
of his army. Now it so happened that the soldiers of Bhîma-
singh, who had obtained immense booty, were anxious to carry
it home safely, and, in their anxiety to do this, they outstripped
their chief, who had around him only a small band of his personal
followers. When Bhîmasingh had thus gained the middle
of the Hindavât pass, in the pride of victory he ordered the
kettledrums and other musical instruments he had captured from
the enemy to be vigorously sounded. This act had an unforeseen
and disastrous consequence. Ulugh Khân had ordered his
army to follow Bhîmasingh in small detachments, and had
commanded them to fall on him wherever he should sound his
martial instruments, which they were to understand as the signal
of some great advantage gained over the enemy. When the
detached parties, therefore, of the Muhammadans heard the sound
of the nagâras, they poured into the pass from all sides, and
Ulugh Khân also coming up began to fight with Bhîma-
singh. The Hindu general for a time nobly sustained the
unequal combat, but was at last wounded and killed. After
gaining this signal advantage over the enemy, Ulugh Khân
returned to Dehli.
Hammîra, after the completion of the sacrifice, learnt
the details of the battle and of the death of his general
Bhîmasingh. He upbraided Dharmasingh for desert-
ing Bhîmasingh, and called him blind, as he could not see
that Ulugh Khân was on the track of the army. He also
called him impotent as he did not rush to the rescue of Bhîma-
singh. Not content with thus upbraiding Dharmasingh,
the king ordered the offending general to be blinded and castrated.