I immediately selected ten battalions from my army, and giving the command to Prince Sháh Rukh, left him in charge of the remaining forces and baggage, in Tílák Ghúnán, and Díktúr, while I myself set my foot in the stirrup to chastise the infidel Kators. Setting spurs to my horse I marched forward in great haste, accomplishing two days journey in the twenty-four hours. When I arrived at the place called Paryán I detached prince Rustam and Burhán Aghlán Jújítar, who were reckoned among my chief nobles, against the country of the Siyáh-poshes, which lay on the left hand. With them I sent some of the nobility and a body of 10,000 cavalry, while I myself pursued my march towards the mountains of Kator. When I made enquiries concerning the extent and condition of that kingdom from Muzíd, who was the chief man of Indaráb, he informed me that the length of the kingdom of Kator stretches from the frontier of Kashmír to the mountains of Kábul, and there are many towns and villages in this country. One of their large cities is called Shokal, and another Jorkal, which latter is the residence of their ruler. The country produces fruits in large quantities, such as grapes, apples, apricots, and various other kinds. Rice and other grains are cultivated. Much wine is made, and all people, great and small, drink of it. The people eat swine's flesh. Cattle and sheep abound in this country. Most of the inhabitants are idolaters; they are men of a powerful frame and fair complexion. Their language is distinct from Turkí, Persian, Hindí, and Kashmírí. Their weapons are arrows, swords, and slings. Their ruler is called 'Adálshú.* When I arrived at Kháwak I perceived a dilapidated fort which I resolved to repair, so I immediately gave orders to the soldiers to that effect, and it was speedily executed. As most of the route was rocky and precipitous, I ordered most of the nobles and all the soldiers to leave horses, camels, and superfluous baggage in this fort. In obedience to this order most of the nobles and all the soldiers ac­companied me on foot, while I, relying on the assistance of Almighty God, pressed steadily forward to the conquest of Kator and began to ascend the mountains. In spite of the heat of the wind there was so much snow on the hills that the feet of both men and cattle helplessly sank in it. I was therefore obliged to halt during the day, but at night when the snow congealed I pursued my way over the frozen surface of the ice till I reached the top of the mountain. At day-break, when the ice thawed, carpets and horse-rugs were spread upon its surface and the horses were kept upon them. At night-fall we again went on as before, and in this manner I crossed several lofty mountains, but the nobles were obliged to send back to the fort several of the horses they had brought with them. When I reached the top of a lofty mountain, such that there can be none higher than it, I found that these wicked infidels had taken up their position in the caverns of the mountain, the entrances of which were blocked up with snow, so that they were almost inaccessible, nor, in spite of all my exertions, could I find a way to descend the mountain. I was obliged to give orders to my brave soldiers to get down as best they could. The nobles and soldiery now began the descent. Some lying down on their sides and sliding over the snow, rolled themselves down to the bottom. Others fastening cords and long tent ropes to their waists and attaching one end of the ropes to the trees and rocks which were on the top, let themselves gently down. As for me, I gave orders that they should make me a basket of planks and wicker work. When they had made the basket they attached firmly to each of its four corners a rope 150 yards in length, and as I, since I undertook this expe­dition against the infidels, had made up my mind to undergo all manner of trouble and fatigue, I took my seat in the basket, and a body of men taking hold of the ends of these ropes lowered away gently till the rope had all run out, and then some persons scrambling down to before where I was, cleared away the snow and ice with spades and mattocks, and made a place for me to stand upon. The first body of men then having descended to this place, again lowered me gently down as far as the ropes would reach. At the fifth repetition of this ma­nœuvre I reached the bottom of the mountain. When in this manner all the nobles and soldiers had got down, some of the horses, my own private property, which had accompanied me, were let down in the same manner, that is, by attaching ropes to their legs and shoulders, but out of the whole number only two reached the bottom in safety, all the others being dashed to pieces. When no more of my people remained above, since my object was the extermination of the infidels, grasping my sceptre-sword in my hand I marched forward on foot one parasang into that rocky country, together with my nobility and troops. At the earnest petition of the nobles I again mounted, but all the chiefs, with their soldiers, kept on steadily marching on foot at my stirrup. The ruler of Kator had a fort, on one side of which was a river, and beyond the river a lofty mountain reaching down to the water. As the infidels in this fort had gained intelligence of my approach a day before my arrival, and dread had taken possession of their hearts, they had removed their wealth and property from the fort, and having crossed the river, had taken refuge in the mountain which was very lofty, and abounded in caves very difficult of access. On its being represented to me that this fort was the most important stronghold of the ruler of Kator in those parts, I resolved to subdue it. When I ad­vanced into the neighbourhood of the fort I did not perceive a trace of the infidels, and when I came to the place itself I saw that they had abandoned it and fled. I obtained a booty of many sheep and some other things here, and ordered that they should set fire to the houses and buildings of the city, in the midst of which the fort was built, and that they should level it with the ground. Then crossing the river in haste and pursuing the track of the enemy, I reached the skirts of the mountain on the top of which the infidels had taken up their position in defiles and other strong places. I immediately gave orders to my valiant and experienced troops to ascend. Raising their war cry and shouting the takbír, they rushed to the attack, and before all the rest Shaikh Arslán Aztumán Kabak Khán, who is a lion in the day of battle, mounting the hill on the left hand, com­menced the fight. Leading his men upon the infidels he put them to flight, and following up the enemy entered the fastnesses of the rock and sent numbers of the impious unbelievers to hell. Tawáchí 'Ali Sultán, also on his side, made a valiant assault upon the foe, and with his own regiment charged and routed the infidel enemy, sending numbers of them to hell. Amír Sháh Malik too, on his side, displayed great valour, making a great slaughter of the infidels and driving them completely out of the mountain. Mubashír Bahádur and Mankalí Khwájah, and Súnjak Bahádur, and Shaikh 'Alí Sálar, and Musa Zakmál, and Husain Malik Kúchín, and Mír Husain Kúr, and the other nobles, displayed great valour and used their swords well. They all proved their zeal for Islám on the unbelieving foe, and having overpowered the infidels they put many of them to death, and took possession of their fastnesses. Only a few of the enemy succeeded in sheltering themselves, wounded and worn out with fatigue, in their caverns. Of my troops only fourteen persons lost their lives, and that was in effecting the passage of the mountain. Some of the infidels held out in their defiles for three days and nights, but sending my valiant troops against them I so pressed them that they were obliged to surrender and call for quarter. I sent Ák Sultán to them with the message that if they would consent to submit unconditionally and would all become Musul-máns and repeat the creed, I would grant them quarter, but otherwise I would exterminate them to a man. When Ák Sultán reached the infidels with this message, which he explained to them through the medium of an interpreter conversant both with their language and with Turkí, they all proffered submis­sion, and repeating the necessary formula, embraced the Mu­hammadan faith. Relying upon this external profession I spared their lives and property, and gave orders that no one should interfere with their lives, wealth, or country. I then clothed some of them in dresses of honour and dismissed them. I halted with my army there for that night, and these black-hearted infidels made a nocturnal assault on the regiment of Amír Sháh Malik, but as this leader was on his guard, the enemy were foiled in their intentions. Numbers of them were slain, and 150 fell into our hands alive, who were afterwards put to death by my enraged soldiery. As soon as it was day I ordered my troops to attack on all four sides at once, and forcing their way into the defiles to kill all the men, to make prisoners the women and children, and to plunder and lay waste all their property. In obedience to these orders, my nobles and troops making a valiant assault on all sides at once, and putting to the sword the remnant of the infidels, consigned them to the house of perdition. They made prisoners of their women and children, and secured an enormous booty. I directed towers to be built on the mountain of the skulls of those obstinate unbelievers, and I ordered an engraver on stone, who was in my camp, to cut an inscription somewhere on those defiles to the effect that I had reached this country by such and such a route, in the auspicious month of Rama-zán, A. H. 800 (May, 1398): that if chance should conduct any­one to this spot he might know how I had reached it. At this time I had received no intelligence of Prince Rustam and Burhán Aghlán, whom I had detached against the country of the Siyáh-poshes, and since this same Burhán Aghlán on a former oc­casion, when I had appointed him to the command in a predatory incursion, had displayed great sloth and military incapacity (to retrieve which negligence I had given him the command on the present occasion), a doubt entered my mind as to what he could be doing. One night, too, I dreamt that my sword was bent, which I interpreted into a certain token that Burhán Aghlán had been defeated. I immediately appointed Muhammad Ázád, who was one of those whom I had brought up,* to go and ascer­tain something respecting him, and I put under his command Daulát Sháh and Shaikh 'Alí, the son of Airakulí Adighúr, and Shaihk Muhammad, and 'Alí Bahádur, with a body of 400 men, 100 of whom were Tátárs and the remaining 300 Tájiks, and gave them a native of Kator as a guide. Muhammad Ázád with his band of heroes immediately commenced his march, and crossing lofty mountains full of snow and ice, and passing through narrow defiles, rolling in many places over precipices and sliding over the icy surface, finally got out of the mountains and into the open country. When Muhammad Ázád having extricated himself from the mountains, reached the fortress of the Siyáh-poshes, he found it deserted, for they had abandoned it from their dread of the army of Islám, and had taken refuge in their mountain defiles. Now Burhán Aghlán's adventure had been as follows:—When he, with the nobles under his command, such as Isma'íl, and Allahdád, and Súbakh Tímúr, etc., etc., and the troops reached the fort he found it empty, and incautiously following the footsteps of the enemy, came to the defiles. They had left a few troopers and a few foot soldiers as a guard below, and the infidels rising from their ambushes, fiercely assailed the true-believers. Such was the cowardice and military incapacity of Burhán Aghlán that he threw away his arms and fled without striking a blow. When the troops saw the flight of their leader they lost heart and were defeated, and the infidels following them closely raised full many a true believer to the rank of a martyr. Of the amírs of the regiments, Daulat Sháh, and Shaíkh Husain Súchi, and Adína Bahádur displayed great valour, but after slaying many of the infidels they finally drank the sherbet of martyrdom; Burhán Aghlán, leaving many horses and suits of armour a prey to the infidels, escaped.