SUCH was his fortune, that even at the time when he was an amir, he became a Solomon in the country of Deogir (Demon-land). The demon (deo) became so submissive in the land of Jamshed, that Ram Deo’s country was ravaged and the Rai himself was first captured and then set free. Fate placed in Alauddin’s hands a world of treasure, nay, the treasure of the whole world—innumerable elephants and more precious stones than could be carried by a hundred camels…

Next, the army of the Emperor was ordered to march towards Tilang. The Rai of Tilang, a ruler over the world of gold-leaf, possessed a hundred elephants. He wished to raise a tumult with his world-conquering heart, but the prestige of the Emperor overawed him; and as he had not courage enough to resort to dagger-thrusts, he sought refuge in his unlucky fort. The fort was encircled by the Imperial army even as a demon might have been surrounded by Jamshed’s soldiers. The Rai saw himself wounded by the talons of the Emperor’s good fortune; he asked for the right hand of peace and it was extended to him. The Rai then constructed a golden image of himself with a golden cord round its neck and sent it to the Imperial army with one hundred elephants and a treasure beyond all reckoning. In return for this the Malik spared the Rai’s life; yet in order to test him—and an arrow is not kept blunt except on purpose—he thundered in rage: ‘If the Rai does not come in person, we shall take up the dagger in the hand of peace we have extended to him.’ When the Rai’s neck heard this, it felt like rolling itself on its head (to the Malik’s presence); so before he could be brought out by compulsion, the Rai came out in person wlth his head still on his neck. This dis­play of submission saved his rebellious neck from the decapitating sword and he was allowed to reign in his own territory. Having been deprived of all his wealth, Saturn was left in his empty constellation. After thus suppressing the rebels, the victorious army returned to the Court; it was distinguished by royal favours and even ordinary horsemen were raised to the status of respectable amirs.

Next, the Barbek was ordered to make the elephants of Ma’bar the morsel of his falcons, so that the heroes of the army may be intoxicated with Ma’bari blood. He was to conquer the seacoast till Lanka (Ceylon) with his sword; the land right up to Sarandip (Ceylon) was to be perfumed with the amber of faith and the heads of Satan’s followers knocked down in quick succession at Adam’s feet. Accompanied by Victory herself, the army started with the intention of raising from the sea a dust that would rise up to the moon. When it reached the territory of the Rai Rayan, the ground became invisible under the feet of the quadrupeds, but as Deogir was already submissive, the army moved against the other Deos, while the earth trembled under its feet. Here, too, was a famous Rai, Bilal Deo, a per­son of great reputation in those days who through the strength of his elephants and his treasure had often done considerable harm to Deogir. At a hint (from the Malik) the army began to plunder the country. But the wise Rai refused to fight; he came fearlessly out of his fort and handed over to the Imperial army with all elephants, horses and valuables he possessed.

After this fortunate victory on the way, the army provided itself with the necessary material of war and moved like a wall of iron towards the ocean. It raised such a storm that stones flew about like straws, ships were wrecked in the sea and the villages and towns situated on the line of march shook from seacoast to seacoast. In that vicinity also there was an august Rai, a Brahman named Bir Pandya, the finest gem in the crown of the Hindus. His sway was unchallenged over land and sea, and there were many inland cities and harbours in his dominions, the chief of them being Patan, where the Rai resided, and Marhat Puri which contained a famous idol and temple. The golden temple raised its head to the moon and Saturn felt ashamed of it; the idol was drowned in rubies and precious stones, everyone of which was valuable enough to provide food for a whole city. The Rai possessed a large army and countless boats; Mussal­mans as well as Hindus were in his service. He had a thousand elephants and horses more than could be counted. When the Imperial army reached Patan, the misguided Rai forgot his path in fear, and in spite of the strength he possessed, hid himself like an ant in the forest. His subjects wandered disconsolate on all sides, and his elephants and troops went about searching for their lost ‘head’. An army becomes a mere mob when its leader is not to be found—what is the use of the body when the head has been cut off? The Muslim troopers of the Rai sub­mitted to the Imperial army; the commander (Malik Kafur) forgave them, encouraged them, and treated them with favour. Next, they applied their iron instruments to the golden idol and opened doors into the ‘heads’ of the temple, which though it was the Ka’ba of the accursed gabrs, yet kissed the ground of the Imperial Treasury. The gold and treasure of (the temple)—so heavy that it would have casued a hill in the other pan of the balance to fly up—was placed on moun­tain-like elephants for the Imperial Court. When the Ma’bar expedition was over, the wise Commander brought the army back to the capital, where it was distin­guished by royal favours. How great, indeed, is the fortune of the Emperor who conquers the world without stirring from his throne. At a motion of his eyebrows in Delhi, Ma’bar and Bahrain are plundered. He has only to will it, and all the Deos of India become submissive to him.