Accession of Modood — takes revenge on the assassins of his father. — The Prince Mādood in India refuses to acknow­ledge his brother king. — Modood marches to Lahore — his brother dies suddenly. — Suljooks invade Transoxania and take Bulkh. — The Hindoo Rajas retake Tahnesur, Hansy, and Nagrakote, and advance to Lahore. — Siege of Lahore by the Hindoos continues for seven months — is at length aban­doned. — The Suljooks defeated in Transoxania by Aluptu-geen Hajib. — Toghrul Beg Suljooky also defeated at Boost. — Insurrections in the Ghizny empire. — Dissensions among the chiefs of Modood — his death.

WHEN the news of the murder of Musaood reached the ears of Mahomed the Blind, he wept bitterly, and severely reproached the assassins. At the same time he wrote to the Prince Modood, then at Bulkh, that such and such people had killed his father, calling God to witness that his hands were clear of the wicked deed. To this Modood re­plied, sarcastically, “May God lengthen the days “of so good and merciful a king, and grant that “his mad son, Ahmud, may gain glory in the “practice of regicide, till his reward be obtained “from our hands!” Modood proposed marching immediately to revenge the death of his father, but was persuaded by his council to go first to Ghizny, where the citizens, upon his approach, thronged out to meet him, and expressed their joy in acclamations and congratulations.

of Jakur Beg) began to make fresh incursions into his terrritories.

A. H. 435.
A. D. 1043. In the year 435, the Raja of Dehly, in conjunction with other rajas, retook Hansy, Tahnesur, and their depend­encies, from the governors to whom Modood had entrusted them. The Hindoos from thence marched towards the fort of Nagrakote, which they besieged for four months; and the gar­rison being distressed for provisions, and no suc­cours coming from Lahore, was under the ne­cessity of capitulating. The Hindoos, according to their practice, erected new idols, and recom­menced the rites of idolatry. We are told, that on this occasion the Raja of Dehly, (aware, no doubt, of the embarrassed circumstances of the empire of Ghizny,) pretended to have seen a vision, in which the great idol of Nagrakote had appeared, and told him that, having now revenged himself upon Ghizny, he would meet him at Na-grakote in his former temple. This story being propagated by the Bramins, who, probably, were in the secret, it gained credence among the super­stitious, by which means the Raja was joined by zealots from all parts, and soon saw himself at the head of a numerous host. With this army, as we have already mentioned, he besieged Nagrakote, and when the place surrendered, he took care to have an idol of the same shape and size with the former (which he had caused to be made at Dehly) introduced in the night, into a garden in the centre of the place. This image being dis-??vered in the morning, great rejoicing occurred among its deluded votaries, who exclaimed that their god had returned from Ghizny. The Raja and the Brahmins, taking advantage of the cre­dulity of the populace, carried the idol with great pomp into the temple, where it received the ador­ation and congratulations of the people. The story raised the fame of the shrine to such a degree, that thousands came daily to worship from all parts of Hindoostan, as also to consult the oracle upon all important occasions; and at this particular time, the offerings of gold, and silver, and jewels, brought and sent by the different princes from far and near, is supposed to have nearly equalled the wealth Mahmood carried away. The method of consultation was this: — The person who came to enquire into futurity slept on the floor of the temple before the idol, after drinking a dose which the Bramins prescribed to create dreams, from which they predicted the fortune of the enquirers in the morning, according to their own fancy.

The success of the Raja of Dehly gave such confidence to the Indian chiefs of Punjab (the province through which the five branches of the Indus flow), and other places, that though before this time, like foxes, they durst hardly creep from their holes, for fear of the Mussulman arms, yet now they put on the aspect of lions, and openly set their masters at defiance. Three of those Rajas, with 10,000 horse and an innumerable army of foot, advanced and invested Lahore. The Ma-homedans, in defence of their laws, their families, and their effects, exerted themselves to the utmost; and, during the period of seven months, defended the town, street by street, for the walls being bad, were soon laid in ruins. Finding, however, that, in the end, they must be overpowered, unless speedy succours arrived, they bound themselves by oath to devote their lives to victory or martyr­dom; and making a sally, presented themselves in order of battle before the enemy's camp. The Hindoos, either struck by their unexpected appear­ance, or intimidated by their resolution, betook themselves to flight, and were pursued with great slaughter.

In the year preceding (A. H. 434), the King sent Aluptugeen Hajib with an army to Tokharistan, against the ever-restless Suljooky. When he reached that place, he heard that Jakur Beg, the son of Dāood, had advanced to Armun; * but as the two armies drew up in order of battle, the chief of the Suljooks (a young man without ex­perience) marshalled his troops with such want of skill, that they charged before all the horse had properly formed. This circumstance occa­sioned confusion, so that being firmly received they were broken, and totally routed with heavy loss. Aluptugeen having returned from the pursuit, marched to recover Bulkh, which the Suljooks had taken. Not long after, the Suljooks returning with a powerful force, appeared before the same place. Bulkh not being taken, and Aluptugeen, finding himself too weak to engage the enemy in the field, wrote to Modood for succour. But no reinforcements arriving, and the general's dif­ficulties daily increasing, he determined to aban­don his attempt on Bulkh; and fell back by the route of Kabul on Ghizny, with a small portion of his army. The popular outcry, however, was so strong against this unfortunate officer, that Mo-dood, in order to silence the clamour, suffered him to be put to death. About this time, the Toorkmans of Toghrul Beg made an incursion into the Ghiznevide territories by the way of Boost, against whom Modood sent an army, which gave them a sign l defeat.

A. H. 436.
A. D. 1044. In the year 436 Khwaja Tahir, the vizier, died, and Khwaja Abool Futteh Abdool Ruzak, the son of Ahmud, and grandson of Hussun Mymundy, was raised to that office. In the same year, Toghrul Beg * was sent with a force towards Boost; from whence having proceeded to Seestan, he brought the brother of Abool Fuzl Oozbuky, entitled Aboo Munsoor, who had rebelled against the King, prisoner to Ghizny. The Suljooks, in the following year, having col­lected their forces, directed their march towards Ghizny, and plundered the palaces of Boost and Rubat Ameer. Toghrul Beg was ordered against them. He defeated them with great slaughter, and pursued them out of the country. After this victory, Toghrul Beg marched imme­diately against the Toorkmans of Kandahar, called Kuzil-bash†, * owing to their wearing red caps, and defeating them also, took many prisoners, whom he brought to Ghizny.

A. H. 438.
A. D. 1046. In the 438th year, Toghrul Beg was again ordered to Boost, with a numerous army; but when he arrived at Tukeabad, he began to entertain treasonable designs against his sovereign. News of his revolt reaching Modood, he sent some persons to en­deavour to reclaim him, with a promise of pardon. To this overture Toghrul Beg replied, that the reason of this step was to secure himself; that he had information of a plot formed against his life, by those sycophants whose only business was to stand by the throne, and to amuse the ears of the King with lies and flattery, and that being once driven into rebellion, he had now gone too far to retreat. Though the King's messengers pro­duced no effect on Toghrul, they found most of the chiefs with him still loyal, and they induced others to abandon him, who had joined rather from the desire of novelty than from any real cause of disaf­fection. The messengers now returned, and having told the King how matters stood, he ordered Ally, the son of Rubeea, one of his generals, with 20,000 horse, to join the insurgents, and to pro­mote the dissensions already begun in their camp. Toghrul Beg, accordingly, was, soon after, deserted by his army, and betook himself to flight with a few adherents.

Ameer Bastugeen Hajib, another chief, was, in the same year, sent to Ghoor, to the assistance of the son of Yehya Ghoory, who joined him with his force, and they both marched against Aboo Ally, ruler of Ghoor, and drove him into a fort, * wherein he was besieged and taken prisoner. This place was reckoned so strong, that no one had attempted its reduction for 700 years. When Ameer Bastugeen Hajib found himself master of the fort, he treacherously laid hands on the son of Yehya Ghoory, whom he came to support, and carried him in chains, with Aboo Ally, to Ghizny, where the King ordered both to be beheaded. Ameer Bastugeen Hajib was sent soon after against Byram Daniel, a chief of the Suljooks. He met the enemy in the districts of Boost, where

A. H. 439.
A. D. 1047.

he engaged and defeated them. In the year 439 he was sent against Khoozdar, the ruler of which refused to pay the usual tribute; but he obliged him to comply with the King's demands, and returned with his army to Ghizny.

In the following year, Modood, on one and the same day, conferred the royal dress, drums, and colours, on his two eldest sons. These were Mah-mood, whom he sent to Lahore, and Munsoor, whom he sent to the province of Burkistwar. At the same time, Aboo Ally Kotwal of Ghizny was deputed to command the army in India, and to maintain the conquests in that quarter. Aboo Ally first marched to Pishawur, and took the fort of Myhtilla, which had rebelled against the King's authority, from thence he sent a letter to Bheejy Ray, a general of the Hindoos, who had done much service in the time of Mahmood, inviting him to come to the court of Ghizny, whence he had fled on account of some political dissensions, and had taken up his abode in the mountains of Kashmeer.

While Aboo Ally was employed in settling the countries on the Indus, some malicious chiefs in his camp forwarded complaints against him to the King, who, having sent for him to Ghizny, im­prisoned and made him over in charge to Meeruk, the son of Hoossein. This chief, moved by former enmity, as well as by a design to extort money, put him to the rack, on which he died. Fearing lest the King should enquire for the prisoner, and order him to be produced, he endeavoured to divert Modood's mind till he should be able to frame an excuse for the death of Aboo Ally. He prevailed with the Sooltan, in the first place, to undertake an expedition against Khorassan, by the way of Kabul. Modood proceeded by the route of Shujawund and Logur, * and reached the fort of Sealkote†, * where considerable treasure had been deposited. Here he was seized with a violent bowel complaint, and was obliged to return in a litter to Ghizny, while his vizier, Abdool Ruzak, with the army, having marched into Seestan, opposed the Suljooks, and penetrated into that country.

On the King's arrival at Ghizny, he ordered Meeruk Hoossein to bring his prisoner, Aboo Ally, in order that he might be released; but Meeruk contrived excuses, and before the end of a week,

Rujub 24.
A. H. 441.
Dec. 24.
A. D. 1049.

the King died, on the 24th Rujub, in the year 441, having reigned upwards of nine years. Previously to his death, he had prevailed on the provinces of Bamyan and Mawur-ool-Nehr to unite all their resources in order to act against the Suljooks; but as the stars of this race were on the rise, they met with no obstacle to their final and entire success.