On Saturday, the 22nd of the first Rabi, to ensure their good treatment while they were bringing out their dependants and families, I myself went and took my station on a rising ground opposite to the gate of Milwat. Ali Khan came up and presented me with a few ashrafis as a peshkesh. Towards afternoon prayers they began to remove their dependants and women. * Abdal-azīz and Muhammed Ali Jeng-Jeng, Kutlūk Kadem, Muhammedi, and Ahmedi, with several other of the Begs about my person, were directed to enter the fort, and to take possession of and secure their treasures, and all their property. Although Ghāzi Khan was said to have left the place and fled, yet some reported that they had seen him within the fort. On this account I placed several of my trusty officers and servants at the gate, with orders to examine every person and place of which* they had the least suspicion, that Ghāzi Khan might not escape by any artifice, as now my grand object was to make him prisoner. They had also orders to seize any jewels or precious stones that might be attempted to be secretly conveyed out of the town.* The troops made a great riot at the gate of the fort, which obliged me to discharge a few arrows to check their turbulence; a chance shot struck Humāiūn’s reader, who expired on the spot. Jan. 8. After remaining on the hillock for two nights, on Monday I entered and surveyed the fort. I examined Ghāzi Khan’s library, and found in it a number of valuable books. Some of them I gave to Humāiūn, and some I sent to Kāmrān. There was also a number of theological books, but I did not, on the whole, find so many books of value as, from their appearance, I had expected.
I stayed in the fort all night, and next morning returned to the camp. We had been mistaken in imagining that Ghāzi Khan was in the fort. That traitorous coward had fled, and escaped to the hills with a small number of followers, leaving his father, his elder and younger brothers, his mother, his elder and younger sisters, in Milwat:
| (Persian)— | Observe that faithless man, for never Shall he see the face of good fortune; He takes care of his own comforts, Yet leaves his wife and children in misery.* |
On Wednesday I marched thence towards the hill to
which Ghāzi Khan had fled. After advancing one kos from
the station at the gorge of Milwat, we halted in a valley.
It was here that Dilāwer Khan came and tendered his
allegiance. Doulet Khan and Ali Khan, with Ismāel Khan
and some other leading men, were delivered as prisoners to
Kitteh, to be carried to the fort of Milwat,*
in Behreh, there
to be detained in custody. The rest were delivered to
various persons for the purpose of levying contributions on
them, and their ransoms were fixed after Dilāwer Khan’s
opinion had been taken. Several were liberated on securities;
several were committed to prison and close custody.
Kitteh set out with the prisoners. He had reached Sultānpūr
Death of
Doulet
Khan.
when Doulet Khan died. I gave the fort of Milwat to
Muhammed Ali Jeng-Jeng, who left his elder brother
Arghūn in the place, on his part, with a body of troops.
About two hundred or two hundred and fifty Hazāras and
Afghans were also left to assist in the defence of the fort.
Khwājeh Kalān had loaded some camels with the wines of Ghazni, and brought them to the camp. His quarters were on a high ground that overlooked the fort and camp. We had a party there in which some drank wine and others spirits. It was a rare party.
Bābur Marching thence, and passing the small hills of Ab-kend by
Milwat,*
we reached Dūn. In the language of Hindustān,
they call a julga (or dale), dūn.*
The finest running water*
in Hindustān is that in this Dūn. There are many villages
around the Dūn, which was a perganna of the Jaswāl, who
Description
of Dūn.
were the maternal uncles of Dilāwer Khan. This Dūn is
a very pleasant dale, and there are meadows all along the
stream. In several places they sow rice. Through the
middle of it runs a stream large enough to turn three or four
mills. The width of the dale is one or two kos; in some
places it is even three kos. Its hills are very small, like
hillocks, and all its villages stand on the skirts of these
hillocks. Where there are no villages, there are numbers of
peacocks and monkeys. There are also many fowls resembling
barn-door fowls: they resemble them in shape,*
but
are generally of a single colour.*
As we could nowhere get any certain intelligence of Ghāzi Khan, I sent Tardīkeh with Bīrim Deo Malinhat,* with orders to pursue him wherever he might go; to engage him, and bring him back a prisoner. In the country composed of small hills, that has been mentioned as lying around the Dūn, there are some wonderfully strong castles. To the Of Kūtila. north-east is a castle called Kūtila.* It is surrounded by* a rock seventy or eighty gaz in perpendicular height. At its chief gate, for the space of about seven or eight gaz, there is a place that admits of a drawbridge being thrown across. It may be ten or twelve gaz wide.* The bridge is composed of two long planks, by which their horses and flocks pass out and in. This was one of the forts of the hill-country, which Ghāzi Khan had put into a state of defence and garrisoned. The detachment that had been pushed on attacked the place vigorously, and had nearly taken it, when night came on. The garrison then abandoned the castle and fled away. Near the Dūn is another strong castle called the Fort of Gingūteh, the country around which is all hilly,* but it is not so strong as the former. Ālim Khan, in his flight, had thrown himself into this fort, as has been already mentioned.
BāburAfter sending a detachment in pursuit of Ghāzi Khan, I placed my foot in the stirrup of resolution, and my hand on the reins of confidence-in-God, and marched against Sultan Ibrahīm, the son of Sultan Iskander, the son of Sultan Bahlol Lodi Afghan, in whose possession the throne of Delhi and the dominions of Hindustān at that time were; whose army in the field was said to amount to a hundred thousand men, and who, including those of his Amirs, had nearly a thousand elephants. After one march I bestowed Debālpūr* on Bāki Shaghāwel, and sent him to reinforce Balkh. I sent a great part of the gold and effects found in the fort of Milwat, to strengthen my interest in Balkh, and to Kābul as presents to my relations and friends, and to my children and dependants.*
A march or two below Dūn, Shah Imād Shirāzi came with letters from Arāish Khan and Mulla Muhammed Mazhab,* containing assurances of their attachment to my interest, and urging me to continue resolutely the expedition I had commenced. I wrote them in return, to assure them of my protection and favour; and having dispatched the letters by a messenger on foot, continued my route. The detachment which had proceeded into Milwat,* advanced against Harūr, Kahlūr,* and the forts in that part of the country, among which, from the natural strength of the ground, no enemy had penetrated for a long time before, took the whole of them, and returned and joined me, after having plundered the inhabitants of the district. It was at this time that Ālim Khan, being reduced to great distress, came naked,* and on foot, to meet me. I directed several Begs and some noblemen of my court to go out to receive him, and also sent him some horses. He waited upon me in this neighbourhood, and made his submission.*
A detachment was sent out among the hills and valleys in this vicinity, but returned after being out a night or two, without having met with anything of value. Shah Mīr Hussain, and Jān Beg, with some other of my people, asked permission to go on a foray, which I granted, and they went off.
While I was in Dūn, two or three letters had come from Ismāel Jilwāni and Bīban.* I sent them gracious answers from this place, to retain them in their favourable sentiments.*