Yamínu-d daula, having received this intelligence, was over­come with grief for his uncle, and during the year 390 H. (1000 A.D.), he marched towards Sístán. Khalaf retired into the fort of Asfahíd, which was stronger than the wall of Alexander. Sultán Mahmúd besieged it, and Khalaf was driven to the extremity of despair by his difficult position in the fort. He sent letters and intercessors, and placed the hand of self-humiliation and supplication on the skirt of the kindness and mercy of Mahmúd. He sent also 100,000 dínárs, with valuable presents and benedictions without number, to the Sultán, and, having testified his obedience and submission, he promised to pay tribute. On account of this, Yamínu-d daula forgave him his misdeeds, and loosened the reins of mercy. He then went to Hind.

In the Tarjuma-Yamíní* it is written, that when the Sultán led his army from Sístán to Hindustán, and having, as usual, waged war with the infidels, returned triumphant, Khalaf bin Ahmad placed his son Táhir on the throne, and having delivered over the keys of the treasuries to him, and chosen a life of retire­ment, he entered into the courtyard of devotion, and sought relinquishment from affairs both civil and criminal. When, after some little time, Táhir had become absolute in the affairs of government, Khalaf, repenting of what he had done, feigned sickness. Having placed some of the nobles in the ambush of perfidy, he sent for Táhir, under the pretence of making his last will and testament; and while Táhir stood at the pillow of his father, those perfidious men entered and tied firmly both his hands and his neck. They then incarcerated him, and after a few days brought him dead out of prison, saying that “Táhir had killed himself from excess of grief.”

Táhir bin Rust, and some of the chief amírs of Sístán, who had been witnesses of this base conduct on the part of Khalaf, withdrew their attachment, and sent petitions to Yamínu-d daula, praying him to turn his standard, which abounded in victory, towards that quarter. Sultán Mahmúd consented to their re­quest, and in the year 394 H. (1003-4 A.D.) marched towards Sístán.

Khalaf retired into the fort of Ták, which, in strength and inaccessibility, was the envy of the arch of the turquoise-coloured sky. The Sultán having fixed his standard of victory outside the fort, his troops in one day cut down so many trees that they filled up the ditch of the fort, and made it level with the ground. Picked troops of the Sultán had tied up their girdles for the demolition of the fort, when Khalaf, reduced to the extremity of despair, craved quarter, and Yamínu-d daula having put back the sword of vengeance into its scabbard, Khalaf ran out of the fort, and threw himself on the ground before the horse of Mahmúd, and rubbing his white beard on the horse's hoof, he called him by the title of Sultán. Yamínu-d daula was so exces­sively pleased with this appellation, that he spared Khalaf's life, and insisted always on the word Sultán forming part of his title.* Yamínu-d daula having brought into the court of confiscation all the treasures and hidden valuables of Khalaf, sent him to one of the forts of Juzján, and the life of Khalaf terminated, as has been before delineated, in the prison assigned to him by Mahmúd.

In the Rauzatu-s Safá it is written, that when the cities of Máwaráu-n nahr were possessed by I'lak Khán, and when the victorious standard of Sultán Mahmúd had obtained the path of superiority in the sovereignty of Khurásán, I'lak Khán sent despatches announcing his victory with congratulations to the Sultán, and manifested affection and intimate friendship. The Sultán also, having reciprocated like messages of friendship, their intimacy and trust in one another became confirmed.

At that time, Sultán Mahmúd sent Abú-t Tíb Sahl bin Sulaimán Sa'lúkí, who was one of the illustrious men learned in the traditions of the Prophet, with gifts from Hindustán and presents from Khurásán and Zábulistán to I'lak Khán, in order that he might ask in marriage for his son a princess from among the virgins of the royal family. Abú-t Tíb hastened to Turkistán. I'lak received him in a most respectful manner at U'rgand,* and the envoy having executed his commission, returned to the service of the Sultán in company with I'lak Khán's daughter, who was provided with a handsome retinue and equipage. Upon this, for some time, the carpet of friendship and unanimity was spread between those two mighty kings.

In the year 396 A.H. (1015-16 A.D.), Yamínu-d daula led his army into India, and subdued the cities of Bhátía* and Multán, and in that expedition put to flight Jaipál, the king of the kings of India, and Abú-l Fath, the governor of Multán, and slaughtered many of his infidels.*

During that time, when the neighbourhood of Multán was the place where the standard of victory of Mahmúd was fixed, I'lak Khán rebelled, and sent the leader of his army, Siáshítigín,* to govern Khurásán, and appointed Ja'fartigín* viceroy of Balkh. When Arslán Jázib, who had been exalted by Yamínu-d daula to the government of the great city of Hirát, obtained intelli­gence of the direction in which the Turks had turned their steps, he left Khurásán, and hastening to Ghaznín, he despatched a swift messenger with the intelligence to Multán.

The Sultán came to Ghaznín like the lightning and wind:* from that place he turned the reins of his desire towards Balkh, the tabernacle of the faithful. Siáshítigín and Ja'fartigín fled like weak flies before a hurricane, and saved their lives by a precipitate retreat. I'lak Khán then craved help from the king of Khután, Kadr Khán, who, with 50,000 men capable of breaking the ranks of their enemies, joined him, and those two chiefs, with their countless army, prepared for battle with Yamínu-d daula.

The Sultán, with his army, the symbol of victory, and ele­phants like mountains, encamped at a distance of four parasangs from Balkh, and when I'lak Khán and Kadr Khán crossed over the river Oxus, the Sultán turned his attention towards distribut­ing the commands of his army. He assigned the centre thereof to his brother Amír Nasr, and to the governor of Juzján Abú Nasr Faríghúní and Abú 'Abdu-llah Táí, and placed 100 elephants in their front; he sent his chamberlain Altúntásh to the right wing, and he gave the command of the left wing to Arslán Jázib.* I'lak Khán also having arranged his army, placed himself in the middle, and sent Kadr Khán to the right wing; he ordered that Ja'fartigín should exalt the standard of glory in the left wing.

Then the troops of both armies, brave men of both countries, hastened into the field of battle, commenced fighting furiously, and with the aid of well-tempered swords, and flame-exciting spears, they mingled the blood of one another with the dust of the field of battle. When the Sultán saw the excessive bravery of the fearless Turks, he turned his face towards the court of God, and, standing on a mound of earth, rubbed the forehead of humility and submission on the ground, and asked for victory and assistance; thinking offerings incumbent on him, he ordered alms to be distributed.

After he saw that his prayers had been heard, having mounted an elephant, he himself made an attack on the centre of the army of I'lak. The elephant seized Alamdár Khán, and threw him up in the air, and trampling under his feet many others, slaughtered them also. After this, Mahmúd's army, the symbol of victory, at once rushed upon the enemy, and testified their perfect bravery and military ardour. The army of Máwaráu-n nahr fled, and I'lak Khán and Kadr Khán, with extreme difficulty, escaped safe from that place of slaughter, and crossing over the Jíhún, never again entertained the idea of subduing Khurásán. I'lak Khán died in the year 403 H. (1012-13 A.D.), and his brother Tughán Khán succeeded him. I am able to assert with correctness, that the victory which Sultán Mahmúd gained over I'lak Khán happened during the year 397 A.H. (1006-7 A.D.).*