The second* time, the illustrious army proceeded in the month of Jumāda-l-awwal 913 (Sep. 1507) by way of Little Kābul (Khurd Kābul) to the conquest of Hindustān. They went first from Mandraur* by ‘Atar and Shiweh and then returned owing to differences of opinion among the officers. They crossed by Kūner* and Nūrgil* and from Kūner he (Bābar) came on a raft (jāla)* to the camp and then by way of Bādīj* to Kābul. By order of his Majesty, the date of his crossing was engraved on a stone above Bādīj. This wondrous* writing still exists. Till this time, the noble descendants of the Lord of Conjunction were called Mīrzās. His Majesty ordered that in this inscription,* he should be styled Pādshāh.
On Tuesday, 4 Ẕī-l-qa‘da of this auspicious year (6th March, 1508), occurred, in the citadel of Kābul, the fortunate birth of his Majesty Jahānbānī Jannat-āshīyānī (Humāyūn). Of this an account will be given hereafter.
The third time, on Monday,* 1 Muḥarram 925 (3rd Jan., 1519), while the army was marching against Bajaur, there was a great earthquake which lasted for half a sidereal hour. Sulān ‘Alā'u-d-dīn Siwādī (of Swat) arrived as an envoy on the part of Sulān Vais Siwādī. In a short time, the fort of Bajaur was captured and was presented to Khwāja* Kilān Bēg, son of Maulānā Muḥammad Ṣadr, who had been one of the great officers under Mīrzā ‘Umar Shaikh. This Khwāja was related to his Majesty in a singular manner for his six brothers had given their lives in his service. He himself was a special protegé of his Majesty on account of his wisdom and sagacity. When his Majesty was contemplating the Siwād (Swat) expedition and the conquest of the Yūsufzāīs, āūs Khān, the younger brother of Shāh Manṣūr, who was chieftain of the Yūsufzāī tribe, brought the latter's daughter* and uttered words of humility and submission. There was also a difficulty about supplies of corn in that country of wild beasts. His (Bābar's) fixed determination too was to undertake the expedition to Hindustān. He turned his rein from Siwād. Although the preparations for the march to India had not been made and the officers were not in favour of it, he lighted the torch of courage and set forth for the tenebrous regions* of Hindustān. On the morning of Thursday, 16 Muḥarram, he crossed the river (Indus) with horses, camels and baggage,* while the camp (urdū) bāzār was floated across on rafts. They encamped at Kacākōt.
Seven kos from Bhīra,* towards the north, there is a mountain, called in the afarnāma and other books, the hill of Jūd and there they encamped. His Majesty writes in his Memoirs (Erskine, 254), “At first I was ignorant of the origin of its name, but afterwards discovered that in this hill there were two races of men descended of the same father. One tribe is called Jūd, the other Jenjūḥeh.” He sent ‘Abdu-r-raḥīm Shaghāwāl to Bhīra in order to reassure the people and prevent anyone from committing violence. At the end of the day, he halted east of Bhīra, on the bank of the river Bihat (Jhelam, the ancient Hydaspes). He levied 400,000 shāhrukhīs* from Bhīra as the price of protection, and presented the country to Hindū Bēg, assigning the revenues of it to him as a maintenance. Khushāb he made over to Shāh Ḥasan* and arranged that he should assist Hindū Bēg. He sent Mullā Murshid* on an embassy to Sulān Ibrāhīm, son of Sulān Sikandar Lōdī, who had succeeded his father five or six months previously* in the kingdom of Hindustān, in order to convey to him salutary counsels. Daulat Khān, the governor of Lāhōr, detained the ambassador and with utter folly, sent him back without having fulfilled his mission. On Friday, 2 Rabī‘u-l-awwal (4th March, 1519), the news came of the birth of an auspicious son. As the expedition against Hindustān was then in progress, he was by secret inspiration and augury, named Hindāl.* On Monday,* 5 Rabī‘u-l-awwal the administration of Bhīra was given to Hindū Bēg and he (Bābar) for state reasons, proceeded to return to Kābul. On Thursday, the last day of Rabī‘u-l-awwal (31st March) he arrived at Kābul. On 25 Rabī‘u-l-ākhar (April 25th) Hindū Bēg who, out of carelessness,* had left Bhīra, came to Kābul.
The date of the setting out of the fourth expedition has not come to light but it appears that he (Bābar) returned after the taking of Lāhōr and from the chronogram* of the taking of Dīpālpūr, which will be stated hereafter, it appears that the expedition was in 930 (1524). As every event has its special time, this splendid project (of conquering India) was postponed. The ostensible cause of this was the sluggishness of the officers and the non-co-operation of his brothers. At last, on the fifth time, by the guidance of God and the leadership of Fortune, on Friday, 1st Ṣafar 932 (17th Nov., 1525), when the Sun was in Sagittarius, the standards of light were unfurled, such as might disperse the darkness of an universe, and placing the foot of resolve in the stirrup of reliance on God and of abstention from sin,* he proceeded towards the conquest of India. Mīrzā Kāmrān was left in Qandahār and the care of Kābul was also entrusted to him. When this expedition was made, victory followed on victory and fortune upon fortune. Lāhōr and some other large cities of India were taken and on 17 Ṣafar (3rd Dec.) his Majesty Jahānbānī, Jannat-āshīyānī, Naṣīru-d-dīn Muḥammad Humāyūn arrived from Badakhshān with his army, at the camp which was in the Bāgh-i-wafā* (Garden of Fidelity). Khwāja Kilān Bēg also came at this time from Ghaznīn.
On 1st Rabī‘u-l-awwal (16th Dec.) he crossed the Indus near Kacakōt* and held a muster* of the army. Twelve thousand* cavalry, Turks, Tājīks, merchants,* etc., were reckoned up. Then they crossed the Bihat (Jhelam) above* Jīlum (Jhelam). Near Buhlūlpūr they crossed the Cīnāb and encamped.
On Friday, 14 Rabī‘u-l-awwal (29th Dec.) they encamped at Sīālkōt and his Majesty formed the plan of transferring its population to Buhlūlpūr. At this time news came that the enemy was assembling and when his Majesty reached Kalānūr, Muḥammad Sulān Mīrzā, ‘Ādil Sulān and the other officers who had been appointed to defend Lāhōr, arrived and paid their respects.
On Saturday, 22 (Text 24) Rabī‘u-l-awwal, the fort of Milwat* was taken. Booty was obtained and the books of Ghāzī Khān which were in the fort were got possession of. Some of them were given to his Majesty Jahānbānī and some were sent as a present to Kāmrān in Qandahār. As it was reported that Ḥamīd Khān, governor* of Ḥiṣār-fīrūza* had advanced two or three stages, on Sunday, 13 Jumāda-l-awwal the army marched from Ambāla and halted on the bank of a tank (kūl) and Humāyūn was sent against him (Ḥamīd Khān). Amīr Khwāja Kilān Bēg, Amīr Sulān Muḥammad Dūldāī, Amīr Walī Khāzin, Amīr ‘Abdu-l-‘azīz, Amīr Muḥibb ‘Alī, Khwāja Khalīfa and some of the officers who had stayed in Hindustān such as Hindū Bēg, ‘Abdu-l-‘azīz, Muḥammad ‘Alī Jang-jang were appointed to accompany him. Baban, who was one of the nobles of Hindūstān, came in on this day and did homage. His Majesty Jahānbānī gained an easy victory.
On Monday, the 21st of the same month, he returned to the camp. His Majesty bestowed on him, Ḥiṣār-fīrūza with its dependencies and subordinate districts (lawāḥiq) which were worth a kror aud also a kror in money as a guerdon for this victory which was the first of countless ones. The army continued its march. News repeatedly came that Sulān Ibrāhīm was advancing with 100,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants. The army encamped near Sirsāwah (Sirsa). Here Ḥaidar Qulī (Text, ‘Alī) a servant of Khwāja Kilān Bēg who had been sent to procure information brought the news that Dāūd Khān and Ḥaitim Khān (Text, Ḥātim) had advanced in front of Sulān Ibrāhīm's camp with five or six thousand horse. Accordingly on Sunday, 18 Jumāda-l-ākhar (1st April) Cīn Tīmūr Sulān, Muḥammad Sulān Mīrzā, Mahdī Khwāja, ‘Ādil Sulān, with the whole left wing commanded by Sulān Junaid, Shāh Mīr Ḥusain and Qutlaq Qadam, as well as part of the centre under Yūnus ‘Alī, ‘Abdu-l-lāh Aḥmadī, Kita Bēg and others, were appointed to operate against this body. And these heroes proceeding swiftly to the field of battle, were victorious over the enemy and slew a great number of them with the lightning of the sword and the rain of the arrow. Ḥaitim Khān with 70 others were made prisoners and sent alive to the exalted camp where they suffered capital punishment. Orders* were issued that wheeled carriages should be collected and Ustād ‘Alī Qulī was directed to yoke them together in the Ottoman* (Rūm) manner with chains* and cow-hides of which they made ropes. Between every two carriages there were placed six or seven gabions* so that the matchlock men might fire their pieces from behind them in security. In a few days these arrangements were completed.