Humāiūn, who had proceeded against the rebels of the
East, having taken Jaunpūr, marched expeditiously to
Ghāzipūr, for the purpose of attacking Nasīr Khan.*
The
Afghans in that quarter, on getting notice of his approach,
passed the river Sarū.*
The light detachment of the army,
that had advanced, marched back again, after plundering
the country. Humāiūn then arranged everything as I had
directed. He left Sultan Juneid and a body of his best troops
to support Shah Mīr Hussain in Jaunpūr. He also ordered
Kazi Jīa to remain behind, and left Sheikh Bayezīd in Oudh.
Having left these posts well fortified, and with every means
of defence,*
he crossed the Ganges at Karreh-Mānikpūr,*
and
marched by way of Kālpi to join me. Ālim Khan, son of
Jalāl Khan Jighet, who was in Kālpi,*
had sent letters of
submission, but had not himself come to court. Humāiūn,
on arriving opposite to Kālpi, sent a person who removed all
distrust from his mind, and he accompanied Humāiūn and
and rejoins
Bābur at
Agra.
Jan. 6.
was introduced to me. On Sunday, the 3rd of the last
Rabīa, Humāiūn waited on me in the garden of the Hasht-Behisht.*
That very same day Khwājeh Dost Khāwend
arrived from Kābul.
At this time messengers began to come close upon each
other from Mahdi Khwājeh, to announce that the Rāna
Sanka was undoubtedly on his march, and had been joined
by Hassan Khan Mewāti; that it was become indispensably
necessary to attend to their proceedings, in preference to
every other object. That it would be beneficial to my
Detach-
ment sent
to the
succour of
Biāna.
affairs if a detachment could be sent on, before the Grand
Army, to the assistance of Biāna. In order, therefore, to
harass the Rāna’s army,*
I pushed on before me towards
Biāna, a light force, under the command of Muhammed
Sultan Mirza, Yunis Ali, Shah Mansūr Birlās, Kitteh Beg,
Kāsimi, and Bujkeh. Nāhir Khan, a son of Hassan Khan
Mewāti, had fallen into my hands in the battle with Ibrahīm
I had kept him as a hostage, and his father, Hassan Khan,
He is joined
by Hassan
Khan of
Alwar.
had ostentatiously maintained a correspondence, and
constantly asked back his son. Many imagined, that if
I gratified Hassan Khan by sending his son to him, he would
be extremely sensible of the obligation, and exert himself
actively in my service.*
I therefore invested his son, Nāhir
Khan, with a dress of honour, and on his entering into an
engagement,*
sent him back to his father*;
but that wretch,
as soon as he had ascertained that his son was released, and
before the young man had reached him, totally forgetful
of the obligation conferred on him,*
marched out of Alwar,*
and went to join Rāna Sanka.*
I was certainly guilty of
a piece of imprudence in dismissing his son at such a crisis.
A great deal of rain fell about this time, and we had several parties at which Humāiūn too was present; although he did not like wine, yet during these few days he drank it.
Kitīn Kara One of the most remarkable incidents of this period
occurred at Balkh. When Humāiūn was on his way from
the fort of Zafer*
to Hindustān, Mulla Bāba Peshāgheri and
his younger brother Bāba Sheikh deserted from him by
the road, and went and joined Kitīn Kara Sultan. The
troops in Balkh being hard pressed, that place fell into Kitīn
Kara Sultan’s hands. The traitor now taking on himself
and his brother the management of an expedition against
my dominions,*
entered the territory of Aibek, Khuram, and
Sārabāgh.*
Shah Sikander, being confounded by the fall
of Balkh,*
surrendered the fort of Ghūri to the Uzbeks, and
Mulla Bāba and Bāba Sheikh, with some Uzbeks, took
possession of it. As Mīr Hameh’s fort was close at hand, he
saw nothing left for it but to declare for the Uzbeks. A few
days afterwards, the Mīr and his party were ordered to
Balkh, as a place of safety, while Bāba Sheikh, with a body
of Uzbeks, proceeded to occupy his castle.*
Mīr Hameh
introduced Bāba Sheikh himself into the castle, and
appointed the rest of his party their quarters in different
Success
of Mīr
Hameh.
parts, at some distance from each other. Mīr Hameh having
wounded Bāba Sheikh, and made him and some of the others
prisoners, dispatched messengers full speed to Tengri Berdi
at Kunduz, to give him notice of what had happened. Tengri
Berdi immediately sent Yār Ali, Abdallatīf, and a party
of his best men, to his assistance. Before their arrival,
Mulla Bāba had reached the castle with a party of Uzbeks,
intending to have attacked it; he was, however, unable to
effect anything, and the garrison having succeeded in
joining the detachment sent by Tengri Berdi, reached
Kunduz in safety. As Bāba Sheikh’s wound was very
severe, they cut off his head, which Mīr Hameh brought
along with him. I distinguished him by particular marks
of honour and regard, and ranked him in the number of
my most intimate and favourite servants.*
When Bāki
Shaghāwel marched against these two old traitors, I had
promised him a reward of a ser of gold for each of their
heads. In addition to all the other marks of favour which
I showed Mīr Hameh, I gave him a ser*
of gold according
to that promise.
Kāsimi, who had proceeded at this time with a light force towards Biāna, had cut off and brought away several heads. Kāsimi and Bujkeh, while riding out with a few marauders to procure intelligence, defeated two parties of the enemy’s skirmishers, and took seventy or eighty men; from whom Kāsimi having gained authentic information, that Hassan Khan Mewāti had arrived and formed a junction with the Rāna, he immediately returned back with the intelligence.
Ustād AliOn Sunday, the 8th of the month,* I went to see Ustād Ali Kuli fire that same great gun, of which the ball-chamber had been uninjured at the time of casting, and the powder chamber of which he had afterward cast and finished as has been mentioned. We went to see how far it would throw.* It was discharged about afternoon prayers, and carried one thousand six hundred paces. I bestowed on Ustād a dagger,* a complete dress, and a Tipchāk horse, as an honorary reward.
BāburOn Monday, the 9th of the first Jumāda, I began my march to the holy war against the heathen. Having passed the suburbs, I encamped on the plain, where I halted three or four days, to collect the army and communicate the necessary instructions. As I did not place great reliance on the men of Hindustān, I employed their Amīrs in making desultory excursions in different directions. Ālim Khan was directed to proceed with a light force to Gwāliār, to carry assistance to Rahīmdād, while I appointed Makan, Kāsim Sambali, Hamīd with his brothers, and Muhammed Zeitūn, to proceed with a light-armed party towards Sambal.
Defeat ofAt this station we received information that Rāna Sanka had pushed on with all his army nearly as far as Biāna. The party that had been sent out in advance were not able to reach the fort, nor even to communicate with it. The garrison of Biāna had advanced too far from the fort, and with too little caution, and the enemy having unexpectedly fallen upon them in great force, completely routed them. Sanger Khan Janjūheh fell on this occasion. When the affair began, Kitteh Beg came galloping up without his armour, and joined in the action. He had dismounted a pagan, and was in the act of laying hold of him, when the Hindu, snatching a sword from a servant of Kitteh Beg, struck the Beg on the shoulder, and wounded him so severely that he was not able to come into the field during the rest of the war against Rāna Sanka. He, however, recovered long after, but never was completely well. Kāsimi, Shah Mansūr Birlās, and every man that came from Biāna, I know not whether from fear, or for the purpose of striking a panic into the people, bestowed unbounded praise on the courage and hardihood of the pagan army.