Though Babur at the commencement of the siege had sent ambassadors to the Kings of Kho-rassan, Koondooz, Boklan, and Mogulistan for succours, he received no hopes of aid from them, and he was therefore under the necessity of abandoning his capital and kingdom, with about a hundred

A. H. 907.
A. D. 1501.

friends, in a dark night in the beginning of the year 907. He escaped to Tash-kund, whither his brother, Jehangeer Mirza, came to pay his respects. His maternal uncle, Sooltan Mahmood Khan, also comforted him in his distress, entertaining him in a princely manner, and giving him the town of Aratiba to reside in during the winter. In the beginning of the spring, Babur was again attacked by Sheebany Khan, who being unable to take Aratiba, plun­dered the country, and retreated to Samarkand. In this condition, Babur, unable to raise his head from his misfortunes, resided for some time with his uncle, Sooltan Mahmood Khan, at Tashkund, till at length that chief and his brother, Ahmud Khan, known by the name of Olcha Khan, fur­nished troops to enable him to recover the country wrested out of his hands by Sooltan Ahmud Tum-bole. When the confederates had reached the boundaries of Ferghana, Sooltan Ahmud Tumbole marched out to oppose them. It was resolved that Babur with a small detachment of Moguls should march towards Oosh, whilst his uncles attacked Ahmud Tumbole. Babur accordingly took Oosh, and was joined by some of the inhabitants of Uzkund and Furghinian, who expelled the garri­sons of Sooltan Ahmud Tumbole. Babur now proceeded towards Indijan, when Ahmud Tum-bole, decamping from before the confederate princes, hastened back to its relief.

Ahmud Tumbole, having by accident fallen in with Babur's camp while he was on a foraging party, was defeated, and escaped wounded to Oosh, when, throwing himself into Indijan, he pre­pared for its defence. The next day, the allied army of Sooltan Mahmood Khan, and Sooltan Ahmud Khan, appearing in sight, sat down before the place, where they were soon joined by Babur. Some time after this, the inhabitants of Akhsy having invited Babur, put him in possession of that place; but the allied troops, unable to reduce Indijan, were compelled to raise the siege.

In the mean time, Sheebany Khan, resolving to check the progress of Babur, advanced with an army towards Akhsy. Babur and his brother im­mediately joined the allies, and prepared to receive the enemy; but in the action which ensued, and which was obstinately contested, Sheebany Khan prevailed, and both the uncles of Babur were taken prisoners. Babur, escaping to Mogulistan, aban­doned the kingdom of Tashkund, which fell into the hands of Sheebany Khan. Sheebany Khan, how­ever, some time after, released Babur's two uncles. Sooltan Mahmood Khan retired from the field, and became afflicted with a complication of diseases. It is related, that when one of his friends hinted that Sheebany Khan had poisoned him, and offered to supply him with some famous tiriak * of Khutta as a powerful antidote, the Prince replied. “Yes,” “Sheebany Khan has poisoned me indeed! He “has taken away my kingdom, which it is not in “the power of your teriak of Khutta to restore.”

Babur, leaving Mogulistan, proceeded to Khoo-zar and Shadman, and from thence to Toor-mooz, where Ameer Mahomed Bakir, uneasy at the ascendancy of the Oozbuks, availed himself of Babur's alliance. Babur still retained the command of some troops, and was received by him with great kindness. Ameer Mahomed Khan as­sisted him also with money. Babur, who had long been the football of fortune, and, like a king of a chess-board, moved from place to place, and buf­feted about like the pebble on the sea-shore, begged the friendly advice of his host as to his future operations. Ameer Mahomed Bakir re­plied, that as Sheebany Khan was now in full pos­session of Babur's kingdom, and of many others, which rendered him extremely powerful, it seemed advisable for him to pursue his fortune elsewhere, and directed his attention to Kabul, which was now in a state of anarchy.

A. H. 910.
A. D. 1504. Babur, adopting this advice, in the year 910 marched towards Kabul, and passing through the dominions of Khoosrow Shah, ruler of Koondooz, he was entertained by him with hospitality, as some reparation for the injuries he had formerly sustained from him. While at Koondooz, Babur induced seven thousand of Khoosrow Shah's troops to join him in his march to the southward; and Khoosrow Shah, appre­hensive of Babur, fled with a few servants, and took protection with Budee-ool-Zeman. * On this occasion, three or four thousand Mogul families, together with part of the treasure of Khoosrow Shah, fell into the hands of Babur, who availing himself of these advantages, proceeded direct to the south.

Kabul had been long in the hands of Alugh Beg Mirza, one of the sons of Sooltan Aboo Syeed Mirza, who dying in the year 907, (A.D. 1501.) and leaving an infant son, Abdool Ruzak Mirza, the whole management of his affairs fell into the hands of one Zuky Beg, who having disgusted the other nobles, was assassinated in the month Zeehuj. This circumstance occasioned great convulsions in the kingdom; for Mahomed Mokeem, the youngest son of Ameer Zoolnoon, prince of Gurmseer, taking advantage of the intestine divisions of the Kabulies, invaded their country with an army of Huzaras, and forcing Abdool Ruzak Mirza to take shelter among the Afghans, took quiet possession of Kabul, and married the daughter of Alugh Beg Mirza. Affairs were in this state when Babur, ar­riving on the borders of Kabul, drove Mahomed Mokeem from the field, and forced him to take re­fuge in the city, which Babur besieged and took. He then applied himself to regulate and improve the country, as belonging to himself.

Mohurrum 1.
A. H. 911.
June 3.
A. D. 1505. On the 1st of Mohurrum, A.H. 911, Kootloogh Nigar Khan, the mother of Babur, died at Kabul. In this year also the inhabitants of Kabul were thrown into great consternation by dreadful earthquakes, which laid many cities in ruins. Ba-bur endeavoured to alleviate the public calamity in such a manner by his unwearied care and ex­tensive benevolence, that he gained the love and attachment of his new subjects. The ambition of Babur, however, could not rest; he accordingly led an army against the Arghoons, and having de­prived them of the strong fort of Kilat, established an alliance with Buddee-ooz-Zeman Mirza. He marched in the same year to the Kishlakat-i-Huzara, the inhabitants of which he brought into subjection, and conferred the government of Ghizny on his brother Jehangeer; but after some time, the latter, quitting Ghizny without permission, came to Kabul, and on meeting with a reproof from Babur, he departed suddenly, and proceeded into the Kishlakat-i-Huzara.

A. H. 912.
A. D. 1506. In the year 912, Babur marched towards Khorassan to join Sooltan Hoos-sein Mirza, who, ashamed of his former behaviour, and irritated by fresh injuries from Sheebany Khan, now proposed to Babur, that they should unite in alliance against the Oozbuks. On the road, however, he was induced to return, to take measures against Jehangeer Mirza. The officers of Jehangeer, perceiving the intention of Babur, deserted the Prince, who thought fit to come to his brother Babur's camp, where he pro­cured pardon, and went with the army towards Khorassan. But no sooner had Babur reached Murv than he heard of Sooltan Hoossein Mirza's death. It is stated in the Wakaya Babury (Com­mentaries of Babur), that out of respect alone for the family of the Mirza, Babur proceeded to Khorassan, and endeavoured to induce the princes and nobles to act against the Oozbuks. Babur was not wholly without motives for this conduct, for he was naturally desirous of bringing the Oozbuks to action, and consequently pushed on till he reached Moorghab, where the Khoras-

Jumad-ool-
Akhir 8.
A. H. 912.
Sept. 24.
A. D. 1506.

sanies were encamped. On the 8th of Jumad-ool-Akhir, Moozuffur Hoossein Mirza and Abool Hussun Mirza were directed by Buddee-ool-Zuman Mirza to meet and congratulate him on his arrival, and to escort him to the camp of Buddee-ool-Zuman Mirza; but the princes and officers of Khorassan, little inclined to face the Oozbuks in battle, proposed that, as the weather was extremely hot, they should retire to their cool summer retreats. Babur proceeded in the first place to Hirat, where having remained some time with Buddee-ool-Zuman Mirza, he returned in the autumn to Kabul. The snow falling hea­vily at this season, he with difficulty reached the country of the Huzaras, with whom he was com­pelled to fight, and force his passage to his capital.

While Babur was engaged with the Huza-ras, Mahomed Hoossein Korkan, Sunjur Birlas, and other Mogul officers in Kabul, promoted the pretensions of Khan Mirza to the throne, by fabri­cating false intelligence of the King's death. He was both uncle and cousin of Babur. But when the news of Babur's return reached the people, they rebelled against the new government; and, as soon as the season permitted his approach, flocking to his standard, they put all the garrisons into his hands except the capital, where Khan Mirza and his ad­herents sustained a short siege, but eventually fled, and took protection with the descendants of Ameer Zoolnoon, while Mahomed Hoossein Khan fled in the direction of Furrah and Seestan. At this time, Nasir Mirza, Babur's youngest brother, who held the government of Budukhshan, being defeated by one of the generals of Sheebany Khan, came to Kabul; and as Jehangeer Mirza, about the same period, died from excess of drinking, the govern­ment of Ghizny was conferred on Nasir Mirza.