SHEIBĀNI KHAN, advancing as had been arranged with the
princess, halted at the Bāgh-e-meidān.*
About noon, Sultan
Ali Mirza, without acquainting any of his Begs, officers,
cavaliers, or servants with his intention, and without
holding any consultation, left the town by the Chārrāheh
Sultan Ali
Mirza goes
out and
meets him.
gate,*
accompanied only by a few insignificant individuals
of his personal attendants, and went to Sheibāni Khan at
the Bāgh-e-meidān. Sheibāni did not give him a very
flattering reception; and, as soon as the ceremonies of
Universal
submission.
meeting were over, made him sit down lower than himself.
Khwājeh Yahya, on learning that the Mirza had gone out,
was filled with alarm; but, seeing no remedy left, also went
out of the town, and waited on Sheibāni Khan, who received
him without rising, and said some severe things to him.
On his rising to go away, however, Sheibāni Khan behaved
more courteously, and rose from his seat. Jān Ali, the son
of Khwājeh Ali Bai, who was in Rabāt-e-Khwājeh, as soon as
he heard that the Mirza had gone out, likewise went and
presented himself to Sheibāni Khan; so that the wretched
and weak woman, for the sake of getting herself a husband,
gave the family and honour of her son to the winds. Nor
did Sheibāni Khan mind her a bit, or value her even so
much as his other handmaids, concubines, or women.
Sultan Ali Mirza was confounded at the condition in which
he now found himself, and deeply regretted the step which
he had taken. Several young cavaliers about him, perceiving
this, formed a plan for escaping with him; but he
would not consent. As the hour of fate was at hand, he could
not shun it. He had quarters assigned him near Taimūr
Sultan Ali
Mirza put
to death.
Sultan. Three or four days afterwards, they put him to
death in the meadow of Kulbeh. From his over-anxiety
to preserve this transitory and mortal life, he left a name
of infamy behind him; and, from following the suggestions
of a woman, struck himself out of the list of those who have
earned for themselves a glorious name. It is impossible
to write any more of the transactions of such a personage,
and impossible to listen any farther to the recital of such
base and dastardly proceedings.
After the murder of Sultan Ali Mirza, the Khan sent Jān Ali after his prince; and as he entertained suspicions of Khwājeh Yahya, banished him, and sent him off for Khorasān, with his two sons, Khwājeh Muhammed Zakerīa and Khwājeh Bāki. They were followed by a party of Uzbeks, who martyred the Khwājeh and both his young sons, in the neighbourhood of Khwājeh Kārzīn. Sheibāni Khan denied all participation in the Khwājeh’s death, alleging that it was the act of Kamber Bī and Kūpek Bī.* This is only making the matter worse, according to the saying, ‘the excuse is worse than the fault’; for when Begs presume to perpetrate such deeds without being authorized by their Khan or King, what confidence can be reposed in such a government?
Bābur No sooner had the Uzbeks taken Samarkand, than we
moved away from Kesh towards Hissār.*
Muhammed
Mazīd Terkhān, and some of the other Begs of Samarkand,
accompanied me, along with their wives, children, and
families. On halting at the Valley*
of the district of
Cheghāniān, Muhammed Mazīd Terkhān, and the Samarkand
nobles, separating from me, went and took service
with Khosrou Shah, while I, without town or territory,
without any spot to which I could go, or in which I could
remain, in spite of the miseries which Khosrou Shah had
inflicted on my house and family, saw myself compelled
Passes
through
Khosrou
Shah’s
territories.
to pass through the midst of his territories. I once had
a fancy that I might go by way of the country of Karatigīn*
to join my younger maternal uncle Ilcheh Khan, but I did
not. We resolved to go up by the Kāmrūd and to cross
over the mountain of Sir-e-tāk.*
By the time we reached
the confines of Nowendāk, a servant of Khosrou Shah came
to me, and, in his master’s name, presented me with nine
horses, and nine pieces of cloth.*
When I reached the gorge
of Kāmrūd, Sher Ali Chihreh*
deserted from me and joined
Wali, the younger brother of Khosrou Shah. The next
morning Kūch Beg separated from me and went to Hissār.
Having entered the Valley of Kāmrūd, we went up the
river. In these roads, which are extremely dangerous, often
overhanging precipices, and in the steep and narrow hill
passes and straits which we were obliged to ascend, numbers
of our horses and camels failed, and were unable to proceed.
Surmounts
the Pass of
Sir-e-tāk.
After four or five days’ march, we reached the mountain pass
of Sir-e-tāk. It is a pass, and such a pass! Never did I see
one so narrow and steep; never were paths so narrow and
precipitous traversed by me. We travelled on with incredible
fatigue and difficulty, amid dangerous narrows and
tremendous gulfs. Having, after a hundred sufferings
and losses, at length surmounted these murderous, steep,
Reaches
Kān.
and narrow defiles, we came down on the confines of Kān.
Among the mountains of Kān*
there is a large lake, which
may be about a kos in circumference, and is very beautiful.*
Here I received information that Ibrahīm Terkhān had thrown himself into the fortress of Shirāz, which he had put in a state of defence, and that Kamber Ali and Abul Kāsim Kohbur, who had been in the fort of Khwājeh Dīdār, when the Uzbeks took Samarkand, not believing themselves able to hold out in the place, had repaired to Yār-ailāk, the fortresses of which district* they had occupied and put in a state of defence, and established themselves there.
Bābur is illLeaving Kān on the right, we marched towards Keshtūd. The Malik* of Kān was renowned for his hospitality, generosity, politeness, and humanity. When Sultan Hussain Mirza came against Hissār, Sultan Masaūd Mirza fled to his younger brother Baiesanghar Mirza at Samarkand, by this road. The Malik of Kān presented him with seventy or eighty horses as a peshkesh, and did him many other services of the like nature. To me he presented a single worthless horse, but did not come himself to greet me: Yet so it was, that those who were famed for generosity, proved niggards when they had to do with me; and those who were so celebrated for their hospitality, quite forgot it when I was concerned. Khosrou Shah, too, was one who possessed a high reputation for liberality and generosity, and the services which he rendered to Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza have already been mentioned. He certainly received Bāki Terkhān and the other Begs with unbounded kindness and liberality. I twice passed through his country. Let it not be told to my peers that the humanity and politeness, which he showed to my lowest servants, were not vouchsafed to me; nay that he did not even treat me with so much respect as he did them:
| (Tūrki)— | O, my soul! who has ever experienced good treatment from
worldlings? Hope not that those in whom there is no good, can show it to others? |
Immediately on leaving Kān, it occurred to me that
Keshtūd must certainly be in the possession of the Uzbeks,
I made a rapid push towards it, but found the place ruined
and desolate, not a man being there. Leaving it behind,
I advanced, and halted on the banks of the Kohik. I passed
this river by a bridge towards its bend at Yāri, and dispatched
Kāsim Beg and some other Begs for the purpose
of surprising the fortress of Rabāt-e-Khwājeh. Passing Yāri
Reaches
Yār-ailāk.
and the hill of Shankar-khāneh,*
we arrived in Yār-ailāk.
The Begs who were sent against Rabāt-e-Khwājeh, at the
instant of applying their scaling-ladders, perceiving that the
garrison had taken the alarm, and that the attempt had
failed, mounted their horses and abandoned the enterprise.
Kamber Ali, who was in Sangrāz, came and waited on me.
Abūl Kāsim Kohbur and Ibrahīm Terkhān sent some of
their confidential servants to pay me their respects, and
assure me of their attachment.*