Most of the clans and tribes, with the fortresses and
country all around Andejān, had now submitted to me, and
the men of Andejān were no less eager to declare in my
favour, but could not find a safe opportunity. It came into
my head to advance one night to the vicinity of Andejān, to
send in a man to confer with the Khwājeh and chief inhabitants
of the place, and, if they fell in with my views, to
concert with them about introducing me, some way or other,
into the fortress. With this plan, I one evening set out from
Ush, and having about midnight arrived within a kos of
Andejān, opposite to Jild-Khizān,*
sent forward Kamber
Ali Beg, and several other Begs, with instructions to introduce
secretly into the place some person who might confer
with the Khwājeh and leading men. I and my party
Nocturnal
rencontre.
remained on horseback where they had left us, awaiting
the return of the Begs. It might be about the end of the
third watch of the night,*
some of us were nodding, others
fast asleep, when all at once saddle-drums struck up,
accompanied with martial shouts and hubbub. My men
being off their guard, and oppressed with drowsiness, without
knowing how many or few the enemy might be, were
seized with a panic, and took to flight, no one trying to
keep near another. I had not even time to rally them, but
advanced towards the enemy, accompanied by Mīr Shah
Kuchīn, Baba Sherzād, and Dost Nāsir. Except us four,
all the rest ran off to a man. We had advanced but a little
way, when the enemy, after discharging a flight of arrows,
raised the war-shout, and charged towards us. One cavalier,
mounted on a white-faced*
horse, came near me. I let fly
an arrow, which hit the horse, and he instantly fell dead.
They pulled up their bridles a little. My three companions
said, ‘The night is dark, and it is impossible to ascertain
the number and force of the enemy; all the troops which
we had with us have fled. We are only four men, and with
so small a number, what injury can we hope to do the
enemy? Let us follow our party, rally them, and lead them
back into action.’ Having galloped up and overtaken our
men, we horsewhipped some of them; but all our exertions
were ineffectual to make them stand. Again we four turned,
and gave the pursuers a discharge of arrows. They halted
a little; but when, after one or two discharges, they
perceived that we were only four in number, they again set
off in pursuit of our men, to strike them down and dismount
them. In this way, we three or four times covered and
protected our people, and, as they would not be rallied, I
repeatedly turned along with my three companions, when
we kept the enemy in check, and brought them up with our
arrows. They kept pursuing us for the space of two or three
kos, till they came over against the hillock of Kharabūk and
Shibamūn. On reaching the hillock, Muhammed Ali
Mubashar met us. I said, ‘These people are few in number;
come, let us charge them.’ When we turned and put our
horses to speed to charge them, they stood still. The
scattered fugitives now began to collect and come in from
different quarters; but there were many good soldiers who
did not recover from their alarm, but went on straight to
Ush. The business had happened in the following manner:
Some Moghuls of Ayūb Begchik’s division had gone out
prowling round Andejān on a pillaging party. On hearing
the noise made by my detachment, they came secretly upon
us, when a mistake occurred regarding the watchword. The
watchword is of two kinds. One of these is the word of the
tribe: for example, some take Durdāneh, others Tūkkai,
others Lūlū, as their distinguishing watchword. The other
is the watchword given out to the whole army in time of
war, and consists of two words; so that, in time of action,
if two parties meet, and one person gives the first word, one
of the other party answers by the other word, as preconcerted,
by which means, they can distinguish their own men
from the enemy, and friends from foes. On the night of this
occurrence, the word was Tāshkend, and the countersign
Seirām, r if Seirām was given as the word, the answer was
to be Tāshkend. When they fell in with us, Khwājeh
Muhammed Ali was on my advance; and when the Moghuls
came on, calling out ‘Tāshkend! Tāshkend!’ Khwājeh
Muhammed Ali, who was a Tājik, in his confusion blundered
out, ‘Tāshkend! Tāshkend!’ in reply. The Moghuls,
taking him for an enemy, set up the war-shout, beat their
horse-drums, and let fly their arrows. In this manner, from
a false alarm, we were dispersed and scattered; the plan
which I had conceived failed, and I returned back to Ush,
after a fruitless journey.
After five or six days, Tambol and his adherents became
disheartened and depressed on learning that the people of
the hills, with the low country and forts, had returned to
their obedience; and his men and soldiers began to desert
and flee to the hills and deserts. Some of those who left his
army reported, that Tambol’s affairs were on the verge of
ruin, and that, in three or four days, he would be compelled
to break up from absolute necessity. Immediately on
receiving this intelligence, I mounted and marched against
Andejān. Sultan Muhammed Gulbeg, the younger brother
of Tambol, was in the fortress of Andejān. Advancing by
way of Tūtluk,*
I sent on a foraging party from Khākān, on
the south of Andejān, about the time of midday prayers.
I myself followed in the rear of the foragers, till I reached
the skirts of the heights of Aīsh, on the Khākān side, when
we received information from our advanced guards that
Sultan Muhammed Gulbeg, with all his force, had advanced
out beyond the suburbs and gardens, and was now on the
skirts of the heights of Aīsh. The foragers had not yet
collected, but without waiting for them, I advanced without
delay against the enemy. Gulbeg’s force exceeded five
hundred in number; though my men were much more
numerous, yet a great proportion of them were on the
Skirmish
at the
suburbs.
foraging party, and were now scattered. When I met him,
perhaps I might have with me about the same number with
himself. Without minding array or order, we advanced on
the enemy at full gallop. When we came to the charge, they
could not stand us, but fled without exchanging a blow.
My people followed them close up to the Khākān gate, dismounting
and making prisoners all the way.
Having routed the enemy, we reached the outskirts of the suburbs at Khwājeh Kitteh, about the time of evening prayers. It was my wish to have ridden right up to the gates, and made a push to enter them. But the old and experienced Begs of rank, such as Nasīr Beg, the father of Dost Beg, Kamber Ali Beg, and other aged veterans, represented to me, that it was now late, and that to approach* the fortress in the dark was not a wise measure; that it was better to retire a little and alight; that in the morning they would have nothing left for it but to surrender the fortress. Having acquiesced in the opinion of these experienced officers, we retired from the suburbs. Had we advanced up to the gates of the fortress, there is not a shadow of doubt that the place would have fallen into our hands.
Passes the It was about the hour of bed-time prayers when we passed
the river Khākān, and encamped close by the village of
Rabāt-e-zourek. Although we had received intelligence
of the breaking up of Tambol, and his retreat towards
Andejān, yet my inexperience made me guilty of a gross
oversight; for, instead of occupying the ground along the
banks of the river Khākān, which was naturally strong, and
encamping there, we passed the river and halted beside the
village of Rabāt-e-zourek, in a level plain, where we went
to sleep in negligent security, without advanced guard*
and
without videttes. Just before the dawn, while our men
were still enjoying themselves in sleep, Kamber Ali Beg
Surprised
by Tambol.
galloped up, exclaiming, ‘The enemy are upon us—rouse
up!’ Having spoken these words, without halting a
moment, he passed on. I had gone to sleep, as was my
custom even in times of security, without taking off my
jāmeh, or frock, and instantly arose, girt on my sabre and
quiver, and mounted my horse. My standard-bearer seized
the standard, but without having time to tie on the horsetail
and colours;*
but, taking the banner-staff in his hand
just as it was, leaped on horseback, and we proceeded
towards the quarter in which the enemy were advancing.
When I first mounted, there were ten or fifteen men with
me. By the time I had advanced a bowshot, we fell in with
the enemy’s skirmishers. At this moment there might
be about ten men with me. Riding quick up to them, and
giving a discharge of our arrows, we came upon the most
advanced of them, attacked and drove them back, and
continued to advance, pursuing them for the distance of
another bowshot, when we fell in with the main body of the
enemy. Sultan Ahmed Tambol was standing, with about
Advances
on Tambol.
a hundred men. Tambol was speaking with another person
in front of the line, and in the act of saying, ‘Smite them!
Smite them!’ but his men were sidling in a hesitating
way, as if saying, ‘Shall we flee? Let us flee!’ but yet
standing still. At this instant there were left with me only
three persons: one of these was Dost Nāsir, another Mirza
Kuli Gokultāsh, and Kerīmdād Khudāidad, the Turkomān,
the third. One arrow, which was then on the notch, I discharged
on the helmet of Tambol, and again applied my
hand to my quiver, and brought out a green-tipped barbed
arrow,*
which my uncle, the Khan, had given me. Unwilling
to throw it away, I returned it to the quiver, and thus lost
as much time as would have allowed of shooting two arrows.
I then placed another arrow on the string and advanced,
while the other three lagged a little behind me. Two
persons came on right to meet me; one of them was Tambol,
who preceded the other. There was a highway between us.
He mounting on one side of it as I mounted on the other, we
encountered on it in such a manner that my right hand
was towards my enemy, and Tambol’s right hand towards
me. Except the mail for his horse, Tambol had all his
armour and accoutrements complete. I had only my sabre
and bow and arrows.*
I drew up to my ear and sent right
Wounded.
for him the arrow which I had in my hand. At that very
moment an arrow of the kind called shībah struck me on
the right thigh, and pierced through and through. I had
a steel cap*
on my head. Tambol, rushing on, smote me
such a blow on it with his sword as to stun me; though not
a thread of the cap was penetrated, yet my head was
severely wounded. I had neglected to clean my sword, so
that it was rusty, and I lost time in drawing it. I was alone
and single in the midst of a multitude of enemies. It was
no season for standing still; so I turned my bridle round,
receiving another sabre stroke on the arrows in my quiver.
I had gone back seven or eight paces, when three foot-soldiers*
came up and joined us. Tambol*
now attacked
Dost Nāsir sword in hand. They followed us about a bowshot.
Arigh-Khākān-shah*
is a large and deep stream, which
is not fordable everywhere; but God directed us aright, so
that we came exactly upon one of the fords of the river.
Immediately on crossing the river the horse of Dost Nāsir
fell from weakness. We halted to remount him, and,
passing among the hillocks that are between Kharabūk and
Feraghīneh, and going from one hillock to another,*
we
Escapes to
Ush.
proceeded by by-roads*
towards Ush. When we were
leaving these hillocks, Mazīd Taghāi met and joined us.
He had been wounded by an arrow in the right leg, below the
knee; though it had not pierced through and through, yet
he reached Ush with much difficulty. The enemy slew
many of my best men. Nāsir Beg, Muhammed Ali Mubashar,
Khwājeh Muhammed Ali, Khosroū Gokultāsh, and Naamān
Chihreh, fell on that day. A great many cavaliers and
soldiers also fell at the same time.