About afternoon prayers, Sultan Muhammed Bakhshi came in a boat from the other side of the river. He brought accounts of the ruin of the affairs of Mahmūd Khan, the son of Sultan Iskander,* whom the rebels had dignified with the title of Sultan Mahmūd. A scout who had gone out from our army had already, about noon-day prayers, brought us news of the breaking up of the rebels. Between noon and afternoon prayers a letter had arrived from Tājkhān Sārangkhāni, which corresponded with the information of the spy. Sultan Muhammed, on his arrival, now detailed the whole particulars. It appeared, that the rebels had come and laid siege to Chunār, and had even made a slight attack; but that, on getting the certain news of my approach, they were filled with consternation, broke up in confusion, and raised the siege; that the Afghans, who had passed over to Benāres, had also retired in great confusion; that two of their boats sank in the passage, and that several of their men were drowned in the river.
Enchant-Next morning also, I* embarked in a boat. When half-way down, I saw Aisān Taimūr Sultan, and Tukhteh Būgha Sultan, who had dismounted for the purpose of performing the kornish, and were still standing.* I sent for the Sultans into the boat; Tukhteh Būgha Sultan performed some of his enchantments. A high wind having risen,* it began to rain. The violence of the wind induced me to eat a maajūn. Although I had eaten a maajūn the day before, I ate one also this day on reaching the camp.
March 8.Next day we halted in our camp.
March 9. On Tuesday we marched. Over against Averd*
there
was a large verdant island. Having crossed in a boat,
I rode round it on horseback,*
and, coming back in one*
Bābur’s
danger.
watch, again embarked in the boat. While riding on the
bank of the river, I came, without knowing it, on a steep
precipice which had been hollowed out below by the current.
The moment I reached the bank it gave way, and began
to tumble in. I instantly threw myself by a leap on the
part of it that was firm. My horse tumbled in.*
Had
I remained on the horse, I must inevitably have fallen in
along with it. The same day I swam across the river Ganges
for amusement. I counted my strokes, and found that I
crossed over with thirty-three strokes. I then took breath,*
and swam back to the other side. I had crossed by swimming
every river that I had met with, the river Ganges alone
excepted. On reaching the place where the Ganges and
Jumna unite,*
I rowed over in the boat*
to the Piāg*
side, and at one watch and four garis,*
we reached the
camp.
On Wednesday at noon, the army began to cross the Jumna. We had four hundred and twenty boats.
March 12.On Friday, the 1st of Rajeb, I crossed the river.
On Monday the 4th, I marched from the banks of the
Jumna against Behār. Having advanced five kos, we
March 15.
Advances
against
Behār.
halted at Lawāin. I sailed down the river as I had been
accustomed.*
The troops had continued passing till this
day. I now directed the guns and artillery*
which had
been landed at Adampūr to be again embarked at Piāg,
and sent forward by water carriage. Having reached our
ground, we set the wrestlers a-wrestling. Dost Yāsīn had
an excellent wrestling match with Pahlevān Lahōri*
the
boatman. Dost succeeded in throwing him, but by great
exertions, and with much difficulty. I bestowed complete
dresses on both of them. Somewhat farther on is the Tūs,*
a very swampy and muddy river. We halted two days
at this station, for the purpose of discovering a ford, and
March 16
and 17.
of constructing a road. Towards night, we found a ford*
by which the horses and camels could pass, but the loaded
wagons could not cross on account of its broken stony
bottom. Orders were, however, given that exertion should
be used, to transport the baggage carts across by that ford.
On Thursday, having marched thence, I went in a boat as far as the point where the river Tūs empties itself into the main river.* At the point of junction I landed, rode up the Tūs, and returned about afternoon prayers to the camp, which, in the meantime, had crossed that river and taken its ground. This day the army marched six kos.
March 19.Next morning we halted on the same ground.
March 20. On Saturday we marched twelve kos, and reached
March 21.
March 22.
Nilabā - Gang*;
whence next morning we marched, and
having advanced six kos, halted above Deh.*
From
thence we went on seven kos, and reached Nānupūr. At
this station Bāki Khan*
arrived with his sons from Chunār,
and paid his obeisance.
At this time a letter from Muhammed Bakhshi gave me certain information, that my wives and household had set out from Kābul.
Visits On Wednesday I marched from that station, and visited
the fort of Chunār; the camp halted after having advanced
about one kos beyond it. In the course of my march
from Piāg, some painful boils broke out on my body.
At this stage a Rūmi administered to me a medicine
which had lately been found out in Rūm. They boiled
the dust of pepper in an earthen pot, and exposed the
sores to the warm steam, and after the steam diminished,
washed them with the warm water. I did this for two
astronomical hours. At this station, a man said that
March 25.
in an island close on the edge of the camp, he had seen
a lion and rhinoceros.*
Next morning we drew a ring round
the ground; we also brought elephants to be in readiness,
but no lion or rhinoceros was roused. On the edge of the
circle one wild buffalo was started. This day the wind
rose very high, and the wind and dust occasioned a great
deal of annoyance. Having embarked in a boat, I returned
Arrives at
Benāres.
by water to the camp, which had halted two kos higher
up than Benāres. In the jungle around Chunār, there
are many elephants.*
We were just setting out from this
station, with the intention of having the sport of elephant
Mahmūd
Khan occu-
pies the
banks of
the Son.
hunting, when Bāki Khan*
brought information, that
Mahmūd Khan was on the banks of the river Son.*
I
A. D. 1529.
immediately convened the Amīrs, and consulted them
about attempting to fall upon the enemy by surprise;
when it was finally settled, that we should advance by
very long marches without a moment’s loss of time.
Leaving that place, we marched nine kos, and halted at
March 28.
the Balweh*
passage. From this station, on the eve of
Monday, the 18th of the month, I sent off Tāher to Agra.
He carried with him drafts for payment of the money
which I had ordered to be given as presents to the guests
who had come from Kābul. The same day I went on board
March 29.
Bābur
marches
against
him.
of a boat.*
I embarked before dawn, and having reached
the place where the river Gūmti,*
which is the river of
Jaunpūr, forms a junction with the Ganges, I went a short
way up it in the boat, and then returned back. Though
it is a narrow little river, yet it has no ford, so that troops
are forced to pass it in boats, by rafts, and on horseback,
or sometimes by swimming.*
I visited and rode over the
last year’s encampment, from which our troops had
advanced to Jaunpūr.*
A favourable wind having sprung
up, and blowing down the river, they hoisted the sail of
a Bengali boat, and made her tow the large vessel, which
went very quick. The army, after leaving Benāres, had
encamped, about a kos higher up.**
Nearly two garis
of the day were still left when we reached the camp, having
met with nothing to delay us*;
the boats that followed
us with most expedition, came up about bed-time prayers.
At Chunār I had given orders, that whenever I travelled
by land, Moghul Beg should measure the straight road
with a measuring line, and that, as often as I embarked
on a boat, Lutfi Beg should measure along the bank of the
river. The straight road was eleven kos, that along the
river eighteen.