I afterwards learned, however, that, in the Tūrki language, te and dāl, as well as ghain, kāf and qāf, by a poetical licence, are frequently interchanged* for each other, for the sake of the rhyme.
Tambol ad- A short time afterwards, Tambol advanced against
Uratippa. As soon as this information arrived, the Khan
led out his army from Tāshkend, and between Bishkent and
Sām-sīrek, having drawn it up in regular array, with right
Ceremonies
of a Mo-
ghul re-
view.
and left wings, he formed the ivīm (or circle*).
The
Moghuls blew horns according to their custom.*
The Khan
having alighted, they brought nine horsetail standards,*
and placed them by him. One Moghul stood by, holding in
his hand an ox’s shank-bone, to which he tied a long white
cotton cloth. Another having fastened three long slips of
white cloth beneath the horsetail of the standard, passed
them under the banner-staff of the ensigns.*
One corner
of one of the cloths the Khan took, and, putting it beneath
his feet, stood upon it. I stood on one corner of another
of the long slips, which was in like manner tied under one
of the horsetail standards; while Sultan Muhammed
Khanekeh*
took the third, and, placing the cloth under his
feet, in like manner stood on a corner of it. Then the
Moghul that had tied on these cloths, taking the ox-shank
in his hand, made a speech in the Moghul tongue, looking
often to the standards, and pointing and making signs
towards them. The Khan and all the men around took
kumīz*
in their hands, and sprinkled it towards the
standards. All the trumpets and drums struck up at once,
and the whole soldiers who were drawn up raised the war-shout.
These ceremonies they repeated three times. After
that, they leaped on horseback, raised the battle-shout, and
put their horses to the speed. Among the Moghuls, the
Institutions*
established by Chingiz Khan have continued to
be strictly observed down to the present time. Every man
has his appointed station; those appointed to the right
wing, the left wing, or the centre, have their allotted places,
which are handed down to them from father to son. Those
of most trust and consequence are stationed on the extremi
ties or flanks of the two wings. Among those who compose
the right wing there is a dispute between the tribes*
of the
Chirās and Begchik, which of them should occupy the
extremity of the line. At this time, the chief of the tribe*
of Chirās was Kāshkeh Mahmūd, a very brave young man.
The chief of the tribe of Begchik, which is noted among the
Tumāns, was Ayūb Yakūb. They had a dispute which
of them was to occupy the flank, which came to such
lengths, that swords were drawn. Finally, an apparently
friendly compromise was made, that the one of them should
stand highest at great hunting-matches,*
and that the other
should occupy the flank when the army was in battle array.
Next morning, the army forming the large hunting circle, they hunted in the vicinity of Sām-sīrek, and, advancing forward, at length halted at the Chārbagh of Burāk. The first ghazel that I ever composed was finished that day at this station. The ghazel was the following:*
I have found no faithful friend in the world but my soul;
Except my own heart I have no trusty confidant.
The ghazel consists of six couplets, and all the ghazels that I afterwards wrote were composed in the same measure as this.
From hence, march by march, we proceeded till we reached the banks of the river of Khojend. One day, having passed the river, and ridden out on a pleasure party, I got ready a dinner, and made all the officers and young people of the army* merry. That same day, the golden clasp of my girdle was stolen. Next morning, Khānkuli, Biānkuli, and Sultan Mahmūd Weis deserted, and went over to Tambol. The general suspicion was, that they were the guilty persons, though it was not established. Ahmed Kāsim Kohbur also asked leave and went to Uratippa, but he never came back, and he too went and joined Tambol.