As there was no king, and none of royal blood in Badakhshān,
Khan
Mirza sets
out for
Badakh-
shān.
Khan Mirza,*
at the instigation of Shah Begum,*
or
in consequence of an understanding with her,*
showed a
desire to try his fortunes in that quarter. I accordingly gave
him leave. Shah Begum accompanied Khan Mirza; my
mother’s sister, Meher Nigār Khanum,*
also took a fancy to
go into Badakhshān. It would have been better, and more
becoming, for her to have remained with me. I was her
nearest relation. But however much I dissuaded her, she
continued obstinate, and also set out for Badakhshān.
In the month of the first Jumāda, we marched from Kābul
against Hindustān. We proceeded on our route by way of
Little-Kābul; on reaching Surkh Rabāt we passed Kurūk-sāi,*
Sept. 1507.
by the hill pass. The Afghans who inhabit between
Kābul and Lamghān are robbers and plunderers, even in
peaceable times. They fervently pray to God for such times
of confusion as now prevailed, but rarely do they get them.
When they understood that I had abandoned Kābul and
was marching for Hindustān, their former insolence was
Is opposed
by Afghan
tribes.
increased tenfold. Even the best among them were then
bent on mischief; and things came to such lengths, that,
on the morning when we marched from Jagdālīk, the
Afghans, through whose country we were to march, such as
the Khizer-khail, the Shimū-khail, the Khirilchi, and the
Khugiāni, formed the plan of obstructing our march through
the kotal or hill-pass of Jagdālīk, and drew up on the hill
which lies to the north, beating their drums, brandishing
their swords, and raising terrific shouts.*
As soon as we
had mounted, I ordered the troops to ascend the hill and
attack the enemy, each in the direction nearest to him.
Our troops accordingly advanced, and making their way
through different valleys, and by every approach that they
could discover, got near them, upon which the Afghans,
after standing an instant, took to flight without even
shooting an arrow. After driving off the Afghans, we
reached the top of the ascent. One Afghan who was fleeing
down the hill below me, on one side, I wounded in the arm
with an arrow. He and a few others were taken and brought
in. Some of them were impaled by way of example.
We halted in the Tumān of Nangenhār, before the fort of
Adīnapūr. Till our arrival here, we had not availed ourselves
of our foresight, nor fixed upon any places for our
stations. We had neither arranged a plan for our march,
nor appointed ground for halting. We now separated the
army into four divisions, who were to move about, some
up the country, and others down, till we received further
Plundering
expedition
to Alisheng.
intelligence. It was the end of autumn. In the plains,
in most places, they had housed the rice. Some persons
who were thoroughly acquainted with every part of the
country informed us, that up the river of the Tumān of
Alisheng, the Kafers sow great quantities of rice, and that
probably the troops might there be able to lay in their
winter’s corn. Leaving the dale of Nangenhār, therefore, and
pushing speedily forward, we passed Sāigal, and advanced
up the valley of Bīraīn.*
The troops seized a great quantity
of rice. The rice-fields were at the bottom of the hills. The
inhabitants in general fled and escaped, but a few Kafers
were killed. They*
had posted some men in a breastwork on
a commanding eminence in the valley of Bīraīn. When the
Kafers fled, this party descended*
rapidly from the hill,
and began to annoy us with arrows. Having wounded Purān,
the son-in-law of Kāsim Beg, they were on the point of
coming up with him, and of making him prisoner, when the
rest of his party made a push, put the enemy to flight, and
extricated and rescued him. We stayed one night in the
Kafers’ rice-fields, where we took a great quantity of grain,
and then returned back to the camp.
At this same time, Mukīm’s daughter, Māh-chūchak, who is now the wife of Shah Hassan, was married to Kāsim Gokultāsh, in the territory of the Tumān of Mandrāwar.
As we did not find it expedient to proceed in our expedition against Hindustān, I sent back Mulla Bāba Peshāgheri with a few troops towards Kābul. Marching from Mandrāwar, I proceeded by Ater and Shīwah,* and continued for some days in that neighbourhood; from Ater I went on by Kuner and Nūrgil,* and examined the country. From Kuner I came in a jāleh (or raft) to the camp. Before this time I had not sailed in a jāleh, but I found that sort of conveyance very pleasant; and from this time forward I frequently made use of it.
SheibāniAt this time Mulla Mīrak Farketi arrived from Nāsir Mirza. He brought the detailed news of Sheibāni Khan’s having taken the walled town of Kandahār, and of his retiring without having taken the citadel: he also brought information, that after Sheibāni Khan’s retreat, Nāsir Mirza had abandoned Kandahār on several accounts, and retired to Ghazni. A few days after my departure, Sheibāni Khan had unexpectedly appeared before Kandahār, and, as our people were not in sufficient strength to maintain the walled town, they abandoned it. The enemy ran mines in various directions about the citadel, and made several assaults. Nāsir Mirza was wounded by an arrow in the neck, and the citadel was on the point of being taken. In this extremity, Muhammed Amīn, Khwājeh Dost Khāwend, and Muhammed Ali Piādeh, the cup-bearer, giving up all for lost, let themselves down over the walls, and escaped from the fort. At the very moment when the place must inevitably have fallen, Sheibāni Khan made some proposals for an accommodation, and hastily raised the siege. The reason of his retreat was, that, when he came against Kandahār, he had sent his haram to Nirehtū.* Some persons having revolted in Nirehtū, had taken the fort. This induced him hurriedly to patch up a sort of peace and retire.
Bābur re-A few days afterwards, though it was the middle of winter, I arrived in Kābul by way of Badij. Above Badij I directed the date of the passage to be engraved on a stone.* Hāfiz Mīrak wrote the inscription. Ustād Shah Muhammed performed the stone-cutter’s part. From haste it is not well cut.
I bestowed Ghazni on Nāsir Mirza; to Abdal Razāk Mirza I gave the Tumān of Nangenhār, Mandrāwar, the valley of Nūr, Kuner, and Nūrgil.
AssumesTill this time the family of Taimūr Beg, even although on the throne, had never assumed any other title than that of Mirza. At this period, I ordered that they should style me Pādshāh.*
Birth ofIn the end of this year, on Tuesday the fourth day of the month of Zilkaadeh,* when the sun was in Aquarius, Humāiūn was born.* Moulāna Meshadi, the poet, discovered the date of his birth in the words Sultan Humāiūn Khan. One of the minor poets of Kābul found it in Shāh-e-firoz-kadr.* A few days after I gave him the name of Humāiūn. After Humāiūn’s birth, I went for five or six days to the Chār-bāgh, and celebrated the festival of his nativity. Those who were Begs, and those who were not, great and small, brought their offerings. Bags of silver money were heaped up. I never before saw so much white money in one place. It was a very splendid feast.