Muhammed Zeitūn likewise, seeing that nothing could be done, surrendered Dhūlpūr, and came and waited on me. I bestowed on him also a perganna of several laks, and made Dhūlpūr an imperial domain, bestowing the shikdāri (or military collectorship) of it on Abul Fateh Turkomān, whom I sent to Dhūlpūr.
The PaniIn the neighbourhood of Hissār-Firozeh, Hamīd Khan Sārangkhāni, and a party of the Pani Afghans, having collected a number of Afghans and others from the countries around, to the number of three or four thousand men, were in a state of open and active revolt.
Nov. 21.On Wednesday the 15th* of Safer, I ordered Chīn Taimūr to take with him Sultan Ahmedi Perwānchi, Abul Fateh Turkomān, Malikdād Karrāni, and Mujāhid Khan Multāni, and to proceed with a light-armed force against these Afghans. They accordingly set out, and advancing* by a circuitous road, fell upon the Afghans, whom they completely Defeated. routed, and killed a number of men, whose heads they cut off, and sent to me.
EmbassyIn the end of the month of Safer, Khwājehgi Asad, who had been sent into Irāk, on a mission to the Prince Tahmāsp,* returned accompanied by a Turkomān, named Suleimān, bringing several curiosities of the country, as presents. Among these were two Circassian* female slaves.
Dec. 21.On Friday the 16th* of the first Rabīa, a strange occurrence happened. As the particulars are circumstantially detailed in a letter which I wrote to Kābul, the letter itself is inserted here, without adding or taking away. It was as follows:
Bābur’s‘A very important incident happened on Friday the 16th* day of the first Rabīa, in the year 933. The circumstances are these: The mother of Ibrahīm, an ill-fated lady, had heard that I had eaten some things from the hands of natives of Hindustān. It happened in this way. Three or four months ago, never having seen any of the dishes of Hindustān, I desired Ibrahīm’s cooks to be called, and out of fifty or sixty cooks, four were chosen and retained. The lady, having heard the circumstance, sent a person to Etāwa to call Ahmed, the taster, whom the Hindustānis call bekāwel,* and delivered into the hands of a female slave a tola* of poison, wrapped up in a folded paper, desiring it to be given to the taster Ahmed.* Ahmed gave it to a Hindustāni cook* who was in my kitchen, seducing him with the promise of four pergannas, and desiring him,* by some means or other, to throw it into my food. She sent another female slave after the one whom she had desired to carry the poison to Ahmed, in order to observe if the first slave delivered the poison or not. It was fortunate that the poison was not thrown into the pot, it was thrown into the tray. He did not throw it into the pot, because I had strictly enjoined the tasters to watch the Hindustānis, and they had tasted the food in the pot while it was cooking. When they were dishing the meat, my graceless tasters* were inattentive, and he threw it upon a plate of thin slices of bread; he did not throw above one-half of the poison that was in the paper upon the bread, and put some meat fried in butter upon the slices of bread. If he had thrown it above the fried meat, or into the cooking pot, it would have been still worse; but in his confusion, he spilt the better half of it on the fire-place.
‘On Friday, when afternoon prayers were past, they dished the dinner. I was very fond of hare,* and ate some,* as well as a good deal of fried carrot.* I was not, however, sensible of any disagreeable taste; I likewise ate a morsel or two of smoke-dried meat, when I felt nausea. The day before, while eating some smoke-dried flesh, I had felt an unpleasant taste in a particular part of it. I ascribed my nausea to that incident. The nausea again returned, and I was seized with so violent a retching, two or three times while the tray was before me,* that I had nearly vomited.* At last, perceiving that I could not check it, I went to the water-closet. While on the way to it my heart rose, and I had again nearly vomited. When I had got in front of* the water-closet I vomited a great deal.
‘I had never before vomited after my food, and not even after drinking wine. Some suspicions crossed my mind. I ordered the cooks to be taken into custody, and desired the meat to be given to a dog, which I directed to be shut up. Next morning about the first watch, the dog became sick, his belly swelled, and he seemed distressed. Although they threw stones at him, and shoved him, they could not make him rise. He remained in this condition till noon, after which he rose and recovered. Two young men had also eaten of this food. Next morning they too vomited much, one of them was extremely ill, but both in the end escaped.
| (Persian)— | A calamity fell upon me, but I escaped in safety. Almighty God bestowed a new life upon me,— I came from the other world,— I was again born from my mother’s womb. |
| (Tūrki)— | I was broken*
and dead, but am again raised to life; Now, in the salvation of my life, I recognize the hand of God.* |
‘I ordered Sultan Muhammed Bakhshi to guard and examine the cooks, and at last all the particulars came to light, as they have been detailed.
‘On Monday, being a court day, I directed all the grandees and chief men, the Begs and Wazīrs, to attend the Diwān. I brought in the two men and the two women, who, being questioned, detailed the whole circumstances of the affair in all its particulars. The taster was ordered to be cut to pieces. I commanded the cook to be flayed alive. One of the women was ordered to be trampled to death by an elephant; the other I commanded to be shot with a matchlock. The lady I directed to be thrown into custody. She too, pursued by her guilt, will one day meet with due retribution. On Saturday I ate a bowl of milk. I also drank some of the makhtūm flower, brayed and mixed in spirits. On Monday I drank the makhtūm flower,* and teriāk e fārūk,* mixed in milk. The milk scoured my inside extremely. On Saturday, as on the first day,* a quantity of extremely black substance, like parched bile, was voided. Thanks be to God, there are now no remains of illness! I did not fully comprehend before that life was so sweet a thing. The poet says,
| (Tūrki)— | Whoever comes to the gates of death, knows the value of life. |
‘Whenever these awful occurrences pass before my
memory, I feel myself involuntarily turn faint. The mercy
of God has bestowed a new life on me, and how can my
tongue express my gratitude? Having resolved with
myself to overcome my repugnance,*
I have written fully
and circumstantially everything that happened. Although
the occurrences were awful, and not to be expressed by the
tongue or lips, yet by the favour of Almighty God, other
days awaited*
me, and have passed in happiness and
health.*
That no alarm or uneasiness might find its way
A. D. 1526.
Dec. 25.
among you, I have written this on*
the 20th of the first
Rabīa, while in the Chārbāgh.’
When I had recovered from this danger, I wrote and sent
this letter to Kābul. As the ill-fated princess had been
guilty of so enormous a crime, I gave her up to Yunis Ali,
and Khwājeh Asad, to be put under contribution. After
seizing her ready money and effects, her male and female
slaves, she was given to Abdal-Rahīm’s*
charge, to be kept in
Ibrahīm’s
son sent to
Kābul.
custody. Her grandson, the son of Ibrahīm, had previously
been guarded with the greatest respect and delicacy. When
an attempt of so heinous a nature was discovered to have
been made by the family, I did not think it prudent to have
a son of Ibrahīm’s*
in this country.*
On Thursday, the
A. D. 1527.
Jan. 3.
29th of the first Rabīa, I sent him to Kāmrān*
along with
Mulla Sarsān, who had come from that prince on some
business.