At this time the Daylamites were plundering, stealing, and causing great trouble in Gurgán, breaking into the houses of Muslims by night to rob and do evil, so that even unto Níshápúr men were in terror of them. So Ḥasan-i-Zayd caused the hands and feet of a thousand of them to be cut off in Gurgán, in consequence of which some thousand of his followers deserted him and joined Rustam the son of Qárin, who, though (f. 118a) ostensibly declaring himself to be loyal to the Sayyid, was really bent on rebellion against his authority. When these Daylamites joined Rustam the son of Qárin, he had not sufficient food wherewith to feed them, so he suffered them to loot the countryside in search of provisions. Qásim b. 'Alí, who was at Qúmish, wrote to him informing him that Muḥammad b. Mahdí b. Nírak was marching against him from Níshápúr, and at the same time asked for help from Ḥasan b. Zayd. Qásim had not the least suspicion of the intentions of Rustam, and was quite off his guard, when the latter suddenly and treacherously attacked-and captured him, imprisoned him in the castle of Sháh Dizh in Hazár-garí, and seized Qúmish. Sayyid Qásim died in the castle. Then Rustam sent to the governor of Níshápúr, Aḥmad b. 'Abdu`lláh Khujistání*, telling him that the affairs of Ḥasan b. Zayd were in a precarious state, and asking for his help. Sayyid Ḥasan plundered Qúmish and chastised Rustam; but the death of his brother-in-law, Muḥammad b. Ibráhím b. 'Alí b. 'Abdu`r-Raḥmán, broke his spirit, for he loved him greatly and held him in high esteem. All the army of Sayyid Ḥasan went over to his brother Abú 'Abdi`lláh Muḥammad b. Zayd, who ordered them to attack the Ispahbad Rustam. When they had advanced one stage, the army of Níshápúr under Khujistání had reached Gurgán, so he sent messengers to turn his brother back, abandoned Gurgán, and retired into Tammísha. Khujistání pursued him to Ribáṭ-i-Ḥafṣ, captured his treasures and baggage, and took many prisoners, but slew no one. Muḥammed [b.] Zayd learned at Júhína that his brother had departed, and at Sárí rumour reached him that Ḥasan b. Zayd had been taken captive. Ḥasan b. Muḥammad 'Aqíqí assembled the people and received their oaths of allegiance to him­self, beheading all who refused to take this oath. But at Sárí he was met by Ṭáhir b. Ibráhím [b.] Khalíl coming from Ḥasan b. Zayd, from whom he learned that Sayyid Ḥasan himself was approaching. Thereupon he fled from Sárí and joined the Ispahbad Rustam the son of Qárin, and though Ḥasan b, Zayd tried to win him back by kind messages, he returned no answer, but continued with the Ispahbad till Khujistání had established himself in Bakrábád in Gurgán and collected supplies. The Ispahbad remained at Astarábád until Khu­jistání went to Níshápúr, and the men of Gurgán attached themselves to 'Aqíqí, who protected them from the oppression of Khujistání, and excused them their taxes, and all of them swore allegiance to him. But presently Ḥasan b. Zayd collected an army in Ṭabaristán, who, by threes and by fours, began to set out for Astarábád. When he reached the village of Námina in Panjáh-hazár, he chose out 500 horsemen, and made a night attack on Astarábád, so that at day-break he surprised Rustam, who only suc­ceeded in escaping on foot into the highlands. Ḥasan b. Zayd, without delaying, set out for Gurgán, where 'Aqíqí knew nothing of what had happened to Rustam at Astar­ábád. The Sayyid therefore took him quite by surprise, so that he fled with only three horsemen to the plains, pursued by Muḥammad b. Zayd, until he was finally captured and brought before Sayyid Ḥasan. As soon as his eyes fell on the Sayyid, he prayed for quarter, but the Sayyid, averting his face, bade Turk-i-Rúmí to cut off his head, after which they wrapped his body in a mantle and buried it in the Guebres’ cemetery. Then the Sayyid sent his brother Muḥammad b. Zayd into the Ispahbad’s highlands to pursue him, until at length, despairing, he sent messenger after messenger to beg for quarter, till at length the Sayyid wrote to his brother bidding him to spare the fugitive, but to seize all his possessions, and exact pledges that he would not in future maintain an army, all of which Muḥammad b. Zayd duly performed. On his return, his brother invested him with the standard and drum of authority, and sent him to Gurgán.