The Summah people, who resided about Loharee, collected, and came to Mahomed Kasim, with drums beating, and blowing horns. He, inquiring who these were, was told by the Bramins that they were a tribe of the country, and that it was customary with them, on approach­ing the ruler, to go in this way. Mahomed Kasim, fixing a settlement for them, gave them their leave.

Then the Loharees, the Suhtuhs, the Chundars, the Machees, the Halas, the Ghorachas, also came bare-headed and bare-footed, through the introduction of Abee, the son of Abdoor Rayman, Suhleetee, to Mahomed Kasim, for safety. He gave them protection, issuing orders, that upon these people should rest this business, “that whenever any Musulman went from this to the residence of the Khaliph, or when any should come from thence to Alore, these should show them the road.”

In the beginning of the year Hijree 94 (A. D. 712), the sons of Rais Daher collected some men in the fort of Sekunder (this was a strong fort), and from this they looted the villages of Sind. When this news reached Mahomed Kasim, he went there, surrounding the fort. After some time, there was great distress from a scarcity of provisions; there was nothing to be got to eat but flesh alone. Mahomed Kasim then sent a good man to the sons of Rais Daher, telling him to say, that if they wished for his friendship, he would give it to them. They sent back for answer that they were certain that Rais Daher was still alive, and that they expected he would shortly come with an army from Hindoostan to take his revenge. When Mahomed Kasim heard this, he ordered the wife of Rais Daher to be brought from Alore to her sons, when this absurd idea would leave them. She was brought, and sent in front of, and close to the gate. The garrison got on the walls; when the wife of Rais Daher told them all the circumstances of the fight, and of the death of Rais Daher, also of that of the Sirdars, separately. She then wept. The people, saying she spoke false, commenced throwing stones and mud at her, declaring she was in league with the enemy and not worthy of credit. She was then taken away.

In a short space, by the battering rams and other implements for breaking down walls, this fort was conquered. Mahomed Kasim destroyed numbers of the Kafirs; some few of them came under the rules of Islamism. Much money and other things fell into the hands of the Mahomedans. There was in the fort a large temple, which they destroyed: from it they obtained great riches, which Mahomed Kasim put on one side for the Khaliph, and one-fifth of all the prize he took and spent in building Musjids; then he returned to Alore.

In the beginning of the 3rd month of the year Hijree 94 (A. D. 712), he made Ahnuf, the son of Kais Ussudee, Governor of Alore, and, leaving him there, he himself turned his face to take Mooltan; the leading men of which, hearing of his approach, went to the front to meet him; and getting an interview, he executed a treaty with, and arranged what articles of produce and merchandize should be paid by them yearly to the State. He left this, placing Daood, the son of Nusseer, the son of Ummanee, as governor of it. He also placed Huzeen, the son of Abdool Mulik Bunee Tumeem, as governor at the fort of Burum­poor, on the bank of the water of Jhelum (this fort is also called Shiewpoor).

When Mahomed Kasim marched from Mooltan to go to Delhalpoor, 50,000 men, horse and foot, were under his standard. To whatever country he went, he fixed a force there. In this manner he carried the armies of Islam as far as Kanoge. The Rajas and Hakeems in all that space came under the orders of Islam, agreeing to pay yearly tribute in money and produce, and to convey it to Darul Islam. Mahomed Kasim, having quieted his mind, by placing men of confidence and troops in all places of importance, turned homewards. At that time a letter came, written agreeably to the order of the Khaliph Wulleed, to this effect:—

“After taking Alore, you sent two daughters of Rais Daher, and some prisoners, in charge of Mahomed the son of Ali Tohman, Humdanee, with Seedee servants, to Darul Khaliphat. The Khaliph called these two sisters to the Harem one night, and gave them in charge of the eunuchs, that they might pay them attention. They were to produce them when they had recovered from the toils of travel. Two months afterwards, they were produced before the Khaliph, and an interpreter attended. The two sisters threw back their veils, and the Khaliph, on seeing them, became distracted with their great beauty. He then asked them their names. One said her name was Purmul Dewe, the other said her’s was Sooruj Dewe. The Khaliph ordered the attendants to leave one of them there. Then she, rising, said: ‘We are not fit for the bed-chamber of the Khaliph, because Mahomed Kasim placed both of us by himself for three days, and he afterwards sent us to the Khaliph.’”

The interpreter explaining this, the fire of anger was lighted in the body of the Khaliph, who gave orders, that as a punishment for this want of respect, Mahomed Kasim should wrap himself up in the raw hide of an ox, and be present at Darul Kaliphat. To show his great anger, and by way of intimidation, the Khaliph wrote in the margin of this letter in his own hand, that “Whenever this reaches Mahomed Kasim, he is to come from thence to Darul Khaliphat, wrapped in the hide of a cow. There is to be no delay in obeying this order.”

At that time Mahomed Kasim was at Oodeypoor. When the Chobdar brought this letter (Firman), Mahomed Kasim, on reading it, to obey the orders it contained, said to the Chobdar:— “That which you have been directed to do, do it. He wrapped Mahomed Kasim in a raw hide, and departed. Three days afterwards the bird of his life left his body, flying to heaven. The Chobdar, seeing this, put the body into a box, taking it to Darul Khaliphat. He arrived there on a Durbar day, and took the box to the Khaliph, who, seeing it, inquired if he were alive or dead. The Chobdar replied, that he had wrapped him in a raw skin, but three days afterwards he died. The Khaliph then directed the box to be taken into the Harem, and that it should be opened in his presence. The Khaliph went to the Harem, and calling the daughters of Rais Daher, said, come and see how penetrating my orders are; come and see Mahomed Kasim. They both went forward, and, looking at, recognised him. Offering great praises to the Khaliph, they said:— “Kings of great justice should not do great things in a hurry; they should not use that which is told them by their enemies.” The Khaliph asked what was the meaning of this. They replied:— “We raised this suspi­cion against Mahomed Kasim in enmity to him, because our father was killed at his hands: country and wealth have departed from our father’s house, and we have come as prisoners to the land of travellers. The king, in his anger, did not weigh our words, he did not distinguish between our truth and our falsehood, and issued such an order. The truth is, this man was to us as a father or a brother; his perfidious hand never touched the skirts of our purity: it was in our heart to revenge our father; on this account we raised this suspicion upon him. Our wishes have been fulfilled, but in the house of judgment of the king there is great sorrow.”

When the Kahliph heard this, for one hour his head was in the pocket of repentance; then the fire of anger became alight in his breast. He gave orders— the two girls were tied to the tails of two horses, and after having been dragged round the city, they were thrown into the Dijlah (the Tigris).

Mahomed Kasim was buried at Damascus. It is said, that two years after the death of Mahomed Kasim, the people of all the countries he had conquered refused to obey orders; only those from Daibulpoor to the salt sea remained under the hands of the agents of the Khaliph.

In the year Hijree 96 (A. D. 714), Khaliph Wulleed went to the country of heaven, and his successor, Sooliman the son of Wulleed, sat on the throne of the Khaliphat. He sent Ahmir the son of Abdoola as the Governor of Sind.

After the death of Sooliman, Murwan the son of Mahomed, whose title was Kadir Billah (the Strong by the power of God), succeeded to the Khaliphat. He sent Abdool Khuttab to take the government of Sind.

In the year Hijree 133 (A. D. 750) Abdoola the son of Mahomed, the son of Ali, the son of Abdoola, the son of Abbas (commonly called Sifah), having taken the Khaliphat from the Khaliph of the Bunee Oomaiyuh, became the first Khaliph of the Bunee Abbasee. He sent a force from Darul Khaliphat to Sind, which drove the agents of the Bunee Oomaiyuh out from that country.

Four years after this Junfur Munsoor Abbasee sent an army to Hindoostan; and in the year Hijree 170 (A. D. 786) the Khaliph Haroon Reshid, the son of Muhdee, sent Abool Abbas to govern Sind, who stayed there a long time.

END OF CHAPTER I.