The fourteenth Khan, Saki Beg, the daughter of Ooljaitoo Sultan.

When Ameer Shaikh Hussun, junior, came to Tubreez from Georgia, sixteen of the family of the Chobanians assembled before him, and demanded a king of the race of Hulako Khan. The ameers of the Huzaras said that Saki Beg, the daughter of Ooljaitoo Sultan, the sister of Sultan Aboo Saeed, was with them, and as no male of the family of Hulako remained, the right to the throne was hers, and accordingly the Prin­cess Saki Beg, in the year 739 Hejri, by the aid of Ameer Shaikh Hussun, the less (the grandson of of Ameer Choban Suldooz), was seated on the throne, and having assembled a large army, marched towards Sultania. Ameer Shaikh Hus­sun Elkani the senior, on hearing of this move­ment, retired to Kazvin, but again advanced with an intention to oppose his enemies, but before a battle was fought a kind of composition was effected, and Ameer Shaikh Hussun Noyaun, the senior, having visited the Princess Saki Beg,* acknowledged her right to the throne, and both the Ameers Shaikh Hussun embraced each other, and made peace on the following terms:—That, that winter Ameer Shaikh Hussun Noyaun, senior, should remain at Sultania, and the Princess Saki Beg at Karabaugh; and that in the spring they should assemble a kooriltaie and make arrange­ments for the future. In consequence, Princess Saki Beg and Ameer Shaikh Hussun, the younger, marched to Iran and Azurbijan, and the senior Shaikh Hussun, to Sultania. In Rujub of the same year, which was the commencement of spring, Toghaie Timoor again assembled a large army to invade Irak and Azurbijan, and marched towards Tubreez; when Ameer Shaikh Hussun Noyaun, the elder, became aware of this, he pro­ceeded to meet him and they met at the town of Saweh. Ameer Shaikh Hussun, the younger, with Ameer Syoorghan, accompanied the Princess Saki Beg from Iran to Owjan. At this time the tribe of Awirat seized Karachuri, the false Timoor Tash, and brought him to the princess, who imme­diately ordered him to be beheaded. After this, Toghaie Timoor Khan, without the knowledge of Shaikh Hussun Noyaun, the elder, despatched Agurpukh, who was the nurse* of Sultan Aboo Saeed, to Ameer Shaikh Hussun, the lesser, with a message, that between his father and Ameer Suldooz, Hussun’s grandfather, firm friendship had existed, and that when an order was issued to put his father Soorikoori to death, Ameer Choban Suldooz had resisted it, and that he could not be so ungrateful as to forget so great a benefit; and that for this cause he could not, in honour, at this day, admit that any injury should be offered to the house of the Chobanians: that it would be advisable, therefore, to do away any cause of enmity that subsisted. Ameer Shaikh Hus­sun the younger, when he heard this, was much pleased, and with deceit in his heart, said, that whatever the Padshah proposed, was undoubtedly for the benefit of religion, the kingdom, and people; and having made rich presents to Agurpukh Begi and his companions, he, in private, desired him to offer his duty to the king, and tell him that he had no controlling authority in the kingdom, and that on the part of Shaikh Hussun the elder, who was his father-in-law, he entertained great apprehensions, although he as yet had done nothing overtly to justify them; that it would be good policy, therefore, for Toghaie Timoor Khan to allow him to take Shaikh Hussun the elder out of the way; and that, after his death, he would give Dilshad Khatoon and Saki Begum to the king, and all his family would then unite in his service. When Agurpukh Beg returned and delivered this message to Toghaie Timoor, the weak-minded king allowed himself to be seduced by the hopes of obtaining the Princess Saki Begum (the daughter of Ooljaitoo Sultan), and he therefore, with many promises, returned a very favourable answer, and required that some agreement on the premises should be entered into between them. Ameer Shaikh Hussun the younger replied that he was firm in his purpose, but that the best way would be for the king, in confir­mation of this treaty, to give a writing, signed by himself, to the Chobanians, inviting them to attack or remove the Elkanians, and put to death Ameer Shaikh Hussun the elder, and all his connexions and dependants, and make over the supreme control, the viceroyalty of the kingdom, and tribes, to the Chobanians. When the messenger reached Toghaie Timoor with these propositions, he being led away by the desire of possessing the two fair princesses, Saki Begum and Dilshad Khatoon, without reflecting on what might be the issue of his compliance, he wrote out the agreement, exactly as Shaikh Hussun the younger had prescribed, and signed his name at the bottom of it, and then despatched it by a mes­senger to Ameer Shaikh Hussun the younger. The shaikh no sooner received the letter than he mounted his horse, and, in company with Peer Hussein Chobani and Ameer Ali Tulpeen, pro­ceeded to the encampment of Shaikh Hussun the elder, and sent to call one of his servants, to whom he gave the agreement, and desired him to tell Shaikh Hussun the elder, that Shaikh Hussun Timoor Tash was waiting without, and presented his duty to him, and the following message: That although Shaikh Hussun the elder had sepa­rated from him, and had introduced a stranger to rule in the country, who had no claim to the succession, and was besides the enemy of the house of Hulako,—that although he had expended treasures on armies to support that stranger, and had hazarded his life and fortune in his defence,— yet that very man in return for all his services had written the agreement he now sent him, in his, Shaikh Hussun’s absence, indulging himself in these visionary projects, and in public professing himself his friend; that although Shaikh Hussun the elder considered him, Shaikh Hussun the younger, his enemy, yet he would not allow such undisguised treachery to be concerted against him, or that any injury should befal him; that he warned him therefore to take care of himself. Having delivered this artful message, he retired laughing to his encampment, and again prepared for war: he, however, told his officers and people, that by the grace of God all necessity for war was at an end, and the sedition of Toghaie Timoor quelled. His officers said in reply, that it was now four months since preparations for war had been in operation, and asked how was it possible they should be laid aside so easily, and all at once all quarrels cease? Shaikh Hussun the younger then said, you will see the proof of what I say this night.—When Shaikh Hussun the elder received the document and message sent to him by Shaikh Hussun the younger, he was violently agi­tated, and awaking from his slumber of negligence, and rising from his couch, ordered his troops to get under arms, and then sent a messenger for Arghoon Shah, the son of Nowroze Ghazi, the son of Arghoon Agha, who was the deputy of Toghaie Timoor Khan, and when he arrived, threw the paper before him. When Arghoon Shah had read the paper, Shaikh Hussun the elder asked him if that was the writing of the Padshah, and he said yes. The shaikh then said, “What evil have I done to him, that he should entertain such treacherous intentions against me and my family?” As Arghoon Shah was ignorant of this matter, no information of it having reached him, he fell on his knees, and after lauding the kind­ness and friendship of Shaikh Hussun, he said he was entirely ignorant of the agreement, but that he thought it might be traced to the wiles and fraud of the younger Shaikh Hussun; for that Toghaie Timoor, although he was a king, yet still he was a plain simple Moghool, and not able to contend with the insidious arts of the Cho­banians. That if Ameer Hussun would grant permission, he and the whole of the troops of Khorasan would either devote themselves to death before him, or root out the tribe of the Chobanians. When Shaikh Hussun heard these wise and manly words from Arghoon Shah, he said, “May God forgive the sins of your predecessors;” and having embraced him, said, “Thou art the grandson of the great Arghoon, and he, by the authority of Mangoo Khan, was chief of all the tribes of Hulako Khan. It is also writ­ten in the regulations of Hulako, that he was always guided by the advice of Ameer Arghoon, and as you also are as faithful and trustworthy, carry this writing to the traitor Toghaie Timoor, and ask why, without any cause of enmity, he entertains such villainous designs against me?” Arghoon Shah accordingly carried the agreement to Toghaie Timoor, and made him aware of what had occurred. Toghaie Timoor, on learning the artifice of Ameer Shaikh Hussun the younger, placing the finger of astonishment between the teeth of thought, at last said, “I did not believe the Chobanians capable of such exceeding fraud and villany; but as it is, having between two horses fallen to the ground, it is not wise to remain here;” and, accordingly, at night he ordered his adherents to saddle their horses, and, accompanied by them, fled towards Khorasan; and it is said, that as his authority was no longer received in Irak, he contented him­self with the government of part of Khorasan, until the year 753, when he was murdered at Asturabad by Khwaja Yahya, the chief of the Abdalans, who, after the death of Aboo Saeed, had in some measure distinguished themselves above other tribes. Of these, Toghaie Timoor had claimed allegiance, and they had pro­fessed obedience to him; but on being intro­duced to him, treacherously cut him down with an axe, and afterwards plundered his camp and the whole province of Mazinderan. But to return. The day after the flight of Toghaie Timoor from Maragha to Khorasan, Shaikh Hussun the elder, with his ameers, repaired to the camp of the Chobanians, and having visited the Princess Saki Begum, he kissed her hand, and made excuses for his conduct; and in company with her proceeded to Owjan, having first dismissed his troops. When they mounted their horses, the Princess Saki Begum and Ameer Shaikh Hussun Noyaun the elder rode side by side, and Shaikh Hussun the younger on the flank, or in the front of the cavalcade, to preserve order. When they arrived at Owjan, and Saki Begum alighted, the elder Shaikh Hussun departed, and encamped two fursungs from Owjan, and some of the ameers retired to Tubreez. At this time the younger Shaikh Hussun rebelled, and quitted the camp of the Princess Saki Begum, which he plundered; and he also removed Saki Begum from the sovereignty of Persia, and raised to the throne a man named Suliman, whom he declared to be descended from Hulako Khan. When Ameer Shaikh Hussun the elder heard of this, he raised to the throne, on his part, Jehan Timoor, the son of Alafreng, a man really descended from Hulako Khan.