It is said that one day, as Sultán Mahmúd was sitting in his palace, his eye suddenly fell on a reckless fellow, who had a pair of fowls in his hand. Seeing that the Sultán was looking at him, he made a signal. The Sultán disregarded it, but asked himself what he could mean by it. The next time Mahmúd looked at him he made the same signal again, and the king again overlooked it; but on the third signal he called him into his presence, and asked him who he was, and what he was doing with the pair of fowls. The man answered, “I am a gamester; to-day I gambled in my own and the Sultán's name, and have won two pairs of fowls, so I have brought one pair for His Majesty.” The Sultán ordered the fowls to be received from him. The next day the man came again, and brought another pair. The Sultán asked himself what the fellow could mean by such partnership. The third day the man came in the same manner; but on the fourth he came empty-handed, and stood looking very sorrowful under the king's window. The Sultán, having looked at him, knew that some misfortune had befallen his partner, be­cause the signs of distress were visible in his face. He called him, and asked him the reason of his grief. The man replied, “I played to-day in partnership with the king and have lost one thousand dirams.” The Sultán smiled, and ordered five hundred dirams to be given to him, but added, “Do not make me your partner in future unless I am present.” Many stories and anec­dotes are told of this king, but they are not worth relating in an historical work.

Deposition of Mas'úd.

Sultán Mas'úd having reached Ghazní in a state of great dis­traction and embarrassment, imprisoned certain of the chief officers of the State, and put some of them to death, under the suspicion of their having misconducted themselves in the war with the Saljúkís. He then despatched towards Balkh his son, named Maudúd, at the head of a detachment of his army, ac­companied by Wazír Abú Nasr Ahmad, son of Muhammad, son of 'Abdu-s Samad, while he himself, attended by his brother Muhammad Makhúl,* and the sons of the latter, named Ahmad 'Abdu-r Rahman and 'Abdu-r Rahím, as well as by all his rela­tives, proceeded to Hindustán with a view to pass the cold season there. In the spring he assembled a very large army, and marched towards Khurásán for the purpose of expelling the Saljúkís. After Sultán Mas'úd had crossed the Indus, the royal treasure, which was in the rear on the other side of the river, was plundered by Noshtigín and the household troops of the Sultán, who afterwards waited upon Muhammad Makhúl, and saluted him as their sovereign.

On his refusing to comply with their request to ascend the throne, they said that they had rebelled with a view to the advancement of his interests, and they threatened at the same time, that in the event of his non-compliance, they would put him to death, and enter into an understanding with some other chief. Muhammad Makhúl was thus compelled to agree to their demands, and crossing the river with him, they fought a battle against Mas'úd. The army of Mas'úd, which was very small, was defeated, and he was compelled to take shelter in a neigh­bouring saráí. He was at length taken prisoner, and brought into the presence of his brother, who assured him that he had no intention to take his life, and desired him to name any place which he might select to reside in with his family.

Mas'úd chose the Fort of Kírí,* to which place Muhammad sent him and all his family, and set a guard over them.

It is said that when Mas'úd was about to set out for that fort, he begged of Muhammad a certain sum to meet his expenses. The parsimonious* Muhammad sent him only 500 dirams, on the receipt of which Mas'úd wept, and exclaimed, “Yesterday I could command three thousand loads of treasure, but to-day I have not a single diram which I can call my own.” Upon this, the bearer of the 500 dirams gave to Mas'úd 1,000 dínárs out of his own private resources. This liberal act led to the prosperity of the donor, who met with his reward in the reign of Maudúd, son of Mas'úd.

As Muhammad had been deprived of the blessing of sight, he left the administration of the country to his son Ahmad, and reserved for himself merely the name of king.* Ahmad, whose mind was somewhat deranged, in concert with the son of Yúsuf Subuktigín, and with the son of 'Alí Khesháwand, went to the fort of Kírí, and, without the consent of Muhammad, put Mas'úd to death, which circumstance afflicted Muhammad very much. Some say that Ahmad instigated his father to procure the death of Mas'úd.

Mas'úd reigned nine years and eleven months. He was brave, affable, generous, and fond of the company of the learned, whom he placed under manifold obligations to him; on which account many authors dedicated their works to him. He was very profuse in his charity. A story is told of him that on one occasion, during the Ramazán fast, he directed that a million dirams should be distributed among the deserving. During his reign so many colleges, mosques, and other religious edifices were built in various parts of his dominions, that it is impossible to enumerate them. After Mas'úd was killed, Muhammad Makhúl wrote to Maudúd, son of Mas'úd, naming the persons who had slain Mas'úd, in retaliation for blood spilt by him, and declaring that he himself had taken no part in the murder. Maudúd answered to the effect that he hoped God would give the king's mad son sense to live better in future, for he had engaged in great matters, and had shed royal blood. The king, too, had called him Chief of Princes and Kings; but vengeance would soon fall upon him. After the murder of Mas'úd the country went to decay, and neither soldiers nor people had any confidence in Muhammad or his sons. All the property and possessions of the people of Persháwar, which is a wide and extensive province, went to ruin. In that country slaves were then sold at one diram each, and one man of wine realized the same price, and there were more purchasers for the wine than for the slaves.

When the news of the murder of Mas'úd reached his son Maudúd, he set out from the vicinity of Balkh towards Ghazní. Muhammad also came to the confines of Ghazní from the neigh­bourhood of the Indus. There they met in battle, and Maudúd gained the victory. Muhammad himself, with his two sons, Noshtigín Balkhí who had been the prime mover in the con­spiracy, and the son of 'Alí Kh'esháwand, all fell into the hands of Maudúd, and all were put to death: no one found mercy ex­cept 'Abdu-r Rahím, son of Muhammad. The reason why he was spared was this: When Mas'úd was kept a prisoner, his nephews, 'Abdu-r Rahman and 'Abdu-r Rahím, went to see him. The former snatched the cap from the head of Mas'úd, but 'Abdu-r Rahím took it from the hands of his brother and re­placed it on the head of his uncle, at the same time reproving and condemning his brother's conduct. This graceful act saved him from death, while 'Abdu-r Rahman threw himself with the others into the abyss of destruction.