The scheme which Hajy Berlās and Bāyezyd Jelayr had laid for me was this; that having joined their forces, and encamped in the plains of Kesh, they should give out that they were going to invade Khujend, they were then to inveigle me to the camp, and having murdered me, take possession of the district of Subz. In consequence of this arrangement, they sent me a letter, stating, “that as “they had resolved to subdue the country of Khujend, if I would join in this “enterprize, it would be very advantageous to all.”
As I was not aware of their treacherous intentions, and considered them Muselmāns, I placed confidence in them, and set out to join them. When I reached the plains of Kesh, I saw a great number of handsome tents pitched, and a regular encampment formed.
When I approached the camp, Bāyezyd came out to meet me, and to do me honour, he took my hand and first led me into the public tent (Bargāh); he then said, “as we must have some confidential conversation, and the time is short, we had better go to the private tent,” (Khergāh) and he led the way.
When we entered the Khergāh, I saw that the carpet was raised up in a particular part: and when I advanced, it appeared to me, that there was a well there which they had covered over with felt. Suspicion seized my mind: I delayed to sit down, and was convinced that treachery was intended. At this time Bāyezyd sat down on my right hand, and Berlās on my left hand. I then pretended that I was seized with a bleeding of the nose; I drew out my handkerchief, and applied it to my nose, and immediately walked from the private, into the public tent. I proceeded through it, till I was joined by all my Officers, as they were well armed; they sounded the trumpets, and we returned to our own camp.
Bāyezyd was afterwards ashamed of his conduct, and laid all the blame on Berlās.
At this time Myr Syed Aly of Termuz,* who was one of the most learned and devout personages of the age, cursed them both for me, saying, “O Lord, cast down the evil doers to the lowest pit of hell;” his prayer was heard, and God afterwards caused these two scoundrels to quarrel with each other, by which means I was delivered from their malice and treachery.
Immediately after this act of baseness, the camp broke up, the allies marched towards Khujend, and I set out for Termuz. When I arrived at this city, Shykh Aly Jerhyry suspecting that I intended to seize that country, and subdue the Nomade hordes, drew out his forces against me. As Shykh Aly was one of the learned persons, and had formerly been one of my companions, I did not wish to quarrel with him; therefore, when he had assembled all his tribe and connections, and had taken post in Old Termuz, I sent an agent to remind him that he he was under great obligations to me, and that, if he opposed me, the debt of ingratitude would certainly overwhelm him: that we had long been companions: that it was I who raised him to the command of his horde: that he had behaved ungratefully, deserted me, and joined Bāyezyd Jelayr. But my words having no effect on him, and he proving unworthy of his Salt, I cursed him, and prepared for battle. Shykh Aly finding that his followers were more numerous than my soldiers, was puffed up with vanity, and advanced with boldness into the field. I formed my troops into three divisions, and made a rapid charge on the enemy; my first division fell among them like a stone among a flock of birds, and they all dispersed. After the flight of the chief, I easily took possession of the horde: whilst the fugitive Aly went and took refuge with Bāyezyd Jelayr; in the end, God caused him to be a wanderer over the earth, till he came and begged my forgiveness. I pardoned him on account of his name (Aly), as it is a saying of the wise, “that when an enemy comes before you as a suppliant, and bends his knees, one should return thanks to God for having reduced him to his dilemma.”
In the year A. H. 763, (A. D. 1362) I entered my twenty-seventh year, on which occasion the great and the little, the chiefs of the villages of the hordes and tribes of all Maveralnaher paid their respects to me, and humbly represented that they had no monarch who would redress their wrongs: for, in every district, and every town, there was some tyrant, who unjustly plundered them, and seized on the property of the Muselmāns; their patience was quite exhausted, and that they should certainly abandon the country, unless some Sovereign was placed on the throne, who would protect them. In consequence of this representation, I wrote a letter to Amyr Hussyn (his brother-in-law) who was then in possession of Badukhshān, asking him “if he had the courage to join me in clearing the country of Maveralnaher from all its petty tyrants, and in relieving the wretched servants of God from the hands of their brutal oppressors, that if he would do so, we might then divide the kingdom in a brotherly manner, and thereby gain great fame and celebrity.” He promised to do so, but immediately began to enter into treacherous schemes against me, wishing first to over-set me, and then to subdue the other petty Princes. Finding Amyr Hussyn thus bent upon my ruin, and that I had evident proofs of his treachery, I wrote a letter to Tugleck Timūr Khān, (Prince of the Jetes, and a descendant of Jengyz Khān, who was the absolute sovereign of Tartary) stating that “the country of Mave“ralnaher was now desolate, and only inhabited by kites and crows, but that if he would assist me, I would render it productive.”
As soon as my letter reached the Khān, he drew out his forces and marched with an innumerable army towards Maveralnaher; and when he arrived on the bank of the (Sihūn) Khujend river, he sent me a letter, stating, “that he was en“camped with his innumerable and valiant army on the banks of the Khujend, “that I should join him, but in the mean time inform him what further measures “were advisable.” At this time Bāyezyd Jelayr put on the girdle of loyalty, and advanced to pay his respects to his sovereign, but leaving the city of Samerkund under charge of a deputy: as soon as he was presented at Court, the keys of the city were demanded from him, and as he delayed giving them up, the Khān ordered that his head should be struck off; this was immediately carried into execution, and the head was sent to Samerkund. Hajy Berlās, who at first intended to oppose the Khān, was so terrified by the punishment of Bāyezyd, that he took to flight, and sought refuge in the city of Kesh, but sent orders to his horde and his dependants to leave the country. He now repented of his conduct to me, acknowledged his folly, and asked my forgiveness, and then went across the Jihūn.
At this time, Tugleck Timūr Khān detached a part of the army of Jetteh to pursue the horde of Hajy Berlās, and a great battle took place between the contending parties on the banks of the Jihūn: on this occasion, Chughām Berlās, who was one of the Omrahs of that tribe, highly distinguished himself, and so occupied the royal army as to enable the tribe with their cattle, to cross the river in safety, except himself, who while defending the rear guard, was cut down by some of the soldiers of Jetteh. In the mean time, Hajy Berlās crossed the river in safety, and marched the horde towards Khurasān; when he entered that country, he behaved unkindly to the inhabitants, and began to be guilty of oppression and injustice; he also exacted tribute from the wandering tribes of Sebzwār, on which account several skirmishes took place, and the villagers having by surprise seized Aydkū Behader, the brother of Hajy Berlās, put him to death; they also seized the Hajy and put an end to his existence. As I was at that period in possession of Khurasān, I assigned the district of Jaser for the support of the dependants and followers of the Hajy.*
When the letter of Tugleck Timūr, desiring my immediate presence, reached me, it was also reported that Amyr Hamyd, who was the Khān’s (chief counsellor) had said to him; “in every town and district of Maveralnaher, there is a separate ruler, they have at least thirty thousand cavalry among them, to oppose whom, we have been obliged to make numerous detachments; it is, therefore, quite requisite that you should prevail on Amyr Timūr to join you, for if he should unite with these petty rulers, they will be too many for us; we must, therefore, hasten his arrival, and as he is a very sensible man, let us consult him on the best measures to be pursued.”
It was in consequence of this advice that the Khān wrote me a brotherlike letter, which induced me to make immediate preparartions for joining him.
The determination that I made on the subject of visiting Tugleck Timūr, was this; I resolved to write letters to all the principal inhabitants, heads of villages, elders of the tribes and hordes of Maveralnaher, stating to them, “that whoever wished to save his life and property from being destroyed and plundered by the armies of Jetteh, should immediately repair to me; but those who declined this offer, ought to quit the country without loss of time.” In consequence of this invitation, the greater number of the chiefs and principal inhabitants came to me, bringing with them a number of curiosities and presents; as soon as they were all assembled, I proceeded with them and all my own soldiers and dependants, carrying various presents, and paid my respects to the (Khān) Emperor on the banks of the Khujend river: he received me most graciously, and when he saw the presents, his eyes were satiated; he then consulted me what was requisite to be done, I told him “that I had agreed for so many thousand Durusts,* as the revenue of Maveralnaher, and that he had only to appoint collectors to realize the portion of each district, and to punish those who refused payment.”
He approved of my advice, and after he had taken possession of the throne of Maveralnaher, he again consulted me, on the best mode of preserving his authority; I said to him, “sovereignty is like a tent, the poles of which should be justice, the ropes equity, and the pins philanthrophy, in order that it may stand firm (against the blasts of adversity);” he was much pleased with this metaphor, and I continued, “you must secure the soldiers of this country in the bonds of kindness, that if they survive the war, you may find them act like men, and if killed, they may die in your service;” I further said, “the good of Maveralnaher are very good, and the bad are very bad; do you reward the good with goodness, and leave the bad alone, ‘for evil shall overtake the wicked.’”
At this time, intelligence was brought, that the Amyr Hussyn had collected a very large army in Badukhshān; on hearing this, the Khān was ashamed of his former conduct to me, asked my pardon, and gave me the entire command of all the country, and all the hordes of Maveralnaher, with the city of Subz, and the Samerghānat, as far as the city of Balkh; he also left me in full possession of all my hereditary rights over my own tribe of Berlās, and other clans.
As it was now certain that Amyr Hussyn was resolved to oppose Tugleck Timūr, and had boldly advanced as far as the river Vahesh for that purpose, the Khān became thoughtful, and asked my advice. I said to him, the state of the case is this, as in addition to the forces of Badukhshān, Amyr Hussyn has been joined by the rulers of Khutelān and Bakelān, he therefore feels bold enough to contend with you, the best plan is this, send the commission of Governor of the fortress of Shadmān and of the district of Khutelān to Ky Khuseru, the chief who commands the first line of Amyr Hussyn.” The Khān approved of this advice, sent off the commission by a trusty messenger, and then marched towards the enemy. When he reached the Iron Gate, and had pitched his camp, the advance guard of Amyr Hussyn came in sight; the Khān immediately ordered his advance under Beg Chuck, to oppose the enemy; but when the two Heravuls met, Ky Khuseru deserted with all his followers, and joined the imperialists.
When Amyr Hussyn saw the state of his first line, he attempted to draw out the remainder of his army, but his right and left wings being panic struck, took to flight; thus Tugleck Timūr gained an easy victory, and the army of Jetteh plundered all the hordes and tribes of those districts, whilst Amyr Hussyn retreated towards Samerkund.* The mind of the Khān being thus at ease with regard to Amyr Hussyn, he returned to Samerkund, and having entered the city, put to death Myan Kūly Selduz; and being now in possession of the whole kingdom of Maveralnaher, all the chiefs of cities, and the heads of all the nomade tribes were obliged to submit to his authority, whilst the rebellious, and all the petty tyrants who reckoned themselves as Sultāns, were annihilated: a few of them, who had not been guilty of any gross impropriety, were taken into favour, and ordered to join my army.
When the country of Maveralnaher was thus cleared of all the petty tyrants, I returned thanks to God that what I had wished to do, was thus effected by his decree, and all my adversaries punished.
At this time I deliberated with myself how I should induce Tugleck Timūr to quit the country, and leave me in possession of it. I therefore suggested to him that Khurasān would now be an easy conquest, that in fact he had only to send his army across the river Amū, (Jihūn) and that he would meet with no opposition. He approved much of my advice, and agreed to leave me in charge of Maveralnaher, whilst he should proceed to the conquest of Khurasān.
About this period, news was brought that in consequence of the Divine decree, the chiefs of the Desht Kipchāk had rebelled, and had raised Beishky Aghlān, another descendant of Jengyz to the Khānship. On this occasion the Khān again consulted me; I said to him, “if you set out immediately, and proceed to the Desht before the rebels have gained strength, you may quell them easily, and preserve your authority over all the country, but if you procrastinate, you will be overwhelmed in misfortunes and calamities:” as he approved of my advice, he was lavish in his praises of my merit, and gave me the entire management of Maveralnaher, but appointed his son Alyas Khuajē the nominal governor.
When I objected to this proceeding, he shewed me the agreement between our ancestors Kajūly Behader, and Kubel Khān.* In consequence of which, I accepted the office of (Sepah Salar) Commander in Chief, and he gave orders to all the officers of Jetteh, to be obedient to my authority; after which, he set out to quell the mutiny of the troops in the Desht Kipchāk.
As Alyas Khuajē had no talents for government, the troops of Jetteh soon began to exercise cruelty and injustice over the inhabitants of Maveralnaher, murdering and plundering the towns-people and farmers; I therefore lost no time in reporting these circumstances to the Khān, and complained to him of the malconduct of his soldiers: in reply to this, he wrote an imperial edict, “that I “should exercise my authority as Commander in Chief; that I should put his son “under any restraint I liked; that any of the Jetteh officers who were disobe“dient to me, I should severely punish, and that every person guilty of injustice “should be compelled to make retribution in proportion to his offence.” Finding myself thus absolute ruler of all the country of Maveralnaher, as well as of the nomade hordes and tribes, I forbade Alyas Khuajē, or any of his officers from exercising authority over the natives: on this account, the sinews of their enmity were excited against me, and anger converted their hearts into blood; they therefore commenced practising every kind of cruelty and injustice, and carried their tyranny to such a degree, that they carried off four hundred virgins from the city of Samerkund; they also made captives of seventy of the descendants of Muhammed, belonging to Termuz, and converted them into slaves to wait on them.
In consequence of these proceedings, the principal inhabitants of Maveralnaher surrounded me, and said, “is it to be borne by Muselmāns that these Jetes should carry off four hundred of their daughters from Samerkund, and make slaves of them; but if this is not sufficiently disgraceful, how much worse is it to permit them to seize the descendants of the Prophet, (on whom and on his descendants be grace), young men who are firm in their belief, that ‘there is no God but God, and that Muhammed is the messenger of God,’ without any fault; shall we who daily repeat his holy creed, and hope to be received through his intercession into Paradise, and shall we suffer these scoundrel Jetes to take them away without making any exertion for their delivery?”
On hearing these words, my Muselmān honour was roused, and I first sent a message to Beg Chuck, who commanded the Jete troops, that he must immediately return all the Syeds, and the children of all the Muselmāns, that had been taken away. As this message had no effect, I spoke to Alyas Khuajē on the subject; but as the Jetes would not pay any attention to his orders, I put them to the proof, by mounting my cavalry, and liberating the seventy Syeds.
In consequence of this pious act, I dreamt that night that I saw the Prophet, who said to me, “in reward for this assistance that you have given to my descendants, the Almighty God will cause seventy of your descendants to occupy the throne of sovereignty.” I wrote this circumstance to my Peer, who sent me the following answer; “that if the gracious God bestowed on the posterity of “Subuctageen such a reward for his compassion to a deer, you who have assisted “the descendants of the Prophet, how much greater will be your reward even to “the extent of seventy of your descendants:” I was much rejoiced by this answer to my letter, and I daily added to my respect and esteem for the posterity of the Prophet, and I always illuminated my assemblies by the presence of these illustrious personages. For my Peer said, “in whatever horde or town there are not any Syeds, and in whatever palace the learned have not free entrance, there exists neither blessings, goodness, piety nor chastity.”
As I had exerted myself in repelling the injustice and cruelty of the Jetes, their chiefs bound round them the girdles of fraud and deceit, and they wrote to Tugleck Timūr Khān, “that Timūr had raised the standard of rebellion, and “had taken possession of the whole province of Maveralnaher, and intends to “put your son Alyas Kuajē to death.” When the letters of the chiefs, especially that of Beg Chuck, who considered himself the Commander in Chief of the Jetteh forces, reached the Khān, he believed their falsehoods to be truth; he issued an edict for my being put to death; this was the third edict he had issued for my murder.
On receipt of this order, the Jete chiefs consulted together, and laid snares for my destruction; I was quite aware of their intentions, but pretended ignorance, for I could place no reliance on the inhabitants of Maveralnaher, to aid me against my foes; I therefore resolved to consult my Peer, and wrote to him on the subject; he replied, in conformity with the holy tradition of Muhammed, “Flee when its not safe to remain:” I then consulted the Korān, and this verse opened, “the sun returns to its resting place, such is the Divine decree of the Omniscient and Omnipotent.”
I therefore left Samerkund, and repaired to the mountain of Salan, where I remained eight days; at the end of that time, I received a hint from (the Saint) Amyr Kelāl, that I should go towards the country of Khuarizm.
At this time, a messenger came from Amyr Hussyn, who was at that period a wanderer in the mountains and deserts, stating that as we were then both emigrants, it would be advisable to unite our efforts; I wrote him a letter appointing to meet him at the well of Sajai (or Sajuch); thither I repaired, and in a few days was joined by him; we then entered into consultation respecting our affairs, and determined that we should go to Tukel Behader of Khyūk, and prevail on him to join us; when we reached Khyūk, that scoundrel pretended to forget our former acquaintance: according to the proverb, “mankind imitate their rulers,” and wished to seize us; when I discovered his views, I explained them to Amyr Hussyn, who at first would not believe me, but I gave him such proofs, that he was at length convinced, and we made preparations for going to Khuarizm, intending, when we should get possession of that country, to raise the standard of sovereignty, and endeavour to conquer Maveralnaher.
The plan we laid for invading Khuarizm, was this;* finding that Tukel Behader had behaved in so ungrateful and treacherous a manner, we left Khyūk in the middle of the night, and proceeded with all expedition towards Khuarizm; when we reached Banat (or Bayab), we rested our horses, and resolved to attempt taking the fort of Aurkunj by surprize, which would then lead to the subjection of all Khuarizm: whilst we were deliberating on this matter, we observed a cloud of dust arise in the desert, and could soon discern an advance guard of cavalry coming towards us; we immediately mounted, and I sent off Tughy Berlās to reconnoitre; I then rode to the top of a hill in the desert, and waited there; after a short time, Tughy Berlās returned and informed me, that the foe was Tukel Behader, who had come in pursuit of us, having with him about one thousand cavalry; I immediately sent for Amyr Hussyn, and drew up our forces on the hill, in such a manner as to make them appear more numerous than they were. In fact we had but sixty well mounted troopers with us, these I formed into five sections; the first of these I placed under the command of Tughy Berlās, the second I gave under charge of Syf Addeen, the third to Bulkhy Behader, the fourth consisted of Amyr Hussyn and his followers, and the fifth were my own (Khanēzād) dependants, with whom I took possession of the top of the hill: when I had made this arrangement, I gave each of them a flag to distinguish them.
At this time, Tukel Behader having drawn out his thousand cavalry, charged us, but was vigorously opposed by Tughy Berlās and Syf Addeen, so that his leading divisions fell back in astonishment. These two officers pursued their advantage, and fought with such intrepidity, that both their horses were disabled; they however continued to fight on foot, till I sent them two of my own horses, on which they mounted. The horse of Bulkhy Behader, was also knocked down, so that I was obliged to remount him from my own stud. At this period, of the whole number of the enemy, only three hundred remained, the others had been either killed, wounded, or fled. In the mean time, Amyr Hussyn had also drawn the sword of courage, and having charged the centre of the enemy’s line approached close to Tukel Behader, but the soldiers of the latter surrounded him; seeing my brother-in-law in this situation, I rushed forward sword in hand, and liberated him.
When the hour of evening prayer arrived, the chiefs of the enemy drew in their reins; at this time they had only one hundred and fifty men remaining, while my strength was reduced to twelve.*
After a short time, Tukel Behader again drew up his men, and charged us; Amyr Hussyn and our remaining companions, devoted ourselves to death, and when they attempted to seize us, I exerted myself in such a manner as to overthrow several of their champions; at this moment, the horse of Amyr Hussyn being wounded by an arrow, threw him; his wife Dil Shād Aghā, however immediately dismounted, and gave him her horse. I remounted Dil Shād Aghā upon the same horse with my wife, the sister of Amyr Hussyn; we then commenced shooting our arrows, not one of which missed its mark, till our quivers were emptied. There now remained of us but seven mounted persons; but the enemy being also very much reduced, they withdrew from the fight, and alighted in the plain: our small party took the opportunity of proceeding on our journey; we were soon followed by our adversaries, but they missed us, and lost their way in the desert. After we had travelled a long way in these extensive plains, we came to a well, and being very hungry and thirsty, we alighted; fortunately for us, the water of the well was delicious.
We remained at the well all night, and in the morning I reckoned our people, and found that they were seven mounted persons, and three foot soldiers of Balkh; we continued by the well all that day, and fortunately for us, a shepherd who was tending his flock in the desert, brought them to drink at the well; as our provisions were exhausted, we bought several goats, parts of them we roasted, and parts of them we dressed between stones, and enjoyed ourselves exceedingly: we remained there another night, during which time, the three footmen of Balkh, ungratefully stole three of our horses, and rode off with them: we were thus reduced to seven persons, with only four horses; but I did not then despond, and even comforted my companions; my respected wife Aljay Tūrkān Aghā, also kept up her spirits, and said, “surely our fortunes are now arrived at the lowest point, (and must rise) that we should be obliged to walk.”
What added to our distress was, that none of us knew the road; fortunately we discovered a shepherd, who pointed out a pathway to us, and said, “this path will lead you to the huts of some Tūrkumāns;” I was delighted with this intelligence, and I set out on foot: when we arrived in the vicinity of the huts, we found that the inhabitants had apparently left them, and gone away; we therefore entered and took possession of one of them, but some of the Tūrkumāns who had remained behind, when they saw us, thought we were thieves, and made an attack on us. I placed my wife, the sister of Amyr Hussyn, in one of the huts, and with three or four of my men, we made an appearance of repelling them with bows and arrows, but we were without arrows, (having expended them in the battle); we then drew our swords, but when they came close to us, one of them named Syed Muhammed, who was an old acquaintance, recollected me, came and embraced me, and had compassion on my situation, and when informed of all the circumstances, he forbade the Tūrkumāns to injure us, and said to them, “this is Timūr the Governor of Maveralnaher;” the men being also ashamed of their conduct, came and bent the knee to me; Syed Muhammed took me to his own habitation, and paid me much respect and honour, and shewed us all the attention in his power.
At this time I had on two ruby armlets, one of these I gave to him; in return for which, he procured three horses for me, also some travelling equipage, armour, and arms; for three days he entertained us most hospitably, and gave us an escort of ten troopers, commanded by Fulanchy and Ajerchy.
Of the horses which he provided for me, I gave two to Amyr Hussyn, and being thus well equipped, I determined within myself, that I should go, and remain in the Mahmūdy desert, till my followers gaining intelligence of the circumstance, might come and join me.
I therefore made Fulanchy our guide, and we wandered in the desert for two days and two nights, without water or bread; till at length we reached the village of Mahmūdy, but which we found in a ruinous and deserted state, and void of inhabitants; we however alighted among the ruins, and as we could not find water, we were obliged to dig a well, and remained there for a month.
At the end of this time, Aly Beg Ghurbāny, chief of the Tūrkumāns, having been informed that Timūr was in the desert, and was endeavouring to collect his followers for the purpose of plundering the Tūrkumāns, was alarmed, and sent a a party to seize me by surprize.
In fact, whilst we were quite off our guard, they made a night attack on us, seized me, and led me to the Tūrkumān cantonment; when arrived there, Aly Beg, without seeing me, ordered me to be confined in a cow-house, swarming with fleas and other vermin, where he kept me and my wife without any other companion than the vermin, for fifty-three days and nights; at this time I made a vow to God, that I would never keep any person, whether guilty or innocent, for any length of time, in prison or in chains.*
At length, encouraged by the predictions of my rising to sovereignty, I resolved either to make my escape from the horrid place, or terminate my existence; I therefore determined to make the attempt, and either to be victorious, or to die manfully: at first I endeavoured to win over my keepers, by promises of reward, but being unsuccessful, I seized the sword of one of the sentinels, and attacked the guard; they fled, and I pursued them even into the presence of their chieftain: when Aly Beg saw my determined bravery and exertion, he was struck with remorse, and repented of his conduct, and sent back all the things that he had plundered from me.
At this time, a letter was delivered to him from his brother Muhammed Beg Ghurbāny, the contents of which were, “it is reported in Khurasān, that you have “seized and imprisoned Amyr Timūr, such conduct is highly unbecoming and “improper; it is requisite that you should immediately apologize to him, that “you treat him with the greatest honour and respect, and that you deliver to “his Highness the curiosities and presents which I have sent.” In consequence of this letter, Aly Beg waited on me in a hut, which had been assigned for the purpose, asked my pardon, and gave me some of the presents which his brother had sent, but as he was a mean and avaricious wretch, he purloined many of them.
Having thus escaped from the clutches of Aly Beg, I was enabled to collect twelve horsemen; however, with these I again raised the standard of royalty, and resolved to proceed to the desert of Khuarizm: after two days we reached a village, where I alighted and took possession of a house, but I had no sooner done so, than a party of Tūrkumāns came out of the other houses, and prepared to attack me; I closed the door upon (my wife) the sister of Amyr Hussyn, and attacked them. At this time one of them named Ahmed, recollected me, called out to them to desist, and with his followers, whom he had brought for the purpose of joining me, came and bent their knees, made their salutations, and entered my service. I placed my own turban on his head; in consequence of this honour, he promised to bring me fifty cavalry.
About this time, Mubarik Shāh Sunjery joined me with a hundred cavalry, he also brought me several horses as a present; in short, a number of the Syeds and other people of Khurasān, joined me, and brought numerous presents.
When I had collected about two hundred horse and foot in the desert, Amyr Hussyn, having taken some offence, left me and set off for Gurmsyr and Candahar. At this time, Mubarik Shāh, and some other chiefs, waited upon me, and said, “our remaining here in the desert, will be quite ruinous to our affairs. It is probable that Alyas Khuajē may send a Jete army against us; it is therefore better that we should quit this desert, let us go either to Khuarizm, or the countries of Merve Shāhjehān* or Bādghuish, and subdue one of them.” I approved of their advice, but I reflected that it was predicted in my Horoscope, that I should mount the throne of Maveralnaher, the country of my Gūrgān ancestors, and I shewed the Horoscope to Mubarik Shāh, and the other officers, all of whom were pleased with it.
At length we determined that we would take the two hundred soldiers, and canton them in the vicinity of Kesh, where they might remain till wanted, while I should go among the nomade hordes and clans, and endeavour to collect more partizans.
Having repeated the prayer for success, we set out, and having reached the village of Karindān, a dependancy of Bukhārā, I first fixed on cantonments for my officers and soldiers, and I left my wife Aljay Tūrkān Aghā there; being thus alone, I went and passed my time amongst the hordes and tribes.
At this time, Timūr Kujy, who was one of my friends, having heard of my arrival, joined me with forty troopers, and paid me great attention: I therefore let him into my secret, and sent him to remain with my other troops, with orders that as soon as he should hear of my having raised the standard of independence in Samerkund, he should immediately join me. When a number of persons from the hordes, the clans, and the tribes, had agreed to join me, I determined that I would take with me one thousand of my bravest followers, and conceal ourselves in the city of Samerkund, and that another thousand should follow me and take up their abode in the neighbourhood. In consequence of this arrangement, I marched in the middle of the night, and proceeded towards the city. The next night, I entered Samerkund about the time of the last prayer, and took up my abode at the house of my eldest sister, Kutlugh Tūrkān Aghā. I passed forty-eight days in the city of Samerkund, but when matters were nearly ready for my breaking out on the troops of Jetteh, and destroying them, some of the inhabitants discovered my plot, and loosed their tongues in divulging my secret; my intentions being thus made known, I was under the necessity of quitting Samerkund; I, therefore, left it in the middle of the night, and repaired to the vicinity of Kesh; but as I found it imprudent to remain there, I proceeded with fifty followers towards Khuarizm; but as several of my people were without horses, and found it extremely uncomfortable to travel on foot, by good luck we discovered a herd of horses which were at pasture in the plains of Ajfer. I sent to inquire to whom they belonged, and having ascertained that they were the property of a tribe of Tūrkumāns, I wrote a royal edict to the proprietors, and seized the herd; having divided the horses among my foot soldiers, and now being well mounted, we galloped on to the banks of the Jihūn, and encamped on the side of the river. After a week, we crossed the river, and having reached the village of Achfy, where the country was composed of hill and dale, and the weather being very warm, we remained under the shade of some trees on the bank of the river Amuvy, for a month, and passed our time in hunting and shooting. At this place, my wife and Mubarik Shāh, with the other officers I had left at Karindān, joined me with their troops.
When my party was augmented to a thousand men, being distressed for provisions, I consulted the officers what we should do, they advised me that we should go and seize upon the country of Badghuish, and having taken possession of it, we might then plunder the territory of Merve Shāhjehān, by which means our followers would be relieved from their distress and want; I said to them, “this is all very well, but it appears to me better that we should go to Bākhter and Kandahār, and if we can take the latter place, we shall then become rulers of Kabulistān, of Sinde, and Moultan;” they all approved of this advice, and agreed to follow it; we then repeated the prayer for success, and prepared to march.
Previous to attempting so bold a measure, I thought it requisite to inspect my forces, and to equip them in the best manner possible; I found that I had just one thousand soldiers of my own, both foot and horse, but as many of them were in a wretched plight, I disposed of various ornaments which I had in store, and divided the amount among them; I then set out at the head of my cavalry; when we reached the banks of the river Hermūn, I entrenched my camp, and gave orders that every person in the army should construct a house or hut for himself. I also determined that I would take possession of Gurmsyr and Kandahār, and raise the standard of royalty. On this principle I sent a summons to Myr Mehedy, the Kelanter of Gurmsyr, and followed it in person.
When Myr Mehedy received the summons, and was informed of my approach by the sound of my trumpets; he advanced to meet me with the steps of submission: on his arrival in my presence, I placed my turban on his head, and he brought me many presents; thus I became ruler (Hakim) of Gurmsyr, and subdued it. At this time, Amyr Hussyn, who had chosen to abandon me, came and rejoined me, and I gave over to him half of the revenue of Gurmsyr.
After we had remained for some time in that situation, the ruler (Valy) of Systān sent an Ambassador to me, and laid the foundations of friendship; he also sent me valuable presents worthy of his rank. I made choice of the territory of Gurmsyr for my own residence, and waited a favourable opportunity to take Kandahār out of the hands of the Ghory dynasty, and to erect my own standard.
When in the year A. H. 764, I had attained my twenty-eighth year, the Valy of Systān, having entered into a war with some of his enemies, was defeated, lost several of his fortresses, and all his depots were plundered. He therefore wrote to beg my assistance, and “requesting that I would “deliver him from the hands of his oppressors, as he was without any other means “of redress” I soon after received a second letter from him, stating, “his utter “helplessness, but that if I would protect him, he would furnish provisions for “my thousand cavalry.” I consulted with Amyr Hussyn on this subject; he was desirous of going alone, hoping that he might thereby get possession of the fortresses for himself; I however consented, and appointed Bihram Jelayr to the command of his advance, but Hussyn had only made one march towards Systān, when Jelayr having no confidence in him, deserted, and went towards Hindūstan; Hussyn considering this as a bad omen, sent a messenger to inform me of the circumstance, and to request that I would join him with my troops, so that we might conjointly subdue the fortresses of Systān.
When we had turned our reins towards Systān, the (Valy) ruler of that province named Jelāl Addeen Mahmūd, performed the ceremony of meeting us, and presented me a number of rarities; on this account Amyr Hussyn was jealous, I therefore sent all the presents to him. The Valy also according to his agreement, furnished the provisions for one thousand cavalry, and made a solemn promise of fealty and attachment; as these promises seemed to be sincere, I resolved to assist him, and having made a suitable disposition of my troops, we commenced our march in regular order.
The mode that I determined on for subduing the fortresses of Systān, was this; the number of the forts which the enemies of the Valy had forcibly taken possession of, were seven. The first of these that we attacked, we took in one night and one day; our troops escaladed the walls and the bastions, and rushed into the citadel: we found a quantity of provisions in the fort, all of which Amyr Hussyn took possession of, and appointed his own governor. The second fort we attacked, the garrison came out and fought with us; as that country produced a quantity of underwood, I ordered our people to make fascinés, with which they advanced close to the walls, but the enemy, seeing this, called for quarter, and delivered up the fort; Hussyn again was before hand with me, and immediately appointed his own governor, and divided the plunder among his own people, and did not even give me thanks for my exertions.
When we went against the third fort, we arrived there in the middle of the night; as the fortress was situated in a sandy plain, I ordered the troops to dismount, and prepare their bows and arrows; we then advanced in silence close to the walls, and discovered that all the sentinels, except one, were asleep; my people threw their rope ladders on the battlements, and quickly mounted, and having subdued the garrison, brought them bound to me, and retained possession of the fort; all this took place before Amyr Hussyn arrived with his army.
When the Systān rebels saw our rapid success, they were much alarmed, and made overtures to their ruler, saying, “we have no objection to give up the remaining places to you, but if Timūr is permitted to take them, he will not only retain possession of them, but of the whole country.”* The Valy being thus alarmed by this intelligence, marched off without giving me any notice, and having reached his own home, and having been joined by all his other troops advanced against us. I drew out our army in three divisions, Hussyn took the command of the division opposed to the enemy’s right, the second division under charge of one of the officers, was opposed to their left, and the third division, consisting of my own troops, formed the first line, (Heravul) I placed the archers in front, and the cavalry with swords drawn in their rear; the archers poured in their arrows, and the cavalry, having made a furious charge, threw the enemy into confusion; I then, accompanied by twelve troopers, dashed in among them; at this time I was wounded by two arrows, one in the arm, the other in the foot, I was so much engaged, that I did not feel them at the time, but continued to fight, till the enemy fled. Having gained the victory, we turned our reins towards Gurmsyr; during the march, I said to Amyr Hussyn, “all this misfortune has been caused by your covetousness,” upon which he was much ashamed. I now thought it advisable to proceed to Gurmsyr, and remain there till my wounds should be cured; in the mean time, Amyr Hussyn might invade Bakelān, and subdue it. I therefore selected two hundred horse, and sent them with him, but counselled him to endeavour to make friends of the people of Bakelān, and if the army of the Jetes should oppose him, to avoid fighting them.
When Hussyn entered Bakelān, he conducted himself improperly, and gave no encouragement to the soldiers of that country, who offered to join him; he even disgusted his old servants by his avarice; he also felt so little fear of his enemies, that he began to collect wealth, and to accumulate riches.
At this time, Ajuny Beg, the brother of Beg Chuck, having placed an army of the Jetes in ambuscade, made an unexpected attack on Hussyn, and defeated him, so that he was obliged to flee with only four horsemen, and twelve footmen to the village of Sherkū. I was much vexed and hurt by this misfortune, and wished to go and drive the Jetes out of Maveralnaher, but I was obliged to remain quiet till I had recovered of my wounds: I then commenced arrangements for recovering that province; but at this period, my army was so much reduced, that I had only forty troopers remaining with me.
The first measure I proposed, was to take up my abode either in the valley of Arsuf, or the valley of Kuz, which were situated in the vicinity of Balkh, and having there collected an army, then to make an attack on the troops of Jetteh. In consequence of this resolution, accompanied by Timūr Khuajē Aghlān, who was the commander of my troops, I marched from Gurmsyr: on this occasion, Myr Mehedy, the Kelanter of that district, behaved to me with great attention, by preparing huts for the residence of those I was obliged to leave behind, and by supplying provisions for us all; being now satisfied in my mind, I set off with great celerity.
On examining my forty troopers, I found they were all people of good family, and not an ignoble person amongst them; I, therefore, returned thanks to God, that in my distress, so many persons of illustrious birth still remained attached to my fortunes, and was convinced in my own mind, that Providence intended me for some glorious actions, by having bestowed on me so many noble and disinterested friends.
At this time, Sadyk Berlās,* who was a descendant of Kerachār Nuyān, came out with a party to join me; when they were seen at a distance, my people supposed they were enemies that were come in pursuit of us; I therefore sent Subek Behader, who was the leader of my advance guard, to ascertain who they were; he soon returned and informed me, that it was Sadyk Berlās, who, with one hundred warriors, was come in search of me, I therefore advanced towards him, as he had been one of my intimate companions; as soon as he saw me, he was much affected, I was also much affected, as were all the persons present, and I prayed devoutly to God that he would grant me power to deliver Maveralnaher from the oppressions of the Jetes.
We then left our encampment, and proceeded towards the valley of Arsuf; during our march, a messenger arrived from Amyr Hussyn, requesting me to send some troops to escort him, and that he would rejoin me; I immediately sent off Sadyk Berlās with forty troopers to protect him, and requested that he would meet me at the valley of Arsuf. I then proceeded on my journey, and soon after saw a large party of troops, who had taken post on the top of a hill, and their numbers appeared to be constantly increasing; I therefore drew in my reins, and arranged my people in order of battle, resolving if they were enemies, to attack them; at the same time I sent off the leader of my advance guard with a party, to ascertain who they were; as he was a courageous fellow, he galloped up to the hill, and called out to them, “whose troops are you;” they replied, “we are the servants of Amyr Timūr, and are in search of him;” on this, my officer went and visited the chief, and shortly brought me word, that it was Keranchy Behader, one of my old servants, who with one hundred troopers had deserted from the Jete army, eighteen days ago, and was come to join me. I prostrated myself in gratitude to God for this favour, and gave orders for the chief being admitted. When he approached, I considered his coming as an auspicious omen, I therefore embraced him and placed my own turban on his head, we then proceeded towards the valley of Arsuf.*
During the march, two lions made their appearance, one of them a male, the other a female, I resolved to kill them myself, and having shot them both with arrows, I considered this circumstance as a lucky omen; that night we encamped in a wood abounding with grass and water, and having marched the next day, we arrived at some broken ground in the valley, adjoining to which, was a hill; I took up my quarters on the hill, from whence I could see a great distance all around, and as there was a rivulet running round the bottom of the hill, I ordered the troops to encamp on its bank. In this situation we remained for three days, constantly expecting the arrival of Amyr Hussyn. During this period, my warriors lived upon the game which we killed; at length I sent a party towards Balkh, with orders to search for a flock of sheep, and to bring them with their owners to me.
After two days, my people having found several flocks of goats and sheep, brought them with their owners to my encampment. The poor fellows were dreadfully frightened, but I paid them for the animals, with some Durusts (a small gold coin) that I had by me, and divided the males among the soldiers, but ordered the females to be kept for their milk and butter, of which I gave a daily portion to each person. When this trait of my justice was made known to the farmers of Balkh, they brought to my encampment, grain and all kinds of provisions, by which my troops were much refreshed.
Whilst we were waiting here in expectation of Amyr Hussyn, my people enjoyed themselves under the shelter of the hill and the bank of the rivulet, whilst I with my confidential friends, had a tent pitched on the top of the hill: on the fourteenth night, when the moon shone bright, I could not sleep, I therefore walked about, and when I returned to the hill, the day was beginning to break; I therefore prostrated myself in prayer, and as I was much affected, I supplicated the Almighty to deliver me from these toils, and render me successful and victorious;* I then employed myself in prayers to the Prophet and his descendants. After this I fell asleep, and dreamt that I heard some person say, “be patient, for victory is at hand;” I was so much rejoiced by this, that I awoke.
Just at this time, I saw from the hill at the distance of an arrow’s flight, a number of soldiers, who appeared to be coming from Balkh, and going towards Kumrūd; I feared they were enemies, but resolved I would go alone, and inquire who they were; I therefore mounted my horse, and having approached them, I asked, “whence come ye, and whither are ye going;” they replied, “we are the servants of Amyr Timūr, and have come out in search of him, but cannot find him, although we have heard that he has left Kumrūd, and is come to the valley of Arsuf;” I said, “I am one of the Amyr’s servants, if you wish, I will guide you to him:” when they had heard my words, one of them galloped up to the officers, and said to them, “we have found a guide who will lead us to the Amyr.” They then drew in their reins, and gave orders for my being brought to them; they consisted of three troops, the first of the officers was Tughluck Khuajē Berlās, the second, Syf Addeen, and the third, Tubuk Behader; when they saw me, they were overwhelmed with joy; they alighted from their horses, bent their knees, and kissed my stirrup; I also came down from my horse, and took each of them in my arms, and I put my turban on the head of Tughluck Khuajē, and my girdle, which was richly embroidered, I bound round the loins of Amyr Syf Addeen, and I clothed Tubuk Behader in my coat, and they wept, and I also wept, and the hour of prayer was arrived, and we prayed with tranquil minds; we then mounted, and came to my encampment, where we remained for some time; I assembled my principal people, and gave a feast, and having killed a quantity of game, we had abundance of meat, for which we returned thanks to God.
Having made the valley of Arsuf my head quarters, I sent out detachments on all sides, to gain intelligence, and enjoyed myself in the society of my friends. One day my spies brought information that a party of troops were advancing rapidly from Kumrūd; I immediately ordered my people to draw up in order of battle, and took post myself on the top of the hill, from whence I could clearly see a large party advancing rapidly: I said to myself, “God help us,” and having formed my troops into three divisions, I advanced at the head of one of them; presently I saw a horseman coming towards me at full speed, when he drew near, he alighted, and having bent his knee, said, “that the troops were those of Shyr Behrām, one of my old servants, who having left the army with an intention of going to Hindūstan, had repented, was on his return to me, begged pardon for his offence, and requested permission to pay his respects.” I accepted the apology, and advanced to meet him; when he came near, he hung down his head through shame, but I embraced him, and placed my own cap on his head, and bound my quiver about his loins; having reached my habitation, we alighted, and I made a great entertainment.
Four days afterwards, intelligence was brought that Sadyk Berlās, whom I had sent to escort Amyr Hussyn, was approaching the camp; I therefore mounted my horse, and went out to meet the Prince, having embraced, I led him to my tent, and we conversed on all the events that had occurred since our separation; after which, I gave him an entertainment: we remained for some time in the valley of Arsuf, and I sent spies to bring me intelligence of the Jete army.
At this time, I determined to seize the fortress of Aulajū, which was commanded by Munguly Bughai Selduz, to deposit my superfluous baggage there, and then make a sudden attack on the army of the Jetes. As Munguly Bughai was an old acquaintance of mine, I sent Shyr Behrām to him, to persuade him to come over to me; when Shyr Behrām came near the fortress, the governor sent a messenger to him to say, “although Amyr Timūr is my old acquaintance, yet as Alyas Khuajē (the Jete Commander) has entrusted me with the command of this fortress, how can I possibly be ungrateful for his Salt, and deliver the place to the Amyr.”*
So much good was however effected by this measure, that three hundred men of the tribe of Dulān Jun, who had formerly been in my service, came out and joined me, which induced Munguly to abandon the fort. From this place we marched to the valley of Sūf, and encamped there; at this time Aulum Aly and Mahmūd Shāh Kabuly, with two hundred well mounted cavalry, who were coming from Kandahār, encamped within two Fersukh of me; they immediately informed me of their arrival, and of the state of their affairs, in consequence of which, I mounted, and went out to meet them; they also mounted, and came towards me; as soon as they came near, they alighted, and bent their knees, I also alighted and stood till they had made their obeisance, after which, I bestowed a (Jamēh) coat on each of them, and brought them with me to my camp.
After we had remained some days in the valley of Sūf, I resolved to send Amlis Behader with two hundred cavalry to scour the country in the vicinity of Balkh, till my arrival; having despatched him, I sent Temūke Behader with three troopers towards Khūlke, to bring intelligence of the Jete army; that brave fellow attempted to swim his horse across the river at Termuz, but the horse having been drowned, he still effected his purpose, for having joined his relations, he obtained a very particular account of the Jetes, and without staying to visit his children, returned immediately to me in the valley; the information he brought was, that an army of twenty thousand Jetes had plundered all the country about Termuz; when I heard this news, I mustered my army, and found that it only amounted to one thousand cavalry; it therefore appeared to me advisable to go and encamp in the valley of Guz, on the bank of the river Jihūn (Oxus). In consequence of this determination, I marched from Sūf; the first day I encamped at Guz, but the second day I proceeded to the plain of Ilchy Bughā, which is situated on the bank of the Jihūn, and halted there. At this time, Amlis Behader, whom I had sent to plunder the country about Balkh, rejoined me.
At this time, I received letters from the Amyrs Soleyman Berlās, Jakū, Musa, Jelāl Addeen, and Hindukeh, stating, “that upon hearing of my arrival at the “valley of Arsuf, they had quarrelled with the Jete chieftains, and had arrived “with one thousand cavalry at Termuz; that they had sent Tukul Bughā across “the river to obtain information respecting me.” On hearing of the junction of these five celebrated officers, my troops were much exhilirated.
During this period, I received intelligence, that Munguly Bughai, who had abandoned the fortress of Aulajū, with Abu Saib, and Hyder Indēkhūdy, had offered the Jete Prince Alyas Khuajē, that if he would detach them from his army, they would come and seize both me and Amyr Hussyn, and bring us bound to his presence; that in consequence Alyas Khuajē had promised each of them the government of a country, and had detached them with six thousand cavalry; that they excited by cupidity, had arrived in the vicinity of Termuz, and had plundered and ravaged the country, thence they had proceeded to Balkh, where they had much oppressed the Muselmāns; on this account, all the hordes and tribes of that district had fled and crossed the river Jihūn, and were on their way to take refuge with me.
After three days, early in the morning, the three chiefs, with their six thousand cavalry, arrived on the bank of the Jihūn, opposite to our encampment; as the river intervened between us, neither of us had an opportunity of attacking the other; I therefore thought it advisable to send to them Timūr Khuajē, who was a very clever man and good orator, to make them these three proposals. 1st. “As you and I are countrymen and relations, it is highly improper that there should be any enmity between us. 2ndly. It is reported that the object of your coming is to take Amyr Hussyn and me prisoners, and to possess yourselves of the fortress of Shadmān and Balkh, here we are, come take us, and bind us if you can, but remember that in so doing, you will unjustly cause the deaths of thousands. 3rdly. The Jete army will not always remain in these countries, I will shortly send them about their business, then you and I must dwell together in this country.” When Timūr Khuajē had delivered my message, the fire of their anger was quenched; the next morning I went to the bank of the river, and requested a conference with the chiefs, when they came, I used such arguments (on the impolicy of their conduct), that they were convinced; I then returned to my tent, and remained all that day in that encampment. The following day the three chiefs disputed among themselves, saying, “we bound on our quivers with a promise of seizing Amyr Hussyn and Timūr, how can we now hold up our heads among the Jete officers, not having even attempted any thing.” At length they renewed their threats against me, and marched along the bank of the river in search of a ford, or favourable place for crossing the river, that they might attack me. Hearing of their intentions, I also marched along the bank of the river opposite to them; when they had reached Balkh, they again encamped, I did the same.
On the following day, the three chiefs formed their army into three divisions, and having discovered a ford, crossed the river, and encamped, with a rivulet in their front.
At this time, I mustered my army, and found it amounted only to one thousand five hundred cavalry; but as they were all excellent soldiers, and vastly superior to those of the adversaries, I was not alarmed; I therefore allowed the whole of the enemy to cross the river without moving from my encampment, or shewing any sign of perturbation: when night came on, my chiefs wished to storm the camp of the Jetes; but as my army was so much inferior in numbers, I did not approve of a night attack, but trusting in the Divine aid, I spent the time in prayer.
Early in the morning, the enemy came down in three divisions, with an intention of surrounding me. Amyr Hussyn and I drew up our forces in two divisions, ready to oppose them; whilst in this situation, a horseman came at full speed to inform me that Amyr Soleyman Berlās, and the other chiefs, who were disgusted with the Jetes, had crossed the river higher up, and would join me immediately with one thousand five hundred horse; on hearing of these tidings, I prostrated myself on the ground, and returned thanks to God. I then mounted my horse, and proceeded to meet my allies; when we met, I saluted them in the most friendly terms, and raised their hopes of success. The next day my adversaries seeing that my force was daily increasing, became enraged, and advanced against me with twenty thousand men, drawn up in three divisions.
The arrangement that I made for opposing the Jete army, was this; I divided my three thousand men into six regiments, and having advanced to the brink of the rivulet, took possession of the bridge, and having crossed the bridge, drew up opposite the enemy; I then resolved to attack them in three points.
At this time they were advancing, I therefore ordered the three first regiments to salute them with a shower of arrows; I then sent the fourth regiment to their assistance, and commanded them to charge sword in hand; the flame of battle soon rose between the contending parties; from morning till late in the day, the contest continued with alternate success, and determined obstinacy, neither side giving way; at length both parties being much fatigued, Amyr Hussyn and I ordered our standards to be unfurled, our trumpets to sound, and calling out Allah Yar, (God is with us) charged sword in hand, with our own divisions, from the bank of the rivulet amongst the enemy; on the first and second attack, they began to give way, however their chiefs keeping their ground, actually exchanged some blows with us, but at length took to flight, and gave up the contest, leaving their camp to be plundered by us.*
I advanced into the middle of the plain, when all the chiefs and nobles came up, and congratulated me on our success; I ordered the camp to be pitched and halted there for some days.
When Alyas Khuajē (son of the Khān) heard of the defeat of the three chieftains, he ordered a large force under the command of Aljun Behader, the brother of Beg Chuck, to march against me, whilst I being puffed up with my victory, took no pains to get intelligence of their proceedings.
At this time, I resolved to leave Amyr Hussyn with his troops in the vicinity of Balkh, and to proceed with my own forces towards Kehulkeh.
In consequence of this determination, I marched along the bank of the Jihūn, and having crossed the river in boats at Termuz, encamped on its bank, and sent my advance division towards the fortress of Kehulkeh.
The situation where I encamped, was nearly an island, being surrounded on three sides by water, and I waited there in expectation of the return of my advanced legion; but the advanced party being as negligent as I was, took no precautions for our safety, so that Aljun Behader, with the Jete army, passed them while asleep, and came unexpectedly on me; it was very fortunate that I had taken post in the peninsula, for all the tents that were pitched outside of it, were instantly plundered, and their owners compelled to retreat to the island.
I had luckily secured all the boats, in my rear, and therefore gave orders to send all our baggage and followers across the river, while I kept possession of the island, and annoyed the enemy with our arrows; till at length all the baggage and people having re-crossed the river, I got on board a boat and went over; I first gave orders to sink all the boats, and then encamped on the bank of the river, and remained opposite to the Jete army for a whole month.*
Amyr Hussyn having heard of my retreat, offered again to join me, but I desired him to remain at Khulm, and continued on my guard, while in the vicinity of the enemy. At length they marched off, and I proceeded towards Balkh; when I reached Khulm, Amyr Hussyn drew out his army, and advanced to meet me, and we encamped together in the plains of Khulm, and passed ten days more in feasting and rejoicing.
At this time, we deemed it advisable to unite the Princes of Badukhshān with us, in order to drive the Jetes out of the country; all the chiefs having agreed in opinion with me and Amyr Hussyn, we collected all our troops, and proceeded towards Badukhshān: when we reached the vicinity of the town of Kundez, the chiefs of the horde of Buraltay, came and joined us with one thousand horse; I spoke very kindly to them, and gave each of the chiefs a dress of honour, and considered their coming as a favourable omen.
When intelligence of our approach reached the Princes of Badukhshān, they were much alarmed, and drew out all their forces to oppose us; I at first determined to make a sudden attack on them, and subdue them before they could collect their strength; but when we arrived at Talkhān, we were met by an Ambassador from the Princes, who brought a number of presents, and opened the gates of peace and concord; as the proposals he brought, were founded on union, not on discord, we consented, provided they would promise to join us in expelling the Jetes from Maveralnaher, for which purpose they should immediately furnish two thousand horse.
When the Badukhshān cavalry had joined us, Amyr Hussyn and I resolved to cross the river at Saly Seray, and enter the country of Khutelān, and compel the people of that place to join us against the enemy.
In the year 765, when I attained my twenty-ninth year, we entered the province of Khutelān, and the Prince of that country immediately came and joined me, as they and all our new allies had shewn a preference to me; this circumstance roused the envy of Amyr Hussyn, but he had no remedy but silence.
When we reached the plain of Kulek, my followers amounted to six thousand: at this time, owing to Amyr Hussyn’s parsimony and misconduct, Shyr Behram and Bulad Bughū came and complained to me; soon after this, Amyr Hussyn requested to see me, when we met, he made grievous complaints against these two chiefs; I endeavoured to pacify him, but all in vain; I also exhorted them not to allow any private quarrels to interfere with the common cause; they promised me to meet him, but as soon as they left the assembly, they joined their own hordes. Whilst we were encamped in the plains of Kulek, I sent spies to bring me intelligence of Alyas Khuajē, and the Jete army; after ten or twelve days, the spies returned and reported that Kāch Timūr, son of Beg Chuck, was at the head of the army, which under various chiefs, amounted to twenty thousand horse, and were encamped in a line reaching from the villages of Helany and Seryany, to the stone bridge; that Tugluc Selduz and Ky Khuserū, who had deserted from me, and had now the command of six thousand Jete cavalry, were coming down upon me to take me by surprise.
I immediately ordered a review of my troops, and found that I had only six thousand horse, and that Amyr Hussyn had not that number, as many of his troops had deserted in consequence of his parsimony and improper treatment of them, and had joined my standards.
At this time, I received information, that a body of six thousand of the enemy’s cavalry, having preceded the main body, had advanced one day’s march from the stone bridge towards us; I therefore resolved to leave Amyr Hussyn in charge of the main body, and with a select corps, make a forced march, take the enemy by surprise, and cut them to pieces.
But reflecting that the army of the Jetes consisted of thirty thousand men, whilst I had only six thousand to oppose them, I sought in the Korān for an omen, and this verse opened to me; “how often has a small army defeated a superior one, by the permission of God:” I was much encouraged by this favourable presage.
The advanced division of the enemy having arrived one day’s march on this side of the stone bridge, were informed, that I had retreated with my army towards Khutelān; they therefore called me a coward and run-away, and began to feast and rejoice.
Being hurt at their exultation, I returned from Khutelān, and making a long march with only two thousand cavalry, reached their encampment at the dawn of day, and found them asleep; my advanced guard soon drove in all their picquets, and the salt of ingratitude having laid hold of the skirts of Ky Khuserū and Tugluc Selduz, they were seized by my troops, and brought prisoners to me, but I did not punish them. My advanced party having defeated the first line of the enemy, compelled them to fall back on their second line, but before the latter was drawn out, I arrived with the remainder of my division, and after a slight opposition, they all fled towards the stone bridge.
I pursued them, and continued beating them, and capturing their horses till I had forced them across the bridge, when they disappeared, and joined their grand army under the personal command of Alyas Khuajē. I halted that night on the banks of the river, and sent off a messenger with information of my success to my ally, Amyr Hussyn.
The next morning, having said my prayers, I marched along the bank of the river, and having sent out scouts and a strong advanced guard, I encamped in the desert of Khutelān, which was composed of hill and dale, and where my people and their horses rested. I halted there the next day, which gave Amyr Hussyn an opportunity of joining me: I then blocked up all the roads in such a manner, that not even a single animal could pass.
All my troops being now collected, amounting to nine thousand horse, the officers agreed, with all their hearts, to fight the Jete army; it was determined that the first line should consist of six thousand, under my command, and the remainder to form the second line, under charge of Amyr Hussyn.
When the Jete Commander first heard that I had gone to Khutelān, he resolved to send an army in pursuit of me, but his officers calling to mind how I had beaten Tukel Behader in the plain of Khuarizm, with only sixty horse, were afraid, and not one of them would take the command of the detachment.
The determination I came to with respect to fighting the Jete army, commanded by Alyas Khuajē, was this; I said to my officers, “there is no use in our skirmishing, or having drawn battles with the Jetes, we must lay such a scheme that we may have a general engagement, and purify the land of Maveralnaher from the defilement of their oppressions.” I then ordered Muvyd Arlāt, Kera Behader, and Amyr Musā to take post, during the night, with five hundred horse at the head of the stone bridge, opposite to Alyas Khuajē, whilst I having crossed the river with five hundred horse, took post on a hill which overlooked the enemy’s camp; my tent having been pitched on the skirt of the hill, I entered it, and gave orders to light fires on the sides of the hill; when the Jetes saw the numerous fires, they were much alarmed.*
I spent the whole of that night in my tent, in prayer, and besought the Almighty that he would punish these oppressors. At the dawn of day I fell into a slumber, I was not awake, neither was I asleep, when I heard somebody say, “Timūr, victory and conquest is thine;” I was roused, and looked about, but there was no person in the tent, nor any one on the outside of it; but to be certain, I called aloud, is any one there, I received no answer; I was then convinced it was the voice of an angel, (Hatif Ghayb) I prostrated myself on the ground, and returned thanks to God, and felt strong of heart; when the day broke, I performed the morning prayers with my friends.
At this time I heard the drums of Alyas Khuajē, and as soon as the sun rose, I saw his army going off in troops; my chiefs requested permission to pursue, saying, “we shall have an easy conquest;” but I replied, “this is a stratagem of the enemy to induce us to come down into the plain, that they may attack us to advantage, be patient, till we ascertain what is their real object.” When they had marched four Fersukh, (twelve miles) finding we did not move from the hill, they encamped; Alyas Khuajē then sent for and abused the chiefs that I had defeated. The next day, Alyas Khuajē finding that I had fortified the hill, drew out his army, and made several attacks on the skirts of the hill, but I kept my post on the top of the declivity, and stationed the troops all around the foot of it.
When the enemy approached us, my people showered down arrows upon them, so that many of them being wounded, they began to take shelter in the crannies, and behind large stones. When the night came on, they relinquished the attack, but continued drawn up in a circle around the hill.
About this time, I called a council of my chiefs, and represented to them, that “Amyr Hussyn’s force being now separated from us, and as we have neither water nor provisions on the hill, if we remain here, we must be annihilated; let us draw out the troops in four divisions, and before the day breaks, attack the enemy; if we succeed in putting them to flight, we shall gain an easy victory, but if not, we shall open a way to escape from their clutches, and go where we like.”
As my advice was approved of by all the chiefs, I put on my armour, and ordered that no noise should be made. At break of day, we marched in silence against four parts of the enemy’s camp; as we took them compleatly by surprise, the division which had been ordered against the body commanded by Alyas in person, dispersed his guard, and might have taken him prisoner, but as I approached, I called out, and saluted him, (Yul Bulshen)* and then forbade his being seized. At this time, as numbers of people had been killed or wounded on both sides, the warriors mutually desisted from fighting.
When Alyas Khuajē heard my voice, he called out to his troops, on which several of his warriors returned and renewed the fight, which was continued with great fury till after sun-rise, without either party gaining any superiority; at length our quivers being empty, my soldiers drew their swords, and charged the enemy, who being much fatigued by the long contest, and many of them wounded, said, “let us flee;” they then set off, and did not halt till they had reached their camp at the distance of four Fersukh.
As I did not think proper to pursue them, I remained where I was. When intelligence of my victory reached Amyr Hussyn, he joined and congratulated me on my success.
When the Jete army saw themselves defeated and subdued by such an inferior number, they were much ashamed, they threw their caps on the ground, and said, “curse on our turbans, that with such a force, we should have run away from an inferior number.” Alyas Khuajē being also ashamed, swore he would never cease fighting till he had taken me prisoner. He then drew up his army, and having marched towards Kesh, encamped at the distance of four Fersukh from that city.
At this time, I distributed sums of money to all the wounded, to pay for their cure, and gave (Yurem) an allowance to the heirs of the killed. I then put on my armour, and having drawn out my army, Amyr Hussyn and I went and took post, in order of battle, opposite the Jete army. When Alyas Khuajē had reconnoitered my army, he forgot his former futile attempts, and having again placed his foot in the stirrup, he advanced a short distance towards us.
At this moment, Alugh Timūr and Amyr Jemshyd arrived express from the Desht Kipchāk, with the intelligence that Tugleck Timūr Khān had ceased to exist, and that he had appointed Alyas Khuajē his heir and successor; the two chiefs having delivered their message, bent their knees, and congratulated the Prince on the event; they then took hold of his reins, and led him back to his camp; soon after which, he marched with all his forces towards the Desht, leaving me to pursue my own plans. I then consulted with Amyr Hussyn, whether we should pursue the Jetes, and drive them out of the country, but he gave it as his opinion, that it was not policy to pursue a defeated enemy; I said, “they are not a defeated army, for they have not afforded us an opportunity of punishing them, but I fear they will murder the inhabitants, and plunder the country they pass through;” and as all the other chiefs were convinced by my arguments, Hussyn gave up his opinion.
At this time, a report was brought that the Jete army was returning in order to give us battle, after which, they would leave a force to support their governors and other officers in Maveralnaher, and then proceed to the Desht; but the fact was only this, that, Alyas Khuajē had sent orders to all his governors to strengthen their posts and remain on the defensive, as he would shortly return.
In consequence of my determination in the council, I drew out my army and marched after the Jetes; having arrived at Kehulkeh, I there halted, and reviewed the army; I found that including Amyr Hussyn’s division, we had only between seven and eight thousand men, many of whom were wounded; I therefore gave leave of absence to all the wounded, to go away till they were cured; I then new modelled our force, with the resolution of attacking the Jetes; Hussyn’s division was commanded by himself, and I retained charge of all my own followers.
Having marched from Kehulkeh, we arrived in the night at Herar, the principal inhabitants of the town came out to meet me, and a great number of people belonging to Kesh, who had served in Alyas Khuajē’s army, deserted him and joined me; these people brought me intelligence, that the day before, Alyas Khuajē had sent a force into Kesh, and that he had sent governors and troops into all the strong places of Maveralnaher.
On receiving this information, I detached Amyr Soleyman and Syf Addeen, with a force to drive the Jetes from Kesh, and I commanded these officers, when they should arrive near Kesh, to divide their troops, and to gallop their horses about, so as to raise a great dust. In order to effect this purpose, the aforementioned officers ordered their men to cut down branches of trees, these they fastened to their horses, but dragging on the ground, and as they moved at a quick pace, they raised an immense cloud of dust: this was seen from the town, the Jete governor of which, supposing that a very great force was advancing against him, was much alarmed, preferred flight to remaining, and having assembled his troops, marched away.
The other Jete soldiers, who were dispersed through the district, extended the hands of slaughter and plunder over the unfortunate inhabitants, and made a shew of opposing me; but as soon as my army approached them, they lost their courage and took to flight, my light troops pursued them, and recovered a great deal of the plunder.
After six or seven days, Amyr Soleyman, and the other officers that I had detached, rejoined me, and all the soldiers of Kesh came and joined my standard.
At this time, Shyr Behram, who had left me in the plains of Kulek, and had joined the forces of Khutelān, having been absent forty and three days, came and rejoined me; also Shykh Muhammed, the son of Byan Selduz, came and joined me with seven regiments, (Kushūns) and all the soldiers of Kehulkeh followed their example.
As at this time, I was not satisfied with the conduct of Amyr Hussyn, I therefore carried him to the tomb of the celebrated Saint Khuajē Shums Addeen, where we took the oaths of mutual support and friendship, and I made him add that in case he should break his promise, he wished that I might seize and punish him, which finally occurred.
After taking this precaution for my self-defence, I followed the Jete army, when I approached them, Alyas Khuajē drew out his forces; he gave the command of his right wing to Amyr Jemshyd, the left wing to Tuck Timūr, the advanced line was under charge of Beg Chuck; he had also two flanking parties of horse, commanded by Iskunder and Yusuf; when I found that the Jetes were thus prepared for battle, I sought in the Korān for an omen, and this verse opened, “verily we have given you a decisive victory;” I immediately repeated aloud the prayer for victory, and ordered the troops to advance.
When we reached Tash Arighi, I reviewed our army, and directed Amyr Hussyn to halt with his troops, where we then were, and to form the (Kul) second line, and in the event of my being worsted, to support me. I then formed my own troops into seven divisions, and took charge of the (Heravul) first line; when we reached the village of Kupy, the first line of the enemy, commanded by Beg Chuck, came in sight; as I found that the Jete army was very numerous, and were united in solid column, looking formidable as a mountain, I again sought advice from the Korān, and this verse opened, “and we guard them from every devil driven away with stones:”* on this I became strong of heart, and ordered my first line to advance against the division of Beg Chuck; that chief at the same time directed a part of his troops to meet mine; as we approached each other, I commanded the Chepavul of the right to charge, then the Shekavul† of the left; after these two squadrons had made their attack, I ordered the trumpets to sound, and advanced with the line; when we came near, the right wing (Juangār) charged their left wing, (Berangār) when the flame of slaughter was thus raging, and the waves of the sea of battle were thus rolling, I saw that my people were worsted, I therefore unfurled my standard, and having caused the royal music to strike up, I made in person, a desperate charge with the centre of my line; all the heroes in every part of the line also behaved most manfully, and made the enemy feel the effects of their sharp swords.
As my opponent Beg Chuck began to recoil, his lieutenants Iskunder, Tuck Timūr, &c. advanced to his support. At this time the horse of Beg Chuck was killed, and I took him prisoner; the Amyrs Jemshyd and Yusuf seeing this, made a violent attack in order to release him, but when Jemshyd came close to me, my groom Aādil, who was on foot, hamstrung his horse; in consequence of which, the general fell to the ground, and was seized: on this Amyr Yusuf spurred his horse with an intention of getting out of the crowd, but losing his stirrup, he fell from his horse, and was also made prisoner.
Immediately after this event, Iskunder with his division, came against me, but being well supported by my body guard, I charged them vigorously, and compelled them to retire, and join their Commander in Chief.
Having thus defeated the enemy’s first line, I ordered the trumpets to sound, and halted in the plain; I then commanded that my standard should be held up till all my soldiers who were dispersed over the field of battle, might see and rejoin it.
At this time, Alyas Khuajē roared out to his reserve, to advance; when I saw that he was confounded, I said, (Allah Yar) “God befriend us,” and with three hundred and sixteen horse, which were all that were collected near me, I made a furious attack on the enemy’s centre, and overturned his standard; when the army of Alyas Khuajē missed the royal standard, they took to flight; at this moment I was very near Alyas Khuajē, but Iskunder Aghlān threw himself between us, he was seized, but his master made his escape.
As soon as the Jete army had turned its face to flight, I ordered several divisions of my troops to pursue them, in consequence of which, they gained much plunder of horses and arms; they also killed and wounded a number of the run-aways; I then sent off two other divisions to keep in the rear of the enemy, to prevent them encamping or halting, to these I gave orders, not to kill any more of the Jetes, but to seize and bring them into my presence, in order that I might treat them according to circumstances.
I then encamped in the plain of Kupy, and gave orders for a grand entertainment, to be prepared in commemoration of our having defeated the Prince Alyas Khuajē, and thirty thousand Jetes, with only six thousand horse, by which the country of Maveralnaher was purified from the defilement of the tribe of Jete.*
Having halted in the plain of Kupy, which might be called the seat of victory, I commanded that my tents of every description should be pitched, and that a great quantity of soup and meat should be prepared, and invited the chief officers of all the hordes and regiments; the generals having arrived, Amyr Hussyn also came and joined the banquet; during the feast, I ordered all the principal Jete prisoners to be brought forward, I then addressed Beg Chuck, who was the Commander in Chief of the Jetes, and who had made several cuts at me, and said to him, “you have proved yourself grateful for the salt of Alyas Khuajē, in having rejected my overtures, and by standing by him to the last;” I also praised Amyr Hamyd, who was a very brave young man, and I said to Sekunder Aghlān, “you risked your own life to save that of your master, and have therefore behaved in a praise-worthy manner.” I then asked them, “how it had happened that I, with so small a force, had defeated their numerous army;” they replied, “your good fortune overwhelmed us, and dispersed the Jete forces; the union of your army was also such, that one thousand swords struck together as one sword; whilst the discord that prevailed amongst us, disunited us, and made us an easy prey to your victorious arms.”
I afterwards said to them, “what do you suppose I shall do with you?” They replied, “if you kill us, you will not much decrease the Jete army, but you will thereby raise up thousands of enemies, and all our hordes and clans will seek retaliation for our blood, but if you pardon and let us go, you will thereby confer a great favour on us; our tribes will praise you, and will consider themselves under an obligation to you, and will be your friends; your Highness is the best judge, whether our friendship or our enmity is preferable; with regard to ourselves, we are indifferent whether you kill us or not, for on the day that we bound up our loins, and braced on our swords, we considered our blood as shed, and our bodies decapitated.” I was so pleased with their speech, that I endeavoured to prevail on them to enter into my service; but although I made them great offers, they would not consent to remain with me, I therefore conferred on them dresses of honour.* I also gave coats to all the other captives, and released them, and I took particular notice of all my own officers and soldiers that had been wounded in the battle. I then despatched the Amyrs Syf Addeen and Jakū to take possession of the city of Samerkund.
Soon after this event, my (Keravulan) scouts brought information that Alyas Khuajē, with the Jete army, had encamped on the (South) bank of the Khujend river, but had postponed crossing; I therefore gave Shyr Behram the command of the (Heravul) first line, and sent him off. I then mounted my horse and proceeded towards them; on hearing of my approach, the enemy immediately crossed, and when I arrived at the river, not a vestige of them was to be seen. I therefore ordered my camp to be pitched on the bank of the river; but as the air was very hot, it disagreed with me, and the wind struck me; but after three days I recovered.
My mind being now at ease with regard to the Jetes, I resolved to amuse my army by a general hunt, and in this manner (hunting and coursing) we reached the vicinity of Samerkund. The inhabitants of Samerkund came out to meet me, and were lavish in their praises, saying, “right has gained its right,” and held up their hands in prayers for my prosperity; having thus established myself at Samerkund, I sent an escort to bring (my wife) Aljay Tūrkān Aghā, with the remainder of my followers, from Gurmsyr in Systān.
In the year 766, I attained my thirtieth year, and having cleared the whole country of Maveralnaher of the Jetes, by the force of my sword, I considered that as there is only one God in the universe, there should only be one monarch in a kingdom, to whom all the inhabitants should be obedient, and by whom sedition should be annihilated.
As at this time, all the leaders of the different hordes and tribes, and the various chieftains, found that the countries of Maveralnaher and Tūrkestān, were freed from the tyranny of the Jetes, each of them trusting to the strength and support of their respective followers, began to assume independence; I therefore deemed it requisite to let them know, that whoever obeyed my orders, should be protected, but that I would severely punish any one who proved refractory.
As the greater number of the hordes and tribes proffered their allegiance to me, and acknowledged me as their (Kelantur) superior, Amyr Hussyn became jealous, wishing to be himself the Sovereign. He therefore assembled a number of the inferior chiefs, and after consultation, they determined, that as I was not a (Tureh) descendant of the imperial family, but only one of the (Kerachū) family of the Commander in Chief’s progeny, I had no right to assume the superiority.
When I was informed of this circumstance, I sent them the following message; “he who wishes to embrace the bride of royalty, must kiss her across the edge of the sharp sword; I have defeated Alyas Khuajē and the Jete army, without any confederate, and the kingdom is mine.” They replied, “our (Kelantur) Sovereign must be a descendant of Jagtay Khān;” and in consequence of this determination, they raised Kabul Shāh Aghlān, a descendant of Jagtay Khān, but who had become a Dervish to the sovereignty or Khānship; and having stripped off his beggars’ weeds, clothed him in the robe of state, and supplied him with all the requisites of royalty, and placed him on the throne of sovereignty.
On hearing of this, I called (Kuriltay) an assembly of all the nobles and chieftains of my party, and having marched to Kesh, took up my residence there for the winter; Amyr Hussyn moved at the same time to his former abode of Sali Seray.*
When spring returned, I received intelligence that the Jete army having marched from the Desht Kipchāk, were again about to invade the province of Maveralnaher; as soon as this news reached Amyr Hussyn and the other chieftains, who had raised Kabul Shāh to the sovereignty, they said among themselves, “if we wish again to repel the Jetes, we must make up our quarrel with the Amyr Timūr, and unite him with us, by acknowledging him as the superior, and by being obedient to him, till the Jetes are driven back.” In consequence of this determination, they wrote me a joint letter, apologizing for their former conduct, and throwing themselves upon my benevolence and generosity.
When information of this union of all the chiefs was carried to Mulk Behader, the preceptor of the young Khān, Kabul Shāh, he very unjustly put the youth to death, and came to congratulate me on having attained the (Kelantury) sovereignty, I abused him and said, “it is not fit that the murderer of a King should live;” I therefore delivered him over to the heirs of the murdered Prince, that they might retaliate on him; and I sent a message to the chiefs, saying, “as you have now acknowledged my superiority, I will march with my own followers to the bank of the Khujend river, and I will defend it in such a manner, that the Jetes shall not be able to pass over.”
The arrangement I made for the third war with the Jetes, was this; when I collected six thousand horse, I formed them into seven divisions, and marched towards the Jetes; when I reached the village of Akyar, I was informed that the enemy were very numerous, and were advancing very rapidly; I therefore halted at Akyar, and sent off an express to hasten Amyr Hussyn; when he drew near, I again marched and crossed the Khujend river, and then fortified its (northern) bank; I also sent out spies for information, these soon returned, and informed me that the Jete army was encamped on the banks of the Badam river; that Shuknūm Behader commanded the right wing, Hajy Beg the left, Alyas Khuajē the centre, and Kipchāk Behader the advanced line.
In consequence of this intelligence, I new modelled my forces; I gave the command of the right, which consisted of Amyr Hussyn’s troops, to Belanchy Arlāt; the advanced line was under charge of Melk Behader, and the left, with the Kipchāk tribe, was led by Amyr Sarbuga; I took post with the left, leaving Amyr Jakū and other chiefs with the reserve; I kept a few of my confidential officers about myself; when I had made this arrangement, Amyr Hussyn crossed the river with one thousand horse, and drew up his army.
Every thing being in proper order, I said to Amyr Hussyn, “it is not advantageous that we should make a general engagement, I will advance and attack the enemy with my forces, if you will faithfully promise to protect my rear, or if you choose to lead, I will support you; at this time we were more numerous than the enemy, and our troops were therefore presumptuous; but, according to custom, I consulted the Korān, and this verse opened, “when you are proud of your numbers, you shall be defeated, but God will finally give you the victory;” on which I became strong of heart.
But Amyr Hussyn would not attend to my request of dividing our armies, saying, “do not let us separate, but let us advance in line, and attack the foe;” I again replied, “it is not to our advantage to fight them thus; let us attack them in the Cossack manner;” but he would not listen to my advice.
Being without choice, I yielded to his opinion, and he drew out our armies. In a short time, the (Munkelay) skirmishers of the enemy came close to us, and the light troops of both sides charged each other; after which, the advanced lines came to blows, and some squadrons under command of Zindē Khushm, made a furious attack on Amyr Hussyn’s right, which fell into disorder, but several of his chiefs kept their ground; Alyas Khuajē then sent a division under charge of Amyr Shumsaddyn, to repeat the attack; this leader approached very near to Hussyn; I, seeing that we were likely to be defeated, made a desperate charge with seventeen squadrons on Shumsaddyn; upon this, fearing to oppose me, he drew in his reins, and turned his face to flight. Having thus routed him, I made a charge on the (Kūl) centre of Alyas Khuajē, and having worsted them, I sent a message by Taban Behader, to Amyr Hussyn, “desiring him to come to me immediately, and the victory would be compleated by the total flight of the enemy.”
Amyr Hussyn behaved like a blockhead, abused my messenger, and said, “what, am I a coward, that he thus summons me in front of the army.” Again I sent Mulk Mehedy, who was one of his relations, to request that he would come up, as the enemy were just on the point of giving way; Amyr Hussyn was again angry with him, and said, “be patient, till I can unite my broken troops;” Mulk Mehedy replied, “Amyr Timūr has defeated the first line of the enemy, and is now engaged with the reserve which is about to give way; if your reserve will only make its appearance, no doubt the enemy will flee;” on which Amyr Hussyn struck him, and sent him back.
When Mulk Mehedy returned to me, I saw that he was much downcast, but did not tell me that he had been struck, only said, “it is a folly to assist this stupid fellow; the scoundrel wishes that we should uselessly endanger our lives, while he may escape from the vortex of danger.” From this hint, I saw that it was Amyr Hussyn’s wish to make me a mouthful for the jaws of the enemy. As I had at that time compleatly defeated the right of the adversary, and saw no prospect of assistance from Amyr Hussyn, I desisted from further fighting, and forming my troops in order of battle, I took post on the bank of a rivulet which ran through the plain.
When the enemy saw that I had discontinued the fight, and having collected my men, had taken post in the field, they being much fatigued, were rejoiced, and also took post in the plain.
That night my saddle was my bed, and my officers formed a circle around me; I however sent out scouts on all sides, to bring intelligence; whilst in this situation, a messenger came from Amyr Hussyn, to apologize for his misconduct, to express his sorrow and regret for what had past, and to request that I would recommence the fight; I sent back the messenger to say, “that we had lost the opportunity; that when I had broken the enemy, it would then have been easy to have conquered them; that now they were all collected and formed in order, it would be useless to make any attempt on them.”
Having thus passed the night on the field of battle, and the horses having rested, as soon as the morning dawned, we performed our prayers; when the sun rose, the enemy being able to see the situation of my army, beat their drums, and began to practice incantations.*
In consequence, a very heavy rain fell, and the plain became such a slough, that our horses could scarcely move; notwithstanding this, my warriors from their excess of bravery, and sense of honour, beat their drums, drew their swords, spurred on their steeds, and advanced through the mud and slough; I also ordered the trumpets to sound, and dashed forward.
About this time, a (Yedchy) magician was seized by my people; when they struck off his head, the storm ceased:† I then ordered the troops to charge, which they did, and dispersed the enemy; they continued the pursuit, while I halted in the plain, and caused the music of victory to sound.
Whilst in this situation, the (Tugh) flag of Amyr Shumsaddyn, the general of the Jete army, came in sight, followed by all his troops; at this moment I had only two thousand horse with me, I directed one thousand of them to charge the enemy, which they did in so brave a manner, that they broke the first line, and reached the flag, but the second line then came to the assistance of the first, and the battle continued from morning till night; till at length nearly one thousand of my two thousand men were killed; “to God alone belongs power and might.”
As the night came on, my troops that were dispersed, rejoined me, and I found that by this calamity, I had lost a thousand warriors; my officers were therefore of opinion, that in consequence of this misfortune, and the want of co-operation by Amyr Hussyn, it was requisite that we should retrogade some marches towards Kesh, where being joined by all my detachments, I might then make head against the Jetes; we therefore set out for Kesh.
From this event, I found by experience, that in whatever army there are two generals, discord must ensue, and I resolved never again to unite with Amyr Hussyn, or to appoint two generals to one army.
When we had reached the vicinity of Kesh, all my troops, that had been dispersed, joined me, and I again formed my army. At this time, Amyr Hussyn came and encamped at the distance of four miles, and being much ashamed of his misconduct, he sent a person to inform me, that it was his opinion we should take all our hordes and tribes with us, and cross the (Oxus) Jihūn, and enter Khurasān. I would not see the messenger, but informed him that my honour would not allow me to abandon my country to be trodden down by the savage Jetes, that I would again collect an army, oppose and fight them with all my might, until I should have again driven them out of Maveralnaher.
Amyr Hussyn being disappointed, marched away to his residence at Sali Seray, where having collected his tribe, he crossed the Jihūn, and encamped on the (southern) bank of that river, waiting to see whether the Jetes would come that way, and resolving if they did, to retire towards Hindūstan.
I boldly remained where I was, and fortified the neighbourhood of Kesh, and issued orders for assembling a large army. At length having fortunately collected twelve (Kushūns) regiments, I gave the command of three of these to Timūr Khuajē, Janjy Behader, and Abās Behader; and soon after having heard that the Jete army had reached Kukeng, a town of the district of Samerkund, and had halted there, I detached these three regiments as an advanced guard towards Samerkund; I then appointed Daoud Khuajē, and Hindū Shāh to the command of two other regiments, and sent them after the others; but they all having joined, passed their time in feasting and drinking; at length when they were in a state of intoxication, the former officers said to the latter, “do you know, that it is Amyr Timūr’s intention, after he defeats the Jetes, to annihilate you?” these drunken wretches believing what they had heard, took fright, quitted the advance guard, and rode towards the Jete camp.
When I was informed of this circumstance, I cursed the scoundrels; by chance an advance guard of the Jetes fell in with the deserters, who treacherously led the enemy against Timūr Khuajē and Abās Behader; these, after some skirmishing, finding that they were not able to contend with their adversaries, fled.
Being now convinced that wine was the cause of strife. I ordered that whoever should hereafter drink it, should have melted lead poured down his throat, and all his effects confiscated. In consequence of these misfortunes, I felt that the prospect of my good fortune and sovereignty was postponed.
When my broken forces were again collected, I marched with them towards Balkh, and having arrived there, I encamped on the bank of the river Amū, in order to give time for the different hordes that were dispersed, to assemble around me, and in a short time was joined by the tribes of Tumek Khān, and Ilchy Būghā Selduz.
Having learned that the Jetes had arrived in the vicinity of Samerkund, I crossed the Amū, and stationed troops at the different ferries.
At this time, Timūr Khuajē, who by his bad conduct, had been the chief cause of my recent misfortune, came and gave himself up; I at first issued orders for his being put to death, but the other chiefs having bent their knees, and supplicated his pardon, I forgave him.
At this period, letters arrived from the prelates Mūlāzadē Samerkundy, Khurdek Bokhary, Abū Beker, and other principal inhabitants of Samerkund, representing that the Jete army were arrived in the neighbourhood of Samerkund; and although the city had no citadel, they nevertheless had fortified the town opposed the enemy, and checked their proceedings; that they daily skirmished with them, and requested that I would immediately advance to their aid, when, if it should please God, they would shortly compel the Jetes to retreat.
In consequence of this intelligence, I mustered my army, which consisted of seven thousand horse, and re-crossed the river. I was, however, in two minds whether I should at once advance to the relief of Samerkund, and thereby preserve the property, the honour and lives of the Muselmāns, or whether I should make a night attack on the camp of the Jetes, and in the Cossack manner, lay waste the country around them.
Whilst I was thus dubious, I received other letters from the inhabitants of Samerkund, stating that, Providence, as a punishment for the tyranny and oppression of the Jetes, over the Muselmāns, had been pleased to inflict the former with a severe plague, which had destroyed a number of them, and killed all their horses. I therefore drew out my army, and having appointed Abās Behader to the command of the advance, I pushed on towards Samerkund.
When the Jetes heard of my approach, they preferred flight to fight, and tying their armour in bundles on their back, they all set out for the (Desht) desert; I sent a force in pursuit of them, with orders to quickly drive these infected wretches out of the province of Maveralnaher: I also followed them, but when I came up with them, I found them in such a deplorable situation, that I had compassion on them; I therefore discontinued the pursuit, and returned to the plains of Bukelān, from whence I detached Amyr Jakū with several other officers, to take possession of Samerkund.
Whilst I remained in the plain of Bukelān, Amyr Hussyn having quitted his winter quarters of Sherkū, came first to Sali Seray, where having left his family and dependants, he came and joined me at Bukelān. As it was then the beginning of winter, we consulted what was most eligible to be done, and it was determined that I should go and take up my residence during the winter, at Kārshy; and that he should return and remain at Sali Seray. Amyr Hussyn was very jealous that my troops should have got possession of Samerkund, but as he was without remedy, he was obliged to swallow his envy: we therefore parted, and I proceeded to Karshy,* where I remained all that winter; I also permitted my soldiers to go to their homes, and rest themselves during the inclement season, but to rejoin me at the commencement of the spring.
In the year 767, being thirty-one years of age, I prepared for marching to Samerkund, but first gave orders to repair the palace of Kepee Khān, whose name in the Tūrky language, was Kārshy; and I commanded that a fortress should be erected at the gate of the town, and some other buildings constructed. As soon as the morning of spring had dawned, in compliance with my promise to Amyr Hussyn, I proceeded towards Samerkund, and having arrived there, pitched my camp in its vicinity.
Amyr Hussyn having preceded me, had taken up his quarters in the city, and the first thing he did, was to cast the eyes of covetousness on the wealth of Amyr Jakū, and my other officers, whom I had sent to take possession of the place; and having determined to plunder them, he appointed collectors over them. As he thus acted in a very shameless manner, I had a great mind to draw the sword of revenge from its scabbard, but recollecting our near connection, and the gratitude due to his family, I restrained my anger, and swallowed all he said or did. As my officers had expended all they had gained, upon the refitment of their men and horses, they had no money: I therefore sent a message to Amyr Hussyn, “that if he wished me to make a brotherly division of the wealth of Samerkund, I would do it;” I therefore sent him several of my own horses and camels; but as his avarice was very great, I further sent him a large sum of money; and his sister (my wife) Aljay Tūrkān Aghā, also sent him some of her jewels: when he saw the ornaments of his sister, he so far forgot his brotherly affection, as to take them all, and even contended for more. In order to stop his further contention, I sent him a second sum of money, but all my officers were incensed by his extortion, and disgusted with his meanness, and thus planted the seeds of enmity against him in their hearts.
The fire of avarice of Amyr Hussyn being thus stirred into a flame, he began to covet also the property of the inhabitants of Samerkund, and he resolved to extort sums of money from them; to effect this, he incited some of the seditious, to make a complaint against Mūllā Khurdek and Mūllā Abū Beker, who in order to preserve the city from the Jetes, had collected a sum of money from the inhabitants, and had expended it on the new fortifications. He therefore summoned these respectable persons before him; they in their defence, produced my written order, directing them to use every means in their power to defend the city; that in consequence they had raised a contribution, and had expended it in so proper a manner, that they had succeeded in repelling the enemy; that all the accounts were ready, that he might have them examined, and if he found them guilty of extortion or fraud, he might levy the amount from them: Amyr Hussyn paid no attention to this request, would not examine the account, but ordered them to pay him the whole amount; this unjust demand not being complied with, he punished several of the Mūllā Zādēs (learned men) with his own hands. In consequence of this misconduct, and the excessive avarice of Amyr Hussyn, all the people were disgusted with him, and sought his ruin.
It was in consequence of this conduct, that his enemies caused a breach between him and me, and although I swore that my only feeling towards him was that of friendship, he would not believe me, but persevered in his enmity and hatred.
At length the party who wished for his destruction, deserted him and came over to me: I however comforted them, and requested them to return, and wrote to Amyr Hussyn, “begging him to be reconciled to his officers, and to treat “them with kindness;” but in his usual passionate manner, he would not listen to my advice; till at length Amyr Musā, Aly Derveish, and Ferhad Behader, all of whom were brothers of Amyr Hussyn’s women, rose up in enmity against him, and resolved to destroy him. To effect their purpose, they determined to widen the breach between Amyr Hussyn and me; they therefore in conjunction with the Princess Audu, a relation of his, wrote him a fictitious letter couched in these words; “O blockhead, rouse yourself from your sleep, the Amyr Timūr is your “avowed enemy, he has bound round him the girdle of animosity; in a short “period, in union with your chiefs, he will overwhelm you, and make you his “prisoner, like the King at Chess.” When this false letter reached Hussyn, he bound round him the girdle of hatred and aversion to me, and sent me the letter.
In consequence of which, I summoned the Amyrs Musā, Aly Derveish, and Ferhad to my presence; but they being sensible of their treachery, were ashamed, and fled to Khujend; although their flight was a clear proof of their falsehood, the wound still rankled in the liver of Hussyn, and encreased his enmity towards me; in consequence of which, he devised schemes for my destruction.
In order to avert this misfortune, I consulted with Shyr Behram Jelayr, by what means I might satisfy the mind of Amyr Hussyn; as Shyr Behram was at enmity with the Prince, he did not conceal it from me, but openly said, “Hussyn is not only your avowed enemy, but mine, and whenever he finds an opportunity, will certainly destroy us both, I have, therefore, no confidence in him whatever.”
On hearing this discourse of Behram, I began to be alarmed, but did not say any thing on that subject; I merely replied, “that as there had been a long friendship and near connection between Hussyn and me, how can I possibly oppose him, or raise the standard of enmity against him; I will not believe your accusation, unless you can give me some proof of his treachery:” Behram said, “if you do not believe me, try him; let me write him a letter, begging his forgiveness, if he bears no malice against me, he will pardon me, otherwise he will refuse to do so.” I consented, and he wrote the letter, but Amyr Hussyn immediately tore it to pieces, got into a passion, and sent him a message, “that he hoped shortly to annihilate him.”
When informed of this circumstance, I was convinced that Amyr Hussyn was now my implacable enemy, I therefore assembled my army, and I sent Shyr Behram into Khutelān, that he might collect his forces there; I also sent with him Aādil Behader, but made the former leave his son Tash Khuajē with me, as security for his behaviour.
Shyr Behram having reached Khutelān, collected a number of troops, possessed himself of the fortress of Pelak Suturg, and raised the standard of rebellion against Hussyn; the latter however thought it proper to dissemble, contrived to deceive him, and brought him over to his party.
He then induced him to forget all his promises and oaths of allegiance to me; I therefore wrote to Shyr Behram, a sharp letter, reproaching him for his ingratitude and want of fidelity, and ended by saying that, “as it was he that had blown up the flame of discord between Amyr Hussyn and me, I prayed to God that the same flame might consume him, and that he might have cause to repent of his treachery.” After some time it all came to pass, as had been reflected on the tablet of my mind; and he was overwhelmed with misfortunes.
Finding that Amyr Hussyn was now my determined enemy, and that it was requisite to attend to my personal safety; I therefore sent Behram Jelayr, Amyr Jakū, and several other officers, by way of Khujend, to secure the horde of Jelayr, and to effect some other business of importance. Behram succeeded in dispossessing his cousin, and in getting the command of the tribe of Jelayr; but being doubtful whether the enmity between me and Amyr Hussyn would last, and that he might be involved in difficulties, between the two parties, he procrastinated his return.
In the year 768, I entered, the thirty-second year of my age, and was busily employed in getting my army into proper order; when that was effected, I marched with all my troops from Kārshy, with an intention of going to Samerkund, in order to increase my forces: at the end of the first days’ march, Amyr Soleyman and Javerchy, who were the chief instigators of the quarrel between my brother-in-law and me, deserted and went over to Amyr Hussyn; but just at this time, the commander of the Yusury tribe having died, was succeeded by his brothers Aly Derveish, Alyas Khuajē, and Hajy Mahmūd, who all came and joined me with the whole tribe of Yusury, and entered into my service. Also Amyr Jakū and Abās, whom I had sent with Behram Jelayr to Khujend, rejoined me with their divisions.
My army being thus considerably reinforced, I proceeded towards Samerkund; when I had nearly reached that place, the principal inhabitants of the city came out to meet me, and requested that I would appoint (Hakim) a governor over them; I in consequence did appoint Kera Hindūke Berlās, to be governor of Samerkund, and I returned towards my cantonments at Kārshy; but when I had made two marches towards home, that Hindū like character quitted the government of Samerkund, and went over to Amyr Hussyn.
At this place, I received intelligence that (my wife) the illustrious Aljay Tūrkān Aghā, whom I had left very ill, had departed this life; on hearing this, I said, “verily we belong to God, and to him shall we return.”
When the news reached Amyr Hussyn, that his sister was dead, he was very much afflicted, and was sensible that the bond which had hitherto united us, was now broken, and our connection dissolved. He was nevertheless very violent against me, and made preparation for war; I also assembled my troops, and did not relax in my precautions. In the first place, I sent Amyr Syf Addyn with the troops of my victorious army, towards Chughtayān, where Amyr Hussyn was encamped, to gain intelligence. He soon sent me word that Amyr Hussyn was determined on war, but that he wished to carry it on by intrigue and artifice, and recommended me to be on my guard.
When Amyr Hussyn heard that I had left Kārshy, and had sent a detachment towards his camp, he despatched his son Abdallah with a letter, and a deceitful message. In the letter it was stated, “that his overtures proceeded from the “heart, not from the tongue; that he had the most sincere friendship for me, and “that I might place the most implicit confidence on this promise.”
When Abdallah reached my encampment, which was at Kehulkeh, he delivered his message, and presented the letter; I refused to read the letter, and paid no attention to the message; my reason for which, was this, that most of my chiefs were persons who had deserted from Amyr Hussyn, and had come over to me; they were, therefore, alarmed, lest if peace should take place between us, they might fall a sacrifice to our reconciliation, and as I suspected that this was the motive which induced Amyr Hussyn’s overtures, I sent for the heads of the Yusury clan, and said to them, “Amyr Hussyn has knocked at the door of friendship, and I know that his object is to cause discord between you and me; but, between him and me, the only thing that now remains is the sword.” On hearing this, the chiefs, who were hesitating how they should act, finding that I was determined to continue the war, became strong of heart: thus I reconciled all the Yusurians, and afterwards conferred favours on them.
When Amyr Hussyn found that I would not enter into any treaty with him, he refrained from hostilities, and I also returned towards Kārshy; he however soon after assembled his army, and having appointed Shyr Behram to the command of his advance, came towards Kārshy, wishing by fraud and stratagem, to seize me. While I was encamped at Herar, he sent his treasurer Kezer to me with a Korān, on which he pretended to have taken his oath, that he had no animosity against me, and prayed that if he should be guilty of a breach of his oath, that the holy book would bring down destruction on him; but in order to confirm our friendship, he stated it was requisite that we should have a meeting, and therefore proposed that we should meet at the pass of Chuckchuck, and renew our amicable engagements, in such a manner, that hereafter no seditious scoundrel might be able to excite strife between us; notwithstanding these protestations, I discovered that he had sent detachments to both ends of the pass, with orders to conceal themselves, and that when I entered it, they should close up in front and rear, and seize me. I nevertheless listened to the proposal of his messenger, which was, “that I should leave my army where it was, and that Amyr Hussyn should also have his troops at Chuganian, and we should both advance with one hundred men each, to a delightful spot in the pass, abounding with water and verdure, where we might enjoy the society of each other, renew our vows of friendship, and divide the province of Maveralnaher between us in a fraternal manner.”*
Having heard this deceitful message of Amyr Hussyn, I privately gave orders for part of my forces to march at night, and take post on the road, in front of the pass, and the other part to take a strong position in the rear of it. I then proceeded with three hundred horse towards the appointed place, and Amyr Hussyn advanced with one thousand cavalry.
When I arrived at the place where Amyr Hussyn had concealed his first division, I halted, but the enemy immediately rushed upon me; at the same time, my troops, who were concealed, charged them, and a severe contest took place; at first my people were worsted, but I reinforced them, and we soon put the enemy to the route, killed many, and took a number of them prisoners.
During this time, Amyr Hussyn, who had remained on one side of the pass, waiting in expectation of seeing me brought bound to him, was surprised to see his defeated army running in all directions, he was, therefore, much disappointed and ashamed;* but being convinced the veil of his deceit was now rent, he suspected Shyr Behram, who had deserted me, and had been employed confidentially by him, of having given me intelligence; he therefore commanded him to be put to death, which circumstance realized my prediction, when Shyr Behram quitted my service, as formerly related. In consequence of this victory, I returned exulting towards Kārshy, and encamped in its vicinity.
Being now thoroughly convinced of Amyr Hussyn’s implacable enmity, I earnestly set about refitting and strengthening my army; to effect this, I sent for each of my chiefs separately, and made them promise and swear fidelity to me; I said to them, “whoever remains with me, I will treat as a brother, whatever I now possess, I will divide with you, and whatever I may in future obtain, shall be also divided; whoever is averse to my service, let him leave me this very day, I shall refer his retribution to the Omnipotent.” They individually declared their attachment to me, wrote their names in the muster roll, took an oath, and signed the following written promise; “we call God to witness, that if we shall be guilty of a breach of our promise, or desert the Amyr Timūr, we hope we may be overwhelmed with the Divine anger.” Being now at ease with respect to my army, I deemed it most advisable to march to Mākhān, and bring over to my party, the tribe of Sunjury, who resided in that neighbourhood, then to proceed against Amyr Hussyn, and wait for whatever might be concealed behind the curtain of futurity.
At this time, I received information that Amyr Hussyn had collected a large army, and that he had despatched Amyr Musā and Melk Behader, with twelve thousand horse against Kārshy, and to oppose me. When this news arrived, my officers began to despond, I therefore summoned the chiefs, and again demanded their promise. After some hesitation, they replied, “if you will give us some strong place to secure our families and provisions, then we will devote our lives to your service:” I therefore sent edicts to the chiefs of the tribe of Sunjury, who were under great obligations to me, and stated the case; they proved themselves grateful for my favours, sent me one thousand men, and promised to take the families of the whole tribe of Berlās, with their effects, into their fortresses.
My officers being now at ease with regard to their families and stores, agreed to march with me, but I did not place much confidence in them, which they having heard, came to me with the Korān (on which they had sworn) in their hands, and their swords suspended round their necks, and said, “here are the Korāns, and here are our swords, if we have broken our oaths, kill us.” The first of these was Amyr Jakū, the others were Ayk Timūr, Sarbugā Jelayr, the Amyrs Daoud, Muvyd, Syf Addeen, &c. &c. When I saw them in this state, I wept, and they wept; they then vowed they would devote their lives to my service, and I praised and lauded them; and with a tranquil mind, I mounted my horse, with the full intention of fighting Amyr Hussyn, but I thought it proper first to go to the tribe of Sunjury, and leave all the heavy baggage with them; I therefore quitted Kārshy, and proceeded towards Makhān.*
Amyr Musā and Amyr Hindūkē, the generals of Amyr Hussyn, having heard of my departure from Kārshy, were rejoiced, advanced against that fortress, and finding it without any garrison, took easy possession of it; they then wrote to their master that they had defeated me, compelled me to flee to Khurasān, and that they had taken the fort of Kārshy: when their boasting was communicated to me, the sinews of my honour were irritated, and I resolved to return to Kārshy, and seize them. I therefore caused it to be reported that I was gone on to Khurasān, and having sent the families of all my people to the protection of the Sunjury tribe, I selected a few of my best soldiers, and having marched to Isāck’s well in the desert, halted there several days, to give time for all my followers to join; then turning to the south, I advanced on the road to Makhān, and having arrived at the Amū or Jihūn, and encamped on its bank, and crossed over during the night. When the intelligence of my having crossed the Jihūn, was brought to Amyr Musā and his colleagues, they were delighted, and began to enjoy their tranquillity. I halted two days on the south bank of the river, till all my people had crossed; I then sent off a letter to the Prince of Herat, and another to Muhammed Khān Ghorbany. I also sent intelligent persons into Khurasān, to ascertain the disposition of the people towards me.
As I had no reliance on the people of Khurasān, I quitted the banks of the river, and marched into the (Jul) desert, and encamped near a well of brackish water, and I remained for two months in the desert; but as it abounded with wild animals, we caught a number of them, which served us for food. At the end of this time, the dromedaries that I had sent to the Prince of Herat and Muhammed Khān Ghorbany, returned, and brought me letters replete with professions of friendship; each of them sent me presents, also a number of arms, consisting of bows, swords, and quivers, of these I kept one bow and one sword, the remainder I gave to the officers and soldiers.
At this time, I received information that a caravan from Khurasān, carrying goods to Kārshy, was approaching,* I therefore marched towards them on the Herat road; when the people of the caravan saw my army, they were afraid; some of them however advanced to meet me, and presented me their offerings, whilst seated on my horse; I asked them a number of questions respecting the news of Herat, and what were the reports about me in Khurasān, they replied, “we heard that your highness was coming into Khurasān, at the invitation of the Prince of Herat, and that you had crossed the Amū; the people would not believe the report, but we are now convinced of its truth by our own eyes.” I replied, “as the tyranny of Amyr Hussyn has been excessive, and he has even led an army against me; I have been under the necessity of abandoning my country, and proceeding towards Khurasān.”
The people of the caravan blessed me, and requested I would give them a guard to protect them against my followers, and to escort them through the dangerous places. I then made two more marches on the road to Khurasān; when the caravan arrived at Kārshy, Amyr Musā, the governor of the fortress, sent for the leaders of the caravan, and asked them about me, they replied, “we saw the Amyr Timūr in the desert, with his whole army; he was going on to Herat, at the invitation of the Prince of that country, and he was making long marches in order to arrive there quickly.” When the governor heard this intelligence, he immediately came out of the fort with seven thousand horse, pitched his tents in the plain of Bimragh, and commenced feasting and carousing; before leaving the fort, Amyr Musā appointed his son Muhammed Beg to the command of it, and strengthened the fortifications. He also sent off an express to Amyr Hussyn with the good news; previous to this time, the Amyr had sent a reinforcement to Kārshy, of five thousand horse, but the commander of these troops being also off his guard, halted at the village of Ghashūn.
As soon as I had obtained information of the state of Kārshy, honour instigated me to draw the sword of revenge from its scabbard, and to go and subdue the fortress; at this time my spies informed me, that the garrison consisted of only two thousand men, but that the other ten thousand were encamped in two divisions in the vicinity. I therefore summoned all my chiefs, and asked their advice, whether we should proceed to Khurasān, or return and endeavour to take Kārshy; they replied, “if we go to Khurasān, we shall all be made prisoners, and our people will be dispersed; let us call on God to assist us, and return towards Kārshy, please God we shall be victorious:” as this advice appeared to me good, I determined to make the attempt.
But when my soldiers heard that there were twelve thousand of Amyr Hussyn’s troops, in or near the fort, they were afraid: I therefore determined to select three hundred and forty warriors, whose courage I had often experienced,* and with them to make a forced march against the fortress, whether successful or not. On this subject I sought an omen in the Korān, and the following verse opened; “he assists whom he pleases, for he (God) is all powerful and all wise;” from this verse I derived hopes of success; I therefore made the requisite arrangement of my troops, and at night, placing my trust in Providence, commenced my march with three hundred and forty warriors.
At this time, Amyr Muvyd Arlāt, who was married to one of my sisters, Tuvukkel Behader, Jakū Berlās, Surugtumush Aghlān, Dilavur Behader, who was married to another of my sisters, and the other officers came and made their salutations: as Muvyd Arlāt was the first who bent the knee, I considered his name (the Strengthened) as auspicious, and as Tuvukkel (Hope) was the second, I also considered his name as a good omen.
I however again consulted the Korān, and this verse came forth; “whoever places his faith in God, shall obtain his wishes:” from this verse I felt confident, and continued my march.
I crossed the river Amū (Jihūn) that same night, and halted at the village of Akhshēb, and before day, I sent off an advance party to shut up the road to Kārshy, by seizing and detaining all travellers and passengers; that day I halted at a spot that was far from any inhabited place: when night came on, we again mounted, and arrived at Berdalygh, and immediately seized and confined all Amyr Musā’s people, who were in that place; we then went to rest, very early in the morning we were again on our horses, and when we stopt to rest, I sent on the (Keravulan) light troops to detain all passengers. When night arrived, we again mounted, and having reached Shyrkund, I wished to have gone further, but Amyr Jakū came and bent the knee, and represented to me, that in consequence of the length and rapidity of our march, many of our warriors were fallen behind; “your Highness had better halt a little to give them time to come up; what we have undertaken is of great importance, let us avoid any risk of failure by impatience.”*
In consequence of this advice, I drew in my reins, and it then occurred to me, that while we were waiting for the men to come up, we might employ the time in making ladders and fascines from the trees which were growing on the side of the road; we therefore procured some cord and ropes, and began to make ladders.
During this time, it entered my mind that I would go myself and examine the state of the fortress; I therefore proceeded with only forty men, and in the course of the night, arrived near Kārshy; it happened that the night was extremely dark, but as soon as we could distinguish the walls, I ordered the men to halt, and taking only Abdallah, who was born in my house, with me, we came to the bank of the ditch; I found that the ditch was full of water, and having examined several places of it, at length I discovered a plank thrown across it; I therefore alighted from my horse, and gave him in charge to Abdallah; I then buckled on my sword, and crossed the plank, and reached the fause bray; I continued to walk round the walls till I came to the gate, I struck the knocker of the gate, but no one answered, I was therefore convinced that the guards were asleep. I then proceeded round the wall, and examined it attentively; after some time I perceived a breach in the wall, very favourable for applying ropes or ladders; I therefore returned very coolly by the way I had come, and having received my horse from Abdallah, I mounted. Soon after this time, my people, being well armed and carrying the ladders, arrived, I informed them of all the circumstances that has been related, and when they heard, that I had alone inspected the fortress, their courage became ten-fold; they were astonished at my courage and bravery, and bit their fingers with amazement; some of them found fault with my rashness, others devoted themselves for my safety; I then repeated the prayer for victory, and proceeded.
I left forty persons in charge of the horses, and with three hundred and thirteen dismounted men, with drawn swords, myself on horseback, advanced till we came to the ditch, here I also alighted, and we crossed the plank singly, and reached the fause bray in safety; I then led my warriors to the low part of the wall, where they carefully fixed the ladders; I then commanded them to mount, and when forty of them had got up, I also mounted the ladder, and took possession of one of the bastions, after which all my people climbed up the wall; fortunately for us, not a sentinel awoke during all this time.
I then ordered a party to go and seize the gate-way, when they reached the gate, they found the guard fast asleep, and bound the most of them; but those who attempted resistance, were put to death, they then broke open the gate; when the inhabitants heard the uproar, they began to tremble, and lost the use of their hands and feet.
At this time, I ordered the trumpets to sound, and when the inhabitants heard the sound of the trumpets, they in great perturbation mounted the flat roofs of their houses. Muhammed Beg, the son of Amyr Musā, who was left as governor of the fort, mounted the roof of his house with a party of his followers, and began to fight; but when the day broke, and he saw my troops, he retreated to an upper roomed house, and barred the doors and windows; my troops surrounded the house, and threw fire into it, on which the family of Amyr Musā called out for quarter, and sought my protection.
When Muhammed Beg, who was then very young, was brought into my presence, I praised him for his courage, and I called him my son; then both the soldiers and citizens came and begged for quarter, I forgave them, and ordered them to keep every thing in order in the fort, to secure all the provisions, and to collect all the arms, whether arrows, bows, swords, or quivers, all these I divided among my troops.
I then made arrangements for the defence of the fort; I gave one of the gates in charge of Amyr Sarbugā, Syf Addeen, and Muvyd Arlāt, the other gate I gave over to Surugtumush Aghlān, Amyr Abās, and Hussyn Behader; I appointed the other chiefs to take care of the different bastions; I afterwards ordered Muvyd Arlāt to take post with forty troopers, outside of the walls: having made these arrangements, I treated kindly the family of Amyr Musā, and sent them to him.
When the intelligence of my having taken Kārshy by surprise, was communicated to Amyr Musā, he in conjunction with Melk Behader, immediately mounted, and with their twelve thousand horse, surrounded the fortress, and laid siege to it; my men who were dispersed, on hearing the news, collected together, but were afraid to approach the fort.
Having taken post with my three hundred and thirteen men, within the walls, I gave orders that all the gates should be thrown open, and with such an inferior force, contended with my twelve thousand adversaries; but during the latter part of the night, I sent out two detachments of forty troopers each, under the command of Muvyd Arlāt and Balkhy Bughā, to beat up the enemy’s encampment; and these brave fellows having dashed on, about the dawn of day reached the tents of Amyr Musā, killed a number of his people, and took others prisoners; some of my soldiers were also killed and wounded.
Of the chiefs that were taken, the principal was Shādruān Behader; when brought into my presence, I treated him very kindly, and with much respect, and gave him the choice either of remaining with me, or of going back; as he was much affected by my condescension, he agreed to enter my service.
The next day, having recalled my detachments, I the following night sent out Ak Bughā and Shādruān Behader, with two hundred horse, and they returned with sixty horses taken from the enemy. That day, a party consisting of two hundred of the enemy’s cavalry, got close under the walls of the fort, and blockaded the gates; for two days I did not molest them, but on the third day, I ordered the draw-bridge to be let down, and sent out Balkhy Bughā and Ak Timūr Behader with sixty warriors, who having taken the enemy by surprise, cut the greater part of them to pieces; but at this time, a large party of the troops of Amyr Hussyn came to their assistance, on which the flame of slaughter and combat again blazed: I then sent out a reinforcement of twenty other warriors; a severe contest took place between the enemy’s general, and Ak Timūr Behader, in which the former was thrown down: during this scene of confusion, a young (Auzbek) Usbek in the service of Amyr Musā, who was celebrated for his strength and courage, advanced with a battle-axe in his hand; one of my bravest chiefs, named Ghuzān Bughā, opposed him, and when the Usbek raised his arm to fell my champion to the ground, the latter seized him by the two arms, and dragged him into the fort, where he was killed. When the enemy’s soldiers saw this circumstance, they exclaimed, “this realizes the stories of Rustem and Isfundiar,”* and being terrified, they covered their heads with their shields, then fled, and took refuge in the ditch.
At this time, I sent out another reinforcement to my people, who having well beaten the enemy, drove them out of the ditch, and compelled them to seek for shelter in the lanes of the suburbs.
When Amyr Musā and his confederates saw this circumstance, they mounted their steeds, and having collected all their forces, advanced towards the fortress; they then sent troops to support those in the suburbs, who after a long and arduous struggle, compelled my people to retreat; I then rushed out of the fort, and ordered my trumpets to sound: when my soldiers who were dispersed, saw my flag, they became strong of heart, and renewed their attacks on the enemy.
At this period, I called out to Balkhy Bughā and Behram Behader, and pointed out to them the adversary’s general, Tuvukkel; they immediately advanced towards him, but he took shelter under the wall, on which Balkhy got on the top of the rampart, but not being able to reach him, thrust his sword through a hole in the wall, which compelled Tuvukkel to run away; Behram Behader pursued him, but one of my Khurasān officers, supposing that the latter belonged to the enemy, killed him by a single blow of his sword.
When Amyr Musā beheld the bravery of my troops, and saw me coming out of the fort with my retinue, he sent off his confederate, Melk Behader, to endeavour to force the other gate, which leads to Khezar; on observing this, I sent orders to Sar Bughā and Syf Addeen, to shut the gate; these brave officers having secured the gate, came out and boldly repulsed the five thousand horse of the enemy. At the same time that Musā sent off his confederate to the other side of the fort, he advanced in person with four thousand horse against me; I also directed one hundred of my warriors to meet him: when my party had extricated themselves from the lanes of the suburbs, and appeared in sight of Musā, he looked at them with ineffable contempt, and spurring on his steed, expected to have instantly made them the food of his scymetar; but at this moment, I having also come out of the town, urged on my horse, and being nobly supported by my body guard, a severe conflict ensued in the plain; at length, by the decree of God, an arrow struck Amyr Musā in the forehead, upon which he turned tail, and fled with his seven thousand horse to his camp; my chiefs wished to have pursued him, but I would not permit them. At this time, a messenger arrived from my officers on the other side of the fort, stating that they had also repulsed Melk Behader, and his five thousand horse, and that if I could come to their assistance, they had no doubt of our gaining a complete victory.
Having thus totally defeated Amyr Musā, and being quite satisfied with my success, I returned to the fort, and having posted guards all round the interior, I proceeded to the Khezar gate, and found that Melk Behader had driven my troops into the suburb, and had compelled them to take refuge under the walls of the fort, where they were warmly engaged: on seeing this, I marched with all the cavalry and foot soldiers that were with me, out of the fortress; and when I came near the enemy, I called out with a loud voice, “the Lord is on our side.” When Melk Behader saw my suite, he knew that it was me, and convinced that I was come to seek revenge, he advanced to meet me, on which the nerves of my courage and rivalship being roused, I made a charge on him with forty troopers; he opposed me with sixty horsemen, and endeavoured to turn my right, but having failed, and seeing my standard advancing, he turned round and fled, with the intention of joining his principal; but having learned that he had also been defeated, he continued his flight towards his camp, which was at Kenbudluly. I immediately sent off Amyr Jakū and Syf Addeen, with a party to pursue him, whilst I followed them closely; I also sent another party to show themselves in the vicinity of Musā’s encampment.
When the enemy’s general saw the dust raised by my party, he was alarmed, saddled his horses, and galloped off; I ordered Amyr Dāud to pursue him, and to seize as many of his horses, and as much plunder as he could lay hands on. When this brave officer had nearly come up with the enemy, the rear guard (Chundavul) faced about, and made a charge on Amyr Dāud, and a severe conflict took place; as soon as I came up, I also engaged them, but when our hands reached their collars, they could not contend with us, and took to flight; in consequence of which, a number of their led horses were seized by my people, and by my auspicious fortune the standards of the enemy’s pride were overturned.
During this time, the officers and chiefs of the enemy being quite discomfited, were retreating towards Khezar, and it so happened that Arzū Melk Aghā, the daughter of Amyr Jelayr, and the wife of Amyr Musā, who in the confusion of the defeat, had been left behind, having joined the runaways, was overtaken; when I saw her, I instantly sent to her my (Shadruān) canopy to conceal her from public view, and gave her in charge of Dūlet Shāh, the pay-master, who was a (Hery Maimur) eunuch, or pilgrim; and what was very extraordinary, the lady being big with child, was safely delivered of a daughter in that desert.* I pursued the enemy as far as the village of Feriltay, and spent the night in that place.
As soon as the morning dawned, the whole of the enemy were driven from the vicinity of Kārshy; and my Amyrs Jakū and Syf Addeen, having followed the runaways as far as the village of Jugerlyk, returned, and congratulated me on victory.
As the winter was now approaching, I deemed it advisable to take up my quarters at Kārshy, during the inclement season; but some of the chiefs advised my making Bokharā my winter quarters; I said, “although Amyr Hussyn’s army has been defeated, his jealousy will be roused when he hears that I have in person, taken possession of Bokharā, and will endeavour to annoy me; besides it is a ruinous place, and provisions are very scarce, it will be better to fix our winter quarters at Kārshy: I will send Mahmūd Shāh to Bokharā, that he may repair and render it populous, and he may remit the amount of the collections to my treasury; I will also invite Beg Shāh, who is now an emigrant in Khurasān, and give him charge of the country; I will further write to Aly Beg Yusury, who is now a wanderer in the desert, to join his son-in-law, Mahmūd Shāh, at Bokharā; but we will in the mean time remain at Kārshy, and repair the losses we have sustained, during the late campaign; my people also will collect their families, and refresh their animals.” After the council was concluded, I returned towards Kārshy, and encamped on the plain of victory, and there enjoyed myself.
The arrangement that I made for renewing the war with Amyr Hussyn, was this; when the defeated generals of Amyr Hussyn presented themselves before him at Sali Seray, they threw their caps on the ground, and made some excuses; he abused them for their negligence, in the first place, for having permitted me to surprise Kārshy; and secondly, for allowing themselves with twelve thousand horse, to be defeated by three hundred and thirteen men.
After having given vent to his rage, Amyr Hussyn resolved to make a vigorous attack on me before I should get settled in my quarters; he in consequence quitted Sali Seray, and gave orders for all his forces to join him. He appointed the defeated Amyr Musā to the principal command, which consisted of ten thousand select horse, with a number of his best officers.
Amyr Musā having seized the sword of revenge in his teeth, advanced with his army towards Kārshy. When I was informed of the proceedings of Amyr Hussyn, and that the Amyr Musā, with ten thousand horse, had advanced as far as the fort of Kehulkeh, and had encamped near Checkichec; I resolved to make a night attack on them; I therefore marched by the road of Belghun Bāgh, which lay to the left of the enemy, and having arrived there, passed the night in that grove: I then sent one of my scouts, named Termunay, to observe the situation of their encampment, to examine the roads of ingress and egress of it, and to send me intelligence as soon as they should pass the straits of Checkichec. He went, and having seized one of the enemy’s soldiers, examined him, and sent me the information that Amyr Musā, with his ten thousand horse, had passed the straits of Checkichec, and were to encamp that night at Chekdalyk.
I therefore passed that day in the desert, and when night came on, I mounted my horse; but when I arrived near the enemy’s camp, found I was attended only by three hundred horse; I however gave the (Tekbyr) war cry, and having entered their camp by the left, came out of it by the right: this unexpected night attack, threw them into great confusion; but having recovered from their fright, they mounted their horses. At this time, the day began to dawn, and Amyr Musā having drawn out his army in line, stood looking at my party, but without molesting us. I therefore alighted in the plain of Chekdalyk, and having performed the morning prayers, again mounted, and retreated by the way of Kūrdenk.
I now resolved to return to Kārshy, and having strengthened it, to proceed to Bokharā, and on being joined by my other troops in that city, then to turn about and oppose Amyr Hussyn’s army. When I reached Kārshy, having made all the requisite arrangements, I marched towards Bokharā; when I drew near the city, Mahmūd Shāh, whom I had appointed governor of the place, came out some distance to meet me, accompanied by Aly Yusury, and they both professed their allegiance.
When I had halted in Bokharā, Amyr Jakū, who was not on friendly terms with the governor, and had no confidence in his professions, privately requested leave of absence to go to Khurasān; I said, “I will consider of it, and do whatever shall appear advisable;” I then summoned the governor, and all the principal officers, and entered into consultation on the state of affairs; I said to them, “although we are much inferior to the army of Amyr Hussyn, which is approaching, nevertheless, if you will all unite firmly with me, we will go and meet it, give them battle, and let the conqueror take the bride of the kingdom by the hand.” My brave generals approved of this opinion; but the governor and Aly Yusury being heartless, advised that we should fortify Bokharā, and that I should, with a light army, in the Cossack manner, annoy the enemy, and that no doubt we should prove successful.
Finding that Mahmūd Shāh and Aly Yusury were afraid, and that Amyr Jakū was doubtful, I gave him leave to go to Khurasān; and I also sent off Abās Behader and Syf Addeen to Makhān, to levy troops along the banks of the river Amū;* I appointed the Prince Pyr Muhammed, to escort the baggage and followers, and intrusted the charge of the city to Mahmūd Shāh and Aly Yusury, and advised them, if they found themselves unequal to stand a siege, to abandon the place.
After this arrangement, I quitted Bokharā, with my three hundred Cossacks, and advanced towards the enemy; when we approached their encampment, we seized a number of their horses and camels that were grazing, and I gave them to my people; I then proceeded towards Khurasān, and during the night crossed the river Amū; I then passed over the desert, and having reached Makhān, joined the heavy baggage, and the remainder of my victorious troops.
I amused myself for some time in hunting in the plains of Makhān, waiting for intelligence from Mahmūd Shāh, and news from Bokharā; at length a letter arrived from him, representing that he had fortified the city, that Amyr Hussyn had come with his large army, and laid siege to it; that for some days he had resisted, but the inhabitants had proved treacherous, and had taken part with my enemy; that Amyr Hussyn had gone to the tomb of Shykh Syf Addeen, and there taken an oath, that the inhabitants of Bokharā had nothing to fear from him; in consequence of which, the citizens had rebelled, had taken possession of several of the bastions, and had fortified them; that although he had taken much pains to reconcile them, they had turned their backs on him; that being without remedy, he had armed his cavalry, and taken the field as Cossacks.
I was much distressed by this intelligence, and sent off spies to learn whether Amyr Hussyn still remained in Bokharā, or had returned to Sali Seray. About this time, Mahmūd Shāh and Aly Yusury, having made long journeys through the desert, arrived, and had the honour of kissing my carpet; as they had lost several of their horses, and much property, I recompensed them, and waited for the return of my spies.
At length the spies came back, and informed me that Amyr Hussyn had left a large army under the command of Amyr Khelyl, in Bokharā, and had gone back to Sali Seray.
On receipt of this intelligence, I deliberated whether I should go to Melk Hussyn, Prince of Herat, and enter into a confederacy with him against my enemies. I had formerly rescued this Prince from the hands of the officers of Amyr Kurghen, had carried him to Herat, and there placed him on the throne; on which account, he was under great obligations to me. But as I had no great dependence on his gratitude, fearing that he might have been gained over by Amyr Hussyn, and might prove an enemy, I wavered in my opinion.
I soon after received information, that Melk Hussyn had arrived at Serkhush, with the intention of visiting me; I therefore sent off Amyr Jakū as my ambassador, to meet him, and instructed the latter, that he was to discover the bottom of Melk Hussyn’s heart, and to ascertain whether he was sincere, or inimical; if the former, he was to endeavour to strengthen the chain of friendship, and to return immediately.
In a short time, Amyr Jakū came back, and brought me a letter from Melk Hussyn, replete with affection and friendship; as his kindness and sincerity made a great impression on me, I therefore opened my mind, and wrote him, “that as the chiefs of Bokharā, and all Maveralnaher, had entreated me to “return to them, in compliance with their request, I meant to do so, but with his “permission, would leave my son Muhammed Jehangyz, and all my family, in “the vicinity of Makhān, under the protection of his kindness and friendship.”
My plan of proceeding from my cantonment, at Makhān, towards Maveralnaher and Khurasān, was this: my spies having brought me intelligence, a second time, that all the chiefs of Maveralnaher were very negligent and inattentive to my proceedings, but that they still retained numerous followers; I therefore took a review of my troops, and found that they did not exceed one thousand horse, and in an auspicious hour sought in the Korān for an omen, this verse opened, “God is all sufficient for those who place their faith on him.” As I ever placed my confidence on the Almighty, I committed my son Jehangyr to to his protection, and having appointed Mubarik Sunjury to be his preceptor, left them at Makhān: I marched to the banks of the Jihūn, and when all my followers had joined, I crossed the river in the night, and having left the high road on the left, I halted in the fields of canes near the river: I remained concealed there during that day, and deliberated whether I should, by a forced march, endeavour to surprise the city of Bokharā, and then proceed towards Samerkund, or whether I should first attack the different chiefs of Maveralnaher, and subdue them, before they could form a junction with each other; and having thus cleared the country of them, then take possession of one of these cities, as the seat of my government.
At this time, I was informed that Amyr Musā was encamped in the neighbourhood of Kārshy, I therefore consulted the Korān whether I should attack him, or Hindū Shāh first; this verse opened, “the fire of Moses was like lightning;” I took this for an auspicious omen, and remained in the lanes by the side of the river the whole day in ambuscade. When night came on, I made a forced march against the army of Amyr Musā, and having taken him by surprise, I I took two of his generals prisoners, and dispersed all his soldiers.
It happened that in the town of Kārshy, there were some merchants from Bokharā, whom my people seized, and brought to me, with all their camels and goods; but I immediately ordered Shykh Aly Behader to escort them with all their merchandize, to a place of safety, which raised my fame through the country.
When information of my having defeated the army of Amyr Musā, reached the other chiefs, they immediately assembled, and with the troops that I had dispersed, amounting in all to five thousand horse, took possession of a strong post called Kūzy. It therefore appeared to me advisable to make a sudden attack on them before they should learn the small number of my forces, or be aware of my intention. In consequence of this determination, I formed my small army into seven divisions, six of which I gave in charge to several officers, and took post myself with the seventh. At this time, news arrived that the enemy having arranged their troops, were advancing. I immediately mounted and drew up my army, and called out to the chiefs, “before we shall have made the seven attacks, our adversaries will be annihilated;” and it turned out exactly as I said.
In a short period, the enemy’s army made its appearance in the plain of Kūzy, and I soon learned that Hindū Shāh commanded their advanced line. I immediately advanced with my staff officers, and took the command of our advanced division; I then examined, with the eye of experience, the mode of attack and retreat, and I observed that the enemy’s divisions were much separated; but at this moment, Aly Khān Behader, who commanded the right wing of my first line, being terrified by the appearance of the foe, ran away; I instantly ordered Amyr Jakū, who had the command of the left wing of the first line, to charge, and the right wing of the second line to advance, and take up the ground in the first line: during this manœuvre, Amyr Jakū having defeated his opponents, had a fall from his horse, and was for a short time bewildered, but he again mounted and halted; as soon as I heard of the accident, I sent him some (Mumia) medicine, which I had about me, and he recovered.
At this time, the right wing of the enemy made a violent charge, on which I called out to my left wing, to do the same, and spurring on my horse, charged in person. We were warmly engaged from breakfast time, till noon-day prayer; but when the sun became vertical, the enemy gave way, and dispersed; at that moment I had alighted on the field of battle, and was saying my prayers, to which I then added my thanks for the victory.
My warriors pursued the enemy as far as Chekdalyk, and having taken a number of their chiefs and officers, brought them as prisoners to me. Among the prisoners that were brought in was, Aljaytū Sultān, governor of Talkhān; when brought into my presence, I was doubtful whether I should give orders for killing him or not; but as soon as his sight fell on me, he said, “O Commander, I have been grateful for the salt I have eaten of my master, and I have bravely fought against his enemy, you may either slay me, or liberate me.”
I said to my nobles, “he speaks the truth, he has been a loyal subject, for I have frequently endeavoured to entice him into my service, his constant reply has been, ‘as long as I can eat the salt of Amyr Hussyn, I will not turn my face towards any other person:’” the prisoner then said, “if I shall ever eat of your salt, I will devote my life in exchange for it.” As I felt inclined to favour him, some of the persons present said, “there is no reliance to be placed on this man;” I replied, “there is no doubt of his manliness, he may lose his head, but his promise will endure; if he once eats my salt, I am convinced he will prove as faithful to me, as he has shewn himself to Amyr Hussyn; in retaining him in my service, there are several advantages, and in killing him, several disadvantages, of his present or future worth, you are no judges; I, at all events, shall gain his father, whom I have respected for thirty years, and I shall obtain the present services of this young man;” I therefore encouraged him, and released him: he ever afterwards attended my stirrup, fought many battles with me; and at the time when Shāh Munsūr attacked me in person, he protected and saved me; upon that event, I said to my nobles, “one should endeavour to know the worth and value of a man, whether friend or foe;” they assented, bent their knees, and prayed for my prosperity.
As soon as the army of Amyr Hussyn had fled, and repassed the straits of Checkichec, I called a council of all my chiefs, and proposed that we should pursue and annihilate the remainder of the enemy, at the head of whom, was Khizer Behader, but who had shut himself up in the city of Samerkund. In consequence of this determination, we marched to Kesh, of which place I appointed Tughy Shāh, governor, and Turmajūk to be collector of the district, and realize the revenue due to government; I then proceeded with my victorious army toward Samerkund.
When we arrived near Samerkund, I encamped in the vicinity of the city, and sent a summons to the governor, Khizer Behader, offering him the choice of my favour, or my revenge; he wrote me this answer, “if I should come over to your “highness, the salt and kindness of Amyr Hussyn would seize me, and the world “would call me an ungrateful wretch, and a scoundrel, for being guilty of trea“chery in giving up a place confided to me by a Muselmān;* such conduct is “inconsistent with the duties of a person professing the Muhammedan religion, “if I should be base enough to commit this act of villainy, neither your High“ness nor your officers would ever place any confidence or reliance on me; if I “shall be killed bravely doing my duty, it will be better in every respect than “to be guilty of dishonesty.” I praised him for his fidelity, but drew out my army, and advanced close to the city, and my warriors were about to attack it, when the governor attempted to make his escape; Ak Timūr Behader met him near the gate, and seized him by the belt of his quiver, but the belt broke, and the governor with difficulty again got inside the gate, and saved himself. Ak Behader brought the quiver to me, as a proof of his zeal, in recompense for which, I promoted him; I then drew off from the town, and encamped at the village of Retin, from thence I marched to the village of Shāh Rūkh, where the water and air was very good, and rested there for some time.
At this place, I obtained intelligence that Amyr Hussyn had detached Aljaytū Bughā with an army to relieve Samerkund, and that they were approaching: I also received a letter from Tughy Shāh, my governor of Kesh, stating that, a party of the enemy had suddenly entered the district, and had seized my collector Termajūk.
On receipt of this bad news, I was much dispirited, and formed to myself three plans; 1st. That I should turn Cossack, and never pass twenty-four hours in one place, and plunder all that came to hand. 2nd. That I should make a forced march to meet Amyr Hussyn, surprise his camp, and annihilate his army. 3rd. That I should leave the country, and proceed to Khujend; being still undecided, I placed my foot in the stirrup, and having crossed the river Yam, I encamped on its bank.
At this time, my whole force consisted of one thousand horse; when I mentioned the three plans to my chiefs, they all agreed that the one of retreating to Khujend, was the best; we then quitted the river Yam, and after three or four marches, reached the bank of the Khujend, (Sihūn) where we encamped.
At this place, I received letters from Ky Khuserū and Behram Jelayr, who were formerly in my service, but who had quitted it for that of Amyr Hussyn, stating, that being in danger of their lives from Hussyn, they had therefore deserted in the night, and had taken refuge at Khānchyn; they further represented that the Amyr had killed their brothers, and plundered their tribes, in revenge for which, they had collected seven thousand horse, and were waiting at Tashkund, ready to join me whenever I should order them.*
In consequence of this intelligence, I resolved to march to Tashkund; when I reached that country, Ky Khuserū being delighted, advanced to meet me; he carried me to his own residence, and made a great feast on the occasion. As the Emperor Tugleck Timūr Khān had given his daughter in marriage to Ky Khuserū, by whom he had a daughter, now arrived at the age of puberty; we agreed to betroth her to my eldest son Jehangyr, to which measure, Behram Jelayr, who was her relation, also gave his consent. In consequence of this ceremony, I passed a whole month in luxury and every delight at Tashkund. It must be explained that this Behram Jelayr had been brought up by me, that I had promoted him, that he became proud, but being reduced to low circumstances, had asked my pardon; in consequence of which, I forgave and restored him to his former rank, and afterwards further promoted him.
Termuz was at this time a celebrated University.
↩Hajy Berlās was his uncle.
↩A gold coin.
↩It has been before stated, that kund signifies a town, Samer was one of the ancient heroes of Persia. It is the Maracanda of the Greeks, and is situated in Lat. 39,37 N. Longitude 64,9 E. See Edinburgh Gazetteer.
↩See printed copy in the Institutes, page 25.
↩Khuarizm is an extensive kingdom, situated on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea, and divided from Maveralnaher by the river Jihūn, which falls into the Aral lake.
↩See printed Institutes, page 35.
↩See printed Institutes, page 37.
↩The Antiochia of the Greeks, it is situated on the Mūrghāb river, and is subject to the Khān of Bukhārā. See Edinburgh Gazetteer.
↩See printed Institutes, page 47.
↩See printed Institutes, page 49.
↩Institutes, page 51.
↩Institutes, pages 53 and 55.
↩Institutes, page 57.
↩See Institutes, page 63.
↩See Institutes, page 67.
↩Institutes, page 79.
↩See Institutes, page 83.
↩See Sale’s Translation of the Korān, page 68.
↩See Plan of the Army, last page of the Institutes.
↩This description of the battle differs much from that given by Petis de la Croix, p. 71, and sequel.
↩Timūr wished to have liberated them, but they were put to death by order of Amyr Hussyn. Sherifaddeen’s History.
↩It was situated on the northern bank of the Jihūn, near Termuz.
↩See Petis de la Croix’s History, page 84. It is remarkable that Timūr does not mention this battle, called the Slough, in his Designs.
↩In Baber’s Memoirs, mention is also made of the powers of the magicians of Tūrkestān, and the wonderful effects of the Stone Jeddy.
↩The original name of this place was Nakhsheb, but was changed to Kārshy, in consequence of a palace having been built there by a Moghūl Prince, it is separated from the Jihūn by a desert. Lat. 38.45.
↩See Institutes, page 101.
↩This account is different from Petis de la Croix’s History.
↩Latitude 37,30, Longitude 85, East.
↩See Institutes, page 95.
↩In the Institutes, only forty men are mentioned.
↩See Institutes, page 97.
↩Two heroes of the Shāh Nameh.
↩The latter subsequently became his wife.
↩In the vicinity of the city of Amū, the Sihūn is called the Amū.
↩The followers of the Arabian Prophet never call themselves Muhammedans, but Muselmāns, (resigned) or Mumināns, (believers) they consider it disrespectful, and making too free with his name; for a similar reason, they do not call us Christians, but (Nessara) Nazareens.
↩Khujend and Tashkund are both cities on the banks of the Sihūn.
↩