The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
river (Son), leaving none behind. We spent 2 or 3 days on this ground in
order to put his work through and [Sidenote: Fol. 367b.] get him off.
(_April 13th_) On Wednesday the 4th[2563] of the month, Muḥammad-i-zamān
M. was presented with a royal head-to-foot, a sword and belt, a
_tīpūchāq_ horse and an umbrella.[2564] He also was made to kneel
(_yūkūndūrūldī_) for the Bihār country. Of the Bihār revenues one _krūr_
and 25 _laks_ were reserved for the Royal Treasury; its Dīwānī was
entrusted to Murshid _`Irāqī_.
(_April 14th_) I left that ground by boat on Thursday (_6th_). I had
already ordered the boats to wait, and on getting up with them, I had
them fastened together abreast in line.[2565] Though all were not
collected there, those there were greatly exceeded the breadth of the
river. They could not move on, however, so-arranged, because the water
was here shallow, there deep, here swift, there still. A crocodile
(_gharīāl_) shewing itself, a terrified fish leaped so high as to fall
into a boat; it was caught and brought to me.
When we were nearing our ground, we gave the boats names:—a [Sidenote:
Fol. 368.] large[2566] one, formerly the Bāburī,[2567] which had been
built in Āgra before the Holy-battle with Sangā, was named Asāīsh
(Repose).[2568] Another, which Arāīsh Khān had built and presented to me
this year before our army got to horse, one in which I had had a
platform set up on our way to this ground, was named Arāīsh (Ornament).
Another, a good-sized one presented to me by Jalālu'd-dīn _Sharqī_, was
named the Gunjāīsh (Capacious); in it I had ordered a second platform
set up, on the top of the one already in it. To a little skiff, having a
_chaukandī_,[2569] one used for every task (_har āīsh_) and duty, was
given the name Farmāīsh (Commissioned).
(_April 15th_) Next day, Friday (_7th_), no move was made.
Muḥammad-i-zamān M. who, his preparations for Bihār complete, had
dismounted one or two _kurohs_ from the camp, came today to take leave
of me.[2570]
(_xx. News of the army of Bengal._)
Two spies, returned from the Bengal army, said that Bengalīs[2571] under
Makhdūm-i-`ālam were posted in 24 places on the Gandak and there raising
defences; that they had hindered the Afghāns from carrying out their
intention to get their families across the river (Ganges?), and had
joined them to themselves.[2572] This news making fighting probable, we
detained Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā, and sent Shāh Iskandar to Bihār with 3
or 400 men.
(_yy. Incidents of the eastward march resumed._)
[Sidenote: Fol. 368b.] (_April 16th_) On Saturday (_8th_) a person came
in from Dūdū and her son Jalāl Khān (son) of Bihār Khān[2573] whom the
Bengalī (Naṣrat Shāh) must have held as if eye-bewitched.[2574] After
letting me know they were coming,[2575] they had done some straight
fighting to get away from the Bengalīs, had crossed the river,[2576]
reached Bihār, and were said now to be on their way to me.
This command was given today for the Bengal envoy Ismā`īl
Mītā:—Concerning those three articles, about which letters have already
been written and despatched, let him write that an answer is long in
coming, and that if the honoured (Naṣrat Shāh) be loyal and of
single-mind towards us, it ought to come soon.
(_April 17th_) In the night of Sunday (_9th_)[2577] a man came in from
Tardī-muḥammad _Jang-jang_ to say that when, on Wednesday the 5th of the
month Sha`bān, his scouts reached Bihār from this side, the Shiqdār of
the place went off by a gate on the other side.
On Sunday morning we marched on and dismounted in the _pargana_ of Ārī
(Ārrah).[2578]
(_zz. News and negotiations._)
To this ground came the news that the Kharīd[2579] army, with 100-150
boats, was said to be on the far side of the Sarū near the meeting of
Sarū and Gang (Ghogrā and Ganges). As a sort of peace existed between us
and the Bengalī (Naṣrat Shāh _Afghān_), and as, for the sake of a
benediction, peace was our first endeavour whenever such work was toward
as we were now on, we kept to our rule, notwithstanding his unmannerly
conduct in setting himself on our road;[2580] we associated Mullā Maẕhab
with his envoy Ismā`īl Mītā, spoke once more about those three articles
[Sidenote: Fol. 369.] (_faṣl soz_), and decided to let the envoy go.
(_April 18th_) On Monday (_10th_) when the Bengal envoy came to wait on
me, he was let know that he had his leave, and what follows was
mentioned:[2581]—"We shall be going to this side and that side, in
pursuit of our foe, but no hurt or harm will be done to any dependency
of yours. As one of those three articles said,[2582] when you have told
the army of Kharīd to rise off our road and to go back to Kharīd, let a
few Turks be joined with it to reassure these Kharīd people and to
escort them to their own place.[2583] If they quit not the ferry-head,
if they cease not their unbecoming words, they must regard as their own
act any ill that befalls them, must count any misfortune they confront
as the fruit of their own words."
(_April 20th_) On Wednesday (_12th_) the usual dress of honour was put
on the Bengal envoy, gifts were bestowed on him and his leave to go was
given.
(_April 21st_) On Thursday (_13th_) Shaikh Jamālī was sent with royal
letters of encouragement to Dūdū and her son Jalāl Khān.
Today a servant of Māhīm's came, who will have parted from the
Wālī(?)[2584] on the other side of the Bāgh-i-ṣafā.
(_April 23rd_) On Saturday (_15th_) an envoy from `Irāq, Murād
_Qajar_[2585] the life-guardsman, was seen.
(_April 24th_) On Sunday (_16th_) Mullā Maẕhab received his usual
keepsakes (_yādgārlār_) and was given leave to go.
[Sidenote: Fol. 369b.] (_April 25th_) On Monday (_17th_) Khalīfa was
sent, with several begs, to see where the river (Ganges) could be
crossed.
(_April 27th_) On Wednesday, (_19th_) Khalīfa again was sent out, to
look at the ground between the two rivers (Ganges and Ghogrā).
On this same day I rode southward in the Ārī (Ārrah) _pargana_ to visit
the sheets of lotus[2586] near Ārī. During the excursion Shaikh Gūran
brought me fresh-set lotus-seeds, first-rate little things just like
pistachios. The flower, that is to say, the _nīlūfar_ (lotus),
Hindūstānīs call _kuwul-kikrī_ (lotus-pistachio), and its seed _dūdah_
(soot).
As people said, "The Son is near," we went to refresh ourselves on it.
Masses of trees could be seen down-stream; "Munīr is there," said they,
"where the tomb is of Shaikh Yaḥyā the father of Shaikh Sharafu'd-dīn
_Munīrī_."[2587] It being so close, I crossed the Son, went 2 or 3
_kurohs_ down it, traversed the Munīr orchards, made the circuit of the
tomb, returned to the Son-bank, made ablution, went through the Mid-day
Prayer before time, and made for camp. Some of our horses, being
fat,[2588] had fallen behind; some were worn out; a few people were left
to gather them together, water them, rest them, and bring them on
without pressure; but for this many would have been ruined.
When we turned back from Munīr, I ordered that some-one [Sidenote: Fol.
370.] should count a horse's steps between the Son-bank and the camp.
They amounted to 23,100, which is 46,200 paces, which is 11-1/2
_kurohs_ (23m.).[2589] It is about half a _kuroh_ from Munīr to the
Son; the return journey from Munīr to the camp was therefore 12 _kurohs_
(24m.). In addition to this were some 15-16 _kurohs_ done in visiting
this and that place; so that the whole excursion was one of some 30
_kurohs_ (60m.). Six _garīs_ of the 1st night-watch had passed [8.15
p.m.] when we reached the camp.
(_April 28th_) At the dawn of Thursday (_Sha`bān 19th_) Sl. Junaid
_Barlās_ came in with the Jūnpūr braves from Jūnpūr. I let him know my
blame and displeasure on account of his delay; I did not see him. Qāẓī
Jīā I sent for and saw.
(_aaa. Plan of the approaching battle with the Bengal army._)
On the same day the Turk and Hind amīrs were summoned for a consultation
about crossing Gang (Ganges), and matters found settlement at
this[2590]:—that Ūstād `Alī-qulī should collect mortar, _firingī_,[2591]
and culverin[2592] to the point of rising ground between the rivers Sarū
and Gang, and, having many matchlockmen with him, should incite to
battle from that place;[2593] that Muṣṯafa, he also having many
matchlockmen, should get his material and implements ready on the Bihār
side of Gang, a little below the meeting of the waters and opposite to
where on an island the Bengalīs had an elephant and a mass of boats tied
up, and that he should engage battle from this place;[2594] that
Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā and the others inscribed for the work should take
post behind Muṣṯafa as his reserve; that both for Ūstād `Alī-qulī and
Muṣṯafa shelters (_muljār_) for the culverin-firers should be raised by
a mass of spadesmen and coolies (_kahār_) [Sidenote: Fol. 370b.] under
appointed overseers; that as soon as these shelters were ready, `Askarī
and the sulṯāns inscribed for the work should cross quickly at the
Haldī-passage[2595] and come down on the enemy; that meantime, as Sl.
Junaid and Qāẓī Jīā had given information about a crossing-place[2596] 8
_kurohs_ (16 m.) higher up,[2597] Zard-rūī(Pale-face?) should go with a
few raftsmen and some of the people of the Sulṯān, Maḥmūd Khān _Nūḥānī_
and Qāẓī Jīā to look at that crossing; and that, if crossing there were,
they should go over at once, because it was rumoured that the Bengalīs
were planning to post men at the Haldī-passage.
A dutiful letter from Maḥmūd Khān the Military-collector (_shiqdār_) of
Sikandarpūr now came, saying that he had collected as many as 50 boats
at the Haldī-passage and had given wages to the boatmen, but that these
were much alarmed at the rumoured approach of the Bengalīs.
(_April 30th_) As time pressed[2598] for crossing the Sarū, I did not
wait for the return of those who had gone to look at the passage, but
on Saturday (_21st_) summoned the begs for consultation and said, "As it
has been reported that there are (no?) crossing-places (fords?) along
the whole of the ground from Chatur-mūk in Sikandarpūr to Barāīch and
Aūd,[2599] let us, while seated here, assign the large force to cross at
the Haldī-passage by boat and from there [Sidenote: Fol. 371.] to come
down on the enemy; let Ūstād `Alī-qulī and Muṣṯafa engage battle with
gun (_top_), matchlock, culverin and _firingī_, and by this draw the
enemy out before `Askarī comes up.[2600] Let us after crossing the river
(Ganges) and assigning reinforcement to Ūstād `Alī-qulī, take our stand
ready for whatever comes; if `Askarī's troops get near, let us fling
attack from where we are, cross over and assault; let Muḥammad-i-zamān
Mīrzā and those appointed to act with him, engage battle from near
Muṣṯafa on the other side of Gang."
The matter having been left at this, the force for the north of the Gang
was formed into four divisions to start under `Askarī's command for the
Haldī-passage. One division was of `Askarī and his retainers; another
was Sl. Jalālu'd-dīn _Sharqī_; another was of the Aūzbeg sulṯāns
Qāsim-i-ḥusain Sulṯān, Bī-khūb Sulṯān and Tāng-aītmīsh Sulṯān, together
with Maḥmūd Khān _Nūḥānī_ of Ghāzīpūr, Bābā Qashqa's Kūkī, Tūlmīsh
_Aūzbeg_, Qurbān of Chīrkh, and the Daryā-khānīs led by Ḥasan Khān;
another was of Mūsā Sl. (_Farmūlī_) and Sl. Junaid with what-not of the
Jūnpūr army, some 20,000 men. Officers were appointed to oversee the
getting of the force to horse that very night, that is to say, the
[Sidenote: Fol. 371b.] night of Sunday.[2601]
(_May 1st_) The army began to cross Gang at the dawn of Sunday (_Sha`bān
22nd_); I went over by boat at the 1st watch (6a.m.). Zard-rūī and his
party came in at mid-day; the ford itself they had not found but they
brought news of boats and of having met on the road the army getting
near them.[2602]