The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
to ask for reinforcement; we however could not detach a man because in
front of us also the enemy was very strong. We made our onset without
any delay; the enemy fell suddenly on our van, [Sidenote: Fol. 210b.]
turned it back and rammed it on our centre. When we, after a discharge
of arrows, advanced, they, who also had been shooting for a time,
seemed likely to make a stand (_tūkhtaghāndīk_). Some-one, shouting to
his men, came forward towards me, dismounted and was for adjusting his
arrow, but he could do nothing because we moved on without stay. He
remounted and rode off; it may have been Shāh Beg himself. During the
fight Pīrī Beg _Turkmān_ and 4 or 5 of his brethren turned their faces
from the foe and, turban in hand,[1295] came over to us.
(_Author's note on Pīrī Beg._) This Pīrī Beg was one of those
Turkmāns who came [into Herī] with the Turkmān Begs led by
`Abdu'l-bāqī Mīrzā and Murād Beg, after Shāh Ismā`īl
vanquished the Bāyandar sulṯāns and seized the `Irāq
countries.[1296]
Our right was the first to overcome the foe; it made him hurry off. Its
extreme point had gone pricking (_sānjīlīb_)[1297] as far as where I
have now laid out a garden. Our left extended as far as the great
tree-tangled[1298] irrigation-channels, a good way below Bābā Ḥasan
Abdāl. Muqīm was opposite it, its numbers very small compared with his.
God brought it right! Between it and Muqīm were three or four of the
tree-tangled water-channels going on to Qandahār;[1299] it held the
crossing-place and allowed no passage; small body though it was, it made
splendid stand [Sidenote: Fol. 211.] and kept its ground. Ḥalwāchī
Tarkhān[1300] slashed away in the water with Tīngrī-bīrdī and
Qaṃbar-i-`alī. Qaṃbar-i-`alī was wounded; an arrow stuck in Qāsim Beg's
forehead; another struck Ghūrī _Barlās_ above the eyebrow and came out
above his cheek.[1301]
We meantime, after putting our adversary to flight, had crossed those
same channels towards the naze of Murghān-koh (Birds'-hill). Some-one on
a grey _tīpūchāq_ was going backwards and forwards irresolutely along
the hill-skirt, while we were getting across; I likened him to Shāh
Beg; seemingly it was he.
Our men having beaten their opponents, all went off to pursue and
unhorse them. Remained with me eleven to count, `Abdu'l-lāh the
librarian being one. Muqīm was still keeping his ground and fighting.
Without a glance at the fewness of our men, we had the nagarets sounded
and, putting our trust in God, moved with face set for Muqīm.
(Turkī) For few or for many God is full strength;
No man has might in His Court.
(Arabic) How often, God willing it, a small force has vanquished
a large one!
Learning from the nagarets that we were approaching, Muqīm forgot his
fixed plan and took the road of flight. God brought it right!
After putting our foe to flight, we moved for Qandahār and dismounted in
Farrukh-zād Beg's Chār-bāgh, of which at this time not a trace remains!
(_m. Bābur enters Qandahār._) [Sidenote: Fol. 211b.]
Shāh Beg and Muqīm could not get into Qandahār when they took to flight;
Shāh Beg went towards Shāl and Mastūng (Quetta), Muqīm towards
Zamīn-dāwar. They left no-one able to make the fort fast. Aḥmad `Alī
Tarkhān was in it together with other elder and younger brethren of Qulī
Beg _Arghūn_ whose attachment and good-feeling for me were known. After
parley they asked protection for the families of their elder and younger
brethren; their request was granted and all mentioned were encompassed
with favour. They then opened the Māshūr-gate of the town; with
leaderless men in mind, no other was opened. At that gate were posted
Sherīm T̤aghāī and Yārīm Beg. I went in with a few of the household,
charged the leaderless men and had two or three put to death by way of
example.[1302]
(_n. The spoils of Qandahār._)
I got to Muqīm's treasury first, that being in the outer-fort;
`Abdu'r-razzāq Mīrzā must have been quicker than I, for he was just
dismounting there when I arrived; I gave him a few things from it. I put
Dost-i-nāṣir Beg, Qul-i-bāyazīd the taster and, of pay-masters, Muḥammad
_bakhshī_ in charge of it, then passed on into the citadel and posted
Khwāja Muḥammad `Alī, Shāh Maḥmūd and, of the pay-masters, T̤aghāī Shāh
_bakhshī_ in charge of Shāh Beg's treasury.
Nāṣir's Mīrīm and Maqṣūd the sherbet-server were sent to keep the house
of Ẕū'n-nūn's _Dīwān_ Mīr Jān for Nāṣir Mīrzā; for Mīrzā Khān was kept
Shaikh Abū-sa`īd _Tarkhānī's_; for `Abdu'r-razzāq Mīrzā ... 's.[1303]
[Sidenote: Fol. 212.] Such masses of white money had never been seen in
those countries; no-one indeed was to be heard of who had seen so much.
That night, when we ourselves stayed in the citadel, Shāh Beg's slave
Saṃbhal was captured and brought in. Though he was then Shāh Beg's
intimate, he had not yet received his later favour.[1304] I had him
given into someone's charge but as good watch was not kept, he was
allowed to escape. Next day I went back to my camp in Farrukh-zād Beg's
Chār-bāgh.
I gave the Qandahār country to Nāṣir Mīrzā. After the treasure had been
got into order, loaded up and started off, he took the loads of white
_tankas_ off a string of camels (_i.e._ _7_ beasts) at the
citadel-treasury, and kept them. I did not demand them back; I just gave
them to him.
On leaving Qandahār, we dismounted in the Qūsh-khāna meadow. After
setting the army forward, I had gone for an excursion, so I got into
camp rather late. It was another camp! not to be recognized! Excellent
_tīpūchāqs_, strings and strings of he-camels, she-camels, and mules,
bearing saddle-bags (_khurzīn_) of silken stuffs and cloth,—tents of
scarlet (cloth) and velvet, all sorts of awnings, every kind of
work-shop, ass-load after ass-load of chests! The goods of the elder and
younger (Arghūn) brethren had been kept in separate treasuries; out of
each had come chest upon chest, bale upon bale of stuffs and
clothes-in-wear (_artmāq artmāq_), sack upon sack of white _tankas_. In
_aūtāgh_ and _chādar_ (lattice-tent and pole-tent) was much spoil for
every man soever; many sheep also had been taken but sheep were less
cared about!
I made over to Qāsim Beg Muqīm's retainers in Qalāt, under [Sidenote:
Fol. 212b.] Qūj _Arghūn_ and Tāju'd-dīn Maḥmūd, with their goods and
effects. Qāsim Beg was a knowing person; he saw it unadvisable for us to
stay long near Qandahār, so, by talking and talking, worrying and
worrying, he got us to march off. As has been said, I had bestowed
Qandahār on Nāṣir Mīrzā; he was given leave to go there; we started for
Kābul.
There had been no chance of portioning out the spoils while we were near
Qandahār; it was done at Qarā-bāgh where we delayed two or three days.
To count the coins being difficult, they were apportioned by weighing
them in scales. Begs of all ranks, retainers and household (_tābīn_)
loaded up ass-load after ass-load of sacks full of white _tankas_, and
took them away for their own subsistence and the pay of their soldiers.
We went back to Kābul with masses of goods and treasure, great honour
and reputation.
(_o. Bābur's marriage with Ma`ṣūma-sulṯān._)
After this return to Kābul I concluded alliance (_`aqd qīldīm_) with Sl.
Aḥmad Mīrzā's daughter Ma`ṣūma-sulṯān Begīm whom I had asked in marriage
at Khurāsān, and had had brought from there.
(_p. Shaibāq Khān before Qandahār._)
A few days later a servant of Nāṣir Mīrzā brought the news that Shaibāq
Khān had come and laid siege to Qandahār. That Muqīm had fled to
Zamīn-dāwar has been said already; from there he went on and saw Shaibāq
Khān. From Shāh Beg also one person after another had gone to Shaibāq
Khān. At the instigation and petition of these two, the Khān came
[Sidenote: Fol. 213.] swiftly down on Qandahār by the mountain
road,[1305] thinking to find me there. This was the very thing that
experienced person Qāsim Beg had in his mind when he worried us into
marching off from near Qandahār.
(Persian) What a mirror shews to the young man,
A baked brick shews to the old one!
Shaibāq Khān arriving, besieged Nāṣir Mīrzā in Qandahār.
(_q. Alarm in Kābul._)
When this news came, the begs were summoned for counsel. The matters for
discussion were these:—Strangers and ancient foes, such as are Shaibāq
Khān and the Aūzbegs, are in possession of all the countries once held
by Tīmūr Beg's descendants; even where Turks and Chaghatāīs[1306]
survive in corners and border-lands, they have all joined the Aūzbeg,
willingly or with aversion; one remains, I myself, in Kābul, the foe
mightily strong, I very weak, with no means of making terms, no strength
to oppose; that, in the presence of such power and potency, we had to
think of some place for ourselves and, at this crisis and in the crack
of time there was, to put a wider space between us and the strong
foeman; that choice lay between Badakhshān and Hindūstān and that
decision must now be made.
Qāsim Beg and Sherīm T̤aghāī were agreed for Badakhshān;
(_Author's note on Badakhshān._) Those holding their heads up
in Badakhshān at this crisis were, of Badakhshīs, Mubārak Shāh
and Zubair, Jahāngīr _Turkmān_ and Muḥammad the armourer. They
had driven Nāṣir Mīrzā out but had not joined the Aūzbeg.
[Sidenote: Fol. 213b.] I and several household-begs preferred going
towards Hindūstān and were for making a start to Lamghān.[1307]
(_r. Movements of some Mīrzās._)
After taking Qandahār, I had bestowed Qalāt and the Turnūk (Tarnak)
country on `Abdu'r-razzāq Mīrzā and had left him in Qalāt, but with the
Aūzbeg besieging Qandahār, he could not stay in Qalāt, so left it and
came to Kābul. He arriving just as we were marching out, was there left
in charge.[1308]
There being in Badakhshān no ruler or ruler's son, Mīrzā Khān inclined
to go in that direction, both because of his relationship to Shāh
Begīm[1309] and with her approval. He was allowed to go and the honoured
Begīm herself started off with him. My honoured maternal-aunt Mihr-nigār
Khānīm also wished to go to Badakhshān, notwithstanding that it was more
seemly for her to be with me, a blood-relation; but whatever objection
was made, she was not to be dissuaded; she also betook[1310] herself to
Badakhshān.
(_s. Bābur's second start for Hindūstān._)
Under our plan of going to Hindūstān, we marched out of Kābul in the
month of the first Jumāda (September 1507 AD.), taking the road through
Little Kābul and going down by Sūrkh-rabāṯ to Qūrūq-sāī.
The Afghāns belonging between Kābul and Lamghān (Ningnahār) are thieves
and abettors of thieves even in quiet times; for just such a happening
as this they had prayed in vain. Said they, "He has abandoned Kābul",
and multiplied their misdeeds by ten, changing their very merits for
faults. To such [Sidenote: Fol. 214.] lengths did things go that on the
morning we marched from Jagdālīk, the Afghāns located between it and
Lamghān, such as the Khiẓr-khail, Shimū-khail, Khirilchī and Khūgīanī,
thought of blocking the pass, arrayed on the mountain to the north, and
advancing with sound of tambour and flourish of sword, began to shew
themselves off. On our mounting I ordered our men to move along the
mountain-side, each man from where he had dismounted;[1311] off they set
at the gallop up every ridge and every valley of the saddle.[1312] The
Afghāns stood awhile, but could not let even one arrow fly,[1313] and
betook themselves to flight. While I was on the mountain during the
pursuit, I shot one in the hand as he was running back below me. That
arrow-stricken man and a few others were brought in; some were put to
death by impalement, as an example.
We dismounted over against the Adīnapūr-fort in the Nīngnahār _tūmān_.
(_t. A raid for winter stores._)