vances to Andeján. Hissâr. They met hand to hand, and Shah-sawâr urged his blow with such force, that he drove his sabre right through Samad's helmet, and fixed it pretty deep in his skull. In spite of this wound, Samad returned the blow with such fury, that his sword shore clean off a piece of Shah-sawâr's skull as big as the palm of the hand. As Shah-sawâr had no helmet on, the wound in his head was properly bound up and he recovered; but there being nobody to attend to Samad's wound, he died of it in three or four days. This defeat came most unseasonably, just at the moment when I had escaped from a scene of petty warfare and disasters, and had again recovered my country. Kamber Ali Moghul, who was one of my great stays, had returned to his own government immediately after I had taken Andejân, and was not at hand. Tambol, following up his success, brought Jehangir along with him, and, accompanied by all his forces, advanTambol ad- ced within a farsang of Andejân to a plain in face of the rising ground of Aîsh, where he encamped. He once or twice put his army in order of battle, and advanced from Chil-Dokhterân to the skirts of Aîsh. My troops, too, moved out and formed on the outside of the suburbs and garden grounds. His advance was checked, and he retreated from the skirts of the hill to another position. It was during this same advance towards the city that he put to death Mîram Laghari and Tokah, two of the Begs who had fallen into his hands. After lying nearly a month before the city and effecting But is obli- nothing, he returned towards Ush. I had given Ush to Ibrâhim Sâru, whose men were ged to retire. in the place. They held it on my account. Baber as sembles his army. TRANSACTIONS OF THE YEAR 905.1 I Now dispatched commissaries and officers to collect the whole force of my territories, horse and foot, with all possible speed; and, by means of special messengers, I summoned Kamber Ali, and such of the troops as had gone to their own homes, to return without loss of time. I also dispatched commissaries and officers to procure tûras, 2 scaling-ladders, shovels, axes, and all kinds of necessaries and stores for the use of the army. I appointed a place where the men, both horse and foot, who came from the different districts to the army, were to assemble. My servants and soldiers, who 1 This year begins on the 8th August 1499. 2 The tûra is often mentioned in the course of these Memoirs, and always on occasion of the siege of some fort, except at the great battle fought with Sultan Ibrahîm above Delhi. I have been able to get no particular account of it. Petis de la Croix describes it as being a large buckler, and probably several of these being joined, formed a defence like the Roman testudo, under cover of which the besiegers advanced to undermine the wall, or to mount their scaling-ladders. At the siege of Karshi, "les ennemis pour mieux fuir jetterent leurs grands boucliers nommés Toura, et en se couvrant la tête de leurs petits ecus, ils se retirerent dans des retranchémens qu'ils avoient faits par precaution."-Hist. de Timur Bec, vol. I. p. 121. 1499. had gone off in different directions, on business or service, were recalled; and, putting my confidence in God, on the 18th of Moharrem, I marched out and encamped at the 25th Aug. Char-bagh of Hâfez Beg. After halting a day or two at the Char-bagh in order to get ready such of the arms and stores as had remained incomplete, I marched towards Ush to meet the enemy, having my army divided into right and left wings, centre and advance, with cavalry and infantry all drawn out in regular array. ces towards When we arrived near Ush, I was informed that the army, finding that they could And advannot maintain themselves in Ush, had retired towards Rabât-e-Serheng Urchini, which Uzkend, lies north of that city. That evening I halted at Latkend, and, the next morning, as tempts to I was passing Ush, learned that the enemy had directed their march on Andejân. We Tambol aton our part approached Uzkend,1 and detached forward plundering parties to ravage surprize the country and suburbs. The enemy, arriving at Andejân during the night, instant- Andejân. ly entered the ditch; but while they were planting their scaling-ladders against the ramparts, were discovered by the people within, so that the enterprize failed and they were compelled to retreat. My plundering parties advanced and committed devastations in the suburbs of Uzkend, but came back without acquiring any considerable booty. In one of the forts of Ush, named Mâdu, which is distinguished for its superior Baber besiestrength, Tambol had left his younger brother Khalil with a garrison of two hundred, ges Mâdu, or two hundred and fifty men. Against this fortress I now marched, and attacked it with great vigour. The castle of Mâdu is excessively strong. On the north side, where there is a river, it is very steep and precipitous. If an arrow be discharged from the river, it may perhaps reach the castle-wall. Its supply of water is from a conduit on this side. From the bottom of the castle a sort of covered way, having ramparts on each side, reaches down to the river. All round the hillock there is a moat. As the river is near at hand, they had brought from its bed, stones about the size of those used for battering cannon, and carried them up into the fort. Such a number of huge stones as were launched from the fort of Mâdu, in all the storms that I have witnessed, I never saw thrown from any other castle. Abdal Kadûs Kohbur, the elder brother of Kitteh Beg, having climbed up to the foot of the castle-wall, was hit by a large stone discharged from above, which sent him spinning down, heels over head, from that prodigious height, right forward, without touching anywhere till he lighted, tumbling and rolling, at the bottom of the glacis.3 Yet he received no injury, and immediately mounted his horse and returned back to the camp. At the conduit which had the double wall, Yâr Ali Balâl was severely wounded in the head with The wound was afterwards cut open and dressed. Many of our people suf a stone. 2 1 The name of this, both in the Tûrki and in Mr Metcalfe's copy, is written Urkend and Uzkend variably. In my Persian copy it is Azerkend. 2 Everything relative to artillery and battering engines, or machines used in sieges, is very indistinctly alluded to in these Memoirs. The Turki kasan and Persian dig are cannon. It is well known that the Ottomans and other eastern nations, as well as the nations of Europe on the first invention of cannon, were fond of having them of a very large size, for the purpose of discharging immense stones. They trusted more to the effects of a few discharges than to any regular fire. 3 The Khâkrez or glacis in Asia, is generally immediately at the foot of the wall, and not separated from it by the ditch. fered from these stones. The morning after the attack, before breakfast time,' we had gained possession of the water-course. The action continued till evening, but, after losing their water, they could no longer hold out; and, next morning, they asked for and takes it. quarter and surrendered the place. Khalîl, the younger brother of Tambol, who was in command, with seventy, eighty, or a hundred of the most active young men, were kept as prisoners, and sent to Andejân to be put in close custody. This was a fortu. nate occurrence for such of my Begs, officers, and soldiers, as had fallen into the hands of the enemy. The two armies face each other near Ab. khan. 2 After taking Mâdu, I proceeded to Unchûtobah, one of the villages of Ush. On the other hand, Tambol, after retreating from Andejân, encamped at a place called Ab-khan, one of the dependencies of Ribât-e-Serheng Urchini, so that there was only the distance of about one farsang between the two armies. At this time Kamber Ali, from ill health, was obliged to retire to Ush. For a month or forty days we remained in this posture. There was no general action during that time, but every day there were skirmishes between my foragers and theirs. During this period I paid great attention to support a strict look-out by night, and dug a trench all round the camp; where there was no ditch, we placed branches of trees. I made all our soldiers march out and present themselves, accoutred and ready for action, by the side of the ditch; but, notwithstanding all this care, every three or four nights there was an alarm in the camp, and a call to arms. One day Sidi Beg Taghai having gone out to meet and cover the return of the foragers, the enemy came upon him in much superior force, and in the midst of the action that ensued, suddenly made him prisoner. This year Khosrou Shah, having invited Baiesanghar Mirza to join him, under Shah mur- pretence of proceeding to attack Balkh, carried him to Kundez, from which place they set out on their march against Balkh. When they had reached Ubaj,3 Khosrou Shah, the miserable and infidel-like wretch, betrayed by the ambition of usurping the sovereign power-(how is it possible for sovereignty to appertain to such a worthless and contemptible creature, who had neither birth, nor family, nor talents, nor reputation, nor wisdom, nor courage, nor justice, nor right?) yet this reptile seized upon Baiesanghar Mirza and his Begs, strangled him with a bow-string, and thus, on August 17, the tenth day of Moharrem, murdered this most accomplished and sweet-tempered prince, who was adorned with whatever endowments rank and birth could bestow. He also put to death a number of his Begs and confidential servants. Khosrou ders Baie sanghar Mirza. 1499. His birth Baiesanghar Mirza was born in Hissâr in the year 882, and was the second son of and extrac- Sultan Mahmûd Mirza, being younger than Sultan Masaûd Mirza, and elder than Sultan Ali Mirza, Sultan Hussain Mirza, and Sultan Weis Mirza, better known by the name of Khan Mirza. His mother was Pasheh Begum. tion. 1477. His person and fea tures. His disposi tion and ta lents. He had large eyes, a round face, and was about the middle size; he had a Turkoman visage, and was an extremely elegant young man. He was a lover of justice, humane, of a pleasant disposition, and a perfectly accomplished prince. His tutor was Syed Muhammed, a Shîah, whence Baiesanghar himself 1 Chasht-gah, about 10 o'clock.-Leyden. 3 A well-known pass over the Amu, near Kobâdiân. 2 Unjutobeh. T. was tainted with the notions of that sect. It is said, however, that latterly, while at Samarkand, he retracted the errors of that system, and became purely orthodox. He was excessively addicted to wine; but, during the times that he did not drink, was regular in the performance of his prayers. He was sufficiently generous and liberal. He wrote a fine Nastâlik hand, and had considerable skill in painting. He was also a poet, and assumed the poetical name of Aâdeli. The poems were not so numerous as to be formed into a Diwân. The following verses are his :-(Persian.) Like an unsubstantial shadow I fall here and there, And if not supported by the face of a wall, drop flat on the ground. In Samarkand the Odes (Ghazels) of Baiesanghar Mirza are so popular, that there is nota house in which a copy of them may not be found. He fought two battles, one of them with Sultan Mahmûd Khan, when he first His wars. mounted the throne of Samarkand. Sultan Mahmûd Khan, at the instigation of Sultan Jûneid Birlâs and some others, had advanced with an army for the purpose of conquering Samarkand, and marched by way of Ak-kûtil2 as far as Ribât-e-Soghd and Kanbâi. Baiesanghar Mirza marched from Samarkand to meet him, engaged him at Kanbâi, gave him a severe defeat, and ordered the heads of three or four thousand Moghuls to be struck off. Haider Gokultosh, who was the Khan's prime adviser, fell in this battle. His second battle was with Sultan Ali Mirza at Bokhâra, in which he was defeated. nions. His dominions consisted at first only of Bokhâra, which was given him by his father His domiSultan Mahmûd Mirza. On his father's death the Begs held a consultation, and agreed on making him king of Samarkand also. He continued in possession of Bokhâra as well as Samarkand for some time; but he lost the former after the insurrection of the Terkhâns. When I took Samarkand, he retired to Khosrou-Shah; and when Khosrou Shah took Hissâr, he gave it to Baiesanghar. He left no offspring. When he first went to Khosrou Shah, he married the daugh- His family. ter of his paternal uncle, Sultan Khalil Mirza. He had no other wife or concubine. He never exercised the powers of an independent prince, even so far as to promote any one of the men of consequence about him to the rank of a Beg of the higher class. All his Begs were those of his father and paternal uncle. After the death of Baiesanghar, Sultan Ahmed Karâwel, the father of Kûch Beg, Baber's army reinwith his brothers and relations, and their families and dependants, came through the forced. country of Karatigîn,3 and joined me, after giving me notice of their intentions. Kamber Ali, who had been sick in Ush, having recovered from his disorder, now also returned. Hailing as a good omen this unlooked-for arrival of Sultan Ahmed Karâwel and his party to my assistance, I next morning drew out my army in array, and moved against the enemy; who, not finding themselves strong enough to maintain their Tambol position at Ab-khan, marched off from their ground. A number of tents and carpets, disorder, 1 Baber quotes the first verses of a well-known ode. 2 The White-Pass.-Leyden. A Pass in the Ak-tagh mountains. 3 Karatigîn lies in the hills north of Hissâr and Khutlân, and south of Ferghana. retreats in and a quantity of baggage, fell into the hands of my soldiers. We advanced and occupied the same ground which the enemy had left. That same evening Tambol, taking and occupies Jehangîr with him, passed on my left and entered Khûban,' a village on my flank, about three farsangs off, towards Andejân. Khuban. Baber offers Tambol battle, 3 Early next morning, having drawn up my army in regular battle array, with right and left wing, centre and advance, and covered the horses with their housings of mail, accoutred my men in their armour, formed them into lines, and sent forward the infantry that carried the turas, we proceeded towards the enemy. Ali Dost Taghâi and his followers formed my right. On the left wing were stationed Ibrâhim Sâru, Weis Laghari, Sidi Kara, Muhammed Ali Mobasher, Kuchik Beg the elder brother of Khwâjeh Kilân, and a number of others connected with Sultan Ahmed Karâwel and Kûch Beg, with their followers. Kâsim Beg was with me in the centre. Kamber Ali, who had the advanced guard, with several of my adherents and young nobility, had reached Saakeh, a village to the south-east of Khûban, and about a kos from it, when the enemy marched out of the village of Khûban in battle array. Upon this we hastened our march as much as was compatible with prudence and the preservation of our order of battle. The turas and infantry had, however, fallen somewhat behind when we engaged. By the divine favour their services were not required in the battle; for, at the instant of closing, the right wing of the enemy and my left having and defeats engaged hand to hand, Kuchik Beg, the elder brother of Khwâjeh Kilân, smote so lustily, that the enemy, unable to maintain their ground, took to flight: and the flankers and right wing of my army had not an opportunity of coming into action. We took a number of prisoners, whose heads I ordered to be struck off. My Begs, such as Kâsim Beg and Ali Dost Beg, but particularly Ali Dost, restrained the pursuit, being apprehensive of some danger from following the fugitives too far, by which means the greater part of them escaped. I halted at the village of Khubân. This was my first battle, and Almighty God of his bounty and favour vouchsafed me the victory. I accepted it as a favourable omen. The day after we halted in this place, my maternal grandmother Shah Sultan Begum, came from Andejân for the purpose of begging off Jehangir Mirza if she had found him a prisoner. As the winter was at hand, and no grain or forage remained in the fields, I did not deem it advisable to advance against Uzkend, but returned to Andejân. him. After some days I held a council, in which it was determined that my wintering in Andejân would in no degree tend to the injury of the enemy; that it was rather to be feared that it would increase their force, by leaving the fields open to their ravages and Huts his ar. enterprize; that it was necessary to hut my troops in winter quarters, that my men my for the might not be distressed for grain or provisions; and that we might straiten the enemy by keeping them in some measure blocked up. In pursuance of this plan, having proceeded to Rebâtik-Urchini, which is named Suârasî from being between two rivers, winter. 1 Junan.-Turki. 2 i. e. The little Beg. A mile and a half or two miles. 5 Irâwel. 5 The Herawel are properly small guards and pickets pushed on in advance, and along the flanks. 6 The Tûrki calls this Suârasi, the Persian Miâneh Doúb, names which have the same meaning. The former is probably the country name. |