Baber's grandmother joins him. Sheibâni Khan pass the Khan's years old. One of this lady's relations had accompanied the army of Taimur Beg, when it invaded Hindûstân. The circumstances remained fresh in her memory, and she often told us stories on that subject. In the district of Dehkat alone, there still were of this lady's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-greatgrandchildren, to the number of ninety-six persons; and including those deceased, the whole amounted to two hundred. One of her great-grandchildren was at this time a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, with a fine black beard. While I remained in Dehkat, I was accustomed to walk on foot all about the hills in the neighbourhood. I generally went out barefoot, and, from this habit of walking barefoot, I soon found that our feet became so hardened that we did not mind rock or stone in the least. In one of these walks, between afternoon and evening prayers, we met a man who was going with a cow in a narrow road. I asked him the way. He answered, Keep your eye fixed on the cow; and do not lose sight of her till you come to the issue of the road, when you will know your ground. Khwâjeh Asedûlla, who was with me, enjoyed the joke, observing, What would become of us wise men were the cow to lose her way? This winter many of my soldiers, principally because we could not go out in plundering parties, asked leave to go to Andejân. Kâsim Beg strongly advised me that, as these men were going that way, I should send some article of my dress as a present to Jehangîr Mirza. I accordingly sent him a cap of ermine. Kâsim Beg then added, "What great harm would there be in sending some present to Tambol?" Though I did not altogether approve of this, yet, induced by the pressing instances of Kâsim Beg, I sent Tambol a large sword, which had been made in Samarkand for Neviân Gokultâsh, from whom I took it. This was the very sword that afterwards came down on my own head, as shall be mentioned in the events of the ensuing year. A few days after, my grandmother Isan-Doulet Begum, who had remained behind in Samarkand when I left it, arrived with the family and heavy baggage, and a few lean and hungry followers. This same winter Sheibâni Khan, having passed the river of Khojend on the ice, his ravaged the territory of Shâhrokhîa and Beshkent. As soon as I heard the intelliand ravages gence, without regarding the smallness of my numbers, I mounted and set out for the territories. districts below Khojend, opposite to Hesht-ek. It was wonderfully cold, and the wind of Hâderwîsh had here lost none of its violence, and blew keen. So excessive was the cold, that in the course of two or three days we lost two or three persons from its severity. I required to bathe on account of my religious purifications, and went down for that purpose to a rivulet, which was frozen on the banks, but not in the middle, from the rapidity of the current. I plunged myself into the water, and dived sixteen Baber also times. The extreme chillness of the water quite penetrated me. Next morning I passed the river of Khojend on the ice, opposite to Khâslâr, and the day after arrived at meet him. Beshkent; but Sheibâni Khan had gone off, after plundering the environs of Shahrokhîa. At this time Abdal Minân, the son of Mûlla Haider, held Shahrokhîa. A son younger than Abdal Minân, one Momin, a worthless and dissipated young man, had passes the river to 1 Neviân Gokultâsh was at that time with Baber. 2 She was Baber's maternal grandmother, and a widow of Yunis Khan. come to me while I was in Samarkand, and I had shown him every kindness. I do not know what bad turn Neviân Gokultâsh had done him at that time; however, the young catamite treasured up a deadly enmity against him. Nevián Go When I received certain accounts that the plundering party of the Uzbeks was re- Death of tired, I dispatched a messenger with the intelligence to the Khan, and leaving Besh- kultâsh. kent, tarried three or four days in the village of Ahengerân. Momin, the son of Mûlla Haider, on the plea of their previous acquaintance in Samarkand, invited Nevian Gokultâsh, Ahmed Kâsim, and some others, to an entertainment; and, when I left Beshkent, this party staid behind. The entertainment was given on the top of a precipice. I went on to the village of Sâm-Seirek, which is one of the dependencies of Ahengerân, and there halted. Next morning, I was informed that Neviân Gokultâsh had fallen over the precipice while intoxicated, and was killed. I dispatched Hak Nazir, the maternal uncle of Neviân Gokultâsh, with a detachment, who went, examined the place from which he had fallen, and, after interring him in Beshkent, returned back to me. They found Neviân's corpse at the distance of a bowshot from the spot where the entertainment had been given, at the bottom of a steep precipice. Many suspected that Momin, cherishing in his heart the grudge against Nevian, which he had contracted at Samarkand, was the cause of his death. The truth no man can know. His death affected me deeply. There are few persons for whose loss I have Baber's grief. felt so much. I wept incessantly for a week or ten days. I discovered the date of his death in Fout Shud Nevian1 (Neviân is dead). A few days afterwards, I set out from this place, and returned to Dehkat. Masikha. It was now spring, and intelligence was brought that Sheibâni Khan was advan- He goes to cing against Uratippa. As Dehkat was in the low country, I passed by Abbûrden and Amâni, and came to the hill-country of Masîkha. Abbûrden is a village which lies at the foot of Masîkha. Beneath Abbûrden is a spring, and close by the spring is a tomb. From this spring, towards the upland, the country belongs to Masîkha, but downwards from the spring it depends on Yelghar. On a stone which is on the brink of this spring, on one of its sides, I caused the following verses 2 to be inscribed: I have heard that the exalted Jemshîd Many a man like us has rested by this fountain, And disappeared in the twinkling of an eye. Should we conquer the whole world by our manhood and strength, Yet could we not carry it with us to the grave." In this hill-country, the practice of cutting verses and other inscriptions on the rocks is extremely common. While I was in Masîkha, I had a visit from Mûlla Hajari, the poet, who came from Hissâr. At this time I composed the following Matla :-3 (Tûrki.)—Whatever skill the painter employs in pourtraying your features, you exceed his art ; They call you Soul; but of a truth you are more admirable than the soul. 1 These words give 907. 2 From the Boslan of Sadi.-Leyden. 3 These are the first lines of one of Baber's poems. The same observation will apply to most of the other couplets which he quotes. They are used for reference to those who are acquainted with the poems themselves. Baber re to Tâsh kend. Sheibâni Khan advanced into the neighbourhood of Uratippa, and retired after committing some devastations. While he was in the territory of Uratippa, without regarding the fewness of my men, or their bad equipment, leaving my household and baggage in Masîkha, I marched rapidly over the hills, passing Abbûrden and Amâni, and came into the vicinity of Dehkat, about the time when the night mingles with the morning, resolved to lose no opportunity, and to be in the way of seizing every chance that might present itself. Sheibâni Khan, however, had retired hastily, so that I measured back my way over the hills, and returned to Masîkha. ́ I now began to reflect, that to ramble in this way from hill to hill, without house solves to go and without home, without country and without resting-place, could serve no good purpose, and that it was better to go to Tâshkend to the Khan. Kâsim Beg was very averse to this journey. He had put to death three or four Moghuls at Karabûlâk, as an example and punishment for marauding, as has been mentioned, and on that account he had considerable apprehensions of going among their countrymen. Whatever remonstrances we could use were of no avail. He separated from me, and moved off towards Hissâr, with his elder and younger brothers, their adherents and dependants; while I proceeded by the pass of Abbûrden, and advanced towards Tâshkend, to join Conspiracy in Tambol's army. the Khan. At this same time, Tambol, having collected an army, advanced to the Dale of Ahengerân. In the very heart of his army a conspiracy was formed against him by Muhammed Doghlet, known by the name of Muhammed Hissâri, in concert with his younger brother, Sultan Hussain Doghlet, and Kamber Ali, the skinner. On Tambol's discovering the plot, being unable longer to remain in his camp, they fled, and came to the Khan. I passed the Id-e-korbân in Shahrokhîa, but, without tarrying there, I went 16th June, to Tâshkend to the Khan. 10th Zil hejeh. 1502. Baber's verses. Tambol advances to Uratippa. I had composed the following rubâi in a well-known measure, and was dubious about the correctness of its rhymes, as, at that time, I had not studied with much attention the style and phraseology of poetry. The Khan had pretensions to taste, and, moreover, wrote verses; though his odes, to be sure, were rather deficient both in manner and substance. I presented my rubâi, however, to the Khan, and expressed to him my apprehensions, but did not get such an explicit or satisfactory answer as to remove my doubts. Indeed, it was pretty clear that he had no great skill in poetic diction. The following is the rubâi or quatrain in question :- (Tûrki.)-No one remembers him who is in adversity; A banished man cannot indulge his heart in happiness; My heart is far from joy in this exile; However brave, an exile has no pleasures. I afterwards learned, however, that, in the Tûrki language, te and dal, as well as ghain, kaf and caf, by a poetical licence, are frequently interchanged1 for each other, for the sake of the rhyme. A short time afterwards, Tambol advanced against Uratippa. As soon as this in 1 That is, that the te is changed for dal, and that ghain, kaf, and caf, are used for each other. This refers to the rhyme in the original. formation arrived, the Khan led out his army from Tâshkend, and between Beshkent and Sâm-seirek, having drawn it up in regular array, with right and left wings, he formed the Ivîm (or circle). The Moghuls blew horns according to their custom. The Ceremonies of a a MoKhan having alighted, they brought nine horsetail standards,1 and placed them by him. ghul reOne Moghul stood by, holding in his hand an ox's shank-bone, to which he tied a long view. white cotton cloth. Another having fastened three long slips of white cloth beneath the horsetail of the standard, passed them under the banner-staff of the ensigns. One corner of one of the cloths the Khan took, and, putting it beneath his feet, stood upon it. I stood on one corner of another of the long slips, which was in like manner tied under one of the horsetail standards; while Sultan Muhammed Khanikeh2 took the third, and, placing the cloth under his feet, in like manner stood on a corner of it. Then the Moghul that had tied on these cloths, taking the ox-shank in his hand, made a speech in the Moghul tongue, looking often to the standards, and pointing and making signs towards them. The Khan and all the men around took hûmîz3 in their hands, and sprinkled it towards the standards. All the trumpets and drums struck up at once, and the whole soldiers who were drawn up raised the war-shout. These ceremonies they repeated three times. After that, they leaped on horseback, raised the battleshout, and put their horses to the speed. Among the Moghuls, the Institutions* established by Chengîs Khan have continued to be strictly observed down to the present time. Every man has his appointed station; those appointed to the right wing, the left wing, or the centre, have their allotted places, which are handed down to them from father to son. Those of most trust and consequence are stationed on the extremities or flanks of the two wings. Among those who compose the right wing there is a dispute between the tribes of the Chirâs and Begchik, which of them should occupy the extremity of the line. At this time, the chief of the tribe of Chirâs was Kishkeh Mahmûd, a very brave young man. The chief of the tribe of Begchik, which is noted among the Tumâns, was Ayûb Yakûb. They had a dispute which of them was to occupy the flank, which came to such lengths, that swords were drawn. Finally, an apparently friendly compromise was made, that the one of them should stand highest at great hunting-matches,' and that the other should occupy the flank when the army was in battle array. Next morning, the army forming the large hunting circle, they hunted in the vicinity of Sâm-seirek, and, advancing forward, at length halted at the Chehâr-Bagh of Burâk. The first ghazel that I ever composed was finished that day at this station. The ghazel was the following: 8 1 These standards are made of the kitâs, which is properly the tail of the mountain-cow, or ox, placed above a triangular flag or pennant. The mountain-ox has a tail like the horse, with long shaggy hair on its back and belly. The tail is sometimes hung on the neck of a riding-horse for ornament, and as a mark of rank. The animal is very powerful, and the natives of the hill-countries often pass mountain torrents holding by the tail. 3. A spirit made from mare's milk. 5 Urugh, subdivisions of greater tribes. 2 The son of Sultan Mahmûd Khan. 'Tûzûk. 6 Tumân. 7 These hunting-matches were often conducted with great pomp. The hunting circle sometimes inclosed many miles. Accounts of them may be found in Petis de la Croix's Life of Genghis-can, and in the life of Taimur Beg. The ghazel is a kind of ode. I have found no faithful friend in the world but my soul; The ghazel consists of six couplets, and all the ghazels that I afterwards wrote were composed in the same measure as this. From hence, march by march, we proceeded till we reached the banks of the river of Khojend. One day, having passed the river, and ridden out on a pleasure party, I got ready a dinner, and made the whole officers and young people of the army merry. That same day, the golden clasp of my girdle was stolen. Next morning, Khânkûli Biânkûli and Sultan Mahmûd Weis deserted, and went over to Tambol. The general suspicion was, that they were the guilty persons, though it was not established.. Ahmed Kâsim Kohbûr also asked leave and went to Uratippa, but he never came back, and he too went and joined Tambol. Baber's distress. He resolves to go to China. TRANSACTIONS OF THE YEAR 908.1 THIS expedition of the Khan's was rather an useless sort of expedition. He took no fort, he beat no enemy, he went and came back again. While I remained at Tâshkend at this time, I endured great distress and misery. I` had no country, nor hopes of a country. Most of my servants had left me from absolute want; the few who still remained with me, were unable to accompany me on my journeys from sheer poverty. When I went to my uncle the Khan's Divân, I was attended sometimes by one person, sometimes by two; but I was fortunate in one respect, that this did not happen among strangers, but with my own kinsmen. After having paid my compliments to the Khan my uncle, I went in to wait on Shah Begum, 2 bare-headed and bare-foot, with as much freedom as a person would do at home in his own house. At length, however, I was worn out with this unsettled state, and with having no house nor home, and became tired of living. I said to myself, rather than pass my life in such wretchedness and misery, it were better to take my way and retire into some corner where I might live unknown and undistinguished; and rather than exhibit myself in this distress and debasement, far better were it to flee away from the sight of man, as far as my feet can carry me. I thought of going to Khitâ,3 and resolved to shape my course in that direction; as from my infancy I had always had a strong desire to visit Khitâ, but had never been able to accomplish my wish, from my being a King, and from my duty to my relations and connexions. Now my kingship was gone, my mother was safe with her mother and younger brother; in short, every ob 1 This year commences 7th July 1502. 2 The widow of Yunis Khan, and the mother of Sultan Mahmûd Khan. 3 Northern China. |