I decamped from Andejân, and moved into the neighbourhood of Armiân and Nûshâb,
with the intention of constructing winter cantonments in that vicinity, which we ac-
cordingly did. Around these villages there is excellent sporting ground, and good co-
ver for game.
Near the river Ilâmish, in the jungle, there are great plenty of moun-
tain-goats, stags, and wild hogs. In the smaller jungle, which is scattered and in
clumps, there are abundance of excellent jungle-fowl and hares. The foxes possess
more fleetness than those of any other place. While I remained in these winter quar-
ters I rode a-bunting every two or three days. After scouring the larger forests, where
we roused and hunted the mountain-goat and deer, we hawked in the smaller jungle
for the jungle-fowl,3 and also shot them with forked arrows. The jungle-fowl are
here very fat. While we remained in these winter quarters we had the flesh of jungle-
fowl in great abundance.

returns to

During my stay in these cantonments, Khodaberdi the standard-bearer, whom I had lately honoured with the rank of Beg, two or three times fell on Tambol's foragers, routed them and cut off a number of their heads, which he brought back to the camp. The young men of the territory of Andejân and Ush also went out incessantly to plunder the enemy's country, drove away their herds of horses, killed their men, and reduced them to great distress. Had I remained the whole winter in these cantonments, there is every reason to believe, that, by the return of spring, the enemy would have been reduced to the last extremity without fighting a battle; but at the moment when I had brought them to this state of distress and embarrassment, Kamber Ali asked Kamber Ali leave to go to his government; and, whatever pains I took to impress these views on his governhis mind, and though I forbade him to leave me, the brutal fellow persisted in his re- ment. solutions. He was a wonderfully fickle and perverse man. Compelled by necessity, I finally gave him permission to return to his country. His first government was Khojend; and recently when I took Andejân I had given him Asfera and Kandbâdâm ; so that, of all my Begs, Kamber Ali had the greatest number of retainers and the greatest extent of country; no other equalled him in either of these respects. We remained forty or fifty days in these winter-quarters. Being obliged to give leave to a number Baber disof men to go off, in the same way as I had done to Kamber Ali, in the end I myself troops. found it expedient to return to Andejân.

5

misses his

Mahmûd

bol.

While I staid in the winter cantonments, some of Tambol's people were going back Sultan and forward without intermission to and from the Khan at Tâshkend. Ahmed Beg, Khan reinwho was the Governor of Sultan Muhammed Sultan, the son of Sultan Mahmûd forces TamKhan, and who, of all his Begs, had been distinguished by the most conspicuous marks of his favour, was paternal uncle of the full blood to Tambol. Beg Tilbeh, who was the Khan's Chamberlain, was the elder brother of Tambol. By coming and going about the Khan, they wrought upon him to send a body of men to Tambol's assistance. Beg Tilbeh, from his infancy, had been in Moghûlistân, and had grown up to manhood among the Moghuls, but had never come into our countries, nor taken service with any of our Princes, having always remained in the employment of the Khans.

Kâsim Ajeb taken pri

soner.

Tambol advances to Suârasi.

hammed

On the present occasion, before this reinforcement was sent, he left his wife and family in Tâshkend, and went and joined his younger brother Tambol.

At this time an awkward incident occurred to Kâsim Ajeb, whom I had left in the temporary command of Akhsi. Having gone out with a few men in pursuit of a marauding party, he had followed them rather rashly, and crossed the river of Khojend at Bikhrâtâ in the pursuit, when he fell in with a large body of Tambol's men, and was taken prisoner.

When Tambol learned the disbanding of my army, and had conferred with his elder brother Beg Tilbeh, who had reached him with advices from the Khan, and given him certain assurances of the coming of reinforcements, he marched from Uzkend to the district termed Suârasi1 between the two rivers. At the same time I received certain Sultan Mu- intelligence from Kâsân, that the Khan had sent off his son Sultan Muhammed KhaKhanekeh nekeh, who was generally called Sultanim, accompanied by Ahmed Beg, and five or besieges six thousand men, who had passed by the route of Archeh-kend, and come and laid Kâsân. siege to Kâsân. Without constraining myself by waiting for such of my troops as Baber com- were at a distance, taking with me only such of my men as were ready at hand, withpels him to raise the out delay, in the depth of winter, placing my reliance in Almighty God, I marched from Andejân by way of Bend-sâlâr to attack Sultanim and Ahmed Beg. That night we halted nowhere, and next morning we arrived at Akhsi. The cold during the night was extremely intense, insomuch that several of my people were frost-bitten in the hands and feet, and the ears of some of them were contracted and withered like an apple. We did not tarry at Akhsi, but having placed Yârik Taghâi in charge of that place in the room of Kâsim Ajeb, I passed on for Kâsân. When I arrived within one kos of Kâsân, I received intelligence that Ahmed Beg and Sultânim, on being informed of my approach, had broken up in confusion, and retreated in great haste.

siege.

Tambol arrives in the neighbour.

hood;

to Arkhiân.

2

The moment that Tambol knew of my march, he had set out with all speed to the assistance of his elder brother, and now came up. It was about the time between afternoon and evening prayers, when the blackness occasioned by the approach of Tambol's army became visible in the direction of Noukend.3 Confounded and disconcerted but escapes at the sudden and unnecessary retreat of his elder brother, as well as by my expeditious arrival, he instantly drew up. I said, "It is God himself that has conducted them hither, and brought them so far to fatigue their horses! Let us come on, and by the favour of God, not one of those who have fallen into our hands shall escape out of them." Weis Laghari and some others, however, represented that the day was now far spent ; that if we let them alone that day it was out of their power to escape during the night, and that we could afterwards confront them wherever they were found. This advice was followed, and they were not attacked. And thus when, by a piece of rare good fortune, the enemy had come, as if to put themselves in our power, we suffered them to get away without the slightest injury. There is a saying,

(Turki.) He that does not seize what comes into his grasp,
Must indulge his regret even to old age, and repine.

1 Mian-e-doab.

2 The caravans from Tobolsk to Bokhâra generally cross the Sirr below Tâshkend on the ice.
3 Noukend seems to lie north of the Sirr, between Uzkend and Kâsân.

(Persian.)-Occasion must be leaped on when it offers;

The doings of the indolent, out of season, are utterly worthless.

sues him.

Regarding the interval granted them till morning as most precious, they rested nowhere all night, but rode on till they gained the fortress of Arkhiân. When morning came we went against the enemy, but they were not to be found. We pursued them, Baber purand as we did not judge it advisable to lay close siege to Arkhiân, encamped a kos from it in a village of Nemengân. We continued thirty or forty days in this station, while Tambol remained in the fortress of Arkhiân. Small parties sometimes advanced from my army, and were met by parties from the fort, when skirmishes ensued in the ground between us. One night they made a sally to surprise us, but stopped on the outside of the camp, and retired, after discharging a few arrows. We drew a trench around the camp, and fenced it with branches of trees, so that they could do us no injury.

Ali discon

While we remained in this encampment, Kamber Ali, who had taken umbrage, was Kamber two or three times on the point of returning to his own government; he once actually tented. mounted, and had set out, but several Begs being sent after him, with a great deal of difficulty prevailed on him to come back.

of Sved Machemi.

About the same time Syed Yusef Machemi sent a person to Sultan Ahmed Tambol Defection to inform him of his wish to enter his service, and finally joined him. Among the districts along the bottom of the hills of Andejân, there are two called Oîghûr and Machem. Syed Yusef was the Kilân 2 or Head-man of Machem. or Head-man of Machem. He had lately become known to me, by sight, among my courtiers, had taken it into his head to shake off the Kilanter, and affected the airs of a Beg, though nobody had ever made him a Beg. He was a wonderfully sly, treacherous, unsettled sort of a creature. From the period when I took Andejân until the present occasion, he had two or three times joined me against Tambol, and two or three times gone over and joined Tambol against me. This, however, was the last time that he ever rebelled. He had with him a number of Ils, Uluses, and Aîmâks.3 "They must be prevented from uniting with Tambol," we exclaimed, " and we must catch him on the road." So saying, we took to horse. On the third day we reached the vicinity of Beshkhârân, but Tambol had ar- Baber rived and entered the fort. Of the Begs who accompanied me on this expedition, Ali BeshkhaDervish Beg, Koch Beg, and their brothers, advanced close up to the gates of Besh- rân. khârân and had some gallant skirmishes with the enemy. Koch Beg and his brothers particularly distinguished themselves. Some of them fought with great intrepidity and

success.

I halted on an eminence at the distance of one kos from Beshkhârân. Tambol, bringing Jehangir along with him, came and encamped, resting on the fort of Beshkhârân. In the course of three or four days, several Begs, who were by no means friendly to my interests, such as Ali Dost and Kamber Ali the skinner, with their dependants and

1 Ghazneh Temengan.-Tûrki. A marginal note on the Tûrki manuscript says, that it is the name of a Tumân (or district). Leyden explains it, the bound of arrow-mark. I have ventured to read Nemengân, which is now the name of the whole of Ferghâna north of the Sirr. My Persian MS. having no mark over the first letter of the word, may be read in either way.

2 The Kilan, or rather Kilânter, is a sort of Mayor of the towns of Persia.

3 These were the wanderingtribes of the country.

marches to

A peace concluded.

The terms.

Tyrannical proceedings of Ali Dost Beg

adherents, began to talk of peace and an accommodation. Those who were really attach-
ed to me were kept entirely in the dark as to the intended treaty, and we were alto-
gether averse to it. But, as the two personages who have been named, were the Begs
of chief authority, it was to be apprehended that, if we did not listen to their wishes,
and refused to make peace, more serious consequences might follow. It was necessary
therefore to comply, and a peace was concluded on the following terms: That the coun-
try lying on the Akhsi side of the river of Khojend should belong to Jehangîr Mirza ;
that on the Andejân side to me that Uzkend, too, should be given up to me, when
they had withdrawn their wives and families from it: that after we had settled our
territories, Iand Jehangîr Mirza should unite and proceed in concert against Samar-
kand; and that, as soon as I had conquered and gained complete possession of Samar-
kand, I should resign Andejân to Jehangîr Mirza. The day after these conditions were
agreed on, it being towards the end of Rajeb,' Jehangîr Mirza and Tambol came and
paid me their respects. We ratified everything that had been arranged; Jehangîr
Mirza having taken leave, proceeded to Akhsi, while I returned to Andejân.
arrival there, I ordered Khalil, the younger brother of Tambol, and a number of other
prisoners, to be brought out, and having given them dresses of honour, dismissed them.
The enemy on their part released such of my Begs and officers as had been taken pri-
soners, as Taghâi Beg, Muhammed Dost, Mîr Shah Kochîn, Sîdî Beg, Kasim Ajeb,
Pir Weis and Mîram Dîwân, and sent them to me.

Baber marries Aisha

On my

After our return to Andejân, the manners and deportment of Ali Dost Beg underwent a complete change. He began to conduct himself with great hostility towards those who had adhered to me in all my dangers and difficulties. He first of all dismissed Khalîfeh. He then imprisoned and plundered Ibrâhîm Sâru and Weis Laghari without fault or pretext; and dismissed them, after stripping them of their governments. He next fell upon Kâsim Beg, and got quit of him. He published a proclamation, that Khalifeh and Ibrâhim Sâru were stanch friends of Khwâjeh Kazi, and had intended to murder him in revenge for the Kazi's blood. His son Muhammed Dost began to assume the state of a sovereign. His style of intercourse, his entertainments, his levee, his furniture, were all those of a king. The father and son ventured on such doings, relying on the support of Tambol. Nor did I retain sufficient authority or power to be able to check them in their outrageous proceedings; for, while I had close at hand an enemy so powerful as Tambol, who was always eager to afford them his aid, and to bear them out in any act, however violent, they might safely do whatever their hearts desired. My situation was singularly delicate, and I was forced to be silent. Many were the indignities which I suffered at that time, both from the father and son.

Aisha Sultan Begum, the daughter of Sultan Ahmed Mirza, to whom I had been Sultan Be- betrothed in the lifetime of my father and uncle, having arrived in Khojend, I now married her, in the month of Shâban. In the first period of my being a married man, though I had no small affection for her, yet, from modesty and bashfulness, I went to her only once in ten, fifteen, or twenty days. My affection afterwards declined, and

gum.

1 The end of February, 1500.

my shyness increased; insomuch, that my mother the Khanem, used to fall upon me and scold me with great fury, sending me off like a criminal to visit her once in a

month or forty days.

At this time there happened to be a lad belonging to the camp-bazar, named Baberi. His attachThere was an odd sort of coincidence in our names:

(Turki verse.)-I became wonderfully fond of him;

Nay, to speak the truth, mad and distracted after him.

1

Before this I never had conceived a passion for any one; and indeed had never been
so circumstanced as either to hear or witness any words spoken expressive of love or
amorous passion. In this situation I composed a few verses in Persian, of which the
following is a couplet :-
:-

Never was lover so wretched, so enamoured, so dishonoured as I;
And may fair never be found so pitiless, so disdainful as thou!

Sometimes it happened that Baberi came to visit me; when, from shame and modesty,
I found myself unable to look him direct in the face. How then is it to be supposed
that I could amuse him with conversation or a disclosure of my passion? From in-
toxication and confusion of mind I was unable to thank him for his visit; it is not
therefore to be imagined that I had power to reproach him with his departure. I had
not even self-command enough to receive him with the common forms of politeness.
One day while this affection and attachment lasted, I was by chance passing through
a narrow lane with only a few attendants, when, of a sudden, I met Baberi face to
face. Such was the impression produced on me by this rencounter, that I almost fell
to pieces. I had not the power to meet his eyes, or to articulate a single word. With
great confusion and shame I passed on and left him, remembering the verses of Mu-
hammed Salikh :-

I am abashed whenever I see my love;

My companions look to me, and I look another way.

The verses were wonderfully suited to my situation. From the violence of my passion and the effervescence of youth and madness, I used to stroll bare-headed and barefoot through lane and street, garden and orchard, neglecting the attentions due to friend and stranger; and the respect due to myself and others :

1 The whole of this is very curious. Baber, following the ideas of his age and country, talks of this as his first love, considering his marriage, as marriages in Asia are considered, merely as a contract of convenience, with which affection has nothing to do. This is inevitable, from the state of seclusion in which women are kept, and from the tender age at which the children of respectable families are always betrothed to each other. The levity with which he speaks of his passion for Baberi is no less characteristic. The prevalence of the vice in question, in Mahommedan countries, results from the degraded situation of women in society. We must not look for refined moral excellence in man, while woman is a slave, or occupies an inferior place in the scale of social life. We may regret that Baber did not rise higher above the moral level of his country; but it is useful to see how even the most powerful minds may be influenced by education. With these remarks, I take leave of this passage in Baber's life, to which I shall not again recur.

ment to Baberi.