Swords From the East (70 page)

"Ho, Dost! Ho, Dost!" I called out, and spoke to him.

But the snow and the darkness confused him, or he was too bewildered by the fighting to know me, and came on without pausing, slashing at my bare arm. By the mercy of God, the blade turned and did not injure me. When my followers cried out at him, the man ran off.

Leaving this place, we sought Mohammed Hussain Mirza at the Little Garden where he lived. In a breach of the garden wall seven or eight archers had made a stand. I spurred my horse at them before my men came up, and they lacked the courage to keep to their post. One of them I reached and cut down. He went spinning off in such a way, I imagined his head had been severed from his body, and passed on.

As I came up to the door of Mohammed Hussain Mirza's house, a Moghul who had been in my service rose up from where he had been sitting. He fitted an arrow to his bow and aimed at me.

"That is the king!"

A cry arose on all sides, and he shifted his aim, loosed the arrow, and made off. The time for shooting had gone by and the rebel chieftains were fleeing, so what was gained by his one arrow?

The Mirza, my uncle-in-law, had hid himself away somewhere.

While search was being made for him, I ordered away one of the chieftains who had held the citadel, to pursue Khan Mirza. The townspeople and rabble of the city had taken to their clubs and were making a riot as usual. We sent out patrols to disperse them and drive them from the streets while I went to the residence of the princesses imperial, my grandmother and the wife of Mohammed Mirza.

I found them sitting together in the same house-one of the finest properties of Kabul that I had given my grandmother, who, nevertheless, had influenced my kindred to take up the sword against me. I had never failed in duty or service to the princesses and had cared for them when they came to me.

Now I alighted from my horse where I had always done, and went up to them, saluting them with accustomed respect. They were greatly alarmed, dismayed, and ashamed. I tried to overcome their uneasiness, but they
could only talk incoherently, without making excuses or the proper inquiries after my health.*

All the while my uncle-in-law was hidden in their dressing chambers, where he had concealed himself in a roll of carpets. When I had written letters to the tribes, announcing my return and safety, I mounted my horse and rode to the citadel.

There Mohammed Hussain Mirza was brought before me. One of my officers had heard that he had taken fright and hidden himself in the apartments of the princess, and went to seek him, using impolite language in the women's palace. My uncle-in-law was unrolled from his rugs and carried to me in great fear.

I rose at his coming in and greeted him with my wonted respect. Had he been cut to pieces or tortured to death he would only have met with his just deserts; as he was kin to me I gave him his freedom and permission to set out for Khorassan.

In spite of all, this ungrateful coward went to my enemy, Shaibani Khan, and abused me-who had spared his life. It was not long before Shaibani Khan avenged me by putting him to death.

Meanwhile the party who had been searching for Khan Mirza, my cousin, found him among some hillocks outside the city and brought him before me a prisoner. He had lacked wit to flee or courage to fight. I was sitting at the time in a portico of the Hall of Audience, and said-"Come and embrace me."

He was so agitated he fell down twice while trying to come and make his obeisance. After we had saluted I seated him at my side. They brought in sherbet. I drank of it first in order to reassure him. After a few days I allowed him to depart to Khorassan. When Shaibani Khan overwhelmed the two princes of Khorassan and stormed Herat, Khan Mirza fled to me again and I received him as if nothing had come between us.

Indeed, by then the Uzbek Khan had sent most of my family to the
mercy of God, and in all our kingdoms there was no place for a son of Tamerlane.*

Indeed, at this time I held a council of all who adhered to me, and it was clear that the Uzbeks and Shaibani Khan had grasped forever the countries under the rule of my family for so long, and that, after ten years of struggle, I could not cope with the Uzbeks. My enemy was powerful, I was weak, and alone in Kabul.

So it was decided to journey to a country farther from the Uzbeks-to Hindustan.

In the end of this year when the sun was in Aquarius, my son was born. A few days afterward I gave him the name Humayun. I went to the king's garden and celebrated the festival of his birth. My people who were nobles and those who were not, great and small, brought their offerings. I never before saw so much white money piled up. It was a very splendid feast.

Until now no member of Tamerlane's family had assumed the title of Emperor. In this year I ordered that my people should address me as Emperor.

Chapter IV

Down in the Khyber

On a Friday in the autumn of 1525, when the sun was in the sign of the Archer, I set out on my march to invade Hindustan.

The reason for my decision to move out of my kingdom of Kabul was this-Kabul is a small country. Last year, with difficulty and by constant exertions the wandering tribes and the men who served me had been sheltered and provided for at Kabul. There was not sufficient grazing land for the flocks of sheep and herds of brood mares; nor had the tribes proper wintering places.

From the time when I conquered Kabul, twenty-two years ago, until now, I had always thought of mastering Hindustan. Sometimes by the misconduct of my nobles, sometimes by the opposition of my younger brothers, I was prevented from starting out, although I had raided three times into the Five Rivers. At length all obstacles were removed. There was no one, great or small, who uttered a word against my plan. I had already stormed and taken the fort of Bajaur beyond my border, and now intended advancing along the Kabul river, through the Khyber Pass to Peshawar.

We set out and descended the passes to the river. We had always been accustomed to halt at Kerik Arik. I embarked on a raft with the companions who were near me. On coming abreast Kerik Arik, though we looked in every direction, not a trace of the camp nor of our horses was visible. Yet ten thousand men had been collected to follow my standard and must be somewhere not far off.

It came into my head that there was a shady, sheltered spot a little way down the river and the army had probably halted there. I went on to that place and reached it when the day was far spent. Still not even a campfollower was to be seen. Without stopping, I went on all next day and night, only halting the raft while I took some sleep.

In the boat were many men who could make verses, and it was agreed that we should all compose verses out of hand to a certain measure, to pass the time. As we had been very merry, I repeated this made-up couplet:

Before this, whatever had come into my head in the way of rhyming, however bad or foolish, I had written down. No sooner had I composed these last lines than my heart was struck with regret at the unworthiness of it all. And from that time I gave up satirical and idle versification. I resolved to have nothing more to do with such unworthy writing and to break my pen.

About the time of early morning prayers we decided to land and await word from my men. And at sunrise the warriors began to appear coming in. They had been for two days in camp around Kerik Arik, although we had not observed them.

After two or three days' march I halted at Ali Masjid.*
Owing to the narrowness of the pass at this place, I was always accustomed to take up my quarters on a nearby height; the army camped in the valley. As the hillock on which I pitched my tents overlooked the length of the pass, the blaze from the fires in the camp below was wonderfully brilliant and beautiful. Pleased by this, I had formed the custom of drinking wine whenever I halted on this ground.

Before sunrise I ate some hashish, and we marched on until we came to Peshawar, and then halted for another day while I went out to hunt the rhinoceros. We crossed the Black River in front of Peshawar and spread the hunting ring down the river. When we had gone a short way a man came after us with word that a rhinoceros had entered a little wood near the town. At once we turned and galloped toward the wood and cast a ring around it.

Instantly, when we raised the shout, the rhinoceros plunged out into the plain and took to flight. Humayun, my son, and those who had come with him from the northern hill districts, had never before seen a rhinoceros, and were greatly amused.

They followed it for nearly two miles, shot many arrows at it, and finally brought it down. This rhinoceros was poor sport, not making a good set at any rider.

I had often amused myself with wondering how an elephant and a rhinoceros would behave if brought face to face. When the beaters started up another rhinoceros near the wood, the elephant-keepers were ordered to bring out the elephants, so that one of them fell right in with the horned beast. But as soon as the elephant was started forward, the rhinoceros turned and fled.

The elephant was still a curiosity to most of my men. It is an immense animal, standing eight to ten feet, and of great sagacity. The Hindustanis call it Hathi, and capture it when young and wild, training it to understand what is said to it and to obey all commands.

In fighting, the elephant makes use of his two powerful tusks, with which he is able to tear up trees; the natives of Hindustan place great reliance on their elephants, and each division of their armies has a fixed number of the beasts-which are useful otherwise in carrying great quantities of baggage, in fording rivers, or drawing guns. Two or three elephants can draw a gun that it takes four hundred men to drag. I had few elephants and these were not used in battle; but the Hindustanis would without doubt send scores of them against my men.

The rhinoceros is another huge beast. It has a horn over its nose a span in length; out of one such horn I had a drinking vessel made and a dice box, and still some was left over. The hide of this beast is very thick. If a powerful bow be drawn to the armpit with all a man's strength, the arrow, if it pierces the hide at all, will enter only three fingers' breadth. Later in the expedition I frequently killed the rhinoceros with such a bow from horseback. In these hunts many men and horses were gored by the beasts' horns-once the horse of a young warrior named Maksud was tossed a full spear's length-whence he got the name of "Rhinoceros Maksud."

The tiger is better sport. Several years before on this same ground we heard a tiger howling where the road leaves the river. It soon sprang out of the underbrush. As soon as our horses heard the tiger's cry they became unmanageable and ran off, down gullies and over ravines. The tiger retreated again into the jungle.

I directed that a buffalo be brought and tied near the brush to lure him out, and before long he came forth again, howling. Arrows poured in on him-I also shot my arrow. One of the men near me rode up and struck him with a spear; the tiger twisted it and broke the point of the spear with his teeth and tossed it away. Wounded in many places, the beast crawled into a patch of brushwood. Another warrior dismounted and, drawing his sword, went into the brush. Just as the tiger sprang, my follower slashed him on the head, and another warrior pierced him in the loins. Still, he had strength enough to crawl to the river, where they killed him. After they had dragged him out of the water I ordered the skin to be taken.

That same day I lost my best hawk. Sheikham, the chief huntsman, had the charge of it. It took hawks and herons excellently. Two or three times before then it had flown away; this time it did not come back. It had pounced so unfailingly on its quarry that it made even a man with so little skill as I the best of fowlers.

I had never before been so far into the germsil, the countries of a hot climate, nor the land of Hindustan. Immediately on coming out of the hills I beheld a new world. The grass was different, the trees different, the birds of a strange plumage, and the manners and customs of the wandering tribes altogether of another sort. I was struck with astonishment, and indeed there was room for wonder.

While the army was being ferried over the river near Peshawar we had an inspection and listed the men by commands-as my son Humayun and the gifted leader Kwajah Kilan had only recently joined us with their men from the hills. Great and small, warriors and servants, the army amounted to twelve thousand Moghuls and allies.

As it had been a dry season in the Five Rivers, we moved through the foothills toward the southeast, to lay in a supply of corn. The Hindustanis had begun to gather ahead of us, and when my servants and men of all ranks were out searching for grain many of them were cut off. This was because my men were more intent on combing the countryside for prisoners than on bringing in the grain.

The day we halted I sat down with a few companions to drink arak. Mulla Muhammad of Parghar told us a great many stories. Said Kasim also liked his cup, and when once he started in became noisy from morning until night.