Page images
PDF
EPUB

was a brake near at hand in which there was a large tiger. When I arrived there my daring fellows surrounded the brake on all sides, and Amír Shaikh Núru-d dín quickly sprang forward and attacked the beast with his sword and slew it. I loudly praised the prowess of that brave man.

When I returned from the hunt Prince Pír Muhammad Jahángír, Prince Rustam, Amír Sulaimán, and Amír Jahán Sháh returned from Láhor with much wealth and property and were received with all honour. The plunder which they had obtained at Láhor in money, goods, and horses they presented to me, and I divided and gave all the goods and effects among the amirs and councillors who were in attendance at the court.

Timúr holds a Court.

On the same day I ordered preparations to be made for holding a splendid court. *** After bestowing many rewards, robes and girdles, swords and quivers upon the amirs and others, I ordered that the right and left wings of the army should march towards home by certain prescribed routes. The saiyids, and 'ulamá, and zamindárs, and gentlemen, natives of Hindustan who had joined and accompanied my camp, all received presents and tasted of my royal bounty. I then issued orders for them all to return home. Khizr Khán, who was one of the principal men of Hindustan, had been made prisoner by Sárang, the governor of Multán, and kept in confinement. But he escaped from prison and took refuge with Ahodan, governor of Bayána, who was a Musulmán and an honest man. When I was marching victorious through Hindustán, Khizr Khán hastened from Bayána to wait upon me, and I received him with honour and kindness and took him into my suite. I now appointed him governor of Multán. [and after bestowing the usual marks of honour] I sent him thither.

Hunting of the Rhinoceros, etc.

*** On Friday the 26th of the month I again marched, and after accomplishing eight kos, arrived at the village of Jabhán, in the territories of Kashmir.

Description of Kashmir.

At this stage I made inquiries about the country and city of Kashmir from men who were acquainted with it, and from them I learned that Kashmir is an incomparable country. *** In the midst of that country there is a very large and populous city called Naghaz. The rulers of the country dwell there. The buildings of the city are very large and are all of wood, and they are four or five stories high. They are very strong and will stand for 500 or 700 years. A large river runs through the middle of this city, as large as the Tigris at Baghdád, and the city is built upon both sides of it. The source of this river is within the limits of Kashmir in a large lake, some parasangs in length and breadth, which is called Vír-nák. The inhabitants have cast bridges over the river in nearly thirty places. These are constructed of wood, stone, or boats; seven of the largest are within the city, and the rest in the environs. When this river passes out of the confines of Kashmir, it is named after each city by which it passes; as the river of Dandána, the river of Jamd. The river passes on and joins the Chináb above Multán. The united waters pass below Multán and then join the Ráwí. The river Biyah comes down through another part and joins them, and the three united rivers fall into the Sind or Indus in the neighbourhood of Uch. All these (united) rivers are called the Sind or the Panjáb, and this river falls into the Persian Gulf near Thatta.

On the 29th Jumáda-l ákhir, I started from Jabhán and marched five kos and encamped on the banks of the Dandána. There I ordered a number of boats to be collected and a bridge to be formed. I ordered Amír Sháh Malik and Jalálu-l Islam to take their post at the head of the bridge and carefully superintend the passage of the army. When all the soldiers and baggage had crossed in safety, I also passed over and encamped. Next day, the 1st Rajab, I placed the heavy baggage in charge of certain amirs, who were to follow in the rear. Then I started for the seat of my empire, intending to travel rapidly. That day

I accomplished twenty kos, and rested at the village of Sambast, in the Júd mountains. On the 2nd I again started, and travelling one and a half watch of the day, I reached the vicinity of the fort of Barúja, where I halted for an hour, and after saying noonday prayers, I again started, and entering the Chol-i Jalálí, I continued my course until, at the time of evening prayer, I emerged from the desert, and encamped on the margin of a lake which had been filled by the rains of the rainy season. On the 3rd I again set off, and at breakfast time reached the banks of the Indus. I had sent orders to Pír 'Alí Salandoz, and other amirs who had charge of this territory, to construct a strong bridge of timber and boats over the river. They had executed my orders, and I passed over the bridge immediately. I ordered Amír Alláh-dád to guard the bridge for the transit of the forces and baggage which were coming up. I halted by the river till noonday prayer, which I said in public; then I again started, and travelled ten kos more before halting for the night. On the 3rd I marched again, and, travelling rapidly, I reached the fort of Bánú, and there encamped.

478

XIX.

ZAFAR-NAMA

OF

SHARAFU-D DIN, YAZDI.

"THE Book of Victory" by Mauláná Sharafu-d dín 'Alí Yazdí, who died A.D. 1446. This work, which Mirkhond declares to surpass everything that had up to his time enlightened the world in the department of history, is a very partial biography of Tímúr, written A.D. 1424. It is interspersed with fables, and is well known to the Orientalists of Europe by the accurate French translation of M. Petis de la Croix (Histoire de Timúr Bec, Paris, 1722, 4 vols. 12mo.), which is one of Gibbon's chief sources respecting this hero.

The translation of M. Petis de la Croix does not contain the second and third parts of the Zafar-náma, nor does it contain the supplement of the original written by Táju-d dín Salmání, who continued the history to the time of Shah Rukh, A.D. 1410; and as the Zafar-náma does not commence till the twenty-fifth year of Tímúr's age, the translation is by no means to be considered a complete biography, more especially as it is an abridged rather than a full version of the original. The French version was translated into English by J. Darby in 1723. There is also an Italian translation by Bradutti.

[As stated in the foregoing notice of the Malfúzát-i Tímúrí, the Zafar-náma is based upon that autobiography, and so far as the expedition to India is concerned, it is merely a polished reproduction of that work. This fact may be seen on a comparison of the following Extracts with those which precede this from the Malfuzat-i Timúri. So identical are they that the Extracts

which follow might be dispensed with. But the Zafar-náma enjoys such a high reputation, and has been so largely used and quoted as an authority by writers, both in the East and in Europe, that it cannot be passed over in a comprehensive work like the present.

[The translation has been made by the editor, and he has had the use of four MSS. belonging to the Library of the India Office. In one of these (No. 985), the work has been stripped of much of its florid and redundant ornament-in fact, it has been subjected to a treatment closely resembling that which Petis de la Croix found to be necessary in making his French translation. This abridged MS. does not appear to give any account of the writer by whom it was prepared, but the following extract of a letter to Sir H. Elliot from the late Professor Duncan Forbes in all probability refers to this same work. "Another curiosity (in the British Museum) connected with Tímúr is a very plain and sensible paraphrase of the Zafar-náma, done, by command of Jahángír, by 'Abdu-s Sattár Kásim in the city of Ajmír, a.h. 1024 (1617 A.D.). The doer of the thing says very sensibly in his introduction that Yazdí's book is very flowery and pedantic, written in the 'ibárat-i munshiyána, which we may felicitously translate the Jedediah Cleishbotham style, which he, 'Abdu-s Sattár aforesaid, improves marvellously by leaving out all Arabic and Persian verses that are not to the point, and enriching the narrative from other sources." The editor has, in general followed this MS., but he has constantly referred to the other copies, and has occasionally introduced from them names and passages which seemed worthy of notice.]1

EXTRACTS.

Cause of Timúr's Invasion of Hindustán.

Tímúr, the invincible and world-conquering, had given to Prince Pír Muhammad Jahángír the provinces of Kunduz, 1 A translation of part of the Zafar-náma, by Major Hollings, was published in the Dehli Archæological Journal, 1862, but I have not seen it.-ED.

« PreviousContinue »