Chapter II: Section II: Kābul

910 AH.—June 14th 1504 to June 4th 1505 AD.—Bābur halts on an
alp of Ḥiṣār—enters his 22nd (lunar) year—delays his march in
hope of adherents—writes a second time of the stinginess of
Khusrau Shāh to himself—recalls Sherīm̤ T̤aghāī _Mughūl's_
earlier waverings in support—is joined by Khusrau Shāh's
brother Bāqī Beg—they start for Kābul—Accretions of
force—their families left in Fort Ajar (Kāhmard)—Jahāngīr
marries a cousin—Bāqī advises his dismissal to Khurāsān—Bābur
is loyal to his half-brother—Jahāngīr is seduced, later, by
disloyal Begchīk chiefs—Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ summons help against
Shaibānī—Despair in Bābur's party at Ḥusain's plan of
"defence, not attack"—Qaṃbar-i-`alī dismissed to please
Bāqī—Khusrau makes abject submission to Bābur—Mīrzā Khān
demands vengeance on him—Khusrau's submission having been on
terms, he is let go free—Bābur resumes his march—first sees
Canopus—is joined by tribesmen—Khusrau's brother Walī flees to
the Aūzbegs and is executed—Risks run by the families now
fetched from Kāhmard—Kābul surrendered to Bābur by Muqīm
_Arghūn_—Muqīm's family protected—+Description of Kābul+ (pp.
199 to 277)—Muqīm leaves for Qandahār—Allotment of
fiefs—Excess levy in grain—Foray on the Sulṯān Mas`ūdī
Hazāra—Bābur's first move for Hindūstān—Khaibar
traversed—Bīgrām visited—Bāqī Beg prevents crossing the
Sind—and persuades for Kohāt—A plan for Bangash, Bannū and
thence return to Kābul—Yār-i-ḥusain _Daryā-khānī_ asks for
permission to raise a force for Bābur, east of the Sind—Move
to Thāl, Bannū, and the Dasht—return route varied without
consulting Bābur—Pīr Kānū's tomb visited—through the
Pawat-pass into Dūkī—horse-food fails—baggage left behind—men
of all conditions walk to Ghaznī—spectacle of the
Āb-istāda—mirage and birds—Jahāngīr is Bābur's host in
Ghaznī—heavy floods—Kābul reached after a disastrous
expedition of four months—Nāṣir's misconduct abetted by two
Begchīk chiefs—he and they flee into Badakhshān—Khusrau Shāh's
schemes fail in Herāt—imbroglio between him and Nāṣir—Shaibānī
attempts Ḥiṣār but abandons the siege on his brother's
death—Khusrau attempts Ḥiṣār and is there killed—his followers
revolt against Bābur—his death quenches the fire of sedition 188-245

911 AH.—June 4th 1505 to May 24th 1506 AD.—Death of
Bābur's mother—Bābur's illness stops a move for Qandahār—an
earth-quake—campaign against and capture of Qalāt-i-ghilzāī—Bāqī
Beg dismissed towards Hindūstān—murdered
in the Khaibar—Turkmān Hazāra raided—Nijr-aū
tribute collected—Jahāngīr misbehaves and runs
away—Bābur summoned by Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ against
Shaibānī—Shaibānī takes Khwārizm and Chīn Ṣūfī is
killed—Death and biography of Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ (256 to
292)—his burial and joint-successors 246-293

912 AH.—May 24th 1506 to May 13th 1507 AD.—Bābur, without news
of Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā's_ death, obeys his summons and leaves
Kābul—Jahāngīr flees from Bābur's route—Nāṣir defeats
Shaibānī's men in Badakhshān—Bābur, while in Kāhmard, hears of
Ḥusain's death—continues his march with anxious thought for
the Tīmūrid dynasty—Jahāngīr waits on him and accompanies him
to Herāt—Co-alition of Khurāsān Mīrzās against Shaibānī—their
meeting with Bābur—etiquette of Bābur's reception—an
entertainment to him—of the _Chīngīz-tūrā_—Bābur claims the
ceremonial observance due to his military
achievements—entertainments and Bābur's obedience to
Muḥammadan Law against wine—his reflections on the
Mīrzās—difficulties of winter-plans (300, 307)—he sees the
sights of Herī—visits the Begīms—the ceremonies observed—tells
of his hitherto abstention from wine and of his present
inclination to drink it—Qasīm Beg's interference with those
pressing Bābur to break the Law—Bābur's poor carving—engages
Ma`ṣūma in marriage—leaves for Kābul—certain retainers stay
behind—a perilous journey through snow to a wrong pass out of
the Herīrud valley—arrival of the party in Yakaaūlāng—joy in
their safety and comfort—Shibr-tū traversed into
Ghūr-bunḍ—Turkmān Hazāra raided—News reaches Bābur of
conspiracy in Kābul to put Mīrzā Khān in his place—Bābur
concerts plans with the loyal Kābul garrison—moves on through
snow and in terrible cold—attacks and defeats the
rebels—narrowly escaped death—attributes his safety to
prayer—-deals mercifully, from family considerations, with the
rebel chiefs—reflects on their behaviour to him who has
protected them—asserts that his only aim is to write the
truth—letters-of-victory sent out—Muḥ. Ḥusain _Dūghlāt_ and
Mīrzā Khān banished—Spring excursion to Koh-dāman—Nāṣir,
driven from Badakhshān, takes refuge with Bābur 294-322

913 AH.—May 13th 1507 to May 2nd 1508 AD.—Raid on the Ghiljī
Afghāns—separation of the Fifth (_Khams_)—wild-ass,
hunting—Shaibānī moves against Khurāsān—Irresolution of the
Tīmūrid Mīrzās—Infatuation of Ẕū'n-nūn _Arghūn_—Shaibānī takes
Herī—his doings there—Defeat and death of two _Bāī-qarās_—The
Arghūns in Qandahār make overtures to Bābur—he starts to join
them against Shaibānī—meets Ma`ṣūma in Ghaznī on her way to
Kābul—spares Hindūstān traders—meets Jahāngīr's widow and
infant-son coming from Herāt—The Arghūn chiefs provoke attack
on Qandahār—Bābur's army—organization and terminology—wins the
battle of Qandahār and enters the fort—its spoils—Nāṣir put in
command—Bābur returns to Kābul rich in goods and fame—marries
Ma`ṣūma—Shaibānī lays siege to Qandahār—Alarm in Kābul at his
approach—Mīrzā Khān and Shāh Begīm betake themselves to
Badakhshān—Bābur sets out for Hindūstān leaving `Abdu'r-razzāq
in Kābul—Afghān highwaymen—A raid for food—Māhchuchak's
marriage—Hindūstān plan abandoned—Nūr-gal and Kūnār
visited—News of Shaibānī's withdrawal from Qandahār—Bābur
returns to Kābul—gives Ghaznī to Nāṣir—assumes the title of
Pādshāh—Birth of Humāyūn, feast and chronogram 323-344

914 AH.—May 2nd 1508 to April 21st 1509 AD.—Raid on the
Mahmand Afghāns—Seditious offenders reprieved—Khusrau Shāh's
former retainers march off from Kābul—`Abdu'r-razzāq comes
from his district to near Kābul—not known to have joined the
rebels—earlier hints to Bābur of this "incredible"
rebellion—later warnings of an immediate rising 345-346

+Translator's Note.+—914 to 925 AH.—1508 to 1519 AD.—Date of
composition of preceding narrative—Loss of matter here seems
partly or wholly due to Bābur's death—Sources helping to fill
the Gap—Events of the remainder of 914 AH.—The mutiny swiftly
quelled—Bābur's five-fold victory over hostile champions—Sa`īd
_Chaghatāī_ takes refuge with him in a quiet Kābul—Shaibānī's
murders of Chaghatāī and Dūghlāt chiefs 347-366

915 AH.—April 21st 1509 to April 11th 1510 AD.—Beginning of
hostilities between Ismā`īl _Ṣafawī_ and Shaibānī—Ḥaidar
_Dūghlāt_ takes refuge with Bābur.

916 AH.—April 11th 1510 to March 31st 1511 AD.—Ismā`īl defeats
the Aūzbegs near Merv—Shaibānī is killed—20,000 Mughūls he
had migrated to Khurāsān, return to near Qūndūz—Mīrzā Khān
invites Bābur to join him against the Aūzbegs—Bābur goes to
Qūndūz—The 20,000 Mughūls proffer allegiance to their
hereditary Khān Sa`īd—they propose to set Bābur aside—Sa`īd's
worthy rejection of the proposal—Bābur makes Sa`īd The Khān of
the Mughūls and sends him and his Mughūls into
Farghāna—significance of Bābur's words, "I made him
Khān"—Bābur's first attempt on Ḥiṣār where were Ḥamza and
Mahdī _Aūzbeg_—beginning of his disastrous intercourse with
Ismā`īl _Ṣafawī_—Ismā`īl sends Khān-zāda Begīm back to
him—with thanks for the courtesy, Bābur asks help against the
Aūzbeg—it is promised under dangerous conditions.

917 AH.—March 31st 1511 to March 19th 1512 AD.—Bābur's
second attempt on Ḥiṣār—wins the Battle of Pul-i-sangīn—puts
Ḥamza and Mahdī to death—his Persian reinforcement
and its perilous cost—The Aūzbegs are swept across the
Zar-afshān—The Persians are dismissed from Bukhārā—Bābur
occupies Samarkand after a nine-year's absence—he
gives Kābul to Nāṣir—his difficult position in relation to
the Shī`a Ismā`īl—Ismā`īl sends Najm S̤ānī to bring him
to order.

918 AH.—March 19th 1512 to March 9th 1513 AD.—The Aūzbegs
return to the attack—`Ubaid's vow—his defeat of Bābur at
Kūl-i-malik—Bābur flees from Samarkand to Ḥiṣār—his
pursuers retire—Najm S̤ānī from Balkh gives him rendezvous
at Tīrmīẕ—the two move for Bukhārā—Najm perpetrates
the massacre of Qarshī—Bābur is helpless to prevent
it—Najm crosses the Zar-afshān to a disadvantageous
position—is defeated and slain—Bābur, his reserve, does
not fight—his abstention made a reproach at the Persian
Court against his son Humāyūn (1544 AD.?)—his arrow-sped
message to the Aūzbeg camp—in Ḥiṣār, he is attacked
suddenly by Mughūls—he escapes to Qūndūz—the retributive
misfortunes of Ḥiṣār—Ḥaidar on Mughūls—Ayūb _Begchīk's_
death-bed repentance for his treachery to Bābur—Ḥaidar returns
to his kinsfolk in Kāshghar.

919 AH.—March 9th 1513 to Feb. 26th 1514 AD.—Bābur may
have spent the year in Khishm—Ismā`īl takes Balkh from
the Aūzbegs—surmised bearing of the capture on his later
action.

920 AH.—Feb. 26th 1514 to Feb. 15th 1515 AD.—Ḥaidar's
account of Bābur's misery, patience and courtesy this year
in Qūndūz—Bābur returns to Kābul—his daughter Gulrang
is born in Khwāst—he is welcomed by Nāṣir who
goes back to Ghaznī.

921 AH.—Feb. 15th 1515 to Feb. 5th 1516 AD.—Death of
Nāṣir—Riot in Ghaznī led by Sherīm T̤aghāī _Mughūl_—quiet
restored—many rebels flee to Kāshghar—Sherīm
refused harbourage by Sa`īd Khān and seeks Bābur's
protection—Ḥaidar's comment on Bābur's benevolence.

922 AH.—Feb. 5th 1516 to Jan. 24th 1517 AD.—A quiet year
in Kābul apparently—Birth of `Askarī.

923 AH.—Jan. 24th 1517 to Jan. 13th 1518 AD.—Bābur visits
Balkh—Khwānd-amīr's account of the affairs of Muhammad-i-zamān
Mīrza _Bāī-qarā_—Bābur pursues the Mīrzā—has him brought to
Kābul—gives him his daughter Ma`ṣūma in marriage—An expedition
to Qandahār returns fruitless, on account of his illness—Shāh
Beg's views on Bābur's persistent attempts on Qandahār—Shāh
Beg's imprisonment and release by his slave Saṃbal's means.

924 AH.—Jan. 13th 1518 to Jan. 3rd 1519 AD.—Shāh Beg's son
Ḥasan flees to Bābur—stays two years—date of his return
to his father—Bābur begins a campaign in Bajaur against
Ḥaidar-i-`alī _Bajaurī_—takes two forts.

[+End of Translator's Note.+]

925 AH.—Jan. 3rd to Dec. 23rd 1519 AD.—Bābur takes the Fort of
Bajaur—massacres its people as false to Islām—Khwāja Kalān
made its Commandant—an excessive impost in grain—a raid for
corn—Māhīm's adoption of Dil-dār's unborn child—Bābur marries
Bībī Mubārika—Repopulation of the Fort of Bajaur—Expedition
against Afghān tribesmen—Destruction of the tomb of a heretic
qalandar—Bābur first crosses the Sind—his long-cherished
desire for Hindūstān—the ford of the Sind—the Koh-i-jūd
(Salt-range)—his regard for Bhīra, Khūsh-āb, Chīn-ab and
Chīnīūt as earlier possessions of the Turk, now therefore his
own—the Kalda-kahār lake and subsequent location on it of the
Bāgh-i-ṣafā—Assurance of safety sent to Bhīra as a Turk
possession—History of Bhīra _etc._ as Turk
possessions—Author's Note on Tātār Khān _Yūsuf-khail_—envoys
sent to Balūchīs in Bhīra—heavy floods in camp—Offenders
against Bhīra people punished—Agreed tribute collected—Envoy
sent to ask from Ibrāhīm _Lūdī_ the lands once dependent on
the Turk—Daulat Khān arrests and keeps the envoy who goes
back later to Bābur _re infectâ_—news of Hind-āl's birth and
cause of his name—description of a drinking-party—Tātār Khān
_Kakar_ compels Minūchihr Khān _Turk_, going to wait on Bābur,
to become his son-in-law—Account of the Kakars—excursions and
drinking-parties—Bhīra appointments—action taken against Hātī
Khān _Kakar_—Description and capture of Parhāla—Bābur sees the
saṃbal plant—a tiger killed—Gūr-khattrī visited—Loss of a
clever hawk—Khaibar traversed—mid-day halt in the
Bāgh-i-wafā—Qarā-tū garden visited—News of Shāh Beg's capture
of Kāhān—Bābur's boys carried out in haste to meet
him—wine-parties—Death and biography of Dost Beg—Arrival of
Sulṯānīm _Bāī-qarā_ and ceremonies observed on meeting her—A
long-imprisoned traitor released—Excursion to Koh-dāman—Hindū
Beg abandons Bhīra—Bābur has (intermittent) fever—Visitors
from Khwāst—Yūsuf-zāī chiefs wait on Bābur—Khalīfa's son sends
a wedding-gift—Bābur's amusement when illness keeps him from
an entertainment—treatment of his illness—A Thursday reading
of theology (_see_ Add. Note p. 401)—Swimming—Envoy from Mīrzā
Khān—Tribesmen allowed to leave Kābul for wider
grazing-grounds—Bābur sends his first _Dīwān_ to Pūlād
_Aūzbeg_ in Samarkand—Arrivals and departures—Punitive
expedition against the `Abdu'r-rahman Afghāns—punishment
threatened and inflicted (p. 405) on defaulters in help to an
out-matched man—Description of the Rustam-maidān—return to
Kābul—Excursion to Koh-dāman—snake incident—Tramontane begs
warned for service—fish-drugging—Bābur's non-pressure to
drink, on an abstainer—wine-party—misadventure on a
raft—toothpicks gathered—A new retainer—Bābur shaves his
head—Hind-āl's guardian appointed—Aūzbeg raiders defeated in
Badakhshān—Various arrivals—Yūsuf-zāī campaign—Bābur
dislocates his wrist—_Varia_—Dilah-zāk chiefs wait on him—Plan
to store corn in Hash-nagar—Incidents of the road—Khaibar
traversed—Bārā urged on Bābur as a place for corn—Kābul river
forded at Bārā—little corn found and the Hash-nagar plan
foiled—Plan to store Pashāwar Fort—return to `Alī-masjid—News
of an invasion of Badakhshān hurries Bābur back through the
Khaibar—The Khiẓr-khail Afghāns punished—Bābur first writes
since dislocating his wrist—The beauty and fruits of the
Bāgh-i-wafā—incidents of the return march to Kābul—Excursion
to the Koh-dāman—beauty of its harvest crops and autumnal
trees—a line offensive to Khalīfa (_see_ Add. Note p.
416)—Humāyūn makes a good shot—Beauty of the harvest near
Istālīf and in the Bāgh-i-pādshāhī—Return to Kābul—Bābur
receives a white falcon in gift—pays a visit of consolation to
an ashamed drinker—Arrivals various—he finishes copying
`Alī-sher's four _Dīwāns_—An order to exclude from future
parties those who become drunk—Bābur starts for Lāmghān 367-419

926 AH.—Dec. 23rd 1519 to Dec. 12th 1520 AD.—Excursion to
Koh-dāman and Kohistān—incidents of the road—Bābur shoots with
an easy bow, for the first time after the dislocation of his
wrist—Nijr-aū tribute fixed—Excursions in Lāmghān—Kāfir
head-men bring goat-skins of wine—Halt in the Bāgh-i-wafā—its
oranges, beauty and charm—Bābur records his wish and intention
to return to obedience in his 40th year and his consequent
excess in wine as the end approached—composes an air—visits
Nūr-valley—relieves Kwāja Kalān in Bajaur—teaches a talisman
to stop rain—his opinion of the ill-taste and disgusting
intoxication of beer—his reason for summoning Khwāja Kalān,
and trenchant words to Shāh Hasan relieving him—an old beggar
loaded with gifts—the raft strikes a rock—Description of the
Kīndīr spring—Fish taken from fish-ponds—Hunting—Accident to a
tooth—Fishing with a net—A murderer made over to the avengers
of blood—A Qoran chapter read and start made for Kābul—(here
the diary breaks off) 420-425

+Translator's Note.+—926 to 932 AH.—1520 to 1525 AD.—Bābur's
activities in the Gap—missing matter less interesting than
that lost in the previous one—its distinctive mark is
biographical—_Dramatis personæ_—Sources of information 426-444

926 AH.—Dec. 23rd 1519 to Dec. 12th 1520 AD.—Bābur's five
expeditions into Hindūstān—this year's cut short by menace
from Qandahār—Shāh Beg's position—particulars of his menace
not ascertained—+Description of Qandahār-fort+—Bābur's various
sieges—this year's raised because of pestilence within the
walls—Shāh Beg pushes out into Sind.

927 AH.—Dec. 12th 1520 to Dec. 1st 1521 AD.—Two accounts of
this year's siege of Qandahār—(i) that of the
_Ḥabību's-siyar_—(ii) that of the _Tārīkh-i-sind_—concerning
the dates involved—Mīrzā Khān's death.

928 AH.—Dec. 1st 1521 to Nov. 20th 1522 AD.—Bābur and Māhīm
visit Humāyūn in Badakhshān—Expedition to Qandahār—of the duel
between Bābur and Shāh Beg—the Chihil-zīna monument of
victory—Death of Shāh Beg and its date—Bābur's literary work
down to this year.

929 AH.—Nov. 20th 1522 to Nov. 10th 1523 AD.—Hindūstān
affairs—Daulat Khān _Lūdī_, Ibrāhīm _Lūdī_ and Bābur—Dilawār
(son of Daulat Khān) goes to Kābul and asks help against
Ibrāhīm—Bābur prays for a sign of victory—prepares for the
expedition—`Ālam Khān _Lūdī_ (apparently in this year) goes to
Kābul and asks Bābur's help against his nephew Ibrāhīm—Birth
of Gul-badan.

930 AH.—Nov. 10th 1523 to Oct. 27th 1524 AD.—Bābur's fourth
expedition into Hindūstān—differs from earlier ones by its
concert with malcontents in the country—Bābur defeats Bihār
Khān _Lūdī_ near Lāhor—Lāhor occupied—Dībalpūr stormed,
plundered and its people massacred—Bābur moves onward from
Sihrind but returns on news of Daulat Khān's doings—there may
have been also news of Aūzbeg threat to Balkh—The Panj-āb
garrison—Death of Ismā`īl _Ṣafawī_ and of Shāh Beg—Bābur turns
for Kābul—plants bananas in the Bāgh-i-wafā.

931 AH.—Oct. 29th 1524 to Oct. 18th 1525 AD.—Daulat Khān's
large resources—he defeats `Ālam Khān at Dībalpūr—`Ālam Khān
flees to Kābul and again asks help—Bābur's conditions of
reinforcement—`Ālam Khān's subsequent proceedings detailed
_s.a._ 932 AH.—Bābur promises to follow him speedily—is
summoned to Balkh by its Aūzbeg menace—his arrival raises the
siege—he returns to Kābul in time for his start to Hindūstān
in 932 426-444

[+End of Translator's Note.+]