The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
History
The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan, 1483-1530; Mogul Empire
Early one morning, when I was in the Hot-bath, Jahāngīr Mīrzā came into
Akhsī, from Marghīnān, a fugitive from Taṃbal. We saw one another,
Shaikh Bāyazīd also being present, agitated and afraid. The Mīrzā and
Ibrāhīm Beg said, 'Shaikh Bāyazīd must be made prisoner and we must get
the citadel into our hands.' In good sooth, the proposal was wise. Said
I, 'Promise has been made; how can we break it?' Shaikh Bāyazīd went
into the citadel. Men ought to have been posted on the bridge; not even
there did we post any-one! These blunders were the fruit of
inexperience. At the top of the morning came Taṃbal himself with 2 or
3000 men in mail, crossed the bridge and went into the citadel. To begin
with I had had rather few men; when I first went into Akhsī some had
been sent to other forts and some had been made commandants and
summoners all round. Left with me in Akhsī may have been something over
100 men. We [Sidenote: Fol. 111b.] had got to horse with these and were
posting braves at the top of one lane after another and making ready for
the fight, when Shaikh Bāyazīd and Qaṃbar-`alī (the Skinner), and
Muḥammad-dost[655] came gallopping from Taṃbal with talk of peace.
After posting those told off for the fight, each in his appointed place,
I dismounted at my father's tomb for a conference, in which I invited
Jahāngīr Mīrzā to join. Muḥammad-dost went back to Taṃbal but
Qaṃbar-`alī and Shaikh Bāyazīd were present. We sat in the south porch
of the tomb and were in consultation when the Mīrzā, who must have
settled beforehand with Ibrāhīm _Chāpūk_ to lay hands on those other
two, said in my ear, 'They must be made prisoner.' Said I, 'Don't hurry!
matters are past making prisoners. See here! with terms made, the affair
might be coaxed into something. For why? Not only are they many and we
few, but they with their strength are in the citadel, we with our
weakness, in the outer fort.' Shaikh Bāyazīd and Qaṃbar-`alī both being
present, Jahāngīr Mīrzā looked at Ibrāhīm Beg and made him a sign to
refrain. Whether he misunderstood to the contrary or whether he
pretended to misunderstand, is not known; suddenly he did the ill-deed
of seizing Shaikh Bāyazīd. Braves [Sidenote: Fol. 112.] closing in from
all sides, flung those two to the ground. Through this the affair was
taken past adjustment; we gave them into charge and got to horse for the
coming fight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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