906 AH. JULY 28TH. 1600 TO JULY 17TH. 1601 AD. 131
forced them to retire. As they could not take the fort, they rejoined us.
(c. Babur renews attack on Samarkand.)
Qambar-'ali (the Skinner) was (still) holding Sangzar; he came and saw us; Abu'l-qasim Kohbur and Ibrahim Tarkhan showed loyalty and attachment by sending efficient men for our service. We went into Asfldik (var. Asfindik), one of the Yar-yilaq villages. At that time Shaibaq Khan lay near Khwaja Didar with 3 or 4000 Auzbegs and as many more soldiers gathered in locally. He had given the Government of Samarkand to Jan-wafa, and Jan-wafa was then in the fort with 500 or 600 men. Hamza SI. and Mahdl SI. were lying near the fort, in the Quail-reserve. Our men, good and baa were 240.
Having discussed the position with all my begs and unmailed braves, we left it at this; that as ShaibSni Khan had taken possession of Samarkand so recently, the Samarkandis would not be attached to him nor he to them; that if we made an effort at once, we might do the thing; that if we set ladders up and took the fort by surprise, the Samarkandis would be tor us; how should they not be ? even if they gave us no help, they would not fight us for the Auzbegs; and that Samarkand ■once in our hands, whatever was God's will, would happen.
Acting on this decision, we rode out of Yar-yilaq after the Mid-day Prayer, and on through the dark till mid-night when we reached Khan-yurti. Here we had word that the Samarkandis knew of our coming; for this reason we went no nearer to the town but made straight back from Kha, yurti. It was dawn when, after crossing the Kohik-water below Rabat-ikhwaja, we were once more in Yar-yilaq.
One day in Fort Asfidik a household party was sitting in my presence; Dost-i-nasir and Nuyan1 Kukulddsh and Khar -qulii-Karim-dad and Shaikh Darwesh and Mirim-i-na?ir were z'\ there. Words were crossing from all sides when (I said), 'Come now! say when, if God bring it right, we shall take
1 This name appears to indicate a Command of 10,000 (Bretschneidefs ■toedimval Research^, i, 112).
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