908 AH. JULY 7th. 1502 to JUNE 26th. 1503 AD. .183
known from his lost pages. Muh. Salih writes at length of one affair falling within the time, Jahangir's occupation of Khujand, its siege and its capture by Shaibani. This capture will have occurred considerably more than a month before the defeat of The Khans (Sh. N.^>. 230).
It is not easy to decide in what month of 908 ah. they went into Farghana or how long their campaign lasted. Babur chronicles a series of occurrences, previous to the march of the army, which must have filled some time. The road over the Kindirlik-pass was taken, one closed in Babur's time (f. lb) though now open through the winter. Looking at the rapidity of his own movements in Farghana, it seems likely that the pass was crossed after and not before its closed time. If so, the campaign may have covered 4 or 5 months. Muh. Salih's account of Shaibaq's operations strengthens this view. News that Ahmad had joined Mahmiid in Tashkint (f. 102) went to Shaibani in Khusrau Shah's territories; he saw his interests in Samarkand threatened by this combination of the Chaghatai brothers to restore Babur in Farghana, came north therefore in order to help Tambal. He then waited a month in Samarkand (Sh. N. p. 230), besieged Jahangir, went back and stayed in Samarkand long enough to give his retainers time to equip for a, year's campaigning (1. c. p. 244) then went to Akhsi and so to Archian.
Babur's statement (f. 1106) that The Klyins went from Andijan to the Khujand-crossing over the Sir attracts attention because this they might have done if they had meant to leave Farghana by Mirza-rabat but they are next heard of as at Akhsi. Why did they make that great d6tour ? Why not have crossed opposite Akhsi or at Sang ? Or if they had thought of retiring, what turned them east again ? Did they place Jahanglr in Khujand ? Babur's missing pages would have answered these questions no doubt. It was useful for them to encamp where they did, east of Akhsi, because they there had near them a road °y which reinforcement could come from Kashghar or retreat
* made. The Akhsi people told Shaibani that he could easily °vercome The Khans if he went without warning, and if they had not withdrawn by the Kulja road (Sh. N. p. 262). By that
