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3o8
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KABUL
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spoken between the Mfrza and Shah Beg. Muhibb-i-'all's story will come into the narrative of events hereafter to be written.
(<?. A perilous mountain-journey.)
From the Langar of Mir Ghiyas we had ourselves guided past the border-villages of Gharjistan to Chach-charan.1 From the almshouse to Gharjistan was an unbroken sheet of snow ; it was deeper further on ; near Chach-charan itself it was above the horses' knees. Chach-charan depended on Zu'n-nun Arghun ; his retainer Mir Jan-alrdl was in it now ; from him we took, on payment, the whole of Zu'n-nun Beg's store of provisions. A march or two further on, the snow was very deep, being above the stirrup, indeed in many places the horses' feet did not touch the ground.
We had consulted at the Langar of Mir Ghiyas which road to take for return to Kabul; most of us agreed in saying, " It is winter, the mountain-road is difficult and dangerous ; the Qandahar road, though a little longer, is safe and easy." Qasim Beg said, " That road is long ; you will go by this one." As he made much dispute, we took the mountain-road.
Our guide was a Pashal named Pir Sultan (Old sultan ?). Whether it was through old age, whether from want of heart, whether because of the deep snow, he lost the road and could not guide us. As we were on this route under the insistance of Qasim Beg, he and his sons, for his name's sake, dismounted, trampled the snow down, found the road again and took the lead. One day the snow was so deep and the way so uncertain that we could not go on ; there being no help for it, back we turned, dismounted where there was fuel, picked out 60 or 70 good men and sent them down the valley in our tracks to fetch any one soever of the Hazara, wintering in the valley-bottom, who might shew us the road. That place could not be left till our men returned three or four days later. They brought no guides once more we sent Sultan PasJiai ahead and, putting our
1 This name may be due to the splashing of water. A Langar which may be that of Mir Ghiyas, is shewn in maps in the Bam valley; from it into the Herl-rud valley Babur's route may well have been the track from that Langar which, passing the villages on the southern border of Gharjistan, goes to Ahangaran.
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