925 AH. JAN. 3rd to DEC. 23rd 1519 AD. 417
with a few special people in the Violet-garden, we went on a boat. Humayun and Kamran were with us later; Humayun made a very good shot at a duck.
(hh. A Bohemian episode^
{Nov. ijf-tli) On Saturday the 18th, I rode out of the Char-bagh at midnight, sent night-watch and groom back, crossed Mulla Baba's bridge, got out by the Dlurln-narrows, round by the bazars and karez of Qush-nadur (var.), along the back of the Bear-house (khi'rs-khdnd), and near sunrise reached Tardl Beg Khali-stir's * ktirez. He ran out quickly on hearing of me. His shortness {qtildshlighi) was known ; I had taken 100 shtihrukhis (-£5) w'th me ; I gave him these and told him to get wine and other things ready as I had a fancy for a private and unrestrained party. He went for wine towards Bih-zadi 2 ; I sent my horse by his slave to the valley-bottom and sat down on the slope behind the ktirez. At the first watch (9 a.m.) Tardl Beg brought a pitcher of wine which we drank by turns. After him came Muhammad-i-qasim Barltis and Shah-zada who had got to know of his fetching the wine, and had followed him, their minds quite empty of any thought about me. We invited them to the party. Said Tardl Beg, " Hul-hul Anlga wishes to drink wine with you." Said I, " For my part, I never saw a woman drink wine ; invite her." We also invited Shahl a qalandar, and one of the karez-men who played the rebeck. There was drinking till the Evening Prayer on the rising-ground behind the ktirez; we then went into Tardl Beg's house and drank by lamp-light almost till the Bed-time Prayer. The party was quite free and unpretending. I lay down, the others went to another house and drank there till beat of drum (midnight). Hul-hul Anlga came in and made me much disturbance ; I got rid of her at last by flinging myself down as if drunk. It was in my mind to put people off their guard, and ride off alone to Astar-ghach, but it did not come off because they got to know. In the end, I rode
' His sobriquet khdksdr, one who sits in. the dust, suits the excavator of a karez. Babur's route can be followed in Masson's (iii, 110), apparently to the very karez.
In Masson's time this place was celebrated for vinegar. To reach it and return must have occupied several hours.
