are understood to call a dale (jidgd)} In this dale is a runningwater2 of Hindustan ; along its sides are many villages ; and it is said to be the pargana of the Jaswal, that is to say, of Dilawar Khan's maternal uncles. It lies there shut-in, with meadows along its torrent, rice cultivated here and there, a three or four mill-stream flowing in its trough, its width from two to four miles, six even in places, villages on the skirts of its hills hillocks they are rather where there are no villages, peacocks, monkeys, and many fowls which, except that they are mostly of one colour, are exactly like house-fowls.
As no reliable news was had of GhazI Khan, we arranged for Tardlka to go with Blrlm Deo Malinhas and capture him wherever he might be found.
In the hills of this dale stand thoroughly strong forts ; one on the north-east, named Kutila, has sides 70 to 80 yards {qari) of straight fall, the side where the great gate is being perhaps 7 or 8 yards.3 The width of the place where the draw-bridge is made, may be 10 to 12 yards. Across this they have made a bridge of two tall trees4 by which horses and herds are taken over. This was one of the local forts GhazI Khan had strengthened ; his man will have been in it now. Our raiders {cliapqunchl) assaulted it and had almost taken it when night came on. The garrison abandoned this difficult place and went off. Near this dale is also the stronghold of Ginguta ; it is girt
1 I translate dun by dale because, as its equivalent, Babur uses julga by which he describes a more pastoral valley than one he calls a dara.
2 Hr aqar-su. Babur's earlier uses of this term [q. v. index] connect it with the swift flow of water in irrigation channels ; this may be so here but also the term may make distinction between the rapid mountain-stream and the slow movement of rivers across plains.
3 There are two readings of this sentence ; Erskine's implies that the neck of land connecting the fort-rock with its adjacent hill measures 7-8 qari (yards) from side to side ; de Courteille's that where the great gate was, the perpendicular fall surrounding the fort shallowed to 7-8 yards. The Turkl might be read, I think, to mean whichever alternative was the fact. Erskine's reading best bears out Babur's account of the strength of the fort, since it allows of a cleft between the hill and the fort some 140-160 feet deep, as against the 21-24 of de Courteille's. Erskine may have been in possession of information [in 1826] by which he guided his translation (p. 300), "At its chief gate, for the space of 7 or 8 gez (qari), there is a place that admits of a drawbridge being thrown across ; it may be 10 or Wgez wide." If de Courteille's reading be correct in taking 7-8 qari only to be the depth of the cleft, that cleft may be artificial.
4 yighach, which also means wood.
