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58o
HINDUSTAN
(_/'. Despatch of the Letter-efvictory.)
Because of the leave given to Humayun, two or three days were spent on this ground. From it Mumin-i-'ali the messenger {tawdcht) was sent off for Kabul with the Fath-ndma.)
(fc. Excursions and return to Agra?)
Praise had been heard of the Flruzpur-spring and of the great lake of Kutila.1 Leaving the camp on that same ground, I rode out on Sunday (Rajab \2th-April \a,tli) both to visit . these places and to set Humayun on his way. After visiting Firuzpur and its spring on that St'me day, ma'jun was eaten. In the valley where the spring rises, oleanders (kanir) were in bloom ; the place is not without charm but is over-praised. I ordered a reservoir of hewn stone, 10 by io2 to be made where the water widened, spent the night in that valley, next day rode on and visited the Kutila lake. It is surrounded by mountain-skirts. The Manas-nl is heard-say to go into it.3 It is a very large lake, from its one side the other side is not well seen. In the middle of it is rising ground. At its sides are many small boats, by going off in which the villagers living near it are said to escape from any tumult or disturbance. Even on our arrival a few people went in them to the middle of the lake.
On our way back from the lake, we dismounted in Humayun's camp. There we rested and ate food, and after having put robes of honour on him and his begs, bade him farewell at the Bed-time Prayer, and rode on. We slept for a little at some place on the road, at shoot of day passed through the pargana of Khari, again slept a little, and at length got to our camp
1 The town of Firuzpur is commonly known as Firuzpur-jhirka (Firuzpur of the spring), from a small perennial stream which issues from a number of fissures in the rocks bordering the road through a pass in the Mlwat hills which leads from the town vid Tijarato Rewarl (G. of Gurgaon, p.249). In Abu'l-fazl's day there was a Hindu shrine of Mahadeo near the spring, which is still a place of annual pilgrimage. The Kutila lake is called Kotla/foV in the G. of G. (p.?). It extends now 3 m. by ik m. varying in size with the season ; in Abu'l-fazl's day it was 4 ios (8 m.) round. It lies partly in the district of Nuh, partly in Gurgaon, where the two tracts join at the foot of the Alwar hills.
2 This is the frequently mentioned size for reservoirs ; the measure here is probably the oari, cir. a yard.
3 Babur does not state it as r fact known to himself that the Manas-ni falls into the Kutila lake ; it did so formerly, but now does not, tradition assigning a cause for the change (G. of G. p.6). He uses the hear-say tense, kirar aimish.
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