men and horses ; they shot also slave-workmen running scared away (?) and men and horses passing-by.1
{March nth) On Wednesday the 19th of the latter Jumada the bridge being almost finished, we marched to its head. The Afghans must have ridiculed the bridge-making as being far from completion.2
{March 12th) The bridge being ready on Thursday, a small body of foot-soldiers and Lahons went over. Fighting as small followed.
{p. Encounter with the Afghans.)
{March TJth) On Friday the royal corps, and the right and left hands of the centre crossed on foot. The whole body of Afghans, armed, mounted, and having elephants with them, attacked us. They hurried off our men of the left hand, but our centre itself (*'.*. the royal corps) and the right hand stood firm, fought, and forced the enemy to retire. Two men from these divisions had galloped ahead of the rest ; one was dismounted and taken ; the horse of the other was struck again and again, had had enough,3 turned round and when amongst our men, fell down. On that day 7 or 8 heads were brought in ; many of the enemy had arrow or matchlock wounds. Fighting went on till the Other Prayer. That night all who had gone across were made to return ; if (more) had gone over on that Saturday's eve,4 most of the enemy would probably have fallen into our hands, but this was in my mind : Last year we marched out of Slkri to fight Rana Sanga on Tuesday, New-year's-day, and crushed that rebel on Saturday ; this year we had marched to crush these rebels on Wednesday, Newyear's-day,5 and it would be one of singular things, if we beat them on Sunday. So thinking, we did not make the rest of
1 nufur qul-tdr-din ham karka brla rah rawa kishi u at altllar, a difficult sentence.
2 Afghanlar kupriik baghlamaq-nl istib'ad qllib tamaskhur qilurlar alkandur. The ridicule will have been at slow progress, not at the bridge-making itself, since pontoon-bridges were common (Irvine's Army of the Indian Moghuls).
3 tuilab ; Pers. trs. uftan u khezan, limping, or falling and rising, a translation raising doubt, because such a mode of progression could hardly have allowed escape from pursuers.
4 Anglice, on Friday night.
5 According to the Persian calendar, New-year's-day is that on which the Sun enters Aries.
