CHAP. V.] HORRORS OF THE RETREAT. III The retreat continued. The wild hillmen Sufferings in crossing the Hindu Kush. called Hazarahs now took the place of the Uzbaks in harassing and plundering the Mughals. The winter of that year set in very early and with unusual severity.* The Imperialists, encumbered with 10 lakhs of rupees but having few transport animals and porters, toiled slowly and painfully through a narrow and steep pass east of the Surkhab river (21st and 22nd October) and the hardened ice on the Hindu Kush (24th October). South of these mountains lay Afghanistan and safety, and Aurangzib could now hasten in advance to Kabul, which he reached on the 27th.† Ali Mardan Khan too crossed with ease. But the rest of the army, especially the Rajputs under Jai Singh, the treasure-escort under Zulqadar Khan, the stores, and the Camp and Rear under Baha-
- Vambery's History of Bukhara, 332.
Aurangzib returned from Balkh to Kabul by the Ghazniyak-Haibak-Ghori-Ghorband route, which is called in the Persian history the Khwajah Zaid Road (Abd. Ham. ii. 669). He seems to have crossed the Hindu Kush either by the Kushan Pass, because "this pass leads under the great peak specially known as that of Hindu Kush", (Wood, lxv) or, what is more likely, by the Chardarya or Kipchak Pass, (for which see Wood, lxv. and Leyden, 139). The stages of his homeward march from Balkh are thus given :-Ghazniyak Pass—Ghori-Surkhab river-Bek Sha- har--Chahar Chashma-Pass of Hindu Kush-Ghorband- Charikar-Kabul. (Waris, 8a & b). Digitized by Microsoft Ⓡ
