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.[1] 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.[2] 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 Shahar—Chahar Chashma—Pass of Hindu Kush—Ghorband—Charikar—Kabul. (Waris, 8a & b).