Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/235

BURHAN AGHLAN THE COWARD 193 day, and restored to each of his soldiers his own horse and arms. On the same day they reached a pass, where Mohammad Azad proposed to Burhan Aghlan that they should halt, but the cowardice and inefficiency of the latter would hear of no delay, so they went through the pass. Certainly, from the days of Chingiz Khan to the present time, no man has shown such a lack of energy and courage. When I had despatched Mohammad Azad from Kator and satisfied myself with the subjugation of that country, I sent Ali Sistani and Jalal-al-Islam to discover a road and make clear halting-places for me. In obedience to this order, they went forward, clearing the snow and ice from the road in many places. Having made a passage for me, they returned, where- upon I mounted immediately and set forward, w r hile the nobles and soldiery marched along with me on foot; and thus I proceeded in triumph along the track which they had made, till I reached Khawak, where I had left the horses in the fort. I had been absent eighteen days on this expedition against the infidels, and the nobles and soldiery, who had hitherto fought on foot, now regained their horses. Leaving a body of men to garrison the fort which I had built, I directed my own course toward the heavy baggage, and arrived at Tilak Ghunan and Diktur, where the local princes and amirs came out to meet me with congratulations on my victory. There, too, Burhan Aghlan and Mohammad Azad joined my vic- torious camp, but I gave orders that they should refuse