Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/29

belonging to the Meds of Daibul. When this news reached Hajjaj, he sent an ambassador to Dahir to demand their release, but Dahir replied: " They are pirates who have captured these women, and over them I have no authority." Hajjaj then sent Ubaid- Allah ibn Nabhan against Daibul. Ubaid- Allah being killed, Hajjaj wrote to Budail ibn Tahfa, of the tribe of Bajali, who was at Oman, directing him to proceed to Daibul. When he arrived there, his horse took fright and threw him, and the enemy surrounded him and killed him, although some say that he was killed by the Jats of Budha. Hajjaj afterwards appointed Mohammad ibn Kasim to govern the Sindian frontier. Mohammad was in Fars when the order arrived, and had previously re- ceived instruction to go to Bai (in Persia, south of the Caspian Sea). Abu-1-Aswad Jahm ibn Zahr-al-Ju'fi was at the head of the advance-guard, and was ordered to return to Mohammad, whom he joined on the borders of Sind. Hajjaj ordered six thousand Syrian warriors to attend Mohammad, and others besides. He was pro- vided with all he could require, without omitting even thread and needles. He had leave to remain at Shiraz until all the troops who were to accompany him had assembled and all the preparations had been duly made. Hajjaj had some dressed cotton saturated with strong vinegar, and then dried it in the shade, and said: " When you arrive in Sind, if you find the vinegar scarce, soak the cotton in water, and with the water you can cook your food and season your dishes as you