National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

( 168 )

This Mir Waif now, through fear of his master's vengeance, held out for two T. R. months at Yangi Hissar, and then, hearing of Ababakar's flight from the capital, surrendered his trust to Said who, placing his own governor with a garrison in the fort, at once hurried on to Yarkand.

Here Ababakar, during the siege of Yangi Hissar, had been busy emptying his

armoury of its accumulated stores, and clearing the prisons of the crowded victims of his wrath. He now distributed sixty thousand suits of armour, including twelve thousand horse trappings, amongst the population who were enrolled en masse for the defence of the capital. A timid peasantry, gardeners, handicraftsmen of all trades, and other peaceable citizens, who had never handled a spear, nor shot an arrow, far less wielded a sword, and who, during a generation of unexampled tyranny, had grown up cowed by despotic condemnations to dungeons, prisoner gangs, tortures, mutilations and executions, now had arms, of which they knew not the use, thrust into their unwilling hands, and were driven out to fight.

With such a pressed rabble multitude Ababakar essayed from his capital to raise the siege of Yangi Hissar. At the first stage out his disorderly mob, coming in sight of an outpost picket of Said's army, at once took fright, cast away the arms

forced upon them, and dispersed in all directions. Ababakar was now past further

explosions of wrath and torture. He returned to his palace, set his son, Jahangir, in

•                   the charge of the city, and, packing up his treasures, retired with them to Khutan. Six days later, Jahangir, on the fall of Yangi Hissâr, collecting bis valuables, gave the city up to plunder, and in the confusion and strife that ensued effected his escape to Si*.

Said, on receiving intelligence of these events at Yarkand, immediately sent forward Khoja Ali Bahadur to secure the place ; and he took possession of the city at the end of Rajah 920 H. =1513 A.D. Said followed with the rest of his army largely increased by new accessions, and mounting the throne gave the place up to plunder for two months; during which his troops ransacked every corner, despoiled the citizens and their 'previous plunder, and secured an immense booty in rich merchandize of all sorts, together with the abandoned treasures amassed by Ababakar during a reign of forty-eight years.

Immediately on arrival at the capital, Said sent out parties in pursuit of the fugitives. Ababakar fled before them from Khutan to Karanghotagh. Here at Aktash he burnt, and cast into the river what he could not carry away into the mountains, and killing the spare horses and camels fled towards Tibet. On the road his followers, scenting death ahead, plundered and deserted him.

The fugitive, after wandering hungry and demented some time over the bleak, desolate, and inhospital tablelands of the Tibet plateau, on the approach of winter, turned in search of shelter from the biting frosts of that elevated region into the sheltered valleys towards Khutan. He was intercepted, seized, and killed by a party of his many pursuers in the Kara.kash valley, where a mean tomb on the river bank, two stages from Shahidulla Khoja, now marks the site of his grave.

His pursuers, after taking possession of Khutan and its treasury, sent out numerous parties on his track, and the roads leading to the mountains. One of these, at Sarpûl, found his abandoned cattle and treasures, and fishing out the sparkling gems from the clear stream, returned with a rich store of pearls, rubies, emeralds and diamonds, with rare silks and other costly treasures.

Jahangir—he was married to Khadija Sultan Khanfm, full sister of Said and fourth daughter of Alaja Khan who fell into the hands of Ababakar when he took Aksû—was similarly pursued, and finally taken at Sanjn. He was sent prisoner to Yangi Hissar, and ultimately executed there by order of Said. Ababakar had many children, of whom he killed several for trivial offences. Jahangir was his eldest son, by Khanzada Begum, the sister of Mahmud.

During his long reign of forty-eight years, Abâbakar subdued Tibet to the borders of Kashmir. In 905 H. =1499 A.D. he defeated Alaja Khan, and drove him from the country. He subjugated Bolor, and annexed most of the hazdrajat=