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OCTOBER, 1884.]
CHINGHIZ KHÅN AND HIS ANCESTORS.
295
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the
tion, and then very populous and prosperous, have seen how the latter escaped from Khuárezm containing more than 1,200 great mosques, and and retired by way of Nissa to Nishapur. 1,200 public baths.
Thence he issued summonses to the governors Ibn-al-Athir says that Chinghiz crossed the of the various towns, &c., to gather round Jihun and marched straight upon Balkh, and him with their troops, and to those who had its people having begged for quarter the rendered themselves independent in the recent Mongols gave an indemnity to the city, and troubles to do the same: and he stayed there a did not take it, nor did they plander it, month, but on hearing that Tului was marchbut merely put a Shahnah or governor there. ing against him, he marched with such men as He dates this in the year 617 hij. He then he had collected to Kahira, where he heard of goes on to say they made for Es Züzên and Talikan having been besieged. Nissavi says Meimand and Andakhui and Karyat, and he wished to shut himself up in Kahira, and they conquered them all, and put garrisons there await the enemy's approach, but the in them; nor did they molest the inhabi- governor represented to him that a prince of tants, except by taking such as could bear his reputation and merit should not shut himarms along with them, till they came to El self up in forts and citadels, though they were Talikan.
built on the heads of the twin stars, or horns This circumstantial account of a contem- of Taurus, or the Pleiades. He thereupon disporary is somewhat confirmed by the fact | tributed what money he had among his men, that Minhaj-i-Saraj does not mention any and went to Bost in Seistan, where he met one plundering of Balkh. It is, however, at issue of his officers who had escaped from Balkh, with other reports, where we read that Chinghiz, and who informed him of the Mongol forces far from sparing Balkh, reviled its people and of their recent doings." He then went on for having been so faithless to their late to Ghazni. The Mongols were not long before ruler, Amed-u'd-din, and for having been so they were on his traces. submissive to the Khureum Shah Muhammad. After the march of Subutai and Chepe, who Having been admitted into the town the had left shahnahs in the various towns they Mongols ordered the citizens to evacuate it passed through, the inhabitants had become as usual, under pretence of taking & census, more reassured, and they were further misled and having seleeted the young people, who by unfounded rumours of various successes were alone aseful to them, they killed the which Jelal-u'd-din was supposed to have won rest. The walls were broken down, the citadel in Irak. Encouraged by this, a leader of irreand the walls razed, and having secured their gular troops at Tus, named Seraj-u'd-din, killed fill of plunder they marched towards Talikan. the Mongol shahnah there, and sent his head This is the story as told in the Jihan Kushai, to Nishapur. Thereupon Sayid Baterab, govern. and by Rashidu'd-dîn and Abulghazi."
nor of Tus repaired to a Mongol commander, This is not the only difficulty at this point. named Timur, who was posted at Ustua, called Minhaj-i-Saraj has a detailed account of the cap- Astur by Erdmann, with 300 men to guard ture of a town he calls Walkh, four parasange the communications of the two divisions under square, situated on = height, and otherwise de Subutai and Chepe, marched upon Tus, atscribed as to make it inconsistent with its being tacked the 2000 troops there, under Seraj-u'd-dîn Balkh. I cannot identify the place at all, in the Royal Palace, pat the greater number of but possibly it was one of the hill fortresses them to the sword, and proceeded to demolish of Ghur. I shall return to it in a later the walls. chapter.
In another direction we read that Inanj Khân, Let us meanwhile follow the steps of Tului,
one of the Khuârezm Shâh's officers, had got Chinghiz Khan's youngest son, whom he sent together some troops and molested the Mongols. into Khorasan to intercept the retreat of and Subutai brought on a fight with him, but was to crush Jelal-a'd-din, the Khuârezm Shậh. We beaten, and, as Inanj was pursuing his men, he
30 See Abulfaraj, Chron. Arab., pp. 292 and 3: Abulghazi, p. 121 ; D'Ohsson, vol. I, pp. 272 and 3: Erdmann, Pp. 404, 405.
* De La Croix, pp. 290, 291. » D'Ohsson, vol. I, p. 274, Erdmann, P. $18.
