Derbend-nâmeh or the History of Derbend. 535 
and fought with the energy of hungry lions. The army of the unbelievers (though) oppressed 
still more by terror, continued to suffer and to fight with patience, and there was a very great 
battle: so that 20,000 infidels descended into hell! The field was covered with corpses, so that 
the horses of the Musulman warriors could no longer manoeuvre in it. T'hey stood at one end 
of the field and lifted up to heaven the exclamations of Zekbir, accompanied with trumpets; 
whilst the infidels, on the opposite side, crying and lamenting, had neither courage to fight 
nor possibility to fly; (so that) they were filled with consternation. Now the son of the Khaghân 
cried out from the front of the army and said: I have lost too many crowds of the servants of 
Christ ”. This is not the act of wise men! (So saying) at the time of midday worship, they 
turned their back and betook themselves to flight. The warriors followed them, cutting them 
down with the sword for three days, and doing nothing but slaughtering the infidels and plun- 
dering them day and night. The unbelievers were scattered on the field like the leaves of au- 
tumn. Pâschenk, the son of the Khaghan, with a small number of the remaining infidels, after 
a hundred thousand difficulties, escaped and reached the fortress of /ndji». 
The MS. of St. Petersburg in this manner continues to give unnecessary augmentations. 
which we have reason to attribute to some copyist and not to the author of the Derbend -nà- 
meh. That part of the detail which we have just related, being a mere exaggeration of what 
we find in our MS., would only prove the partiality of the zealous amplifying narrator; 
. but the remainder of the passage is downright nonsense, which accuses him of carelessness and 
want of critical discernment, For instance, it is there continned: (f #2 | El) kil 
DM) Le Les Terra faste ol Lies es 
OS ER als ,e LIL 35 Dpt) DES: Jp Ji prob du Up af (RL; pre) SG 
Jos pogos ab EN, 5531 25 (Gedoole) ele Cl sue Ki Lyel ékil 
sosie als (al) UE OI esloerou ail el &kël DRAC Ma 0 
(ol, TEE ce els DPENE J;5 LS JeË rie aal5) du ass LL us (ra Ji) na 
à pl CAN SSL übsl TT ASIE af PS) P2? af Sie (Éb or 549) a 
à. 33) Cell) (? ai yel) i. e. « Pashenk or Pashenek had a clever governor in /ndjeh; from 
him he obtained provisions, and proceeded on towards Zhrän, saying (probably to the governor of 
Injeh): a severe enemy is coming upon you, think of yourselves, for you will receive no assistance 
from us; he must be a valiant warrior, who can escape from these enemies; and this is the 
reason they have cut down the brave warriors that were in my army: you see that [ have saved 
myself with difficulty! From thence they (the son of the Khagkan with the remainder of his 
army?) went lo Balenje”......— Pashenk, when he arrived in [hran, ordered that Gulbakh the 
The expression to wash ones hands over any thing, amongst the eastérn meétaphorists of the present daÿ 
signifies: 40 finish with it, to bid farewell to, or to clear one’s self of it, &e. 
7 This corresponds to, and supports the idea of the eastern writers, that most of the Khazars were Chri- 
stianst see WMesalik, translation of Istakbry for y}> and Xf. 
" Here we omit some words concerning the identity of the names Balenje or Balkh, Anderaÿ, Gulbakh 
2 
