212 Translations from the Tdrikh i Firuz SJuhi. [No. 4, 



throne. With this design, Ikit Khan, accompanied by several newly 

 converted horsemen of great skill, who were old retainers of his, came 

 headlong upon Sultan 'Alauddin shouting out, "the tiger," "the 

 tiger," and several arrows were fired by those expert marksmen upon 

 him. It being winter time, the Sultan had on a thick wadded gar- 

 ment [and a daglah*'], and when they began to pour down a shower 

 of arrows on him, he got off the stool, and made use of it as a 

 shield to defend himself. Two arrows, however, struck the Sultan, 

 and wounded him in the arm, but neither of them was fatal. There 

 was a servant with him called Nanak [Ed. Bibl. Indica, Mdnik], who 

 at the time when the new converts were showering arrows on the 

 Sultan, made a shield of his own body for him, and received three 

 or four wounds. The Paik soldiery (foot soldiers) who were standing 

 behind the Sultan also protected him with their bucklers, and when 

 Ikit Khan came up with his horsemen, and they wished to dismount, 

 and cut off the Sultan's head, they perceived that the Paiks had 

 drawn their swords, and were fully prepared to receive them. Not- 

 withstanding the vast tumult and revolt that they had raised, they 

 were thus unable to dismount and lay hands on the Sultan. At this 

 juncture moreover the Paiks called out that the Sultan was dead, 

 and Ikit Khan, being a stupid, foolish, senseless youth, devoid of all 

 tact and intelligence, in spite of the great superiority he had gained in 

 coming upon the Sultan with so many expert horsemen, was unable 

 to give stability to his revolt by severing the Sultan's head from his 

 body, previous to engaging in other affairs ; but through his con- 

 summate fully, he was too premature and contented himself with the 

 word of the Paiks. [Then he returned and hastened to Tilpat, and rode to 

 the Imperial pavilion.] He then seated himself on Sultan 'Alauddin's 

 throne, and called out in a loud tone to the royal door-keepers, that 

 he had slain the Sultan. The people also began to reflect, that if he 

 had not put the Sultan to death (as he said), how could he have 

 entered the royal pavilion mounted (i. e. in state), or by the aid of 

 what force could he have seated himself on the throne of 'Alauddin 

 and given audience there. A great tumult and uproar consequently 



* The word daglah is not to be found in native Dictionaries, and is but 

 rarely used now-a-days. From the words qabd wa daglah dar bar ddsht, we 

 may infer that daglah is the short ornamented jacket which natives put over 

 the long qabd. It has often short sleeves. 



