TIMUR BEG. 
21 
immediately march towards the city in order to protect 
the governor’s flight from the danger by which he was 
threatened. The prince accordingly advanced, when 
Melk Hussyn, under pretence of engaging the enemy, 
quitted Herat and joined him with considerable trea- 
sure, with which he had secretly loaded his followers. 
Many of the nobles and principal officers of Herat fol- 
lowed their chief. The Tartar army then retreated. 
Shortly after Melk Hussyn had quitted the city, 
Timur received intelligence that Melk Baker had 
been raised to the government, and the deposition of 
Melk Hussyn publicly proclaimed. At the solicita- 
tion of the deposed governor, his new ally ordered his 
troops to prepare themselves for the recovery of Herat. 
By making four forced marches he unexpectedly ar- 
rived before the city, and attacking with vigour the 
principal gate, which the guard had just opened, not 
expecting an enemy, carried it, hounded over the 
drawbridge, followed by the bravest of his troops, and 
in a short time became master of the ancient capital 
of Khorassan, with scarcely the loss of a man. Melk 
Hussyn was restored to authority, and thus the vic- 
torious prince gained a steady friend and powerful 
tributary. 
Timur now began to look forward to being raised 
to the throne of Samerkund, and his ambitious views 
were stimulated by a conspiracy among the nobles to 
put to death the venerable Amyr Kurgen ; hut Ti- 
mur, wisely perceiving that if he encouraged the 
conspiracy, instead of having one master he should 
have many, and knowing how uncertain would be the 
tenure of a throne ascended through the blood of a 
