BABER. 
161 
disaffected nobles made overtures to Baber to march 
towards Delhi and relieve them from their oppres- 
sion. He listened to their appeals,, and determined 
to answer them without delay. He again subdued 
the mountaineers, who had assembled in large bodies 
to oppose his progress. The Afghan chiefs still in the 
interest of Ibrahim collected a numerous body of forces 
and offered him battle as he approached Lahore. That 
city was taken, given up to pillage, and fired. In his 
march he was joined by several disaffected nobles, but 
the treachery of his new allies obliged him to fall back 
upon Lahore. Finding that he was not in a condition 
to advance to Delhi, he disposed of the conquered dis- 
tricts among his new confederates and returned once 
more to Cabul. 
He had now obtained a permanent footing beyond 
the Indus, and contemplated the future conquest of 
India as an object of sure success. He had been join- 
ed by Sultan Alla-ood-Deen, Ibrahim’s brother, whom 
he appointed to the government of Depalpoor, a city 
upon the Sutlege, and probably secured his fidelity by 
flattering him with hopes of succeeding to the throne 
of Delhi. In making these appointments, Baber took 
care to place his own officers on whom he could rely 
in subordinate offices under those foreign governors, as 
a check upon them in case they should feel disposed to 
rebel against the new authority. Scarcely had he re- 
tired, before an army of Afghans assembled under 
Dowlut Khan, who had confederated with him, ex- 
pelled the governors whom Baber had appointed over 
his Indian conquests, and obliged the Sultan Alla- 
ood-Deen to fly to Cabul ; but a detachment of the 
p 3 
