104 E. E. Oliver —Decline of the Sdmdnis and the Rise of the [No. 2, 
family likely to give trouble were arrested, ’Abd-ul-Malik tlie boy Amir 
being sent to a prison at ITzgand in Far gli ana, the blind Mansur Ya’knb, 
Ibrahim and the others being separately confined to prevent their taking 
counsel together. Abii Ibrahim-i-Isma’il known to history as Muntasir 
was the only one who escaped or is ever heard of again, and he for some 
years made a series of gallant but abortive attempts to restore the fallen 
fortunes of his house. 
Muntasir, the last of the Samanis. 
The adventures of Muntasir suggest a chapter of the chronicles of 
the Cid, and the story as told by the contemporary A1 'Utbi offers a 
characteristic bit of the intricacies of Central Asian History. Disguising 
himself as a slave girl he succeeded during the confusion at Bukhara in 
getting away, taking refuge for three days in the house of an old woman 
in the city, and eventually in the dress of a common soldier reaching 
Khwarazm. Here he was joined by a few Samani nobles and soldiers, 
and received warm sympathy and afterwards assistance from Shams-al 
Muali Kabus of Gurgan. To cope with an adversary like flak was hope¬ 
less, but for a long time he was able te carry on a desultory war on the 
confines of lOiurasan and Mawara-un-Nahr. When Ilak left Bukhara 
he paid that city a flying visit, capturing J’afartigin and 17 other prin¬ 
cipal Khans, and being welcomed by the people. His Ha jib, one Arslan- 
i-Balu, defeated Tigin Khan a general of flak’s near Samarkand, but 
both beat a hasty retreat on the first rumour of Ilak’s preparation to 
return. At times his following became formidable and he encountered 
on various occasions the troops both of flak and of Nasr, Mahmud’s 
brother, who was now commanding at Nishapur and governor of Khura¬ 
san, and with occasional success. In 391 he succeeded in capturing 
Nishapur, the Ghaznavi general falling back to await reinforcements 
from Mahmud, who sent to his assistance the Hajib Altontash, the then 
governor of Hirat, by whom Muntasir was driven back to the frontier 
of Gurgan to find his former friend there. Shams al Muali, turned 
against him. Again rallying, with the help of the Ghuzz Turks (Turko¬ 
mans) and their chief Bighu, he successfully attacked flak in 393, and is 
next heard of as “ flying in the night ” in personal fear of his Ghuzz allies. 
Now he appeals ad misericordiam to Mahmud, reminding him of the 
rights of his ancestors, the Sultan’s feudal relations, of the many sorrows 
and extreme distress which had been his misfortune, and breaks out into 
verse which Reynolds freely translates. 
