EPITOME OF THE MEMOIRS OF THE KHOJAS. 
55 
was the penalty he had incurred. Khwaja Abdu-llah interceded for him, 
saying that if he were killed, no son would, in future, reveal his father’s 
conspiracies. Khwaja Jahan then proclaimed to the people that the son 
had begged for the father’s life from him, and he (the Khwaja,) now 
begged it from the people. The assembly, however; replied that unless 
somebody’s life was taken, the city would not be safe, so the messenger 
was executed. 
The enemy were greatly dejected, because these two schemes had 
failed ; and they were defeated daily in the open field. 
Now Ghazi Beg’s station in the defence was from the Khanaka gate to 
the Maskhara gate. It was reported to the Khwaja that Ghazi’s spies 
were constantly coming and going, and a petition was handed in that he 
might be imprisoned. The Khwaja replied :—“ It is of no use. Our 
destruction is decreed : it is only delayed, not averted.” Ghazi Beg then 
planned to procure a defeat of the Yarqand army. The Khwaja consented 
to an attack being made and the whole male population of Yarqand, from 
twelve years of age to seventy, was sent out. Some people said that they 
numbered as many as 40,000 as they sallied forth. 
Burhanu-d-Din’s army retired before this mass. The Kir gh iz. Kubat 
Bi, the accursed one, stood looking on. But Ghazi Beg was marshalling 
the Yarqand troops, when a small force rode at him. He fled with his 
standard, and the Yarqand men being taken with fright at this defection, 
fled, and pressed on one another up to the gate. Khwaja Abdu-llah tried 
to get out of the city to stop the rout, but could not make his way 
through the crowd of fugitives. Ropes were then thrown over the wall and 
as many as possible were taken into the town; the rest were all slain by 
the enemy. 
After a few days of despair, the Khojas and the chief people of Yar- 
qand sallied forth with the intention of taking refuge in the mountains. 
Some on horses, some on camels, some riding two together on one horse, 
they set out and reached the Zarafshan (the Yarqand river) ; but it was 
frozen so insufficiently as to be impassable on the ice, moreover night had 
set in. They turned aside to a place, above, called Kara-Yun-tagh, and 
there began to cross. Then the Kirghiz in the enemy’s army discovered 
their movements and went after them. 
Ghazi Beg finding the people had left the town, beat the drum of 
rejoicing and sent out to Khwaja Burhan who pushed forward 500 men 
to stop the flight. This party, together with the Kirghiz, overtook the 
fugitives. Some of the latter were trembling with cold and wet, some 
were burdened with children in their arms; but none were capable of 
showing fight, although there were about a thousand of them. One of 
