58 H. G. Raverty —The Invention of Chess and Backgammon. [No. 1, 
From that time forth, the favour of Nuh-ghirwan was bestowed 
upon the young Khwajah. whose esteem he acquired, and who rose to 
high rank, soon becoming his chief minister. At last, according to the 
chronicler, Abu-l-Fazl-i-Baihaki, who wrote about the year 450 H. 
(1058 A.D.), Buzur Jamliir fell into disfavour, because he abandoned 
the faith of Zurtusht (vul. “Zoroaster”), and became a convert to 
Christianity. Null-shir wan cast him into prison in consequence ; and 
notwithstanding the tortures to which he was subjected by “ The Just ’* 
monarch—in this instance sufficiently Unjust—to get him to recant, he 
would not do so. He held out, and eventually became blind, and totally 
so, as it was supposed, from the tortures to which he had been sub¬ 
jected ; but others say he was blinded by Niih-shirwan’s command. 
To return to the envoy from the ruler of Sind, and the game of chess. 
Nuh-shirwan, and the learned men of his court, never having seen 
anything of the kind before, were, of course, quite unable to understand 
the game, and were at a loss to explain it. At this time Buzur Jamhir 
had been deprived of his sight, which Nuh-shirwan is said to have 
greatly regretted when too late; but the sage was still in confinement. 
He was now sent for; and when he entered the presence of Nuh-shirwan 
the latter expressed his regret for what had been done. Buzur Jamhir 
replied : “ When a king becomes angry with a servant, it behoveth him 
to deprive the servant of something or other, in order that, should his 
sovereign subsequently relent, and show compassion towards his servant, 
he may be able to restore it to him again; but the blessing of sight 
cannot be thus restored when once destroyed.” Nuh-shirwan was quite 
abashed at these words, and felt completely humbled ; and the sage 
continuing, said : “ But through the auspicious fortune of the king, my 
sovereign, a little sight still remains in his servant’s eyes.” Having 
expressed his delight at hearing these words from the mouth of the sage 
and returning thanks to Heaven that he was not totally blind, Nuh- 
shirwan had the envoy from the Rai of Sind called in; and when he 
entered, the chess-men and the cloth were produced for Buzur Jamhir 
to look at, and to discover, if he could, how the game was played. 
Buzur Jamhir, after examining the chess-men, said to the envoy ; 
“ Come along with me that I may play a game with thee.” The envoy 
accompanied him accordingly ; aud ranging one half the chess-men on 
the cloth, he waited to see what Buzur Jamhir would do. He ranged 
his chess-men exactly after the same manner; and the Sindi envoy 
commencing to move, Buzur Jamhir followed him in his moves. He 
lost the first game, but improved on the second, which was a drawn 
game, and beat the Rai’s envoy in the third, and checkmated him ! 
The sage subsequently, in the retirement of his prison, improved 
