Qāsim Beg had in his mind when he worried us into marching off from near Qandahār.
(Persian) What a mirror shews to the young man,
A baked brick shews to the old one!
Shaibāq Khān arriving, besieged Nāṣir Mīrzā in Qandahār.
(q. Alarm in Kābul.)
When this news came, the begs were summoned for counsel. The matters for discussion were these:—Strangers and ancient foes, such as are Shaibāq Khān and the Aūzbegs, are in possession of all the countries once held by Tīmūr Beg’s descendants; even where Turks and Chaghatāīs[1306] survive in corners and border-lands, they have all joined the Aūzbeg, willingly or with aversion; one remains, I myself, in Kābul, the foe mightily strong, I very weak, with no means of making terms, no strength to oppose; that, in the presence of such power and potency, we had to think of some place for ourselves and, at this crisis and in the crack of time there was, to put a wider space between us and the strong foeman; that choice lay between Badakhshān and Hindūstān and that decision must now be made.
Qāsim Beg and Sherīm T̤aghāī were agreed for Badakhshān;
(Author’s note on Badakhshān.) Those holding their heads up in Badakhshān at this crisis were, of Badakhshīs, Mubārak Shāh and Zubair, Jahāngīr Turkmān and Muḥammad the armourer. They had driven Nāṣir Mīrzā out but had not joined the Aūzbeg.
Fol. 213b.I and several household-begs preferred going towards Hindūstān and were for making a start to Lamghān.[1307]