1 XHMED KHAUN NOORZVi::. 289
2 ^iraged at his contuma(sjr« and ordered the gaudB to ftSi cb liim'witli
3 tbe bott ends of their matchlocks ; but aotwithstanding the €XaA
4 treatnreiit he noeived* and Mahmodd's threats that he should be put
5 to death if he did not obey, he persevered in his reftisal* and in time
6 obtained Mahmood'a oonfideno^ by his firm adhaence ta hia
7 principles.
8 Meer Hotuk Khaun, nephew to the fkmous Sirdar Jehaun Khaun
9 (the flTcatest of Ahmed Shauh's generals), was the chief of the intel*.
10 ligence department. He was a good scholar, and an excellent Persiao
11 poet, but as his learning lay in poetry, history, and other branches
12 of elegant literature, instead of law, he derived no respect from hh
13 acqu iron Hilts. He was a quiet timid man, not at all diiposed to
14 tyranny, but accessible to corruption.
15 By far the most remarkable oi the eliiefs of that time, was Ahmed
16 Khaun Noorzye, the head of the great tribe of Noorzye, and one of
17 the few remaining soldiers of Ahmed Shauli. He was a man of
18 prodigious strength and stature ; thougli considerably upwards of
19 seventy^ and rather corpulent, lie l>ore the marks of his former
20 vigoui, and was still a very liaud.sunie num. He had a fair com-
21 plexion, with a high hooked nose, a stern coimtenance, hairy
22 cheeks, and a long beard ; hia manner was very plain, with an affec-
23 tation of roughnesa and tinmiiStyt which he prided himself on le-
24 taining. He atts, hoircnrer» no pattem of ancient ftith; he had
25 tiinee daeeriad his party on thie field of battle^ and waa in cotie^iKind-
26 eoee villi the enemy at the timewhen I saw him. ICs dimuj fiwidt
27 homsfvmf defeated ita oan object, and he was diatmeted by both par*
28 tiea, withoot erer having gained by .deceiving either. He had Held
29 the hi|jheat commandiriii the rtate^ aadhad eerved with lepntation in
30 KboBMiann; he had» howera, been beaten by the Uabeka kt Bulkh*
31 and by the Ta^pooieea in Smda lit is remailEaUeLthat hb defeat on -
32 the Iaat.oceaiion» waa owing to his attempdog to practiae the Uriiek
33 mode of WBr» which had been so sucoessfidly enqdoy^ i^punat lum-
34 ael£ Hewas, hoiwcrat^e man of great personal counga and fiittn^
35 bntlsevafickMis.'eveo among A^^unm Siidan. His*conacionsnest ef
36 o o 9