1 His assumption of
2 regal power.
3 Ife marches on the
4 Panjab fronticr.
5 Confiict with Jaipil,
6 rijVof Lahore.
7 The rAjA sues for
8 Perce,
9 The term; of peace.
10 78 HISTORY OF THU PANJAB.
11 Sabuktugin was educated and taught the use of arms with the other slaves
12 of Alaptagin. He was, at first,a private horseman in the service of that
13 prince, and, being of a vigorous and active disposition, used to hunt
14 for him in the forest. At an early age he gave promise of future great-
15 ness, and his patron, appreciating his talents, entrusted him with the
16 conduct of considerable military expeditions, and soon raised him to
17 important posts in the army, til) at length, on assuming sovereign all-
18 thority at Ghazni, he conferred on his protegé the high title of Amir-
19 ul-omera (chief of the nobles), Vakil-i-mutlak (sole representative).
20 Ssbuktagin, on his accession to the throne, assumed the title of
21 Nasir-ud-din, or Conqueror of the Faith, and styled himself Amér, or noble.
22 Having subdued and annexed Kandahar, and taken the fortress of Bust,
23 the capital of Zabulistén, where he met the famous Abul Fath, whom he
24 made his chief secretary, on account of his great learning and wisdom, he
25 resolved upon a war with the idolaters of India, who as yet had known only
26 the worship of Brahma and Budh. The Panjéb was at that time ruled by
27 Jaipél, the son of Haspdl, whose territory extended from the Indus to
28 Laghmén on the one side, and from Kashmir to Méltdén on the other.
29 Having marched eastwards, with a considerable army in 977 A.D., he
30 reduced certain forts, caused mosques to be built, and, with a large booty,
31 returned to Ghazni. ; ;
32 Jaipdl, who at this time resided in the fort of Bhatinda, finding that
33 the reiterated attacks of the Mahomedans seriously atfected the peace of
34 the country, levied a great army, and brought together numerous elephants,
35 with the view of attacking them on their own ground. He crossed the
36 Indus and marched to Laghman, where he was met by Sabuktagin. In the
37 skirmishes which ensued, Mahmiad, the son of Sabuktagin, though then but
38 a boy, gave signal proofs of heroism and soldiership. A furious storm of hail
39 and wiud, which occurred during the night, spread terror and destruction
40 around. The troops of the réjé of Lahore suffered heavily, and great numbers
41 of his cattle perished. The raja finding his army dispersed, the next morn-
42 ing made overtures for peace. Sabuktagin was disposed to accede to the Hin-
43 du raja’s request, but the influence of the youthful Mahmid. who was an
44 ambitious warrior, prevented him from accepting the terms otfered. Upon
45 this Jaipal sent other ambassadors to the king to explain to his majesty that
46 the custom of the Rajput soldiers was, if driven to extremities, to “ kill
47 their wives and children, set fire to their houses and property, let loose their
48 hair, and, rushing in despair among the enemy, drown themselves in the crim-
49 son torrent of revenge.” Sabuktagin, unwilling to reduce the conquered
50 rajd_to despair, consented to make terms, the rdjd agreeing to give up one
51 million dirams and fifty elephants as the price of peace. The raj& being
52 unable to pay the whole of this sum in camp, persons of trust were sent
53 with him to Lahore to receive the balance, while hostages were left with
54 Sabuktagin for their safety. Finding himself secure in his capital, however,
55 the raja, acting on the advice of his Brahmin counsellors, repudiated the
56 agreement and threw the Mahomedan officers into prison. Sabuktagin,
57 who had by this time reached Ghazni, was exasperated on hearing this, and
58 at once set about retracing his steps to Laghmdn at the head of a numerous
59 army to avenge the insult offered to him by the Hindu raja.
60 Jaipal prepared to meet the coming storm. He entered into an alliance
61 mh the neighbouring kings of Delhi, Ajmere, Kallinjer and Kanauj, and
62 © confederate armies, which are represented as having consisted of 10,000
63 orse and a considerable number of infantry, the flower of Indian chivalry,
64 arrayed themselves on the confines of Laghman to hurl back the Mahomedan:
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