1 228 THE LORDS OF THE HILLS; —
2 come the dependant of Sultan Mahomed. Though repug-
3 nant to all this, Urgin agreed to it, on condition that he
4 should retain his former station, with his fortress and princi-
5 pality. Matters being thus so far settled, the Sultan was
6 written to for advice by his Wuzeer, and in a few days a laconic
7 answer was received, that as the Kaffir has been qubool, so he
8 might now be Qubool Shah. Thus this chief was henceforward
9 by the Moslems called Qubooll Shah ; and in course of time the
10 Mahomedans took care to do away with the former name, and
11 in its stead called the city and fort itself, Qubool or Kubool,
12 or, as at present, Cabul. These and some other such facts have
13 been by tradition, as in the present instance, brought down
14 to the present day, most likely to commemorate and cor-
15 roborate the traditional story of the cruel death of the Raj-
16 poot, Sooruj Dehu, (the fiftieth in the line of ancestry, and
17 son of Bujer Ther) and the determined conduct of his heroic
18 wife, commonly called Neila Ranee. The best of those tra-
19 ditions says, that Sooruj or Surj Dehu, leaving his son and
20 family behind him in the Punjaub, was induced to visit
21 Rajnauth (Rajgull) probably in search of employment. How-
22 ever he was there taken prisoner by Abdul Shureeff Khan, son
23 to Abdul Ruheem, about twelve or fourteen months previous to
24 the fall of Cabul ; and though he was put to all sorts of torture,
25 still he obstinately refused to embrace the Moslem creed.
26 Shureeff Khan, therefore, ordered him (as an example and to
27 terrify others of the same mind) to be enclosed in a strong cage,
28 and thus hung up near Rajgull. Thus caged, he was by a
29 certain treatment made to linger out a wretched existence for
30 twelve or fourteen months ; during which space the news of his
31 sad fate reached the ears of his faithful wife, then residing in
32 some humble capacity near the present Noorpoor. Neila
33 quickly resolved to proceed to her husband and either save or
34 perish with him. Sutteeism has been always considered as a