1 24 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 Baba Nanak did not remain long in the neighbour-
3 hood of Sultanpiir. His mission was not to sit still,
4 but to spread the knowledge of the true God through-
5 out the land. From this time forward till he reached
6 old age he was a wanderer, journeying from country
7 to country, and from city to city, preaching his
8 gospel, making disciples, and disputing with holy
9 men of every caste and creed. There appear to
10 have been four principal " wanderings." The first
11 was to the east, and included visits to Benares, Gaya,
12 Panipat, Dharmsala, Delhi, and Sayadpur. He was
13 at the last-named place when it was captured by
14 Babar, and was himself seized and imprisoned by the
15 imperial troops. His captivity, however, was not
16 of long duration. His fame as a preacher reached
17 the ears of Babar, who summoned him to his presence,
18 and was so delighted at the eloquence with which
19 he expounded and defended his doctrine that he
20 ordered his immediate release, and directed that he
21 should be shown every mark of respect. The second
22 wandering was to the south, and is said to have
23 included a lengthy sojourn in tjie island of Ceylon.
24 The third was to the north, and was chiefly confined
25 to the district of Kashmir. The fourth and last was
26 to the west. This was the longest journey of all,
27 and is believed by many to have extended even to
28 Mecca and Medina. The story of this pilgrimage
29 is a favourite one with the Sikhs, though it rests
30 on somewhat slender evidence.
31 Towards the close of his life, Nanak laid aside
32 the habits and garb of a fakir, and settled down
33 with his family at Kartarpur. He still continued