The Rashīdī History 128.3

128.3

While we were riding along, a thorn ran into [the khárushgáh of] my horse. He gave two or three bounds into the air, and as I had not strength enough to keep hold of the bridle, it fell from my hand, and I was thrown on to the ground upon my injured arm. As I struck the ground, I heard a sound in my bad elbow. The shock was so violent that I fainted. After a time I came to, and found that Mirza Khan was holding my head upon his knees. He asked me how I felt. When I had quite recovered my senses, having bound up my arm, they conveyed me to Kala-i-Zafar. There they sent for the bone-setters [kamángar]. On examination, they found that my arm had gone back to its proper place, so that after a short time I recovered the entire use of it, and no injury was traceable. This was certainly a very strange occurrence. In a word, at the beginning of the month Rajab I left Kala-i-Zafar and the service of Mirza Khan, and turned towards Kabul, accompanied by a party of sixteen. We only had two horses with us, and so limited was our baggage that I had nothing to lie on at night. Maulána Muhammad, who was a sort of father to the party, had nothing but one meagre shawl, such as is worn by the poorest men in Badakhshan. What the condition of the others was, may be surmised. When we reached Kabul, we were received by Shirun Taghai, who was maternal uncle to the Emperor and myself, and one of the pillars of state.