The Rashīdī History 56: CHAPTER XXXII. · THE KHANSHIP OF VAIS KHAN.
The Tarikh-i-Rashidi (Elias, Ross) 56
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CHAPTER XXXII. · THE KHANSHIP OF VAIS KHAN.
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When his turn came, Vais Khan showed himself to be religiously inclined ; he was moreover distinguished among his race for his bravery. Since he had forbidden the Moghuls to attack Musulmans, he made war against the infidel Kalmaks ; and though he was frequently defeated by them, he persisted in hostilities against them, not wishing to relinquish the holy war [jihad]. He was twice taken prisoner by them. The first occasion was in a battle at a place called Ming Lak, where the Khan, having been seized, was led before Isan Taishi. This latter thought to himself : "If he is really a descendant of Chingiz Khan, he will not do me obeisance, but will look upon me as an inferior." When the Khan was brought in, he dismounted (for he was on horseback) and [Isan Taishi] advanced towards him with great respect [Sar-Zadah]. But the Khan turned away his face and did not raise his hands. Isan Taishi was then convinced, and treating the Khan with much honour, set him at liberty. The Khan, on being asked afterwards why he had not done obeisance [to Isan Taishi] replied : "If Isan Taishi had treated me in a lordly manner, I should, out of fear for my life, have approached him with reverence. But since he came towards me with bowed head, it occurred to me that the hour of my martyrdom had arrived;
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and it is not fitting for a Musulman to do homage to an infidel, or to countenance his actions, therefore I did not salute him." It was the Khan's faithful observance of his religion that saved him from the abyss. On another occasion, he fought a battle with this same Isan Taishi at a spot called Kabaka, on the confines of Moghulistan. Here, too, he suffered defeat. His horse being shot under him by an arrow, the Khan was obliged to continue on foot. He was on the point of being captured, when Amir Sayyid Ali, dismounting from his horse, gave it to the Khán, while he threw himself on his face on the ground. The infidels, thinking him dead, shot an arrow at his head. When they came near enough, the Amir contrived to lay hold of one of them (who happened to be a man of some distinction), and lifting him up by his coat, turned him from side to side as a shield against the arrows, running all the while by the side of the Khan's bridle, so that it was impossible to shoot an arrow at the Amir. In this way he continued fighting and carrying the man by his clothes for a whole farsákh, till they came to the River Ailah. He then threw the Kalmák into the water, and seizing the bridle of the Khan's horse, entered the stream, which came up to his chest. Several men were drowned. The Khán's horse began to swim, while the Amir held up its head, and thus safely conducted the Khan, mounted and armed, across the river. Many men were drowned on that day.
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It is related that the Khan had with him, on that occasion, two cousins, Hasan Sultán, who wore red armour, and Lukmán Sultán, who wore blue [kabud]. They were both drowned on entering the stream. Amir Sayyid Ali, keeping hold of the Khan's bridle with one hand, did his best to save these two men with the other, but could not reach them. The Khán declared he could distinguish their red and blue jackets deep down in the water. Vais Khan gave Amir Sayyid Ali five presents — one for each [of the following] acts. (I.) He had given his horse to the Khan and had himself remained on foot. (II.) He had seized the Kalmák. (III.) He had used him as a shield for a whole farsákh. (IV.) He had brought the Khan fully armed and mounted across the River Ailah. (V.) Although he had hold of the Khan, he twice stretched out his hand to save the drowning men. The Khan then added: "I know that the Amir has such strength that if one of my cousins had been able to seize him by the hand, the Amir would have saved him too, and brought him across the water." In consideration of these five actions, he gave the Amir five Aimaks as a reward. 1. Turkat. 2. Hibat Shira Sut. 3. Uzbeg, a tribe of Khotan. 4. Darugha, also a tribe of Khotan. 5. Kukanit, also a tribe of Khotan. Sultan Vais Khan had another combat with Isan Taishi, in the vicinity of Turfan, and was again defeated and taken prisoner.
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Isan Taishi said [to Vais Khan, on his being brought before him] : "This time I will only set you free, on your giving me your sister Makhtum Khanim, as a ransom." There being no help for it, Makhtum Khanim was given to him, and the Khan was set at liberty. It is commonly reported that the Khan had sixty-one engagements with the Kalmaks : once only was he victorious ; on every other occasion he was put to rout. (But God alone knows the truth.) I have frequently heard from Maulana Khwaja Ahmad that the Khan was a very powerful man, and that he used, every year, to go hunting wild camels in the country round Turfan, Tarim, Lob and Katak, which places I have spoken of in the Second Part. When he killed a camel he would skin it with his own hands, and take the wool to his mother Sultan Khatun ; the Khatun would spin it and make it into shirts and breeches for him, which he wore with sumptuous robes outside. In Turfan water is very scarce, and it was the Khan himself who irrigated the land. He did not get his water from any stream, but having dug a deep well, drew from it a supply of water for irrigation. Khidmat Maulana told me the following story of his uncles, who used to say: "We have often seen the Khan, during the hot season, with the help of his slaves, drawing water from the well in pitchers [kuzak], and pouring it himself over the land." His agriculture was carried out on such a small scale, that the produce of it never attained the value of an ass's load ;
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but this served him for a yearly supply of food. He was a disciple of Maulana Muhammad Kashani, who was a disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Hasan (may God perfume his tomb), and Khwaja Hasan was a disciple of Hazrat Kutb-i-Masnad Arshad Khwaja Bahauddin Nakhshband (may God bless his spirit). Being a king did not prevent Vais Khan from passing his time in such studies [as theology]. During the reign of this prosperous Khan, Amir Khudaidad went on a pilgrimage to Mekka. Moghul records state that Amir Khudaidad raised six Khans to the Khanship, "with his own hand." They were as follows: — Khizir Khwaja Khan (whom we have mentioned), Sham-i-Jahan Khan, Nakhsh-i-Jahan Khan, Muhammad Khan, Shir Muhammad Khan, and lastly Vais Khan.