The Book of Akbar 253.4

253.4

At this time, Sher Muhammad Pakna—one of the personal attendants (yasawalan) killed a leopard with an arrow and presented it. Husain Quli muhrdar, represented that the Turks regarded it as unlucky to kill a leopard when on an expedition, and said that, at the time when Bairam Ughlan made him prisoner and brought him before Kistan Qara, the ruler of Balkh, and they were making preparations in Jajaktu and Maimana for marching to Herat, someone killed a leopard and for this reason the expedition was stayed. His Majesty paid no heed to this story, and held firmly to his resolution of going to Balkh. Next day the advance force arrived at Aibak. Pir Muhammad Khan, the ruler of Balkh, had sent his guardian, Khw. Bagh and a number of experienced men such as Bāqī M., Husain Sa‘īd Bai, Muhammad Quli M. and Jujak M. to guard Aibak and provide for its defence. They reached it at about the same time as the imperial army and had no resource but to enter the fort of Aibak and secure themselves there. His Majesty arrived and set himself to take the fort and distributed the batteries. In two or three days the garrison asked for quarter and came out and did homage and Aibak fell into the hands of the imperial servants.