The Memoirs of Bābur 910.1.1

910.1.1

910 AH.-JUNE 14TH 1504 TO JUNE 4TH 1505 AD.[667] (_a. Bābur leaves Farghāna._) In the month of Muḥarram, after leaving the Farghāna country [Sidenote: Ḥaidarābād MS. Fol. 120.] intending to go to Khurāsān, I dismounted at Aīlāk-yīlāq,[668] one of the summer pastures of Ḥiṣār. In this camp I entered my 23rd year, and applied the razor to my face.[669] Those who, hoping in me, went with me into exile, were, small and great, between 2 and 300; they were almost all on foot, had walking-staves in their hands, brogues[670] on their feet, and long coats[671] on their shoulders. So destitute were we that we had but two tents (_chādar_) amongst us; my own used to be pitched for my mother, and they set an _ālāchūq_ at each stage for me to sit in.[672] Though we had started with the intention of going into Khurāsān, yet with things as they were[673] something was hoped for from the Ḥiṣār country and Khusrau Shāh's retainers. Every few days some-one would come in from the country or a tribe or the (Mughūl) horde, whose words made it probable that we had growing ground for hope. Just then Mullā Bābā of Pashāghar came back, who had been our envoy to Khusrau Shāh; from Khusrau Shāh he brought nothing likely to please, but he did from the tribes and the horde.