The Memoirs of Bābur 910.7
The Bābur-nāma in English (A. S. Beveridge) 910.7
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910.7.1
Zurmut is another _tūmān_, some 12-13 _yīghāch_ south of Kābul and 7-8 south-east of Ghaznī.[832] Its _dārogha's_ head-quarters are [Sidenote: Fol. 139b.] in Gīrdīz; there most houses are three or four storeys high. It does not want for strength, and gave Nāṣir Mīrzā trouble when it went into hostility to him. Its people are Aūghān-shāl; they grow corn but have neither vineyards nor orchards. The tomb of Shaikh Muḥammad _Muṣalmān_ is at a spring, high on the skirt of a mountain, known as Barakistān, in the south of the _tūmān_. Farmūl is another _tūmān_,[833] a humble place, growing not bad apples which are carried into Hindūstān. Of Farmūl were the Shaikh-zādas, descendants of Shaikh Muḥammad _Muṣalmān_, who were so much in favour during the Afghān period in Hindūstān. Bangash is another _tūmān_.[834] All round about it are Afghān highwaymen, such as the Khūgīānī, Khirilchī, Tūrī and Landar. Lying out-of-the-way, as it does, its people do not pay taxes willingly. There has been no time to bring it to obedience; greater tasks have fallen to me,—the conquests of Qandahār, Balkh, Badakhshān and Hindūstān! But, God willing! when I get the chance, I most assuredly will take order with those Bangash thieves.
910.7.2
One of the _bulūks_ of Kābul is Ālā-sāī,[835] 4 to 6 miles (2-3 _shar`ī_) east of Nijr-aū. The direct road into it from Nijr-aū leads, at a place called Kūra, through the quite small pass which in that locality separates the hot and cold climates. Through this pass the birds migrate at the change of the seasons, and at those times many are taken by the people of Pīchghān, one of the dependencies of Nijr-aū, in the following manner:—From [Sidenote: Fol. 140.] distance to distance near the mouth of the pass, they make hiding-places for the bird-catchers. They fasten one corner of a net five or six yards away, and weight the lower side to the ground with stones. Along the other side of the net, for half its width, they fasten a stick some 3 to 4 yards long. The hidden bird-catcher holds this stick and by it, when the birds approach, lifts up the net to its full height. The birds then go into the net of themselves. Sometimes so many are taken by this contrivance that there is not time to cut their throats.[836] Though the Ālā-sāī pomegranates are not first-rate, they have local reputation because none are better there-abouts; they are carried into Hindūstān. Grapes also do not grow badly, and the wines of Ālā-sāī are better and stronger than those of Nijr-aū. Badr-aū (Tag-aū) is another _bulūk_; it runs with Ālā-sāī, grows no fruit, and for cultivators has corn-growing Kāfirs.[837] (_f. Tribesmen of Kābul._)
910.7.3
Just as Turks and (Mughūl) clans (_aīmāq_) dwell in the open country of Khurāsān and Samarkand, so in Kābul do the Hazāra and Afghāns. Of the Hazāra, the most widely-scattered are the Sulṯān-mas`ūdi Hazāra, of Afghāns, the Mahmand. (_g. Revenue of Kābul._) The revenues of Kābul, whether from the cultivated lands or from tolls (_tamghā_) or from dwellers in the open country, amount to 8 _laks_ of _shāhrukhīs_.[838] [Sidenote: Fol. 140b.] (_h. The mountain-tracts of Kābul._) Where the mountains of Andar-āb, Khwāst,[839] and the Badakh-shānāt have conifers (_archa_), many springs and gentle slopes, those of eastern Kābul have grass (_aūt_), grass like a beautiful floor, on hill, slope and dale. For the most part it is _būta-kāh_ grass (_aūt_), very suitable for horses. In the Andijān country they talk of _būta-kāh_, but why they do so was not known (to me?); in Kābul it was heard-say to be because the grass comes up in tufts (_būta, būta_).[840] The alps of these mountains are like those of Ḥiṣār, Khutlān, Farghāna, Samarkand and Mughūlistān,—all these being alike in mountain and alp, though the alps of Farghāna and Mughūlistān are beyond comparison with the rest.
910.7.4
From all these the mountains of Nijr-aū, the Lamghānāt and Sawād differ in having masses of cypresses,[841] holm-oak, olive and mastic (_khanjak_); their grass also is different,—it is dense, it is tall, it is good neither for horse nor sheep. Although these mountains are not so high as those already described, indeed they look to be low, none-the-less, they are strongholds; what to the eye is even slope, really is hard rock on which it is impossible to ride. Many of the beasts and birds of Hindūstān [Sidenote: Fol. 141.] are found amongst them, such as the parrot, _mīna_, peacock and _lūja_ (_lūkha_), the ape, _nīl-gāu_ and hog-deer (_kūta-pāī_);[842] some found there are not found even in Hindūstān. The mountains to the west of Kābul are also all of one sort, those of the Zindān-valley, the Ṣūf-valley, Garzawān and Gharjistān (Gharchastān).[843] Their meadows are mostly in the dales; they have not the same sweep of grass on slope and top as some of those described have; nor have they masses of trees; they have, however, grass suiting horses. On their flat tops, where all the crops are grown, there is ground where a horse can gallop. They have masses of _kīyik_.[844] Their valley-bottoms are strongholds, mostly precipitous and inaccessible from above. It is remarkable that, whereas other mountains have their fastnesses in their high places, these have theirs below.
910.7.5
Of one sort again are the mountains of Ghūr, Karnūd (var. Kuzūd) and Hazāra; their meadows are in their dales; their trees are few, not even the _archa_ being there;[845] their grass is fit for horses and for the masses of sheep they keep. They differ from those last described in this, their strong places are not below. The mountains (south-east of Kābul) of Khwāja Ismā`īl, Dasht, Dūgī (Dūkī)[846] and Afghānistān are all alike; all low, scant of vegetation, short of water, treeless, ugly and good-for-nothing. Their people take after them, just as has been said, _Tīng būlmā-ghūncha_ [Sidenote: Fol 141b.] _tūsh būlmās_.[847] Likely enough the world has few mountains so useless and disgusting. (_h. Fire-wood of Kabul._)
910.7.6
The snow-fall being so heavy in Kābul, it is fortunate that excellent fire-wood is had near by. Given one day to fetch it, wood can be had of the _khanjak_ (mastic), _bīlūt_ (holm-oak), _bādāmcha_ (small-almond) and _qarqand_.[848] Of these _khanjak_ wood is the best; it burns with flame and nice smell, makes plenty of hot ashes and does well even if sappy. Holm-oak is also first-rate fire-wood, blazing less than mastic but, like it, making a hot fire with plenty of hot ashes, and nice smell. It has the peculiarity in burning that when its leafy branches are set alight, they fire up with amazing sound, blazing and crackling from bottom to top. It is good fun to burn it. The wood of the small-almond is the most plentiful and commonly-used, but it does not make a lasting fire. The _qarqand_ is quite a low shrub, thorny, and burning sappy or dry; it is the fuel of the Ghaznī people. (_i. Fauna of Kābul._)
910.7.7
The cultivated lands of Kābul lie between mountains which are like great dams[849] to the flat valley-bottoms in which most villages and peopled places are. On these mountains _kīyik_ and _āhū_[850] are scarce. Across them, between its summer and winter quarters, the dun sheep,[851] the _arqārghalcha_, have their regular track,[852] to which braves go out with dogs and birds[853] to take them. [Sidenote: Fol. 142.] Towards Khūrd-kābul and the Sūrkh-rūd there is wild-ass, but there are no white _kīyik_ at all; Ghaznī has both and in few other places are white _kīyik_ found in such good condition.[854] In the heats the fowling-grounds of Kābul are crowded. The birds take their way along the Bārān-water. For why? It is because the river has mountains along it, east and west, and a great Hindū-kush pass in a line with it, by which the birds must cross since there is no other near.[855] They cannot cross when the north wind blows, or if there is even a little cloud on Hindū-kush; at such times they alight on the level lands of the Bārān-water and are taken in great numbers by the local people. Towards the end of winter, dense flocks of mallards (_aūrdūq_) reach the banks of the Bārān in very good condition. Follow these the cranes and herons,[856] great birds, in large flocks and countless numbers. (_j. Bird-catching._)
910.7.8
Along the Bārān people take masses of cranes (_tūrna_) with the cord; masses of _aūqār_, _qarqara_ and _qūṯān_ also.[857] This method of bird-catching is unique. They twist a cord as long as the arrow's[858] flight, tie the arrow at one end and a _bīldūrga_[859] at the other, and wind it up, from the arrow-end, on a piece of wood, span-long and wrist-thick, right up to the _bīldūrga_. They [Sidenote: Fol. 142b.] then pull out the piece of wood, leaving just the hole it was in. The _bīldūrga_ being held fast in the hand, the arrow is shot off[860] towards the coming flock. If the cord twists round a neck or wing, it brings the bird down. On the Bārān everyone takes birds in this way; it is difficult; it must be done on rainy nights, because on such nights the birds do not alight, but fly continually and fly low till dawn, in fear of ravening beasts of prey. Through the night the flowing river is their road, its moving water showing through the dark; then it is, while they come and go, up and down the river, that the cord is shot. One night I shot it; it broke in drawing in; both bird and cord were brought in to me next day. By this device Bārān people catch the many herons from which they take the turban-aigrettes sent from Kābul for sale in Khurāsān.