مسالك الابصار في ممالك الامصار 2.150-151

2.150

بعث هذا السلطان عسكر إلى بلاد مجاورة للدواكير في نهاية حدودها، وأهلها كفار، يدعى كل ملك منهم الرا [1] ، فلما نازله جيوش السلطان بعث يقول لهم، قولوا للسلطان أن يكف عنا، ومهما أراد من الملك يبعث له ما أراد من الدواب لأحمله له ، فبعث أمير الجيش يعرفه بما قال، فأعاد جوابه بأنه يكف عنهم القتال، ويؤمنه للحضرة معه، فلما حضر إلى السلطان أكرمه إكراما كثيرا، وقال له: ما سمعت مثل ما قلت، فكم عندك من المال حتى قلت إنا نبعث لك مهما أردنا من الدواب لتحملها؟ فقال: تقدمني سبع رآات [2] في هذه المملكة،

This Sultan sent an army to lands adjoining Dawākīr at the far end of its borders, whose people are infidels, each of their kings being called the Rā. When the Sultan's armies besieged him, he sent word to them: 'Tell the Sultan to leave us alone, and whatever wealth he wants, let him send me whatever beasts of burden he wishes and I will load it for him.' The commander of the army sent to inform [the Sultan] of what he had said, and he replied that he would cease fighting them and grant him safe-conduct to come to court with him. When he came before the Sultan, he honoured him greatly and said to him: 'I have never heard the like of what you said. How much wealth do you have, that you said we should send you whatever beasts we wished for you to load?' He said: 'Seven Rās preceded me in this kingdom,

I must add, that the inhabitants of India have the character of liking to make money and hoard it. If one of them is asked how much property he has, he replies, "I don't know, but I am the second or third of my family who has laboured to increase the treasure which an ancestor deposited in a certain cavern, or in certain holes, and I do not know how much it amounts to." The Indians are accustomed to dig pits for the reception of their hoards. Some form an excavation in their houses like a cistern, which they close with care, leaving only the opening necessary for introducing the gold pieces. Thus they accumulate their riches. They will not take worked gold, either broken or in ingots, but in their fear of fraud refuse all but coined money. The following information I derived from the Shaikh Burhanu-d dín Abu Bakr bin Khallál Muhammad Bazzí, the Súfi. The Sultan [Muhammad Tughlik] sent an army against a country bordering upon Deogír, at the extremity of that province. It is inhabited by infidels, and all its princes bear the title of rá [rái]. The reigning prince, finding himself pressed by the troops of the Sultan, made this communication: "Tell your master that if he will leave us at peace, I am ready to send him all the riches he can desire; all he has to do is to send me sufficient beasts to carry the sum he requires." The general sent this proposition to his master, and was ordered to cease hostilities, and to give the rái a safe conduct.

When the rái appeared before the Sultan, the latter heaped honours upon him, and said: "I have never heard the like of what you have proposed. What is the amount, then, of those treasures that you undertake to load with gold as many beasts of burden as we like to send?" The rái replied: "Seven princes have preceded me in the government of my kingdom. Each of them amassed a treasure amounting to seventy bains, and all these treasures are still at my disposal." The word bain signifies a very large cistern, into which there is a descent by a ladder on each of the four sides. The Sultan, delighted by this statement, ordered his seal to be put on these treasures, which was done. Then he ordered the rái to appoint viceroys in his dominions, and to reside at Dehli. He also invited him to turn Musulmán, but on his refusal he allowed him to adhere to his own religion. The rái dwelt at the court of the Sultan, and appointed viceroys to govern his territories. The Sultan assigned him a suitable income, and sent considerable sums into his territories to be distributed as alms among the inhabitants, seeing they were now subjects of the empire. Lastly, he did not touch the bains, but left them as they were, under seal.

2.151

جمع كل واحد منهم سبعين ألف بايين [1] ، (المخطوط ص 38) أموالا، وكلها عندي حاصلة، فقال: والباءين هو صهريج متسع جدا ينزل إليه بسلالم من أربع جهات، فأعجب السلطان مقاله، وأمر بأن يختم على الأموال باسمه، فختمت باسم السلطان، ثم أمر الرا بأن يجعل له نوابا من مملكته، ويقيم هو بنفسه في حضرته بدهلى، وعرض عليه الإسلام فإني أقره على دينه وأقام في حضرته وجعل له نوابا في مملكته وأجرى السلطان عليه ما يليق بمثله وبعث إلى ملك المملكة أموالا جمة فرقت على أهله صدقة عليهم لكونهم انتظموا في عديد رعاياه ولم يتعرض إلى البائينات [2] وإنما ختم عليها وأبقاها على حالها تحت ختمه وقد ذكرت هذا على ما ذكره البزي وهو معروف بالصدق والعهدة عليه والعائد فيها أن كان يعود فإليه.

each of whom amassed seventy thousand bāyīns of wealth, and all of it is held by me.' He said: The bāyīn is a very wide tank into which one descends by steps from four sides. The Sultan was pleased with his words and ordered the wealth to be sealed in his name, and it was sealed in the Sultan's name. Then he ordered the Rā to appoint deputies for him over his kingdom and to reside himself at his court in Delhi. He offered him Islam, but he refused, so he left him to his religion; he resided at his court and appointed deputies in his kingdom, and the Sultan granted him an allowance befitting one like him, and sent to the king's realm abundant wealth, which was distributed among its people as alms to them, since they had joined the ranks of his subjects. He did not touch the bāyīns, but only sealed them and left them as they were under his seal. I have recorded this as al-Bazzī related it; he is known for truthfulness, the responsibility for it rests with him, and whatever blame may attach to it falls on him.