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Chap. I V.J INVASION OF TAMERLANE. 95

Tamerlane now marched to Bhatneer, which was crowded with j^eople flying ad 1393. in terror from the siurounding districts. On his api)roach half of them were driven out of the town, and obliged to take shelter under the walls. After a Tamoriane'a short resistance from the governor, he forced his entrance, and committed so tioiw. many cruelties that the garrison, seeing the fate which awaited them, killed their wives and children in despair, set fire to the place, and, rushing out, sold their lives as dearly as they could, by killing some thousands of the iloguls. Tamerlane, in revenge, laid Bhatneer in ashes, after causing every soul in it to be massacred. Soorsooty, Futtehabad, Rajpoor, and other towns, were sub- jected to similar barbarities. These, however, were merely preludes to a more

general extermination.

Tamerlane's great object was Delhi, towards which he kept steadily advancing. Having at length advanced opposite to it, he crossed the river with only 700 horse, to reconnoitre. Mahmood Toghlak, then the pageant King of Delhi, and his minister, Mulloo Yekbal Khan, tempted by the smallness of his attendants, siege of sallied out with 5000 horse, and twenty-seven elephants. Notwithstanding their superiority in numbers, the Delhi troops were repidsed. A vast number of prisoners were in the Mogul camp, and some of them, on seeing Tamerlane attacked at a disadvantage, could not refrain from expressing their joy. The circumstance being reported to this cruel barbarian, he took his revenge by order- ing that all the prisoners above the age of fifteen shoiild be put to the sword. In this horrid massacre, nearly 100,000 men, almost all Hindoos, are said to have perished.

Having now forded the river with his whole army, Tamerlane encamped on the plain of Ferozabad. The King of Delhi and his minister again risked the encounter, but with the same result as before. The elephants, on which they mainly trusted, being, at the first charge, depriv^ed of most of their drivel's, turned back, and spread confusion in their own ranks. Tamerlane gave no time to rally ; and, following the fugitives u}) to the very gates of Delhi, ooiin

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thei'e fixed his head- (quarters. Consternation now spread over the city; and the king, instead of attein])ting to allny it, thought only of his own safety, and lleil in the direction of Gujerat. All idea of resistance being abandoned, the chief men of the city, crowding to the camp, made their submission, and Tamer- lane was formally proclaimed emperor. A heavy contribution having been ordered, some difiiculty was found in levying it. On this pretext, a body of soldiers were sent into the city, and immediately commenced an indisci'iminate plunder. It had continued for five days before Tamerlane was even aware of it. He had remained outside in the cjimp to celebrate a festival in honour of his victory, and the first intimaticm of the proceedings in Delhi was given him when he saw it in flames ; fi)r the Hindoos, in despair, had murdered their wives and children, set fire to their houses, and then rushed out to perish by the sword. A general massacre ensued, and some streets became impassable from heaps of