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 CHAPTER VII

KÁBUL

1504-1505

'Then it came into my mind,’ writes Bábar, 'that it would be better to depart out of Farghána, any whither, rather than go on staying thus without a foothold.' The last attempt to recover his kingdom had begun well, but ended in utter failure. The Uzbegs were now masters of the country; they had followed up the defeat of the Kháns by the execution of Tambal, and were about to drive Khusrau Sháh out of Hisár and Kunduz. Mawarannahr was no longer the place for any son of Tímúr. Northern Persia was still in the hands of Sultán Husain, who had throughout treated Bábar's overtures with unnatural coldness. There remained one chance. Ulugh Beg, Bábar's uncle, the King of Kábul, had died in 1501; his young son, 'Abd-ar-Razzák, had been deposed by a revolution; anarchy had followed, and a usurper, Mukím Beg, an Arghún Mongol from Kandahár, had seized the throne. A strong man of the royal blood might perhaps be able to assert the rights of the family. After some hesitation, Bábar resolved to try.