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 74 THE HOLY WAKS OF ISLAM pearls, amounted to nearly three thousand thousand dirhams, and the number of prisoners may be imag- ined from the fact that each brought from two to ten dirhams. These were afterwards taken to Ghazni, and merchants came from distant cities to purchase them, so that the countries of Mawara-an-nahr, Irak, and Khorasan were filled with them, and the fair and the dark, the rich and the poor, were commingled in one common slavery. After an expedition against the Afghans, Sultan Mahmud again turned toward Hind with his bold war- riors, whose greatest pleasure was to be in the saddle, which they regarded as their throne; while they deemed hot winds refreshing breezes and the drinking of dirty water seemed pure wine, so prepared were they to undergo every kind of privation and annoyance. When Mahmud arrived in that country, he granted quarter to all those who submitted, but slew those who opposed him. He obtained a large amount of booty before he reached a river known by the name of Rahib. It was very deep, and its bottom was muddy like tar used for anointing scabby animals. The feet of the horses and camels sank deeply into it, so that the men took off their coats of mail and stripped themselves naked before crossing it. Puru Jaipal was encamped on the other side of the river, as a measure of security in consequence of this sudden attack, with his warriors dusky as night and with his elephants all caparisoned. He showed a deter- mination to resist the passage of the Sultan, but at night