Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/141

 RAZIYA ADVANCES AGAINST HER FOES 107 Shortly afterward, Malik Aybek Bahtu died, where- upon Malik Kutb-ad-din Hasan Ghori was appointed to his office and was ordered to march against the fort of Rantambhor. The Hindus had laid siege to this for- tress after the death of Shams-ad-din, and had beleaguered it for some time, but when Kutb-ad-din arrived, he drew the Mussulman forces out of the fort and destroyed it, after which he re- turned to Delhi. About this time Malik Ikhtiyar-ad- din Itigin was appointed lord chamber- lain, and Amir Jamal-ad-din Yakut, the Abyssinian superintendent of the sta- bles, was made a personal attendant of her Majesty, an act which created jeal- ousy among the Turkish nobles. The Sul- tan Raziya now threw off the dress and veil of women. She put on a coat and cap, and showed herself among the peo- ple, so all men saw her openly as she rode on her elephant. She now ordered an army to march to Gwa- lior, and sent with it rich gifts. As there was no possibility of resistance, Minhaj-as-Siraj, the well- wisher of the victorious government, and the author of this book, together with Majd-al-Umara Zia-ad-din Junaidi, chief justice of Gwalior, and other principal officers, came out of the fort of Gwalior on the first of Sha'ban, 635 A. H. (Feb., 1238 A. D.), and proceeded to the Court of Delhi. In the month of Sha'ban of the A MOHAMMEDAH WOMAN.