Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/198

 162 MOHAMMAD TAGHLAK AND FIROZ SHAH tories of Hind and those of China, so that the passage for horses and soldiers and the march of the army might be rendered easy. To effect this object a large force, under distinguished commanders and generals, was sent to the mountain of Kara-jal, with orders to take it. In obedience to imperial command, the army marched into the hills and encamped in various places, but the Hindus closed the passes and cut off its re- treat. The whole force was thus destroyed at one stroke, and out of all this chosen body of men only ten horsemen returned to Delhi to spread the news of the disaster/ From these ill-advised measures, as described by Barani, we may easily understand how the sixteen years of Mohammad Taghlak's reign were a succession of uprisings, insurrections, and rebellions down to the time of his death, in 1351, near Thatta on the banks of the Indus. His successor was Firoz III, or Firoz Shah, sometimes called Firoz the Builder. Firoz Shah, unlike his predecessor, enjoyed a long and prosperous reign of nearly forty years (1351 - 1388 A. D.). Abounding in good works, loved by his people, and rejoicing in his own piety, he advanced his kingdom in every way that he could. His munificent rule was described by contemporary Mohammedan writers, but, in addition to these records, we have a brief outline of the more important " Triumphs " of his reign, written by Firoz Shah himself. This interesting little memoir, covering about thirty pages, has been translated into English by Professor