Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/222

 182 TIMUR'S ACCOUNT OF HIS INVASION is spread over all the world, it certainly must have reached him also. The great king has appointed me to the government of those provinces which lie on the borders of Hindustan, and has commanded: ' If the rulers of Hindustan come before me with tribute, I will not interfere with their lives, property, or king- doms; but if they are negligent in proffering obedience and submission, I will put forth my strength for the conquest of the realms of India. At all events, if they set any value upon their lives, property, and reputa- tion, they will pay me a yearly tribute; and if not, they shall hear of my arrival with my powerful armies. Farewell. ' 11 When the ambassador reached the presence of Sa- rang at Multan, he was treated with great respect and consideration; but in reply to his letter, Sarang said: ' It is difficult to take an empire to your bosom, like a bride, without trouble and difficulty and the clashing of swords. The desire of your prince is to take this kingdom with its rich revenue. Well, let him wrest it from us by force of arms if he be able. I have numer- ous armies and formidable elephants, and am quite prepared for war.' With these words he dismissed the ambassador. " When this unsatisfactory answer was brought back to me, I issued immediate orders for the armies to assemble from all quarters, together with those nobles who were in my province, such as Amir Baikal Kan- dahari, and other amirs and soldiers. I made prep- arations for the invasion of Hindustan, plundering and