Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/236

 194 TIMUE'S ACCOUNT OF HIS INVASION admittance to Burhan Aghlan and on no account allow him to enter my presence; for it is the decree of God Most High that if twenty true believers engage boldly and steadily in fight with ten times the number of infidels they shall prevail against them, and yet Bur- han Aghlan, with ten thousand men under his com- mand, was put to rout and flight by a small number of infidels, exposing Mussulmans to disgrace and death. On the other hand, I loaded honours and benefits on Mohammad Azad, who, with only four hundred men, had fought a valiant action against the greatly superior numbers of the unbelievers. I exalted his rank above his fellows and gave him a regiment, nor did I omit to shower my princely favours on his companions in victory/ Timur next proceeds to describe, step by step, the conquests made by his invading host as it fought its way toward Delhi. When he reached the historic field of Panipat, he prepared for the decisive battle which should place the capital city in his hands. His own description follows. ' For my intended attack on Delhi in this same year 800 A. H. (1398 A. D.), I arranged my forces so that the army extended over a distance of twenty leagues. Be- ing satisfied with my disposition of the troops, I began my march on Delhi. On the twenty-second of Rabi'-al- awwal (Dec. 2) I arrived and encamped at the fort of the village of Aspandi, where I found, in answer to my inquiries, that Samana was seven leagues distant. The people of Samana and Kaithal and Aspandi are