Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/31

 THE CAPTURE OF DAIBUL 9 advice respecting the future. Letters were written every three days. One day a reply was received to this effect: " Fix the manjanik, and shorten its foot, and place it on the east; you will then call the manjanik- master, and tell him to aim at the flagstaff, of which you have given a description in your letter. " So he brought down the flagstaff, and it was broken; at which the infidels were sore afflicted. The idolaters advanced to the combat, but were put to flight; ladders were then brought and the Mussulmans scaled the wall. The first who gained the summit was a man of Kufa, of the tribe of Murad. The town was thus taken by assault, and the slaughter lasted three days. The governor of the town, who had been appointed by Dahir, fled, and the priests of the temple were massa- cred. Mohammad marked out a place for the Mussul- mans to dwell in, built a mosque, and left four thousand Moslems to garrison the city. Ambissa ibn Ishak az-Zabbi, the governor of Sind, in the caliphate of Mu'tasim bi- Allah, knocked down the upper part of the minaret of the temple and con- verted it into a prison. At the same time he began to repair the ruined town with the stones of the min- aret; but before he had completed his labours, he was deprived of his office and was succeeded by Harun ibn Abi Khalid-al-Maruruzi, after which he was slain there. Mohammad ibn Kasim then went to Nirun, the inhabitants of which had already sent two Samanis, or priests, of their town to Hajjaj to treat for peace. They furnished Mohammad with supplies, and permitting