Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/384

 328 SOME INCIDENTS OF SHAH JAHAN'S KEIGN Shkardu, the first place of importance in Tibet and on this side of the Nilab (Indus). Upon the summits of two high mountains ALL Rai, father of Abdal, the pres- ent lord of the marches of Tibet, had built two strong forts, the higher called Kaharphucha and the lower Kahchana. Each of them had a road of access like the neck of a reed or the curve of a talon. The road of communication between the two was on the top of the mountain. Abdal shut himself up in the fort of Ka- harphucha, but placed his minister and general manager in the fort of Kahchana and sent his family and prop- erty to the fort of Shakar, which stands upon a high mountain on the other side of the Nilab. After examining the height and strength of the for- tresses, Zafar Khan was of the opinion that it was inex- pedient to invest and attack them; but he saw that the military and the peasantry of Tibet were much dis- tressed by the harsh rule of Abdal and he resolved to win them over by kindness. He then sent a detachment to subdue the fort of Shakar and to make prisoners of fche family of Abdal. The whole time which the army could keep the field in this country was not more than two months, for if it remained longer, it would be snowed up. He accordingly sent Mir Fakhr-ad-din with four thousand men against the fort of Shakar, while he him- self watched the fort in which Abdal was. He next sent Hasan, the nephew of Abdal, with some other men of Tibet who had entered the imperial service, and some landholders of Kashmir, who had friendly rela-