Page:The Seven Cities of Delhi.djvu/258

The Seven Cities of Delhi At length intrigues resulted in the deposition of Abu Bakr and the proclamation of MAHOMED SHAH as king, but he died shortly fterwards, and was buried with his father. The next king,SIKANDAR SHAH, only reigned forty days, and then succumbed to a violent disorder in 1393. The death of this king found no definite claimant to the throne, and the nobles decided on Mahmud, son of the late Mahomed Shah. His power was visionary for a considerable time, and once he was actually shut out of, and had to lay siege to, his capital of Old Delhi. When he had reoccupied that city, intrigues lost him the city of Firozabad, where a rival king, NASR-UD-DIN NASRIT SHAH, was set up. For about four years the plains between these two cities were witness of frequent engagements, which remind one of revolutions in South American republics to-day. First one, then the other got the advantage, and a perfectly astonishing state of affairs prevailed, which would take too long to describe. At length there came on the scene a common enemy, the great Moghal leader, Timur,so well known to us as Tamerlane. The invading horde of Moghals crossed the Indus in A.D. 1398, and advanced without difficulty to Panipat. A little below this town Timur crossed the Jumna (probably at Baghpat), 200