The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-01

1
| AGAINST them, she was finally taken prisoner
by q rebel governor named Atuniya Qaso).
Even then, like another Cleopatra, she
captivated her captor. and became his
| queen, and the two set forth TO regain her
throne. One Of her surviving brothers
however, had been already proclaimed In
her stead: her army was beaten: and Faziya
and her husband, deserted by thor troops,
fed into the jungles and were killed
The Mongols, who hitherto had left
| Hind stan undisturbed. now menaced II;
they had massacred the inhabitants OF
Lahore In December 1874. and presently
established themselves on the Upper Indus
with every appearance OF permanent con-
quest. At this juncture another remark
able slave came 70 the rescue Of tho State.
| This was Balkan, q native OF Turkistan,
who, as a child, had been kidnapped or
taken prisoner. and brought to India, where
he was purchased by Altamish. The story
runs that the Sultan refused. ut first, to
buy him, because Of his shortness and ugli-
ness. Master Of the world cried the
slave, for whose sake have you bought
| these other servants'' For mine own.
said Altamish, laughing Then buy me
Tor the sake OF Cod said Balkan. so
1 De ", 6dlO tn6 ouit6I anu tic bBy c'.'N
was Get among the water bearers. he
soon showed that he was ftted for better
things, rose to distinguished offices. and
| was enrolled In the famous corps OF Inc
Forty slaves who were the bodyguaros
Of Altamish and Of his children. BY i2+s
Balkan had become the governor OF an
| important province. and when the Mon
gols under Mangu Khan pushed their way
| across the Indus, 1t was mainly due to his
strenuous efforts that the army OF Delhi
accumulated their defeat. For upward
of twenty years he continued Loyalty to
serve the scholaTlike and gentle Nasir-
| ad din, the third son OF Altamish, and,
| after his masters death, stepped into his
place. The energetic Minister became
an implacable king. He suppressed with
an iron hand the forays OF the hillmen who
terrified the suburbs OF Delhi; and he secured
the jungles about the capital, and. at
sacrifice OF 900 men, turned haunt
Of bushrangers into a peaceable agricul-
tural district. By building forts In dis
turbed sections and establishing Afghan
earrisons In blockhouses. he freed the roads
from the brigands who had practically
closed them. sixty years have passed
since then,- says the chief authority for
this reign, but the roads have ever since
been free from robbers Firm also war
his treatment OF the Turkish landholders.
who we're assuming hereditary rights.
and Threatened q barons' war He was
with diffa,uty induced TO mitigate the whole
sale appropriation OF the Turkish khans
| which he at one time contemplated. His
absorbing preoccupation, however, was
the danger Of q Mongol invasion, to avert
which he organized and disciplined his army
10 the highest point Of efficiency. To help
us TO realize the terror inspired by the Mon
| eo,s in the thirteenth century, our author
| quotes q description Of them from the
writing. Of poet who lived at court under
the patronage OF Balpan's son. He de-
picts the 1atar infia.s a. riding OF cam
els, with bodies Of steel and faces like hre.
sits OF eyes sharp as gimlets, short necks'
leathery, wrinkled cheeks. wide hairy
nostrils and huge mouths. their coarse
skins covered with vermin and emitting
| horrible emell.'
In the iattsr years OF Balban's life the
province Of Bengal revolted, and two at
tempts made by his GeneraE, to subdue
It failed. Ultimately the aged Baiban
himself led an army against the rebellious
governor, defeated and killed him, and then
inflicted an awful vengeance upon the benga-
lese capital IAkhnauti. Old men told Hin
doc chronicler half century later that such
punishment a. was inflicted on Lakhnauti
had never been heard Of in Delhi, nor could
any one remember such thing In all Hin
dostan.- The effect Of the massacre was
such that. although at Delhi the house OF
Balkan did not survive his death three
years, ak Of his descendants ruled In Bengal
for more than half a century.
| III.
In 1900. on the death Of Balban's grand
,on. the Turks lost control Of the throne Of
Delhi. which passed to an Afghan dynssy,
belonging to the clan OF khaljts, named
after the Afghan village of Khalj. which,
though probably Of Turkish origin, had
become Afghan in character. 1t 10 TO be
noted a characteristic Of the adaptability
OF the Indian people that. although the
Turks had been foreigners and their rule
had been anything but oonciliatory. their
supersession was resented a. . wsn,on
innovation. Conservative 10 everything,
the Hindoo cherishes even his oppres sors
Nevertheless, the Khalji dynasty lasted
thirty yearp, and included six soversieiS
among them was one great ruler whose
| Telkn OF tWctty yVo'r 'o''ce~~
fully TO tho extension OF the Moslem dom
inIon In India. We refer TO Aa-ad-din.
who, by the murder OF HE rncle. acquired
the throne in i?ss. He had previously
won great glory by his conqucsts In the
Deccan. Hitherto the utmost stretch OF
the Kingdom OF Delhi had b~sn a. We have
said, across the plains from the Indus
70 Bengal. and from the HiuSsisyas to
the vindhya Mountains. No Mohsmmsdan
ruler had veniured TO cross the Nsrbads
River and the sstpma Hills into the great
plateau Of Southern India -Aahsrsshtxs. the
land Of tbs M.rsthss. tbs ssat " ancient
monarohies and a strange tonguss. In
1904. however. Als-ad-din hsd forosd his
way through the forests Of the Ninhyas
range and carried his troops ssven hun
drsd miles 20 DevsSiri. the capital VI the
Asssshs hsjs. which 10 toot and piliAesd
II ~ss from ths treasures Won ~ this oasn'
psign that the eoaqvsref procured the
'xoldsn stare whioh lighted his road 10
Delhi
| Lbs usy 10 the south thus ope1ed Sss