Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12


soaked in honey.
Once more Aljai passed among them,
this time not to return. Timur led a
white Arab charger over the carpets,
Smooth-paced horse of racing blood, silk
caparisoning hanging over its saddle
down to the ground Upon the charger
he lifted Aljai, and led her away to his
own pavilion.
THERE is no doubt that from his
twentieth to his twenty-fourth year
Messire Timur found life very good in
deed. He made home for Aljai out of
a wing of the tenantless white clay
palace of the Green City. He adorned
the dwelling after his own taste, with
the carpets, the silver and tapestry work
that was the fruit of his soldering. His
father gave him the family cattle and
pasture rights.
Amir Kazgan appointed him Ming
bashi, commander of a thouSand-col-
onel of a regiment, we would say. Kaz-
gan, a Judge of warriors, allowed Timur
and his thousand to lead the advance
of the army.
often along the Samarkand road
Timur would ride to his home day
ahead of the main body, the white dust
rising about his horses in the moon
light, to greet Aljai and to make ready
/ feast for the lords that came behind
him. He relished the splendor of these
banquets in the water garden of the
Green City. When Aljai bore him q
son, Timur named the boy Jahangir-
the world gripper-and summoned all
the amirs of the King Maker to a
festival.
Timur was absent when his protector,
Kazgan, was put to death. The King
ToIy Ind h &c
hunting, and was still south Of the
river unarmed with a few followers,
when two chieftainS who cherished a
grievance against him attacked KaZgan
and shot him down with arrows. Timur
heard of it and rode up in time to
carry the body back across the river
and bury it in the forest of Sail Sarai.
When a ruler died in mid-Asia his
son might take the throne only If the
late chieftain had left well founded
dominion and the son were able enough
to hold it for himself; otherwise, at
best, there would be council of the
great vaSSals and a new ruler chosen.
At the WorSt-more often than not
there would be q general struggle for
the throne and the strongest would
seize it. Out of the struggle Tinur
emerged victorious.
His followers waited eXpectantly to
see how he would receive the ENJOYS
sent to greet him-and to spy upon him
by his neighbors across the desert.
These neighbors were powerful and
had long profited by raiding the Tatars
during the years of anarchy. One, the
Stuff of Kharesm, lord of Khiva and
Nrganj and the Sea of Aral. remem-
bered Timur only as a Wanderer who
had struggled for life with the Turko-
man tribesmen in the red sands, but he
sent costly gifts, and Timur gave to his
envoy still richer presents, requesting
that Khan zade, the daughter of the
Stuff who was noted for beauty, should
be given as a wife to his son, Jahangir.
Friendly as this suggestion seemed, 1t
meant that Timur chose to look upon
the Stuff as his vaSSal.
IT have conquered Kharesm with the
sword" the Stuff sent response, land
only with the sword can it be won
from me-"
TIMUR moved against Urganj
= where the Stuff had taken refuge.
Here siege engines were needed. stone
casters and mangonels, and while they
were building a message came to his
camp from the Suf1
why destroy so many of our follow
ers? Let thou and decide our quarrel
|
| him be victor upon whose hand blood
runs from the sword channels"
The Sufi'S envoy named an hour for
the duel and place-the level ground
outside one of the main gates of the
city.
All of Tamur's amirs within hearing
protested instantly. Bayan, the son OF
: Bikiiuk cried out: Prince, it is now
| our task to fight; your place is the
fIn Nf -
and it is not fitting you should leave it."
All of them begged for permission to
| take his place in this contest, but Timur
| pointed out that the prince of KhareSfn
had challenged him, not an officer. To
| the envoy he announced that he would
be before the gate, alone.
Under the troubled eyes of his amirs
when the appointed time came, Timur
put on light link mail-his swordbearer
thrust the shield high on his left arm
and girdled the scimitar above his hips.
Timur placed the familiar black and
gold helmet on his head and shoulders
and limped out to his horse, supremely
happy.
Alone Timur trotted out of his camp
through the line of the siege engines,
already thronged with silent watchers,
across the intervening plain to the
closed gate of Urgani.
Say to thy lord, YuSsuf Suf1," he
called to the KhivanS who crowded the
gate towers, that the Amir awaits
him"
1t was a mad kind of daring, obsti-
nate and admirable. Timur, the Amir,
was still the lover of combat-too reck-
less to think of issues greater than his
own mood. Sitting so in the saddle of
his baby charger, Brown Lad. under a
hundred bows, waiting impatiently for
Id 30 tINn tnV1a
Timur, at once the greatness and the
failing of him.
Yussuf Sun never came forth. 'Timur