DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5827#0184
150 LIVES OF THE MOGHUL EMPERORS.
him to seek refuge within the fort. Many desperate
encounters took place under the walls ; and Shah
Ismael, finding that the siege was likely to be pro-
tracted to a great length, affected to retire towards
Persia. " Sheebany Khan followed him with twenty-
five thousand men; but had scarcely passed a river
about two miles from Merv, when Shah Ismael, who
threw a body of horse into his rear, broke down the
bridge and fell upon him with seventy thousand
cavalry. The regulated valour of the Kezzelbashes, or
Red-bonnets, a name given to the Persian soldiers,
speedily prevailed. Sheebany Khan was defeated,
and his retreat cut off. He was forced to fly, attend-
ed by about five hundred men, chiefly the sons of
sultans, the heads of tribes, and men of rank, into an
enclosure which had been erected for accommodating
the cattle of travellers and of the neighbouring pea-
sants. They were closely pursued and hard pressed.
The enclosure had only one issue, which was attacked
by the pursuers. The khan leaped his horse over the wall
of the enclosure towards the river, but fell and was soon
overlaid and smothered by the numbers who followed
him. After the battle, his dead body was sought for, and
disentangled from the heap of slain by which it was
covered. His head was cut off and presented to Shah
Ismael, who ordered his body to be dismembered and
his limbs sent to different parts of his kingdom. The
skin of the head was stripped off, stuffed with hay,
and forwarded to Sultan Bayezid, the son of Sultan
Mohammed of Ghizny, the Turkish emperor of Con-
stantinople. His skull, set in gold, the king used as
him to seek refuge within the fort. Many desperate
encounters took place under the walls ; and Shah
Ismael, finding that the siege was likely to be pro-
tracted to a great length, affected to retire towards
Persia. " Sheebany Khan followed him with twenty-
five thousand men; but had scarcely passed a river
about two miles from Merv, when Shah Ismael, who
threw a body of horse into his rear, broke down the
bridge and fell upon him with seventy thousand
cavalry. The regulated valour of the Kezzelbashes, or
Red-bonnets, a name given to the Persian soldiers,
speedily prevailed. Sheebany Khan was defeated,
and his retreat cut off. He was forced to fly, attend-
ed by about five hundred men, chiefly the sons of
sultans, the heads of tribes, and men of rank, into an
enclosure which had been erected for accommodating
the cattle of travellers and of the neighbouring pea-
sants. They were closely pursued and hard pressed.
The enclosure had only one issue, which was attacked
by the pursuers. The khan leaped his horse over the wall
of the enclosure towards the river, but fell and was soon
overlaid and smothered by the numbers who followed
him. After the battle, his dead body was sought for, and
disentangled from the heap of slain by which it was
covered. His head was cut off and presented to Shah
Ismael, who ordered his body to be dismembered and
his limbs sent to different parts of his kingdom. The
skin of the head was stripped off, stuffed with hay,
and forwarded to Sultan Bayezid, the son of Sultan
Mohammed of Ghizny, the Turkish emperor of Con-
stantinople. His skull, set in gold, the king used as