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investigations, it became clear that, nine years be-
fore, a caravan had been attacked at this place by a
band of highwaymen, and plundered of their pro-
perty, a part of which remained still in the hands of
the guilty. At last it was recovered from the mur-
derers, and restored to the heirs of the slain who
were in Khorasan.

It is said that, when an army of the Moghuls was
occupied with the siege of the fort of Imbdl, in which
were the mother and several women of the king of
Khararem, nobody had ever given information that
the garrison was distressed for want of water. Al-
though a quantity of rain-water was collected in the
reservoirs, so that during years they had no need of
spring-water, yet at the time when the Moghuls
were encamped before the place to reduce it, no rain
had fallen, and one day not a drop of water remained
in the reservoirs; the next day the women of the
Turks and Nas er eddin, with thirsty lips, compelled
by necessity came down to surrender; but at the
very moment that they arrived at the foot of the fort,
and the army of the Moghuls entered it, a heavy
rain began to pour down, so that the water ran out
from the ditches of the fort. When this intelligence
was brought to the Sultan Muhammed, sovereign of
Ivharazem, he become insensible, and when he re-
covered his senses, he died without being able to
utter a word.