[Footnote23:Sherefeddinonlysaysl。iii。c。13thattheraysofthesetting，andthoseoftherisingsun，werescarcelyseparatedbyanyinterval；aproblemwhichmaybesolvedinthelatitudeofMoscow，the56thdegree，withtheaidoftheAuroraBorealis，andalongsummertwilight。ButadayoffortydaysKhondemirapudD\'Herbelot，p。880wouldrigorouslyconfineuswithinthepolarcircle。]
III。WhenTimourfirstproposedtohisprincesandemirstheinvasionofIndiaorHindostan，^24hewasansweredbyamurmurofdiscontent:\"Therivers!andthemountainsanddeserts!andthesoldierscladinarmor!andtheelephants，destroyersofmen!\"Butthedispleasureoftheemperorwasmoredreadfulthanalltheseterrors；andhissuperiorreasonwasconvinced，thatanenterpriseofsuchtremendousaspectwassafeandeasyintheexecution。HewasinformedbyhisspiesoftheweaknessandanarchyofHindostan:thesoubahsoftheprovinceshaderectedthestandardofrebellion；andtheperpetualinfancyofSultanMahmoudwasdespisedevenintheharemofDelhi。TheMogularmymovedinthreegreatdivisions；andTimourobserveswithpleasure，thattheninety—twosquadronsofathousandhorsemostfortunatelycorrespondedwiththeninety—twonamesorepithetsoftheprophetMahomet。BetweentheJihoonandtheIndustheycrossedoneoftheridgesofmountains，whicharestyledbytheArabiangeographersTheStonyGirdlesoftheEarth。
Thehighlandrobbersweresubduedorextirpated；butgreatnumbersofmenandhorsesperishedinthesnow；theemperorhimselfwasletdownaprecipiceonaportablescaffold—theropeswereonehundredandfiftycubitsinlength；andbeforehecouldreachthebottom，thisdangerousoperationwasfivetimesrepeated。TimourcrossedtheIndusattheordinarypassageofAttok；andsuccessivelytraversed，inthefootstepsofAlexander，thePunjab，orfiverivers，^25thatfallintothemasterstream。
FromAttoktoDelhi，thehighroadmeasuresnomorethansixhundredmiles；butthetwoconquerorsdeviatedtothesouth—east；
andthemotiveofTimourwastojoinhisgrandson，whohadachievedbyhiscommandtheconquestofMoultan。OntheeasternbankoftheHyphasis，ontheedgeofthedesert，theMacedonianherohaltedandwept:theMogulenteredthedesert，reducedthefortressofBatmir，andstoodinarmsbeforethegatesofDelhi，agreatandflourishingcity，whichhadsubsistedthreecenturiesunderthedominionoftheMahometankings。^!Thesiege，moreespeciallyofthecastle，mighthavebeenaworkoftime；buthetempted，bytheappearanceofweakness，thesultanMahmoudandhisviziertodescendintotheplain，withtenthousandcuirassiers，fortythousandofhisfoot—guards，andonehundredandtwentyelephants，whosetusksaresaidtohavebeenarmedwithsharpandpoisoneddaggers。Againstthesemonsters，orratheragainsttheimaginationofhistroops，hecondescendedtousesomeextraordinaryprecautionsoffireandaditch，ofironspikesandarampartofbucklers；buttheeventtaughttheMogulstosmileattheirownfears；andassoonastheseunwieldyanimalswererouted，theinferiorspeciesthemenofIndia