40 IIISTOIIV OF INDIA, [Book I,
AD. CGI. purpose of carrying ofF the wouu-n, whose beauty was in iiigli repute, it) julorn the Arabian liarems; but no land expedition deserving of nr)tiai t^jok phice till
Kirstapiiear- 664, wlien i)art of an Arab force which had penetrated from Merv t<^> Ca>K>o!,
Aral* in and gained, it is said, 1 2,000 converts, wfis despatched t^> explore the lower part of the Punjab. This detachment, under the command of Mohalib, who aft<;r- wards figured as a wan*ior in Persia and Arabia, forced its way into Mooltan, and returned with numerous captive.s. The next expedition was on a greater scale, and led to more permanent results. An Arab siiip had been seized at Dewal, a .seaport of Scinde. Restitution was demanded, but Rajah Dahir, who.se territories are said to have included Mooltan and all Scinde, together with some adjacent plains, endeavoiired to evade compliance, by pretending that Dewal was not subject to his authority. The Arabs, thus refused redre.ss, determined to compel it, and, with this view, sent a body con.sisting only of 1000 infantry and 300 horse. It was altogether inadequate, and perished. Exasperated at the failiu-e, Hejaj, governor of Bussorah in 711, despatched a regular force of 6000
Mohame.1 mcu, uudcr the command of his nephew Mohamed Casim, who, though only a ^^™" youth of twenty, possessed great military talents, and after siuroounting all difficulties, encamped under the walls of Dewal. The siege commenced with an attack on a celebrated pagoda contiguous to the town, and inclosed by a high wall of hewn stone. In addition to the Brahmins who XLSually occupied it, it had a strong garrison of Rajpoots. The defence was resolute, and might have been successful, had not Casim learned that the safety of the place was conceived to depend on a flag which was flying from a tower. Acting on this information, he directed all his engines against the flag, and had no sooner struck it dovn, than the resistance became so feeble as to make his entrance easy. With barbarous fanaticism he circumcised all the Brahmins, as a fir.^Jt step to their conversion, and on finding it ineffectual, put all the males above seventeen to death, and made slaves of the women and childreiL The capture
His capture of Dcwal itsclf soon foUowed, and Casim continued his victorious progress, taking in succession, Nerun (the modern Hyderabad), Sehwan, and a fortress called Salim. A more formidable resistance was, however, in preparation; and the arrival of the rajah's eldest son at the head of a strong force, reduced him to the necessity of acting on the defensive. This continued, till the arrival of 2000 Persian horse gave him once more the superiority; and he began to advance on Alor, the capital, which was situated in the north of Scinde, near the modern Bukkur.
Hissubi^- The rajah himself being now, as it were, brought to bay, determined to
make a final stroke for his kingdom, and appeared at the head of an ai-my of 50,000 men. Casim again stood on the defensive, and skilfully compensated for inferiority of numbers by the strength of his position. The rajah, advancing boldly to the attack, was wounded by an arrow, and at the same time the elephant on which he was mounted, being struck by a fireball, rushed oflT in
queiit coil- quests.
