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97
clude this hasty treaty was the rebellion of Arsala Khan, an influential Mohmand Chief, who, taking advantage of Shah's absence in the north, declared his independence and successfully blocked the road between Kabul and Peshawar. The Shah left Balkh in the middle of winter when the Hindu Kush passes were all blocked with snow. He thereby experienced much hardship on the way. But the moment the Mohmand Chief got this news, he was so disheartened that he surrendered himself without striking a blow. Timur ordered him to be delivered to the tribesmen, with whom the chief was not on good terms. They instantly put him to death. This fact further alienated the people from the Shah.
In the spring of 1793, Timur fell ill on a journey from Peshawar to Kabul. He died before reaching his destination. His coffin was taken to Kabul and buried in the Bagh-i-Umumi (Public Garden), where his mausoleum stands to this day.
Timur was a weak ruler, not even the shadow of his illustrious father. His easy-going temperament was responsible for the beginning of the disintegration of the vast Empire founded by Ahmad Shah the Great.
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.