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had to take refuge in Chora among the hill-tribes. Even in these hours of distress and poverty Shuja never lost hope of his final victory.
Meanwhile, Mahmud found himself confronted with a serious uprising of the Ghilzais. Gathering a large force, they stationed a small guard behind to check the royal forces of Kandahar from attacking them in the rear, while the main body of Ghilzai's advanced on Kabul. On their way they beseiged Ghazni, but finding it impregnable, they left a small force to hold the beleagured army, and marched on Kabul via the Lohgar Valley (1802).
Shah Mahmud was in no way prepared to meet the insurgents. The major portion of his army had gone to Peshawar to fight Shuja. Hurriedly a force of three to four thousand men was collected and entrusted to Sher Muhammad Khan (Mukhtarud-daula), who was at time undergoing rigorous imprisonment on a charge of high treason. At Sijawand, not far from Baraki Rajan in the Lohgar Valley, Sher Muhammad Khan attacked the Ghilzais, who were at least twenty thousand in number. Ill-armed and undisciplined
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.