the sultan and his secretary, accompanied by 20 horsemen, took their stand on a hill opposite the city. A detachment marched out against them and surrounded the hill, and they saw destruction staring them in the face. The secretary stepped forward and called out to the Indians, who asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Maḥmūd,” he answered.
“You are the one we are after,” they replied.
He said, “Here I am in your hands. I have a number of your kings; I will ransom myself with them, bring them before you, and submit to your judgment.”
They rejoiced and said, “Then bring the kings (1).”
He turned to a young man and said, “Go to my son and inform him of my situation.” Then he added, “No—you are not fit for the mission.” He turned instead to Maḥmūd and said, “Go; you are intelligent and faster.”
When Maḥmūd had crossed a river, some of his soldiers met him and dismounted. Those watching from the citadel saw this and asked the secretary, “Who is your messenger?”
He replied, “That is the sultan—I have ransomed him with my own life; do with me as you please.”
The news reached Bīdā, who was delighted and said, “Excellent! Intercede for us with your sultan.” The secretary concluded a truce with them, and al-Maimandī’s prestige with Maḥmūd increased even more, to the point that Maḥmūd married his brother Yūsuf to Zuleikha, al-Maimandī’s daughter. Later, however, he arrested al-Maimandī and confiscated his wealth because he had tried to poison Maḥmūd. He exacted from him 1,000,000 dinars and an indescribable amount of gifts and treasures—after torture. Al-Maimandī was released after Maḥmūd’s death and served as vizier to Masʿūd.
Two nisnās (half-human creatures) were brought to Maḥmūd in Ghazna from the desert of Balāsīghūn, the realm of Qadr Khan. The nisnās runs as swiftly as a horse; it has the form of a human, yet its body is covered with hair, its speech is a whistle, and it feeds on grass. The people of those lands hunt them and eat their flesh.