and the courage of a bear, which strikes with every limb; the head-long charge of a wild boar, never turning his back; the raiding craft of a wolf—if thwarted on one flank, he attacks from another; in bearing arms, like the ant that carries more than its own weight; as un-shakeable as solid rock; in endurance, like a donkey; in sheer brazenness, like a dog—were its quarry to dash into a blaze, it would follow it in; and in seeking the right moment, like a rooster.

Ghunjar said: I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Khālid al-Muṭṭawiʿī say, “I heard Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Muṭṭawiʿī al-Bukhārī say, ‘I heard Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās relate:

“I used to correspond with Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq al-Surmārī. He once wrote to me: ‘If you plan to go to the land of Ghuzayya to buy captives, write and let me know.’ I did so, and he arrived in Samarkand; we set out together. When Jaʿbawayh heard of our coming, he rode out with a contingent of his army to meet us, and we stayed with him.

“One day he reviewed his troops. A man rode past, and Jaʿbawayh magnified him and bestowed a robe of honor upon him. Al-Surmārī asked me about him, and I said: ‘He is a duellist, reckoned the equal of a thousand horsemen.’

“Al-Surmārī said, ‘I shall take him on.’

“I kept silent. Jaʿbawayh asked, ‘What is this man saying?’ I replied, ‘He says he wishes to meet him in single combat.’ Jaʿbawayh said, ‘Perhaps he is drunk and unaware, but tomorrow we shall ride.’

“The next morning they mounted. Al-Surmārī rode out with an iron club concealed in his sleeve, positioned himself opposite the champion, and advanced. Aḥmad then feigned retreat, drawing the man far from the army, wheeled round, struck him with the club, and killed him. He then pursued Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās, who had gone on ahead, and caught up with him.

“When Jaʿbawayh learned of this, he dispatched fifty picked horsemen after him. They overtook him, but he stood firm, hiding beneath a mound until they had all ridden past, one (1) after another. Then he struck at them from behind with his club until he had killed forty-nine. He seized the last man, cut off his nose and ears, and released him to carry the news.

“Two years later Aḥmad passed away. When Ibn Shammās went to arrange the ransom of captives, Jaʿbawayh said to him, ‘Who was that man who killed our horsemen?’”