58 THE TURKS IN DELHI heart and soul into TughriFs cause. " The first army sent against him was defeated, as much perhaps by gold as by steel, and many of the Delhi troops deserted to the enemy. Their unlucky general, Aptagin of the long hair, felt the full brunt of Balban's fury and was hanged at the gate of Oudh, to the indignation of the cooler heads among the people. A second expedition met with no better fate. Overwhelmed with shame and anger, the old Sultan himself led a third campaign. Leaving the marches over against the Mongols in the care of Prince Mo- hammad, and placing trusty deputies in charge of Delhi and Samana, he took his second son Bughra Khan with him, and crossing the Ganges made straight for Lakh- nauti, in total disregard of the rains which were then in season. Collecting a fleet of boats, and, when none were to be had, wading through mud and water under the torrential rain of the tropics, the army pushed slowly and steadily on to the eastern capital, only to find that Tughril, not daring to face the Sultan in person, had fled with his troops and stores toward the wilds of Jajnagar. " We are playing for half my kingdom, " said Balban, " and I will never return to Delhi, nor even name it, till the blood of the rebel and his follow- ers is poured out." The soldiers knew their master's inflexible mind, and resignedly made their wills. The pursuit was vain for some time; not a trace of Tughril or his army was to be found. At last a party of scouts fell in with some corn-dealers returning from the rebel's headquarters. Chopping off a couple of heads untied
