42 GHAZNI ATD GHOR mud and his successors that the later courts of Lahore, Agra, and Delhi were formed. It would be a mistake, however, to measure Mas'ud by his luxury and revels. He was no faineant son of his great father. His gener- osity won him the name of " the second Ali," and he was so brave that they called him " another Rustam," after the famous hero of the " Shah Namah." His father envied his strength, and it was said that he could A GARDEN' AT LAHORE. fell an elephant at a blow. No other man could wield his battle-axe. He excelled, moreover, as a patron of let- ters, and was himself an architect of skill, who adorned his country with noble buildings. He also took a pru- dent interest in his Indian possessions, and personally inspected the management of the Panjab. The viceroy who succeeded Ariyaruk proved even more ambitious. This Ahmad Niyaltagin had been Mahmud's treasurer and had accompanied him on all his journeys and knew the ways and plans of the late king. They called him Mahmud's " sneeze/* or alter ego. On his appointment
