THE SHAH ADVANCES AGAINST HERAT. 297 voured in vain to dislodge them. The Oozbegs of Khiva collected their forces, and opened communication with the Affghans of Herat, for the purpose of arranging measures in concert with the Turkomans for their mutual defence. The Shah lingered for many weeks in the vicinity of Astrabad, and the dearth of food in his camp became so great that the soldiers plundered even the provisions destined for the use of the king. The Turkomans were in the meantime ever on the watch to cut off Persian stragglers, and their light horsemen kept alive a perpetual alarm in the Persian camp from dusk till daylight. The want of success which attended the operations of the Shah on the banks of the Goorgan, could not fail to raise the spirits of the Affghans of Herat ; whose final reply to his Persian Majesty was that they were ready to make him a present, but that they would give no hostages for their future good be- haviour, and that if the king were not contented with this answer, he was at liberty to advance to the attack of Herat. But insuperable obstacles presented themselves to the fulfilment at this time of the intentions which the Shah had so often avowed, and towards the end of the year he was forced to return discontented to Tehran. In the following year the Shah once more set out to the eastward. He mustered his army at Bostan, where it was found to consist of about 8,000 effective infantry and 1,500 cavalry. Four battalions and thirty guns had been sent on in advance to Sebzewar. The government of Herat, on hearing of the king's approach, left no means unused for preparing for the defence of that city. The whole of the provisions to be found in the country were removed into the fortresses, and the forage which
