The Successors of Genghis Khan - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian ...

THE SUCCESSORS OF GENGHIS KHAN
together by Chingiz-Khan. How should we not rebel and turn against
him?" And in that winter most of them departed. And when spring
came around, dearth and famine appeared in Almaliiq. The soldiers
gave their horses wheat instead of barley, and as they did not eat
their fill of grass, they all perished. Many of the people of Almaliiq
died of starvation, and the survivors sought refuge from the tyranny and
oppression of the soldiers in the Court of God and raised their hands
[in] supplication [and] prayer. One day Ar'iq Boke was carousing and
making merry when a whirlwind suddenly sprang up, ripped the
thousand-pegged audience tent, and broke the supporting pole, with
the result that a number of people were hurt and wounded. The
ministers and emirs of his court took this occurrence as an omen
predicting the decline of his fortune. They abandoned him altogether
and dispersed on all sides, so that Ar'iq Boke and Asutai were left
alone with only a small force and knew for certain that their condition
of distress was due to the curses of the destitute people who had lost
their lives in that dearth and famine. And what doubt can there be of
this, seeing that many great houses have been destroyed by the sighs
of the oppressed?
Truly the sigh of an oppressed person in the morning is worse than an
arrow or a quarrel or a javelin.
At that time Uriing-Tash, the son of Mongke Qa'an, was in Mongolia
near the Altai on the river which they call Jabqan Moren.62
When the commanders of thousands arrived in that region they sent a
message to him, saying: "We are going with our armies to the Qa'an.
What doest thou advise in this matter?" Uriing-Tash approved and
joined them. And he sent a messenger to Ariq Boke and asked for his
father's great jade tamgha,63 which he had in his possession. Ar'iq
Boke sent it to him, and he departed with the commanders of thousands
to wait upon the Qa'an.
As for Alghu, when he learnt of Ari'q Boke's weakened position
he set out to attack him. Learning of his intention and knowing he
was close at hand, Ariq Boke dismissed Orghana Khatun, together
with Mas'ud Beg, and sent her to Alghu, in order that his violence
might be abated. [Alghu] married her and, in order to set her mind
62 The modern Dzabkhan. 63 See Glossary.
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