द्वितीय राजतरङ्गिणी (जोनराज - कल्हणोत्तर मध्यकालीन कश्मीर का प्रामाणिक इतिहास)

288 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
citizens who had come to see the battle were excited
with feelings of heroism. The sound of the kettle drum
was first heard in the house of the king at night, and
then in the camps of the Saidas and of the Kashmīrians.
Many of the citizens' wives who had gone to fetch
water on both banks of the river, were pierced with
arrows from the engines, and killed. Not a day
passed in which two or three heroes were not struck
with arrows and carried in a dying state from the banks
of the river to their own homes. Every day was terrible
on account of conflagrations by fire, destruction caused
by soldiers, and other calamities. The soldiers used
indecent words and gestures, and said what should not be
uttered. They talked of mischief arising out of mutual
enmity between the king, the Saidas and the Brāhmaṇas
and they abused one another, and used languages which
should not be used. They were now surrounded on all
sides by Daulatasīha and others from Kashṭavāṭa; by the
gentle Salhaṇahaṁsa and others, sons of king Shāhi-
bhaṅga; by some chiefs from Pañchagahvara who were
related to the king of Sindhu; by the Khashas; the mle-
chchhas, and other people. The people of Kashmīra, on
account of disunion among themselves, had called in
armies from several quarters, but as they did not know
the ulterior motives which these armies had in view,
and they became very much alarmed. At this time a
shouting star with many heads was seen conspicuously
one evening in the sky, darting in a flame from north