e in a
mosque, where two of Timur's most distinguished generals rushed in
upon them at the head of five hundred soldiers; and, as the amiable
historian tells us, 'sent to the abyss of hell the souls of these
infidels, of whose heads they erected towers, and gave their bodies
for food to birds and beasts of prey'. Being at last tired of
slaughter, the soldiers made slaves of the survivors, and drove them
out in chains; and, as they passed, the officers were allowed to
select any they liked except the masons, whom Timur required to build
for him at Samarkand a church similar to that of Iltutmish in old
Delhi.

He now set out to take Meerut, which was at that time a fortified
town of much note. The people determined to defend themselves, and
happened to say that Tarmah Shirin, who invaded India at the head of
a similar body of Tartars a century before,[48] had been unable to
take the place. This so incensed Timur that he brought all his forces
to bear on Meerut, took the place, and having had all the Hindoo men
found in it _skinned alive_, he distributed their wives and children
among his soldiers as slaves. He now sent out a division of his army
to murder unbelievers, and collect plunder, over the cultivated
plains between the Ganges and Jumna, while he led the main body on
the same _pious duty_ along the hills from Hardwar[49] on the Ganges
to the west. Having massacred a few thousands of the hill people,
Timur read the noon prayer, and returned thanks to God for the
victories he had gained, and the numbers he had murdered through his
goodness; and told his admiring army that a religions war like this
produced two great advantages: it secured eternal happiness in
heaven, and a good store of valuable spoils on earth--that his design
in all the fatigues and labours which he had undertaken was solely to
render himself _pleasing to God_, treasure up _good works_ for his
eternal happiness, and get riches to bestow upon his soldiers and the
poor. The historian makes a grave remark upon this invasion: The
Koran declares that the highest glory man can attain in this world is
unquestionably waging a successful war in person against the enemies
of his religion (no matter whether those against whom it is waged
happen ever to have heard of this religion or not). Muhammad
inculcated the same doctrine in his discourses with his friends; and,
in consequence, the great Timur always strove to exterminate all the
unbelievers, with a vie