"‘Umar, son of Hafs, son of ‘Usman Hazarmard, was then appointed governor of Sind, and after him Daud, son of Valid, son of Hatim. There was with him Abu-1 Samma, who had been a slave of the tribe of Kanda, and who is now governor. The affairs of the frontier went on prosperously until Bashar, son of Daud, was appointed under the Khalifat of Mamun.19 He rebelled, and set up in opposition. Ghassan, son of ‘Abbad, who was a native of the neighbourhood of Kufa, was sent against him. Bashar proceeded to meet Ghassan under a safe conduct, and they both proceeded to the Muhammadan capital (Baghdad). Ghassan deputed Musa, son of Yahya, son of Khalid, son of Barmak, to the charge of the frontier. Musa killed Bala, king of Ash-sharki, although the latter had given him five hundred thousand dirhams to preserve his life. Bala was faithful to Ghassan, and wrote to him in the presence of his army, through the princes who were with him, but his request was rejected. Musa died in 221 A.H. (836 A.D.),20 leaving a high reputation, and he appointed his son ‘Amran as his successor. The Khalif M’utasim bi-llah wrote to him confirming him in the government of the frontier. He marched to Kikan against the Jats, whom he defeated and subjugated. He built a city there, which he called Al Baiza, “the white,”21 and he posted a military force there. Then he proceeded to Multan, and from thence to Kandabil, which city stands upon a hill. Muhammad, son of [p. 30] Khalil, was reigning there, but ‘Amran slew him, conquered the town, and carried away its inhabitants to Kusdar. Then he made war upon the Meds, and killed three thousand of them. There he constructed a band which is called “Sakru-l Med,” Band of the Meds. He encamped on the river at Alrur. There he summoned the Jats, who came to his presence, when he sealed22 their hands, took from them the jizya (capitation tax), and he ordered that every man of them should bring a dog with him when he came to wait upon him,-hence the price of a dog rose to fifty dirhams. He again attacked the Meds, having with him the chief men of the Jats. He dug a canal from the sea to their tank, so their water became salt; and he sent out several marauding expeditions against them."