792 AH, Thu, 02/02
And coincidently with this an occurence took place among the amirs and mamlūks ẓāhirīya imprisoned in the Treasury of the Privy Funds in the citadel. These prisoners had by chance planted and watered some onions seeds in two earthenware pots, and an onion shoot had sprouted in one of the pots but not in the other. They had then lifted up the pot in which the onion had not sprouted and found that there was a hole in the bottom of it and beneath the pot a cavity in the ground. They had worked at this cavity until they had widened it, and reached a subterranean passage. They proceeded through this passage until it led them up to the ʾAshrafī barracks, one of the old palaces of the citadel the gate of which, leading down to the Royal Stables, had been closed up by Minṭāsh.
Those who had walked through the passage then returned and reported to their companions, numbering about 500 men; and on the eve of Thursday, Ṣafar 2, having chosen Buṭā al-Ṭūlūtamurī al-Ẓāhirī as their leader, they all proceeded through the passage again and attacked the gate of the ʾAshrafī barracks, forcing it open. As they did so the watchmen stationed to guard the gate sprang upon them, striking and killing a mamlūk named Tamurbughā, who had been the first to emerge. Buṭā hastened to follow him, and a guard struck him as Tamurbughā before him had been struck, with a blow which fellef Buṭā to the ground; but Buṭā rose to his feet again and with his shackle struck the guard a blow which in turn threw his prostrate. The others them emerged; and shouting “Tukā, O Manṣūr”, similarly used their shackles as weapons and made for the Royal Stables.
Ṣarāy Tamur now awoke, and when he heard the mamlūks shouting “Tukā O Manṣūr” did not doubt that because of the hostility whivh had arisen between them Tukā was revolting against him and attemting to take him by surprise. In great fear he immediatly arose and went down from the Royal stables by way of the Gate of the Chain toward the house of amir Quṭlūbughā the chamberlain in the Rumayla Place near by.
Buṭā and his companions, having taken possession of the Stables, collected all of Ṣarāy Tamur’s effects, horses, and armes; he also seized the followers of Minṭāsh and liberated the imprisoned followers of al-Ẓāhir. Then he ttok possession of all the other horses in the Stables and immediatly ordered that the drums should be beaten, which was done. It was then about the first third of the night and the party remained a sthey were until the dawn of Thursday.