The Institutes of Akbar 330.6

330.6

His contingent consisted of 3000 picked troopers. Neither in the reign of Akbar, nor that of Jahángír, did he build a palace for himself. He always lived as if on the march. He paid his contingent personally, little caring for the noise and tumult incident to such offices. One of his best soldiers, an Afghan of the name of Sher Khan, had taken leave in Gujrát, and rejoined after an absence of six years, when Sh. Farid was in Kalānūr on his march to Kangrah. The Shaikh ordered Dwārkā Dās his Bakhshī, to pay the man his wages, and the Bakhshī wrote out the Descriptive Roll, and gave the man one day’s pay. But Farid got angry, and said, “He is an old servant, and though he comes rather late, my affairs have not fared ill on account of his absence; give him his whole pay.” The man got 7000 Rs., his whole pay for six years. “Night and day,” exclaims the author of the Maāsir, “change as before, and the stars walk and the heavens turn as of old, but India has no longer such men. Perhaps they have left for some other country!”