Muntakhab al-tawarikh 71.11

71.11

The son of this man Haidar Tuni was an arrant coward and spiritless; accordingly in the months of the year 985 H. he had entered the service of Humayun; one day he was describing the circumstances of a journey by boat and its terrors, in such a way that the effects of fear were evident from his behaviour. I asked saying, May be you regret having gone on the Hajj? and I repeated as appropriate to the occasion that verse which his rivals said to the poet Qudsi. From the hardships of the desert path, and its thorns, Of the coming to the Ka‘bah you are probably repentant. He replied instantly, “Yea! verily.” The king said, why should he repent of having visited the Ka‘bah, though he may indeed repent of sitting in a ship. At that same moment Mathin Kitan, the elegant and accomplished mime, in accordance with a hint from the king, made himself up to represent a mad man bitten by a dog, and began to bark like a dog, and seized Haidar, and dragged him forward with his turban flying one way and his shoes another. He began running in all directions, till at last he rolled on the ground, and set them all laughing immoderately. When he learned the truth he was desperately ashamed. The king attempted to console him, but it ended by his being obliged to leave Hindustan. Another is Shah Tahir Khwandi Dakkani, the younger brother of Shah Ja‘far;