The Book of Akbar 263: Assignment of the village of Carkh to His Majesty The Shahanshah, and the prognostications therefrom of the far-seeing.

263

At this time, when, by God’s help, Kabul had become the seat of the thrones of sovereignty and the spot irradiated by the lights of the Khilafat, the village of Carkh—which belongs to the tūmān of Lahūgar,—was assigned to His Majesty the Shahanshah. The enlightened drew an omen from this mysterious gift, and beat the drum of rejoicing high o’er the nine spheres (carkh). His Majesty gave to Hājī Muhammad the office of household-administrator (wakālat-i-dārkhāna, mayoralty of the palace), which is a very great post,—and bade him mend his ways. But as, owing to his narrow understanding, he was intoxicated with his courage and proud of his reputation, evil thoughts continually held him in the prison of affliction (ghamm), and he was always ungrateful and showing improper desires. His Majesty Jahānbānī, from his lofty nature and a tolerance which was boundless, used to pass this over; for the excellent principle of this ruler was that the plant of the human life,—which is the product of the Divine workmanship and the fruit-bearing growth of the garden of fate,—should not be pulled up for every defect, especially in the case of one who was distinguished among his equals for wisdom or courage or for any other fine quality. But that evil-constituted wretch thought, in his folly and wrong-headedness, that this was a weakness (in Humāyūn), and so made it an incitement to still greater madness; while His Majesty always winked at such conduct and loaded him with favours. At this auspicious time, His Majesty continually kept open the gates of justice and distributed favours upon which the administration of the terrene and terrestrials depends, and knit together the distractions and dispersions of the time.
M. Kamran, after his defeat, went off from the village of Ushtargram in the most wretched circumstances,—such as were the just result of his ingratitude and the fruit of his oblivion of benefits,—with eight followers (viz., Aq Sl., brother of Khizr Khw. Khan, Baba Sa'id Qibcaq, Tamar Tash atga, Qatlaq Qadam, 'Ali Muhammad, Jogi Khan, Abdal, and Maqsud qurci),—by way of Dih-i-sabz, and joined the Afghans. M. Hindal, Haji Muhammad Khan, Khizr Khw. Khan and the others who had gone in pursuit, did not exercise proper diligence and returned. The Afghans blocked the Mirza’s path and plundered him, and he, fearing lest he should be recognized, shaved all the hair from his face (car zarb zada) and came, disguised as a qalandar to Malik Muhammad of Mandraur, one of the leading men of the Lamghanat, who recognized old obligations and tended him. M. Kamran was not in the least awakened by all those disasters,—every one of which was, in the eyes of the wise, a strong whip of warning and of arousing from the sleep of negligence,—but again stretched himself out in slumber. A number of soldiers who had the form of men but neither the heart to perceive what was right nor the eye to feel shame and who were always practising sedition and treachery, gathered round him.
When this news came to the sublime camp, the market of hypocrites grew brisk and the loyal were distressed. At such a time as this, when the flame of sedition and strife had become tongued, Haji Muhammad Khan went off to Ghaznin without leave. His Majesty Jahanbani, from desire to temporize and also from his perfect appreciation (of the man), regarded this disgraceful proceeding as love of opposition (? nazjang) and did not approve of it. He appointed Bahadur