The Book of Akbar 276.3

276.3

From the ruin of his understanding,—the fruit of ingratitude,—and notwithstanding reverses, each of which might have guided him to the highway of auspiciousness,—he did not submit himself to a master so gracious and forgiving, when the dust of remorse and repentance should have covered his face and when he should have come, with shame and apology, to kiss the threshold and atone for his crimes,—but he, the destined pervert, went off to India for the purpose of presenting himself before Salim Khan, son of Sher Khan, (who in addition to inborn ingratitude, had his brain perturbed by the wine of insouciance and the ferment of pride), and to obtain from him auxiliaries for his disloyalty. Good God! what kind of reason had he to go to his deadly foe to compass the ruin of so great a friend? Why should he submit to indignities to this end? and wish him (Salim) to assist him to contend with his benefactor! To sum up; evil thoughts brought the Mirza to this, and with a few followers, he took the road to India. From the neighbourhood of the Khaibar, he sent Shah Budagh Khan to Salim Khan who was in Ban, a town of the Panjab. The Mirza’s ambassador arrived there and performed his mission. Salim Khan perceived that the success of the Mirza’s wishes was beyond his (Salim’s) power and therefore dissembled. He sent some money for expenses by the envoy and arranged that he (Kamran) should wait where he was, and he promised to send him help, and to assign him an income.