The Book of Akbar 388: CHAPTER XXXVI.

388

Verse. For protection a dervish’s old skirt Is stronger than hundreds of Alexander’s Walls.
Now that this preface has been set forth give ear to me with a mind unstained by the fog of capriciousness. In the town of Bahraich is the grave of Salar Mas‘aūd Ghāzī who was one of the martyrs of the armies of Ghaznīn. It is a custom in India for the people to make flags of various colours and convey them along with numerous presents to that place. Accordingly a large contingent starts from Agra for this rendezvous and keeps awake for several nights in the neighbourhood of the city. There is a great concourse, and both the good and the bad assemble there. Abūl Fazl, the writer of this auspicious record, one day heard from the sacred lips of His Majesty the Shāhinshāh that on one night when there was a very large assemblage of this kind near Agra he according to his excellent habit crossed over to it under a special disguise. He was contemplating the various sorts of humanity when “suddenly a vagabond recognised me and said so to others. When I became aware of this I without the least delay or hesitation rolled my eyes and squinted, and so made a wonderful change in my appearance. In a sense that they could not imagine I was a spectator and was observing the ways of destiny. When those good folks looked at me they, on account of the change in my appearance, could not recognise me, and said to one another, ‘These are not the eyes and features of the king.’ I quietly came away from them and went to my palace.” In telling the story His Majesty imitated the disguise he had assumed, and so made our wonder the greater. In fact it was a very strange performance.
One of the blessed influences of the sublime Khedive at this time was that which occurred while he was hunting in the neighbourhood of Agra. A jackal attacked a fawn and the weak was about to be injured by the strong. The fawn’s mother saw what had happened and fell into the net of perturbation. She summoned up her courage and ran to the place, and boldly assailed the jackal several times. He had a bad time, and flung himself into a pond and so made water his fortress. When the ray of His Majesty’s attention was directed to this a shout arose from among the spectators. At this time, while the standards were pitched at Agra, though in appearance he inclined to various forms of sport and especially to the hunting with leopards, which is one of God’s wonders, and made them the veil of his beauty, yet he constantly engaged in State affairs, in the conquering of countries, in promoting and exalting the loyal, and in casting down the evil-minded and the insincere, and in testing every one’s merits, and in furthering and checking those according thereto. He did not leave untouched the smallest minutiae of business. At length the news arrived of the infatuation of the Khan Zaman, and he turned the rein of his intent towards the hunting of that country and determined to proceed thither.