Storia do Mogor 130.3

130.3

Hidden from the beggars, he listened, and heard the blind man launch into praise of the wine's fine colour. Ja'far Khan said : ' Behold, your Majesty, the blind man with a cup or two inside him can already see !' Another beggar, the armless one, shouted abuse at the blind man, telling him to finish drinking. If he did not, he would thrash him and knock his teeth out. Then said Ja'far Khan to the king : ' Already has the cripple got back his arm.' In his impatience, the man without legs flew into a rage with the blind man, and said if he had not been seated he would give him a bellyful of kicks. This sufficed for Ja'far Khan to point out to the king that the legless man had got a foot, since he was going to give kicks. The unhappy poor man who had all his faculties but no cash, did not mean the comedy to end without his playing a part. Raising his voice above the others, he egged on his companion to thump and kick the blind man, saying he had money enough to settle for them with the magistrate. Ja'far Khan ended by joking, as it were, with the king, who gave him so little pay, and said : ' Now that the poor man has wine in his head he is become rich. And your Majesty will tell me after this not to drink wine ! For I have to be thus (? rich) if I am to serve your Majesty, who holds such a mighty empire.' The comedy was over, Aurangzeb laughed, and Ja'far Khan kept to his old habit.