[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Storia do Mogor](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci) › [Storia do Mogor (Irvine)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine) › 186 # Storia do Mogor 186: I Seek Means of Flight, but Fail. Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 186 - **Language:** English ### I Seek Means of Flight, but Fail. ### [186.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.1) I did not wish to continue in the service of Shah 'Alam, for I did not feel happy living among Mahomedans. I saw that these campaigns would not soon come to an end, and thus I should be forced to wander here and there and everywhere with the prince's camp. I took my measures for flight, as was my intention. The first thing I did was to pray the ambassador from the Portuguese to wait for me with his galliot (armed boat). For when the prince started to march with his army I meant to get back to Goa with him (the envoy). He gave me his word that he would await me. Then I resolved to return the two thousand rupees given me by Shah 'Alam to enable me to march with the army. I did not want it said of me that Hakim Niculao fled after having received two thousand rupees. So I took them to Sultan Mu'izz-ud-din, Shah 'Alam's heir, and asked him to consent to holding the said two thousand rupees, as I had no place to put them. He ordered his eunuch to take charge of them. ### [186.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.2) I waited until the prince had set out, and then I made off, hoping to catch up the ambassador and his boat. But he had gone off to feast himself in the Dutch factory, and thus the attempt failed. When the prince knew of it, he fell into a great rage at my attempted flight, and ordered his foster-brother, Mir Muhammad, to whose charge he had committed me, to go off in search of me, and not to come back to his presence until he brought me with him. He sent an order to the commander of the fleet to proceed in search of me and carry me off by force or persuasion. For he declared unconditionally that he meant to keep me in his service. But he knew I was no lover of violence, so he sent to the seashore a caparisoned horse for me to ride, and an elephant, along with five hundred horsemen to escort me. This was all to do me great honour, but they were to seize me if they came across me. I was much affected when I did not find the ambassador in the boat. While I was waiting for him, I felt happy at having got away from the camp. Then the sentries reported to us how a galliot belonging to the Mahomedans was approaching. Putting my head to the window, I saw that it was Mir Muhammad, and thereby my courage at once evaporated. ### [186.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.3) He came aboard the envoy's boat, and earnestly entreated me to save his life ; for the prince would never see him until I went back to the camp and spoke with His Highness, who was waiting for me. While we were still in talk, the sentry said that all the Mahomedan army had come from Vingorla. Thus I lost all hope of being able to flee, and, entering Mir Muhammad's galliot, we went off to find the prince, who had already gone four leagues farther off. The commander of the fleet notified my arrival to the prince. But owing to the land route being closed by the enemy, who were plundering in all directions, thus causing great risk of the elephant's capture, which would be a disgrace ; he ordered them to embark the horses and the troopers told off to escort me, while the elephant was put aboard some other vessel. Thus we all went to a port distant two days from Vingorla, where the prince had gone to destroy a temple known as the White Pagoda, or of the Virgins. It was sent into the air by gunpowder. ### [186.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.4) The prince was pleased and happy at my return. Remonstrating lovingly with me, he said he did not know what was to happen to me. For he saw that I had no love for him or for his family. Other Farangis would adopt any and every method to find a prince who had for them a mere fraction of the interest he displayed in me. I replied that I fully admitted the love with which His Highness was pleased to favour me; but my expenses were heavy, nor did I deserve less pay than that given to the other physicians. Thus I could not continue to serve him. Besides this, his ministers and the officials made me wait a very long time for the little His Highness gave me. In this way while in his service I was expending my patrimony without benefit and with nothing but distress. ### [186.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.5) Before putting faith in this speech of mine, it is necessary for the reader to know my temperament, and he should in addition know the wonderful cures I had effected among the Mahomedans. Well might I talk thus, for I neither sought for, nor was I in need of, the prince's pay, and thoroughly content should I have been had he grown angry and said, 'Be off with you!' But he, instead of getting angry and expelling me, ordered, in my hearing, a guard of horse and foot to be put upon me, as he did not want me to escape again. Seeing thus how determined he was, I said I could not follow him, not having the necessary equipment; all my baggage was in Goa. On this account I prayed leave to visit Goa to fetch my things, and bid farewell to my relations. I pledged my word to come back within the term of seven days. He was reluctant to give me this leave, but in the end said he would grant it if I swore to come back again. I swore after the manner of Hindustan—that is, by the feet of His Highness—I would appear again. But he refused this oath, and called upon me to swear by the name of the Messiah, and that then he would place faith in my words and permit me to quit the royal camp. Finding he required this of me, I swore by the terrible, venerable, and admirable name of Jesus that I would be faithful to my promise. Then he granted me the leave, and conferred on me another set of robes (sarapa). ### [186.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.6) Though thus obliged to abandon Goa, which I had wished to serve to the utmost of my power, I resolved to seize the occasion for alleviating the great necessity from which it was then suffering. There was a famine from want of supplies, especially of wheat, of which there was none in Goa, not even enough to prepare the host. I asked the prince to let me have a cargo of wheat, his army being fully supplied. It was to be delivered at Goa on the account of the merchants, for I wished to confer this benefit on my intimates by way of a parting gift. My petition was acceded to, and embarking on the same vessel, I went to Goa, where the Portuguese were much pleased at the benefit I had gained for them from the prince, and the merchants acquired their profit. After two days I took leave of the viceroy and my friends, and returned to the royal camp, where the prince awaited me with great eagerness. ### [186.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.7) When I arrived I learnt that the prince was already prepared for the march, having completed the destruction of the White Pagoda and other edifices belonging to Sambha Ji. We took the road for Bardes once more, halting on the bank of that river. Shah 'Alam had given orders that everyone caught entering or leaving the camp at night should be beheaded without fail. This was to frighten the spies and hinder them from coming to pry about in the camp. It happened that they caught among others some Canarese who had come from Goa to sell fruit butter, et cetera, in the camp. Already they were on their way, early in the morning, to be beheaded, when my servants, hearing of this, informed me of the miserable plight of these Canarese. I therefore hurried to the prince, who was already on the march, and besought him for an order to release my people, who had carried me from Goa. He smiled and directed the release of the men for whom I had petitioned. Thus some men were released whom I had recognised to be Christians. After this we marched and climbed a mountain called Ramgat (? Ramghat), a league and a half of ascent. Here Sambha Ji might have killed the whole of us, for it was a place difficult to climb, with narrow paths passing through jungle and thorny scrub. But he did not choose to attempt it, and they said he was acting in collusion with Shah 'Alam. ### [186.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.8) But what Sambha Ji did not do by attacking us, God carried out by the pestilence which raged in the army with such violence that in seven days of its prevalence everyone died who was attacked — that is, about one-third of the army. Of this disease there died every day five hundred men ; nor was the mortality confined to men only — it extended to horses, elephants, and camels. This made the air pestilential \[228\], and it being a confined route, supplies also failed, and this was like encountering another enemy. For although, as I said, wheat was abundant, from this time there were no animals to carry it. Thus the soldiers had more than enough to undergo. Many of those whose horses died had no money to buy others, nor was there anyone in the camp ready to sell. They were thus forced to march on foot, and many died of the great heat and thirst they underwent. ### [186.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.9) Having reached the top of this pass, we marched for the kingdom of Bijapur. Several times we were watched on the march by the enemy, who, whenever occasion served, spared neither our baggage nor ourselves, plundering in all directions. Finally, we arrived at Aamadanaguer (Ahmadnagar), where, as I stated in the First Part of my History (I. 75), Chand Bibi caused golden and silver balls to be fired from her cannon, with an inscription that the ball should belong to the finder. Here we met the army of Aurangzeb, who was waiting for the rainy season to pass before venturing farther into the kingdoms of Bijapur and Gulkandah. During these marches and halts, it was observed that in the morning there were on the tents various scarlet imprints of hands. Everyone was in astonishment; we could never discover the signification of these imprints, unless it could be judged to be some witchcraft. For no one could climb so high as to make these hand-prints on the royal tents. ### [186.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186.10) On the conclusion of the rainy season the whole army removed to Sholapur. On reaching the outskirts of that place, which had already been taken by Aurangzeb from the King of Bijapur, the king ordered Shah 'Alam to proceed with Bahadur Khan to invade Gulkandah as a punishment for having allied itself to the King of Bijapur. Setting out on our march, we reached Malquer (Malkher) on the frontier of Gulkandah. There we found Mahamed Ebraim (Muhammad Ibrahim), a Persian, who had risen from oilman to the dignity of chief minister at Gulkandah. XX. Sultan 'Azim-ud-din, Second Son of Shah 'alam. To the lucky fortune of the famous Mir Jumlah he united the same treasonable practices, for he subsequently betrayed his king, as by reading farther will be seen (II. 231). To start with, he did not fail, however, in proving himself a valiant soldier, planting from time to time one on our ribs. Nevertheless, it was revealed by his style of fighting that he did not mean to exert all his force, for he could have punished us much more than he did \[229\]. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.186) · Pramāṇa