Storia do Mogor 353.3.1

353.3.1

The old surgeon stayed on at the court without obtaining leave to depart. Then he decided on flight from Aurangābād for Daman. This he managed to do, but the end was not favourable. At the time I arrived at Sūrat orders had been received to catch the surgeon who had fled from the court. He was very easy to recognise, for he bore a knife-scar across his face from one ear to the other, due to a wound inflicted by one of his compatriots. I was then in Dihli newly from Persia. The governor, in his attempts to find the surgeon, learnt that a surgeon (that being I) had arrived from court. At once he sent off a messenger to my house, who informed me, on behalf of the governor, that I must at once appear in his presence. At the time I had fever, and the insolent fellow (they are all like that) would not take my excuses, or accept the complimentary message that I sent to the governor, whose name was Cartalapan (Kãr-talab Khãn). The man spoke with great rudeness, and made as if he meant to take me away by force. At this movement I lost patience, and, getting to my feet, I laid hold of him, gave him several shoe strokes, and threw him downstairs. Thus beaten as he was, he returned to the presence of the governor with outcries, making out [84] a little more than he had suffered. As the governor was a cautious man he sent a person of standing, making over to him the letter from the court, in which was entered the mark on the face as a means of recognising the surgeon.