Storia do Mogor 354.10.3

354.10.3

There lived in Madras a Dutch Jew called Abendana, who owned a rare kind of ape. Dã,úd Khãn heard of this animal, and by the intervention of the governor obtained possession of it. The new owner made it over to one of the men in his household, but a few days after he had received charge it was found one morning lying dead. Unable to control his feelings at what was to him such heart-rending news, Dã,ud Khãn was so overcome by anger that he caused the servant who was in charge to be bound and put to death [176] by driving a stake into his anus until it came out at his neck. Not being yet appeased, he ordered the ears to be cut off of the man who had to attend to the lights in the room occupied by the ape. The first man was punished for not reporting the illness of the ape, and not finding any medicine to treat it with, or taking any other steps to save its life. The second man's punishment of having his ears removed was for not hearing the groans made by the animal, caused by the pain of its complaint, or, if he did hear them, for not making a report to his master. In addition, he ordered the house where the ape died to be destroyed by fire; it stood in front of his audience-hall.