Storia do Mogor 354.5
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 354.5
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354.5.1
The charitable Christian lady, when she had brought up the child to the age of seven years, in the fear that he might be perverted sent him to France. When he had grown up he returned to India, and travelled from one part to another, earning his livelihood and living as a Christian, and he believed himself to be the son of the Christian lady who had brought him up. After some time the Mahomedan woman became a widow, and when at the point of death, remembering the charitable act done by the Christian, was secretly baptized by a Capuchin father, thus in this last extremity embracing the Catholic religion. Not many years after her death the Christian lady fell mortally ill. When she was dying she confessed publicly what I have above stated. It will have been already seen (V. 34) how Monsieur Bono [Bouynot] set out for Bengal on being appointed captain of the [Dutch] commissary's [captured] ship, the Phénix. He arrived safely at that port, and loaded his ship with a valuable cargo. In the month of November, 1705, he set sail, passing in front of the English and Dutch factories, flying at his masthead and poop a captain's flag of scarlet colour. He passed through twenty-five ships of various nations which were anchored there [in the Hughli]. Upon coming out of the river, not far from the entry to the port, he encountered two Dutch ships, the one of 54 cannon and 550 Europeans, the other of 24 cannon with 250 soldiers, also Europeans.
354.5.2
As he was coming out they stopped him and attacked. He tried to set fire to one of the ships, but his attempt did not succeed, for the ship escaped and he only damaged himself. The two ships, finding they had cut off his retreat, fought him most vigorously. On his side Monsieur Bono [Bouynot] made a stout resistance, and used his utmost efforts to get away into the open sea and continue his voyage. But he was not able to proceed farther as his ship was not well found, and was defended by only two hundred fighting men of different nations. Thus he was obliged to beat a retreat, and, using judgment and courage, he went back into the port of Bengal [? Hugli], disembarked his cargo at the French factory, and there laid up his ships till the times permitted of his departure. [125] I will insert what is commonly said by all the Hindus, though for myself I do not believe it will happen as they assert. In all their prophecies and documents, it is said that after the death of King Aurangzeb the line of Tamur-i-lang's descendants will cease to rule, and that once more the Hindus will reign over Hindustan as they did of old time. They tell, however, a fable, which is very widespread in the empire, and is as follows :
354.5.3
They say that long ago, while Taimur-i-lang was still a lad, as he was going through his village on his way to graze his camels, he met a poor faqir walking along the road and crying out : ' He who will give me to eat and to drink once only, I shall make him a great king.' Taimur-i-lang, who even then cherished ambitious thoughts, believed in the faqir's words, and told him to wait where he was and he would satisfy his wants. He ran in all haste to his own house. When his mother saw him she cried out at him for coming back to the house so soon, and not keeping with the camels as he was used to do. Taimur-i-lang told her what had happened, and gave his mother no peace until she had made over to him some food. [126] He carried it to the faqir, who, after eating, informed Taimur-i-lang that if he wanted to be a king he would make him one, but in that case he must patiently suffer the pain he should inflict. Taimur-i-lang replied that he would suffer gladly all that might be done to him. Then the faqir ordered him to throw himself on the ground, covered him with his cloak, and struck him with the hand, using all his strength, eleven times on the posterior. He would have gone on administering blows had not Taimur-i-lang, unable any longer to endure the pain, risen up and flung the cloak far from him. He then sat down some paces from the faqir.
354.5.4
The man said to him that if he had been able to endure, as many more descendants of his as there were additional blows would have reigned as kings. Thus the fault was his if there were to be no more than eleven generations of rulers. This tale is very well known, but I have not seen it in the royal chronicles of Taimur-i-lang. In connection with the narrative I have already inserted, I will recount what happened in the year 1702. Reflecting on the great sins he had committed [127], and desirous of knowing which of his sons would become emperor and destroy the rest, Aurangzeb caused a famous magician to be sent for several times. The man repeatedly excused himself from attending. But as kings are powerful and can do what they please, he was obliged in the end to go to him. The king had him brought into his room, and then set forth the desire he had to know which of his sons was fated to be emperor. The magician became rather terrified at this proposal, and attempted to protect himself by finding out what were the king's wishes. But finally he was persuaded by the king's soft words, and encouraged by a promise that no one should be allowed to hurt him.
354.5.5
In about twenty minutes he caused four severed heads to appear at the four corners of the royal bed ; they were the heads of Aurangzeb's four sons. Whilst the king stared in horror at such a sight, the magician told him none of the princes would be allowed to reign. Without uttering a word, Aurangzeb waved his hand for him to go, ordering the eunuchs to let him pass out and conduct him home in safety. When the magician had left the four heads disappeared, and for that night the king did not sleep [128]. After having ordered the bedstead to be burnt, he knelt on the bare earth in prayer. Time will show what is to happen, and if God gives me life I shall not fail to draw up a report thereof, and satisfy the reader's curiosity. [I omit the following, which have been already given — viz., the story of Qãzí Mir, his unorthodox treatise with Christian tendencies, and his death in prison (Part IV., fols. 239, 240) ; that of the young man from Syãlkot, who met his death in Ahmadãbãd (Part IV., fol. 240) ; and that of the Capuchin friar at Isfahan (Part IV., fol. 240b). I resume on fol. 136.]
354.5.6
[136] It will be about five years ago that I went to visit Nawãb Dã,ud Khãn to carry out some negotiations, as I have stated in my Fourth Part (IV. 88). One night while I was in conversation with him there arrived a letter from the court containing a strict order that immediately on perusal he was to place in prison the captain, Bader Kam (Bahadur Khãn). In execution of this order, the Nawãb sent for the officer under the pretext that good news had come from court which he required to communicate at once. The officer believed this was the truth [137], and came at once to his superior's presence without even a single follower. There he was seized suddenly and bound, without being able to have recourse to his arms. He was removed to a house in the fortress of Arkãt, where he lay with irons on his feet, watched by vigilant sentinels. This Bahadur Khãn was a subordinate of Dã,ud Khãn, had the command over three hundred cavalry, and possessed many elephants. He was sent to prison on the pretext that he was a traitor to the crown, in secret correspondence with Shivã Jī (i.e., the Mahrattahs) and the other allied princes who had revolted. In fact, we are obliged to believe that this was truly the case, owing to the numerous methods in which they (the Mahrattahs) tried to get him released, and to obtain his services on their side. In these attempts they succeeded.
354.5.7
These princes, in their efforts to get him out of prison, made use of a shepherd. This man carried daily to the captive a vessel of milk for him to drink, and inside it they placed some files, by means of which in time he got rid of his fetters. The day fixed for his flight was the day following the conclusion of their fast in the year 1706, a day on which Mahomedans have great festivities and dances. When this day had arrived he (Bahadur Khãn) feigned severe illness [138], threw himself on his bed, and groaned just as if he had really been attacked by a mortal malady. The sentries, believing that Bahadur Khãn was really suffering from illness, went off to watch the dancing and the fireworks.