Storia do Mogor 60.5
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 60.5
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60.5.1
Finally Akbar asked how you could distinguish an old lion from a young one. They answered that the lion when old stuck his claws into the ground, and raising himself on his paws, gave forth roars that made the hills to tremble. This time the prince was unable to suppress his desire to speak. With an agitated countenance he said to the courtiers that he was much astonished at their temerity in telling so many falsehoods to such a famous king. He wondered much that, having no knowledge of such things, they should attempt to give descriptions as if they were past-masters in the subject. The other lies he would allow to pass, but must protest that when the lion sticks his claws into the ground, and lifting himself on his paws, roars aloud, it is a sign that he is young and is calling to his lioness. When he walks with the pads of his feet on the ground and his claws sticking up when he roars, it shows that he is old and is not in health. Akbar was very pleased at seeing himself at quits with this prince, who had refused to speak. He bestowed on him a string of pearls, an elephant, and a 'serpao' (sarāpā, a set of robes), and gave him leave to depart for his own country. But before he left, Akbar demanded of him his tents, which were of scarlet colour and embroidered, sending him in their place others of a different colour.
60.5.2
He imposed on the prince the command that he should never again use scarlet tents, and made it a law that only the Mogul kings and princes of the blood-royal should be allowed either to possess or to use tents of scarlet colour. Although Akbar took rest several times for short periods, he was ever possessed with a craving for the conquest of new territory. Such was his anxiety that even in his sleep he was unable to refrain from giving hints of his designs. Once upon a time it happened that while asleep he rose to a sitting posture in his bed, made signs with his hand towards the territory of a Hindu prince, and laid hold of his chin with the other hand, as if defying him; for he shaved off his beard as do the Rajputs, with the idea of thereby winning them over with greater ease. These movements were noticed by a water-carrier of the royal household, who thereupon disclosed the king's intentions, saying the king meant to march against Raja Carn (Karan). Off went several officials to tell the king that in the city there was much talk of his wishing to march against Rajah Karan. At this the king was much amazed, because he had wished to carry out this project without letting anyone know. He gave orders that they should [88] search diligently for the first publisher of this his purpose. On finding out that the water-carrier was the first spreader of the report, the king asked him if he had heard this piece of news from anyone.
60.5.3
The water-carrier replied that one day His Majesty had made the gestures above described, and in this manner he had guessed his intentions, and in order to be ready for a march, he had begun to make the necessary preparations. Thereupon the king said : ' The fault is mine and not yours, for you show yourself rather a man of understanding than a culprit, and Rajah Karan is under great obligation to you.' Thenceforth he confided to the man a more honourable office. Nevertheless he determined to attempt another enterprise. This was to make war against the Pathan tribe, which dwells on the other side of the Indus River, to the west, up to the boundary of the Kabul kingdom. There are in these regions several princes, all of whom dwell in the midst of mountains. They are a very ferocious people, of fair complexion, and all adherents of the Mahomedan faith. One of these princes alone can collect three hundred thousand lancemen, all barbarous, uncouth, and unruly, for they do not make much use of cavalry. Against them Akbar sent a force of eighty thousand cavalry, in order to force them at the least to submit themselves and pay tribute, imagining that the mere fame of his conquests, which had subdued many princes and impelled them to offer relinquishment of their territories and payment of tribute, would equally impose on these Pathans the necessity of submitting.
60.5.4
Thus the eighty thousand horsemen passed into the hills, but no one knew what happened to them, seeing that not one living creature of them all came out to convey the news of their fate. The rumour is that the guides conducted the army by certain difficult routes, and when they were once within the passes the inhabitants closed the exits, so that all died without effecting anything. During the conquests that this king made in Hindustan, he acquired much artillery made by the Chinese, who in ancient times were lords of the whole of Hindustan, as I shall state hereafter under this same heading (I., 98). Although he had seen artillery fired off many times in battles, he was yet most anxious to see practice at a target. But finding that his gunners were no use at taking aim, and knowing Europeans to be most expert, he forwarded an order to the governor of the port of Surat to send him a good gunner.
60.5.5
There was at the time in Surat a very skilful Englishman (they say that the English were the first European merchants to arrive in the said port). With the permission of the chief of the English he was sent to the king, who assigned to him as pay the sum of five hundred rupees a month. However, the English race, like other Europeans, being fond of drinking wine, a thing they cannot procure in Hindustan owing to its prohibition under the Mahomedan law, the gunner, in spite of all those rupees, was most unhappy. One day Akbar directed the Englishman to fire at the target, for which purpose a great sheet had been erected in front of the palace on the bank of the river. The gunner intentionally fired the ball into the air, so that it disappeared. On this account the king was much put out, thinking that the gunner had no skill in aiming. He asked the man the reason of such a great error in his aim, when he had such repute in the art of discharging cannon. The Englishman replied that the mistake arose from his not being able to see; if he had drunk wine he could aim straight at the target. The king commanded that they should bring him spirits (of which there was no want in the royal household, where it is made for giving to the elephants to increase their courage).
60.5.6
When he saw the spirits, the Englishman was highly delighted; he seized the bottle, putting it to his mouth with the same eagerness that a thirsting stag rushes to a crystal spring. At one go he drank the whole, and then licked his moustaches. The king was amazed and astounded to see the great pleasure that the Englishman had in drinking spirits. Purposely the Englishman made all sorts of gestures to show his satisfaction; then, turning towards the target, he rubbed his eyes, and asked them to take away the sheet and replace it by a pot stuck upon a stick. So said, so done. He discharged the piece and knocked the pot to bits. At this the king and all the courtiers were lost in amazement at such a good shot. It was on account of this fact that Akbar conceded to Europeans the permission to distil spirits for their own consumption, and would not allow anyone to interfere with them. He said that as the European people must have been created at the same time as spirits, and if deprived of them were like fish out of their element, unless they had drink they could not see plain. Thus it is recorded in the chronicles of Akbar, and until this day the Farangis retain the privilege that he granted to them.
60.5.7
This affair was also the cause of Akbar's fondness for Europeans, and the reason why he ordered that a great number should be taken into his service, such as lapidaries, enamellers, goldsmiths, surgeons, and gunners of various nations. Among them there being many Catholics, they petitioned the king that either he would allow them to depart for their homes or permit the religious orders to settle in Agrah, for the fact was that without priests they could not exist. Akbar sent envoys to the city of Goa to obtain priests, whereupon the Jesuit fathers came. For them he ordered the construction of a church in Agrah, and thus first of all Europeans became servants of the Mogul kings. Finding himself conqueror of almost the whole of Hindustan, Akbar followed [90] the example of his father. Although he made little account of his soul, he took care to prepare a resting-place for his body with extreme magnificence. For the site he chose a garden on the road to Dihli, at three leagues' distance from Agrah on the west, to which he gave the name of Secandara (Sikandrah)—that is to say, 'Alexandria.'