Storia do Mogor 65.20
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 65.20
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65.20.1
The eunuch Shahbaz, seeing clearly that Aurangzeb was deceiving his master, Murad Bakhsh, and that certainly he would lose his life by such deceits, made up his mind after the victory to commit a terrible act. When Aurangzeb came to see his brother Murad Bakhsh, as he often did, accompanied by his son, Sultan Muhammad, he (Shahbaz) resolved to take his life as he was issuing from the tents. When all three princes were in conversation, the eunuch said meaningly to his prince that, if he gave permission, he would order some 'cloth' to be cut. Murad Bakhsh's star being unpropitious, he replied that it was not necessary. He was aware of the intention of the eunuch; thus, if he said 'Yes,' he knew the man to be quite prepared and resolved to kill the two visitors by violence, and for this purpose he had placed men in hiding beforehand. These were the 'cloth' that the eunuch asked permission to 'cut,' for 'to cut out cloth' has two meanings; ordinarily, it is to cut out cloth for garments. The eunuch acted the simpleton, trying to get assent for carrying out the project, as I have already said, and after the deed meant to disculpate himself. Even should he lose his life, he would die content, having put to death those who meant to kill his master. He clearly perceived that Aurangzeb would never leave his master in life, such not being the custom among the descendants of the Moguls. On hearing the conversation, Aurangzeb knew at once that his life was in danger;
65.20.2
in his mind [181] he was disturbed, but externally betrayed no sign, and thenceforth never again went to the tents of Murad Bakhsh, sending his son Sultan Muhammad instead, making the excuse that the heavy work he had to get through allowed him no time to go in person to visit his brother. Prince Murad Bakhsh was anxious to continue their victories without allowing time to Sultan Sulaiman Shukoh to join his father Dara; and the second day after the battle he wanted to resume the march, without giving the army an interval of rest. He therefore raised the pay of his soldiers, and started again in great pomp on the third day. Aurangzeb neglected no efforts that appeared to him suitable, sending his spies to his friends with letters containing many promises. He desired to know from them the arrangements and conditions at the court, so as to adopt means to carry out his projects with greater security. The traitors replied unanimously that he might advance without the slightest hesitation; and all of them assured him that other battles would be won with even greater ease.
65.20.3
Perceiving clearly the boldness and resolution of the two princes Aurangzeb and Murad Bakhsh, and recognising finally that there was now no hope of making them return to their governments, Shahjahan was so embarrassed that he was at a loss what to decide upon, and foresaw great misfortunes. He made great efforts to emerge from this position, but the fates would not permit it to be otherwise. Finding himself in bodily weakness, and desirous of pleasing Dara, he transferred [to him] all his powers and dignities, and ordered everyone to yield him obedience. He wanted to try if, by this means, he could relieve himself of all the ills from which he suffered, including the danger in which he stood of being captured by Aurangzeb and dispossessed of his authority.
65.20.4
Some authors, recording what they have been told, say that Dara seized his father and divested him of power by force; but I assert this to be a great untruth, for I know, and have tested, that Dara was quite submissive. He did nothing without communicating it to his father. I might produce several proofs of what I say; but I will ask the reader to do me the favour of recollecting what I have said as to the letters written by Muhammad Amin Khan and Shaistah Khan. On account of these Dara wanted to have them decapitated, yet they were liberated by the order of Shahjahan. If Dara had, as others write, taken possession of his father and of his authority, he would have exercised this absolute power to order their heads to be cut off, as justice required.
65.20.5
Another case I will bring forward in proof of what I say. A few days before we took the field against Aurangzeb the police seized a Genoese youth for having in his possession a bottle of wine, a thing not prohibited for Europeans. In order to petition for his release, I went off to the magistrate, who at once placed me alongside the youth. I made a sign to my servant, who rushed off to tell my friends, artillerymen in Prince Dara's service. These men came in a body, all of them armed, and, breaking down the doors of the prison, liberated us. The soldiers ran from the police-office, leaving the magistrate by himself in a state of astonishment at what was going on. Being aggrieved as I was, I thereupon went up to the magistrate and put a pistol to his breast ; I did not slay him, but took compassion upon him on his humbling of himself. This affair was brought before Shahjahan, who complained to Dara of what his artillerymen had done. To satisfy the king, Dara ordered the captain of the artillery to administer a reproof to the Genoese. We all went in a body to the captain to lodge a complaint against the magistrate for the disgrace done to us, the king having accorded us the right to drink wine. Now, if Dara had been as others say, no one would have had the audacity to displease his employes, nor to complain of them to Shahjahan.
65.20.6
On finding the king Shahjahan had delivered himself with all his authority and his army into the hands of Prince Dara, everybody seized their weapons, there was great uproar, each man acting on his own inclination. More than one hundred thousand horsemen assembled and more than twenty thousand infantry. There were one hundred pieces of field artillery, every one of them carrying shot of from eight to twelve pounds ; in addition there was a twenty-pounder culverin, and over two hundred European artillerymen. There was no want of subordinates, of shopkeepers who furnish supplies for the sustenance of the whole realm and army, a large number of sarrafos (sarraj] who provide the cash required by the whole army, many majestic and well-armoured elephants, and five hundred camels. On each of the latter was a man seated atop with a swivel-gun, carrying a ball of from three to four ounces, which he loaded and fired without dismounting. There were also five hundred elephants with their howdahs, and in these sat two men with two guns like those upon the camels.
65.20.7
After all these preparations we issued from the city of Agrah on the 14th May in one thousand six hundred and fifty-six. When on the march we covered the ground as far as the horizon, making a brave and splendid show. What disconcerted me was that no one would say that Dara was sure of gaining the battle with all this grand array. Furthermore, I remembered the answer given me by Father Buzeo, a man of much wisdom, when I asked him if he entertained any doubt of Dara's being emperor, seeing that he had under him that great army and so much treasure. The father replied to me, with the great kindness and trust he had ever bestowed on me, that he was much afraid that Dara would never become emperor, pointing out to me that the people of Hindustan were very malicious, that such a race required to be ruled by a more malignant king, and not by a good-natured man like Dara.
65.20.8
The reasons why no one declared that Dara must win in the struggle appear to me to be the following : Because Shahjahan meddled a great deal with the wives of the nobles, who awaited such a good opening as this to take their revenge for the insults they had received, by handing him over to Aurangzeb, his deadly enemy ; that if Dara had a failing [183], it was not to conciliate the great nobles and win them over to be his friends. The chief reason of all for his misfortunes was, however, that Sulaiman Shukoh would not listen to the advice of Rajah Jai Singh, but increased his distance from the court, and was thus unable to rejoin at headquarters in time. Thereby the best men that Dara had among his troops were lost to him. The greater number of the soldiers that Dara had newly enlisted were not very warlike; they were butchers, barbers, blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, and such-like. It is true that on their horses and with their arms, they looked well at a review; but they had no heart and knew nothing of war. If only Sulaiman Shukoh had arrived in time, there would have been no need of men like these, nor of Khalilullah Khan. The wife of the latter had warned Dara to put no reliance on her husband nor trust his soft speeches, for she knew him well, and given the occasion, he would inevitably engineer some treachery. Nor should he rely upon the thirty thousand Mogul troopers in his father's service.