Storia do Mogor 65.3
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 65.3
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65.3.1
Another thing happened to one of these gate-keepers. Shahjahan, who thought highly of the man, ordered him on a campaign, after having by gifts and favours raised him to the position of a great noble. This favourite met with great success, and was sent for to court to receive further rewards. All the nobles went out to meet him except the physician, who would neither go out to greet him nor visit him afterwards. The officer was aggrieved, and went in person to see the physician. The latter, making no account of the other's person, sent out word that he might come in. The physician remained seated, and appeared to be writing. The general entered, and the physician in a soft voice said he might take a seat, but showed him no other mark of civility, and pretended to go on writing. The newly-risen great man waited to see whether the physician would show him any sign of politeness, this being the only object for which he had paid this visit; but finding that the physician never stirred, neither paid any heed to him, he begged leave to depart. The physician, in the same soft tones, continuing his occupation, gave him permission to go away without any token of kindness.
65.3.2
The general went off at once to complain to Shahjahan, exaggerating the slight done to him by the physician, and the latter fell under the king's displeasure through the disrespect he had shown to the general. The physician replied: 'Your majesty may create many generals of that sort, but you cannot make any man similar to me, for it has cost me forty years to acquire the knowledge that I possess, and there is a great difference between us.' The reason of this affront became known afterwards. It was that when the general was a door-keeper he put many difficulties in the way of the physician. Thus was the proverb verified: 'What you do you get' [Tit for tat]. Not only was Shahjahan fond of music; he was also eager to have at his court all sorts of wrestlers. These are men of great strength, who frequently contended in his presence. And he also ordered boxing matches. But his ordinary amusement was tiger-hunting, for which he kept ferocious buffaloes with very long horns. These fought with each other or with tigers; they are very [128] brave animals, and skilful in the sport above referred to.
65.3.3
When the king desires to go out hunting, the huntsmen are warned. These men see to the finding of the tigers, and send out into the jungle asses, cows, sheep, and goats to prevent the tigers changing their haunts. The king goes out on his tallest elephant, and the other princes likewise on elephants acquainted with the requirements of this sort of fight. They sit in uncovered howdahs, each one with his matchlock. Then they encircle the jungle with high nets, leaving only one opening, through which the king and the huntsmen enter. Around the net, on the outside, stand a number of soldiers, who cannot wound the tiger when it comes near the net, nor can the tiger injure them, for in no manner can it break the net and get out. The order in which the king moves is as follows: In front go the buffaloes, sometimes more than one hundred in number, all in a row. On each one is mounted a man with his legs guarded by leather, and having a broadsword in one hand and holding with the other the reins, which are passed through the buffalo's nostrils. Behind them comes the king on an elephant, and after the king the princes and the men in highest favour.
65.3.4
When they get into the jungle where the tigers are, the buffaloes advance slowly in the formation of a half-moon, until the tigers are in sight. After locating the tigers by sight and smell a circle is formed, leaving them in the centre. In this way the tigers, finding themselves caught, search for an exit. Unable to get away, each one makes its spring in the direction that it sees best. When this spring takes place the man who is mounted on top jumps off with agility, and the buffaloes seize the tigers on their horns with great dexterity, and, shaking their heads tear them to pieces. If any one of the tigers escapes the horns, or refuses to stir from its place, the king fires his gun and kills it, or gives an order to kill it.
65.3.5
Sometimes they go out to these hunts without taking any buffaloes, but riding on elephants, as I have before said. This way of hunting has much more risk for the hunters. Once it happened to King Shahjahan that a badly wounded tiger bounded up and hung on with its claws fixed in the elephant's head. The elephant-driver fell to the ground from fright. The king, seeing himself in this urgent danger, clubbed his matchlock and hit the tiger with it on the head. But the tiger did not let go, and the elephant, finding he could not make use of his trunk, ran furiously till he found a tree, against which he crushed the tiger. It was on this account that Shajahan gave orders for the head of the elephants to be protected in future down to the end of the trunk with a covering of thick leather, studded with sharp nails. In addition to the huntsmen, there is always an official present whose business it is to take possession of the tiger's whiskers ; and therefore, as soon as the tiger is dead, they put on his head a leather bag, coming down as far as the neck. Having tied the bag, the official attaches to it [129] his seal. After this the tiger is carried in front of the entrance to the royal tents, when the official appears who has charge of the poisons, and removes the whiskers, which are employed as a venom.
65.3.6
All the world knows that the Mahomedans, following the example of their master, Muhammad, are very licentious ; wherefore there are men among them, some more and some less, chiefly the nobles and the kings, who do not content themselves with a few wives, but seek for every method of gratifying themselves in this particular. It may be asserted that Shahjahan was not superior to others in this respect, for, not contenting himself with the women that he had in his palaces, he forfeited the respect of the nobles at his court by intrigues with their wives, whereby he came to his ruin and his death. The chief of these women, one that he thought a great deal of, was the wife of Jafarcan (Ja'far Khan), and from the love he bore her he wished to take her husband's life, but she saved him by praying that he might be sent as governor to Patana (Patnah), as was done. In the same way he had an acquaintance with the wife of Calican (Khalil Khan) for some time, and this man took his revenge in the battle fought by Dara against Aurangzeb, as I shall relate further on (I. 192). Here it seems appropriate to state how the spies reported to Shahjahan that the wife of Khalilullah Khan wore shoes worth three millions of rupees, owing to the numerous precious stones with which the said shoes were garnished.
65.3.7
When Khalilullah Khan came to audience, the angry king scolded him, saying that if his wife wore shoes of such great value, it was a sign that he had great wealth, the greater part of it got by theft, and therefore the first thing was for him to render an account of what he had embezzled. He (Khalilullah Khan) stood speechless, and could make no answer. But one of his friends who was present obtained permission from the king to reply on behalf of Khalilullah Khan. He said there was nothing for his majesty to complain of, for the whole wealth of Khalilullah Khan was in those shoes, because his wife was in the habit every day of shoe-beating him on the face, and gave him thus all the riches that she had. On hearing this Shahjahan sank his head, and laughing to himself, said : 'It is a sufficient punishment to have in your house an angry wife.' All those who were present also began to smile at such an act of friendship. Khalilullah Khan left the audience in shame, quarrelling with his friend about the affront done to him in the king's presence by giving such an answer. His friend retorted that he had [130] no room for complaint, rather was he under a heavy obligation, for if he had not come to his aid the king would have ordered his execution. Khalilullah Khan let the matter pass, and he lived the rest of his life under this disrepute. Some authors assert that Khalilullah Khan was beaten with shoes in the audience of Dara.
65.3.8
I know of a certainty that this is not so, because never again would Khalilullah Khan have left his house, nor would anyone have had respect for him, nor would he have been captain-general of the king's cavalry, as he was. If they write thus, they record tales got from the common people, and not from those at court.