Storia do Mogor 65.40
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 65.40
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65.40.1
The high-minded but unfortunate Farldun was then seized, but they did not slay him, for it was not fair that such a stout and courageous heart should end so inauspiciously. Finding that Dara had ordered an attempt on his life, Jiwan Khan continued his severities more strictly than ever. He put into prison all the people with Dara, leaving him with none but his family. The afflicted princess, learning that Farldun was taken without effecting his purpose, and already convinced there was not the slightest hope of delivering her beloved prince from the difficulties in which he stood, and aware of the final and crowning disgrace that must inevitably ensue, fell into the deepest desperation. Taking into her hand the poison kept ready for these final and fatal throes, she exclaimed, while sad sighs and torrents of tears interrupted her words : ' O beloved prince ! O beloved sons ! Now are your misfortunes at their height ! Now has the hour come for your lives to end. With your blood the cruelty of Aurangzeb will be assuaged. Would to God that my life could suffice to quench the thirst of this ferret, or that with it I could restore yours, then would not Aurangzeb be so oppressive to you, nor so cruel to me ! What could become of me after such a loss ? Could I survive without sons, without a husband ? Could I endure the deeper disgrace of becoming a concubine to Aurangzeb ? God does not delight in this my evil state.
65.40.2
But since there is now no other remedy, by taking my life I put an end to all my pains, and this tyrant gathers in by my death a portion of the spoils intended to grace his triumph.' Speaking thus, she took the poison, which was so potent that as soon as she swallowed it she fell dead. Then her women attendants ran to her, and, seeing their mistress in the last throes of life, they cried aloud. At this outcry everyone ran to see what was the matter. Finding the princess already unconscious, her brilliant colour gone, her eyes suffused with chilly tears, her son and her daughter fell upon her with loud lamentation. At these sounds the unhappy prince Dara arrived and found his princess, Nur Mahal Begam, already cold and quite [250] dead. He was so dejected that he was entirely unable to speak, and quite stunned. He was driven forth by the heartrending weeping of his son and daughter, the despair of the women, and the wailing of the relations.
65.40.3
I wish my readers just to think of the confusion prevailing then in the house of Jiwan Khan. He could not avoid feeling compassion at such an event. For the qualities of Nur Mahal Begam, a princess of the blood royal, were quite exceptional both in body and in mind. If time had allowed, it is possible that he might have taken pity on Dara, and granted him his liberty. But at this time arrived the hurrying Bahadur Khan eager for Dara's blood, and with a great uproar he and his soldiers entered in search of Dara's person. The latter, hearing all the noise, knew it to be the enemy, and tried to get hold of his weapons to end his life fighting, hoping to fall where his cherished companion had expired. But the attempt was frustrated. In a loud voice Bahadur Khan cried : ' Seize the traitor !' and his luck was such that he could do nothing.
65.40.4
Thus the soldiers rushed at the prince, took him, and separated him from his wives and sons. They behaved with harshness, paying no heed to royal immunities, a prince's privileges, or a master's rights. Without any remorse, chains were put upon his legs and manacles upon his wrists. Then four elephants appeared with howdahs on, and in secrecy they placed the prince on one of them. Each elephant was escorted by three thousand horsemen, armed with swords and spears. There were thus four divisions, and among them were distributed the prince, the sons, and the women, with such secrecy that not a soul knew in what division, or on which elephant, or in which howdah, Dara was. In each howdah was a soldier with drawn sword seated at the back. This was done so that if any outbreak occurred, or any attempt was made to rescue the prince, the assailants should not know in which division he was, and the soldier seated at his back would have time enough to despatch him according to orders. The march began, Rajah Jai Singh at the head of the vanguard and Bahadur Khan with the rear-guard. They set out for the fortress of Bhakkar.
65.40.5
In that fortress we remained, under continual assaults, defending ourselves boldly. In spite of all their efforts, the enemy were unable by force of arms to overcome us. Therefore they planned a means of getting the European artillerymen to withdraw from the fortress, and to this end they shot arrows, to which letters were attached. These invited us to abandon the service of Dara and evacuate the place. One of these arrows hit me on the shoulder when I was sitting in my bastion at eight o'clock at night. Withdrawing the arrow, I went with it at once, wounded as I was, to the eunuch. He gave me a robe (sarapa) and some bottles of rose-water in recognition of my fidelity.
65.40.6
Since Aurangzeb had strongly enjoined on Khalilullah Khan that he must reduce the place in one way or the other, and he saw that he could not do so by force of arms, he had recourse to many letters containing promises to our eunuch Primavera (Basant), that if he gave over the fortress his demands would be gratified. Enraged at length by the receipt of so many letters, the eunuch wrote to Khalilullah Khan that if he would come in person he would enter into the desired agreement. He meant to surrender the place, as he perceived that Dara's affairs were in a very bad way. Khalilullah Khan received this letter with great delight, fancying he was about to accomplish great things for Aurangzeb, who was so keen on acquiring the place. He started from Lahore with the remainder of his army to bring to a conclusion the anxiously desired surrender. On his arrival a truce was made between the two sides. Khalilullah Khan wrote to the eunuch a letter full of civilities, displaying the great results to be gained by making over the stronghold, whereby he would be taken into favour by Aurangzeb; in fact, in so delivering it, he would find the only way to fortune.
65.40.7
Primavera the eunuch was quite rejoiced at the arrival of Khalilullah Khan, and decided on giving him a reply. With this idea he sent for me, and ordered me to load the cannon nearest to the garden where Khalilullah Khan had encamped with horns and old shoes. It was charged thus up to the very muzzle. The answer was after this wise: 'I hold few words with you, for I am greatly amazed at you, and I hope to supply your want, having been all your life a pimp and used to shoe-beatings from women. Herewith what you deserve; I offer you a present proportioned to your merits.' The letter went on with more abuse, which I will not insert. Closing it, he ordered it to be handed to Khalilullah Khan. The eunuch watched for the arrival of the boat at the garden, which was not far from the fortress; and when it seemed that Khalilullah Khan must be perusing the letter, he ordered us to fire off the cannon, and we covered Khalilullah Khan's tent with the charge it contained.
65.40.8
The traitor was thereby much shamed and discomfited, not knowing how to hide the affront. The following night, when we were off our guard, he suddenly ordered a discharge of all his artillery and musketry, which was a complete surprise to us, and the shot fell all over the fortress. I assert without exaggeration that a pole on which we had a small flag was pierced by three balls. But our eunuch would not pass over such-like bravado, and the next night he suddenly ordered us to fire all our guns and musketry, and discharge a number of iron bombs, to show that we had ample arms and munitions of war. This took place at eight o'clock. To prove to him still better that we were not afraid, he ordered a number of vessels of artificial fire to be set light to, so that it was clear as day. Thereupon Khalilullah Khan, finding that he could not succeed, turned his face, discomfited, towards Lahor, and left us invested as before.
65.40.9
Forty days after the departure of Khalilullah Khan, we saw one morning a numerous force pass over the river from west to east at some distance from the fortress. Our artillery began to pound them as hard as it could. At this moment a horseman appeared on the river bank with a small white flag displayed. At once the eunuch gave an order for a small boat to fetch the horseman. On his entering the fortress he delivered a letter to the eunuch, and proclaimed loudly thus : ' I demand on behalf of Aurangzeb that you surrender this stronghold, since we are carrying with us in this army the Prince Dara, whom we have a prisoner.' Hearing this sad and unexpected news, we were all cast down and dropped our arms. The eunuch told the horseman he could not make over the place without the order of his prince, the Lord Dara, from whom he had received charge. The messenger went away with this answer.