At this place there is an expression in the Pilgrims,
coupled with this sentence, which is quite inexplicable.
"Yea, although
the king had fallen down, and taken his mother by the feet, to obtain
her leave to see her son." We are not sufficiently conversant in the
secret history of the Zenana of Shah Jehan-guire to explain this; yet
strongly suspect that this sentence ought to have run thus: Although the
prince's mother fell at the king's feet to obtain leave to see her
son. - E.]
Sec.4. Broils about Abdala Khan and Khan-Khannan: Ambitious projects of
Sultan Churrum to subvert his eldest Brother: Sea Fight with a
Portuguese Carrack; and various other Occurrences.
Several days now passed in soliciting the king and great men, and paying
my court to them, without any remarkable occurrence; till on the 9th
October, I had letters from Surat, giving me an account that four
English ships had arrived there. On the 10th, Abdala Khan, the great
governor of Ahmedabad, being sent for to court in disgrace, to answer
for many insolent and contemptuous neglects of the king's commands,
thought to stand upon his defence and to refuse compliance. But Sultan
Churrum, whose ambitious views sought to turn every thing to his
advantage, being desirous to oblige so great a man, who was reckoned one
of the chiefest captains in the empire, prevailed upon him to submit, on
his word to protect him. Abdala came therefore, in pretended humility,
habited as a pilgrim, attended by forty servants on foot, until he
arrived within a day's journey of the court, having 2000 horse attending
him at some distance behind. He was this day brought to the Jarruco,
the place where the king sits in public to see sports and hear
complaints, and advanced towards the king, between two noblemen, having
chains on his legs, and holding his turban over his eyes, that he might
see no one till he had the happiness to behold the king. After making
his humble reverence, and answering a few questions, the king forgave
him, caused his irons to be taken off, and clothed him in a new vest of
cloth of gold, with a turban and sash, as is the custom.
The prince, Churrum, now intended to establish his honour and power on
the Deccan wars, which his elder brother Sultan Parvis had been recalled
from in disgrace, and which the great commander, Khan-Khannan, had not
conducted prosperously, being strongly suspected of a secret
understanding with the princes of the Deccan, from whom he was believed
to receive pensions. Churrum, therefore, induced his father to recall
Khan-Khannan, who refused to obey; and wrote to the king, not to send
Churrum to the war, but one of his youngest sons, then only about
fifteen. This gave Churrum much uneasiness, as he was exceedingly intent
upon having the conduct of this war, for which reason he promised to
give the subordinate command of the army to Abdala Khan, under himself,
if he could contrive to get Khan-Khannan displaced. Fearing troubles
from the ambition and factious practices of his son Churrum, the
discontent of the two elder sons, Cuserou and Parvis, and the power of
Khan-Khannan, the king was anxious to accommodate matters in the Deccan
by accepting a peace, and continuing Khan-Khannan in his government; to
which end he wrote him a letter of favour, and proposed to send him a
vestment, as a sign of reconciliation, according to custom. Before
dispatching these, he acquainted a kinswoman of Khan-Khannan, who lived
in the seraglio, with his purpose. Whether she was false to her
relation, through the secret influence of Sultan Churrum, or was grieved
to see the head of her family so unworthily dealt with, who merited so
highly, does not certainly appear: But she plainly told the king, that
she did not believe Khan-Khannan would wear any thing the king sent, as
he knew his majesty hated him, and had once or twice already sent him
poison, which he had put into his bosom instead of his mouth, and proved
by trials. For this reason, she was confident Khan-Khannan would not
dare to put on any thing sent from his majesty. The king offered to
wear the dress himself in her presence for an hour, which she might
certify in a letter to her relative. To this she answered, that
Khan-Khannan would trust neither of them with his life; but, if allowed
to continue quietly in his command, would do his majesty good service.
Upon this, the king altered his plans, and resolved to invest Sultan
Churrum in the supreme command of the Deccan wars, and to follow after
him with another army, to ensure his reception.
Khan-Khannan, having due notice of the storm preparing against him,
practised with the Deccan sovereigns, who were at his devotion, to offer
favourable terms of peace for a season, as he saw no other way of
averting the cloud that hung over both him and them, unless by
temporizing till the king and the prince were established farther off.
For this purpose, there came two ambassadors at this time to court, from
the princes of the Deccan, bringing horses richly caparisoned as
presents. The king refused to listen to them, or to accept their gifts,
and turned them over to his son, saying that peace or war rested
entirely with him. The prince was so puffed up by this favour, though
informed that the proposed conditions of peace were highly honourable,
that he declared proudly he would listen to no terms, till he was in the
field at the head of the army, being resolved that Khan-Khannan should
not deprive him of the honour of finishing that war.
The ambitious views of this young prince are quite obvious, and form the
common talk of the country, yet the king suffers him to proceed,
although he by no means intends him as his successor.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 128 of 243
Words from 129777 to 130781
of 247546
