United States or United Kingdom ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Gholam Kadir replied by an assumed fit of ungoverned anger, and producing an intercepted letter from Shah Alam, calling upon Sindhia for help, ordered the Emperor to be disarmed, together with his personal guard, and removed into close arrest; and then, taking from the privacy of the Salim Garh a poor secluded son of the late Emperor Ahmad Shah, set him on his throne, hailed him Emperor, under the title of Bedar Bakht, and made all the courtiers and officials do him homage.
Three Darweshes will meet thee a few days hence, in the empire of Rum, who are equally afflicted with thyself, entangled in the same difficulties, and who have met with adventures similar to thine; the name of the king of that country is Azad Bakht; he is also in great trouble; when he meets you and the other three Darweshes, then the wishes and desires of the heart of each of you will be completely fulfilled."
All these prisoners and the four Darweshes, seeing the strict orders and justice of the king Shah Bal, were greatly rejoiced, and admired him highly; the king Azad Bakht was also much pleased.
This conversation was passing between the king Azad Bakht and the four Darweshes, when a eunuch came running from the royal seraglio and with respectful salutation, wished his majesty joy, and added, "This moment a prince is born, before whose refulgent beauty the sun and moon are abashed." The king was surprised, and asked, "No one was pregnant in appearance; who has brought forth a son?"
The prince, according to custom, disappeared; and in the evening Azad Bakht was sitting with the Darweshes and conversing with them, when a folded paper fell near the king; he opened it and read it, and found that it was an answer to his note; these two lines were written in it: "Conceive me likewise anxious to see you; a throne goes for you; it is best that you should come now, that we may meet; all the preparations of enjoyment are ready; your majesty's place alone is empty."
It is but just to record, in favour of one whose memory has been much blackened, that Manzur Ali, the Controller, appears on this occasion to have acted with sense, if not spirit. When Bedar Bakht was first brought forward, Shah Alam was still upon the throne, and, when ordered to descend, began to make some show of resistance.
I asked him, "what is the noble name of your honour?" He replied, "they call the name of this nameless one Bedar Bakht." Seeing his good qualities and affable manners, I went along with him and came to his house. On seeing such a grand treat, my very soul was satiated, and taking a mouthful from each dish, my stomach was filled; I then drew back my hand from eating.
This is, as the vulgate hath it, "coming it a little too strong;" but be it remembered that Oriental story-tellers do not mar the interest of their narrative by a slavish adherence to probability. Here the king Azad Bakht speaks in his own person, and addresses himself to the four darweshes. With regard to the essence of bed-mushk vide note 2, page 42.
The king Azad Bakht took the Darweshes with him, and ascended the celestial throne; it was like the throne of Solomon, and mounted into the air; proceeding on, it descended in a place where grand edifices and sumptuous preparations appeared; but it could not be perceived if any one was there or not.
The Prince, whose standard was the rallying point of the army, is variously named as Jawan Bakht, Farkhanda Bakht, and Akbar; the former being the name of the Prince whom we saw acting as Regent during the Emperor's residence under English protection at Allahabad, the later that of the future successor to the titular Empire.
Word Of The Day