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"I really cannot say," was my answer to this somewhat puzzling question. Mir Khudadad then turned away to converse with the Wazir in a low tone. About ten minutes elapsed, during which a long confabulation was held, in which many of the suite, including the Afghan soldiers, joined. Prince Azim meanwhile invited me to inspect his sword and pistols.
The stones, some of them of great size, were set indiscriminately without any regard to pattern or design. Mir Khudadad wore no other jewels, with the exception of three small torquoise rings, all worn on the little finger of the left hand.
He also wished to include the eight famous Galland Tales: "Zayn Al-Asnam," "Alaeddin," "Khudadad and his Brothers," "The Kaliph's Night Adventure," "Ali Baba," "Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad," "Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu," and "The Two Sisters who Envied their Cadette;" but the only Oriental text he could find was a Hindustani version of Galland's tales "Orientalised and divested of their inordinate Gallicism."
The pestilent stenches of his capital cannot ascend to this height, only the sweet scent of hay and clover-fields, and the distant murmur of a large population, while a glorious panorama of emerald-green plain stretches away to a rocky, picturesque range of hills on the horizon. His Highness Mir Khudadad, Khan of Kelát, is about sixty years old.
An incident that occurred but two years since is typical of the intelligence of the ruler of Kelát and his court. It was at Quetta, on the occasion of the presentation of Mir Khudadad to the Viceroy of India. Previous to a grand déjeûner given in his honour, the Khan and his suite were shown into a dressing-room for the purpose of washing their hands.
But Mir Khudadad may be said to have no policy. As the French say, "Il change sa nationalité comme je change de chemise," and is to be bought by the highest bidder. Although the Khan's subjects are heavily taxed, there is no protection whatsoever of life or property in or around Kelát.
These disturbances being settled, Amir Khudadad, who commanded in that country, came to inform them, that the ambassadors might proceed safely on their journey. On the 18th of Jomada- al-awal, they came to a place named Bilgotu , on the territories of Mehemmed-Beg, where they waited for the Dajis , and the retinue of the Shah of Badakshan.
On that occasion Khudadad, the late ruling khan, murdered his prime minister in a fit of passion, and upon investigation it was found that he had put to death also without trial a number of innocent subjects. The Viceroy of India permitted him to abdicate and gave him a generous allowance, which was much better treatment than the villain was entitled to.