ADVENTUR 
 OFAKB 
 
 FLORA 
 
 ANNIE 
 
 .1 EZj K1^ a^ 
 
Malcolm Whyte Collection of 
 
 CHILDREN'S 
 LITERATURE 
 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PR 5473.S135A8 
 
 The adventures of Akbar, 
 
 3 1924 005 603 976 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924005603976 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
"On a shelving ianH of dry sand Baby Akhar sitting 
 up and rubhing his eyes" 
 
 FronUspiece 
 
THE ADVENTURES 
 OF AKBAR 
 
 By 
 
 FLORA ANNIE STEEL 
 
 Author of 
 "King Ereant," "On the Face of the Water," etc. 
 
 WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY 
 
 BYAM SHAW 
 
 NEW YORK' 
 
 FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 
Copyright, 1913, by 
 Frederick A. Stokes Compant 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Oetobm; 1913 
 
A DEDICATION 
 
 Oft when the house lay silent in the heat 
 
 My thoughts would be so fuU of you, my sweet. 
 
 That dreaming half — I seemed to hear once more 
 
 Your little fingers fluttering at the door. 
 
 The pitter patter of your childish feet 
 
 In joyous rhythm cross the echoing floor. 
 
 Then small, soft hands would nestle into mine. 
 And warm soft arms around my neck would twine. 
 As soft and warm the dream child on my knees. 
 Cuddling so close in clear young voice would tease 
 And tease and tease in mimicked glad young whine 
 For "Just one little story if you please." 
 
 So half in jest and half in earnest, too. 
 Mostly I think to dream my dreaming true, 
 I'd conjure up long tales of lands afar 
 And days gone by that yet remembered are ; 
 Shaping my stories with this end in view 
 To gain the verdict "Tell some more. Mamma." 
 
 For I was happy when I had beguiled 
 Into my life the spirit of a child. 
 Thus one by one the weary hours flew 
 And page by page a little volume grew. 
 So — that my dreams with truth be reconciled. 
 Take it, my darling, it was writ for you. 
 
 April, 187S 
 
 Long years have sped since that poor book was penned. 
 
 None read the pages. Therefore at the end 
 
 Of this world's life I dedicate to two 
 
 Small boys — her sons — whose question'ng eyes of blue 
 
 Tell me that dreams of childhood never end 
 
 This book. So take it, boys — 'twas writ for you. 
 
 1911 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This book is written for all little lads and lasses, 
 but especially for the former, since it is the true — quite 
 true — story of a Uttle lad who lived to be, perhaps, the 
 greatest king this world has ever seen. 
 
 It is a strange, wUd tale this of the adventures of 
 Prince Akbar among the snowy mountains between 
 Kandahar and Kabul, and though the names may be 
 a bit of a puzzle at first, as they wUl have to be learned 
 by and bye in geography and history lessons, it might 
 be as well to get familiar with them in a story-book ; 
 though, indeed, as everybody in it except Roy the 
 Rajput, Meroo the cook boy; Tumbu, the dog; and 
 Down, the cat (and these four may have been true, 
 you know, though they have not been remembered) 
 really lived, I don't know whether this book oughtn't 
 to be considered real history, and therefore 
 
 A I.ESSON BOOK 
 
 Anyhow, I hope you won't find it dull. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER FAOE 
 
 I Faeew£I.l 1 
 
 II The First Victobt 11 
 
 III The Royal Umbeelia 20 
 
 IV TuMBU-DowN 27 
 
 V On the Road 39 
 
 VI At Cotjet . , 50 
 
 VII WiNTEE 68 
 
 VIII Down's Steatagem 68 
 
 IX, Speing 77 
 
 X- The Night of Recoed 88 
 
 XI A WiNTEE Maech 100 
 
 XII Snow and Ice 109 
 
 XIII OvEE THE Pass 119 
 
 XIV In THE Valley 128 
 
 XV Dearest IiAdy 138 
 
 Xyi Ceuel Beothee Kumean 14>7 
 
 XVII Imprisonment 169 
 
 XVIII The Garden op Games 169 
 
 XIX Betwixt Cup and Lip 178 
 
 XX Escaped 187 
 
 XXI Dawn 196 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 FAREWELL 
 
 Bismillah Al-la-iiu Akbar/ 
 
 These queer-looking, queer-sounding words, which 
 in Arabic mean "thanks be to God," were shrilled out 
 at the very top of Head-nurse's voice. Had she been 
 in a room they would have filled it and echoed back 
 from the walls ; for she was a big, deep-chested woman. 
 But she was only in a tent; a small tent, which had 
 been pitched in a hurry in an out-of-the-way valley 
 among the low hills that lead from the wide plains 
 of India to Afghanistan. For Head-nurse's master 
 and "mistress, King Humayon and Queen Humeeda, 
 with their thirteen months' old little son, Prince 
 Akbar, were flying for their lives before their enemies. 
 And these enemies were led by Humayon's own 
 brothers. Prince Kumran, Askurry and Hindal. It 
 is a long story, and a sad story, too, how Humayon, 
 so brave, so clever, so courteous, fell into misfortune 
 by his own fault, and had to fly from his beautiful 
 palaces at Delhi and wander for years, pursued like 
 a hare, amid the sandy deserts and pathless plains of 
 Western India. And now, as a last resource, his fol- 
 lowers dwindled to a mere handful, he was making a 
 
 1 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 desperate effort to escape over the Persian border and 
 claim protection at the hands of Persia's King. 
 
 So the poor tent was ragged and out at elbows, for 
 all that it was made of costly Kashmir shawls, and 
 that its poles were silver-gilt. 
 
 But Head-nurse's "Thanks be to God!" came from 
 a full heart. 
 
 "What is it? What is it?" called an anxious voice 
 from behind the curtain which divided the tent in two. 
 
 "What?" echoed Head-nurse in high glee. "Only 
 this : His Imperial Highness, Prince Akbar, the Ad- 
 mired-of -the- World, the Source-of -Dignity, the Most- 
 Magnificent-Person-of-the-Period — " She went on, 
 after her wont, rolling out all the titles that belonged 
 of right to the little Prince, until the soft, anxious 
 voice lost patience and called again, "Have done — 
 have done; what is it? Heaven save he hath not been 
 in danger." 
 
 Head-nurse, stopped in her flow of fine words, 
 sniffed contemptuously. "Danger! with me to guard 
 him? No! 'Tis that the High-in-Pomp hath cut his 
 first real back tooth ! He can eat meat ! He has come 
 to man's estate! He is no longer dependent upon 
 milk diet." Here she gave a withering glance at the 
 gentle looking woman who was Baby Akbar's wet- 
 nurse, who, truth to tell, was looking just a little sad 
 at the thought that her nursling would soon leave her 
 consoling arms. 
 2 
 
FAREWELL 
 
 "Heavens!" exclaimed the voice from within, "say 
 you so?" And the next instant the curtain parted, 
 and there was Queen Humeeda, Baby Akbar's 
 mother, all smiling and eager. 
 
 Now, if you want to know what she was like, you 
 must just think of your own dearest dear mummie. At 
 least that was what she seemed to little Prince Akbar, 
 who, at the sight of her, held out his little fat arms 
 and crowed, "Amma! Ammal" Now, this, you will 
 observe, is only English "Ma-Ma" arranged differ- 
 ently; from which you may guess that English and 
 Indian children are really very much alike. 
 
 And Queen Humeeda took the child and kissed 
 him and hugged him just as any English mother 
 would have done. Head-nurse, however, was not a 
 bit satisfied with this display of affection. That 
 would have been the portion of any ordinary child, 
 and Baby Akbar was more than that : he was the heir 
 apparent to the throne of India! If he had only been 
 in the palaces that belonged to him, instead of in a 
 miserable tent, there would have been ceremonials 
 and festivities and fireworks over this cutting of a 
 tooth! Aye! Certainly fireworks. But how could 
 one keep up court etiquette when royalty was flying 
 for its life? Impossible! Why, even her determina- 
 tion that, come what might, a royal umbrella must be 
 held over the blessed infant during their perilous jour- 
 neys had very nearly led to his being captured! 
 
 3 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Despite this recollection, as she listened impatiently 
 to the cooings and gurglings, she turned over in her 
 mind what she could do to commemorate the occasion. 
 And when pretty Queen Humeeda (thinking of her 
 husband, the king, who, with his few followers, had 
 ridden off to see if a neighboring chief would help 
 them) said, "This will be joyful news wherewith to 
 cheer my lord on his return," Head-nurse's irritation 
 found voice. 
 
 "That is all very well," she cried. "So it would 
 be to any common father of any common child, Your 
 Royal Highness! This one is the Admired-of-the- 
 Whole-World, the Source-of-Dignity, the Most- 
 Magnificent-Person-of-the-Period " 
 
 And she went on rolling out queer guttural Arabic 
 titles till Foster-mother implored her to be silent or she 
 would frighten the child. Could she not see the look 
 on the darling's face? 
 
 For Baby Akbar was indeed listening to something 
 with his little finger up to command attention. But 
 it was not to Head-nurse's thunderings, but to the 
 first long, low growl of a coming storm that outside 
 the miserable tent was turning the distant hills to 
 purple and darkening the fast-fading daylight, 
 
 "Frighten?" echoed Head-nurse in derision. "The 
 son of Humayon the heroic, the grandson of Baber 
 the brave could never be frightened at anything!" 
 
 And in truth the little lad was not a bit afraid, even 
 4 
 
FAREWELL 
 
 when a distant flash of lightning glimmered through 
 the dusk. 
 
 "Heavens!" cried gentle Queen Humeeda, "his 
 Majesty will be drenched to the skin ere he returns." 
 She was a brave woman, but the long, long strain of 
 daily, hourly danger was beginning to tell on her 
 health, and the knowledge that even this coming storm 
 was against them brought the tears to her eyes. 
 
 "Nayl Nay! my royal mistress," fussed Head- 
 nurse, who, in spite of her love of pomp, was a kind- 
 hearted, good woman, "this must not be on such an 
 auspicious day. It must be celebrated otherwise, and 
 for all we are so poor, we can yet have ceremonial. 
 When the child was born were we not in direst danger? 
 Such danger that all his royal father could do in honor 
 of the glad event was to break a musk-bag before his 
 faithful followers as sign that the birth of an heir 
 to empire woidd diffuse itself Uke perfume through 
 the whole world? Even so now, and if I cannot devise 
 some ceremony, then am I no Head-nurse!" 
 
 So saying she began to bustle around, and ere long 
 even poor, unhappy Queen Humeeda began to take 
 an interest in the proceedings. 
 
 A mule trunk, after being ransacked for useful 
 odds and ends, was put in a corner and covered with 
 a worn satin quilt. This must do for a throne. And 
 a strip of red muslin woimd about the little gold- 
 embroidered skull cap Baby Akbar wore must, with 
 
 5 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 the heron's plume from his father's state turhan, make 
 a monarch of the child. 
 
 In truth he looked very dignified indeed, standing 
 on the mule trunk, his little legs very wide apart, his 
 little crimson silk trousers very baggy, his little green 
 brocade waistcoat buttoned tight over his httle fat 
 body, and, trailing from his shoulders in great stiff 
 folds, his father's state cloth-of-gold coatee embroid- 
 ered with seed pearls. 
 
 So, as he always wore great gold bracelets on his 
 little fat arms, and great gold jingling anklets fring- 
 ing his little fat feet, he looked very royal indeed. 
 Very royal and large and calm, for he was a grave 
 baby with big, dark, piercing eyes and a decided chin. 
 
 "He is as hke his grandfather as two splits of a 
 pea!" cried Head-nurse in rapture, and then she went 
 to the tent door and shrilled out : 
 
 "Slaves! Quick! Come and perform your lowly 
 salute on the occasion of the cutting of a back tooth 
 belonging to the Heir-to-Empire, the Most " 
 
 She cut short her string of titles, for a crash of 
 thunder overhead warned her she had best be speedy 
 before the rain soaked through the worn tent. 
 
 "Quick, slaves!" she added; "keep us not waiting all 
 day. Enter and prostrate yourselves on the ground 
 with due reverence! Quick! Quick!" 
 
 She need not have been in such a hurry, for it did 
 not take long for the "slaves," as she called them, to 
 6 
 
FAREWELL 
 
 perform their lowly salaam by touching the very 
 groimd with their foreheads. There were but three 
 of them — Old Faithful, the trooper; Roy, the Rajput 
 boy ; and Meroo, the scullion ; the rest were away with 
 their master. King Humayon. 
 
 Old Faithful, however, tall, lank, grey-bearded, 
 brought enough devotion for half a dozen followers. 
 He had served with little Akbar's grandfather, Babar 
 the brave, and when he saw the child standing so fair 
 and square, he gave almost a sharp cry of remem- 
 brance and delight. And when he stood up after his 
 prostration, in soldier fashion he held out the hilt of 
 his old sword for the baby to touch in token that its 
 service was accepted. Queen Humeeda, who stood be- 
 side her little son, guided his fat fingers to the sword; 
 but at the very moment a vivid flash of hghtning made 
 her give a shriek and cover her face with her hands. 
 But little Prince Akbar having got a hold of the hilt, 
 would not let go. And to Old Faithful's huge delight 
 he pulled and pulled till the sword came out of the 
 scabbard. 
 
 "An omen! An omen!" cried the old man. "Like 
 his grandfather, he will fight battles ere he be twelve !" 
 
 Then there was Roy, the Rajput lad, whom the 
 royal fugitives had found half dead from sunstroke 
 in the wide, sandy Rajputana deserts, and whom, 
 with their customary kindness, they had succoured and 
 befriended, putting him on as a sort of page boy to 
 
 7 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 the little Heir-to-Empire. He was a tall, slim lad 
 for his twelve years, was Roy, with a small, well-set 
 head and a keen, well-cut face. And his eyes! They 
 were like a deer's — large, brown, soft, but with a flash 
 in them at times. 
 
 For the sunstroke which had so nearly killed the 
 lad had left his mind a little confused. As yet he 
 could remember nothing of what had happened to him 
 before it, and could not even recollect who he was, or 
 anything save that his name was Roy. But every now 
 and again he would say something or do something 
 which would make those around hitn look surprised, 
 and wonder who he could have been to know such 
 things and have such manners. 
 
 After him came Meroo, the misshapen cook-boy. 
 He was an odd fellow, all long limbs and broad smiles, 
 who, when his time arrived, shambled forward, cast 
 himself in lowliest reverence full length on the ground 
 and blubbered out his delight — now that the princely 
 baby could really eat — at being able to supply all 
 sorts of toothsome stews full of onions and green 
 ginger, to say nothing of watermelons and sugar cane. 
 These things, strange to say, being to little Indian 
 children very much what chocolate creams and toffee 
 are to English ones. 
 
 So far all had gone well, and now there only re- 
 mained one more salute to be made. But little Adam, 
 who was Head-nurse's own son, and who had hitherto 
 8 
 
FAREWELL 
 
 been Baby Akbar's playmate, refused absolutely to 
 do as he was bid. He was a short, sturdy boy of five, 
 and nothing would induce him to go down on his 
 knees and touch the ground with his forehead. In 
 vain Meroo, the cook-boy, promised him sweets if he 
 would only obey orders; in vain Old Faithful spoke 
 of a ride on his old war-horse, and Roy, who was a 
 most wonderful story-teller, promised him the best 
 of all, Bopuluchi. In vain his mother, losing patience 
 at such a terrible piece of indecorum, rushed at 
 him and cuffed him soundly. He only howled and 
 kicked. 
 
 And then suddenly Baby Akbar, who had been 
 listening with a solemn face, brought his little bare 
 foot down on the mule trunk with such a stamp that 
 the golden anklets jingled and jangled, and his httle 
 forefinger went up over his head in the real Eastern 
 attitude of royal command. 
 
 "Salute, slave, salute," he said with a tremendous 
 dignity. And there was something so comical about 
 the little mite of a child, something so masterful in 
 the tiny figure, something so commanding in the loud, 
 deep-toned baby voice, that every one laughed, and 
 somehow or other Adam forgot his obstinacy and 
 made his obeisance like a good boy. 
 
 And then once more pretty Queen Humeeda 
 hugged and kissed her little son, and all the rest ap- 
 plauded him, and made so much of him that he began 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 to think he had done something very fine indeed, and 
 crowed and clapped his hands in delight. 
 
 But the merriment did not last long, for there was 
 a clatter of horses and swords outside the tent. 
 
 "My hushand!" cried Queen Himieeda in a flutter, 
 "What news does my lord bring?" 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE FIRST VICTORY 
 
 The next moment a tall, handsome man entered the 
 tent ; but one look at his pale, anxious face was enough 
 to tell those inside that the news was bad. So for 
 an instant there was silence ; and in the silence, with 
 a deafening roar and a blinding blaze of blue light, 
 came a terrific crash of thunder followed by a sudden 
 fierce pelt of hail upon the taut tent roof. 
 \ It sent a shiver through the listeners. They felt 
 that the storm had broken indeed upon their heads, 
 that danger was close beside them. 
 
 Then the King stepped to his wife's side and took 
 her hand, and as he spoke there was a sob in his breath 
 as of an animal who after a long chase finds himself at 
 last driven to bay. 
 
 "Come !" he said briefly, "there may yet be a chance 
 for us. My horse, weary though it be, will suffice for 
 thy light weight. In the mountains lies possible 
 safety. Come! There is not a moment to lose." 
 
 "But — ^but the child — " faltered the Queen. 
 
 King Htimayon's voice failed him. He could not 
 speak for a moment; but he shook his head. 
 
 "I wUl not leave the child — " began the wretched 
 mother. "My lord ! thou canst not have the heart " 
 
 "It is his only chance — " interrupted the poor King, 
 
 11 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 his face full of grief and anger, of bitter, bitter re- 
 gret — "His only chance of life ! In the mountains yon- 
 der, with winter snow upon us, lies certain death for 
 one so young. Were we to stay with him here, he 
 would find death with us — for my brother Askurry 
 is close behind us. But if we are gone, God knows, 
 but he might spare the child. Askurry is not aU un- 
 kind, and the little lad favors my father so much that 
 his blessed memory may be safeguard. God send it 
 so. It is his best chance, his only chance. So 
 come " 
 
 "I cannot! I cannot!" moaned the poor mother 
 distractedly. 
 
 "There is no other way, sweetheart!" said the King, 
 "so be brave, little mother, and come for thy son's 
 sake. He will be safer here than with thee. Come! 
 trusting in God's mercy for the child. And come 
 quickly while the darkness of the storm shrouds our 
 going." 
 
 Then he looked round on those others — Head- 
 nurse, Wet-nurse, Old Faithful, Roy the Rajput, and 
 Meroo the cook-boy — not much of a bodyguard for 
 the young prince, and yet, since force would be use- 
 less, perhaps as good as any other, if they had a head 
 between them. But the nurses were women. Faithful 
 nothing but an old soldier, and the two others were 
 mere boys. Some one else must be left. Who? Then 
 he remembered Foster-father, Foster-mother's hus- 
 12 
 
THE FIRST VICTORY 
 
 band. He was the man. Solid, sober, clear-headed. 
 So, as Queen Humeeda was being hurriedly wrapped 
 in a shawl by the two weeping nurses, he gave them a 
 few directions. They were to stay where they were, 
 no matter what happened, until Foster-father re- 
 turned from showing the fugitives a path he knew to 
 the mountains, and then 
 
 King Himiayon could say no more. Only as, after 
 a hurried, tearless, hopeless farewell to his little son, 
 he paused at the tent door to take a last look, his half- 
 fainting wife in his arms, he said suddenly in a sharp, 
 loud voice: 
 
 "Remember! In your charge hes the safety of the 
 H eir-to-Empire. " 
 
 The words sank into the very hearts of those who 
 stood watching the group of hurrying figures making 
 its way rapidly toward the hills. 
 
 "Pray Heaven," muttered Old Faithful anxiously, 
 "that they be over the rise before those who follow 
 see them." 
 
 So they stood fearfully watching, watching. And 
 Heaven was kind, for though one great blue blaze of 
 lightning showed the fugitives clear against the sky 
 line, when the next came there was nothing but the 
 rugged rocks. 
 
 Then for the first time Baby Akbar, who had been 
 silent in his nurses' arms, watching with the rest, lifted 
 up his deep-toned baby voice: 
 
 13 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 "Daddy, Amma," he said contentedly, "gone up 
 in a 'ky." 
 
 Whereupon Foster-mother wept loudly and prayed 
 that good angels might protect her darling. 
 
 But Head-nurse was more practical, and set ahout 
 considering how best that safety might be sectired. 
 Who was there who could help? No one of much use, 
 truly, though every one was brimful of devotion and 
 ready to give his or her life for the Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 "I will kill the first man who dares — " began Old 
 Faithful. 
 
 "Aye! The first 1 But how about the last, old 
 man?" interrupted Head-nurse. "Force wiU be of 
 no avail. Askurry hath half an army with him." 
 
 "Harm shall only come to the child through my 
 body," wept Foster-mother, whereat Head-nurse 
 laughed scornfully. 
 
 "Woman's flesh is a poor shield, fool! God send 
 we find better protection than thy carcass." 
 
 "Boo! hoo!" blubbered Meroo the cook-boy. "Lol 
 Head-nurse! I could kill a whole army by poisoning 
 their suppers." 
 
 Head-nurse nodded faint approval. "Now, there 
 is some sense in that, scullion, but what about that they 
 may do supperless? If they should dare " 
 
 "They will not dare," said a clear, sharp voice, a-nd 
 Roy the Rajput lad stepped forward, a light in his 
 great eyes. "My mother used to say, 'Fear not! A 
 14 
 
THE FIRST VICTORY 
 
 king's son is a king's son always, so be that he forgets 
 not kingship.' " 
 
 Head-nurse stood puzzled for a second, then she 
 caught the meaning of the lad's words, for she was a 
 clever, capable woman, and had all a woman's quick- 
 ness. 
 
 "Thou art right, my lad," she said slowly, looking 
 curiously at Roy, from whose face the flash of mem- 
 ory seemed to have passed. "Thou art right. In 
 royalty lies safety. The Heir-to-Empire must receive 
 his enemies as a King! Quick! slaves! Close the tent 
 door and let us bring forth all we have, and make aU 
 things as regal as we can. There is no time to lose." 
 
 And they did not lose any. The result being that 
 when, quarter of an hour afterward. Prince Askurry, 
 bitterly disappointed at finding that his real quarry, 
 the King and Queen, had escaped, strode with some of 
 his followers into the tent where he was told Baby 
 Akbar was to be found, he paused at the door, first in 
 astonishment and then in amusement. 
 
 It was really rather a pretty picture which he saw. 
 To begin with the tent had been lit up with the little 
 rushlight lamps they call in India chiraghs — ^tiny 
 saucers which can be made of mud in which a cotton 
 wick floats in a few drops of oil — and a row of these 
 outlined the mule trunk throne. Then Meroo's mis- 
 shapen limbs had been hidden under a chain corselet 
 and helmet, so he made quite a respectable fellow to 
 
 15 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Old Faithful, as the two supporters stood bolt upright 
 with drawn swords one on either side, while beneath 
 them, on the ragged old Persian carpet which had 
 been spread to hide the dirty tent drugget, crouched 
 Head-nurse and Foster-mother, their faces veiled with 
 their best gold embroidered veils. 
 
 A great pile of cushions had been placed on the 
 muletrunk, and in the centre of these sat Baby Ak- 
 bar, the Royal heron's plume of his turban waving 
 gently in the breeze caused by the slow dignified 
 sweep of the Royal fan which Roy, who stood behind 
 his young master, was swinging backwards and for- 
 wards. 
 
 But it was not the prettiness of the picture which 
 made Prince Askurry pause. It was the child's open 
 fearless face which reminded him at once — as King 
 Humayon had hoped it might — of that dear, beloved 
 father whose memory, even in their worst wicked- 
 nesses, was ever a good influence in the lives of 
 his sons. Babar the Brave! Babar of the Gen- 
 erous Heart! the Kindly Smile! Who could forget 
 him? 
 
 But behind Prince Askurry were others who did 
 not remember; who were eager to kill and have done 
 with Humayon and his son for ever. 
 
 And when they saw Prince Askurry pause, they 
 were quick with advice. 
 
 "It is unwise to spare snakes' spawn," said one. 
 16 
 
THE FIRST VICTORY 
 
 "The boy is father to the man," said another, "He 
 who is wise kUls young rats as well as old ones." 
 
 And stiU Prince Askurry paused while poor Head- 
 niu*se and Wet-nurse went sick with fear under their 
 veils at what might be going to happen, and Old 
 Faithful's hand clasped the hUt of his sword tighter, 
 since come what may he meant to strike one blow for 
 his young master. But Roy's keen eyes showed — as 
 the peacock's feather fan swept past them backwards 
 and forwards — Uke a hawk's as it hovers above a par- 
 tridge. There was in them a defiance, a certainty that 
 victory must come. 
 
 Suddenly a wicked laugh filled the tent. "Peace ! 
 brothers," said a sneering voice, "Prince Askurry pre- 
 fers to leave the snake to fight with his own son in the 
 future." 
 
 The taunt told. It was true! Better to scotch the 
 snake now, than to leave it to be dangerous by and by ; 
 dangerous perhaps to his own little son who was but a 
 few years older than Baby Akbar. 
 
 Prince Askurry strode forward drawn sword in 
 hand; but whether he really meant to use it or not 
 cannot be told, for a very strange thing happened. 
 Baby Akbar had been listening to the fierce voices 
 just as he had listened to the angry voices when Adam 
 had refused to salute. And now he saw some one be- 
 fore him who appeared to have no intention — as 
 Adam had no intention — of making his reverence ; so, 
 
 17 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 remembering the fine thing he had done when the lat- 
 ter had been naughty, up went the little hand again, 
 and once more the loud, deep, baby voice said im- 
 periously: 
 
 "Salute! Slave! salute!" 
 
 The words were barely uttered when by pure chance 
 Prince Askurry's foot caught in the ragged carpet, 
 and ? 
 
 And down he came flat as a pancake on the floor 
 in the very lowliest salute that ever was made ! 
 
 The next moment, however, he sat up, half -stunned, 
 and looked wrathf ully at his little nephew. 
 
 But Baby Akbar's honest open face was full of 
 grieved sympathy, 
 
 "Poor, poor!" he said, shaking his quaintly crowned 
 head, "tumbu down. Nanna kiss it, make it well." 
 
 Prince Askurry sat stupidly staring for a moment 
 or two. Then the memory of many a childish hurt 
 cured by hke gracious offer from his father came back 
 to him, making his heart soft. He sprang to his feet 
 and waved by his councillors to cruelty. 
 
 "Go, my lords!" he cried fiercely. "Go seek the 
 King who is no true King if ye will, and kiU him. But 
 this boy goes with me to Kandahar; the stuff of which 
 he is made coxmts for life, not for death." 
 
 Then with a sudden generous impulse, for he was at 
 heart his father's son, he held the hilt of his drawn 
 sword in token of vassalage for Baby Akbar to touch. 
 18 
 
THE FIRST VICTORY 
 
 And the child, clever, observant beyond his years, 
 remembering how his mother had guided his fingers to 
 Old Faithful's weapon, put out his little hand 
 solemnly and touched it. 
 
 Behind their close-folded veils Head-nurse and 
 Wet-nurse wept for joy. And the old trooper's grip 
 relaxed and the hard relentless look faded from Roy's 
 face. 
 
 For here was safety, for a while at any rate, for the 
 Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 He, and Fate between them, had won his first vic- 
 tory. No! his second, since the first had been the con- 
 quering of Adam's obstinacy. 
 
 But for that Baby Akbar might not have behaved 
 with such dignity. 
 
 19 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ROYAL UMBEELLA 
 
 That night even Roy the Rajput, who as a rule 
 woke every hour to see to his little master's safety, 
 slept sound. And so did the others, though they sat 
 up tUl Foster-father crept in to the tent about mid- 
 night, after having seen the Royal Fugitives safely 
 over the Persian border. Of course, there was nothing 
 but miles on miles of snowy mountains before them, 
 nothing but long struggle and privation to be hoped 
 for; still they were out of India, out of an enemy's 
 country. For which Heaven be thanked! 
 
 So they wrapped themselves in their quilts and lay 
 down to rest with hearts eased for the time of im- 
 mediate anxiety. 
 
 Head-nurse, however, began at once, after her wont, 
 to make plans for resuming some of the courtly ways 
 which hurry had made impossible. The gold embroid- 
 ered royal red umbrella was one thing she was deter- 
 mined to have. 
 
 But who was to hold it over the Royal Infant? Roy 
 would get tired of it during a long march. He was 
 but a boy; and after all there should be a Deputy, 
 Assistant, Second, Umbrella Bearer to Majesty. 
 
 Could Meroo, properly dressed, of course, be pro- 
 moted to the position? 
 20 
 
THE ROYAL UMBRELLA 
 
 She- actually woke Foster-father from his well- 
 earned first sleep to propound this knotty question. 
 
 "Good woman," he murmured patiently, "make 
 what court appointments ye will. Create the scullion 
 Prime Minister, so I have my sleep." 
 
 And he was snoring almost before the words were 
 out of his mouth. 
 
 So next morning Head-nurse, refusing the baggage 
 camel with panniers which Prince Askm-ry sent for 
 the use of the little Heir-to-Empire, organised a pro- 
 cession of her own. 
 
 First of all came Foster-father, stout and solid, on 
 his skew-bald hill pony which was called Horse-chest- 
 nut because it was patched all over, like an unripe 
 chestnut, with yellow, brown and white. 
 
 It had a lovely tail that touched the ground, and a 
 coat that was long and wavy Hke an Irish setter's. A 
 wise, sober pony was Horse-chestnut; he never at- 
 tempted to climb up anything he thought too difficult, 
 but just gave a look at it to make sure and then put 
 down his head calmly, and began to graze until his 
 rider found an easier path. 
 
 Next came Trooper Faithful on his old white 
 charger Lightning. Once upon a time it had been 
 like its name, swift exceedingly, but now, like its mas- 
 ter, it was slow and stiff. 
 
 Then followed Head-nurse, astride, in Indian fash- 
 ion, the bay Belooch mare which had been Queen 
 
 21 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Humeeda's favourite mount until it had had to be left 
 behind in one of the hasty moves which had of late 
 been so common in the hunted life of the Royal Fugi- 
 tives. The mare, of course, had been taken by the 
 pursuers, and brought along with them; and the 
 groom in charge of it had come grinning with dehght 
 to Foster-father when he found himself in the same 
 camp again. Foster-father was for riding the bay 
 mare himself and giving sober Horse-chestnut to the 
 Heir-to-Empire, but Head-nurse would not hear of 
 this. The bay mare was, she said, altogether more 
 royal. So there she was, with Baby Akbar astride 
 a cushion in front, perched on the skittish creature, 
 feeling at heart very nervous, for she was but a poor 
 rider. However, she held on very tight with one hand, 
 held Baby Akbar stiU tighter with the other, and 
 trusted to Providence, while Roy and Meroo ran be- 
 side her on either side, alternately holding up the 
 Royal Umbrella as best they could. 
 
 Foster-mother on a mule, with little Adam perched 
 in front of her brought up the rear of the procession. 
 It was a poor one for progress even along the levels, 
 because of the bay mare's fidgeting and caperings, 
 but when the steep hill sides were reached it became 
 impossible to keep up with the rest of the equipage. 
 So Prince Askurry and his men pushed on ahead 
 leaving the little party alone, since escape was im- 
 possible on that wild mountain road, especially with 
 22 
 
THE ROYAL UMBRELLA 
 
 the rear guard of the camp coming a few miles behind 
 them. And, indeed, if such an idea had entered the 
 heads of any of the party it must soon have fled be- 
 fore the difficulty of getting along at aU. It was a 
 steep zigzag path, and looking upwards you could see 
 it zigging and zagging right away to the sky line- 
 Poor Foster-mother, who came last, could not take 
 her eyes off it, for the bends immediately above her 
 were filled with the most terrifying sights. First her 
 stout husband, who seemed to be in the act of slipping 
 over Horse-chestnut's tail. On the next Old Faith- 
 ful, driven to dismoimting and laboriously lugging 
 Lightning up by the bridle. But the last zig-zag in 
 front of her called forth piercing shrieks. For the 
 bay mare, not having been ridden for some time, was 
 full of beans. Baby Akbar insisted on holding the 
 reins, and Meroo, whose turn it was to hold the imi- 
 brella, would slip and slither among the stones, 
 thereby bringing its fringe right on the bay mare's 
 nose. 
 
 "Oh ! Head-nurse, have a care ! The blessed child !" 
 shrieked poor Foster-mother as a more than usually 
 bad stumble sent the umbreUa on to the mare's 
 tail. 
 
 This was too much for it. Frightened out of its 
 senses, it gave a frenzied bound forwards, then rear- 
 ing straight up, himg over the edge of the path, as if 
 it meant to take a downward plunge. 
 
 23 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 All seemed lost! Foster-father and Faithful stood 
 petrified with despair. Meroo would have dashed for- 
 ward to catch at the rein but Roy, knowing with that 
 curious instinct of his, that that would only make 
 matters worse, as it would still further frighten the 
 mare, held him back by main force. The only person 
 who was not spellbound with fear was Baby Akbar. 
 He thought it a fine joke that his mount should stand 
 up on its hind legs and paw the air. So he shrieked 
 with dehght, and dropped the reins to clap his hands, 
 as he always did when he was pleased. Now this was 
 the very best thing he, or anybody else, could have 
 done. The mare, feeling herself free, thought better 
 of it, and wheeling roimd dropped her fore feet on 
 the path once more. 
 
 Foster-father's loud Arabic thanksgiving ended in 
 an equally loud order. "Get off the mare, woman. 
 Horse-chestnut is the only mount thou art fit for. 
 Roy! carry that foolish ximbreUa behind." 
 
 "In front — ^the emblems are ever carried in front," 
 protested Head-nurse feebly. 
 
 "I said behind," was all the answer she got, and 
 behind it went while they toiled up and up. 
 
 After a while the road became surprisingly bad; 
 nothing in fact but a watercourse, and Foster-father 
 began to doubt if they could be on the right way. 
 Possibly, when they were all excited over the mare's 
 bad behaviour, they had taken a wrong turning. But 
 24 
 
THE ROYAL UMBRELLA 
 
 as the path led ever upwards, he judged it better to 
 go on, though it was terribly hard work. Every mo- 
 ment the road became worse and worse until it ceased 
 to be more than a mere ladder of rocks which puzzled 
 even Horse-chestnut. More than once he stopped 
 dead and would no doubt have refused any further 
 attempt to climb had there been anything at which 
 to graze. But there was nothing ; nothing but rocks. 
 So, after a pause he made the best of a bad bargain, 
 raised himself on his hind legs, sought a foothold for 
 his fore feet in some crevice, and then scrambled up. 
 Only the two children enjoyed themselves, Baby Ak- 
 bar laughing with delight and clapping his hands over 
 aU the slips and slitherings which even nimble Horse- 
 chestnut made, and which reduced Head-nurse and 
 Wet-nurse to piteous wails to Roy not for Heaven's 
 sake to let go of the Heir-to-Empire's baggy trous- 
 ers. And Adam enjoyed himself, also, rvmning on in 
 front and making snowballs in the drifts which, ere 
 long, were to be seen sheltering from the sun in the 
 clefts of the rocks. 
 
 The sight of them made Foster-father frown. "We 
 go too high," he said. "Heaven send we have not to 
 climb to a higher pass." 
 
 His remark made Head-nurse give way altogether. 
 She wept loudly, saying in that case she had better 
 stay and die where she was, thus saving them the 
 trouble of carrying her down the hill. 
 
 25 
 
THE ADVENTUKfiS OF AKBAR 
 
 At that very moment, however, Adam who had run 
 far ahead began waving his arms and shouting: 
 
 "He says 'The top/ the top!' " cried Roy, who was 
 keen in hearing as in everything else. "Courage, 
 mother! our troubles are over!" 
 
 They had not quite ended, but in a few minutes 
 more they had reached the beginning of the pass 
 proper. Before them lay a grassy boggy slope curl- 
 ing gently upwards between higher rockier slopes. A 
 little stream plashed softly adown it, through a per- 
 fect wilderness of flowers, and without one word the 
 tired travellers threw themselves beside it for rest and 
 refreshment. 
 
 But Baby Akbar looked a little troubled. 
 
 "Amma, Dadda 'way 'way in a 'ky," he said 
 solemnly, and essayed to crawl on over the grass. For 
 he could not walk yet, though he spoke so well. They 
 say he began to talk when he was nine months old. 
 
 26 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 Aftek a while the party started on their way once 
 more feeling greatly brisked up. But the heat of 
 the day was now upon them, and though the snow lay 
 close beside the path, the fierce sun melting it made 
 the vapour rise and turned the narrow valley into a 
 regular steam bath. 
 
 The perspiration ran down the travellers' faces and 
 especially down poor Head-nurse's; for she had in- 
 sisted on taking ofP her veil to twist it turbanwise 
 round Baby Akbar's head since the Royal Umbrella 
 was forbidden. Foster-mother had tried to take off 
 hers also, but Head-nurse had angrUy forbidden her 
 to do any such thing. If she, Head-nurse, died of 
 sunstroke what matter, but if Foster-mother failed, 
 what — even though one back tooth had been glori- 
 ously cut — would become of the Heir-to-Empire, the 
 Admired-of-the-World, the Great-in-Pomp, etc.? 
 
 So, to comfort herself she went on mumbling titles 
 as she struggled along, the sun beating fiercely on her 
 bare head. Such a quaint head, with sleek black hair 
 parted and plaited and hung with jewels, even down 
 the long pigtail of brown wool that was added on to 
 the back to make the hair look more plentiful. 
 
 It was a piteous sight and Foster-mother was so 
 
 27 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 conscious of the devotion it meant that she said "Lol 
 Head-nurse, thou art a good, good soul though a hard 
 one to me; but I will never, never, never, forget this 
 day." 
 
 ^'Nor I," groaned Head-nurse, "but 'tis for the 
 Heir-to-Empire." 
 
 It was a full hour before the slope ended in a level 
 bog, on the other side of which began a visible descent. 
 Then in the angled hills a blue shadow began to rise, 
 telling of a valley below them. 
 
 "Bismillah!" (Thanks be to God) cried Foster- 
 father piously. And every one echoed the remark ex- 
 cept Baby Akbar. He turned round and looked back 
 at the snowy peaks which were beginning to show 
 behind them. 
 
 "Amma, Dadda 'way 'way mountains," he said re- 
 gretfully and his little mouth went down as for a cry, 
 when everybody's attention was distracted by the sud- 
 den appearance of a huge furry black dog which came 
 bounding down the hill side, its big white teeth gleam- 
 ing as it uttered shrill, sharp, growling barks. 
 
 Head-nurse and Foster-mother shrieked with 
 fright, little Adam ran Kke a hare for the shelter of 
 his mother's petticoats, and Meroo the cook-boy, re- 
 membering his bare legs — for like all Indian scullions 
 he wore short cotton drawers — squatted down where 
 he was standing, in order to protect them. Even Roy, 
 brave boy that he was, looked uncomfortable, and both 
 28 
 
TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 Foster-father and Old Faithful whipped out their 
 swords. 
 
 These were not needed, however, for the next in- 
 stant a wild-looking figure clad in a brown blanket 
 started up from behind a rock and shouted to the dog. 
 It stopped instantly, but stood still — snarling, though 
 obedient. 
 
 It was the funniest looking dog you can imagine. 
 Bigger than a big collie, it was furry all over even to 
 its tail. And it was black as ink. In fact with its 
 tiny prick ears and small sharp pointed muzzle all 
 lost in a huge soft black ruff and nothing to be seen 
 but red tongue, white teeth and beady black eyes, it 
 was a regular golliwog of a dog. 
 
 When Foster-father saw the man in the brown 
 blanket, who from his crook was evidently a shep- 
 herd, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Now," he said, "we 
 shall be able to find out our way." 
 
 But he was mistaken. The man did not understand 
 a word they said, neither could they understand a word 
 he said. 
 
 Head-niu*se was in despair. "He speaks like a 
 ghost of the desert," she wept. "We shall all die of 
 starvation before he understands," 
 
 "Die?" echoed Foster-father stoutly. "Not so, 
 woman! There is one language aU understand." 
 
 Whereupon he placed himself right in front of the 
 shepherd, opened his mouth wide and then shook his 
 
 29 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 head. Next he pointed to his stomach and shook his 
 head again. Finally he began to chew violently, 
 rubbed his stomach and grinned. 
 
 The shepherd grinned too and rubbed his stomach, 
 whereupon Foster-father turned triumphantly to 
 Head-nurse. 
 
 "Said I not sooth, woman," he asked. "Hunger 
 hath a tongue of its own, and all men know it." 
 
 Once begun, signs soon brought so much under- 
 standing, that, whistling to his dog, the shepherd 
 started down the hUl at a great pace, beckoning them 
 to follow. 
 
 "Not so fast, friend, not so fasti" panted Foster- 
 father, "we be not aU born on a mountain as thou 
 art. And there are women and children, too." He 
 pointed to poor Head-nurse and Foster-mother, who 
 were indeed dropping with fatigue, and the man 
 seemed to understand, for he pulled up. But he had 
 to keep some way oif because his dog, who kept close 
 as a shadow to his master's heels, never ceased growl- 
 ing. So they tramped on wearily until just below 
 them they saw a marg or mountain upland, where 
 some goats were grazing. One part of this dipped 
 down into a little vaUey, and there, in the shelter of 
 some huge rocks, they saw two or three small brown 
 blanket tents, such as shepherds use on the Beluchis- 
 tan hUls. They were just like waggon tilts only not 
 so large. 
 30 
 
TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 Here, at any rate, was prospect of food and rest, 
 and the poor travellers brisked up again. But alas! 
 between them and the tents lay a formidable obstacle. 
 Nothing less than a birch-twig bridge over a rushing 
 stream which filled up the bottom of a wide rift or 
 chasm in the upland. This chasm stretched right 
 across the upland from a steep rock which blocked up 
 the head of the little valley, and out of which the 
 stream gushed, and there was no way of crossing it, 
 so the shepherd explained by signs, except the birch- 
 twig bridge. Now a birch-twig bridge is a very terri- 
 fying thing to anybody who is not accustomed to 
 them. It is simply a strong flat plait of birch twigs 
 about nine inches wide which is flung from one side to 
 the other, and which, of course, droops and sags like 
 a rope in the middle. Into this plait are stuck every 
 few feet or so cross sticks, and to these sticks a rope 
 is fastened as a sort of hand rail. Across such a 
 bridge as this the hill children walk as easily as an 
 English child does over a great brick span ; but Head- 
 nurse resolutely refused to set foot over it herself, 
 much less to allow the Heir-to-Empire to risk his neck 
 on such an appallingly dangerous structure. In vain 
 Foster-father, in order to set a good example, allowed 
 himself to be led over by the shepherd with his eyes 
 carefully bandaged lest he should get giddy in the 
 middle by looking down. As a matter of fact, this 
 only made Head-nurse more frightened, for, of 
 
 31 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 course, the bridge swung and swayed with the weight 
 of the men on it. She would sooner, she declared, 
 try to climb Heaven on a rainbow! That was 
 at least steady. Roy tried to hearten her up by 
 walking over himself with open eyes, though he 
 felt frightfully diz2y and had to fling himself 
 flat on the grass to recover when he did get over. 
 Then Meroo, blubbering loudly that he was 
 going to his death for his young master, climbed 
 up on the shepherd's back and allowed him- 
 self to be carried over just to show how easy it 
 was. 
 
 It was all in vain! Head-nurse was firm. They 
 must bring the tents to the Heir-to-Empire ; the Heir- 
 to-Empire should not go across a tight rope to the 
 tents. And there she would have remained had not a 
 great, taU burly woman with a fat baby on her hip 
 come out of one of the tents, and grasping the po- 
 sition, stalked over the bridge without even touching 
 the hand rail, caught Baby Akbar from Foster- 
 mother, who was too taken aback to resist, set him on 
 her other hip and calmly stalked back again, leaving 
 the two women too surprised and horrified even to 
 scream. 
 
 But when they saw the Heir-to-Empire safe on the 
 other side, they consented to be carried across pick-a- 
 back. 
 
 So there they were before long eating goats' milk 
 32 
 
TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 cheese fried like a beefsteak and drinking long 
 draughts of a sort of sour milk. 
 
 One of the shepherds could speak a little Persian, 
 and from him Foster-father, to his great relief, 
 learned that Prince Askurry's camp was only a mile or 
 two down the valley, so, feeling certain of being able 
 to reach it before sundown, he called a halt, and they 
 all lay down to rest in one of the tents, Baby Akbar 
 between his two nurses for safety sake. For one could 
 never tell. Head-nurse remarked, what might happen 
 amongst people who spoke the language of ghosts in 
 the desert, and kept such strange animals. A great 
 goUiwog of a black dog who sat on one side of the 
 tent like an image, watching them as if he meant to 
 eat them, and a great fluff of a white cat sitting on 
 the other with her eyes shut as if she did not want 
 to watch them. 
 
 No! Indeed it was impossible to tell what might 
 not happen! 
 
 And that is exactly how it turned out. What really 
 did happen no one knew. It was Foster-mother who, 
 waking first, let loose a shriek while still half awake. 
 This roused Head-nurse, who let loose another. For 
 Baby Akbar was no longer between them. The Heir- 
 to-Empire had gone — had disappeared — ^was not to 
 be found! 
 
 Roy was out of the tent in a second, treading in 
 his haste on Meroo, who was sleeping outside, and who 
 
 33 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 began to howl confusedly. Old Faithful fumbled for 
 his sword, Foster-father rubbed his eyes as if they 
 must be at fault. 
 
 But there was no Baby! And what is more, both 
 the black dog and the white cat had disappeared also ; 
 at least they were no longer on the watch. 
 
 Never was there such a commotion. The rocks re- 
 sounded with cries and every one searched every- 
 where ; even in the great tall basket panniers in which 
 hill shepherds carry their goods and chattels. 
 
 But not one sign of the little fellow was to be found, 
 until — ^horribly, dreadfully, near to that awful birch- 
 twig bridge — Foster-mother seized on a tiny gold-em- 
 broidered skull cap that was lying on the grass. 
 
 "It is his !" she sobbed, "it is my darling's ! He hath 
 tried to get to the mountains to his Amma, and he 
 hath fallen from that accursed cats' cradle. He is 
 dead! He is killed!" 
 
 Every face, except the shepherds', who did not, of 
 course, understand what was said, turned pale. It 
 was indeed possible, perhaps probable, that the faith- 
 ful little soul, who remembered when others forgot, 
 had tried 
 
 It was a terrible thought. But the shepherds, see- 
 ing the cap, at once whistled to their dog, and the one 
 who spoke Persian explained that if it were shown the 
 cap it would take up the track of the child at once. 
 
 But though they whistled and whistled no dog came. 
 84 
 
TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 Then the shepherds began to look grave and mutter 
 among themselves. 
 
 "What are they saying? What gibberish are they 
 talking?" shrilled poor Head-nurse, trying to keep 
 hope alive by being angry. The man who spoke Per- 
 sian looked at her cheerfully. 
 
 "Only that perhaps the dog has eaten the child. 
 We keep it hungry that it may chase the wild ani- 
 mals." 
 
 This was too much for the womankind. They 
 simply rent the air with heartbroken sobs. 
 
 But Foster-father, grave and silent, would not give 
 up hope. Every foot of the ravine must be searched, 
 first downwards, as, had the child really fallen into 
 the stream it must have been carried with it. Then as 
 a last forlorn hope upwards. So, peering down care- 
 fully from either side, they traced the ravine till, grad- 
 ually becoming shallower, less steep, it merged into 
 the grassy valley. But there was no sign. Then sadly 
 they commenced their upward search, until they were 
 close to the high cUff whence the stream gushed 
 out. Here they found that the ravine was wider, 
 and at the bottom of it a patch of sand and boulders 
 showed that there was foothold beside the roaring 
 torrent. 
 
 "I will climb down and see if there is aught," said 
 Roy; "it is easier here — if he had fallen here, he 
 might — " the tears in his voice prevented more, as he 
 
 35 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 tucked up his garments preparatory to the difficult 
 descent. 
 
 But the shepherds raised an urgent outcry. There 
 was a demon in the cavern, they said, whence the 
 water came. There was no use angering it, no use in 
 losing another life. 
 
 Roy struggled madly in their detaining hands, but 
 Old Faithful and Foster-father looked at each other. 
 Whether there was a demon or not it was a risk to 
 another life and that should not be a young one. 
 
 "No, boy !" said the old warrior stoutly. "This is my 
 task, not thine. I am good swordsman to begin with, 
 and demons — ^if there be any — ^like not a clean sword 
 thrust. Also I have been pUgrim to Holy Mecca and 
 demons — ^if there be any — ^like not pilgrims' flesh." 
 
 So, muttering prayers and holding his drawn sword 
 in his teeth, since both hands were needed for the 
 parlous descent, he commenced his task while the 
 others watched him eagerly. 
 
 About half way down he paused, looked up and 
 called back; but they could not hear what he said. 
 
 "Take thy sword out of thy mouth, man," shrieked 
 Head-nurse almost beside herself with grief and rage ; 
 "it isn't manners to speak with the mouth full." 
 
 True enough, but Old Faithful had some difficulty 
 in obeying orders. However, he managed to steady 
 himself for a moment on his two feet; so sword in 
 hand he bawled back. 
 36 
 
TUMBU-DOWN 
 
 " 'Tis true! There is a demon. It growls. I hear 
 it plainly. Farewell! I go on, secure in my sword 
 and Holy " 
 
 Here a foot slipped and he went sliding, slithering, 
 slipping down to the bottom where, happily only 
 bruised, he sat half -stunned staring in front of him. 
 
 And then there echoed up to the listeners the most 
 terrible barking, and yelping, and growling, and 
 spitting, that ever was heard! 
 
 "The demon! The demon!" yelled the shepherds 
 in terror, and ran for their lives. 
 
 But Roy, ear over the cliff, hstened for a second, and 
 the next had followed Old Faithful. Foster-father 
 was not long behind him, and Meroo was close on his 
 heels. Foster-mother and Head-nurse were not to be 
 left out, and somehow they all managed to get down 
 in safety. 
 
 And then they aU stood and sat silent and agape 
 with surprise and delight. 
 
 For what they saw was this. A low cavern in the 
 rock, and on a shelving bank of dry sand Baby Akbar 
 sitting up and rubbing his eyes, while on one side of 
 him was the golliwog of a black dog, his fur all brist- 
 ling, his white teeth gleaming as he filled the air with 
 furious barks ; while on the other was the white fluff 
 of a cat, her back arched, her tail the size of two, spit- 
 ting and growling fiercely. 
 
 How had he got there? Foster-father looked at 
 
 87 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Foster-mother, Head-nurse looked at Old Faithful, 
 and Roy looked at Meroo, and they all looked at each 
 other. 
 
 But Baby Akbar only put out one fat hand towards 
 the black dog and said "Tumbu," and the other fat 
 hand towards the cat and said "Down," and that was 
 all he would say. 
 
 He had tumbled down; but how, when, and where, 
 and how the dog and the cat came to be with him no 
 one ever knew from that day to this. 
 
 38 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 ON THE ROAD 
 
 Naturally when, after an uneventful journey 
 with the shepherd as guide, they reached Prince 
 Askurry's camp that evening, they came to talk over 
 the incident. Foster-father was not sparing of Head- 
 nurse. The whole tissue of misfortunes, which had 
 ended in Baby Akbar so nearly losing his life — and 
 that he had been spared was simply a miracle — ^arose 
 from her insisting on a Royal Procession. But for 
 that, both she and the child would have gone com- 
 fortably on a camel. They would have kept up with 
 the other baggage animals and none of the distressful 
 events would have happened. It should not, how- 
 ever, happen again. Of course. Head-nurse tried to 
 brazen it out and assert that the Heir-to-Empire 
 could always count on a miracle in his favour ; but in 
 her heart-of-hearts she knew that Foster-father was 
 right. 
 
 So next morning she said nothing when she saw a 
 camel with two panniers kneeling in front of the tent, 
 ready for its load. That had to be endured, but she 
 revenged herself by objecting to the black dog and the 
 white cat, who sat expectantly one on either side, evi- 
 dently prepared for a start. 
 
 "Whose are those uncouth beasts?" she asked of 
 
 39 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Roy angrily. "Did I not tell those ghosts of the des- 
 ert who call themselves shepherds to remove them last 
 night ? Why have they come back ? Take them away ! 
 Catch them! Tie them up! Such mean born animals 
 have no right to attend the Mighty-in-Pomp, the 
 Lord-of -Light," etc., etc. 
 
 She rolled out the titles sonorously, determined that 
 if she was docked of dignity in one way she would 
 have it in another. 
 
 Now it was not very hard to catch the big black 
 golliwog of a dog, even though he did snarl and snap 
 and try to bite. There were a lot of camp followers 
 who were only too glad to have the amusement of 
 capturing him, so, after a very short space poor 
 "Tumbu," for Baby Akbar insisted on calling him 
 so, was being dragged off at the end of a long rope to 
 his masters the shepherds, looking very sad, with his 
 tail between his legs. 
 
 But it was quite different with "Down," the cat. 
 She had made up her mind to stay where she was, and 
 it is very hard, indeed, to make a cat change its mind 
 when it is once made up. 
 
 So she moved about gently, from one place to the 
 other, purring softly and looking as mild as milk, her 
 blue eye — for real Persian cats often have their eyes 
 of different colours and one of them is always blue — 
 ever so friendly, as if she were just longing to be 
 picked up. Only the very tip of her bushy tail swayed 
 40 
 
ON THE ROAD 
 
 a little, and that is a sure sign that a cat is contrary. 
 And contrary Down was. The very instant any one 
 tried to pick her up — why! she was somewhere 
 else I 
 
 Head-nurse ere long joined in the chase, saying all 
 the rest didn't understand cats. But she soon lost 
 patience and declaring that she had never been done 
 by a dumb animal yet, started capture by force. A 
 circle was formed round the point where Down sat 
 blinking in the sunlight, and shawls and veils were 
 held up to make it complete. Then step by step they 
 advanced towards the cat, who, in truth, viewed the 
 enclosing wall with polite indifference. It was really 
 rather a funny sight to see stout Head-nurse without 
 her veil tip-toeing in line towards pussy and shrilling 
 out her orders to the others to close in and be sure to 
 leave no loopholes. Step by step her voice became 
 more and more triumphant, and it really seemed as if 
 the cat must be caught this time, for Down sat sweetly 
 purring until she was actually hidden from sight be- 
 hind the high-held screening cloths. 
 
 "Now then! quick!" shrilled Head-nurse. "Close 
 in — close " 
 
 But her order ended in a scream of fright, for there 
 was pussy in one flying leap on her bare head, scrab- 
 bling up her scanty hair, and with another away up 
 the hillside leaving nothing but claw-marks behind 
 her! 
 
 41 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Head-nurse wept with angry tears; but Foster- 
 father, always sensible, said "Enough! cry on the 
 camel if you wUl, but now is the time to slip away be- 
 fore the obstinate animal can return." 
 
 There was wisdom in this; therefore Head-nurse 
 composed herself comfortably in one pannier while 
 Foster-mother, who was lighter, settled into the other 
 with Baby Akbar. So off they set at the dignified 
 lollop which camels affect, and Head-nvu-se began to 
 congratulate herself on having successfully evaded the 
 "uncouth beasts." 
 
 But there is no counting on cats. If they are here 
 one moment and gone the next, they are also gone one 
 moment and here the next. So, as the camel was pass- 
 ing under a thorn tree about half a mile out from 
 camp, a great fluff of white hair sprang from the 
 branches and landed right in Head-nurse's broad lap. 
 And there was Mistress Down looking as if butter 
 wouldn't melt in her mouth, and purring away like a 
 kettle on the boil. 
 
 Head-nurse gave in altogether then. "When a cat 
 reaUy makes up its mind," she said with forced wis- 
 dom, "it is little use any one else making up theirs!" 
 
 So pussy sat in her lap, and after a while the 
 warmth of the pretty creature and even the very 
 roughness of the small three-cornered red tongue that 
 licked her hand, as half -unconsciously she began to 
 stroke the long soft fur, made her say suddenly : 
 42 
 
ON THE ROAD 
 
 "Who knows but it is the Will of the Creator ! This 
 mean-born thing may in the future be of use to the 
 Light-of-the-World, the Observed-of-all-Observers," 
 etc., etc., etc. 
 
 And her words were to come true, for, as you wUl 
 see by and bye, Down was of great use to her little 
 master. Nevertheless when, at the very next camping 
 ground, a great big black golliwog of a dog with a 
 gnawed end of rope still round his neck was seen 
 calmly awaiting them at the door of the tent that was 
 pitched for their reception. Head-nurse became tear- 
 ful again and said that if Providence intended to send 
 all the wild beasts of the field to look after Baby Ak- 
 bar, there was no need for her; so she would give up 
 her place. 
 
 But the little Prince himself was delighted. He 
 plumped down on the hot sand beside the dog and 
 hugged it, calling it "Dear Tumbu," and when the 
 white cat jealously rubbed her back against his little 
 fat person he hugged her too and called her "Darling 
 Down." 
 
 "Hark to the Lord-of-the-Universe giving his crea- 
 tures names!" said Foster-mother piously. So after 
 that everybody called the golliwog dog Tumbu, and 
 the fluffy cat Down. 
 
 This was the beginning of a whole week on 
 camel back; a very pleasant week too, though the 
 minds of the elders were rather on the stretch 
 
 43 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 concerning the fate of King Humayon and Queen 
 Humeeda. 
 
 Still the sky was as blue as blue could be, the sun 
 shone bright and the air was crisp with coming winter. 
 Head-nurse spent most of her days dozing and mumb- 
 ling long strings of titles in one pannier, while Down 
 slept and purred on her lap. In the other pannier 
 were Foster-mother and Baby Akbar. The Uttle fel- 
 low did not sleep much, but spent most of his time 
 craning over the pannier side to see everything there 
 was to be seen. But what amused him most was to 
 watch Tumbu, who would look up and bark and gam- 
 bol for hours to attract his little master's attention. 
 Whereat Down would become impatient and come 
 over the camel's hump from the other pannier, rub 
 her back against the little Prince and watch, too, with 
 a sort of dignified contempt. It was the way of dogs 
 to be loud and eflPusive, and gushing; but it didn't 
 mean much. Tumbu, for instance, despite his display 
 of affection, would leave his post to run after every 
 wUd thing he saw; and though he always came back 
 to it, he was so helplessly breathless, with half a yard 
 of red tongue hanging out, that he would have been 
 little use had an enemy turned up and his protection 
 been needed. 
 
 Cats were far wiser. They sat still and watched ; so 
 they were always ready. 
 
 And one evening Down watched to some purpose. 
 44 
 
ON THE ROAD 
 
 Baby Akbar was asleep on some quilts and Down, as 
 usual, lay keeping his feet warm, her eyes closed, purr- 
 ing away like a steaming kettle. 
 
 You would have sworn she was half asleep, but in 
 a second there was one spring, something reared itself 
 at her to strike, but her paws were too quick. One, 
 two, three, came the blows swiftly like boxes on the 
 ears, and there was a snake squirming and helpless in 
 the dust. Old Faithful's armoured feet were on its 
 head in a second and the danger was over. 
 
 "Truly a cat is a terrible thing," said Head-nurse 
 in a twitter. "There is no fear in them. The reptile 
 had not a chance." 
 
 But Down was back on her young master's feet, 
 her eyes closed, purring away as if nothing had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 Tunibu was in favour, however, next evening, but 
 for a different cause. He appeared with a great prickly 
 porcupine held gingerly in his mouth and laid it be- 
 fore Baby Akbar. 
 
 "Ohi! Porcupine for supper!" cried Meroo, the 
 cook boy, who knew what a delicacy it was ; but Head- 
 nurse shrieked, "Take it away quick — ^the Heir-to- 
 Empire will prick himself with the quills and they are 
 poisonous. Take it away at once, I say." 
 
 But alas! The Heir-to-Empire was wilful, like all 
 Eastern Princelings, and he shrieked to match at the 
 suggestion. So there arose such a hubbub, which was 
 
 45 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 only calmed by Baby Akbar being allowed to do as he 
 chose. 
 
 "Poor! Poor!" he said as his little hand touched 
 the sharp prickles and no one found out, till Foster- 
 mother came to put him to bed, that he really did 
 scratch himself. There was quite a little runnel of 
 blood on the palm; but Akbar, even when he was a 
 baby, was proud. He knew how to bear discomfort 
 and punishment when it was his own fault. 
 
 They were all rather merry that night, for they had 
 roast porcupine stuffed with pistachio nuts for sup- 
 per. And afterward Roy sat by Baby Akbar's pile 
 of quilts and sang him to sleep with this royal lullaby : 
 
 "Baby, Baby-ling, 
 YoTi are always King; 
 Always wear a crown, 
 Though you tumble down; 
 Call each thing your own. 
 Find each lap a throne; 
 Dearest, sweetest Eang, 
 Baby ! Baby-ling !" 
 
 When the child had fallen asleep Roy sat at the 
 door of the tent and looked at the stars, which shone, 
 as they do in the East, all colours, like jewels in the 
 velvety sky. They seemed so far away, but not far- 
 ther than he seemed to be from himself. For Roy's 
 head had been dreadfully confused by that sunstroke 
 46 
 
ON THE ROAD 
 
 in the desert. Only that morning something had 
 seemed to come back to him in a flash, and he had so 
 far f ogotten he was only a page boy as to call the little 
 Heir-to-Empire "Brother," but Head-nurse's cuff 
 had brought him back to reahty in double quick time. 
 And as he sat there in the dark he saw a man creeping 
 stealthily to the tent. He was on his feet in a moment 
 challenging him. 
 
 "Hush!" whispered the newcomer, "I bring a mes- 
 sage from King Humayon. I must see Foster-father 
 at once." 
 
 The good man was already between the quilts, but 
 he got up quickly, and when he had heard the message 
 he sent for Head-nurse and Foster-mother and Old 
 Faithful, for he felt that a most momentous decision 
 had to be made. Yet the message was a very simple 
 one. Those in charge of the child were to creep away 
 that very night with the messenger, who would guide 
 them in safety to King Humayon, who had found help 
 and shelter in Persia. 
 
 Head-nurse and Foster-mother wept tears of joy 
 at the glad news, and proposed at once that they 
 should wrap the child in a blanket and start. But 
 Foster-father was more wary. 
 
 "You come as a thief in the darkness," he said. 
 "Where is your token from the king, that I may know 
 who you are?" 
 
 But there was no token. 
 
 47 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 "Then the child stays where he is," asserted Foster- 
 father boldly. "Am I not right oh! Faithful?" 
 
 "Assuredly my lord is right. Who knows but this 
 man may be an emissary of those who would wile 
 away the little lad from his uncle, Prince Askurry's 
 protection. His other uncle, Kumran, is not so 
 kind." 
 
 The messenger scowled at the old man. "As you 
 please," he began blusteringly, "but those who disobey 
 the King's order may find their lives forfeit." 
 
 "Mine is forfeit already to the child's service," re- 
 plied Foster-father with spirit. "And without a token 
 I stir not — Peace ! woman," he added to Head-nurse, 
 who would fain have sided with the messenger, "and 
 go fetch the Heir-to-Empire's cap. That shall 
 go as sign that he is his father's vassal, to do what 
 he is told when the order comes accredited. So take 
 that as my answer to those who sent you, sir mes- 
 senger!" 
 
 So despite Head-nurse's protestations the man went 
 off with nothing but the little gold-laced skull cap. 
 And he had not to go far ; only into a tent on the out- 
 skirts of the camp. For Foster-father's suspicions 
 had been correct, and he had been sent to try and en- 
 tice the child by some of Prince Kumran's partisans 
 who, booted and spurred, and with a swift pacing 
 camel for the child, were waiting eagerly for the re- 
 turn of their messenger. 
 48 
 
ON THE ROAD 
 
 Their faces fell as he flung the little cap upon the 
 ground. 
 
 "The old fox is too wary," he said. "We must get 
 at the child some other way." 
 
 One of the party took up the cap and fingered it, 
 half idly. "He has a large-sized head for his years," 
 he remarked; "if it he full of brains, hereafter he may 
 do weU." 
 
 49 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 AT COUET 
 
 Of course, the messenger never returned from King 
 Humayon with the token; but Foster-father was a 
 good-natured man and did not boast of his wisdom to 
 Head-nurse, who, however, remained wonderfully- 
 meek and silent until at the end of a fortnight's march- 
 ing they saw, against the blue of the distant valley, 
 the white domes of the town of Kandahar with the 
 citadel rising above them. Then, with the chance of a 
 court before her once more, she began chattering of 
 ceremonials and titles and etiquettes, 
 
 "Praise be!" she shriUed in her high voice. "No 
 more jiggettings and joggettings on camel back. I 
 shall be on my own feet once more, and it shall not be 
 my fault if His just dues are not given to the Great- 
 in-Pomp " etc., etc. 
 
 Foster-mother interrupted the string of titles. "So 
 that they harm not the child," she said, clasping her 
 charge tight. She was always thinking of his safety, 
 always alarmed for danger; but he, young Turk that 
 he was, struggled from her arms and pointed to the 
 hills they were leaving behind them. 
 
 "Dadda, Amma 'way 'way mountains," he repeated 
 once more ; then added cheerfully, "Akka 'way, too." 
 
 "It is a prophecy!" said Old Faithful, overhearing 
 50 
 
AT COURT 
 
 the remark. "Sure his grandad Baber — on whom be 
 peace — ^had the gift, and this babe may have inherited 
 it." 
 
 "May have," echoed Head-nurse indignantly. "He 
 has inherited it, and has much of his own besides. 
 Mark my words! if this child live — which Heaven 
 grant — he will be the King of Kings ! Not two sum- 
 mers old and he talks as one of three." 
 
 "Aye!" assented Foster-mother, "but he does not 
 walk yet." 
 
 Head-nurse sniffed. "Thou are a foolish sovl, 
 woman ! Sure either the feet or the tongue must come 
 first, and for my part I prefer the tongue. Any babe 
 can walk!" 
 
 And Foster-mother was silent ; it was true one could 
 not have everything. 
 
 Their last camp was pitched just outside the city 
 of Kandahar, so that Prince Askurry could make a 
 regular triumphal entry the next morning and let 
 everybody see with their own eyes that he had come 
 back victorious, holding Baby Akbar as prisoner and 
 hostage. 
 
 But this did not suit Head-nurse at all. She had 
 no notion that her Heir-to-Empire should be stared 
 at as a captive; so, though she started from camp 
 humbly as ever on the baggage camel, no sooner had 
 they passed through the arched gate of the city with 
 Prince Askiu-ry well ahead of them in the narrow 
 
 51 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 streets, than out she whipped the Royal Umbrella 
 which she had patched up with an old scarlet sUk petti- 
 coat, and there was Baby Akbar under its shadow; 
 and, having — ^young as he was — ^been taught to salute 
 to a crowd, he began waving his little fat hand with 
 much dignity, until the people who had come out to 
 gape whispered among themselves and said: 
 
 "He looks every inch a king's son." 
 
 "And that is what he is," said a bold voice in the 
 crowd ; but though folk turned to see who spoke, there 
 was no sign of the speaker. For loyal men had to 
 hide their loyalty in those days. StUl the populace 
 were pleased with the Uttle Prince's bearing, and 
 many a hand was raised to welcome him. 
 
 Before they reached the frowning palace, indeed, 
 where Prince Askurry kept a right royal court as 
 Governor of Kandahar, Head-nurse's mind was full 
 of the things she intended to insist upon for the honour 
 and dignity of her small charge. Meanwhile she had 
 to obey the order to take him at once into Princess 
 Sultanam's apartments. Now Princess Sultanam was 
 Prince Askurry's wife, and she had a boy of her own 
 who was about three years older than Baby Akbar, 
 and a little daughter who had just been born about a 
 month before. So, as she lay among cushions at the 
 farther end of the long room, with Prince Askurry, 
 who had hurried to see his wife on his return, beside 
 her, she looked suspiciously at the child which Head- 
 52 
 
AT COURT 
 
 nurse put down on the Persian carpet as soon as she 
 came into the room; since though others might carry 
 him to the upstarts at the farther end, she was not 
 going to do so, when they were clearly bound to come 
 humbly to the Heir-to-Empire and prostrate them- 
 selves before him! 
 
 So there stood Baby Akbar; fair and square, steady- 
 ing himself by Head-nurse's petticoats, but for all 
 that looking bold and big and brave. 
 
 Now Princess Sultanam was a kindly foolish 
 woman at heart, much given to impulses, and the sight 
 of the upstanding little boy made her think instantly 
 what a fine man he would make, and that brought 
 another thought which made her sit up delightedly 
 and clap her hands. 
 
 "I have it, my lord!" she exclaimed, turning to 
 Prince Askurry. "It is a grand idea! We will be- 
 troth our little Amina to this young master. That 
 will settle everything and they will be the hand- 
 somest couple in the country!" 
 
 Now, strange as this may sound to my readers, 
 Prince Askurry, who was accustomed to the Indian 
 habit of settling that quite little boys and girls should 
 marry each other when they grew up, could not help 
 at once seeing that his wife's suggestion was not such 
 a bad one. It would help him to keep a hold over the 
 little Heir-to-Empire. If King Humayon returned 
 it would make him more inclined to forgive, and if 
 
 53 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 he did not, why! it would prevent cruel brother Kum- 
 ran from stepping in and getting all, since as father- 
 in-law to the young king he, Askurry, would be 
 Regent. 
 
 Still, taken aback, he hummed and hawed. 
 
 "It would be a long time to wait until they are old 
 enough to marry," he began. 
 
 "Long!" interrupted the lively Princess gaily. "All 
 the longer for merriment and festivities. Thy daugh- 
 ter, my lord, is already beautiful, and I'll wager the 
 boy will be a grown man ere we have time to turn 
 round. So that is settled. Therefore come hither, oh 
 nephew! Jallaluddin Mahomed Akbar, since that is 
 thy long name, and kiss thy cousin Amina — Nurse! 
 bring my sweeting hither. Now then, woman," she 
 continued sharply, addressing Head-nurse, who stood 
 petrified with astonishment and anger at the very idea 
 of such scant ceremony. "If the boy cannot walk, 
 carry him!" 
 
 Head-nurse could scarcely speak. To be called 
 "Woman" by an upstart — for Prince Askurry had 
 married Princess Sultanam for her beauty — was too 
 much! 
 
 * 'The Feet-of -the-Most-Condescending-of -Ma j es- 
 ties," she began pompously, "have not yet conferred 
 happiness on the earth by treading it underfoot, 
 neither " 
 
 Here she broke off hurriedly, for at that very 
 54 
 
AT COURT 
 
 instant, as if in denial of her words. Baby Akbar 
 gave a little crow of assent, let go her petticoats, 
 and with outspread balancing arms, and legs very 
 wide apart, launched himself boldly for his very first 
 steps ! 
 
 "BismillaTi!" (Well done!) shrieked Foster-mother 
 in delight. 
 
 "Bismilldh! Bismillah!" echoed every one in the 
 room, while all eyes f uU of smiles were on the stalwart 
 young toddler as he lurched forward, his face one 
 broad grin. 
 
 Princess Sultanam clapped her hands again. "Thy 
 turban, my lord!" she cried in a flutter of amusement. 
 "Thy turban, quick; as his father is not here 'tis thy 
 place to prevent him falling of himself — ^thy turban — 
 quick! quick!" 
 
 Prince Askurry, fuU of laughter, puUed oflp the 
 soft turban he wore — it was all wound round and 
 round to fit the head like a cap — and in obedience to 
 the Indian custom, which always prevents a child from 
 falling of itself in its first attempt at walking, flung 
 it full at the httle lad. It caught him between his 
 outspread balancing arms- and over he went on to the 
 thick pile carpet. 
 
 Foster-mother was beside him in a second, eager to 
 snatch him up and cover him with kisses; but Baby 
 Akbar wriggled himself from her hold. He had set 
 himself a task and he meant to do it. 
 
 55 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 "Go way!" he said with determination. "Tumbu 
 down. Get up again." 
 
 So, calmly reaching round for the tiu-ban which lay 
 beside him, which he evidently thought had tumbled 
 down too, he clapped it on his head with both hands, 
 rose to his feet and recommenced his forward Ivu-ch; 
 a yard or two of the fringed turban, which had become 
 unrolled, trailing behind him like a royal robe. 
 
 It was a quainter little figure than before, but no- 
 body laughed now. They looked at each other, then 
 at the child staggering along under the Prince's 
 plumed turban, then at Prince Askurry himself stand- 
 ing bareheaded before his nephew. 
 
 It was an ill omen. And yet as Head-nurse said 
 proudly when they got back to the rooms that had 
 been given them in a frowning bastion of the palace, 
 Baby Akbar had once more scored off his uncle. 
 
 Indeed, she was so cock-a-hoop about it that she 
 stickled for this, and she stickled for that until the 
 attendants, who were at first inclined to be civil, began 
 to look askance, and Foster-father had to bid her hold 
 her tongue. 
 
 "Wise folk leave steel traps alone," he said; "fid- 
 dling with them lets off the spring. Then — pouf !" 
 
 He shook his head significantly. 
 
 "Steel traps?" echoed Head-nurse sniflSly, "who is 
 talking of steel traps?" 
 
 "I am, woman!" replied Foster-father sternly. "I 
 56 
 
AT COURT 
 
 tell you this Kandahar is as a steel trap ready to snap 
 on us at any moment." 
 
 Head-nurse was sUent, even though he also had 
 ventured to call her "woman" ; but she was beginning 
 to learn that nine times out of ten Foster-father was 
 right. 
 
 57 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 WINTER 
 
 The winter settled in early that year, and with the 
 passes of the hills blocked by snow, the caravans of 
 laden camels which, in addition to merchandise of aU 
 sorts, brought news from the world to the east and 
 the world to the west of mountain-clipped Kandahar, 
 ceased to come into the big bazaar. And the cold 
 kept most people at home, or shivering beside the 
 glowing braziers set outside the shops. It was not the 
 season for active work, and so Prince Askurry let it 
 slip by without really making up his mind what he 
 was to do with Baby Akbar. Meanwhile the child 
 could live in the bastion of the palace, and play with 
 his little cousins. Whether he was to be betrothed to 
 Baby Amina or not could be decided in the spring; 
 this was the time for rest and home comfort without 
 fear of any disturbing, since none could cross the 
 passes in winter. 
 
 Princess Sultanam, however, to whom in her seclu- 
 sion winter and summer were much alike, grew fond 
 of the little lad, and never ceased to urge on her hus- 
 band the wisdom of so treating Prince Akbar, that 
 should King HumSyon by good luck— and he had a 
 knack of being lucky— find himself again with an 
 army at his back, his hands would be tied from revenge 
 on the Court at Kabul. 
 58 
 
WINTER 
 
 Now, Askurry was no fool; he saw that, for the 
 present at any rate, until Humayon's fate was decided, 
 it would be wiser to be kind ; so he decided that when he 
 held the New Year's assemblage he would present the 
 little prince in due form to the chiefs and nobles. 
 
 Head-nurse was almost crazy with delight at the 
 very idea. She and Foster-mother sent all their jewels 
 to the goldsmith to be made up into suitable orna- 
 ments for Baby Akbar, and they ransacked the shops 
 for odd scraps of brocade with which to make him the 
 finest of fine state robes. 
 
 And on the eventful day they began the child's 
 toilette early, pressing Roy the Rajput into service 
 as tire-woman to hold the ointments, and scents, and 
 what not, that they deemed necessary for the due 
 dressing of a Prince. 
 
 So that it rather dashed their spirits when Foster- 
 father came in with a sober face and the news that a 
 man had come into the bazaar bringing bad tidings 
 of the King and Queen. They had, he said, been lost 
 in the snow; but whether this was true or not, who 
 could tell? 
 
 "Then what is the use of worrying?" snapped 
 Head-nurse, who was too much occupied in making 
 her charge beautiful to think of other things. "Lo! 
 Foster-father, evil is never lost on the road. It arrives 
 sooner or later, so why watch for it at the door?" 
 
 "That is true," replied Foster-father, "but mark 
 
 59 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 my words, all depends on good news. If that comes, 
 the child is safe; if evil — ^then God help him!" 
 
 Roy, who, Baby Akbar being nearly dressed, was 
 now holding the pot of lamp-black and oil with which 
 Head-nurse, after the Indian custom, would put a 
 finishing touch to her work by smearing a big black 
 smut on the child's forehead, lest he should be too 
 sweet and so attract an envious, evil eye, looked up 
 at the words, his face full of light and remembrance. 
 
 "God does help true kingship," he said proudly. 
 "Mother used to say so, and that is why she was never 
 afraid — " He paused and the light in his face faded. 
 "I — I don't remember any more," he added apolo- 
 getically. 
 
 "Remembrance or no," snapped Head-nurse, "hold 
 the pot straight, boy, or thou wilt spiU it over the 
 Mighty-in-Pomp, the Admired-of-the-World," etc. 
 
 But Foster-father looked at Old Faithful and laid 
 his hand kindly on Roy's shoulder. "It matters not, 
 Roy! It is there within thee, all the same. And 'twill 
 come back some day, never fear. And I for one," 
 he added aside to the old trooper, "should not wonder 
 at much ; for the lad's manners are ever above his pres- 
 ent station." 
 
 Old Faithful shook his head wisely. " 'Tis not the 
 boy's manners, friend," he said, "but his breed. A 
 man may compass manners for himself, but not that 
 his father shovdd have had them also." 
 60 
 
WINTER 
 
 By this time the black smear was on Baby Akbar's 
 forehead, and despite the smudge, he looked a very 
 fine httle fellow indeed. So much so that quite a 
 murmur of delighted admiration ran round the assem- 
 blage when Askurry appeared, leading him by the 
 hand; for he had quickly learned to run about and 
 was now quite steady on his legs. 
 
 "A chip of the old block," said an ancient mountain 
 chief, who had known his grandfather Babar, and 
 many others nodded assent. Then Prince Askurry 
 began a set speech, little Akbar seated on his knee the 
 while. 
 
 It was a very clever, crafty speech, that could be 
 taken two ways, and Prince Askurry was so much 
 interested in it, and making sure that he was neither 
 too disloyal or too loyal to his unfortunate brother, 
 the King, that he did not notice what was passing on 
 his knee until a sudden lack of attention on the part 
 of his audience made him follow their eyes, and look 
 down at the child upon his lap. 
 
 And then? 
 
 Then he sat dumbfounded, his face flushing to a 
 duU, dark red, for he saw in a moment what the thing 
 that had happened would mean to those others — the 
 audience before him — ^the men he had summoned to 
 listen to his half-hearted words. 
 
 Yet it was a very simple little thing. Baby Akbar, 
 tired, doubtless, of his uncle's speechifying, had found 
 
 61 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 amusement in a slender gold chain which hung round 
 his uncle's neck ; had traced it to a secret pocket in his 
 inner waistcoat, and so had drawn put from its hiding 
 place a golden signet ring, set with an engraved 
 emerald. A toy indeed! So after playing with it for 
 a hit the child had slipped it onto his little forefinger, 
 which he held up the better to admire his new-found 
 treasure. So it came to pass that as Askurry's smooth, 
 oily voice went on and on, those who listened could 
 see a little image sitting on his knee. 
 
 A dignified, gracious-looking image with forefinger 
 held up in the attitude of kingly command; and on 
 that forefinger — ^what? 
 
 The Signet of the King! 
 
 The Ring of Empire! 
 
 It was unmistakable ! Askurry must have found it 
 in his fugitive brother's tent. He must have con- 
 cealed it. Uncertain what part he meant to play in 
 the end, he must have worn it on his person until the 
 child — ^the true Heir-to-Empire — — 
 
 The chiefs looked at each other furtively. There 
 was a pause. Then suddenly an old, thin voice — ^the 
 voice of the old mountain chief, who remembered 
 Babar the brave — rose on the silence. 
 
 "God save the Heir-to-Empire!" 
 
 It gave the lead, and from every side rose the cry : 
 
 "God save the Heir-to-Empire!" 
 
 Prince Askurry's face fell. He had not meant to 
 62 
 
"The child had slipped it onto his little 
 forefinger" 
 
 Page 
 
WINTER 
 
 rouse loyalty, but he was quick and clever, so he saw 
 that it had been roused, and that now was not the time 
 to try and stifle it. So his frown turned to a smile as 
 he caught the child to him and rose, holding him in 
 his arms. 
 
 "The rogue, my lords," he said lightly, "has fore- 
 stalled me. I meant to place the ring upon his finger 
 myself before you all, in token that he does in truth 
 represent our King, but praise be to Heaven! he has 
 saved me the task. Long live the Heir-to-Empire!" 
 
 But the nobles as they passed out of the assembly, 
 and the people who heard the tale outside, said it was 
 a strange happening that the innocent child should 
 so claim his right. And cruel brother Kumran's party 
 laid their heads together once more, and swore it was 
 time to end Prince Askurry's foolish hesitation. They 
 must get at the child somehow. 
 
 But by this time, if Prince Askurry had not quite 
 made up his mind how he should treat Baby Akbar, 
 he had quite settled that no one else — least of all cruel 
 brother Kimiran — should have anything to do with 
 the child. So the little prince was carefuUy watched 
 and guarded, rather to Foster-father's and Old Faith- 
 ful's relief. Indeed, as time went on they almost for- 
 got to watch themselves, being accustomed to see the 
 sentry walking up and down before the entry to the 
 narrow stairs that led up to the three rooms in the old 
 bastion which were given them as lodgings. They 
 
 63 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 were large, comfortable rooms, and the inner one was 
 used by Foster-mother, Head-nurse and Baby Akbar, 
 the outer one by the two men and the two boys, while 
 the middle one, a great wide hall of a place, they used 
 as a living room. It was lighter than the others, since 
 it had slits of windows — ^without glass, of course — 
 high up in the walls, and though these let the cold as 
 weU as the winter sunshine into the room, there was a 
 roaring great fireplace, which kept the farther end 
 of the hall nice and warm. And here on very frosty 
 nights the women folk would drag their beds and 
 sleep, while during the snowy days they would spread 
 quilts on the floor, and Baby Akbar would have high 
 jinks with Tumbu and Down, who were his constant 
 playmates. Then, when he was tired, Roy would 
 cradle his young master in his arms and sing to him. 
 Not lullabies, for little Akbar's mind kept pace with 
 his body, and every month saw him more and more of 
 a boy and less and less of a baby. 
 
 "Tell me how Rajah Rasalu did this," or "Tell me 
 how Rajah Rasalu did that," he would say; and so 
 Roy's boyish voice would go over the old story of end- 
 less adventures, which has delighted so many Indian 
 children for so many generations. 
 
 So time passed quite merrily until one night, when 
 something dreadful happened. So dreadful that it 
 will really require another chapter to describe it. But 
 it was one night when Roy had been telling the little 
 64 
 
WINTER 
 
 prince how "Rajah Rasalu's friends forsook him for 
 fear." And as this is rather a nice story, it shall be 
 told here. 
 
 "You know, great Kingly child," began Roy, "how 
 Rajah Rasalu was born and how Rajah Rasalu set 
 out into the world to seek for fortune, taking with him 
 his dear horse, Baunwa-iraki, his parrot, Kilkila, who 
 had lived with him since he was born, besides the Car- 
 penter-lad and the Goldsmith-lad, who had sworn 
 never to leave their young master. So he journeyed 
 north to a lonely place, all set with sombre trees. And 
 the night was dark, so he set a watch, and the gold- 
 smith took the first, while the yoimg prince slept by 
 the Carpenter-lad, on a couch of clean, sweet leaves. 
 And lest the heart of the prince should sink, they sang 
 a cheering song: 
 
 " 'Cradled till now on softest down. 
 Leaves are thy bed to-night; 
 Yet grieve not thou at fortune's frown, 
 Brave men heed not her slight.' 
 
 "And while they slept and the goldsmith watched, 
 a snake slid out from the trees. 'Now, who are you?' 
 quoth the Goldsmith-lad, 'who come to disturb his 
 rest?' 'Lo! I have killed all living things that have 
 ventured within ten miles of this my place of rest,' it 
 hissed, 'and now I wUl slay you, too !' So they fought 
 and fought, but the Goldsmith lad he killed the snake 
 
 65 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 in the end. Then he hid the body under his shield, lest 
 the others might be afraid, and he roused from his rest 
 the Carpenter-lad, to take his share of the watch, while 
 he, in his turn, on the clean, sweet leaves lay down 
 beside the prince. And whUe they slept, and the Car- 
 penter watched, a dragon slid from the trees. 'Now, 
 who are you?' quoth the Carpenter-lad, 'who come to 
 distiu-b his rest?' 'Lo! I have killed all living things 
 for twenty miles round this place; and I'll kill you, 
 too,' it roared, 'and crack your bones to eat.' So they 
 fought and fought and fought tiU he killed the dragon 
 at last. Then he hid the body behind a bush lest the 
 others should be afraid, and roused Rasalu from out 
 his sleep to take his share of the watch; while he in 
 turn by the Goldsmith-lad lay down to take his rest. 
 
 "And while they slept and Rasalu waked a 
 THING slid out from the trees; an awful THING! 
 No man could tell th' vmspeakable horror of it. But 
 Rasalu smiled in its face of dread, and laughed in its 
 horrible eyes. 'Pray, who are you to disturb oiu* rest, 
 and why do you dare to come?' 'Lo! I have killed all 
 living things for twenty times twenty miles, and I will 
 kill you, upstart boy, and crack your bones to dust.' 
 
 "So they fought and fought and fought, and Rasalu 
 drew his bow, and the arrow fled like the wind and 
 pierced the Awful Horror through. Then it fled 
 to a cave close by, with Rasalu at its heels. So they 
 fought and fought and fought till the dawn showed 
 66 
 
WINTER 
 
 clear in the sky, and the Awful Horror gave up with 
 a groan and rolled on its side and died. Now, just 
 as Rasalu wiped his sword the sleepers awoke from 
 their sleep, 'See herel' said the Goldsmith-lad with 
 pride, 'what I killed in my lonely watch.' 'Pooh ! only 
 a snake!' said the Carpenter-lad; 'see the dragon I 
 have killed.' But Rasalu took them both by the hand 
 and led them into the cave; but dead as it was, they 
 shrieked with fear at the Awful Horror they saw. 
 And they fell at Rasalu's feet and groaned and 
 moaned and prayed and wept. 'Let us go ! Oh, hero, 
 we are but men. We dare not follow you now. It 
 is nothing to you; it is death to us to follow and be 
 your friends.' 
 
 "Then tears came into Rasalu's eyes, but he said no 
 word of nay. 'Do as you will,' he said to them. 'I 
 will not bid you stay. 
 
 " 'Aloes linger long before they flower, 
 Gracious rain too soon is overpast ; 
 Youth and strength are with us but an hour, 
 AU glad life must end in death at last. 
 But king reigns king without consent of courtier. 
 Rulers may rule, though none heed their command; 
 Heaven-crowned heads, stoop not, but rise the haughtier. 
 Alone and friendless in a strangers' land.* 
 
 "So his friends forsook him and fled. But Rasalu 
 went on his way." 
 
 67 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 down's stratagem 
 
 Now the terrible thing that happened was one 
 which Foster-father might have expected, but for two 
 things. 
 
 One was the sentry who walked up and down all 
 night long below the high second-story windows of 
 the central room. He would be bound to see any 
 attempt to gain an entrance through them, even if 
 they were wide enough to admit the entry of a grown 
 man, which they were not. 
 
 The other was the fact that he, Old Faithful, Meroo 
 and Roy all slept in the outer room, ^nto which the 
 only door opened, so that any intruder would have 
 to force an entrance over their bodies; for they slept 
 with drawn swords beside them. 
 
 So as the days passed on Foster-father's vigilance — 
 though he knew that cruel brother Kumran's agents 
 were on the lookout for any opportunity of kidnap- 
 ping the Heir-to-Empire — slackened somewhat, espe- 
 cially when the afternoons drew in, the fire in the big 
 hall was made up, the quilts put down and Baby 
 Akbar, surrounded by his admiring circle, listened to 
 Roy's stories or tumbled about with his playmates, 
 Tumbu, the dog, and Down, the cat. 
 
 One day, however, Down did not appear until little 
 68 
 
DOWN'S STRATAGEM 
 
 Akbar was having his supper, and then she came in 
 a great hurry out of a small archway by the big fire- 
 place, which led to a sort of cupboard in the masonry, 
 where charcoal had been kept, gobbled up a plate of 
 bread and milk, and hurried in again as if she had 
 to catch a train. 
 
 "She has had kittens," said Foster-mother; "I won- 
 der if they are white or black." 
 
 "Black!" sniffed Head-nurse. "What else could 
 they be in that hole? Have a care, woman! or the 
 Heir-to-Empire will be blacking himself, too. The 
 archway is large enough for him to creep in, and 
 Heaven only knows whither it might lead." 
 
 "That is true," replied Foster-mother, alarmed, as 
 she distracted the child's attention. 
 
 But in a day or two his quick ear caught the sound 
 of a feeble mewing inside the arch, and, of course, he 
 wanted to know what it was. So he was told that 
 kittens had to be kept quiet and that Down would 
 be very vexed if her kitten was disturbed; but that 
 by-and-bye she would doubtless bring it out for him 
 to see, and then, of course, he could play with it. Now, 
 Baby Akbar was always a reasonable little fellow, so 
 he waited patiently ; though every night when he went 
 to bed and Down came out for her supper, his little 
 mouth would go down and he would hold up his little 
 hands and twiddle them round and say mournfully: 
 
 "Kitty not 'weady. Kitty not 'weady." 
 
 69 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Now, one night there was a great festival in the 
 palace, and the Heir-to-Empire had to go and pay 
 his respects, after the Indian manner on feast days, to 
 his aunt and uncle. Then, when he returned, they sent 
 him, after Indian wont, trays full of fruit and sugar- 
 toffee made in the shape of animals, and a few pieces 
 of muslin and stuffs to make new dresses for the 
 party. In addition to this there was a trayful of 
 supper, which came afterward, when daylight had 
 gone, with the Princess Sultanum's best compliments. 
 At least so said the man who brought it; but he did 
 not wait to be questioned, and disappeared so soon as 
 Meroo had taken the tray from him. 
 
 But it was full of the most delicious dainties, in- 
 cluding a bowl of sweet milk made with almonds and 
 honey and rice meal for Baby Akbar. 
 
 Head-nurse, however, would not let him eat it. She 
 was always afraid of the little lad being poisoned, so 
 Meroo always cooked with his own hands everything 
 the child ate. Therefore they gave it to Tumbu in- 
 stead; for, having been brought up by shepherds, he 
 loved milk, and he licked his lips after it and was soon 
 sound asleep by the fire. 
 
 The lamb stewed with pistachio nuts and full of 
 saffron looked, however, so deUcious that after Meroo 
 had tasted it and pronounced it quite safe, since all 
 knew that saffron would not go with real poison, they 
 set to work and finished the platter. 
 70 
 
DOWN'S STRATAGEM 
 
 They were all as jolly as could be afterward, though 
 the heat of the fire and their heavy supper made them 
 sleepy; so Head-nurse, declaring it was far too cold 
 in the inner room, dragged her bed and Foster- 
 mother's close to the fire, the others retired to the outer 
 room, and before long they were all snoring away 
 quite happily. 
 
 For if the supper had not truly been poisoned, it had 
 been drugged. Drugged with sleep-bringing drugs. 
 ' So, as the firelight flickered over the room faintly, 
 it showed Head-nurse's face and Foster-mother's face 
 and even Tumbu's black muzzle in a dead sleep that 
 was almost unconsciousness. And in the outer room 
 Foster-father snored, and even Roy's keen, hawk-face 
 lay like one dead. Only Baby Akbar tossed and 
 turned in his comfortable nest between his two 
 nurses. 
 
 Save for this, due to Head-nurse's precaution in not 
 allowing the Heir-to-Empire sweet milk for supper, 
 all was as cruel brother Kumran's agents had planned 
 when they had sent the pretended messenger from 
 the palace with the platter of delicacies. Even the 
 sentry below was sleeping sound after his share of 
 kid curry. 
 
 Thus, those who were on the roof waiting until the 
 moon had set and they could without fear of discovery 
 lower the young lad, who was to steal Baby Akbar, 
 down to the window (through which, being slender, 
 
 71 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 the thief could slip easily), felt that their task was 
 almost dene. 
 
 But they reckoned without a great white fluff which 
 after a time showed itself at the entry to the charcoal 
 bunker, yawning and stretching and blinking its eyes. 
 Head-nurse had been quite wrong in saying Down's 
 kitten must be black in that hole! Its mother, any- 
 how, was beautifully white, perhaps because Down 
 was a sensible cat and had only chosen the charcoal 
 bunker because she had found a lot of old straw and 
 a blanket tucked away in its farther corner. Besides, 
 as she only had one kitten, she could spend all her 
 time in licking it and cleaning it with her rough, red 
 tongue, after the manner of cats. Anyhow, there it 
 lay, right out of reach of any one, a little bundle of 
 white fluff, and Down was just beginning to feel that 
 there were other things in the world besides kittens. 
 For instance, was that scratching on the roof, think 
 you, a mouse? If so — ? She passed to the fire. It was 
 warm and nice ; just the very place for a kitten's first 
 look at the world, and there were no troublesome 
 people about; not but what she was anxious to show 
 her kitten to Baby Akbar. But who knew if horrid 
 Head-nurse might not try to catch it? But Head- 
 nurse was asleep. Down whisked her tail, disappeared 
 through the archway, and reappeared again gingerly, 
 carrying the kitten in her mouth. It sprawled in the 
 firelight and mewed piteously. And there was that 
 72 
 
DOWN'S STRATAGEM 
 
 scratching on the roof again . . . really, kittens were 
 a bore when one wanted to mouse. . . . 
 
 So far it is easy to follow Down's thoughts. What 
 came next is more difficult. No one can say whether 
 the cat had really any notion that danger to her young 
 master was abroad, or whether she only wanted to 
 show him her kitten, or whether she wanted it taken 
 care of — for Persian cats, if they kill a rat at night, 
 have often been known to jump on their master's bed 
 and insist on his taking custody of their prize lest it 
 should somehow come to life again if they left it 
 alone — only this was certain. Baby Akbar woke 
 with a rough, red tongue licking his nose, and there, 
 on the quilt, was Down beside the fluffiest, darlingest 
 little kitten that ever was ! 
 
 He made a grab at it with his little fat hands. 
 Whether this frightened its anxious mother or whether 
 Down really had a purpose in view, who can say? 
 Only this is sure : she was off the bed in a second. Miss 
 Kitten in her mouth. A minute afterward Baby 
 Akbar was off it also with a little crow of delight. But 
 the drugged nurses did not stir ; they were away in the 
 Land of Dreams. And hark! what was that curious 
 noise outside the window, as if something was slipping 
 down the wall? Perhaps it was that that frightened 
 Down once more; for just as Baby Akbar 's hand 
 reached out to lay hold of the kitten, which she had 
 set down by the fire, Down snatched it up again and 
 
 73 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 was off with it back to the charcoal bunker, with Baby 
 Akbar after her, his face full of solemn resolve. He 
 meant to play with that kitty. 
 
 And play with her he did. At least, after he disap- 
 peared down the archway by the fireplace he did not 
 come out again. Only Down reappeared and seated 
 herself at the entrance, her ears cocked, her eyes fixed 
 on the window. 
 
 For something very funny had happened there, 
 which, though the flicker of the fire had died down, 
 she could see with her cat's eyes. 
 
 A lad had slipped in, carrying the end of a rope, 
 to which was attached a network bag. And now, since 
 it was dark, he was striking a light. A feeble little 
 glimmer, but sufiicient to show the two sleeping nurses 
 and the comfy little nest of quilts between them. But 
 it was empty 1 
 
 The boy seemed puzzled, and went into the inner 
 room, only to return without what he sought. Then 
 he stole into the outer room, but came back softly 
 with a puzzled look on his face. Then he began to 
 peer about him on the floor, and in the corners, hold- 
 ing the feeble light in front of him. Whereupon 
 Down, apparently to satisfy herself that her kitten 
 really was safe in the corner of the charcoal bunker 
 where she had left it, retreated for a moment, so that 
 as the searcher came round he saw nothing but the 
 low, round arch. The next he gave a stifled yell, for 
 74 
 
DOWN'S STRATAGEM 
 
 something white that was all claws leaped right in 
 his face, over he went and out went his light. 
 
 "I look no more," he said, shivering as, after five 
 minutes' hasty retreat, he stood on the roof among 
 those who had sent him down. '-'Let some one else 
 go; but I tell you the child is not there." 
 
 But one of the crafty, cruel men had sharp wits. 
 "Could he have crept into the charcoal bunker?" he 
 suggested, and the faces round him lit up. But the 
 lad's remained sullen, as he wiped the blood from 
 Down's scratches. 
 
 "Mayhap," he said. "But I go not near that cat 
 again!" 
 
 So, as no one else was small enough to slip through 
 the narrow sHts of windows, the conspirators could 
 only curse their bad luck. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that the horn's passed by with- 
 out further attempt at baby-theft, while Foster- 
 father snored and Head-nurse dreamed the most 
 heavenly dreams of wonderful court ceremonials, and 
 all the others were wrapped in the prof oundest slimi- 
 bers. 
 
 But they all woke at last, and once more there was 
 the most terrible hullabaloo until Foster-mother recol- 
 lected the kitten in the charcoal bunker. Whereupon 
 every one in turn flattened themselves on the floor 
 and reached in, and Roy actually got his head and one 
 shoulder in; but no one could feel anything or flnd 
 
 75 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 out how big it was or anything about it. Whereupon 
 the two women began mutual recriminations and the 
 men stood helpless, when suddenly Down appeared 
 with the kitten in her mouth, and Baby Akbar, who 
 had evidently been comfortably asleep on the blanket 
 amid the straw, came crawling after his new pet. 
 
 "So far so good!" said Foster-father, who, noticing 
 a fallen piece of mortar at the window-sill, had been 
 carefully examining certain signs and scratches both 
 without and within, "but if I be not much mistaken, 
 some one hath been through here this night. And 
 that we were all drugged ye must know if the inside 
 of your mouths be like mine! So we have to thank 
 Heaven and the cat for an escape!" 
 
 And so they had, though it was a sore trial once 
 more to the women to have nothing but guesswork 
 to go upon. 
 
 "I wish I knew," murmured poor Foster-mother 
 mournfully, as she watched Baby Akbar, and Down, 
 and the kitten, and Tumbu, all playing together be- 
 fore the fire. 
 
 But once more Baby Akbar was silent, and Down 
 told nobody — unless it was Tumbu. Perhaps he did 
 know, because he allowed Down's kitten to play with 
 his tail! 
 
 76 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 SPEING 
 
 Winter passed to spring and spring to early sum- 
 mer, and yet no certain news came of King Humayon 
 or Queen Humeeda. Foster-father almost gave up 
 hope, yet he said little, though he took counsel with 
 Old Faithful, and he in his turn consulted the old 
 mountain chief, who at the assemblage had been the 
 first to cry, "Long hve the Heir-to-Empire." 
 
 But the old man shook his head. The times were 
 new, he said ; very few people remembered, as he did, 
 the old ways, the old Kings. But for the sake of 
 Babar the brave they might always count on his sword 
 and the sabres of fifty or more of his followers. So, 
 if the worst came to the worst, they were welcome to 
 an asylum in his eagle's eyrie of a fortress, where at 
 any rate they could ail die together fighting for the 
 King; and what more did any brave man want? 
 
 This was not much consolation to Foster-father, 
 who felt that there was nothing to be done, save by 
 every means in his power, to curry favour with the 
 Princess Sultanum. 
 
 But, indeed, the little Heir-to-Empire made himself 
 friends wherever he went ; they could not help liking 
 the frank little fellow who spoke to them so freely, 
 with a certain grave dignity of his own. For by the 
 
 77 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 time the peach gardens around Kandahar lay like 
 clouds of pink and white about the old domed city, 
 little Prince Akbar was in looks and ways a child of 
 three or even four; so big and strong was he. He 
 spoke perfectly in his childish way, with great empha- 
 sis and a curious, soft burr over his r's and h's. And 
 he actually tried to wrestle with his cousin Ibrahim, 
 who was, however, rather a puny boy, despite the fact 
 that he was three years older than the little Heir-to- 
 Empire. 
 
 But with Roy as playmate Akbar began all sorts 
 of games. There was a high, walled peach garden 
 not far from the bastion, where the little Prince used 
 to be allowed to go ; and there, during the long sunny 
 hours, the Rajput lad, to whom such things were all 
 curiously familiar, taught the child how to ride on 
 Tumbu's back, and how to hold a spear. Aye! and 
 to take a tent peg, too ; the peg being only a soft car- 
 rot stuck in the earth ! But the great game was shoot- 
 ing with a bow and arrow, and in this, before spring 
 passed to summer, the pupil was a match with his 
 teacher except in strength ; for, from the very begin- 
 ning, Akbar showed himself steady and straight as a 
 shot; so it is no wonder he grew up to be the finest 
 marksman in India. But it would take too long to 
 tell all the games they played, all the manly sports 
 which the little prince learned without any difficulty. 
 There was a shallow marble tank in the middle of the 
 78 
 
SPRING 
 
 garden, where he took to the water like a duck, and 
 would he on his back and kick and shout with laughter 
 as the tank got rough with waves, tiU Foster-mother 
 would beg him not to drown, as the water splashed 
 over him high in the air. 
 
 But Foster-father always reproved her for her 
 fears. "Leave the lad to learn King's ways," he said, 
 "and thank Heaven the Rajput foundling is here to 
 teach him. Think you I could tumble head over heels 
 in air or water or ride bareback standing on one 
 leg?" 
 
 "No, indeed!" would reply Head-nurse, who stifled 
 her terrors from a sense of duty, "none, seeing thy 
 figure, friend, would ask so much of thee." 
 
 Then, when Akbar grew tired, Roy would sit lean- 
 ing his back against a peach tree so as to make a soft 
 pillow for his little master, and Akbar would lean 
 against him and listen to endless stories while the soft 
 fresh breeze stole over the garden wall, and sent show- 
 ers of pink peach petals on both the boys. And some- 
 times the little Prince, outwearied, would fall asleep, 
 and then Roy would sit stiU as a mouse, gently flick- 
 ing away with the end of his muslin turban the blos- 
 soms that fell on the little sleeper's face. But his 
 thoughts would be busy, wondering above other things 
 why it was that, do what he would, he could not help 
 when they were alone at play sometimes calling the 
 Heir-to-Empire "little brother." It was dreadfully 
 
 79 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 wrong of him, of course, and Head-nurse would 
 rightly cuff his ears if she overheard it! 
 
 Then Akbar would wake and call imperiously for 
 some favourite story, and as often as not it would be 
 the tale of "How Rajah Rasalu swung the Seventy 
 Maidens." 
 
 And Roy would reply submissively: "It is ordered, 
 Highness!" and begin: 
 
 "Now Rajah Rasalu, soft heart and strong, heard 
 a pitiful voice as he rode along. 'Oh traveller! trav- 
 eller I turn aside, and help God's creature,' it moaned 
 and cried. So the Prince turned straight and saw 
 that a fire had caught a bush, blazing higher and 
 higher, while a tiny cricket lay gasping for breath, 
 half-scorched, half-choked, and nigh to its death. 
 Then Rajah Rasalu, soft hearted and stout, put his 
 hand in the fire and snatched it out ! And the cricket 
 drew forth a feeler and said: 'Take this, my preserver, 
 'twill bring you aid; should any thing ever prove 
 troublesome, burn this in the fire and I will come.' 
 Then Rasalu laughed with a great big laugh, 'I thank 
 you, weakling! But none of your chaff! You 
 couldn't help me I'll go bail.' So he rode on careless 
 o'er hill and dale, a glittering knight in his shining 
 mail, till he came to the city of King Surkap, whom 
 he'd sworn to kill with his sword so sharp. Now as 
 he rode through a garden gay. Seventy Maidens 
 barred the way; Seventy Maidens young and fair, 
 80 
 
SPRING 
 
 with flowers decking their golden hair. Seventy 
 daughters of the king, come out to play and laugh and 
 swing and jibe at the stripling who'd sworn to slay 
 their father, the mightiest king of this day. But the 
 youngest maid had a heart of gold, and when she saw 
 Rasalu so bold, and strong and handsome riding to 
 death, on his horse Iraki, she caught her breath, and 
 whispered to him as he passed her way: 
 
 " 'Fair prince on thy charger so gray. 
 Turn thee back, turn thee back. 
 If thou lowerest thy lance for the fray. 
 Thy head will be forfeit to-day. 
 Dost love life ? then, stranger ! I pray 
 Turn thee back — turn thee back.' 
 
 "But Rasalu smiled in the maiden's face, and drew 
 his rein for an instant's space, while he gave her 
 answer with courtly grace: 'Fair maiden, I come 
 from afar, sworn conqueror in love and in war. Thy 
 father my coming will rue, for his head in four pieces 
 I'll hew. Then forth as a bridegroom I'll ride with 
 you, httle maid, as my bride.' 
 
 "Now at these words, and his face so kind, and 
 strong, and brave, the maiden's mind fluttered, the 
 blood through her heartstrings whirled, she felt she 
 could follow him through the world; but her sixty- 
 nine sisters were jealous and cried: 'Not so fast, 
 young man ! If she be your bride, you be our younger 
 
 81 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 brother, beside! So do our bidding or go on your 
 way.' 'Fair sisters,' quoth he, 'let me hear your sayl' 
 Now the sisters vowed he should not succeed, so they 
 took a whole hundred-weight of seed, as fine as the 
 hundred-weight of sand they mixed it with, then gave 
 command: 'If you wish to marry our sister, sir, take 
 the seed from the sand without demur.' 
 
 "Then Rajah Rasalu stood aghast; but he thought 
 of the cricket's gift at last, and taking it out of his 
 pocket thrust it into the fire, and a cloud as dust 
 showed in the sky and the distant whirr of thousands 
 of wings caused the air to stir, as, dark'ning the day 
 like a fun'ral pall, a flight of crickets appeared at the 
 call. 'What is our task?' asked his friend with a 
 laugh; 'only that? I've brought too many by half!' 
 So they set to work with a will indeed, till the sand 
 lay separate from the seed, and sixty-nine maidens 
 pouted and frowned as they wondered what new task 
 could be found, to puzzle Rasalu and keep him there 
 a slave to the wishes of maidens fair. 'Now swing us 
 all, sir, one by one, when we grow tired your task is 
 done!' — they laughed in their sleeve, for they knew 
 right well, that when they'd be tired, none could tell! 
 
 "But Rasalu laughed: 'What! seventy girls — for 
 my little bride is the pearl of pearls — and only one 
 man to swing the lot! Shall I spend my hfe in such 
 silly rot? No! into one swing the seventy go; I'll 
 fasten the rope to my mighty bow, and shoot an arrow 
 82 
 
SPRING 
 
 for all I know, so in with you, girls, sit all in a row, 
 and don't be frightened, my little dears, I'll swing till 
 you're tired, so have no fears.' 
 
 "Then the seventy clambered into one swing — so 
 merry, so careless, their voices ring. And Rasalu 
 stood in his shining array, as merry and careless as 
 happy as they. He fastened the ropes to his mighty 
 bow, and bent till it would no further go ; then with a 
 twang he loosed the string, and like an arrow the 
 laden swing with its burden of seventy maidens fair, 
 shot like an arrow into the air. Merry and careless 
 with laugh and smile, up in the sky for many a mile ; 
 like a soaring bird in the distant blue, while merry 
 and careless, and tall and true, Rasalu waited upon 
 the plain, till the swing swung back to its place again. 
 Then he out with his sword and laughed anew, 'Ye 
 have had a fine ride, ye giggling crew; enough and 
 to spare, so out with you there !' Then he severed the 
 ropes with one mighty sweep, and the seventy maidens 
 fell in a heap ; and some were broken and some were 
 bruised, and the only one that was not ill-used was 
 the youngest maid, for she did not drop till the very 
 last, so she fell on top!" 
 
 And here Prince Akbar used always to laugh 
 gravely and say: "Glad she didn't tumble down 
 really, for she was a nice little girl." 
 
 One day when the peach blossoms had all floated 
 away, leaving in their place grey-green fluffy ovals 
 
 83 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 that by-and-bye would be luscious ripe fruits, Foster- 
 father arrived in a great state of excitement just as 
 Rasalu had finished swinging his Seventy Maidens. 
 
 "News, news!" he cried; "real news at last; and 
 thank Heaven they are good! My master, the King, 
 has not only secured shelter, but help, and hath writ- 
 ten to his brother. Prince Askurry, advising him not 
 to listen to ill advice, but to give in his allegiance at 
 once, when all shall be forgotten. In token of which 
 clemency he is sending to his stUl-dearly-beloved 
 brother. Her Royal Highness the Princess Bakshee 
 Bani Begum, that she may be a companion to her 
 half-brother, the Heir-to-Empire." 
 
 Prince Akbar, who was leaning on Roy's breast, 
 suddenly sat up. "Is that my sister?" he asked 
 eagerly, "is she a nice little girl like Rasalu's bride?" 
 
 Head-nurse laughed. "Nice enough I'll warrant, 
 though I never saw her; she has been since she was 
 born, six years past, with her mother's people; but 
 so long as they send no fine ladies of nurses with her 
 she is welcome." 
 
 Little Prince Akbar stood up and stretched him- 
 self, and looked at Head-nurse critically. 
 
 "Akka will welcome her, and Akka will tell you to 
 be her nurse, and Akka will swing her a great big 
 swing." 
 
 So far as he was concerned that settled the ques- 
 tion ; but up at the Court there were endless question- 
 84 
 
SPRING 
 
 ings of heart. Prince Askurry was, as ever, in two 
 minds as to what he should do. Cruel brother Kum- 
 ran, who was Governor at Kabul, pressed his advice 
 to stand firm, to send the child to him, to let him show 
 King Humayon that paid Persian troops could not 
 stand up against Indian ones. But Princess Sul- 
 tanum had really become fond of the little Heir-to- 
 Empire, and felt sure that if they only played their 
 cards carefully the king, out of gratitude, would con- 
 sent to a betrothal between his son and her little 
 daughter Amina. And in the end the wife's coun- 
 sel prevailed. So a better lodgment was found for 
 the royal children in an old palace surrounded by a 
 lovely garden, and here, just as the roses were begin- 
 ning to bloom, little Prince Akbar, dressed in his best, 
 stood awaiting his sister's arrival. He had insisted 
 on having, like Rajah Rasalu, a coat of mail; so 
 Foster-mother had made him a tight-fitting corselet 
 of silver tissue, in which he looked very fine indeed, 
 as he stood brandishing a wooden sword covered with 
 tin foil. 
 
 But when the red and gold bedecked camel did 
 finally come up the marble-paved pathway with silent 
 soft elastic swing, httle Akbar forgot all about the 
 part he was playing, and when he saw his sister, just 
 ran up to her and hugged her tight, and said breath- 
 lessly: "Ah! you are a nice little girl!" 
 
 And a very nice httle girl she was ! Very small for 
 
 SB 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 her age, with a little oval delicate face, big hazel eyes, 
 and brownish hair all plaited in tiny, tiny little plaits 
 on her forehead. 
 
 And she was dressed just like a grown-up, with 
 little ear-rings and wristlets and anklets and necklaces 
 and rings, with the dearest, daintiest of flimsey gauze 
 veils set with little silver stars wound all about her! 
 Never, said Head-nurse, had been such a darling little 
 marionette, and when the small person fell gracefully 
 at her brother's feet and begged his favour in a little 
 piping voice, that stern believer in court etiquette was 
 perfectly enchanted. 
 
 "It wiU be a real boon to the First-Gentleman-of- 
 the- World, the Courtly-one-of -Courts, etc., etc., to 
 have the society of his equals," she said with a dark- 
 ling look at Princess Sultanum's Head-nurse, who 
 had brought Prince Ibrahim and Baby Amina to 
 welcome their cousin. 
 
 But, after all, Bakshee Bani Begum did not turn 
 out so demure as she looked! Indeed, when Head- 
 nurse was not by, she was a regular tomboy; and after 
 a whole morning spent in most lady-like fashion either 
 playing with her dolls) or stringing beads, while 
 Down, the cat, on her lap blinked and purred and 
 stared out on the world with her big blue eyes and her 
 little white feet tucked well inside, she would, when 
 the women retired to get ready the midday meal, 
 spring up like a squirrel, scattering beads and cats as 
 86 
 
SPRING 
 
 if they were of no account! Then the garden would 
 re-echo to children's laughter. 
 
 And she would let Mirak, as she elected to call her 
 brother, swing her for hours, but she obstinately re- 
 fused to tumble down! 
 
 "But, Bija," expostulated the little lad, "the prin- 
 cess did tumble down in the story." 
 
 "I am not a princess in a story" said Bija cahnly, 
 "I am Her Royal Highness Princess Bakshee Bani 
 Begum." 
 
 87 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 So THE summer days passed and winter set in once 
 more. Though more satisfied, Foster-father felt still 
 that safety depended on King Humayon's success or 
 failure. 
 
 So, whenever one of the long files of camels tied 
 together in a string, head-and-tail, showed on the hill 
 road above Kandahar, he was off to the halting-place 
 outside the city to see what news it had collected in its 
 march from Hindustan; for caravans in those days 
 were the postmen. 
 
 And sometimes he heard one thing, and sometimes 
 another, but as often as not he returned as he went, 
 without any remedy but patience. 
 
 "Anyhow the child grows in stature and strength," 
 Head-nurse would say, "and our present lodging is 
 better than our last !" 
 
 Which was true; for the old house of three stories 
 which they now inhabited was full of little rooms lead- 
 ing one out of the other like a rabbit-warren. And if 
 there was no furniture in them, so much the better for 
 the children's games of "I espy" and "Touch who 
 Touch can." 
 
 For Bija and Mirak played such games with infi- 
 nite zest. As Head-nurse had foretold, the coming 
 88 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 of his little sister had been an immense gain to the 
 Heir-to-Empire; not only in manners, but also in his 
 outlook upon life. For Princess Bakshee Bani 
 Begum was a very determined small person, who did 
 not in the least see why the elder sister of a boy should 
 give way to him in all things, simply because he was 
 Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 "I won't have it, Mirak," she would say with a 
 stamp of her little foot ; "you shall not break my doU's 
 head just because you want to." 
 
 So Prince Akbar, who was fuU of sound common 
 sense, began to think she had reason on her side ; and 
 this was of great advantage to him, for with Head- 
 nurse, and Foster-mother and the others, he stood a 
 great chance of being spoUed. 
 
 And after a time he became quite devoted to the 
 prim little maid, who, for all her primness in general, 
 could be as wild as a hawk on occasion. 
 
 And out of that arose an incident which, unfortu- 
 natisly, turned Princess Sultanum against the little 
 lad and so endangered his safety. It came about in 
 this way. Prince Askurry's son Yakoob was, as has 
 been said, three years older than Akbar, a lanky, 
 rather weedy lad-ling of nearly six. Now Prince 
 Askurry was himself a noted wrestler, and was de- 
 termined his son should be one also. So he had the 
 boy carefully taught, and set a good deal of store by 
 the quickness of the little fellow in learning the grips, 
 
 89 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 and how to trip up an adversary. On high days and 
 holidays, indeed, Prince Askurry and his wife used 
 often to amuse themselves hy seeing the discomfiture 
 of other less experienced children who were set up to 
 compete with the young wrestler. Baby Akbar had 
 been one of these, and being so much younger, he had 
 always gone down before Yakoob's skill; but he had 
 always taken his overthrow in good part, though 
 Head-nurse had felt as if she could not keep her fin- 
 gers off the victor. It was not fair, she would say 
 afterwards, to match a baby of two with a child of 
 six, and then she would try to hug the vanquished 
 Heir-to-Empire and cover him with kisses; but Ak- 
 bar, always independent, resented this. "Akbar 
 tumble him down some day," he would say philo- 
 sophically; and indeed there seemed every chance of 
 it, for, mere baby as he was, there was more promise 
 of future strength in his little finger than in Yakoob's 
 whole body. 
 
 Now, as winter came on, the children were driven 
 indoors for their play, and Old Faithful at their ear- 
 nest request, rigged up a swing in a large empty room 
 in the palace, and here Princess Bija would be swung 
 like the Seventy Maidens, until Prince Akbar wearied 
 of swinging her; and knowing that nothing would 
 induce his elder sister to tumble down like the prinr 
 cesses in the story, would say quite plaintively: 
 
 "Please, Bija, get down; I'm tired of being 
 90 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 Rasalu," when the little maid would descend grace- 
 fully and they would play at something else. 
 
 But one day, just after the New Year, Prince 
 Yakoob came to spend the day with his cousins, and 
 the children fell to acting the adventures of Rajah 
 Rasalu ; Yakoob, as the guest, playing the hero's part. 
 
 They got through several of them quite success- 
 fully. Princess Bija making a spirited carpenter's lad 
 and killing his dragon with great vigour, while the 
 Heir-to-Empire, disguising his deep baby voice in a 
 high squeak, doubled the parts of the seventy-nine 
 maidens and the cricket. So aU went merry as a mar- 
 riage bell until Rasalu had to order the giggling crew 
 out of the SAving. 
 
 Then, of course, Bija refused; whereupon Yakoob, 
 a spoiled boy, cast aside the tinsel-covered wooden 
 sword, and whipped out from his belt a toy dagger 
 his father had given him that morning. It was not 
 very sharp, but very little cuts a taut rope, and one 
 furious slash severed some of the strands, the weight 
 of the two children did the rest, and there they were 
 both on the marble floor! 
 
 And unfortunately the "pearl of pearls," Rajah 
 Rasalu's bride, did not fall on top. She fell under- 
 neath the Heir-to-Empire, and the Heir-to-Empire 
 was heavy! So there was her poor little lip all cut 
 and her pretty little nose all bleeding. Then two 
 Head-nurses rushed in, and two Foster-mothers, and 
 
 91 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 ever so many pairs of nursery attendants, each taking 
 the part of their respective nurslings, and there was a 
 terrible to-do, for, of course, one Head-nurse said it 
 was the fault of the other Head-nurse, and so on. In 
 fact peace did not return until the party separated 
 and the offender, Prince Yakoob, was being joggetted 
 back to his mother by his excited attendants, while 
 Princess Bija was having her swollen nose soothed by 
 cold water. She did not cry much, but she was ter- 
 ribly indignant with every one, including her brother. 
 
 He couldn't have prevented his cousin from cutting 
 the rope,' of course, but he might have made his 
 cousin's nose bleed also! If she hadn't been other- 
 wise occupied she could have done it herself; she was 
 quite sure she could; or at any rate have done some- 
 thing quite as disagreeable! 
 
 She looked very fierce as she spoke, while Akbar 
 listened with grieved attention. In fact, what Bija 
 would have done, had Head-nurse not had her in her 
 arms cossetting her, became quite a subject of conver- 
 sation between the two children, Bija sitting de- 
 murely threading beads and inventing new methods 
 of just punishment, and the Heir-to-Empire lolling 
 on the floor pretending to sharpen his tinfoil sword, 
 and interposing objections such as, "But you couldn't 
 do that, Bija, you're not strong enough," or "That 
 wouldn't be fair, Bija, for he only hurt you a little, 
 you know." For Akbar was born with a sense of f air- 
 92 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 play and justice which never forsook him, because he 
 always gave it fair play. 
 
 So the idea of somehow getting the better of 
 Yakoob became a fixed one in the little lad's mind 
 until an opportunity for action came to him. 
 
 It was about a month afterwards, on the "Festival 
 of Record"; that is to say, the day when good Mo- 
 hammedans pray for guidance during the coming 
 year, and beheve that God's Angel, accompanied by 
 the spirits of their dead ancestors, appears on earth to 
 judge the record of the past year, and write on the 
 forehead of each man and woman and child what re- 
 ward or punishment is deserved in the next. In the 
 evening, thousands of little lamps are lit, so that 
 there shall be no darkness anywhere, but all things 
 shall be made manifest, and when the little platters of 
 sweets and food are set out lest any of the spirits, 
 who come to plead for their descendants, should feel 
 hungry, it is a very solemn affair; but the day is 
 generally spent in amusement. 
 
 So Princess Sultanum arranged an entertainment, 
 and, as usual, there was to be a bout of wrestling be- 
 tween her son and some little companions, amongst 
 them the Heir-to-Empire. Head-nurse was furious, 
 of course. The show was invented, she declared, to 
 disgrace the Mighty-in-Pomp, the Pole-star of the 
 Universe, etc., etc. 
 
 Akbar himself took it very complacently and al- 
 
 93 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 lowed himself to be undressed and oiled all over, so 
 as to make a grip very hard ; for these are the Indian 
 customs. And a very sturdy specimen he looked as 
 he stood up and crossed his arms and then slapped 
 himself with resounding slaps before crossing them 
 again; also after Indian fashion, for so much he had 
 learned of wrestling. 
 
 Then the signal was given, and Yakoob, as was his 
 wont, began, in imitation of grown-up wrestlers, to 
 steal an advance on his adversary. 
 
 But Akbar would none of that. Whether, watch- 
 ing real wrestling, he had noticed the method of at- 
 tack he employed, or whether Roy had taught him, or 
 whether he got it out of his own head, does not matter ; 
 but the little fellow rushed , forward furiously and 
 charging like a butting ram, caught his cousin full in 
 the stomach, then making a snatch at his ankle 
 tripped him up. So there in a second was Yakoob 
 on his back, and Akbar, breathless but triumphant, on 
 top of him. 
 
 "Now you've tumbled down," remarked the Heir- 
 to-Empire suavely, as, astride his cousin's prostrate 
 body, he paused for breath ere getting up. 
 
 Of course, some people said it wasn't fair; but 
 others admitted that though not the polite style of 
 wrestling, such a method was strictly within the rules. 
 All, however, admired the big, bold, strong little 
 Heir-to-Empire ; all but his aunt and uncle ; and the 
 94 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 former bid Head-nurse take away her young savage 
 at once, while the latter's crafty face, uneasy before, 
 settled into a scowl. 
 
 But Head-nurse could hardly contain her joy, even 
 when Foster-father shook his wise old head and said 
 he would not have had it happen for all the wealth of 
 the world, for of late, if he were not much mistaken, 
 things had been shaping ill for his young master, and 
 that very morning a secret messenger had come in 
 from Kabul. What it might portend who could say ; 
 but it was bad fortune the child should lose favour at 
 Court to such slight purpose. 
 
 "Slight, indeed!" sniffed Head-nurse. "Is it not 
 something to have shown that woman that her brat 
 cannot stand up before true Kingship ?" 
 
 "I would it were so, woman," replied Foster- 
 father, "but a child under three with but two old men 
 and two boys for protection cannot show much 
 fight." 
 
 Head-nurse tossed her head. "So we women are 
 not to count — " she began; but Baby Akbar had been 
 listening seriously and now put in with his deep child- 
 ish voice, and a wise little shake of the head: 
 
 "And there's Tumbu and Down, too ; they can bite 
 and scratch beautifully for me when they like." 
 
 Whereupon Foster-mother caught him up, and 
 wept, and swore that Heaven must and woidd pro- 
 tect such a heart's darling. 
 
 95 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Perhaps it was this conversation which put the idea 
 of getting help into the children's heads, but after a 
 time it was evident they had some plan between them, 
 for after watching the women light hundreds of little 
 lamps, and set out a quantity of tiny platters full of 
 sweets, they stole off by themselves to an empty room 
 which was almost dark and began to whisper. 
 
 "I think it had better be grand-dad," said the Heir- 
 to-Empire gravely, " 'cos my father isn't dead yet, 
 and they must be deaders, you know, if they are really 
 to help." 
 
 "And we'll take the little summer room at the very 
 top of the house, Mirak, so's we'll be able to stop him 
 on his way down, 'case any one else has got a platter 
 for him," said Bija the practical. "Now, Mirak, I'll 
 fetch the sweets if you'll get some lamps. They won't 
 be missed, you know, if we take them betwixt and 
 between." 
 
 After that there was much secret hurrying up and 
 down stairs and secret gurglings of delight as the 
 preparations advanced. 
 
 "Oh, Mirak! Won't it be lovely? He's sure to 
 come in when he sees it !" said the little girl, clasping 
 her hands. "And Old Faithful was saying that 
 Grand-dad Babar was as good as twenty other men 
 in a fight, so then you'll be quite safe." 
 
 But Mirak's face was solemn. "If Grand-dad 
 doesn't know it's for him he won't come in, and he 
 96 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 won't eat the sweets either. It's greedy to eat sweets 
 as doesn't belong to you, and he wasn't greedy. Old 
 Faithful says he wasn't. He was a real King." 
 
 "Don't you think he might be greedy just to help 
 you?" suggested Bija mournfully; but after think- 
 ing a little she clapped her hands. "I have it, Mirak! 
 If his name was on it that would do ! I think I could 
 write 'Ba-ba.' It's only the two first letters, you see, 
 and I know them; and you could prick yourself for 
 some blood to write with, and I could use my little 
 finger as a pen. It's very, very tiddly wee." 
 
 It was, indeed! and Mirak sat large-eyed in ad- 
 miration of his sister's ingenuity, while she, mistress 
 of the situation, did this and that until even she was 
 satisfied. And really the little arched and domed 
 cupola set in Eastern fashion on the roof, looked quite 
 pretty with the little glittering lights in a square on 
 the white marble floor, and the platter of sweets 
 placed in the middle of the square, whereon in 
 smeared red letters showed this : 
 
 • • 
 
 BA BA 
 
 "And now, Mirak!" chattered Bija, "we'll go down 
 and go to bed like good boys and girls, and then when 
 the others are saying their prayers and going to sleep 
 we can come up again and sleep here." 
 
 97 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 "Won't it be very cold, Bija?" asked Mirak, whose 
 little nose was half frost-bitten already, for a cold 
 wind was blowing off the snow hills. 
 
 "We will bring quilts," said the little lady with a 
 superior air. 
 
 So, about an hour afterwards, after the children 
 had been put to bed and their elders had begun the 
 serious work of watching and waiting and dozing 
 through the night, two little figures, well wrapped up 
 in quilted cotton gowns and dragging quilted cotton 
 blankets behind them, stole up the stairs to the roof 
 of the house. 
 
 "I'm going to ask God to let him come," said Baby 
 Akbar solemnly. So they both touched the cold mar- 
 ble floor with their warm little foreheads and said: 
 
 '''Please Great God! Let our grand-dad Babar 
 come and take care of us, and be kind to us, and not 
 let the Angel write nasty things on our foreheads for 
 this next year!" 
 
 Then they cuddled themselves closely together in 
 the blankets and were soon fast asleep. 
 
 So fast Asleep that even when, after the short hulla- 
 balloo which followed on the discovery that they were 
 not in their beds, they were traced to the roof, they 
 did not thoroughly wake up, but were carried down 
 again without knowing much about it. 
 
 "Shall I blow out the lights?" asked Roy, as Head- 
 nurse prepared to descend also. 
 98 
 
"So they hoth iouched the cold marble floor with 
 their ivarm little foreheads" 
 
 Page 98 
 
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 
 
 Head-nurse looked round to Foster-father for his 
 opinion. 
 
 "No!" he said shortly, "leave them! The children 
 have asked some one to eat those sweets. Let be! 
 They may want all the help they can get." 
 
 So all the night long the little lamps twinkled and 
 twinkled. 
 
 But when morning came there was not a sweet left! 
 
 "It must have been the rats," said Meroo, who, as 
 cook, had gone up to see what he could save. "I saw 
 the tail of one disappearing." 
 
 But Foster-father said swiftly: "I would it were 
 some other helper, for the time has come for help. 
 Prince Askurry hath sent to say we start for Kabul 
 and cruel brother Kumran at noon to-day!" 
 
 99 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 A WINTER MARCH / 
 
 It was only too true! The escort which was to see 
 them On the road was already occupying the garden, 
 the horses champing their bits and fretting because 
 the long branches of the roses at which they snatched 
 held nothing but thorns. 
 
 Prince Akbar, indeed, was too much interested in 
 watching them and wondering if they were very 
 hungry to take much heed of anything else, but 
 Princess Bakshee Bani Begum, who was a very prac- 
 tical little person, at once began to pack up her 
 favourite doll. 
 
 "You had better choose out some toy, Mirak," said 
 she, "or you will be wanting to play with mine, and 
 I won't let you." 
 
 But Mirak was busy with the horses. 
 
 "I sha'n't want anything but my sword," he re- 
 plied valiantly. "I'm a big boy now, and I'm going 
 to play with real tilings." Then he turned to one of 
 the troopers with a quaint air of authority. "Your 
 horse is too thin. When I am King I shall see that 
 my men give their horses enough to eat." 
 
 Foster-father, who overheard the child, paused in 
 the hasty arrangements he was making to look at the 
 little Heir-to-Empire and put up a prayer that the 
 100 
 
A WINTER MARCH 
 
 fates might let him be King; but the future looked 
 black indeed. The road to Kabul must still be blocked 
 with snow, even if more did not fall by the way. A 
 likely happening, with the bitter north wind and the 
 dull lowering sky. And if the young child escaped 
 the danger of extreme cold and extreme hardship, 
 what might not be before him in Kabul itself? 
 
 Better, it might have been, for those in charge of 
 him, to have risked aU, taken refuge with the old 
 mountain chief, and died like brave men. There was 
 but one comfort in the whole affair. Prince Askurry 
 must know that Humayon or his friends were close 
 at hand, or he would not be in such a desperate hurry 
 to send away the Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 And this, indeed, was the truth. The fear of a 
 rescue was so real and immediate that Prince Askurry 
 had had to make his decision in a minute. So there 
 was scarcely any time for preparation, and by noon 
 the party had started for the three hundred and odd 
 miles of mountainous country that lay between them 
 and Kabul. Only the children's faces were cheerful; 
 even Roy's showed grave and anxious. 
 
 They rode fast and far till dusk fell, when they 
 had covered full twenty miles. For the last few, both 
 the women, who were mounted behind troopers, had 
 almost been dropping with fatigue, but the captain 
 of the escort was under orders to go as far as pos- 
 sible that night, so he pushed on to reach a place 
 
 101 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 called Robat. Here they were all unceremoniously 
 bundled into one large room, and by the steady tramp 
 through the night of a sentry outside. Foster-father 
 judged they were complete prisoners. Luckily they 
 were given plenty of fuel to replenish the fire that 
 roared in the wide chimney, so the elders squatted 
 round it and dozed, holding the children in their laps. 
 They slept as soundly as if they had been in their 
 beds, and so did Tumbu and Down, who had both in- 
 sisted on being of the party; the latter having quite 
 calmly taken her place on Horse-chestnut's broad 
 wavy back on the wide cushion of felt which Foster- 
 father used as a saddle-cloth. She had left her kitten 
 behind her as it was now quite a big tom-cat, and able 
 to take care of itself. 
 
 In a way, both Tumbu and Down had already been 
 of service to their young master, for the troopers of 
 the Escort had been amused by the golliwog's gam- 
 bols, and had admired Down's dignity, so they were 
 more inclined to treat the whole party in kindly fash- 
 ion. Indeed, next morning, the Captain of the Escort, 
 whose anxiety about a rescue had, perhaps, been les- 
 sened by the uneventful night, was much less strict in 
 his orders, and took Prince Akbar on his own saddle 
 and let him hold the reins. 
 
 "He is a brave, bold lad," he said to Foster-father; 
 "were he to live, he would make a good King." Then 
 he frowned, his mouth hardened and Foster-father, 
 102 
 
A WINTER MARCH 
 
 watching him, augured ill for the safety of the Heir- 
 to-Empire, For the time, however, all went well, 
 though Foster-father remarked that they kept off the 
 direct track as much as possible; no doubt to avoid 
 pursuit. And at Ghuznee, where they halted the sec- 
 ond night, the Captain of the Escort sent nearly aU 
 his men into the city by one gate, taking with them, 
 despite their protestations, Roy and Meroo and Old 
 Faithful, while he himself, with but one or two troop- 
 ers, Foster-father, Foster-mother, Head-nurse and 
 the two children, entered by another and found lodg- 
 ing in the caravanserai as common travellers. Evi- 
 dently, Foster-father surmised, it was thought best 
 for some reason or another to conceal the fact that 
 the Heir-to-Empire was being carried off to Kabul; 
 and something happened that evening to make him 
 certain that this was the case. It was dark ere they 
 arrived, so the other travellers in the serai took little 
 heed of the small party, especially as there were 
 women and children in it, and it is not polite in East- 
 ern countries to take any notice of them. But while 
 Head-nurse and Foster-mother were busy settling 
 down the children's quilts in the little dark archway 
 room, which was all the accommodation available, and 
 Foster-father had gone to purchase them some milk 
 for their supper, the little Prince and Princess, greatly 
 excited at the novelty of their surroundings, wandered 
 out into the dark square enclosure, where fires burned 
 
 103 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 here and there in the open, lit by travellers who were 
 cooking their evening meal. They stood by these 
 watching what was going on with quick interest, an- 
 swering questions that were put to them with frank 
 smiles and laughter. Being dressed in heavy sheep- 
 skin outer coats to keep out the cold, no one guessed 
 that they were other than they seemed, poor travellers' 
 children, until at the end of a long row of picketed 
 horses at the further end of the courtyard, Akbar 
 saw Horse-chestnut, Foster-father's pony. Now 
 Foster-father had only had time to tie the poor beast 
 head and heel, so there the honest creature stood, look- 
 ing very dejected, with emptiness before it, while the 
 troopers' horses beside him were enjoying great 
 bundles of green grass. The little fellow flushed up in 
 a moment ; he called loudly to a man who stood near : 
 
 "Ho! slave there! bring my pony grass — dost hear? 
 and be quick!" 
 
 The man laughed. "Alah!" he said; "whose son 
 be you to give orders that fashion?" 
 
 "Whose son?" echoed the child passionately, "I 
 am " 
 
 But Bija clung to his arm. "H'st, Mirak!" she 
 whispered. "Remember what Head-nurse said that 
 we were not to tell " 
 
 Akbar stood irresolute; he was wise beyond his 
 years. "But Horse-chestnut must not be hungry. I 
 won't have it! — he shall have grass," he said angrily; 
 104 
 
A WINTER MARCH 
 
 then, without another word he walked up to the next 
 horse, took a great armful of the grass that lay in 
 front of it and scattered it before his favourite. 
 
 "So there! slave!" he cried defiantly with a stamp 
 of his foot. 
 
 The man looked at him curiously, said nothing, but 
 went over to some others and began to whisper. 
 
 A minute afterwards. Foster-father returning, 
 found the children the centre of a little crowd eager 
 in enquiry whence they came, whither they were go- 
 ing, and, ere he could get them safely to their quar- 
 ters, the attention of the Captain of the Escort had 
 been arrested, he came out frowning and fuming. 
 
 "We march again in an hour," he said angrily to 
 Foster-father. "On thy head be it if thou can'st not 
 keep thy young fighting cock in order — 'twill be all 
 over the town by midnight !" 
 
 Foster-father did not often let his temper get the 
 better of his prudence, but he could not resist saying 
 mildly: "Kingship is like the musk-bag, friend, that 
 was broken at the royal child's birth. It diffuses its 
 perfume over the habitable world, and none can mis- 
 take it." 
 
 The Captain of the Escort shrugged his shoulders. 
 "Then it shall smell in the wilderness, friend; for I 
 run no risks of rescue this side the passes. So bid the 
 women give the young crowing cockerel his supper 
 and prepare to start again. There will be a moon in 
 
 105 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 another hour and we can push on. Meanwhile I go to 
 warn the other folk where to rejoin us." 
 
 It was a bitter cold night. The wind blew keenly 
 from the snow before them, and by the time they 
 reached a miserable village, high up on the slopes of 
 the pass, every one save the two children was chilled to 
 the bone; but they, well happed in aU the coverings 
 the fugitives could compass, were warm; Akbar, in 
 Foster-father's arms, with Down, the cat, cuddled up 
 beside him, and acting as a hot bottle! Once more 
 there was plenty of fuel in the rude hut where they 
 found shelter, and stiffened limbs and half-frosted 
 fingers soon began to thaw. Tumbu, who had kept 
 himself supple by, as usual, bounding about, was the 
 only one of the party who did not doze off at once, now 
 comparative comfort was reached. 
 
 But he was curiously restless. Over and over again 
 he rose, went to the door and seemed to listen. Then 
 he began to whine a little, then to scratch at the door 
 as if he wanted to get out. Finally, finding no one 
 paid any attention, he let loose one short, sharp bark, 
 which awakened Head-nurse, who with an impatient 
 look to see if her children had been disturbed, and 
 an angry whisper, "Go, then! thou mean-born beast," 
 rose softly, set open the door for a second, then closed 
 it again, shivering with the chill blast that swept in. 
 But Tumbu was out like a flash and disappeared in 
 the darkness. 
 106 
 
A WINTER MARCH 
 
 It must have been an hour afterward that every 
 one's slumber was disturbed by the most insistent 
 barking that ever was heard. Even Akbar, usually 
 the soundest of sleepers, sat up and rubbed his eyes. 
 
 "The evU-dispositioned hound!" said Head-nurse 
 in drowsy anger. "I deemed he had left us forever, 
 and good riddance, too." 
 
 But little Prince Akbar, half awake, protested in 
 defence of his dear dog. 
 
 "Tumbu only barks when he wants something, 
 nurse; go and see what it is." 
 
 "A likely story !" cried Head-nurse. 
 
 "Well," interposed Foster-father philosophically, 
 "some one must go if any one is to sleep." 
 
 Whereat he went to the door; but Tumbu on the 
 doorstep refused to come in; he barked, bounced off, 
 and returned the next minute to whine and bark again. 
 
 "He only wants something; go and see what it is," 
 came Mirak's deep-toned voice. "I know he wants 
 something." 
 
 "Lo ! man alive I" grumbled Head-nurse ; "shut the 
 door whichever way it is. I perish with cold!" 
 
 Foster-father was a wise man, so to avoid further 
 discussion he stepped out and shut the door behind 
 him. Thus for a minute or two there was peace. Then 
 Foster-father's voice rose urgently from outside. 
 
 "Open! I say open! Quick!" 
 
 Foster-mother flew to obey, and her husband stag- 
 
 107 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 gered in, bearing some one in his arms. "God send 
 the boy be not dead," he said as he laid down his 
 burden. 
 
 It was Roy the Rajput!- 
 
 "I found him quite close, frozen by the cold," he 
 continued, as they set to work before the fire to rub 
 the poor, stiff limbs and force a few drops of hot milk 
 through the blue lips. 
 
 It was some time before a faint sigh, a quiver of 
 the eyelids told that Roy was once more coming back 
 to the world ; but after that it was not long before he 
 could sit up and tell them what had happened. 
 
 He had managed to evade the eyes of the troopers, 
 and had arrived at the serai just after the startled 
 party had left it; had followed on their traces until 
 he had lost his way. In despair he had been stumbling 
 along aimlessly when Tumbu had suddenly appeared. 
 Following his lead, he had struggled on, gradually 
 benumbed by cold, until at last his feet had failed him, 
 and he remembered no more. 
 
 "Tumbu wanted Roy!" said little Prince Akbar 
 gravely. "I told you he wanted something." 
 
 And Tumbu, hearing his name, roused his furry 
 head from his furry paws and looked at his young 
 master with his sharp, beady, black eyes, as who 
 should say: 
 
 "Of course I did, because I knew you wanted him." 
 
 108 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 SNOW AND ICE 
 
 The Captain of the Escort was not over pleased to 
 find Roy when he came in the next morning, and said 
 curtly that the boy, having found his way on foot, 
 must make it on foot, and that none should wait for 
 him. To this the Rajput lad made no demur. His 
 long limbs on that hiUy country were more than an 
 equal even for Horse-chestnut's climbing powers, and 
 the cold was so intense that it was a relief not to sit 
 still on horseback. So he raced on ahead with Tumbu 
 or held by Horse-chestnut's stirrup, and, as he ran, 
 told stories to amuse the Heir-to-Empire ; for neither 
 of the nurses was in a fit state to do more than sit tight, 
 tied by leathern belts to the troopers behind whom 
 they rode. 
 
 About sunset time they arrived at a lonely shed at 
 the beginning of the highest bit of the main road, which 
 they were now obliged to take, as there was no other 
 way over the mountains ahead of them. Here, at the 
 end — as poor Head-nurse wailed — of the habitable 
 world, the Captain of the Escort had expected to find 
 the remainder of his men; but they were not there, and 
 as his provisions were running short, he could not go 
 on till they did arrive. So, in an ill humor, he ordered 
 a halt, and the whole outwearied party hastily cooked 
 
 109 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 themselves a meagre supper and lay down in hot haste 
 for rest at last. And rest they had, for that night 
 the snow, which had been threatening, began to fall, 
 and by daylight a good nine inches lay on the ground. 
 The children, who had never seen such thick snow 
 before, were delighted ; but Foster-father looked fear- 
 fully at the passes before them, while the Captain of 
 the Escort fumed and fretted at the non-arrival of 
 his men. Unless they came soon, he said, if more snow 
 fell, the pass immediately in front of them might be 
 closed for days. Not that there seemed much likelihood 
 of further storm, for the sky was blue as blue, the air, 
 though keen, pleasant. About noon, there being still 
 no sign of the missing men with provisions, the cap- 
 tain became impatient, and told Foster-father curtly 
 that he and his three troopers would ride back some 
 fifteen miles to a village, where perchance the others 
 were waiting, and that meanwhile the rest of them 
 could wait till he returned; there were provisions 
 enough for a day or two. Foster-father protested 
 against being left alone in the snow with but a boy, 
 two helpless women and two young children ; but the 
 Captain only laughed and rode off, taking with him 
 Horse-chestnut, as a precaution, doubtless, against 
 any attempt to escape with the Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 There was nothing to be done. Foster-father felt, 
 save to wait with what patience he could; but his heart 
 sank as, while Head-nurse and Foster-mother slept, 
 110 
 
SNOW AND ICE 
 
 outwearied by the past two days' fatigue, and the chil- 
 dren under Roy's care played snowballs, he sat and 
 watched the sky. At first there was only a cloud or 
 two in the west; then a sudden wind sprang up and 
 drove the fine, powdery snow in drifts. But stiU the 
 sun shone, though it seemed to grow a little dimmer, 
 a little paler ; finally, about two hours after the others 
 had left. Foster-father felt uncertain whether it was 
 aU drift that seemed to fill the air with a fine white 
 film, or whether fresh snow was falling. 
 
 An hour later there was no doubt about it. Great 
 flakes were circhng down silently, the sun had van- 
 ished, all things had become grey. Head-nurse heaped 
 up the fire, set a quilt before it for the children to 
 play upon, and then opened out the wallets to see 
 what she could find for supper. There was not much 
 left, and she was about to knead up all the flour to 
 bake hearth cakes when Foster-father crossed over 
 to her and whispered: 
 
 "Half will do, sister; otherwise there may be none 
 for to-morrow." 
 
 "None?" she echoed. "But they will be back " 
 
 Foster-father pointed to the snow that, driven now 
 by a rising wind, had drifted underneath the door. 
 "Not through that, sister! We may have to stay 
 here till the weather moderates, for none save friends 
 will risk their lives, and these men love us not !" 
 
 But even as he spoke there was a bustling at the 
 
 111 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 door, Tumbu flew forward, barking loudly, and in 
 stumbled 
 
 Old Faithful and Meroo the cook-boy! 
 
 They were heavily burdened, half -blinded by the 
 snow, and they had a disquieting tale to tell. About 
 twelve miles back, just as the snow began to fall, their 
 party, which had been delayed on the main road by 
 a flooded river, had come upon the Captain of the 
 Escort and his three troopers. Then had ensued a 
 hurried consultation, in which several of the men had 
 flatly refused to go on in face of the coming storm. 
 It was, they said, sheer madness. Better return to 
 the nearest township and await better weather. As 
 for the prisoners, they had food enough to keep life 
 in them for a day or two, and after that they must 
 take their chance. Whereupon Old Faithfiil and 
 Meroo had offered to go on, carrying some of the 
 provisions they had with them, and trusting to be 
 able to follow the tracks left by the horses in the 
 snow. This had been agreed upon, and — ^here they 
 were! 
 
 "For," as Old Faithful went on, "see you, I am not 
 
 afraid of snow, having been with Babar the brave 
 
 (on whom be peace) when he marched from Herat 
 
 to Kabul and was nigh lost on the Great Zirrin 
 
 pass." 
 
 Little Akbar, who was playing at cat's cradle with 
 his sister, looked up eagerly. "Was Grand-dad 
 112 
 
SNOW AND ICE 
 
 ever in the snow? 'Cos if he was, he's quite sure 
 to help us, for he ate all our sweeties, didn't he, 
 Bija?" 
 
 The little girl shook her head and put her finger 
 to her lip, in warning to him not to give away their 
 secret; but Head-nurse was sharp. 
 
 "Ohe," said she, "so that was it! Listen, Foster- 
 father! these babes set the platter for Firdoos Gita 
 Makani — on whom be peace ! Is not that good omen 
 for us all?" 
 
 "Mayhap!" said Foster-father, clearing his throat 
 cautiously, "and my heart is comforted also by the 
 presence of Faithful, who was with the great king 
 in his battle with snow and ice." 
 
 The Heir-to-Empire dropped his cat's cradle and 
 went over to the old trooper and stood before him with 
 grave, questioning eyes. 
 
 "Is it so, slave? Were you with Grand-dad in the 
 snow?" 
 
 "Most-Honourable! I was," replied the old man 
 boastfully, "and I remember as if 'twas yester- 
 day " 
 
 "Tell us the tale, trooper," interrupted Head-nurse. 
 " 'Twill hearten us all up ere we sleep, since there is 
 naught else to be done." 
 
 "That will I, mother," rephed Old Faithful with 
 alacrity, "and in the very words of my revered master 
 as written in that book of books, his Memoirs, which 
 
 113 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 doubtless the most Learned-of-the-Universe will read 
 some day." 
 
 Mirak, who was back at his cat's cradle, looked up 
 with grave superiority. 
 
 "Nay, slave I They shall read it to Akbar. He will 
 be King." 
 
 "Hark to him!" ejaculated Foster-mother, de- 
 hghted. "His words are all fortunate." 
 
 "We have need of more fortune by works, not 
 words, woman," said Foster-father sternly. "So pro- 
 ceed, friend Faithful; the recitation of brave deeds 
 can never come amiss." 
 
 Old Faithful settled himself by the fire and began. 
 "First you must know that Firdoos Gita Makani, or 
 Babar the brave, had to get back to Kabul, because 
 wicked men were waiting to be punished. Now, it 
 was winter time, and none dreamed of travelling over 
 the passes at that season. But Firdoos Gita Makani 
 was not one to hold back when a thing had to be done. 
 So we started, and this is what happened, in his own 
 words : 
 
 "From the time we left Herat it snowed inces- 
 santly; the farther we advanced the deeper it became. 
 After three days it reached above the stirrups. In 
 places the horses' feet did not reach the ground; yet 
 the snow continued to fall. One Bishai was our guide. 
 I do not know whether it was from old age, or from 
 his heart failing him, but having once lost the road, 
 114 
 
SNOW AND ICE 
 
 he never could find it again; so, as it was not to be 
 found with all our exertions, we were brought to a 
 complete stand. Seeing no other remedy, we returned 
 back to a place where there was abundance of fire- 
 wood, and despatched sixty or seventy chosen men to 
 retrace our footsteps and find on lower ground any 
 people who might be wintering there, and bring back 
 another guide. We halted thus for three or four days 
 awaiting the return of our messengers ; but when they 
 did appear it was without any one to show the way. 
 Placing my reliance on God alone, therefore, I went 
 on. For about a week we continued beating down the 
 snow so as to form a road, only advancing two or three 
 miles a day. Accompanied by ten or fifteen of my 
 personal followers, I worked myself with the others. 
 Every step we took forward we sank up to the middle, 
 but stiU we went on, trampling till we got firm foot- 
 hold. And as the first person wearied of the exertion, 
 he stood back and another took his place. So, after a 
 time, we managed to lead on a riderless horse. It 
 generally sank to the stirrups, and after floundering 
 on a dozen paces was worn out. But the second did 
 better. Thus in this way the twenty or so of us man- 
 aged to prepare a sort of road for the rest, who with 
 hanging heads (though many of them had seemed 
 our best men) advanced along it without even dis- 
 mounting! But this was no time for reproof or au- 
 thority. Every man of spirit hastens to such work 
 
 115 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 of himself, and the rest do not count. In this way- 
 after three or four days we reached a cave at the foot 
 of the Zirrin Pass. That day the wind and storm were 
 dreadful ; the snow fell in quantities ; we all expected 
 to meet death together. The snow was so deep, the 
 path so narrow, the days were at shortest. The first 
 of the troops reached the cave while it was yet day- 
 light ; but some men had to wait for morning on horse- 
 back. The cave seemed to be too small for all, so I 
 would not go in. I felt that for me to be warm and 
 comfortable while my men were in snow and drift ; for 
 me to sleep at my ease while my followers were in 
 trouble and distress, would be unfair. I felt that 
 whatever their sufferings might be, I ought to share 
 them. So I took a hoe and dug down into the snow 
 as deep as my breast ; this gave me some shelter from 
 the wind, and I sat down in the hole. By bedtime 
 prayers the snow had fallen so fast that four inches of 
 it had settled on my head ' " 
 
 Here Old Faithful paused and shook his head 
 gravely. "His Majesty," he went on, "writes in the 
 margin, 'That night I caught a cold in my ear.' It 
 is only wonder he did not catch his death." 
 
 "But what happened next?" asked Akbar impa- 
 tiently. "Did poor Grand-dad sit in the snow all 
 night?" 
 
 "No, Most-Honourable. He goes on to say, 'The 
 cave was properly explored and foimd to be large 
 116 
 
SNOW AND ICE 
 
 enough to hold us all. So I ordered all to go in, and 
 thus we escaped from the terrible cold, snow, and 
 drift, into a wonderfully warm, safe, comfortable 
 place. And next morning the snow and tempest 
 ceased and we moved on, trampling down the snow as 
 before; but ere we quite got through the pass, night 
 fell. Though the wind had fallen, the cold was dread- 
 ful, and several lost fingers, toes, even hands and feet 
 from frostbite, as we waited for dawn in the open. As 
 early as we could we moved down the glen, descend- 
 ing, without road, over difficult and precipitous places, 
 the extreme depth of the snow enabling us to pass over 
 countless dangers. Thus our enemy became our 
 friend. 
 
 " 'It was evening prayer time ere we got from the 
 mouth of the valley, bedtime prayers when we reached 
 the village of Auleng. The people carried us to their 
 warm houses, brought out fat sheep for us, a super- 
 fluity of hay and grain for our horses, with abundance 
 of wood to kindle our fires. To pass from the cold 
 and snow into such a village with its warm houses, to 
 find plenty of good food as we did after days of 
 hunger is an enjoyment that can oply be understood 
 by those who have suffered similar hardship, have en- 
 dured such heavy distress.' " 
 
 Old Faithful paused and sighed. "That is so like 
 Firdoos Gita Makani," he said. "When danger was 
 over he would sit down and write beautiful things 
 
 117 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 about it; but when it was there he never seemed to 
 think of anything but trampling it down." 
 
 "That is like all Kings," said Roy proudly, "and 
 brave men are always Kings in danger." 
 
 But Foster-father was looking at the fire. "Abun- 
 dance of fuel," he murmured, "that is what we have 
 not." 
 
 "We shall not need it here, friend," rephed the old 
 trooper. "Meroo, remove that log; 'tis too hot as it 
 is, and if the snow continues to drift as it was doing 
 a while agone — " he moved to the door, which opened 
 inward and set it wide. A great white wall reaching 
 almost to the eaves showed filling up the doorway! 
 "It is as I thought," he said; "we are prisoned here 
 till the storm passes. Thank God we have provision 
 enough for some days." 
 
 "And thanks to others also," put in Foster-father 
 heartily; "but for thee and Meroo, old friend " 
 
 "As Firdoos Gita Makani used to say," remarked 
 the old man with an air of great virtue, " 'Gratitude 
 comes when danger has gone,' so she must wait a bit 
 yet." 
 
 118 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 OVEE THE PASS 
 
 Gratitude had longer to wait than even Foster- 
 father, who always took a gloomy view of things, had 
 thought for, since the next morning found the shed 
 almost hidden beneath a snowdrift. Still, as Old 
 Faithful remarked, it was not altogether to be re- 
 gretted since the covering kept out the cold and 
 allowed them to save their small store of firewood for 
 cooking. The lack of light was, however, terrible 
 untU Old Faithful, whose experience with Babar the 
 brave made him full of expedients, hit on the plan 
 of setting Tumbu to work to dig out a hole through 
 the drift, for they had nothing with them to use as a 
 spade. What he did was to set the door wide, cut a 
 narrow tunnel with his sword as far as he could reach 
 in the banked-up snow, and thrust a bit of food 
 in its farther end. Then Roy brought Tximbu and 
 said: 
 
 "Fetch it out, good dog! fetch it out!" while Mirak 
 and Bija looked oh delightedly, calling, "Good dog! 
 Dig it out! dig it out!" Ttmibu, the most playful of 
 animals, soon entered into the fun, and set to work 
 shovelhng out the snow till he found the food. Then 
 another bit was thrust in, always in an upward di- 
 rection. 
 
 119 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 " 'Tis slow," said Old Faithful, "but not so slow as 
 trampling down a road!" 
 
 Not half so slow, for after a time Tumbu seemed 
 to understand what they would be at, and needed no 
 more bits of food to make him dig, but went on solidly, 
 every now and again giving a yap just to make him- 
 self believe he really was digging something out. In 
 fact, he got on so fast that Roy, who, as the slim- 
 mest of the party, had to keep the tunnel clear of 
 the dug-out snow, had almost more to do than he 
 could manage. It was frightfully exciting, and 
 Mirak and Bija were dancing about, unable to 
 keep still, when a sudden shaft of light that burst 
 into the dark shed, and a furiously joyful barking 
 that came down the funnel as if it had been a speak- 
 ing trumpet, announced Tumbu's arrival in free 
 air. 
 
 "Now, we shall do," said Old Faithful with 
 much importance. "Lo! how one clever idea be- 
 gets another. But for Firdoos Gita Makani tramp- 
 ling a road I should never have thought of a 
 tunnel!" 
 
 Roy, however, was already hard at work improving 
 on the idea by widening the way with Old Faithful's 
 sword, being only let from doing more by Head- 
 nurse's exclamation that the melting snow would flood 
 the shed. 
 
 "Let be, boy 1" said Foster-father; "the hot air from 
 120 
 
OVER THE PASS 
 
 within, rising through the tunnel, will melt the sides by 
 degrees. To-morrow will see it large enough for you, 
 at any rate, to pass through." 
 
 And so it proved. Not next day, but the day after, 
 not only Roy, but Mirak and Bija, had managed to 
 climb up to the outer world by the notches which Roy 
 cut in the snow walls. 
 
 It was a strange, chill world which they saw. Far 
 as the eye could reach, nothing but snow, the air frosty 
 and sharp, though the sun was shining once more. 
 Mirak was keen to snowball, but Roy would not hear 
 of it ; the snow was melting with the faint heat of the 
 midday sun, he said, and a step might make the frost 
 film break, and down into the powdery drift they 
 might go, never to come up again. So they only stood 
 looking about them for a few minutes and then pre- 
 pared to go back. 
 
 "Take care, my lord, take care!" cried Roy, as 
 Mirak, who was preparing to descend legs foremost, 
 as he had been told to do, suddenly looked up with a 
 face full of mischief, let go with his hands, and pouf ! 
 disappeared down the slippery tunnel like a pea in a 
 pea-shooter. A burst of laughter from below told 
 them he had arrived safely, and nothing would suit 
 Bija but to do likewise, Roy being still too tight a fit 
 to slide quickly. In fact, the children were eager to 
 cHmb up once more and do it again, but Head-nurse 
 said she could not hear of it; their clothes were wet 
 
 121 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 enough as it was ; besides, it was most unlady-like for 
 a real Princess! 
 
 The days, therefore, did not pass so uncomfortably, 
 though pressing anxiety sat on Foster-father's honest 
 face, and every time Roy returned from a climb up to 
 outer air he would ask him if he had seen anything. 
 
 "Nothing," Roy would reply, "and the snow wastes 
 but little, we are so high up." 
 
 At last one night, after the children were asleep, 
 Foster-father summoned a council of war. It would 
 not be wise, he said, to remain where they were, with- 
 out making any effort at escape, until their provisions 
 were exhausted. Then they would be helpless. Now 
 they still had enough for two or three days, and it 
 behooved them to make a push — but whither? 
 
 "Not back on our steps," advised Old Faithful. 
 "Firdoos Gita Makani always said: 'No retreat till 
 there is no advance.' Besides, see you, if we go down, 
 the snow will be melting and give us no foothold. But 
 at night the frost will hold on the pass. And it is 
 but little farther to the next shelter; for, see you, I 
 have come twice this way from Kandahar; but never 
 the other way back. So my memory of land-marks — if 
 there be any — ^would be nothing on the downward 
 journey. But upward it might come to life. Again, 
 upward there is less chance of missing the way, as all 
 the valleys converge to the Pass, whereas downward 
 they spread out in different directions." 
 122 
 
OVER THE PASS 
 
 In fact, there were so many points in favour of 
 advance that the decision was made for it, and the next 
 night settled on for the start. There were not many 
 preparations to make except for the women, who had 
 to bake what flour they had into hearth cakes. They 
 had a little wheat and pulse, too, and this they roasted 
 and tied up in the corners of their veils. Everything 
 that was heavy had to be left behind, for they knew 
 that even unburdened they might have difficulty in 
 getting the frost film on the snow to bear their weight. 
 It was a bright, starlight night when, the snow tunnel 
 having been enlarged by Roy, regardless of flooding 
 the shed, the whole party crept out and stood on the 
 wide, snowy expanse. Tumbu was first, and with 
 joyful yaps began to career about in circles curved 
 like a comma, biting and snapping at the snow. Down 
 came last, and meaowed piteously, lifting up first one 
 cold foot, then another, and shaking it in disgust. 
 Finally an idea seemed to come into her head; she 
 made a bound toward Tumbu, and the next moment 
 was on his back, clawing onto his fluffy black fur; 
 whereat everybody laughed. So, with many a prayer 
 for guidance, the little party set off, Old Faithful 
 leading the way. At first they managed pretty well, 
 though the men and women, being heavy, sank over 
 the ankles at each step. But both Bija and Mirak, 
 and even Roy, being light, found the surface hard 
 enough to bear them ; so they ran on ahead and chattered 
 
 123 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 and laughed, the whole business being to them a huge 
 joke. Thus an hour passed cheerfully enough; then 
 Bija began to get tired, and Foster-father took her in 
 his arms. The result sent his heart into his mouth with 
 sudden fear, sudden certainty that no help could come 
 that way. Even her slight additional weight sent him 
 almost waist deep into the snow. He could scarcely 
 move ! And ere long the Heir-to-Empire would doubt- 
 less weary also ; then what was to be done? For every 
 hour after midnight would bring the thawing sun 
 nearer and nearer; they might have to remain on the 
 Pass till night brought frost again, and in that case 
 what would become of the children? 
 
 Then suddenly his eye caught Tumbu, who was 
 marching along sullenly, Down nestling, fast clawed 
 in his broad, furry back. Could the dog carry a child? 
 A creature with four feet had greater purchase of 
 foothold than one with two. 
 
 "Roy," he said, "turn the cat off and put the Heir- 
 to-Empire on the dog's back; he must be tired also." 
 
 Mirak, nothing loath, climbed quickly to his moimt ; 
 but ere he had settled himself on its back Tumbu had 
 begun to sink slowly. The little lad's weight was too 
 much for even four feet; there was a struggle, over 
 went the little Prince, and both he and Tumbu had to 
 be picked up and set on their legs again on a fresh, 
 unbroken place. 
 
 Foster-father looked in despair at Old Faithful, 
 124 
 
OVER THE PASS 
 
 and for a minute no one said anything. Then the old 
 man's face lit up. "Lo! I had forgotten it utterly, but 
 the time and place bring memory back. Firdoos Gita 
 Makani— who knew all things under the sun — had a 
 favourite horse, that strained itself falling into a drift. 
 They were for leaving it to die, but that did not suit 
 Firdoos Gita Makani, who was kind to all God's 
 creatures. So, having read of the like somewhere, he 
 set us to make a sort of platform with our lances and 
 blankets underneath the poor brute, and so we 
 dragged him over the snow, until we reached a place 
 where there was water and grass." 
 
 "We have no lances," said Foster-father, "and there 
 is no wood." He looked aroimd helplessly. 
 
 "My lord has a sword," put in Roy eagerly, "and 
 so has Faithful. If he were to tie them crossways to 
 the scabbards — " He had already thrown off his skin 
 coat and was imwinding his long muslin waistband to 
 tear it into strips to use as a cord. 
 
 "It is worth the trying, friend Foster-father," said 
 Old Faithful, unbuckling his sword. 
 
 "Aye!" continued Roy, elated with the idea, "and 
 Tumbu can drag it. He makes no mark on the snow, 
 so it will be smooth and slippy — ^and the curved scab- 
 bards will be like runners." 
 
 His dexterous fingers were hard at work binding 
 the long sword blades to place. Then a strip of woollen 
 shawl was fastened to them as a seat, Meroo's turban 
 
 125 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 served as harness, and in less time than could have 
 been imagined the quaint sledge was ready for trial. 
 
 Mirak sat on it first. "Now then, Tumbu! Good 
 dog !" said Roy in a flutter for fear of failure. Tumbu 
 turned round, looked at his little master with a broad 
 grin of red tongue and white teeth, gave a little grunt, 
 and started. 
 
 The sledge slid on over the frozen snow quite easily! 
 
 "Now praise be to God!" cried Foster-father, over- 
 joyed. 
 
 "And Grand-dad !" said the little Prince, who always 
 listened to everything; "but I knew he would help us, 
 didn't you, Bija?" 
 
 "But I want to go on the thing, too," she whim- 
 pered. 
 
 "Mayhap it might support them both," put in 
 Head-nurse ; "she is but a featherweight, and there is 
 plenty of room." 
 
 Ere five minutes were over the little party, greatly 
 heartened up by finding this unexpected way out of 
 their difficulties, started once more, Roy encouraging 
 Tumbu, who, in truth, seemed to feel his task quite 
 a light one, while Foster-father, in his relief and grati- 
 tude, allowed Down, the cat, to creep once more inside 
 his fur coat. Her weight made him sink a little farther 
 into the snow, but he was strong, and felt he could 
 have done more for the sake of the children's safety. 
 
 On and on they went, the frost film giving firmer 
 126 
 
'Ahead of them, a shadow showed, a shambling shadow! 
 Tumbv, .... with a hound was off full tilt after it" 
 
 Page 126 
 
'^.-'' 
 
 '%^'^%^- 
 
 -^^:'\ -:^-; 
 
 
 
 ■ "-- - 
 
 — '"-^ 
 
 ^--■- 
 
 ,w^. " 
 
 —■ " •■' 
 
 
 '\ '-, ' >'.,■ 
 
 ^3^^caefe^^\ j^lb-3 
 
 j^ 
 
 BB&-^^ 
 
 Wm 
 
 '^[3 
 
 
 
 ^^m. ■ 'm^— — ' "^ 
 
 
 -" 
 
 hH 
 
 
 .»' 
 
 *^^^^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ) :ByAH-SHf0M4 
 
 
 
OVER THE PASS 
 
 foothold on the top of the pass, while the chill which 
 always precedes dawn took away still more from the 
 difficulty of Tumbu's task. In fact, the curved scab- 
 bards slipped over the hard snow as if it had been ice. 
 
 So they went on till a glimmer of dawn showed them 
 that the summit had been reached, the downward slope 
 begun. But still, far and near, nothing but snow was 
 to be seen. Then suddenly, ahead of them, a shadow 
 showed, a shambling shadow! Tumbu stopped dead, 
 sniffed, then with a bound was off full tilt after it, the 
 sledge, with the two children in it, flying behind him! 
 
 For an instant the others were too much astonished 
 to speak. Then Roy, with frantic cries to Timibu to 
 come back, was off after them. In vain! As he 
 crested a little rise he saw by the growing light a big 
 brown IsabelUne bear shambhng along contentedly, 
 seeming to go no pace at all, yet gaining steadily on 
 the sledge that was giving chase. 
 
 "I will follow as fast as I can!" panted the Rajput 
 lad breathlessly, as Foster-father, Meroo, and Old 
 Faithful, hampered by their greater weight, ran up. 
 "It is a bear; but they cannot catch it — and Tumbu 
 will tire — ^then he always comes back. Follow you on 
 my tracks with the women." 
 
 With that he was off like an arrow from a bow be- 
 hind the bear, Tumbu, the sledge, the Heir-to-Empire 
 and the Princess Baksee Bani Begun, who by this time 
 had all disappeared behind the hilly horizon. 
 
 127 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 IN THE VALLEY 
 
 Roy ran and ran and ran until he was breathless ; 
 yet still he ran, until little by little he recovered his 
 breath again as wild animals do. Every moment he 
 hoped to see Tumbu either returning or standing still, 
 panting and waiting for the others to come up. But 
 he saw nothing save, stretching away as far as the eye 
 could reach, a smooth, not over steep, snowy slope. 
 So far there was little fear of the sledge being overset. 
 
 Then, after he had run a long way, he paused, for 
 there were now two tracks instead of one. The marks 
 of the bear went up a little side valley, the marks 
 of the sledge went down the slope. What could have 
 happened? Had Tumbu in his haste missed the bear's 
 trail? That was not likely. Having coine so far, had 
 he determined to go on? That was not likely either, 
 unless the children had urged him forward. Knowing 
 Mirak's bold, adventurous spirit, this seemed possible, 
 and Roy's heart sank; but he started off running 
 again, knowing that no matter what had happened he 
 must follow his little master, and follow fast. 
 
 But as he ran downward and downward the frost 
 film on the snow became less and less firm. The sun 
 was rising now, and even its earliest rays seemed to 
 melt his foothold, and he began to sink at every step. 
 128 
 
IN THE VALLEY 
 
 The sledge, however, appeared from the faint marks 
 it left to have slid on without difficulty. No doubt, he 
 thought, because of the children's light weight, and be- 
 cause the platform between the swords and scabbards 
 which supported them was so large ; many times larger 
 than his own feet! Why, even Tumbu's four broad, 
 furry paws had sunk into the snow a little, and would 
 doubtless have sunk more but for the pace at which he 
 must have been going. 
 
 The sledge was the thing! How clever it was of 
 Old Faithful to remember Eirdoos Gita Makani's 
 way of saving his horse ; but after all, when one came 
 to think of it, the thanks were due to Babar the brave 
 for being a real King, kind-hearted to animals. 
 
 And now Roy's task became dangerous as well as 
 hard, for every moment lessened the firmness of the 
 ice fihn. And he was now running down a shallow 
 valley, which was completely blocked up by drift, ex- 
 cept in the very middle, where every now and again 
 you got a glimpse of a roaring torrent — kept unfrozen 
 by its snowy covering — hollowing its way downward; 
 but for the most part it was invisible, the only sign 
 of it being a roar, a tremble beneath your feet. Thus 
 he was, as it were, on a snow bridge, of which the sur- 
 face might at any moment give way. And that meant 
 certain death in the dark pools below. In one place, 
 indeed, he was all but lost ; however, a wild leap landed 
 him on safe ground, and with a gasp of fear, not for 
 
 129 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 himself, but for the children ahead of him, he ran on, 
 comforted by the sight of the sledge track going on 
 and on. 
 
 After a while he had to cease running from sheer 
 fatigue; but still he plodded on, telling himself that 
 even half an hour would have made a difference in 
 the snow. That where he found danger, the children 
 might have found safety; and always before him that 
 track of the scabbard-sledge showed him that so far, at 
 any rate, all had gone well. 
 
 And then, as he turned a sharp curve in the shallow, 
 snow-covered valley, he saw a little below him some- 
 thing that made him turn sick with fear. It was the 
 sledge, empty, deserted! A second glance, however, 
 showed him that it was not overset. Those who had 
 been in it must have left it of their own accord ; and 
 the cause of this was soon made clear. Within a few 
 yards the snow ended and a rocky descent began, 
 down which the sledge could not have gone. So either 
 Tumbu or the children had been wise ; and they were 
 still in front of him, but how far off who could tell? 
 The sun was already high, hours must have passed 
 since he first started in chase ; but now that they were 
 on foot there was some chance of overtaking them 
 before anything dreadful happened. 
 
 In his hurry Roy almost flung himself from rock 
 to rock down the descent ; but he had to pause to take 
 off his fur coat, for in this sheltered spot the sun beat 
 130 
 
m THE VALLEY 
 
 shadelessly, the snow melted as he passed, the stones 
 ran with moisture, and in the crannies of the rocks 
 young green things were everywhere starting into 
 growth. The past storm of bitter cold had ended 
 winter ; spring had begun. And now the rushing tor- 
 rent, escaping finally from its snowy blanket, dashed 
 over the boulders beside him, carrying with it great 
 blocks of melting snow. 
 
 On and on he went, thinking the descent would 
 never end, till at a turn he saw below him a tiny val- 
 ley, just a sort of cup in the hills, through which the 
 stream rushed, sparkling in the sunshine. The banks 
 were still broAvn, but they were patched with great 
 beds of rose-pink primula, blue gentian, and yellow 
 dog pansies. And on a perfect carpet of these sat three 
 dark figures ! Never in his hf e was Roy so overjoyed. 
 He forgot his fatigue, and ran on until he could plainly 
 see Princess Bakshee Bani Begum making cowslip 
 balls out of the pink primulas, the Heir-to-Empire 
 contentedly munching a cold hearth cake, and giving 
 bits of it to Tumbu, who, with his head cocked on 
 one side, had evidently heard Roy's distant step. The 
 next instant a furious barking showed that he was 
 on the alert to defend his young charges, and Roy had 
 to call to him again and again before he was satisfied 
 that the newcomer was a friend. 
 
 "Why, what a long time you've been coming," said 
 the Heir-to-Empire calmly. "We've had our break- 
 
 131 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 fast, 'cos we couldn't wait any longer. You can't have 
 come as fast as you could. No more would Tumbu, 
 only we made him not be lazy, 'cos Head-nurse says — 
 what is it she says, Bija?" 
 
 The little girl looked solemn. "She says every one 
 should do everything as quick as ever they can. So 
 we shouted at Timibu and pulled his tail just a liddly- 
 wee bit like the bullock drivers do. And then we had the 
 loveliest ride, and Tumbu wasn't a bit cross; but he 
 wouldn't go down the rocks and growled. So we had 
 to get out and walk. And then we came here, and 
 first of all we picked flowers ; then I had hearth cakes 
 and popcorn in my veil, and so we ate our breakfast, 
 and then you came — and that's all, thank you!" She 
 had just finished a lovely soft ball and she fixing it full 
 at the Heir-to-Empire. It hit him, but he took no 
 notice. He was thinking of something else. 
 
 "But where," he began, and his little lip went down, 
 "is Head-nurse — and Foster-father — and Foster- 
 mother — and Old Faithful — and Meroo — and Down? 
 What have you done with them, slave?" 
 
 He was half angry, half ready to cry, so Roy, 
 though his own heart failed him as he thought of the 
 dangers of the road, had to soothe and comfort him 
 by saying, as cheerfully as he could, that they would 
 come before long. But would they? Now that the 
 relief of finding the children were safe was over, poor 
 Roy began to see the difficulties before him. If those 
 132 
 
IN THE VALLEY 
 
 others did not come, what would he, a mere lad, do? 
 How could he care for his little master and mistress? 
 They had had their breakfast, it is true — Roy forgot 
 he had had none himself! — but what could they have 
 for supper? He could not even think, he felt too 
 giddy and tired even to sleep ; so, after he had rolled 
 his fur coat into a soft pillow for the httle Prince and 
 Princess, who were drowsy for their mid-day rest, and 
 covered them over with their own, he sat with his head 
 between his hands, his eyes closed, wishing he were 
 not so stupid, wishing he could only think of some- 
 thing to do ; for in reality he was quite wearied out. If 
 the others did not come ! Of course they might come 
 at any moment ; and yet the moments passed to min- 
 utes, the minutes to hours, while the children slept in 
 the sunshine, and Roy felt that he was a fool. 
 
 And then something cold touched his hand. He 
 opened his eyes and saw that it was Tumbu's nose; 
 Tumbu, who had something strange in his mouth — 
 something hke a rabbit and yet like a squirrel! 
 
 In reality it was a fresh-killed young marmot, an 
 animal that lives amid the snow and ice and rocks of 
 the very highest hills. Tumbu, having handed over 
 charge of the children, must have gone off on his own 
 hunting, found a colony of the quaint creatures, and, 
 as usual, brought home his bag! Roy did not in the 
 least know what the marmot was, but he saw it was 
 something to eat! The relief was too much for him! 
 
 133 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Here, at least, was supper. He flung his arms round 
 Tumbu's neck and burst into tears, murmuring with 
 choking sobs that he, Roy, had been foolish, but 
 Tumbu was a wise, wise, good doggie. And so he was ! 
 
 After this Roy felt better, and having, as all Indian 
 boys used to have in those days, a flint and steel with 
 him, began to look around for fuel with which to light 
 a fire and cook the supper. There were, of course, no 
 trees and no bushes ; but right away at the farther end 
 of the long valley there were some patches of very 
 dark green. They did not look promising, but he 
 would go and see. They proved to be a creeping sort 
 of evergreen plant that trailed its stiff branches right 
 on the very ground. He picked a bit, and on trying to 
 light it, found to his surprise, that it blazed up in a 
 fierce flame. For it was juniper, and so full of resin. 
 
 He now had the possibility of fire, so that evening 
 the little cup in the hills held quite comfortable en- 
 campment. 
 
 Roy had brought down the sledge, and using the 
 swords and their scabbards as supports, had made a 
 lean-to tent against a warm rock out of the strip of 
 shawl. In this he had strewn juniper branches to 
 make a soft bed, and the children could just creep 
 into it. Then they had the marmot, roasted in its skin, 
 for supper, and all the three were too hungry to ask 
 themselves if marmot flesh was as toothsome as rabbit 
 or as bitter as squirrel I And Timibu ate the bones 
 134 
 
IN THE VALLEY 
 
 with an air as if he would say, "It is not bad, but 
 to-morrow I must catch two marmots." 
 
 After that there was peace and quiet in the camp, 
 Roy sitting beside the fire and making it blaze up 
 every now and again by putting on a fresh juniper 
 branch. For he knew that since the others had not 
 arrived by daylight, they must either aU have perished 
 on the road or else be waiting until the cold of night 
 once more froze the ice-film on the snow. In this case 
 the firelight seen from afar might be a guide. 
 
 So the night passed. More than once Roy fell 
 asleep, for despite his care the smoke of the juniper 
 branches could not quite be avoided, and that, every 
 one knows, is terribly sleepifying. He woke every 
 time, however, before the fire was quite out, and 
 hastened to send up a flare of flame. As he did so the 
 last time it was answered by a hulloo from the rocks 
 above, and shortly afterward Meroo, the scuUion's, 
 blubbering voice could be heard as he uttered thanks 
 to Heaven. 
 
 "And the others?" asked Roy anxiously, as out of 
 the darkness Meroo appeared and cast himself at the 
 lad's feet, bellowing joy. 
 
 "They come, they come! They are but a short way 
 back. I saw the fire, and the sight of it warmed the 
 cockles of my heart ! Lo ! I shall cook once more ! I 
 shall not die hungry in the wilderness. Nay! go not," 
 for Roy was starting up. "True ! the women are nigh 
 
 135 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 dead, and Foster-father hath his fingers frostbitten, 
 but — ^nay, put more flame to the fire, boy! It is the 
 fire they need!" 
 
 He was half beside himself, but he was right. As 
 the fresh juniper branches blazed up Head-nurse came 
 tottering and stumbling into its light. Roy sprang to 
 help her, but she pushed him aside. 
 
 "The Heir-to-Empire?" she muttered, her lips 
 almost refusing to form the words. "The Heir-to- 
 Empire, the Admired-of-the-World " 
 
 Roy pointed to the little tent. "There! Safe! 
 Well! Asleep!" he cried; and the poor woman with 
 a sob sank as she stood, and lay prone muttering long 
 strings of titles. 
 
 Before a minute had passed Foster-father and 
 Foster-mother struggled into the circle of light, and 
 after a word of question and reply, sank down also. 
 
 Then there was a long pause, but no sign came of 
 good Old Faithful's tall, gaunt figure. At last Roy 
 spoke. 
 
 "Faithful?" he asked in a low whisper. "What of 
 him?" 
 
 There was no answer at first; only Foster-father 
 covered his face with his hands. At last he spoke 
 gently. 
 
 "He was faithful to death. He was going first, as 
 ever, cheering us all with his sayings of Firdoos Gita 
 Makani. I saw him there one moment turning to tell 
 136 
 
IN THE VALLEY 
 
 us words of wisdom — the next the snow bridge had 
 given way beneath his feet and he was gone. We 
 waited on the bank of the awful chasm for a long time, 
 but there was no sound save the roaring of the stream 
 below. Firdoos Gita Makani, his master, had called 
 him. Peace be with them bothl" 
 
 137 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 DEAEEST-LADY 
 
 For two whole days the little party was too weary 
 even to attempt a move. They had some provisions 
 with them, and Tumbu, as good as his word, brought 
 in more and more marmots ; for being unaccustomed 
 to dogs, they were easily caught. 
 
 The death of Old Faithful weighed upon the spirits 
 of aU, and for the first twelve hours or so the Heir-to- 
 Empire was inconsolable for the loss of his beloved 
 cat ; for Foster-father had found it impossible to carry 
 Down farther, and she had remained behind in the 
 snow, protesting piteously. It was a terrible grief, 
 and the child had almost wept himself sick, when, to 
 every one's surprise and delight, Mistress Down was 
 seen walking sedately across the flowers, her bushy 
 tail carried very high, not one hair of her silky white 
 coat awry. She took no notice of anybody, but passed 
 to the fire, sat down beside it with stiff dignity, curled 
 her tail roimd her paws, yawned and then began to 
 purr gently. It was as if nothing had happened. And 
 she certainly was not hungry, for she turned up her 
 dainty nose at Tumbu's marmot bones. 
 
 "Cats," said Head-nurse, who had just awakened 
 from a long sleep of many hours, "are not to be 
 counted as other beasts. Having nine lives, they could 
 138 
 
DEAREST-LADY 
 
 afford to lose one; but they never do. They always 
 fall on their feet. It is the way of the world ; the more 
 you have the more you get. Still, I am glad she has 
 returned; and I wish there were a chance of others 
 turning up also," she added with a sigh. 
 
 The Heir-to-Empire looked up gravely. "But 
 Faithful can't come back, you know. He went to help 
 Grand-dad to help us." 
 
 "Hark to the innocent," cried Foster-mother, half 
 in smiles, half in tears, "but it is true. If ever poor 
 mortals were watched over by saints in Paradise, we 
 were ; and for my part if ever I get to Kabul, my duty 
 shall be paid to the tomb of Firdoos Gita Makani — 
 on whom be peace." 
 
 "Amen!" added her husband devoutly; "but for 
 the memory of that good man we should not be here 
 now." 
 
 It was on the third day that leaving Meroo in 
 charge for a few hours Foster-father and Roy set off 
 to explore. They were fortunate in finding some 
 shepherds' huts within a walking distance for even 
 footsore women, and returned ere nightfall with a 
 skin bag of fresh milk. 
 
 Early next morning, therefore, they all set off, 
 Roy girding on dead Faithful's sword from the sledge 
 that was wanted no more, and from that moment feel- 
 ing himself indeed body-guard to the Heir-to- 
 Empire. 
 
 139 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Once they had reached safety from starvation in the 
 shepherds' huts, a great desire for rest came upon 
 them all; and for three whole days they did nothing 
 but eat, and sleep, and rejoice in the early spring sun- 
 shine, and the early spring flowers. For the late snap 
 of extreme cold had passed and every green thing was 
 hurrying to be ahead of its neighbour. Bija made 
 endless cowslip balls out of the beautiful rose-pink 
 primulas, while Roy and Mirak, following the shep- 
 herds' boys, came back with their hands full of young 
 rhubarb shoots and green fern croziers, which they 
 ate like asparagus. But this sort of thing could not 
 last long, since they were close to the caravan route 
 from Kandahar to Kabul ; and sure enough, no sooner 
 had the snow on the uplands melted than travellers 
 began to pass through. 
 
 Thus news that the little party had escaped death 
 soon filtered from mouth to mouth, till it reached the 
 Captain of the Escort, and ere long Foster-father 
 found himself and those in his care once more semi- 
 prisoners on their way to cruel brother Kumran; all 
 the more cruel, doubtless, because King Hamayon had 
 already begun the siege of Kandahar, beheving his 
 little son to be still within its walls. 
 
 Now Kumran was a far cleverer fellow than his 
 brother Askurry; but there was in him a love of de- 
 ceit for deceit's sake, which spoiled all his cleverness, 
 for it made him uncertain what he would do in the 
 140 
 
DEAREST-LADY 
 
 end. This indeed is always the case with deceitful 
 people. They know that what they say and do is not 
 straightforward and true, and so they are like sailors 
 without a compass. They have no fixed pole by which 
 to steer. 
 
 And, in addition, Kumran liked to be considered 
 clever; so he was always outwardly very courteous, 
 very polite, very charming; but what he was within 
 none could say for long. 
 
 Thus Foster-father's heart sank within him, when 
 in the distance, down the rocky ravine through which 
 the Kabul River dashes, and along which the caravan 
 road took its high-perched way, he saw the battle- 
 mented wall of the city, cresting the low hills on which 
 the town was built. It was a fully fortified town 
 through which the river ran, and at its extreme end, 
 commanding the wider plain below, stood the citadel 
 called the Bala Hissar or High Fort. To reach this 
 the travellers had to cross the iron bridge and wend 
 their way through the narrow bazaars. 
 
 Such wonderful bazaars as they were, too! 
 Crowded with tiny dark arched shops, like caverns, 
 full to the brim with Persian silk carpets, furs from 
 the north, turquoises and aU kinds of precious stones 
 from out-of-the-way places with unpronounceable 
 names. And there were such a quantity of cats ! Grey 
 Persian cats and white ones, and tabbies and black 
 cats who sat on the balconies and stared at Down as 
 
 141 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 she lay on Horse-chestnut's broad, wavy back. For 
 the Captain of the Escort had found out what an ex- 
 cellent creature the old pony was, and had brought it 
 along with him. 
 
 The High Fort was a huge place with great gar- 
 dens within its battlements and several separate pal- 
 aces. Here, to Foster-father's unbounded delight, 
 they found that Prince Kumran was himself away, 
 having gone out with a small body of men to the Kan- 
 dahar frontier, where King Humayon's arrival had 
 aroused loyalty. But what was still more cheering 
 was the news that he had left orders for the Heir-to- 
 Empire and his sister to be handed over on arrival to 
 the charge of Dearest-Lady! Foster-father could 
 hardly believe his ears; for Dearest-Lady (as she was 
 always called by all her family, by all her nephews 
 and nieces, by all her grand nephews and nieces, and 
 cousins, and every one who was lucky enough to be- 
 long to her) was simply — Well! what was she not? 
 Wise, and gentle, and good, and clever — all this and 
 more. She was the sort of Dearest-Lady who lived 
 so long in the hearts of those who knew her, that, years 
 after she was dead they would say, if there was any 
 difficult point to be settled — "We wonder what Dear- 
 est-Lady would have said?" 
 
 She was old, of course, for she was Babar the 
 Brave's elder sister; the sister to whom he had been 
 devoted, who had always been to him also "his Dear- 
 142 
 
DEAREST-LADY 
 
 est-One." Now, when you come to think of it, boys 
 and girls, that is a nice sort of fame to have — to re- 
 main for — let me see how many hundred years? — 
 nearly four — Dearest-Lady, or Dearest-Gentleman to 
 all the world. 
 
 This Dearest-Lady was, of course, the Heir-to- 
 Empire's grand-axmt, and the mere sound of her name 
 was enough to calm Foster-father's fears. Even 
 Head-nurse, though she sniffed a little and said she 
 had heard tell that the Khanzada Khanum was a trifle 
 careless of ceremonials, was satisfied. There was no 
 doubt that she was the Highest-Born-in-the-Land. 
 
 As for little Prince Akbar himself, he only opened 
 his big, grave eyes widely when the tall white figure 
 clasped him closely in its arms and kissed his hair 
 softly. 
 
 "So like his grandfather," she murmured, "so like! 
 so Uke! — the very hands, the very feet — so strong, so 
 shapely." And both in turn felt the touch of the soft 
 old hps. "And thou, too, small maiden," she con- 
 tinued kindly, "welcome to one who has never yet let 
 it be said in her hearing that God made women weaker 
 than man! Thou shalt learn here to be proud thou 
 wast born a girl. And you also. Nurse ! Bring cool- 
 ing sherbets, slaves, while she tells me all that has hap- 
 pened." 
 
 Then she sat and listened while Head-nurse told 
 the tale of what had happened, and her faded, gay, 
 
 143 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 old face flashed and sparkled and grew grave by 
 turns. 
 
 "But where is Tumbu?" she interrupted, "and 
 where is Down? Bring them hither, slaves! Lo! I 
 love all animals, as my dear brother did!" 
 
 And she laughed over their doings, and wept over 
 Old Faithful's death, while Bija and Mirak sat cud- 
 dled up close beside her, listening also and enjoying 
 the tale of their own adventures as if they had hap- 
 pened to other children! 
 
 "Surely," she said softly when Head-nurse ended, 
 "my dearest brother — on whom be peace — ^must have 
 protected them! Lo! Mirak! and Bija — for I shall 
 call you naught else since they are sweet kindly names, 
 better than fine sounding titles — this very afternoon 
 ye shall come with me to the garden he loved, and 
 where his earthly form lies at rest, and lay flowers on 
 his grave for thanks. Since he loved flowers as he 
 loved everything." 
 
 So that evening, about an hour before sunset time, 
 they were all carried in Utters to the Garden of the 
 New Year, about a mile beyond the city. It was a 
 most peaceful, lovely spot, right up on the hillside with 
 a splendid view from it of valley and mountain and 
 river. A fresh bubbling spring ran through it, and 
 beneath the Judas trees, whose leafless branches were 
 flushed with pink blossoms, stretched great carpets of 
 spring flowers. 
 144 
 
DEAREST-LADY 
 
 "Pluck him yonder tulips, Mirak," said Dearest- 
 Lady with a smile. "He loved to count their kinds 
 and those — as he wrote — are 'yellow, double, and 
 scented like a rose' !" 
 
 And the boy who was to grow to be a greater man 
 even than his grandfather, though he could scarcely 
 be a more lovable one, plucked a posy of the tulips 
 and laid them on the plain marble slab which bore 
 nothing but the words, "Heaven is the eternal home 
 of the Emperor Babar." And when Bija, with many 
 a little feminine ceremonial, had deposited her nose- 
 gay of sweet violets, and Head-nm-se and Foster- 
 mother had offered up their respects, they all went 
 and sat down on a grassy spot, and Dearest-Lady, 
 who was always full of youthful curiosities concerning 
 aU things, began to question Roy, who as a mere lad 
 had been allowed to come with them, as to what he 
 could remember of the time before he was picked up 
 in the desert. 
 
 "Hold my hand, child, and think," she said at last, 
 "mayhap it may come to thee then. The touch of 
 kinship has power, and if I do not mistake me, there 
 is that in thy blood that is in mine — ^royalty!" 
 
 So she clasped Roy's slim long-fingered hand and 
 held it tight, and the boy's face changed, his eyes grew 
 startled, he shivered slightly. 
 
 "Yea!" he said, "now I do remember. Mother was 
 like you, and she told me I had the mark of Kingship 
 
 145 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 strong enough, for all the rebels might say — " As 
 he spoke, he drew down his loose garments, and there 
 upon the clear olive of his breast, just above the heart, 
 showed a small dark stain. 
 
 Dearest-Lady bent close to look at it. "What is't?" 
 she asked. 
 
 "Mother said it was the sign of uttermost truth, and 
 that we all had it," he replied, speaking dreamily. 
 
 "But who were we?" persisted Dearest-Lady, her 
 kind eyes on the lad's. 
 
 Just at that moment, however, Tumbu, who had, of 
 course, accompanied them, burst out with a series of 
 shrill, short barks, and Roy was on his feet in a sec- 
 ond, his hand on Old Faithful's sword, lest any new- 
 comer might bring danger to his little master. But 
 as it turned out Tumbu was only excited by a water- 
 rat! All the same the interruption prevented Dearest- 
 Lady's question from being answered, for the spell 
 was broken. 
 
 "Yea! thou wilt be true to the very uttermost, of 
 that I am sure," said Dearest-Lady, half pleased, half 
 amused at the young Rajput's quick leap to arms, 
 "and so long as I have charge of the Heir-to-Empire 
 thou shalt be his esquire. So go call the litter-men, 
 boy, it is time we returned. I must remember I am 
 gaoler as well as grand-aunt." 
 
 146 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 If Dearest-Lady was in truth a gaoler, she was a 
 very kind one, and her prison the pleasantest prison 
 in the world. It would take too long to teU how 
 happily the next four months passed, not only for the 
 two children, but for Roy and Foster-father, Head- 
 nurse and Foster-mother. Even misshapen Meroo, in 
 the kitchen, felt the better for helping to cook the 
 Khanzada Khanum's dinner. For that was one of 
 Dearest-Lady's virtues, she always made people feel 
 contented, and as if they were doing the right thing. 
 So even Prince Kumran, when he returned to Kabul, 
 though he frowned at the big, bold, frank-faced boy 
 who claimed to be the Heir-to-an-Empire which his 
 own fingers itched to have, did not feel inclined to 
 interfere with his aunt. The truth being that, like 
 the rest of the family, he loved and trusted her be- 
 yond measure; perhaps more than did any of his 
 brothers, since she had brought him up as a child. And 
 she, in her turn, though she knew his faults, though 
 she not only bewailed them, but resented them, at 
 times most fiercely, could not forget that he had been 
 her nursling, could not forget, above all, that he was 
 her dear brother Babar's son. 
 
 Thus all went smoothly in the Bala Hissar, where 
 
 147 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 young Prince Akbar, now close on three years old, 
 looked and talked and acted like one of six. This 
 same strength of his was always getting him into 
 scrapes with people who did not believe he was so 
 young, or, knowing him to be so young, did not be- 
 lieve him to be so strong! 
 
 He played a similar trick to the one he had played 
 on cousin Yakoob at Kandahar on his big cousin Ibra- 
 him, Prince Kumran's son. It was about a fine kettle- 
 drum all tasselled in royal fashion, with gold and 
 silver, that Ibrahim's father had given him. Being a 
 selfish boy, he would not allow Akbar to touch it; 
 whereupon the Heir-to-Empire, after a brief tussle, 
 carried off the kettledrum and beat it loudly through 
 the palace ! 
 
 Kumran hearing of this was very angry, for the 
 beating of a kettledrum is a sign of Empire.. 
 
 "Keep that young fighting cock of thine in better 
 order, madam," he said to his aunt, "or I shall have to 
 find him a sterner gaoler." 
 
 Whereupon she flashed out and told him fairly that 
 short of kUling the child, and for that crime even he 
 was not prepared, there was no way of preventing the 
 Heir-to-Empire from being what he was, a born king. 
 That was her way of quelling Kumran. By boldly 
 setting aside the thought of murder as impossible, she 
 hoped to make it so ; but she was not sure, and after 
 this she kept Mirak and Bija under control. 
 148 
 
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 It was not much good, however, when just as 
 autumn was coming on news arrived from Kandahar 
 that Humayon had at last succeeded in taking the city, 
 and, disappointed in not finding his son in the palace, 
 was preparing to march on Kahul. 
 
 Then the worst side of Prince Kumran showed it- 
 self at once. Like all deceitful people, he was a cow- 
 ard at heart, and cowardice made him think of im- 
 mediate revenge upon his victorious brother. Of what 
 use would even two victories be to him if the Heir-to- 
 Empire was beyond recall? 
 
 So Kumran's charming pohshed manner vanished 
 in an instant, and one day, without any warning, little 
 Mirak, playing in the garden, was kidnapped by two 
 stalwart Abyssinian slaves and carried off, howling 
 horribly and fighting with his fists, to the palace where 
 Kumran's wife lived. Tumbu, who was with him at 
 the time, made a gallant show of resistance, and actu- 
 ally bit one of the kidnapper's calves to the bone; but 
 when he found himself confronted with a whole regi- 
 ment of armed men who ran out to their assistance, he 
 gave up the hopeless fight, and flew off to tell Roy 
 what had happened. And Roy, missing his little mas- 
 ter, fled to tell Dearest-Lady. Her face paled, but 
 she did not hesitate. 
 
 "My litter! page!" she cried, and drawing her white 
 veil closer roimd her, she went straight to the audi- 
 ence hall, where Kumran was receiving his nobles ; her 
 
 149 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 great age, her great nobility, giving her a right, even 
 as a woman, to appear amongst them. 
 
 All eyes turned to her tall, upright, slim fig- 
 ure, every ear thrilled to the tones of her clear 
 voice. 
 
 "By what right," she asked, "has Kumran, the 
 nephew I have nurtured, stolen from my care the son 
 of his elder brother, the Heir to that Empire which 
 Babar the Brave gave, dying, into the hands of 
 Humayon, his eldest son? I say there can be no right; 
 and if it be wrong then will God's curse light on the 
 man who undoes his father's work. Lo! he is worse 
 than parricide, for he would kill that for which his 
 father gave his life." 
 
 Now this appeal was a very strong one; for the 
 story of how Babar the Brave gave up his own life 
 to save that of his darling son, Humayon, is one of 
 the most touching tales in Indian history, and none of 
 Babar 's immediate family could even think of it with- 
 out strong emotion. So it was Kumran's turn to grow 
 pale. 
 
 "August lady," he replied, evading her question, 
 "this is a matter of policy with which women have 
 naught to do. King Humayon hath taken Kandahar, 
 he hath imprisoned and degraded his brother Askurry, 
 and for this, I, Kumran, challenge him!" 
 
 "And wherefore?" asked Dearest-Lady boldly. 
 "Did not Askurry deserve it? Nay! did he not de- 
 150 
 
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 serve death? Did he not steal the King-of -Empire? 
 Did he not defy the king? Did he not send the Heir- 
 to-Empire away, instead of returning him to his 
 father's keeping? I tell you, nephew Kumran, that 
 your father, Bahar the Brave, Babar the Kindly, 
 Babar the Generous, Babar the Just, whom all men 
 loved for his mercy, would have given death for such 
 faults — and given it rightly. And will you, like a 
 fool, court death also?" She looked roimd the as- 
 sembly to see many a sullen, suspicious face, and un- 
 derstood that danger lay close at hand. So her resolu- 
 tion was taken in a moment. "See you!" she went on, 
 "nothing has been done yet to make forgiveness im- 
 possible. Well! I — Khanzada Khdmmi, — old as I 
 am, will go forth to meet King Humayon and plead 
 thy cause. I will ask what boon you wish, and I 
 promise it shall be yours. Humayon will give much 
 in exchange for his son, and none have ever denied me 
 anything. Shall it be so?" Then seeing hesitation 
 she put in a crafty word: "There will be time after- 
 wards for — anything " 
 
 Kamran looked round his nobles, then into his own 
 heart. What he saw there was such a tissue of lies 
 and deceit that he could find no clear decision; so, as 
 usual, he temporised. "It is worth a trial," he mur- 
 mured. "I might ask for much." 
 
 "Ask for all and everything," said Dearest-Lady, 
 who felt she had gained her point ; "I make but one 
 
 151 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 condition. The child must remain unharmed until I 
 return." 
 
 Again Kimiran hesitated. Again he looked in his 
 own heart. Again he found no clear cause for de- 
 cision there; so he said doubtfully: 
 
 "Until you return?" 
 
 "Nay! swear it," came the high, insistent voice. 
 "Say before them all, 'By the memory of my dear 
 father no harm shall come to the child ere you re- 
 turn.' " 
 
 Half unwilhngly Kumran repeated the words and 
 Dearest-Lady gave a sigh of relief. She had gained 
 her point. But now that she had to face the conse- 
 quences of her offer to go forth and meet Humayon 
 her heart sank within her ; for she was very old and not 
 over strong. The journey was long; winter was com- 
 ing on fast. Still it had to be done, and at once. For 
 Kumran's promise of safety to the Heir-to-Empire 
 was only during her absence^ and who knew whether 
 his craft might not claim freedom to do as he chose 
 ere she started! 
 
 So she made her arrangements for that very even- 
 ing, and she had much to do. To begin with she must 
 see the Heir-to-Empire the very last thing, and make 
 certain that he was well cared for. Then she had to 
 arrange for the safety and comfort of Head-nurse, 
 Foster-mother and little Bija, for it was unlikely they 
 would be allowed to be with the little Prince. He 
 152 
 
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 must, however, have some one with him to whom the 
 child was accustomed, and Roy, being still quite a 
 lad, might not be considered dangerous. Then his 
 gift of story-telling might make the ladies in the 
 women's apartments more inclined to have him. 
 Anyhow she must try her best to secm-e his stopping 
 with his young master, and to this end she ordered him 
 some fine clothes and gave him a finely bedizened lute ; 
 for since he came to Kabul they had found out that he 
 could play the vina beautifully. 
 
 Thus just before sunsetting, leaving poor Head- 
 nurse and Foster-mother in floods of tears, while poor 
 little Bija was sobbing her very heart out, and good 
 dog Tumbu was slowly wagging his tail as his eyes 
 asked sorrowfully if he might not come, too, she 
 started on her journey, going round by the Chief 
 Palace on her way. 
 
 Now, Dearest-Lady's visits were considered to be an 
 honour, so she had no difficulty in gaining admittance. 
 And once inside the women's apartments she simply 
 turned to the first attendant and said curtly that she 
 had come to see the Heir-to-Empire and say farewell 
 to him ; therefore he must either be brought to her or 
 she must go to him. Boldness succeeded, as it always 
 does, and she was shown into a room where she foimd 
 little Prince Akbar playing contentedly with Down 
 the cat, who was running about after a ball like a 
 young kitten. She stopped when she saw Dearest- 
 
 153 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Lady, and giving an apologetic miaow, as who should 
 say, "I was obliged to amuse him somehow," settled 
 herself down on the rug and began as usual to purr. 
 Of course Mirak forgot all about her in his joy at 
 seeing Dearest-Lady and Roy, and it was some time 
 before the former could ask the attendant how the cat 
 had managed to get there. 
 
 "Highness," said the woman, "it is impossible to 
 keep cats out if they want to come in. She appeared 
 at the window three times, and three times I put her 
 downstairs. Then I gave in. It is no use quarrelling 
 with cats." 
 
 Meanwhile notice of Her Highness Dearest-Lady's 
 arrival had reached Kumran's wife and she hastened 
 to little Akbar's prison room. But once more Dearest- 
 Lady was bold and took the first word. 
 
 "I came to bid the boy farewell, content to trust 
 him to thy kind care, my niece," she said; "and also 
 to leave with him this Rajput singer, who has the art 
 of amusing the child — and other folk also. Roy ! sing 
 us one of thy tales, that the Princess may hear thee." 
 
 And Roy, knowing his part, sang as he had never 
 sung before. "I wUl sing of how the palm squirrels 
 helped the Great Ram to find his wife, Sita the Peer- 
 less, whom the wicked Giant Ravana had carried off. 
 We sing it to the squirrels when we feed them in our 
 country. Perhaps Her Highness does not know what 
 a palm squirrel is. It is tiny, tiny, no bigger than a 
 154i 
 
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 rat, but it has a bushy tail and four dark stripes like 
 finger marks down its goldy-coloured back. And it 
 never does anything but play, is never anything but 
 happy; and this is why": 
 
 Then he smote the strings of the vina till they 
 thrilled again, and began, his high voice warbling and 
 carolling like a summer bird. 
 
 "Pretty ! Pretty ! Pretty ! are you there, my sweet. 
 In your leafy seat, where the branches meet? 
 Wasting all the sunny hours 
 Pulling down the mango flowers 
 With your dainty feet. 
 
 "Pretty, prettiest thing yawning as you lie 
 Watching with glad eye, busy life go by. 
 Not the tiniest sense of duty 
 In your careless days, my beauty, 
 'Neath the cloudless sky. 
 
 "Happiest, merriest ways, 
 £nowing no gainsays, so the story says. 
 Since the Great Ram loved and blessed you. 
 With his care-worn hand caressed you. 
 In the olden days. 
 
 "Then, when he was seeking Sita, peerless maid. 
 By his- foes dismayed. Ram, her lover, bade 
 All the beasts and birds and fishes 
 Leave their play to do his wishes, 
 Fight to give him aid. 
 
 155 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 "And the golden squirrel sprang at his behest. 
 Nestled to his breast, first to join the quest. 
 But Great Ram's grave eyes grew tender. 
 Smiled upon the warrior slender. 
 Braver than the rest! 
 
 " 'Nay ! thou art too pretty ! fearless little heart. 
 Thou should'st have no part in Strife's bitter art; 
 Live to show man, worn and weary. 
 One blythe soul for ever cheery. 
 Free from sorrow's smart.' 
 
 "Laid his kind hand softly on its golden hair. 
 So palm squirrels bear, where Ram's fingers were. 
 Four dark shadows on them, showing 
 Gladdest life must lose its glowing 
 From the touch of care. 
 
 "So the squirrels' birthright is to want for naught. 
 Have no grief or thought, know not 'must' or 'ought.' 
 Yet upon their gold there lingers 
 Shades of care, that Great Ram's fingers 
 For their blessing wrought." 
 
 "Wah! Wah!" cried the Queen, delighted. "He 
 can stop if he likes." 
 
 Ten minutes after Roy had finished his song Dear- 
 est-Lady's litter paused for a moment on a high- 
 perched corner of the road towards Kandahar, to give 
 her a last look of the fair city of Kabul. Her bright 
 old face was bright still, undimmed by care. She was 
 old and frail, she was going a wearisome, trying jour- 
 156 
 
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 
 
 ney ; yet, for the present, she knew that she had saved 
 the Heir-to-Empire's hfe. That at any rate was se- 
 cure until she returned — and she might never return! 
 The thought made her smile. "Forward, slaves!" she 
 cried cheerfully, and Kabul, the city she loved so well, 
 was left behind without one regret. 
 
 And she was right. She had saved the Heir-to- 
 Empire's life; for at that very minute the door of 
 little Prince Akbar's room opened wide, and Roy 
 starting up found himself face to face with cruel 
 Uncle Kumran followed by two men with drawn 
 swords. And, alas for Roy ! he had no sword to draw, 
 for Old Faithful's sabre did not fit the disguise of a 
 Rajput bard. Despite that, he stepped forward 
 boldly, though his heart beat to suffocation. For 
 Kumran's face was cruel indeed. 
 
 Still, for one second, the latter's attention was dis- 
 tracted. He had wanted no witnesses to what he 
 meant to do. 
 
 "How earnest thou hither, slave?" he asked fiercely. 
 
 And Roy gave him back the simple truth, no more, 
 no less ; but it was sufficient. 
 
 "Her Highness Khanzada Khanum brought me 
 hither to be with the Heir-to-Empire ere she left at 
 sunset." 
 
 Kanu-an started back. "Left? Hath she left al- 
 ready?" he asked, his face paling. So he stood for a 
 moment irresolute, the words of his own oath pealing 
 
 157 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 through his brain, "By the memory of my father I 
 promise." That was not one which any son of Babar's 
 was ever likely to break. "Sheath your swords, 
 fools!" he said at last bitterly; "they are not needed. 
 I am not the first man who has been outwitted by a 
 woman." 
 
 158 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 IMPRISONMENT 
 
 But if Kumran was let and hindered by his oath 
 from actually killing the Heir-to-Empire in cold 
 blood, or, in lesser degree, from treating him so harshly 
 that he might die, he did not feel so bound towards the 
 others ; and being cruel by nature, he set to work upon 
 them at once. Foster-father he sent to the State 
 prison, which was down a well in the big courtyard. 
 There were two of these prison-weUs, in which the 
 water was reached by a flight of steep steps, and where 
 dark, underground cells opened on to the deep silent 
 pool. They were terribly damp, but here poor Foster- 
 father had to drag out long, miserable days, cut off 
 even from news of the others. Until one day, just 
 when the sentry was eating his mid-day meal, he heard 
 a violent barking, and by swinging himself up by the 
 bars of the tiny shaft of the well he could just get a 
 glimpse of Tumbu on the steps. Why had he come? 
 Perhaps he had been sent ; if so he would come again 
 at the same time. All that night Foster-father lay 
 awake, feverishly wondering what Tumbu had meant, 
 and all the next morning, having no means of telling 
 the time, he waited and waited anxiously, imtil, just 
 as he was beginning to give up hope, the familiar bark 
 echoed down the well, and there was good old Tumbu 
 
 159 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 on the steps ! So he must have been sent by some one ; 
 and therefore some one must be alive and desire him 
 to know the fact. 
 
 In truth, both his wife, Foster-mother, and Head- 
 nurse had been racking their brains how to find out 
 where either the Heir-to-Empire or Foster-father 
 were imprisoned until little Bija had said, "Tell 
 Tumbu to seek for them. If you show him Mirak's 
 cap and say, 'Go seek,' he will go." 
 
 And so he did ; but it was a long, long time before 
 he found out where Mirak had hidden himsfelf , for he 
 had gone to the big palace in a litter, and so had left 
 no trace. Then little Bija came to the rescue once 
 more. 
 
 "You say, Foster-mother, that you feel sure that 
 Down must have gone away to keep Mirak company. 
 Now she can't be prisoned, 'cos cats won't be caught 
 unless they want to be caught, and she doesn't want 
 to be, of course. So she must be going about, so why 
 don't you tell Tumbu to seek for Down; then we 
 should find where Mirak was." 
 
 "But we haven't got anything of Down's to show 
 him," argued Foster-mother. And that was a 
 puzzler. 
 
 At last Head-nurse said, "I believe all cats have 
 the same smell, else why do all dogs go after all cats? 
 At any rate, it would be worth trying." 
 
 So they got a fine, large, handsome white cat in the 
 160 
 
IMPRISONMENT 
 
 bazaar, and said to Tumbu, "Go seek!" And then 
 there was the most awful scrimmage that ever was 
 seen. Tumbu was after the cat in a second, and the 
 cat jumped for protection on Head-nurse, and Head- 
 nurse howled, while Tumbu deafened everybody by 
 yowls ; for the cat had caught him on the nose ! Peace 
 was not restored till pussy had made her escape back 
 to the bazaar through the window. 
 
 "That was not a success," sighed poor Head-nurse 
 as she put herself tidy; but after all it was not such a 
 failure, since, either from putting two and two to- 
 gether, or by mere chance, Tumbu appeared the very 
 next day barking and frolicking after his usual fash- 
 ion when he wanted them to go out, and then led them 
 straight to a lonely corner of the palace garden, 
 whence, looking upwards, they could plainly see Down 
 seated on a narrow window sill. And the next 
 moment, hearing the familiar bark, -who should pop 
 his head out of the window but Roy! 
 
 "All's well," he whispered rapidly seeing them be- 
 low him; then withdrew his head swiftly. For he had 
 determined never by anything or in any way to risk 
 being sent away from the little Heir-to-Empire. 
 
 But the others were more than satisfied with the 
 whisper. 
 
 "Now," said little Bija, who was beginning to man- 
 age her nurses, "Tumbu must find Foster-father and 
 tell him." And this, we have seen, he did. 
 
 161 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Even so, with the daily content of knowing that all 
 were at least safe, the time passed with deadly slow- 
 ness, for the days grew to weeks, the weeks to months, 
 bringing no change. Denied, as he was, the outdoor 
 life, the fresh air to which he had been accustomed, 
 little Prince Akbar grew pale and thin. But his 
 spirits did not flag, and he would laugh over the tale 
 of how Rajah Rasalu swung the Seventy Maidens as 
 heartily as ever, though sometimes his little Up would 
 go down and he would say, "If Bija were only here 
 I'd never ask her to tmnble down. I would go on 
 swinging till she wanted me to stop." 
 
 So the winter came on, but still Dearest-Lady did 
 not return. A letter had come from her saying she 
 had reached Kandahar in safety — that she was stay- 
 ing in the Kar Garden outside the town which her 
 father had planted — that King Humayon was not 
 angry — that he had already forgiven Prince Askurry 
 — that Kumran had nothing to fear if he only kept 
 to his promise. 
 
 The prisoners, of course, knew nothing of this let- 
 ter, but the effect of it showed in a greater freedom. 
 Foster-father was moved to a more comfortable 
 dungeon and Bija, Head-nurse and Foster-mother 
 were allowed to go and see the Heir-to-Empire. 
 Their delight may be imagined, and even Tumbu 
 shared in the joy, for, when he was refused admittance 
 and left down below, he dashed up the stairs, evading 
 162 
 
IMPRISONMENT 
 
 the sentries and barked furiously at the door to be let 
 in. And the meeting between him and Mirak was so 
 pretty that the sentry had not the heart to insist on 
 poor doggie going down again. And this, in its way, 
 was a good thing, for it was the beginning of a sort 
 of friendship between the young Prince and this par- 
 ticular Afghan sentry. Sometimes, after he had been 
 reheved, he would come up to the little captive's room 
 for a bit, and listen to Roy's stories, or tell a few in 
 his turn; for he had wandered about, over half India, 
 giving the use of his sword to any one who would pay 
 him well for it. 
 
 "Lo! I have not heard that tale since I was in 
 Rajputana!" he said one day after Roy had been sing- 
 ing an old-world legend of fighting days. "It was an 
 old Brahman of Suryamer told it me of the Sun- 
 Heroes." 
 
 Roy's face flushed up in a second. "Suryamer is 
 mine!" he said proudly; "I am of the Sun- 
 Heroes !" 
 
 Then he started to his feet, pale as ashes. "I have 
 remembered! I have remembered at last," he said 
 almost with a cry. "It is true! I was Rajah of 
 Suryamer! It has come back to me at last!" 
 
 Then as suddenly he crouched down again and cov- 
 ered his face withboth hands. 
 
 "Roy!" said little Prince Akbar gravely. "Why 
 should you cry because you are a King? I don't." 
 
 163 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 The sentry laughed. "By my word," he remarked, 
 "there is a blessed pair of you Kings!" 
 
 "Of course there is," assented the Heir-to-Empire 
 with the greatest dignity. "I have been one ever since 
 I was born, and I always knew Roy belonged to me!" 
 Then in quick impulse he ran over to the Rajput lad 
 and flung his arms round his neck crying, "Oh Roy! 
 Roy! I'm so glad you are my brother!" 
 
 "Not so fast, young sir," objected the sentry, who 
 was hugely amused and interested; "what proof can 
 you bring of this, stripling?" 
 
 Roy lifted a scared face; then hung his head. 
 
 "None, save my memory, and this mark upon my 
 breast. My mother said we all had the stamp of truth 
 over our hearts." 
 
 The sentry shrugged his shoulders. "That is not 
 much in this wicked world," he said carelessly. "And 
 anyhow it matters little if either or both of you be 
 Kings, since ye are in cruel Kumran's power." 
 
 "Not till my Dearest-Lady returns," dissented 
 little Akbar gravely. "Head-nurse said so; and if 
 cruel Uncle Kumran is to get me, Dearest-Lady won't 
 come back. I know she won't — so there!" 
 
 And, as events turned out, the Heir-to-Empire was 
 right ! 
 
 But a few days afterwards a messenger, bearing a 
 blue handkerchief in his hand — the sign of death 
 tidings to the Royal Family — appeared in hot 
 164 
 
IMPRISONMENT 
 
 haste before the nobles assembled in the Audience 
 Hall. 
 
 "News! News!" he cried breathlessly. "Cover 
 your heads with dust, ye people, while ye thank the 
 Merciful One that Khanzada Khanum of the House 
 of Babar hath found freedom, that after a long and 
 godly life she hath found rest and peace. Bismillah — 
 ul " 
 
 The long Arabic sentence went rolling through the 
 Hall, while Kumran stood stunned by the suddenness 
 of his aunt's death. And yet it might have been ex- 
 pected; the journey was far too trying for one of 
 her years. And she had risked it — for what? 
 
 With a rush Kumran realised that his promise still 
 held good, and for the moment disappointment, anger, 
 savage desire for revenge swept away his regret. Yet 
 even he could not fail to be touched by the letter his 
 brother Humayon had sent him by the hand of the 
 messenger. Dearest-Lady had, he said, pled his, 
 Kumran's, cause well, and he, Humayon, was ready to 
 forgive for the sake of the dead woman who had loved 
 them both, whom they both loved, and who had died 
 with a smile. 
 
 But such softer feelings did not, could not linger 
 long in a mind that had no fixed belief in anything. 
 Before a day had passed the feehng that he had been 
 tricked onto an oath he dared not break came upper- 
 most again. Foster-father was ordered back to his 
 
 165 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 damp dungeon, the little Heir-to-Empire and Roy- 
 were taken from the Palace and given over to the 
 charge of a man noted for his hardness of heart. Only 
 the women and little Bija, being of no account, were 
 turned out into the streets to beg or starve as they 
 chose. 
 
 Then followed a terrible month in which the little 
 party were cut off from news of one another. Only 
 Down, the cat, wandering over roofs and Heaven 
 knows where and how, looked in here and there to 
 settle on some one's lap and purr. 
 
 "Cats," said poor Head-nurse, as she sat opposite 
 Foster-mother, grinding for all they were worth at a 
 stone hand-mill in order to gain enough to keep Bija 
 from starving, "are of all God's creatures the most 
 contented ; and so little pleases them. Hark I to Down 
 how she purrs, just because she has found us poor 
 miserable women." 
 
 "Allah!" replied Foster-mother more cheerfully. 
 "Is love such a little thing? I think not, and Down 
 hath seen my darling. Of that I feel sure; she would 
 not come and purr otherwise." 
 
 Still it was silent comfort and there was so much 
 going on; so much that even the "miserable women" 
 could not hear, though they were free to come and go. 
 But one day when Down was purring on Bija's lap 
 in the straw thatch which was all the three had for 
 lodging, a passer-by paused to say: 
 166 
 
'And one day the door did open .... 'My son — 
 my little son!' " 
 
 Page im 
 
IMPRISONMENT 
 
 "That is the cat I used to see with the Kttle Bang. 
 Have you ought to do with him, sister?" 
 
 "I am his sister," replied Bija haughtily, whereat 
 the sentry, for it was he, laughed ; but for all that he 
 paused to teU the two women what he knew; though 
 that was not much. It could not be long, however, he 
 said, before news of one sort or another came to them; 
 for King Humayon was, so they said, within a day's 
 march of Kabul, and any time they might hear the 
 guns begin. Then would be his turn. He would fight 
 till aU was blue, and then if the outsiders won, turn 
 round and fight for them as hardily, since all he re- 
 quired was plenty of fighting and plenty of food and 
 wine. 
 
 He was right in one thing. The very next day 
 about noon, a sudden pouf — bing-bing — thud^ told 
 that the first shot had been fired. And after that there 
 was no peace and little safety. Only Foster-father in 
 his dungeon was free even from anxiety ; for fever had 
 seized on him and he lay unconscious. And in his 
 close prison room, where there was little air and less 
 light, and where Roy racked his brain for stories 
 wherewith to while away the leaden-footed hours, the 
 little Heir-to-Empire lay listless also, yet not ill. 
 Only weary, weary. 
 
 "I want Tumbu," he would say, "I want to run a 
 race with him. I want to be out of doors." 
 
 And so while the city was alive with armed men, 
 
 167 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 when there were assaults and repulses and sorties and 
 forlorn hopes going on day after day, Roy would tell 
 Mirak that some day something would happen. Some 
 day the door would open and 
 
 And one day the door did open. And a tall man 
 stood for a second, half -blinded by the darkness. But 
 the next he strode forward and caught the little Heir- 
 to-Empire to his heart, murmuring, "My son-^my 
 little son!" 
 
 It was King Himiayon; for Kumran, after plead- 
 ing for a few hours' truce to allow him to make 
 submission, had taken advantage of this breathing 
 time to make his escape with the more desperate of his 
 followers. Fear had overcome him once more. Hav- 
 ing nothing in himself on which he could rely, he could 
 not trust to the generosity of his brother. 
 
 So, after more than two and a half years of separa- 
 tion Akbar found his father again. 
 
 168 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE GARDEN OF GAMES 
 
 And now, for the time at any rate, Prince Akbar's 
 adventures were over, and all the little party prepared 
 to enjoy themselves. Foster-father, taken oui of his 
 dungeon, soon recovered consciousness, and the news 
 of King Humayon's victory and the Heir-to-Empire's 
 safety, being the best tonic in the world, he was soon 
 about again. 
 
 Head-nurse, at last absolutely restored to her 
 proper position in Court, foimd, however, that her 
 young charge had considerably outgrown the nursery. 
 To begin with, his father, overjoyed at recovering his 
 son, could not see too much of him, and took him 
 about with him wherever he went. 
 
 "Time enough for his education to begin when he is 
 four," said Humayon, when Foster-father pointed out 
 that the boy was old beyond his years and that if he 
 did not soon begin schooling it wotild be difficult for 
 him by-and-bye. 
 
 "Let be — friend, let be!" continued the fond father; 
 "let us have a while to amuse ourselves, now the trouble 
 is over! I tell you I have been in such straits these 
 last four years that I have had no time to amuse my- 
 self. Now I mean to show Kabul that life isn't so bad 
 after all!" 
 
 169 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 So tall, handsome, good-natured, with a vivid love 
 of colour and beauty and a light-heartedness almost 
 beyond belief, — ^light-heartedness which had carried 
 him through dangers that might have proved too much 
 for one less gay — Humayon set to work to lavish his 
 money on the most magnificent entertainments that 
 ever were seen. 
 
 So long as winter lasted these had to be held in the 
 Bala Hissar, where a sound of music and a ripple of 
 laughter was to be heard day and night ; but as spring 
 began once more to carpet the barren hills with mil- 
 lions of flowers, Humayon's amusements went further 
 afield. One day he and his Court, a glittering cohort 
 of merry men, flashing with diamonds, and prepared 
 to enjoy everything, would ride out many miles to see 
 the great groves of Judas trees flushed with their pink 
 blossoms; ride out to find a magnificent camp await- 
 ing them, a magnificent repast prepared, and all the 
 best singers and dancers in Kabul ready to amuse 
 them. Then the next day, mayhap, they would all go 
 a-hawking, and at each and all of these diversions 
 Hxmiayon's little son was part of his father's enjoy- 
 ment, and so naturally, became more and more of a 
 man every day. 
 
 He used to ride on Horse-chestnut, and Tumbu 
 was always of the party, getting in consequence rather 
 
 too fat, by reason of the rich food which was given 
 
 him. 
 
 170 
 
THE GARDEN OF GAMES 
 
 But despite all this fun and jollity little Prince 
 Akbar was not quite satisfied. 
 
 "You took my mother away with you to the hills," 
 he would say to his father. "Why didn't you bring 
 her back with you? I want to see her." 
 
 Then King Humayon would laugh — for he was al- 
 ways merry — and bid his little son be patient. His 
 mother would come with the spring. At present she 
 was in Persia, but so soon as the passes were open 
 she would start for Kabul. And then there would be 
 fun! Whereupon little Prince Akbar would smile a 
 dignified smile, and say, of course there would be fun! 
 
 Now out of this arose a plan which came into King 
 Humayon's head, as so many other plans came, with- 
 out very much thought ; for he was full of kindly, not 
 over-wise fancies. And this one was that httle Prince 
 Akbar should choose his own mother! 
 
 It would be rather a hard task for a child who had 
 not seen her for two years and a half, and who was but 
 a baby of less than eighteen months old when he had 
 parted from her! But Humayon was convinced that 
 his son would remember ; and anyway, even if he did 
 not, no harm would be done and it would be very 
 amusing. So orders were given for a huge entertain- 
 ment in the Arta Gardens just outside Kabul. They 
 were the most beautiful gardens, not close cropped 
 and orderly like English gardens, but with wide, bare, 
 marble-paved walks and squares, big marble-stepped 
 
 171 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 tanks full of waterlilies, all set in tangles of wide- 
 spread roses and jasmine and gardenia. And here 
 Humayon's fancy set up a Mystic Palace of three 
 Houses : The House of Pleasure ; The House of For- 
 tune, and the House of Power. Never was such a 
 beautiful Palace. By day it shone with the reflected 
 light of thousands and thousands of looking-glasses, 
 by night it rose outlined in every detail by thousands 
 and thousands of little lamps. Every marble path was 
 spread with priceless silken carpets, the very foun- 
 tains were scented with attar-of-rose. All the mu- 
 sicians and dancers and acrobats and jugglers of 
 Kabul were commanded to be there, snow came from 
 the higher hills to ice the drinks, and cooks worked 
 day and night to prepare the most wonderful 
 dishes. 
 
 "That is what I call a King," remarked the Afghan 
 sentry, whom Roy, going with his little master to see 
 the preparations, found keeping guard at the gate. 
 "None of your skinflints like Kumran. Ayel" he con- 
 tinued, seeing Roy's look of surprise and distaste, "I 
 have done what I said I would — fought for Kumran 
 till there was no more fighting to be done. And now, 
 like His Gracious Majesty King Humayon, I am en- 
 joying myself. I want no more! Hal Ha!" 
 
 Little Prince Akbar, who was standing by, turned 
 on him sharply. "Thou art a slave, fellow, and know 
 nothing of Kingship. Roy and I do. In his country 
 172 
 
THE GARDEN OF GAMES 
 
 Kings ride and shoot and play polo, and — and do 
 things. Besides," he added, "I want my mother." 
 
 "Your Highness will have to choose her then, so I 
 hear," began the sentry almost rudely, and Roy 
 started to rebuke him, but Prince Akbar was first. 
 
 "Of course I shall choose my own mother, slave. 
 She is quite different, you know, from any one else in 
 the world. Isn't she, Roy?" 
 
 The Rajput lad passed his hand over his forehead. 
 "Mine was. Most Noble! I should know her again 
 if I ever saw her, but I never shall." 
 
 "Say not that, boy," said the sentry, who, despite his 
 roughness, had a kind heart and was touched by the 
 sorrow in Roy's voice. "I have an old comrade down 
 Suryamer way and I will speak to him of thee and 
 see what he says ; then who knows but " 
 
 Little Akbar interrupted him gravely. "It is as 
 God chooses. Roy always says that. Don't you, 
 Roy?" 
 
 "By my word!" said the sentry, saluting, "you are a 
 proper pair of Kings." 
 
 There were to be three days festival. On the first, 
 that of Pleasure, everybody was to be dressed in 
 white, on the second day of Power all were to be in 
 scarlet, and on the third, the day of Fortune, the day 
 on which little Prince Akbar was to choose his mother, 
 every one was to wear green. Head-nurse and Fos- 
 ter-mother spent all their time in devising wonderful 
 
 173 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 new designs for their darling's dresses, and Humayon 
 himself added many little fanciful touches, for he had 
 a most wonderful imagination, and this festival, which 
 was to welcome his wife to Kabul and give her back 
 her little son, occupied all his thoughts. 
 
 The queen arrived on the first day, but, according to 
 custom, in a closed litter, and she went straight to the 
 secluded balcony arranged for the royal ladies, whence 
 she could see without being seen. So she had the ad- 
 vantage of her little son, who, in a magnificent cos- 
 tume of white and silver, looked such a darling that 
 Queen Humeeda longed to hug him. 
 
 "Has my Amiaa- jdn come?" whispered the little 
 Prince to his father, "is she up there behind the lat- 
 tice of roses?" 
 
 "Yea! she is there sure enough, little rogue," 
 laughed Humayon. "So give a good look right 
 through the flowers." 
 
 "No!" said little Akbar, "I've got to shut my eyes; 
 then I can see her with my other eyes." 
 
 But his father was too busy directing the festival 
 to hear what he said. 
 
 So the first day passed on and everybody thought it 
 was the very finest entertainment that ever was seen. 
 But the second day surpassed it. The crowds, all in 
 scarlet, filling the gardens, looked like bright roses 
 amid the green leaves, and the blare of golden trum- 
 pets, the scattering of golden coins as largesse, the 
 174 
 
THE GARDEN OF GAMES 
 
 stately processions of soldiers made it, indeed, a mar- 
 vellous show of power; and this was increased by the 
 arrival of ambassadors from the Shah of Persia, who 
 had so much helped King Humayon. They brought 
 magnificent presents and hearty congratulations on 
 success. So, nothing was lacking; and at night, lit 
 up by red fires, the scene was one never to be for- 
 gotten. But with the dawn everything changed! A 
 thousand servants set to work, and in one short half 
 hour the garden showed green. Green carpets, green 
 trees, green water falling from the fountains like 
 liquid emeralds. And by-and-bye came green crowds, 
 every shade of green mixing and mingling in harmony. 
 And inside the arched pavilion of the house of Good 
 Fortune were green rustlings of silk, green shimmer- 
 ings of satin as three hundred ladies of the Court, all 
 veiled with green veils, took their seats in a semi- 
 circle. Three hundred ladies in green all dressed 
 alike! Which was Queen Humeeda? That^ it was 
 the part of a child of four to tell, a child who had not 
 seen his mother for two and a half years! 
 
 The crowd outside, pale green, sage green, emerald 
 green, leaf green, were hushed to silence, waiting ; but 
 from every thicket of rose and jasmine a chorus of 
 singing birds, deftly concealed in cages behind the 
 leaves, filled the air as Humayon and his little son 
 advanced to take their places. The king was dressed 
 in green also, a fine figure in royal robes embroidered 
 
 175 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 with a thousand allegorical designs. He took his seat 
 on a golden throne. 
 
 And little Prince Akbar! 
 
 He was the one spot of colour! He was the flower 
 of the whole garden ! Dressed in rose satin of various 
 shades, he looked indeed what Head-nurse had cAlled 
 him fondly, thus adding to her string of titles, "The 
 Rose of the World." 
 
 And now the great moment approaches ! The little 
 fellow takes his stand fearlessly below his father ; be- 
 fore him the semicircle of green veiled ladies ; a hun- 
 dred in the first row, a hundred in the second row, a 
 hundred in the third row. 
 
 But little Akbar 's eyes as he stands there do not 
 wander from row to row. To tell the truth, his eyes 
 are not open at all ! He has them fast closed ; for so, 
 he knows, he can see his mother. 
 
 "Ladies ! Unveil !" comes the king's voice. It sounds 
 a little anxious. 
 
 There is a rustling of silks and satins, a faint swish- 
 ing of gauze and muslins, and three hundred faces 
 flash out, like flowers against leaves, from their green 
 draperies. 
 
 Which is Queen Humeeda's? 
 
 For an instant the child stands silent, his lips 
 trembling, his face flushing. Then his eyes open and 
 he sees something. 
 
 What is it? 
 176 
 
THE GARDEN OF GAMES 
 
 Is one face less smiling than another? 
 
 Where is it? In the first row, or the second row, 
 or the third row? 
 
 What matter? There is a glad cry of 
 
 "Amma-jan! My Ammarjan. There you are!" 
 And a little flying figure in rose-coloured satin has 
 dashed across the floor to fling itself into the arms 
 of — Queen Humeeda. 
 
 Little Akbar has found his own darlingest mother, 
 and there is not a dry eye in the whole assemblage. 
 
 177 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 
 
 Now it may indeed seem that all our little Heir-to- 
 Empire's troubles were over; but there is still some- 
 what to tell of our young hero. To begin with, Queen 
 Humeeda was a wise woman, and she saw that it was 
 not good for the little lad to be always at play. She 
 knew that as a King's son in the East, he would have 
 small time after he was ten for schooling, and as he 
 was now close on four that did not leave many years 
 for teaching. 
 
 So a tutor was found for hitn; but it is to be feared 
 that he was by no means an industrious scholar. In- 
 deed, we hear of such dreadful things as playing 
 truant, so that when a day was fixed for an examina- 
 tion by learned men as to how the Heir-to-Empire 
 was getting on with his studies, "at the master moment 
 it was found that the scholar, having attired himself 
 for sport, had disappeared !" Then his first tutor was 
 dismissed because he encouraged his pupil in pigeon 
 flying, and we read of his applying his thoughts more 
 to dog-fancying and Arab horses than to his books. 
 Still he did learn one thing, and a good thing, too. 
 
 The day he was four years and four days old he was 
 taught, as all little Mohammedans are taught, to un- 
 derstand what he was, what the world about him was, 
 178 
 
BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 
 
 and to recogniserthat neither he himself, nor the world 
 he lived in were the Beginning and the End of all 
 things. It was a stately ceremonial, not beautiful, 
 and lavish, and expensive like the Festival of the 
 Mystic Palace, but one which left its mark for always 
 on the mind of the child. 
 
 Despite his dislike to books as the only way of learn- 
 ing to be wise, he never forgot the day in the Great 
 Mosque, when, before all his relations, he had to stand 
 up dressed in his simple every day clothes and take 
 the Holy Book from the hands of the high priest. 
 And he never forgot the high priest's words: 
 
 "Read in the Name of Him who hath made aU 
 things in Heaven and earth, and Who hath given men 
 power to be wise." 
 
 "Bismillah! — Irruhman-nirruJieemf he had an- 
 swered as in duty bound, which means, "Thanks be to 
 Hini who is merciful in this world and merciful in the 
 next world." 
 
 In this way young Prince Akbar learned that every 
 man has power to be wise, and that the great mystery 
 of birth and death is a merciful mystery. 
 
 Thus the sximmer passed and in early autumn King 
 Humayon, who had now wasted nearly a whole year 
 in amusement, found it necessary to quell rebellion in 
 a neighbouring province. 
 
 So the governorship of Kabul was made over to a 
 trusted noble of the Court, one Shurruf Khan by 
 
 179 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 name, who was made as it were Regent for little 
 Prince Akbar, who was left with his attendants in 
 regal state at the palace in the Bala Hissar, while 
 Queen Humeeda went back to India, taking Bija with 
 her, on a visit to her mother's relations. 
 
 Roy, whose story had become known in the Court, 
 was now made equerry to the young prince, and very 
 handsome he looked in his chain armour, with the 
 noonday sun all rayed and shiny in gold on his breast, 
 in token that he claimed to be a Sun-hero, As, in- 
 deed, seemed likely, since the Afghan sentry's old 
 Suryamer friend had a tale about a young Rajah who 
 had been kidnapped and, it was supposed, left in the 
 desert to die. But whether Roy was the young Rajah 
 or not, who could tell? They might send the story to 
 Suryamer and see what befell. Meanwhile Roy was 
 happy, and little Akbar and he became more and more 
 like elder and younger brother. How much in after 
 years the prince owed to the companionship of this 
 friend of his childhood it is impossible to say. Per- 
 haps it accounts for the marvellous way in which the 
 Great Emperor Akbar ruled his Hindoo subjects. 
 
 Humayon had expected to return in a month's time, 
 but luck was against him. A King cannot waste a 
 whole year in amusement and so let wicked men have 
 time to hatch plots without suffering for it. And 
 Humayon did suffer. He had to march and counter- 
 march with winter coming on apace, until he was 
 180 
 
BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 
 
 struck down by sudden illness. At first the news 
 caused no alarm, for he was known to be strong and 
 healthy; but there came a day when folk began to 
 whisper that the King was said to be lying uncon- 
 scious, that death might come any moment. 
 
 The news stirred the whole city of Kabul to its 
 depths. It had but lately passed into the hands of 
 Humayon. There were not wanting many who pre- 
 ferred Kumran, and Kumran was in exile waiting an 
 opportunity. 
 
 And that came with the suddenness of a summer 
 storm. One night the gates of the town were closed 
 by the Regent Shurruf Khan in Humayon's name; 
 the next dawn saw the Iron Entry, after a brief 
 scuffle, opened in the name of Kumran! There was a 
 rush of armed men through the streets of the town, 
 a murder or two of loyal men in high authority. And 
 then? 
 
 Up at the Bala Hissar, Foster-father roused from 
 his sleep, went in haste to the Regent, expecting to 
 hear bugles, to find troops gatherings for defence; 
 but the gates of the Fort were open! 
 
 Shurruf Khan was traitor! He had gone over to 
 the enemy. Ere an hour was over Kumran, scowling, 
 walked up and down the royal apartments, a King 
 once more ; but biting his lips and frowning over some- 
 thing that stood between him and perfect revenge ! 
 
 Foster-father, good old fool, was back in his dun- 
 
 181 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 geon in the well, where this time he would rot. The 
 women, as a change, were walled up in a tiny room, 
 where, bread and water being thrust in to them, 
 they might eat and live, or starve and die as they 
 chose. 
 
 But the Heir-to-Empire? What of him? Ah! fool 
 that he had been to make that promise to a crafty old 
 woman who had died in order to spite him. Kumran's 
 anger rose fierce; he would have given anything to 
 break his oath ; but he could not. He was not strong 
 enough; even his wickedness was not real. 
 
 But, short of death, the young heir should have no 
 shelter. Kumran flung him into a miserable cell close 
 to the Iron Gate and thought no more of him. And 
 now, but for faithful Roy, Akbar would indeed have 
 been in sorry plight. They had barely enough to eat, 
 but Roy stinted himself, eating nothing but the hard 
 half-burned crusts of the coarse hearth-cakes and 
 excusing himself from even touching the miserable 
 mess of pease-porridge on the ground that he did not 
 hke it. So he grew thin and his brown deer-eyes had 
 a startled look. Indeed, he hardly slept at all, but 
 watched and dozed beside his little master all night 
 long. 
 
 Yet he was always cheerful. Always ready with 
 stories and songs. When he could not remember any 
 new-old ones, he took to inventing tales of people who 
 were always in dangers and difficulties, but who took 
 182 
 
BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 
 
 no notice of them, who went on their way trusting in 
 the Truth. 
 
 "For! see you I" he would finish gravely, 
 
 "He who has Truth 
 Need fear no ruth." 
 
 So, ever and always his hero came out of his trials 
 scathless. 
 
 And, by degrees, this faith in final good grew deep 
 into both the boys' hearts, and showed in their very 
 faces. 
 
 "By my word!" said the Afghan sentry, whom 
 chance one day sent to guard them. "Ye be a precious 
 pair of Kings!" 
 
 He could admire them, though he did not seem in 
 the least ashamed of having yet once more turned his 
 coat ; for he was again on Kumran's side. 
 
 How time passed none of the prisoners cared to 
 count. But one day the sudden roar of a great gun 
 told them that the city was once more besieged. In 
 truth, Humayon hearing, while stiU on his bed of sick- 
 ness, the fatal news of Shurruf Khan's treachery, had 
 strained every nerve, ill as he was, to come to the res- 
 cue of his little son. It was midwinter, the passes 
 were blocked with snow, he and his troops had to meet 
 endless hardships ; but at last they were before Kabul 
 once more. Camped on the Akaban hill, opposite the 
 
 183 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Iron Gate, the artillery were brought into position, 
 the first shot fired. 
 
 It would take too long to follow all the varied inci- 
 dents of the siege. But one thing was constant. Night 
 after night recruits from inside the town managed to 
 scale the walls and join King Humayon's forces. 
 They were getting tired of Kumran, who, unable to 
 satisfy his cruelty on the little Heir-to-Empire, vented 
 it on all and sundry. And day by day as the numbei; 
 of the besieged dwindled, bit after bit of the town fell 
 into the besiegers' hands, until at last only the Bala 
 Hissar remained. But the Bala Hissar is a town in 
 itself, and many a time has it withstood a siege, suc- 
 cessfully. 
 
 Now, however, it was near to the death. There 
 could be no more talk or thought of escape. Kumran, 
 ever half-hearted, tried it one night and failed, losing 
 many followers in the attempt. 
 
 After that his face hardened. He went about 
 dreaming of revenge — revenge on Humayon, even 
 revenge on Dearest-Lady, who had tied his hands. 
 
 "Till I return!" 
 
 No! Dead folks can never return to the worldly. 
 Even their memory comes seldom, save to the pure in 
 heart. 
 
 And one night he hit on a plan. The fort was 
 almost at its last gasp. All day Sumbul Khan, 
 Humayon's famous artillery general, had been pound- 
 184 
 
BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 
 
 ing away at the Iron Gate with deadly aim. A few 
 more well-sent shots would leave the bastion crum- 
 bling, and then 
 
 Then would come the assault through the breach, 
 and Kumran knew he could not face it. His force was 
 too small. 
 
 So about midnight the door of Akbar's prison room 
 was opened and Kumran with a few armed men stood 
 within. 
 
 Roy, startled from a doze, was on his feet in a 
 second. 
 
 "What want ye?" he challenged fiercely. 
 
 "Let the Hindoo fool alone," said Kumran to those 
 who would have seized on the Rajput lad. "All we 
 want is the child. Take him, slaves, and be quick 
 about it." 
 
 Ere the words were out of his mouth a stalwart man 
 bent to lift the sleeping Heir-to-Empire. Roy's sword 
 flashed the same second, but, held back by sneering 
 men, he was helpless. 
 
 "What want ye with him? I say, what want ye with 
 him?" panted the poor lad as he struggled madly. 
 
 Kumran paused at the door to turn an icy cold look 
 of cruelty upon him. "What! Thou wouldst know? 
 Then thou shalt have it, young idolater. It may cool 
 thy hot blood. I will dress him in dust colour like the 
 walls of Kabul and hang him over the battlement at 
 dawn as a mark for my brother's artillery. Then we 
 
 185 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 shall see the breach in my citadel made! Then we 
 shall see my revenge — ^but it will not be of my making ! 
 His father shall kill him." 
 
 So with a mirthless laugh he followed his men, who 
 were bearing away the Heir-to-Empire, still but half 
 awake. 
 
 Roy stood for one second like a stone, too horror 
 stricken for fuU belief; but the echoing laugh con- 
 vinced him; with a wild cry he rushed to the narrow 
 window and shook fruitlessly at its iron bars like a 
 wild animal when it is newly caged. But they were 
 immovable. 
 
 Yet something must be done — something — some- 
 thing 
 
 The thought of dawn was too dreadful. The beauti- 
 ful, calm, peaceful April dawn, shadowy grey! Just 
 light enough to see the outline of the Bala Hissar, just 
 light enough to begin upon the breach once more; 
 but too dark to see what was in the line of fire. 
 
 Yes! Something must be done, and done swiftly. 
 Not four hours left before the eastern hills would be- 
 gin to show dark against the coming of day. 
 
 186 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 ESCAPED 
 
 Once more Roy felt helpless and hopeless before the 
 great task which seemed to be laid upon him. He 
 alone out of all the little Heir-to-Empire's guardians 
 knew the dire danger he was in. Yet how could he, a 
 poor, prisoned Rajput lad, save the young prince? 
 
 Still he had to be saved ; he must be saved ; and there 
 was no time to be lost. At dawn the firing would re- 
 commence from the Arkaban hill; at dawn the help- 
 less child would be in the half -breached bastion ex- 
 posed to that fire ! 
 
 Yes ! He, Roy, must get out somehow. If he could 
 only loosen one bar of the window so that he could 
 squeeze through, then he might be able to let himself 
 down by a rope twined out of his long waist-cloth and 
 turban ! Thus he might be able to get out of the fort ! 
 He might be able to gain the camp on the Arkaban 
 hill before dawn! So he might be able to warn the 
 guns not to fire on the bastion; might be able to tell 
 them that the Heir-to-Empire hung there! 
 
 What a number of "might be ables" ; but would he 
 be able, even for the first task? 
 
 He took up his sword and began forthwith on the 
 iron bar; but the mortar was hard, he could scarcely 
 make a mark upon it. StiU, it must be done. In order 
 
 187 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 to free his arms better for the work he took off all 
 his clothes save his flimsy, sleeveless waistcoat and the 
 loin-cloth that was girt about him, and buckled down 
 steadily. But when more than an hour had passed 
 the bar seemed as firm as ever. As he crouched down 
 on the window sill he could see through it to the flat roof 
 of the neighboring palaces ; for it was a bright moon- 
 light night still, though the moon must be nigh to her 
 setting. So the thought crossed his mind that if he 
 could only squeeze through he might be able to reach 
 one of those roofs; since, if he remembered aright, a 
 wide cornice ran just below. He paused for a second 
 in his labour to see if this was so, craning his head 
 through the crossbars. Yes, the cornice was there! 
 Scarcely wide enough for a cat to walk, but if he got 
 through in time he would risk it. He must risk it! 
 
 But would he get through in time? He set to work 
 again feverishly until suddenly a familiar sound 
 reached his ear from outside; the sound of a cat 
 purring ! 
 
 Could it be Down? She had not found them out 
 in their new prison, but if she had happened to be 
 on the roof when he looked out of the window she 
 might have seen him or smelled him — yes ! There was 
 a white cat on the cornice, and the next moment Down 
 was on the sill, arching her back and piuring away 
 contentedly. 
 
 So she had found them at last — no! not them, for 
 188 
 
ESCAPED 
 
 the Heir-to-Empire was not there — ^he had been stolen 
 away! Roy could have leaned his head on Down's 
 soft fur and cried his heart out in despair at his own 
 helplessness, but he set his teeth instead and dug 
 harder with the sword point. 
 
 Would the bar never loosen? So the minutes passed 
 without a sound save the grating of the eager sword 
 and the soft, soothing purr of the cat as she sat beside 
 him watching him indifferently. Then suddenly the 
 latter ceased and Down leaped swiftly to the floor of 
 the cell. Doubtless she heard something. Cats hear 
 so many things humans do not hear, and they seem to 
 know so many things humans do not know, so per- 
 haps she heard a mouse far down the arched passage, 
 or even in the next cell. Anyhow she marched straight 
 to the door and stood by it, miaowing to be let out. 
 Ah! if hj2 only could let her out! If the door were 
 only open, thought poor Roy, as he worked away at 
 the still immovable bar. 
 
 "No ! Down, no ! I can't," he murmured bitterly as 
 the cat miaowed more and more insistently. 
 
 But still the miaowing went on. Down became quite 
 plaintive, then ill-used; finally she leaped onto Roy's 
 shoulder, licked his ear with her rough red tongue as 
 if to coax him, and was back again at the door asking 
 to be let out. 
 
 Why was she so set on it ? Roy turned to look at her 
 half stupidly and for a moment forgot his task; forgot 
 
 189 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 how rapidly time was passing; forgot everything save 
 that Down was asking to be let out. So wearily he 
 passed to the door, and scarcely conscious of what he 
 was doing, laid his hand on the latch. 
 
 "I can't, Down," he said; "I can't open — " He 
 broke off hurriedly. 
 
 For the latch yielded, the door opened!! 
 
 It could never have been locked!! 
 
 Had they forgotten, or, having secured the Heir-to- 
 Empire, had they not cared what became of the hench- 
 man? The latter, most likely, for there was no sentry 
 in the arched passage along which Down had already 
 disappeared. 
 
 Another second and Roy, sword in hand, had dis- 
 appeared down it also, remembering as he ran a cer- 
 tain little fretted marble balcony which gave on the 
 gardens below. For Roy, of course, knew every turn 
 of the Bala Hissar. This balcony opened onto an 
 unused gallery room. To gain this, bolt the heavy 
 door behind him, and so, secure from interruption, set 
 to work twining a rope from strips torn from his tur- 
 ban and waistband did not take long; but it was a 
 good twenty minutes before he had knotted all fast ; 
 though while he worked he thought of nothing else; 
 of nothing but somehow reaching the garden. Once 
 there he would face the next difficulty. One was 
 enough at a time. And then, when he had made the 
 rope fast to one of the marble pillars and slid down it, 
 190 
 
ESCAPED 
 
 it proved too short. He swung with his feet just 
 touching the topmost branch of a blossoming peach 
 tree. There was nothing for it but to let go, snatch 
 at the branches as he fell and trust to chance for safety. 
 He found it; and dropped to the ground amid a per- 
 fect shower of shed peach petals. 
 
 So he stood for an instant to consider what must 
 come next. Agate! Aye! but which? The farthest 
 from the point of attack would be the best, as there 
 would be less vigilance there. That meant the Delhi 
 gate, and meant also a long round; yet he must be 
 quick, for already there was a faint lightening of the 
 eastern sky. But the moon had set and the shadows, 
 always darker in the hour before dawn, lay upon all 
 things. 
 
 And luckily he knew every turn of the Bala Hissar 
 garden, knew every point where danger might be 
 expected. So he began to make his way carefully. 
 He dodged more than one sentry by creeping on 
 through the bushes while the man passed away from 
 him, and crouched among them, still as a mouse, while 
 the measured march came toward him. And once he 
 had to rim for bare life from a shower of arrows which 
 a company of soldiers sent into the darkness after a 
 suspicious rustling in the bushes. But mostly the men 
 on duty had too much to think of outside the walls to 
 trouble themselves much about the things inside them. 
 
 So with doublings and turnings he came at last on 
 
 191 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 the Delhi gate, a small, round, flat-roofed building 
 pierced by a high archway. It was too dark for him 
 to see its outline, but he knew it well, and paused 
 against the outside wall to consider what he had to do 
 next. The place seemed almost deserted, but a glim- 
 mer of light from the archway and the even tramp of a 
 sentry's footstep told it was not all unguarded. 
 
 What was he to do? It would be useless for him 
 to try and steal past the sentry, as the gate beyond 
 must be locked, or at any rate bolted and barred. He 
 must either, therefore, try and overpower the man or 
 else try to gain the flat roof by the stairs — of which 
 he knew the position — and, trusting to find a rope or 
 something of the sort in the upper room of the gate, let 
 himself down into the ditch outside. 
 
 Now, Roy was a well-grown lad of nigh fifteen, tall 
 for his age, and with his light, youthful sinews of iron 
 might well be a match for many a man, especially as his 
 purpose was like steel, and that is ever half the battle. 
 But there was the chance of other soldiers being within 
 call, and that might mean failure. Now, that must 
 not be. Roy had to succeed — he must! 
 
 Therefore the roof was the wiser, safer plan; he 
 must make for the stairs, trusting to escape notice when 
 the sentry's back was turned. Till then — silence! 
 
 But even as he settled this in his mind Fate was 
 against him. As he crouched in the darkness some- 
 thing cold suddenly touched his face, and the next 
 192 
 
ESCAPED 
 
 moment a clamour of excited yappings and joyful 
 barks arose, as something warm and furry and cold 
 and slobbery flung itself aU over him. 
 
 Tumbu! It could be nothing but blundering, 
 bumbling Tumbu ! He made one useless effort to still 
 the dog, then rose to his feet feeling himself discov- 
 ered, prepared to run for it. But it was too late. A 
 sentry, lantern in hand, roused by the conmiotion, 
 barred the way. All seemed lost, but a ray of hope 
 shone when the familiar voice of the Afghan sentry, 
 the unrepentant turncoat, was heard as the lantern 
 waved in Roy's very face. 
 
 "By my word, one of the Kings! How come you 
 hither at this time o' night, friend?" 
 
 The voice was a little thick, as if the owner, finding 
 the quiet of the Delhi Gate wearisome, had sought 
 amusement in a skin of wine. 
 
 Roy gave a gasp — he was too confused for thought. 
 "The dog—" he began. 
 
 "Aye ! The dog that was yours and is mine," jeered 
 the sentry. "So he nosed you out, did he ? Knows his 
 duty — ^good dog, Tumbu! Knows his master now! 
 Knows who saved him from starvation when he was 
 lurking about in the gutter. Eh! you brute!" 
 
 He lunged a kick at Tumbu, who retreated a step, 
 looking from the new to the old master, feeling, in 
 truth, a trifle confused. For the Afghan sentry had 
 certainly found him homeless, friendless, and the dog 
 
 193 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 had stuck by him, feeling that here at least was some- 
 thing vaguely connected with the past life. But now 
 he stood doubtful, expectant, his little ears pricked, his 
 small eyes watchful. 
 
 "Well," continued the sentry with a half -drunken 
 laugh, "dog or no dog, you've no business here, so 
 come along with me, my King." 
 
 He reached out a heavy hand, and Roy shrunk from 
 it. As he did so there came a sound which sent the 
 blood to Roy's heart with a spasm of instant hope, of 
 possible escape. It was Tumbu's low growl as he 
 realised that some one wanted to touch his old master 
 and that his old master did not want to be touched. 
 
 "At him, Tumbu ! At him, good dog !" The words 
 came to Roy in a flash, and like a flash the great, 
 powerful dog leaped forward, his fur a-bristle, his 
 white teeth gleaming, and the next instant, taken by 
 the suddenness of the attack, the sentry lay on his 
 back half stunned by the fall, while Tumbu, on the 
 top of him, checked even a cry by a clutch at his throat. 
 A soft clutch so far; but one that would tear through 
 flesh if needful. 
 
 Roy was on his knees beside the fallen man. 
 
 "Hist! not a sound or the dog shall kill you. He 
 can. Give me the keys. I want to get out of the gate ! 
 The keys, do you hear?" 
 
 The sentry tried to struggle, but warned by the 
 weight of the dog on his breast and those sharp teeth 
 194 
 
ESCAPED 
 
 ready to close upon his throat, murmured hoarsely, 
 "It is only barred, but the bolts are difBcult. If you 
 will let me get up and call off your dog " 
 
 But Roy took no heed of his words. "Keep him 
 there, Tumbu," he whispered as he ran to the gate. 
 
 Bolted and barred it was, and in the darkness of the 
 archway it was hard to see, for the lantern had gone 
 out in the scuffle. But there was no time to lose, for 
 already beyond the archway it showed faintly light. 
 One bar down! The sentry made a faint effort to 
 stir, that was answered by an ominous growl from 
 Tumbu. 
 
 Only one more bolt now! 
 
 Roy's long fingers were at it — his whole strength 
 went to it — it creaked — ^groaned — slid, and with a sob 
 of exultation Roy felt the fresh air of dawn in his face 
 as he stood outside the Bala Hissar. 
 
 But he had still much to do. The city must be 
 skirted, the hill' of Arkaban gained, and already a 
 faint primrose streak in the eastern sky told of coming 
 light. 
 
 195 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 DAWN 
 
 Upon the Arkaban hill the artillery men were 
 already at work. In those days guns were not what 
 they are now, quick loading, quick firing. 
 
 It needed a good hour to ram the coarse powder 
 down, adjust the round ball and prepare the priming; 
 to say nothing of the task of aiming. So, long ere dawn, 
 the glimmering lights were seen about the battery, 
 which, perched on a hill, gave on the half -breached 
 bastion. Between the two stretched an open space 
 of undulating groxmd. Sumbal, "the master fire- 
 worker," as he is called in the old history books, was 
 up betimes seeing to his men, and with him came a 
 grave, silent man, who, though he had no interest in 
 the quarrels of Hrmiayon and his brothers, was as 
 eager as any to get within the walls of Kabul and find 
 what he sought — a Rajput lad of whom word had 
 been brought to a little half -desert Rajput state lying 
 far away in the Jesulmer plain. 
 
 For the grave, silent man, who showed so much 
 knowledge of warfare, who was keen to see everything 
 new in weapons and the handling of them, was a mes- 
 senger sent by a widowed mother to see if indeed it 
 could be her long-lost son, of whom a certain old 
 trooper had spoken on his return from Kabul. 
 196 
 
DAWN 
 
 "See youl" said Sumbal, who was a bit of a boaster, 
 "give me time to aim and I'll warrant me 'Thunder 
 of God' " (that was the name let in with gold on the 
 breech of the gun) "will hit the mark within a yard 
 every time. Thou shalt see it ere-long. There is a 
 sort of pigeon place on the face of the bastion where 
 I will aim, and thou shalt see the splinters of it spin!" 
 He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked piercingly 
 into the shadows. " 'Tis too dark to see it yet, but so 
 soon as it shows I will let fly, and then " 
 
 And then? 
 
 Roy, who had never stopped for a breath yet in his 
 headlong race, was at that very moment rounding on 
 the bastion, and looking up, saw what he had feared 
 to see — a little figure bound hand and foot to a frame- 
 work of wood that hung close to what Sumbal had 
 called the pigeon place, seeming to form part of it. 
 The child was not crying. Perhaps he was past that. 
 Perhaps he had never cried, but had taken this last 
 and urgent danger as he had taken others, with grave 
 dignity. 
 
 All we know is that he hung there on the wall, and 
 that before his very eyes the light was growing in the 
 east, and over in the hill battery a dozen men were 
 sweating away to bring the "Thunder of God" into 
 position. Roy gave a gasp. Should he call to the 
 little Heir-to-Empire and let him know that a 
 friend was near, that help might come? No! per- 
 
 197 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 haps he did not realise his danger. It was better to 
 let be. 
 
 So gathering all his forces for a last effort, he 
 dashed into the open for the final five minutes' run. 
 And there could be no dodging here. Every loophole 
 of the bastion was, he knew, crammed with the match- 
 locks of many marksmen. And there was now, worse 
 luck, little darkness to cover him! 
 
 /'Three minutes more, friend!" said Sumbal boast- 
 fully, "and thou shalt see what thou wUt see. Slave! 
 the port fire, quick. I will give the signal. Lo ! What 
 is up?" 
 
 A rattle of musketry rose on the still air of dawn, 
 and an artillery man leaned over the low embrasure 
 to see better into the intervening valley. 
 
 "Some one escaping," he said with a yawn, for he 
 had been up half the night. "Lo ! he runs like a hare ! 
 But they will have him, for sure." 
 
 "Quick," called Sumbal, "we will silence their noise. 
 The portfire, I say. I will fire old Thunderer myself." 
 
 The man carrying the flaming flashlight handed it 
 to his superior, but in so doing by some mischance it 
 dropped, and in the dropping went out! 
 
 "Fool!" cried Sumbal passionately. "Are we to 
 stand insulted here without reply while thou fetchest 
 another? Put him in irons, sergeant, and bring light 
 at once!" 
 
 But the grave, silent Rajput was watching the 
 198 
 
'I stay my hand while I count ten- 
 
 Page 198 
 
DAWN 
 
 runner. "He is but a boy," he said slowly, "yet see 
 how he runs. And they have hit him, for he staggers. 
 Yet he comes on. He must bring news, friend, for 
 sure !" 
 
 "News!" echoed Sumbal contemptuously; "we have 
 half a hundred such runaways coming in every day. 
 It is no news that King Humayon is better liked than 
 Kumran. Lo! hast thou it at last?" He snatched 
 the portfire from the sergeant and went toward the 
 gun. 
 
 "Stay one moment, friend!" said the grave and 
 silent man with sudden command in his voice. "A 
 moment's hastiness may bring disaster. Discretion is 
 better than valom-. Yonder boy brings news — he 
 waves his arms — he shouts ! Stay at least till we can 
 hear what he says." 
 
 Sumbal laughed. "Bah! But, see you, I stay my 
 hand while I count ten — no more." 
 
 "One! two! three! four!" 
 
 The artillery men, amused at the race, leaned over. 
 "He runs well! — He will win! — He will lose! — He 
 climbs like a hill cat!" 
 
 "Five! six! seven! eight! nine!" 
 
 And now, imintelligible from sheer breathlessness, 
 Roy's voice is heard. The grave, silent Rajput leaps 
 out to meet him. 
 
 "Tenr 
 
 Sumbal's hand swings the portfire to the breech. 
 
 199 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 Roy sees it, throws up his arms wildly, and with 
 a cry — 
 
 "The bastion! The bastion! The Heir-to-Em- 
 pire!" falls headlong into the Rajput's arms. 
 
 "What did he say?" asked the master fireworker, 
 pausing half surprised, half angry. 
 
 But the Rajput was too busy tearing aside Roy's 
 flimsy, bloodstained waistcoat to answer. 
 
 "Something about the bastion and the Heir-to-Em- 
 pire, master !" said the sergeant doubtfully. "Mayhap 
 'twould be as well to wait till we can see more clearly. 
 Kumran," he added in a lower voice, "would stick' at 
 naught " 
 
 Sumbal hesitated, then put down the portfire and 
 walked over to the fallen lad, beside whom the 
 stranger was kneeling. 
 
 "He is not dead! He is not dead!" said the grave, 
 silent Rajput, looking up, his face working, the tears 
 streaming down his bronzed cheek. "My master is 
 not dead!" 
 
 "Who?" asked Sumbal, uncomprehending. 
 
 "I knew it must be he!" went on the man exultantly, 
 even in his grief. "None could do that sort of thing 
 save a Sun hero! My Master! my King! See, here 
 the race mark on his breast! The sign of uttermost 
 truth! My Master! My King!" 
 
 But Roy did not hear himself called thus. He did 
 not even know for days afterwards if he had succeeded 
 200 
 
DAWN 
 
 or if he had failed; for a wound just above the heart, 
 close to the sign-mark of his race, very nearly carried 
 him off into the Shadowy Land where all things are 
 remembered, yet all are forgotten. 
 
 But he had succeeded. He had saved the Heir-to- 
 Empire's hfe that dawn, and a day or two afterwards 
 Kumran, daily more hated for his cruelty, had 
 escaped, and the soldiers, rejoiced to get rid of him, 
 flung open the gates of the Bala Hissar, thus ending 
 Prince Akbar's adventures. 
 
 But when Roy came to himself Mirak was sitting 
 beside him and Down was purring on Bija's lap ; Bija, 
 who had just returned from India with Queen 
 Humeeda in time to console the Heir-to-Empire for 
 all he must have suffered during the few days he 
 was left alone with cruel Uncle Kumran. How much 
 he had suffered no one knew, and the httle fellow re- 
 fused to say anything about it. It was a way he had 
 when the luck went against him. So, just as he had 
 remarked when he had fallen down the ravine, when 
 the white cat and the black dog first came to him, that 
 he had "timibu-down," so now he simply said that it 
 wasn't "very comfy," but that Tumbu had come to see 
 him more than once. And this was possible, for you 
 may be sure that once he allowed the Afghan sentry 
 to rise, Tumbu, being a wise dog, never went near him 
 again. Therefore he had to find his old master. 
 
 And Foster-father, Foster-mother and Head-nurse 
 
 201 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 were all there, the latter greatly suhdued for the time, 
 and in her gratitude to Roy inclined to give him some 
 of the titles she was wont to hestow on little Prince 
 Akbar. 
 
 For there was no doubt whatever that the lad was 
 the rightful Rajah of Suryamer, whom wicked rebels 
 had exposed in the desert to die, who had been found 
 and kept alive by wandering goatherds and had finally 
 been discovered when unconscious from sunstroke by 
 the royal fugitives. 
 
 And out of this arose the only sadness of the happy 
 May days when the little party once more journeyed 
 out to Babar's tomb towards evening to sit imder the 
 arghawdn trees and watch the sunset. 
 
 Of course Dearest-Lady was not there, but all the 
 others were assembled, and Down, the cat, purred as 
 loud as ever, while Tumbu, the dog, frolicked round 
 even more like a golliwog than before. But it was not 
 the absence of the Khanzada Khanum which made 
 faces thoughtful at times. She, they knew, was at 
 rest, and they laid flowers for her beside those they 
 gathered in memory of Firdoos Gita Makani — on 
 whom be peace! 
 
 No! it was the knowledge that Roy could not re- 
 main with them. So soon as he was strong again he 
 must go back to his mother, go back to a people 
 who, tired of rebellion, were longing for their old 
 rulers. 
 202 
 
DAWN 
 
 "You see, brother, I am a King," said Roy sorrow- 
 fully, "and Kings cannot always do what they like." 
 
 "Do you think they ever do, really?" asked the little 
 Heir-to-Empire gravely, "for I don't." 
 
 And here we come to the end— for a time at least — 
 of Prince Akbar's adventures. 
 
 Now, if you want to know how much of this so- 
 called veracious story is reaUy true, I cannot quite say. 
 
 Did some one like Roy really tell the master fire- 
 worker that the Heir-to-Empire was hung over the 
 battlements of the bastion? If some one did not, how 
 did the master-fireworker find it out? And he did; 
 indeed, in the history books he takes great credit to 
 himself for having found it out. But then he was a 
 boaster. 
 
 Then did Dearest-Lady really bind Kimiran by an 
 oath not to harm the Heir-to-Empire until she re- 
 turned? 
 
 If she did not, then why did she, an old, frail woman 
 of seventy, go out into the wilderness just as winter 
 was coming on, and why did not cruel Kumran kill 
 the Heir-to-Empire when he had him in his power? 
 
 These are all questions; but what is certain is that 
 Baby Akbar did go through all these adventures be- 
 fore he was five years old. 
 
 So good-bye, brave little lads ! Good-bye, stout old 
 Foster-father and kindly Foster-mother! Good-bye, 
 worthy Head-nurse with your strings of titles, and 
 
 203 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR 
 
 good-bye, dainty little Bija! Good-bye also to grin- 
 ning Meroo, to purring Down, and frolicking Tumbu! 
 
 And for those other three whose memory remained 
 — Old Faithful, Dearest Lady, and the Great Em- 
 peror, Firdoos Gita Makani, who all helped the little 
 prince to safety, what of them? 
 
 "Heaven," as the marble slab among the tulips and 
 violets of the Garden-of-the-New-Year says, 
 
 '" Is thdr eternal abode.' " 
 
 204 
 
I 
 
 1:1 
 I'i" 
 
 ■ 3