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 X?
 
 AUTOBIOGKAPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 LUTFULLAH, 
 
 A 
 
 MOHAMEDAN GENTLEMAN; 
 
 AND 
 
 HIS TRANSACTIONS WITH HIS FELLOW-CREATURES: 
 
 INTERSPERSED WITH REMARKS 
 
 ON THE HABITS, CUSTOMS, AND CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE 
 WITH WHOM HE HAD TO DEAL. 
 
 And one man in his time plays many parts. SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 EDWARD B. EASTWICK, F.R.S., F.S.A. 
 [THIRD EDITION.] 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 SMITH, ELDER, AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. 
 
 1858.
 
 PS 
 
 LZ7A3 
 
 Its* 
 
 TO 
 
 COLONEL W. H. SYKES, F.E.S., 
 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 DEAR HONOURABLE SIR, 
 
 With due respect I place before you my 
 humble work, 1 in the shape of journal, about which 
 I talked to you ten years ago, when I had the 
 honour of waiting upon you in person at your own 
 house. 
 
 I do not pretend to say it is worthy of the 
 perusal of a learned scholar like yourself; at the 
 same time, I am confident that the unvarnished 
 truths contained therein, if cleared of grammatical 
 errors by your able pen and published under your 
 auspices, will not fail to teach experience to those 
 who want it and afford satisfaction to readers in 
 general.
 
 IV DEDICATION. 
 
 I beg to observe that, being self-tutored in your 
 most difficult language, I stand far beyond the reach 
 of critics, who will surely pardon me, when they 
 are fully acquainted with my circumstances, by 
 going through this book. 
 
 With due respect, 
 
 Dear Honourable Sir, 
 
 I remain, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 LUTFULLAH. 
 
 . SURAT, 
 
 24<A November, 1854. 

 
 PKEFACE. 
 
 As this volume contains the genuine sentiments of 
 a native of India on many matters connected with 
 the Government of that country, it will, perhaps, be 
 read with some interest at the present crisis. The 
 Author is known to be one of the least bigoted 
 disciples of Islam ; yet his bias towards his own sect, 
 and the leaders of it, is most evident. If any one is 
 disposed to think that the English are beginning to 
 be regarded otherwise than as aliens by the inha- 
 bitants of Hindustan, a perusal of this book will 
 probably lead his convictions the other way. In 
 short, we may take it for granted that there is scarce 
 a Sipahi in our army, or other native of India, whose 
 dislike of what Europeans deem progress does not 
 equal that of the writer of this work. The majority 
 are certainly much more opposed to it.
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 To some peculiar notions I would have willingly 
 drawn attention by notes, but the great object being 
 to condense as much as possible, I have forborne 
 from all remark, and cut down the original as much 
 as could be done without leaving out any fact or 
 sentiment of importance. Indeed, my chief editorial 
 task has been to compress ; but, except with this 
 view, I have altered the MS. as little as possible. 
 Some stories, however, more suited to Oriental than 
 to European taste, have been altogether omitted. The 
 quotations and scraps of Latin are all of Lutfullah's 
 own insertion. 
 
 When the slender advantages of the writer are 
 considered, the reader will no doubt accord to 
 Lutfullah some praise for composing so long a work 
 in the, to him, foreign English language, with so 
 much general accuracy. 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
 HAILETBTTRT, 
 
 June, 1857.
 
 PEDIGREE OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 1. Adam. 
 
 27. 
 
 Muglirab. 
 
 2. Seth. 
 
 28. 
 
 Alsa. 
 
 3. Enos. 
 
 29. 
 
 Arwad. 
 
 4. Cainan. 
 
 30. 
 
 A'ad. 
 
 5* Mahaleel. 4 
 
 31. 
 
 Oad. 
 
 '6. Jared. 
 
 32. 
 
 Admin. 
 
 7. Enoch, or Idris. 
 
 33. 
 
 Maad. 
 
 8. Methuselah. 
 
 34. 
 
 Nazar. 
 
 9. Lamech. 
 
 35. 
 
 Madar. 
 
 10. Noah. 
 
 36. 
 
 Elias. 
 
 11. Nyam. 
 
 37. 
 
 Madrak. 
 
 12. A'ramjad. 
 
 38. 
 
 Hassan. 
 
 13. Salah. 
 
 39. 
 
 Kannanah. 
 
 14. Ghabk. 
 
 40. 
 
 Nassar. 
 
 15. Fannaa. 
 
 41. 
 
 Malik. 
 
 16. Arghun, or Hud, the Pro- 
 
 42. 
 
 Fakhar. 
 
 phet. 
 
 43. 
 
 Ghalib. 
 
 17. Asroch. 
 
 44. 
 
 Lavi. 
 
 18. Najur. 
 
 45. 
 
 Kaab. 
 
 19. Turij. 
 
 46. 
 
 Murra. 
 
 20. A'zur, or Tarak. 
 
 47. 
 
 Adi. 
 
 21. Ibrahim. 
 
 48. 
 
 Farat. 
 
 22. Ismail. 
 
 49. 
 
 Abdu'llalL 
 
 23. Kidar. 
 
 50. 
 
 Zerrah. 
 
 24. Jumaila. 
 
 51. 
 
 Raial. 
 
 25. Salmah. 
 
 52. 
 
 Abdu'laziz. 
 
 26. Yashab. 
 
 53. 
 
 Nofail. 
 
 b 2
 
 Vlll 
 
 PEDIGREE OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 54. Khattab. 
 
 55. Umar. 
 
 56. Abdu'llah. 
 
 57. Nasir. 
 
 58. Ibrahim Adhan, of Balkh. 
 
 59. Shekh Ishak. 
 
 60. Shekh Abu'l Fath. 
 
 61. Waiz Asghar. 
 
 62. Waiz Akbar. 
 
 63. Shekh Abdu'Uah, 
 
 64. Shekh Sultan Masaud. 
 
 65. Shekh Saman. 
 
 66. Shekh Sulaiman. 
 
 67. Shekh Nasiru'd-din Nasimi. 
 
 68. Shahabu'd-din Farrukh 
 
 Shah Kabuli. 
 
 69. Shekh Muhammad. 
 
 70. Shekh Yusuf. 
 
 71. Shekh Ahmad. 
 
 72. Shekh Shuaib. 
 
 73. Shekh Salman. 
 
 74. Shekh Jamalu'd-din. 
 
 75. Shekh Faridu'd-din Masaud 
 
 or Shakar Ganj. 
 
 76. Shekh Nasru'llah. 
 
 77. Shekh Baiyazid. 
 
 78. Shah Kamalu'd-din Maulvi. 
 
 79. Shekh Babau'd-din. 
 
 80. Shekh Mughis. 
 
 81. Shekh Khoju. 
 
 82. Shekh Ahmad. 
 
 83. Shekh Daulat, or Shekh 
 
 Ealai. 
 
 84. Shekh Nuru'd-din. 
 
 85. Shekh Niamatu'llah. 
 r 86. Shekh Faizu'llah. 
 
 87. Shekh Abd'ul Kadir, or 
 
 Shekh Kalai the 2nd. 
 
 88. Shekh Abd'ul Guam. 
 
 89. Shekh Muhammad Akram. 
 
 90. Shekh Lutfu'llah.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 My birth and parentage Death of my father My mother 
 finds an asylum with my uncle Famine and the perse- 
 cution of my cousins My mischievous habits I catch 
 a Mulla napping and dose my schoolmaster The tank 
 , of Dharanagar, where my cousins attempt to drown me 
 Rajaram, the Good Samaritan A new cure for 
 dysentery End of my childhood .( 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Political state of affairs about the year 1810 Humours 
 respecting the new race of foreigners called the Feringees 
 Bheel robbers, mode of executing them Visit to 
 Baroda First rencontre with Feringees Rite of cir- 
 cumcision Reflections Visit to Ujjain My mother's 
 second marriage Plunder of my step-father's house by 
 Sindhiah's soldiers An Eastern story .... 32 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 My step-father imputes his calamity to shaving on an un- 
 lucky day Astrology and superstitions of the inhabi- 
 tants of Hindustan We visit Sindhiah's Court at 
 Gwalior The Prince pays our losses with a smile 
 Enlists my step-father in his service My cruel treat- 
 ment I fly from Gwalior Adventure with the Thug 
 Jum'a Agra Akbar . . . . .... 53
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 My service with Hindu Rao's physician I visit Delhi 
 Return to Gwalior The cobra's bite cured Once more 
 at Ujjain Filial love stronger than the astrologer's 
 threat Sir T. Hislop's army Battle of Mehidpur I 
 weary of Ujjain My luckless rencontre with Musa the 
 Afghan Strange wanderings in the jungle The secret 
 unveiled Nadir, chief of the Bheels Am promoted to 
 be thieves' secretary A Bheel banquet and strange 
 horrors My flight The old Sheikh once more My 
 mother's death 86 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 My mother's funeral A friend obtains me the postmaster- 
 ship at Dharampur My sojourn there Sudden dis- 
 missalThe night march The tiger's spring Sir 
 John Malcolm No refusing a great man I become 
 Munshi to the Bheel agent I am transferred to Lieut. 
 Hart The expedition to Nagar Parkar A Maratha 
 horseman's impudence Decision of the Native Magis- 
 trate Egyptian version of the story of Shy lock . .127 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Ran desert Colonel Miles Charles the Twelfth's 
 music somewhat too close Thoughts of Makka 
 Captain Bagnold Mandavi Philosophic meditations 
 and dogmatism disturbed Study English at Khaira 
 Infanticide The pirates of Dwarka The Fort taken 
 Wanderings in the hills of Kattiwar The Aghori 
 Gogo Surat The Parsi cemetery . . . .158 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Bombay I disrobe a porter The mosque of Zacharias 
 Delights of a passage boat Panwell Punah Parbati 
 Satara Aurangzeb's siege, and witticism of Niamat 
 Khan I marry and repent Monogamists versus Poly- 
 gamists A Suttee The Hindu religion originally 
 pure I return to Surat Arabic studies The high 
 priest of the Borahs Paradise tickets Ensign W. J.
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Eastwick His fever Dr. R , Azrail's assistant 
 
 Tankaria Bandar Ensign Eastwick appointed to Lord 
 Clare's body-guard Baroda A'bu . . . .194 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Udepur Pali Pokharji Ajmir I return to Surat I 
 enter the service of the Nuwab The intrigues of a 
 petty Court My conge . . . ...... 228 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 I am appointed to an office under the Political Agent in 
 Kattiawar The Nagar Brahmans I resign office in 
 order to accompany Captain Eastwick, assistant to 
 Colonel Pottinger, Resident in Sindli Mr. Erskine 
 presents me with a certificate and a Kashmir shawl 
 I find three unexpected companions Sara, the fair 
 Maimuni I leave Rajkot The Jam of Nowanagar 
 Dharol The merry Governor of Juria Bandar 
 Pleasant sailing Frisky monsters of the Deep Specu- 
 lations of the Sindhis as to our purpose in coming 
 to their country I act priest at the I'du'l fitr March 
 to Tatta Description of Tatta - 246 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 False alarms Shir Mohamed Three officers burnt to death 
 The Amirs accept the Treaty The army marches 
 for Shikarpur Nadir Shah and the Saiyids of Lakki 
 Sehwan Larkhana Great cheapness of food 
 Shikarpur Biluchi Robbers Fath Mohamed Ghori 
 Sakhar Khairpur Mir Rustam Marauders The 
 Naik and the Political Agent Thank you for nothing 
 Great heat The scorpion remedy More plundering . 282 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Zark Domki The storming of Khangarh The new 
 Governor of Shikarpur Mr. Ross Bell Abd'urrahman 
 and his civilized Bride Seclusion of women, desirable 
 or not Voyage to Hydrabad I obtain leave for 
 three months to revisit Surat Voyage and journey to 
 Jafirubad . . .315
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Slave Governor of Jafirabad Return to Surat Death 
 of the Nuwab's eldest daughter I take service with 
 Mr. Felly He transfers me to Mr. Langford The 
 Nuwab of Cambay and his Salt-pans Once more a 
 Munshi The Nuwab of Surat dies of cholera 
 Sequestration of his property Mir Jafir Ali, his son- 
 in-law, prepares to proceed to England Engages me 
 and Mr. Scott as his Secretaries 334 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The voyage to Ceylon Christian quarters and the unclean 
 animal Cingalese gentlemen Aden Ass-equipages 
 The Kaba on the move Eve's burial-place Selfishness 
 of John Bull Grand Cairo Mohamed Ali Mrs. 
 Larking Arabic the language of the Huris Alexandria 
 Did Umar burn the great Library? Gibraltar 
 Arrival at the Mother-bank 353 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Land at Southampton London Kind friends Mr. Latham 
 Mr. Pulsford The sights of London The opera 
 Mr. Baring Lord Kipon Eeturn to India . . .381
 
 AUTOBIOGEAPHY 
 
 OF 
 
 LUTFULLAH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 My birth and parentage Death of my father My mother finds 
 an asylum with my uncle Famine and the persecution of my 
 cousins My mischievous habits I catch a Mulla napping 
 and dose my schoolmaster The tank of Dhiiranfegar where my 
 cousins attempt to drown me Kujilram, the Good Samaritan 
 A new cure for dysentery End of my childhood. 
 
 I MADE my first appearance in tins world of wonders 
 in the ancient city of Dharanagar, in Malwah, on. 
 Thursday, the 7th of Rajab, 1217 A.H., corresponding 
 'with the 4th of November, 1802 A.D. 
 
 My father was a Mohamedan of the sacred order, 
 a descendant of Shah Kamaluddin, who was a great 
 saint of his time in the province of Malwah, being 
 the spiritual guide as well as modern preceptor of 
 Sulttin Mahmud Khilji, during a period of thirty-six 
 years, from 1434 to 1470 A.D.* On the death of 
 
 * Vide Briggs' "Mohamedan Tower in India," vol. iv. p. 195. 
 
 B
 
 2 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAII. 
 
 his venerated friend and adviser, this good Sultan 
 built a magnificent mausoleum at the western gate 
 of the city, and endowed therein a shrine to the 
 memory of the holy man; opposite to it he caused 
 to be raised another edifice, surmounted by a superb 
 dome, which was intended as a resting-place for his 
 own mortal remains, and there they still repose. 
 Near the shrine was an ancient Hindu temple of 
 considerable size, which, by order of the Sultan, was 
 transformed into a beautiful mosque. To these 
 sacred places he bequeathed in perpetuity about 
 three hundred acres of land immediately surrounding 
 them, the annual produce of which was directed to 
 be employed in the occasional repairs of the edifices, 
 and in the maintenance of the posterity of the saint. 
 In addition to the above, he granted an allowance 
 of one rupee per diem from the revenue derived 
 from certain grass lands, to be applied to the same 
 purposes. These rights were enjoyed by my ancestors 
 until A.D. 1706, when, after the reign of Aurangzeb, 
 the Marathas having possessed themselves of the pro- 
 vince, confiscated both the land and the allowance, 
 leaving, however, from the former, about two acres, 
 for the support of my great-grandfather. Thus was 
 a family which, for a period of nearly three centuries 
 had enjoyed affluence, reduced to a state verging 
 on destitution. To use an Eastern metaphor, the 
 light of the day was withdrawn, the shadows of night 
 had gathered around them.
 
 MY FATHER. 3 
 
 My father, at a very early period of his life, when 
 not more than seven years of age, travelled in the 
 country, in company with a relative of his, in search 
 of knowledge. In the course of a few years he 
 mastered his profession, that of a mulla (priest); and, 
 on attaining the age of fifteen, was desired by his 
 companion to return home. But the beauty and 
 delightful climate of the Upper Provinces, and the 
 pain of parting from the many kind friends who 
 had rendered his stay there so agreeable, delayed 
 his return for ten years more ; although, when he 
 was about twenty-six years of age, being urgently 
 summoned by his father, he quitted Delhi for home, 
 and nothing particular appears to have marked his 
 course until his arrival at Agra. There, being a 
 man of great personal attractions, with a highly 
 cultivated mind, winning manners, and in the very 
 prime and vigour of his life, he was offered in 
 marriage the daughter of the person with whom 
 he lodged. He accepted the offer, forgetting the 
 urgent necessity of his return home, and this circum- 
 stance detained him there for four years more. It 
 was while he lived at Agra that he received the 
 intelligence of his father's death, a circumstance 
 which hastened his return home, where it was his 
 lot to remain for the future. 
 
 At the age of forty-nine, he had the misfortune 
 to lose his good wife, by whom he had issue only 
 two daughters. Those who are acquainted with 
 
 B 2
 
 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAH. 
 
 the sentiments of eastern nations, know the intense 
 anxiety which every man, whether Mohamedan or 
 Hindu, feels to !have a son to bear his name, and 
 transmit it (as the English poet says) " to ages yet 
 unborn." Such persons will be able to enter into 
 the state of my father's feelings on finding himself, 
 at an advanced period of life, a widower, and with 
 the dreary prospect of descending into the grave 
 the last male scion of his race. Had he consulted 
 only his own inclinations, he would have been con- 
 tent to suffer this fate, miserable as it was, rather 
 than endeavour to forget^ in the society of a second 
 wife the severe loss which he had sustained in the 
 death of the former partner of his bosom. But, at 
 the earnest solicitation of his friends, he was induced, 
 at the end of a year of widow r hood, to wed a girl 
 of seventeen, exquisite in beauty, elegant in manners, 
 perfect in virtue and goodness, and of a family fully 
 equal to his own, both as regarded sacred and social 
 advantages. Reader, she was my mother ; and you 
 will, therefore, I am sure, forgive me if I display 
 more than ordinary warmth in paying this tribute 
 to her departed worth. 
 
 It w r as not till three years after he had contracted 
 this alliance, that the tree of my father's hope became 
 fruitful, and that I, the humble author of these 
 memoirs, made my appearance on the stage of exist- 
 ence, to gladden the hearts of my fond parents and 
 of all those who felt an interest in their happiness.
 
 DEATH OF MY FATHEE. 5 
 
 There were some, however, nearly connected with 
 me by blood, cousins on the father's side, to whom 
 my birth brought anything but joy, seeing that, if I 
 survived, one half of the profits arising from the 
 remains of Sultan Mahmud's grants must necessarily 
 fall to my share. These profits were now miserably 
 small; some 200 rupees, or about 201. per annum. 
 But, insignificant as they were, the prospect of losing 
 any portion of them, served to kindle and to keep 
 alive the fire of envy and hatred in the bosoms of 
 my unnatural relatives, abundant proofs of which 
 I shall have occasion shortly to adduce. Leaving 
 them for a moment, however, let me return to the 
 more pleasing task of recording the delight of my 
 dear parents when they beheld the blessing which 
 it had pleased the Almighty to confer upon them. 
 To mark their grateful sense of his kindness, and, 
 at the same time, to commemorate the event in a 
 manner which they considered the most appropriate, 
 they bestowed on me the name of Lutfullah, which, 
 being interpreted, means " the favour of God." Two 
 years after I was born, my father had a second son, 
 but he survived only a few months, and by the time 
 I had attained my fourth year, my dear father also 
 was taken from us, leaving a youthful "widow, with 
 a helpless orphan, to seek support wherever they 
 could. 
 
 Our condition now was truly deplorable. - My 
 poor mother, wholly inexperienced in the ways of
 
 6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUtFULLAU. 
 
 the world, and borne down by the suddenness and 
 weight of the misfortune which had befallen us* 
 knew not where to turn for aid or counsel. My 
 cousins, co-sharers in the small estate before- 
 mentioned, so far from rendering her any assistance, 
 were unceasing in their endeavours to compass our 
 destruction ; and, to complete the measure of our 
 misery, the country was afflicted with a famine, the 
 severity of which has probably never been exceeded. 
 This last calamity lives in my recollection as freshly 
 as if it were only an occurrence of yesterday. 
 Numbers of people died daily of starvation ; famished 
 corpses were dragged out of the city by tens or 
 twenties, and buried in huge pits dug for the 
 purpose, or thrown promiscuously into dry wells ; 
 but there was one case in particular, connected with 
 this season of horror, which, as displaying the 
 dreadful lengths to which human nature may be 
 driven by the force of hunger, I must not omit to 
 record. I remember being taken by my uncle to see 
 a woman who was subjected to " public disgrace" by 
 being paraded through the streets of the city, seated 
 astride on a donkey. Her face, one side of which 
 was painted white and the other black, was turned 
 towards the animal's tail, and I, not knowing the 
 reason of this strange exhibition, was at first highly 
 amused by the sight. My mirth, however, was soon 
 dispelled, by being informed that the wretched 
 creature before me, who was an inhabitant of a
 
 I FIND AN ASYLUM WITH MY UNCLE. 7 
 
 Bheel village in' the district, and who was afterwards 
 to be transported for life, had been convicted of 
 having killed the young child of a neighbour, and, to 
 allay the pangs of hunger, had boiled and eaten it. 
 
 But to return to my own affairs. At the expiration 
 of the " Chihlum," or forty days of mourning, pre- 
 scribed by the customs of the Moslems in India, when 
 the memory of the deceased is supposed no longer to 
 engross the attention of sorrowing survivors to the 
 exclusion of the ordinary concerns of life, my mother 
 thought it advisable to remove from my late father's 
 house, where we were surrounded by a host of mis- 
 called friends, intent only on accomplishing our ruin. 
 We accordingly took up our residence with her 
 mother and brother, by both of whom we were 
 received and treated with the utmost tenderness. 
 These dear relatives had no pecuniary interest, like 
 my cousins on the father's side, to neutralize those 
 kindly feelings which the ties of nature, when left to 
 themselves, are calculated to inspire ; and though the 
 addition of two members of their household neces- 
 sarily pressed hard on their limited means, the 
 sincerity of their sorrow for our bereavement was 
 attested by the liveliest sympathy. Towards myself, 
 the conduct of my good uncle differed in no respect 
 from that which marked his intercourse with his own 
 children ; or, if it did, it was perhaps in being more 
 kind and tender, as if urged thereto by a sense of 
 my utterly helpless condition ; and the treatment
 
 8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 which I experienced at the hands of my grandmother 
 was equally characterised by real benevolence. 
 
 Under this hospitable roof we passed our time in 
 tranquillity; but, in those days, lawless turbulence 
 found a much larger field for display than it did a 
 few years afterwards, when the power of the British 
 Government was exerted for its suppression. TAVO 
 or three times a year accounts would reach us of the 
 approach of large bodies of Pindarees, who had been 
 committing havoc in the surrounding districts ; or of 
 an intended attack by some neighbouring potentate, 
 for the purpose of levying contributions on the city. 
 Then the hearts of the inhabitants were filled with 
 terror and dismay ; and forthwith jewels, money, and 
 articles of value were buried in the earth, or other- 
 wise secreted. When the attack did take place, the 
 situation of the inhabitants was truly pitiable. They 
 were then literally " between two fires," from both of 
 which they suffered nearly equal injury, the cannon 
 balls from the citadel, instead of reaching the enemy 
 for whose special destruction they were intended, 
 generally falling short of their mark, and causing 
 fearful loss of life and property within the walls of 
 the city. This, of itself, was dreadful enough, even 
 when the enemy failed in their object ; when victory 
 declared on their side, such of the citizens as had 
 survived the onslaught became the victims of the 
 most refined cruelty, in order to discover the places 
 where their treasure was concealed. Numerous
 
 INTERNECINE WARFARE. HIDEOUS TORTURES. 9 
 
 modes of torture were had recourse to for tins 
 purpose, amongst which the three following generally 
 proved the most effectual. First, the victim was 
 pinioned and exposed bare-headed to the burning 
 rays of the sun, while his ears were pounded or 
 pinched between the lock of a gun; secondly, after 
 being pinioned, as above, he was made to stand in 
 the sun, with a stone of enormous weight on his 
 head, first inserting a gravel stone of the size and 
 shape of a small grape, which gradually forced its 
 way through the skull to the brain ; thirdly, a horse's 
 grain-bag, half filled with ashes and red pepper in 
 powder, was tied over the sufferer's face, so as to 
 include his mouth and nose, the consequence of 
 which was, at first, a most violent fit of sneezing, 
 and, if protracted to a quarter of an hour, a horrible 
 death by suffocation. But though these, and some 
 other modes of extracting confessions, equal in cruelty 
 to anything which I read, many years afterwards, of 
 the Inquisition in Catholic countries, were in general 
 attended with success, there were not wanting 
 instances in which a love of gold prevailed over a 
 love of life ; and I have heard of many persons who 
 submitted in resolute and sullen silence to the most 
 agonizing tortures, till death released them from their 
 sufferings, and restored them to that mother-earth, 
 wherein their loved treasure lay interred. 
 
 Our houses, however, having contained sacred 
 families, were looked upon with reverence by all the
 
 10 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 troops of the banditti. Moreover, they always made 
 some presents to my uncle and self when they left 
 the city, which they considered a sanctification of 
 their booty. People of our neighbourhood, either 
 Moslems or Hindus, whoever had the opportunity of 
 hiding themselves and property in our houses and 
 thus escaping diabolical outrages, made us some 
 presents: so we were not badly off even in such 
 times of difficulty ; but the sufferings of our fellow- 
 creatures rendered our lives bitterly miserable. 
 
 My good uncle took our part against our other 
 usurping relatives, and demanded one half of the 
 produce of the landed property, and of the daily 
 offerings, etc., to the shrine. Accordingly, sometimes 
 they paid a few rupees : but always said they would 
 give us nothing unless I should either personally 
 attend every day at the shrine, as they did, to super- 
 intend the offerings, etc., or employ another person 
 to act for me. My uncle afforded us all the pecuniary 
 aid in his power ; but then he had a large family of 
 his own to maintain, and my mother did not like to 
 burden her kind brother with our wants. She had 
 jewels of her dowry, about four hundred rupees* 
 worth, which she was now obliged to sell, one 
 by one; and, in the course of one year, all the 
 jewels vanished but, luckily for us, so did the 
 dearth. 
 
 After a few years, my pronunciation became as 
 correct as possible. I spoke with accuracy, and
 
 MY MISCHIEVOUS THICKS. 11 
 
 tried to cheat my mother and relatives by patching 
 up stories, which often excited their mirth. I was, 
 besides, a mischievous young creature, and devised 
 various plans of playing tricks, to the great annoy- 
 ance of my protectors. 
 
 I caught frogs, and slyly put them into the ladies' 
 work-baskets, which contained their needles, thread 
 and cotton, etc. I watched the time when they 
 finished their domestic matters, and, after breakfast, 
 sat at their peaceful occupation: I then fixed my 
 eyes on the basket, and just as the poor lady uncovered 
 the lid, out sprang the imprisoned animal upon her. 
 This caused her to scream, and sometimes faint, to 
 the laughter of the lookers on. 
 
 At the age of five I grew more troublesome, and 
 now it was determined that I should be sent to school. 
 A day of good luck was fixed, and the book being 
 placed under my arm, I was led to the place of in- 
 struction. I proceeded, of course, unwillingly, like 
 a lamb to the slaughter-house. 
 
 I was introduced by my uncle to the master, who 
 took me in charge, and was very glad to find, in a 
 short time, that I learned my lessons quicker than my 
 schoolfellows, and knew my Kur'an as well as any 
 mulla. In the course of six months I learnt all the 
 prayers of Islam, and was received everywhere with 
 approbation. Whenever I happened to recite any 
 part of the holy book in an assembly of great people, 
 I was loaded.with applause and presents.
 
 12 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFFLLAII. 
 
 During this period I was only punished once, but 
 very severely, for a grievous offence against a holy 
 man named Shaikh Nasrullah. 
 
 This good old man was a priest of the village of 
 Hasilpur, about fifty miles distant from us, and was 
 an intimate friend of my uncle, to whom he occa- 
 sionally paid his visits, and these not of short 
 duration of a day or so, but he stayed with him for 
 weeks, and sometimes for months. Our means were 
 too scanty to endure the burden of maintaining this 
 old priest, who seemed to take no notice of our 
 circumstances ; but, as my uncle was unparalleled in 
 liberality, generosity, and humanity, he pawned his 
 clothes, and ran in debt, for the entertainment of his 
 guest. 
 
 It happened that this old Shaikh Nasrullah had 
 come as usual on a visit. He was an old man of 
 great wit, and almost every other word of his con- 
 versation was a proverb. I remember his form and 
 features very well : he was a tall man, of good and 
 strong make, with a depressed forehead; he squinted 
 much, and invariably shook his head up and down, 
 as if he consented to everything proposed to him. 
 He had no teeth in his mouth, but his long flowing 
 white beard made up for all his deformity. He was 
 so fond of talking, that he chatted on, whether sense 
 or nonsense, whether one listened to it or not. 
 Although speaking ill of our neighbours is a crime 
 unpardonable, particularly of those who are gone
 
 A BURDENSOME OLD PEIEST. 13 
 
 by, " de mortuis nil nisi bonum," yet I cannot help 
 recollecting Lord Bacon's remark here " Deformed 
 persons are commonly even with Nature ; for as 
 Nature has done ill by them, so they do ill by 
 Nature." In shorf, it was not easy for my poor 
 uncle to get rid of him after the evening meal ; he 
 frequently fell asleep during the interminable con- 
 versation of his old guest, and did not wake to perform 
 his nightly prayers, until roused up from his sleep. 
 The old man may God forgive him ! (or rather for- 
 give me for the crime I committed upon his sacred 
 person) somehow or other did not like me. He 
 always checked me for something or other, and scolded 
 me severely if I made a slight mistake, even in pro- 
 nouncing a word. These unjust reprimands made 
 nie resolve to take my revenge upon him. 
 
 On Friday, our Sabbath, being free from my task, 
 as is usual in all Mohamedan schools, I went out to 
 the market with a few pieces of money, which I had 
 by me, saved from my presents, and purchased a little 
 gunpowder. The same day, after the mid-day prayer, 
 the old man returned home, and went to sleep in an 
 airy part of the verandah, his stomach overloaded 
 with food, his mouth wide open, and his eyes half- 
 shut, presenting a truly laughable picture, and his 
 thick long white beard lay on his breast like a bundle 
 of hay. I entered quietly, went to his side, and 
 spread the combustible on his beard. I then went 
 out, and, tying a match to a long rod, lighted it; I
 
 14 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 gave a touch from a distance and off it went, setting 
 the beard on a sudden blaze. The old man started 
 from his sleep and began rubbing his face, repeating 
 his creed as a sign of distress, Laillah illillah, 
 " There is no God but one God." Presently he got up, 
 mad with rage, and I slipped in at the door of the 
 Zananah unobserved by him, and looked on at the 
 fun through the key-hole with the eye of admiration 
 and satisfaction. The old fellow ran here and there 
 with his staff, ready to smite even the devil himself, if 
 he met him. His face and hands were flayed, and, 
 what with his natural ugliness and his singed beard, he 
 was certainly a hideous object. His shouts soon 
 brought my uncle out of his reading place, and seeing 
 his friend with face and hands flayed, and deprived 
 of his beard, he cried out, " What ails you, Shaikh 
 Nasrullah ?" " Ails me ? the devil himself! " replied 
 the old man : "I am gone for ever : God has punished 
 me for my sirs ; my honour is gone with my beard. 
 Oh, my beard! my beard!" Examining w r ell his 
 face, and hearing such exclamations, my uncle could 
 not help smiling, for which the old man reproved him 
 very harshly, saying, " Have you no shame to laugh 
 at the calamity of your brother ?" My uncle begged 
 his pardon, and inquiring how it happened, he 
 replied, " That dog! that brute! that infidel! that 
 little Shaitan ! that learned nephew of yours, whom 
 you call a promising young lad, has, I am sure, done 
 this : that rod of his lying there is a proof substantial
 
 MY PUNISHMENT. 15 
 
 enough to have him beheaded." Hearing this I 
 trembled, went quietly to my bed, and pretended to 
 sleep soundly. In the meantime, my good uncle poured 
 two or three phials of ink on his face and hands (it 
 being the common remedy used in our country for 
 burns), and consoled him by saying all of us were 
 helpless against the decrees of fate, to which all must 
 submit, and that what has been ordained by the 
 omnipotent hand of Deity for any individual being 
 must come to pass : we must bear it with patience, 
 according to the saying, " Beneficiis maleficia pensare." 
 He promised the old Shaikh that my foolish act 
 should not go unrewarded, and that the punishment 
 should be a severe one ; which last sentence gave the 
 old fellow more consolation than all the doctrine 
 above preached. My uncle then came in, determined 
 to fulfil his promise ; but, being a man of very tender 
 heart, he could not punish me, so he told my mother 
 and grandmother what had taken place, upon which 
 both the ladies, without asking a question, and with- 
 out a judge and jury, began to use their canes on my 
 back unrelentingly. I cried for mercy, and declared 
 my innocence, telling them that I never burnt the 
 beard, which last sentence, foolishly uttered, proved 
 me guilty beyond all doubt. Fortunately, my uncle 
 being present, I received but very few blows, and 
 was released from the hands of my fair torturers. 
 
 My mother now swore, by the holy Kur'an that 
 she would burn my hands with a red-hot pair of
 
 16 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 tongs, if ever I was found guilty of a similar mis- 
 demeanour again. I was very glad that I got off 
 so easily, unaware of another impending thrashing 
 that I had to undergo next day. 
 
 Early in the next morning I proceeded to school, 
 with my books and breakfast. My master looked 
 very stiff and awkward, and did not return my salu- 
 tation. A young friend of mine, who sat next to me, 
 whispered that the old Shaikh had reported my 
 offence to the master, and that I must soon expect 
 the consequence. The boys were then examined in 
 their lessons of the day before, but I was required to 
 repeat by heart all that I had learnt for the last three 
 days, which I did with perfect fluency, and without 
 a single mistake. We were ordered to resume our 
 seats, and the master then asked me, " Did you burn 
 the old Shaikh's beard yesterday ?" " No, sir," 
 replied I, " but I set fire to it by mistake, and have 
 suffered for my error." " Mistake ! you little brute ! " 
 rejoined he, " it was a heinous crime, in return for 
 which, if you do not get something from me, as an 
 additional reward, you will certainly try my beard 
 next." I was then immediately tied to the post, and 
 flogged most unmercifully till my back was flayed. 
 This unexpected punishment caused me to determine 
 on another revenge, which I took on my master, and 
 I fortunately managed it so well as to escape detec- 
 tion. Moreover, his superstition led him to view 
 the accident in the light of a punishment inflicted
 
 MY KEYENGE. 17 
 
 on him by the invisible hand, for maltreating the 
 person of a sacred orphan, and he was confirmed in 
 this belief by several dreams. In the course of two 
 or three days, I took another opportunity of going to 
 the market-place, and purchased a little Jemalgota 
 (croton tiff Hum), the severe purgative powers of which 
 nut I knew beforehand, my uncle having administered 
 it to several persons as medicine. I powdered one 
 of the nuts, and preserved it folded up in a piece of 
 paper in my turban. My custom was to go to school 
 before the other, boys arrived. The next morning 
 when the coffee was brought in small cups for my 
 master and his three friends, each cup was placed 
 before their respective seats on the floor, they being 
 outside warmly engaged in arguing on a religious 
 point. The attendant having placed the cups went 
 out to inform them ; and I immediately taking out 
 the powder from my turban, put it in my master's 
 cup, and mixed it with my finger. In the meantime, 
 in comes a youngster, and, seeing me near the cup, 
 cries out, " Ha ! ha ! stealth ! " Mentally cursing 
 him, I told him he was blind and had lost his sight, 
 for accusing me, when I was driving away the flies 
 with my kerchief. I then asked him to come in my 
 place and act my part, as my turn was over. He 
 readily accepted the situation, and I, resuming my 
 seat, began to read my book with profound attention. 
 My master and his friends now came in, still engaged 
 in conversation, and drank their cups and smoked
 
 18 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 hookas with their usual zest. After about an hour 
 the friends left and my master began to feel uneasy. 
 I saw quite clearly that my miraculous dose was 
 taking effect on him; his brown complexion became 
 pale, his fiery eyes appeared dull and sunk ; and 
 strange qualms coming on, he told the boys to take a 
 holiday as he felt very unwell, and that it was owing 
 to his own imprudence, for in the entertainment of 
 last night he had eaten beyond the bounds of modera- 
 tion ; and " one of such feasts," observed he, " will 
 sooner or later put an end to my life." 
 
 We gladly received this order, and commenced 
 folding up our books, etc. In the meantime, the 
 master's, suffering became greater; he threw his 
 rosary on one side and his turban on another, and 
 began to roll on the floor, embracing his large pillow 
 a nd cursing the entertainment and its author. When 
 we prepared to leave the house and saluted the master, 
 he was seized with severe vomiting and other painful 
 symptoms ; so leaving the poor old man in this state, 
 we rushed out, each of us taking his own way. 
 
 For my part, I bent my steps towards home, with 
 the tear of sorrow in one eye and the light of satis- 
 faction in the other. To say the truth, although my 
 revenge was appeased, yet I could not help thinking 
 my horrid vengeance had exceeded the punishment I 
 had received; that one quarter of the cursed quan- 
 tity I gave him was quite sufficient for the poor old 
 fellow, and that if anything worse happened to him,
 
 3IY REVENGE. 19 
 
 I should have to carry his blood on my head at the 
 day of judgment (according to the preaching I often 
 heard from my uncle and others). With these con- 
 fusing thoughts I reached home. My mother asked 
 me the reason of my unseasonable return, and I 
 explained to her the cause, viz., the master's severe 
 illness, not forgetting, however, to mention the 
 unlucky feast of the night before, in which he had 
 overloaded his stomach according to his custom on 
 such occasions. Upon this, my mother ordered me 
 to sit at her wheel and read to her what I had learnt 
 during the last week. 
 
 This being the mango season, my uncle had gone 
 out to his trees in the morning, and did not return 
 till the afternoon. On being informed of the master's 
 indisposition, he observed that he had predicted it 
 last night, when he saw the old gentleman at the 
 feast. He immediately ran to his house, and finding 
 him exhausted and nearly lifeless, gave him some 
 cordial medicines, and leaving advice with the at- 
 tendant, returned home. The master recovered the 
 next morning, but was unfit for his duty for several 
 days, during which period I studied with my mother 
 and uncle. 
 
 On the master's recovery, the school became re- 
 populated, and I resumed my visits as usual. The 
 master's profound superstition led him to be more 
 respectful towards me than necessary, and he told 
 every one that his indisposition was owing to the
 
 20 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 displeasure of the saints my ancestors from whom 
 he had received many warnings in his dreams. He 
 begged my pardon for his past ill-treatment of me ; 
 so, at the age of seven, I was a little priest ; every- 
 body kissed my hand, and I was respected by all. 
 
 It was no more requisite now to instruct me in the 
 Holy Book, as I knew it almost all by heart. I knew 
 all the forms of prayer, and was sometimes put in 
 the pulpit to repeat sermons on Fridays, and I re- 
 member having acted my part well. 
 
 I was soon after removed from the Alkoranic 
 school, and intrusted to a Persian teacher. My 
 studies now became heavier, as I had two lessons to 
 learn, both in reading and writing, with the Persian 
 master during the day ; and, at night, my uncle was 
 pleased to load my little head with the elements of 
 the Arabic grammar, which last I hated, not knowing 
 the importance of what I was learning. On the other 
 hand, I liked Persian, having had the advantage of 
 knowing it colloquially from my infancy, the language 
 being generally spoken by all the members of our 
 family, on occasions of secresy and religious discus- 
 sions, etc. Besides, my new master was a very 
 gentlemanly man, of most amiable character. He 
 explained fully everything I asked, and proved 
 logically all he said. He seldom grew angry, and, 
 if ever he did, his words of anger were sweeter than 
 the applause of my first master. His instruction was 
 a mere matter of favour, as he was an officer of his
 
 I AM WELL-NIGH COZENED. 21 
 
 Highness the Gaikwar, residing there on duty, and 
 kept no school. 
 
 At the age of eight I went through the celebrated 
 works of the immortal Sadi. I could write a pass- 
 able hand in Persian, and thoroughly knew the 
 elements of the Arabic grammar. During this year 
 I met with a dangerous accident, but was lucky 
 enough to escape from the dreadful claws of the 
 angel of death. It happened, one Friday, that I went 
 to visit the shrine, being requested by my uncle to 
 attend occasionally, in order that my rightful claim 
 to the income might remain undisputed. I was 
 received with their usually hypocritical kindness by 
 my two cousins, and sat for a little while talking 
 with them. They observed I was too wise for my 
 years, but that I passed my life in a sort of prison 
 under teachers, and that, when I reached their age, 
 i. e., seventeen or eighteen, I should have got no 
 knowledge of the world. To this I made no reply, 
 but I could not help admiring their condition, com- 
 pared with my own, and thought their life must be 
 very happy, as they had no restriction of school, but 
 enjoyed freedom, and always talked, laughed, and 
 played, while I was confined in a dungeon, with 
 bundles of nasty papers. At the same time, I con- 
 soled myself with this conclusion (commonly resorted 
 to by all Muslims) : it was written, in the book of their 
 fate, to have a good and kind mother, and, in that of 
 mine, to have a strict one; it was not, therefore,
 
 22 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 proper to strive against fate, and thus I comforted 
 myself. In the meantime, several boys came in, and 
 all of us joined in playing and running about for an 
 hour. About 10 o'clock A.M. we got tired, and my 
 cousins proposed going to a tank in the neighbour- 
 hood to bathe, so all of us proceeded thither. 
 
 This was a small but beautiful tank, built at the 
 junction of several streams descending from hills. 
 The deep column of water was about fifteen yards 
 square; three sides of the tank were almost level 
 with the ground, with steps of red stone, but the 
 fourth side was built [up perpendicularly, and here 
 the water was deepest. The spot was lovely, covered 
 with verdant trees both of fruits and flowers, and 
 adorned with .lofty Hindu temples at a few yards' 
 distance from the pool. On our arrival here, my 
 cousins and others jumped down in the water from 
 the enormous height of the fourth side, and swam 
 from one side to another, seeming to enjoy them- 
 selves vastly. I longed greatly to play with them ; 
 perceiving this, from my looks, they asked me to join 
 them. I pleaded my inability in swimming, but 
 they offered to teach me by supporting me on their 
 hands. I willingly accepted the offer, and, stripping 
 myself, entered the water. My cousins swam across 
 once or twice with me, and then left me to my fate 
 in the middle. I went down and floated up once or 
 twice, and at last sunk never to rise again, if such 
 had been the will of the Almighty. My cousins and
 
 THE KIND BRAHMAN. 23 
 
 all the boys (I was told afterwards) ran away, the 
 former under the pretence of fetching some one to 
 take me out of the water, most likely thinking that 
 by the time they returned I should be no more. I 
 know not how long after I was taken out When I 
 came to my senses, I found myself hung to a tree 
 with my legs upward and head down, the water 
 flowing from my mouth, nose, and eyes, mixed with 
 foam. Opening my eyes, I saw a Brahman standing 
 by my side and whirling me about. As the rope by 
 which I was suspended to the bough slacked and 
 tightened I attempted to speak, but had no power of 
 doing so. I made signs with my hand, begging the 
 Brahman to release me from the torture I was 
 undergoing, and the good man did so ; after which, 
 he seated me on his right arm, and, standing up, he 
 turned round like a top until he was tired ; he tlien 
 fell down with me exhausted. In a little while, 
 regaining strength, I sat up, but was seized with 
 severe vomiting which spoiled his clothes. The 
 water issued from my mouth for about an hour ; in 
 the meantime, the good Brahman washed, bathed, 
 and purified himself in the tank, and returning to 
 me, stood at a little distance muttering his prayers in 
 Sanskrit, all the time eyeing me with compassion. 
 He asked me how I did ? To this kind question my 
 reply was, that I was very nearly recovered. I then 
 saluted him respectfully, and begged to know his 
 name. He told me his name was Rajaram, and that
 
 24 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 he was the principal warden of the temple opposite 
 to me; that he was watching me from within the 
 temple all the while, and when the boys deserted, 
 leaving me to perish in the water, he was inspired 
 by his god, Mahtideva, to draw me out, in obedience 
 to which sacred command he had saved my life. 
 He then asked me to make a prostration to the deity 
 to which I owed my life. Situated as I was I could 
 not well disobey my patron, so I made a profound 
 bow apparently to the stone, touching the ground 
 with my head, but, at the same time, bending my 
 little mind to the Almighty, the only God, the 
 Maker of the stone as well as of all creatures. As 
 a young Muslim priest, the first thing that had been 
 inculcated in me was to ridicule the folly of the 
 Hindus, in worshipping stones framed and made by 
 themselves, and other beings besides the Supreme 
 One. 
 
 This accident, however, raised doubts in my young 
 mind as I thought of Polytheism prevailing every- 
 where, and I argued with myself, " If the Hindu 
 shrines are stones, ours contain but dust and bones. 
 To believe in one or the other, or believe or dis- 
 believe in both, is a most puzzling question." On 
 the other hand, when I afterwards came to think 
 upon Christianity, Christians, too, seemed to have 
 fallen into various erroneous opinions respecting the 
 Prophet Jesus Christ (blessed be his name!). 
 Some make him their God, others the Son of
 
 THE KIND BRAHMAN. 25 
 
 God, and others one of the three persons of their 
 Trinity. 
 
 Although in my after life I was a good Muslim, 
 yet I could not shake off such confused notions 
 entirely, until I was about thirty years of age, when 
 my close study of some excellent works set my brain 
 right, and then I knew what I was and how to 
 perform my devotions to my Creator. I beg, how- 
 ever, to observe, that I am still ignorant of my first 
 origin, and of what I am to be on my being trans- 
 ferred to the undiscovered country, " from whose 
 bourne no traveller returns." Talking upon these 
 subjects, even with strictness, with some of my 
 learned friends, renders me an infidel in their estima- 
 tion, to whom my general reply is the ode of the 
 immortal Hafiz (may his earth be cool I), very 
 nearly corresponding with the following lines of 
 Lord Byron: 
 
 " Some kinder casuists are pleased to say, . , ( : 
 
 In nameless print, that I have no devotion ; 
 
 But set those persons down with me to pray, 
 And you shall see who has the properest notion 
 
 Of getting into heaven the shortest way. 
 My altars are the mountains and the ocean, 
 
 Earth, air, stars, all that springs from the great Whole 
 
 Who hath produced and will receive the soul." 
 
 To return to my own predicament : I had hardly 
 finished my affected prostration to the well-formed 
 medium of worship, w T hen the Brahman pointed out 
 to me the boys coming with ropes and hooks, for 
 the purpose of taking me out of the tank. My
 
 26 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 cousins ran and embraced me, and washed my body 
 from the dust and mud, etc., and assisted me in my 
 dressing, and shed false tears; telling me, at the 
 same time, that they were very sorry that I had 
 slipped from their hands, adding, that if they could 
 not have drawn me out of the water with the mate- 
 rials they had brought, they had determined upon 
 drowning themselves for my sake. The Brahman 
 listened to this plausible story of theirs very quietly, 
 and looked on at their washing and dressing me ; 
 which having done, they asked me to go along with 
 them. I got up, made my salam to the Brahman 
 and was about to depart, when he in an angry 
 tone addressed himself to them. " The boy shall 
 not leave the spot without my going with him, and 
 you shall not take him to throw him into another 
 well." 
 
 My cousins pretended to discuss the point, alleging 
 that I was their brother, but he threatened to call to 
 the neighbouring gardeners for help, and to send 
 them along with me to the Minister of the Raja, and 
 report their infamous conduct to him in full. Hear- 
 ing this, they were frightened out of their wits, and 
 prostrated themselves at his feet, begging his forgive- 
 ness for the sake of the deity in the temple. They 
 made him some present in money, and in return 
 took his solemn promise not to allow the story to 
 transpire. 
 
 I liked this arrangement, dreading that the betray-
 
 TEE KIND BRAHMAN. 27 
 
 ing the secret would bring on me a severe punish- 
 ment. He entered into the agreement with them in 
 every respect, except as to delivering me over to 
 them, which he declared he would never do for 
 anything in the world. 
 
 After mutual promises my cousins left the place, 
 and Raj dram, led me behind the temple, where he 
 spread a few bundles of grass under the thick shade 
 of a tree, and desired me to go to sleep. 
 
 I recollect that my sleep at that time was as sound 
 as that of eternity, and, to this day, I have never 
 had a slumber so refreshing. When roused by the 
 Brahman, I got up ; it was dark night, and I found 
 my clothes and the grassy bed all wet with the 
 moisture which issued from me during my rest. I 
 felt my head heavy, my limbs benumbed, and my 
 mental power stupified. The Brahman made me 
 wash my hands and face, and then asked me where I 
 resided. I mentioned to him the name of the quarter 
 and that of my uncle, the mere, mention of whom 
 caused me, on a sudden, to burst into a violent flood 
 of tears. The Brahman then held me by the hand, 
 and led me to the direction I pointed out. He asked 
 me where my father was ? " He died long ago," 
 replied I. As we proceeded, he put several questions, 
 regarding my station in life, means of livelihood, and 
 relatives, etc. I told him everything I possibly could, 
 and the poor man seemed greatly moved with com- 
 passion at my distressful condition. He made me a
 
 28 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLA . 
 
 present of two rupees, and advised me never to go to 
 bathe, or trust my cousins again. 
 
 At the gate of my house he left me and departed. 
 My mother, uncle, and others received me with 
 delight after their long anxiety. My uncle was ready 
 to start in search of me, when I arrived. I was asked 
 the reason of my long absence, and, in reply, I 
 pleaded indisposition; and, after taking my meal, I 
 was put in bed. 
 
 Five or six days after, my uncle was informed of 
 the accident by some of his boys. He explained it 
 to my mother, and this time all the members of 
 the family took pity on me, instead of visiting me, as 
 usual, with reproof. Rajaram was sent for, and 
 sincerely thanked by all. My good mother, especially, 
 with tearful eyes appeared before him, against all 
 the laws of morality of Mohamedan ladies; she 
 thanked him most sincerely for having saved her 
 only son's life, and offered him a pair of silver brace- 
 lets and ten rupees in ready cash as a humble reward, 
 declaring that was all she then possessed in the world, 
 and that if she had ten lacs of rupees she would 
 have given all to him with pleasure, still considering 
 his service had far exceeded in comparison the 
 amount. The poor, but honest, Brahman said he 
 took the offer to be the very act, and that he would 
 not deprive the poor lady of a small sum on any 
 account; however, he took one rupee out of it to 
 please her.
 
 AZEAIL AGAIN APPROACHES. 29 
 
 After this, I was not allowed to go anywhere, 
 except to my school. Misfortunes do not come singly: 
 about two months subsequent to my being thus saved 
 from drowning, I was seized with dysentery, which 
 tenacious and trying malady fed on my flesh for seven 
 long months. I was reduced to a mere skeleton. 
 All sorts of medicines were tried on me, most abomi- 
 nable in taste and appearance, but without any 
 effect. 1 was allowed nothing but rice and dal, 
 which food to my palate was worse than medicine. 
 In short, I was given up by all. The poor Brahman 
 often called on me ; he comforted me in my presence, 
 but, on turning his back, he shed tears at my orphan- 
 age, poverty, and mortal disorder. 
 
 As the time went on, the month of Moharram or 
 the anniversary of the death of our most sacred king 
 of martyrs, Imam Husain, the son of Ali, by the 
 daughter of our blessed prophet arriving, a sort of 
 fair was held in the city for about ten days. ' I had 
 little or no strength to walk without another person's 
 aid, and asked my uncle to help me out as far as 
 the gate of our house, where he seated me on a small 
 bench and returned. Looking on the thoroughfare 
 of the people, and their playing with warlike weapons, 
 etc., I could not help envying their healthful condition, 
 and had the mortification of reflecting that my time 
 was over, and that it was no use thinking of the 
 world, where I had to stay for only a few days, or, 
 very likely, a few hours. I was seized with despon-
 
 30 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 dency and despair, ignorant of tins, that I had still 
 many vicissitudes to encounter, and many years more 
 to breathe upon this terrestrial globe of wonder ; and 
 little thinking of the unlimited power of the omni- 
 potent divine Providence, which shows its miraculous 
 effects where all human powers fail. 
 
 During my stay at the gate, my attention was 
 drawn to the cook-shop, adorned with several kinds 
 of cakes and some pastry of mince-meat, etc. I 
 asked my uncle to give me some money that I might 
 purchase some of it, as I felt my desire irresistibly 
 strong to have it ; but the reply was a usual one, 
 " You shall not have any of it ; for meat is indi- 
 gestible, and poison for those who have dysentery ; 
 you are sure to die in case of tasting even a particle 
 of it." For my part, I did not like this advice, but 
 was obliged to submit to it. The next day I stole 
 a few pieces from my mother's work-box, and pre- 
 pared in the evening to buy some of the pastry. 
 My desire was so great that I would have it, and 
 cared not if it cost me my life. The evening came, 
 and I took my staff, and walked out to the gate 
 supported by it. Taking my seat, I called to the 
 cook, and, giving him the pieces of money, I obtained 
 the object of my ardent desire. But now, it was 
 another difficulty, almost unsolvable, where to eat 
 it undiscovered by anybody ? My experience, how- 
 ever, soon suggested a secret place, where I went 
 and devoured the large quantity I think about one
 
 THE TOBACCO* CUBE. 31 
 
 pound in weight and then going to my bed, I slept ; 
 concluding, from the advice of my good preceptors, 
 that the venom would have its full effect on me 
 during my sleep, and that I should never rise to 
 suffer any more distress from dysentery or other 
 misfortunes. The next morning, to my own great 
 surprise and that of all the family, I found my- 
 self quite recovered. The venom, in my opinion 
 and that of my friends, acted as an antidote. I 
 began to gain strength every day, and in about 
 two months I was altogether as healthy as possible, 
 excepting that my stomach still remained exorbi- 
 tantly protuberant, but without any sensible pain. 
 To remove this unnatural deformity some of my 
 advisers desired me to smoke, the hooka; this I 
 readily acceded to, and the expected result gradually 
 followed : I quite recovered, though I thus became 
 addicted to a bad habit of smoking, and now I con- 
 clude this chapter with the expiration of the eighth 
 year of my age.
 
 32 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Political state of affairs about the year 1810 Rumours respecting 
 the new race of foreigners called the Feringees Bheel 
 robbers Mode of executing them Visit to Earoda First 
 rencontre with Feringees Rite of Circumcision Reflections 
 Visit to Ujjain My mother's second marriage Plunder of 
 my step-father's house by Sindiah's soldiers An Eastern 
 story. 
 
 AT this time, rumours of war were heard in all 
 directions. The kingdom of Delhi received a mortal 
 blow at the death of Aurangzeb, A.D. 1706; but the 
 dynasty was, in fact, extinguished by by Shah Alain, 
 who, after a life of sensual enjoyment, was blinded 
 by Ghulam Kadir Khan, one of his nobles, in 1788, 
 expired in 1806, and was succeeded by his son, 
 Akbar the II., who was placed on the throne by the 
 Marathas. Observing the kingdom in such a state, 
 the governors of different- provinces assumed inde- 
 pendent power. 
 
 Amid these changes, the most interesting news 
 to us was the following : About sixty years pre- 
 viously, during the reign of Mohamed Shah, some 
 foreign adventurers, wonderful in their character 
 and manners, appeared in the country, where they 
 began to establish themselves, taking the advantage 
 of the emperor's weakness, and of the universal
 
 FERIXGEES. 33 
 
 discord amongst the nobles and governors of the pro- 
 vinces. Strange things were said regarding this won- 
 derful people, who, it was affirmed, had no skin, but 
 a thin membrane covering their body, which made 
 them appear abominably white. They were perfect in 
 magical art, which made them successful in all their 
 undertakings. They did not believe in our blessed 
 Prophet, and they called themselves Christians ; but 
 would not act upon the laws of the sacred Anjil, 
 which holy book they had changed in several places 
 to serve their worldly purposes. Most of them still 
 worshipped images, and they ate everything, and 
 particularly things forbidden by the holy Moses, and 
 this in spite of the order of the sacred Anjil (St. 
 Matthew, v. 18 and 19); nay, they did not spare 
 human flesh when driven to extremity. They had 
 made three Gods for themselves instead of one the 
 only Omnipotent Supreme Being contrary to their 
 first commandment; and, most absurd of all, they 
 attributed to the Almighty God the having wife and 
 children ; and by the same token they called their 
 Prophet and themselves Son and children of God. 
 Such reports were the topic of almost all con- 
 versations, and many other things were said against 
 them, and only one in their favour that they 
 were not unjust ; but in the administration of 
 justice, they never deviated from the sacred book 
 of the ancient law of Solomon, the Son of David, 
 etc. 
 
 c
 
 34 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIL 
 
 These and similar accounts not only amused us, 
 but sometimes excited us to a fit of fanaticism. Such 
 were the tales that spread abroad in India at that 
 time. My uncle and myself wanted particularly to 
 see some of these extraordinary people, and to ques- 
 tion them on their erroneous religion. But as they 
 had not visited our city yet, and we had never seen 
 a European face, our zeal remained untried. The 
 morning of good luck, however, now began to dawn 
 upon the people of our district, for they in those 
 days were not molested by the outlaws, the Pindarees 
 being engaged with their enemies. But the hill Bheels 
 still infested the roads, and occasionally paid their 
 nocturnal visits to the town, to rob at the risk of their 
 life. They were sometimes apprehended, and then 
 rarely escaped, and that only by bribing the ministers 
 and giving large presents to the Raja himself; and 
 if not, they used to be punished and executed in most 
 cruel fashion ; such as by being tied to the foot of an 
 elephant to be dragged through the town, or being 
 split by one of those huge animals. In the latter 
 case, the elephant, directed by the mahawat, puts 
 one of the legs of the poor victim under his foot, 
 and, seizing the other with his trunk, splits him in 
 a second by a pull, when the leg pulled comes off 
 with the covering of the stomach and very nearly 
 half the skin of the body. The next mode is break- 
 ing the head : this horrid punishment is inflicted by 
 putting the man horizontally on one side with his
 
 CKUEL PUNISHMENTS. 35 
 
 head on a flat stone ; a ball of stone is then put on 
 his upper temple, and the executioner, asking per- 
 mission of the officer three times, inflicts a fatal blow 
 with a large wooden hammer on the small ball, which 
 smashes the head at once, and the brain is dashed 
 out. Other modes are, throwing down from the 
 high wall of a castle; beheading with the sword; 
 and, lastly, blowing from the mouth of a cannon. 
 I have often been an eye-witness to these horrid 
 executions, and beg my reader to avoid them to 
 the best of his power. 
 
 Returning to the subject of my own life : our cir- 
 cumstances now became miserably straitened ; we 
 sold all we had, and sometimes starved for a day or 
 so, after which we obtained but sorry food through 
 our own hard labour. All the females either worked 
 with the needle or the spinning-wheel from morning 
 till midnight ; and my uncle wrote copies of different 
 books, and I assisted him in reading and comparing 
 them all day long. But the price of our labour 
 was insufficient for our livelihood. My uncle at 
 last, tired of the sufferings consequent upon poverty, 
 resolved to go to Baroda, where resided several 
 wealthy disciples of his own and of my late father ; 
 and our visit to them would, we fully trusted, relieve 
 us from the misery of want, at all events for some 
 time. 
 
 Our journey being determined upon, my uncle, 
 mother, and myself made the reqxiired preparations 
 
 C 2
 
 36 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 to start with the first caravan of opium carts, took 
 leave of all the members of the family, and left the 
 town. We were received by the cartmen of the 
 caravan with great respect; all of whom, being 
 Moslems of the Oilmen caste, regularly worshipped 
 us. They prayed five times a day with us, and 
 made comfortable places for us in the carts. They 
 gave us better food than what they ate, and sheltered 
 us from the sun and the dew. This was my first 
 travel, and the curiosities of nature filled my little 
 mind with uncommon amusement; the sweetly- 
 fragrant breeze of the jungles, in the morning after 
 prayer, refreshed my brain; the views of lofty 
 mountains of various shapes, of rivers and clear 
 streams, and the beauty of the trees clad in green 
 and covered with flowers of different hues, afforded 
 an admirably new landscape to the sight ; and the 
 most sweet and melodious voices of the birds 
 enchanted my ears. At such times my uncle 
 generally cited the beautiful verses of the immortal 
 S'adi of Shfraz, " Each of the green trees, in the 
 eyes of the wise, is a book that will teach you 
 the knowledge of the infinite power of the Author," 
 etc., in the same sense with William Shakespeare, 
 
 " And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
 Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and good hi everything." 
 
 We travelled on comfortably enough in the carts 
 at the rate of thirteen or fourteen miles a day, and
 
 VISIT TO BARODA. 37 
 
 reached our destination in the course of twenty-one 
 days. On our arrival we were received by our 
 disciples in a manner most hospitable. Five days 
 afterwards my uncle and myself unfortunately caught 
 the jungle fever : my sufferings ended in a short 
 time, but those of my uncle were very severe, and 
 his fever terminating in diarrhoea, rendered him 
 very weak, lean, and miserable; and our return 
 to sweet home was "soon determined upon in con- 
 sequence. We got about three hundred rupees, 
 subscribed by our good hosts, and another caravan 
 of carts was most anxiously looked for to convey 
 us back. 
 
 Previous to leaving the city, I will give my reader 
 some account of it. The town of Baroda, originally 
 Barpatra (or a bar leaf, i.e., leaf of the Ficus Indica, 
 in shape), was the first large city I had seen. It 
 bore no comparison with my poor miserable town, 
 which was hardly equal to one-twelfth part of 
 Baroda. The inner city is enclosed with walls, 
 irregularly towered, extending about two miles and 
 a half in circumference, in height from sixteen to 
 twenty feet ; but the outer is only nominally walled. 
 It has a lofty and great quadrangular public building 
 in the centre, called Mandavee, under the roof of 
 which there are about one hundred shops of retail 
 dealers. This place has three high gates on each 
 side, and the four angles stretch forth, in direct lines 
 of shops and houses, down to the inner wall of the
 
 38 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAE. 
 
 city ; so the town divides itself into four equal parts, 
 the roads crossing each other at the central market- 
 place. The palace is meanly built in the usual 
 Maratha style, more like a dungeon than a palace. 
 The population of the city at that time was estimated 
 to be something more than one hundred thousand. 
 
 The Government of Baroda was then held by a 
 Maratha Rajd, of the Gaikwar or cowherd caste, 
 named Anand Rao, the sixth Gaikwar from Pilaji, 
 the founder of the dynasty. These Rajas being an 
 illiterate race, were much under the influence of 
 designing ministers, who perpetrated all sorts of 
 enormities, and introduced disorder and confusion 
 into every department of the State in order to veil 
 their own wicked acts. 
 
 Anand Rao was succeeded by his brother, Syaji 
 Rao, who, being a person of economical character, 
 amassed a large treasury, and had eight sons and 
 several daughters. The eldest son, Ganpat Rao 
 Gaikwar, commonly called Rao Sahib, having been 
 already acknowledged as heir apparant, by his late 
 father, put himself on the masnad immediately on 
 his father's death. On all occasions the father had 
 acted the part of a minister to his son, excdpt in 
 business with the British Resident, who, I believe, 
 would not recognise him to be the heir apparent. 
 Amongst the population I saw, for the first time, 
 two classes with the eyes of amazement. They were 
 the English and the Parsis ; of the former I gave my
 
 RENCONTRE WITH THE ENGLISH. 39 
 
 reader some account in the beginning of the chapter, 
 according to my then knowledge, founded upon the 
 information I received from good authorities. I will 
 add something here, which struck at me the time, 
 concerning the English. One morning as I was 
 walking in the city to divert myself, I saw four men, 
 two of them on horseback, and the other two walking 
 along with them ; to my great curiosity I found their 
 complexion corresponding with what we had heard. 
 I heard them talking among themselves, and their 
 jargon sounded harsh and wild to my hearing. 
 Their dress tightly fitted to their bodies, without 
 any skirt to screen such parts as the law of modesty 
 has taught man to conceal. I felt inclined to accost 
 them ; but thought myself too young to venture 
 on such an intrusion in a foreign city. I raised my 
 hand, however, to my forehead, in token of salu- 
 tation, without uttering the sacred sentence, " As 
 salamun alaikum," to which my mind whispered 
 none were entitled except true believers. They 
 returned my salutation very kindly, which civility 
 greatly softened my prejudices against them. 
 
 I was much amused at Baroda with a tame rhi- 
 noceros, kept at one of the gates of the city, known 
 by the name of " the animal." It is the most powerful 
 animal on the face of the earth. I was so fond of 
 looking at the creature during my stay at Baroda, 
 that I spent many hours of leisure in sitting with the 
 keepers, and staring at the animal.
 
 40 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 In the course of a few days a caravan of empty 
 carts being ready to start to our district for the 
 purchase of opium, the cart owners, some of whom 
 were the same individuals who brought us to Baroda, 
 readily agreed to take us back. Our disciples went 
 along with us for two or three miles, and then, after 
 they had paid their last and profoundest respects, we 
 bade adieu to each other, and proceeded on. Our 
 marches were short; but being unintermitting, we 
 soon reached home in safety. My uncle recovered 
 from his distemper during the journey, without any 
 medical aid ; and we concluded that the same air and 
 water in a jungle which at one time produce disorder 
 in a person, at another are the best antidote for his 
 recovery. 
 
 In short, our journey being ended in success, we 
 had the pleasure of seeing our kind relations. I 
 cannot express the sense of happiness I felt in 
 embracing my old and dearest grandmother and 
 others. In this world of accidents no happiness can 
 be equivalent to that of seeing one's friends after a 
 separation. All of us lived in peace for some time, 
 returning our thanks to the Almighty God for the 
 satisfaction we enjoyed. I was now a boy of some 
 weight in the family, having gained a little experience 
 by travelling, and being attentive to my studies. 
 
 Another year of my life passed away, as if in the 
 twinkling of an eye, during which scarcely anything 
 occurred worthy of notice, with the exception of the
 
 THE JEWISH RITE. 41 
 
 antique Jewish ceremony, strictly attended to by all 
 the Mohamedans except the royal family of Delhi. 
 This was very painful and provoking to me, and 
 confined me to my bed for more than one month. 
 
 Here I must express my wonder that Muslims are 
 so strict in adhering to this hurtful and sometimes 
 fatal operation, though the sacred Kur'an is entirely 
 silent upon the subject. Common-sense should teach 
 my good people not to deprive a son of Adam of 
 any part of his body bestowed on him by nature: 
 " hsec membrana data est pro preservatione sensationis 
 peculiaris et procreationis." Notwithstanding this 
 scrupulousness in a rite which our sacred book has 
 not made binding on us, most of the true believers 
 in general at this time neglect many strict orders 
 enjoined by the Kur'an, such as prayers five times 
 a day, fasting thirty days annually, the bestowal of 
 alms to the extent of a fortieth part of one's pro- 
 perty annually, and pilgrimage to Mecca once during 
 one's lifetime, if it can be afforded. True believers 
 are prohibited from making use of any inebriating 
 thing, and from receiving or paying interest on 
 money. These, and many other religious duties, I 
 am sorry to find are very loosely attended to by the 
 Muslims of this time in the world. 
 
 Prayers and fasts are observed by very few of the 
 religious character only, and the prescribed charity 
 by one among a thousand of the rich. Pilgrimage 
 is performed by very few people of affluence ; it is
 
 42 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAE. 
 
 resorted to, in general, by the poor -wretches -who 
 either find or render themselves useless to the world. 
 Those who abstain from intoxicating drugs, or liquors, 
 do not exceed one in five thousand ; and those that 
 are clear from the crime of usurious transactions are, 
 I may safely say, absolutely none. The mysterious 
 secret of producing or destroying any religion rests 
 with the only omniscient Supreme Being : His acts 
 must be full of wisdom, and unfathomable by philo- 
 sophers of highest rank. Let me, therefore, be silent 
 upon the subject, leaving things to run their own 
 course at His mighty pleasure, and let me be guided 
 by the law of His blessed Prophet. A mortal like 
 myself should not deviate from a path followed by 
 twelve crores (120,000,000) of people for the last 
 more than twelve and a half centuries. As the 
 English poet well observes : 
 
 " Thyself but dust, thy stature but a span, 
 A moment thy duration, foolish man !" 
 
 PKIOB. 
 
 In a few months, the stock of our money again 
 being exhausted, my uncle made another preparation 
 for a new journey to the ancient city of Ujjain, taking 
 a few MSS. along with him for sale ; my mother and 
 self, being his best companions in .travelling, accom- 
 panied him at his earnest desire. We hired a vehicle, 
 and proceeded on at the rate of four or five miles 
 a day, halting at every village that contained some 
 houses of Muslims, where we preached the sacred
 
 VISIT TO UJJAIN. 43 
 
 commands and prohibitions, and in return were 
 treated with every respect, and great reverence. At 
 length we reached our destination. The suburbs of 
 the city were most charming, and afforded an excel- 
 lent view of the edifices and domes of the ancient 
 Hindu temples, and the minarets of mosques, rising 
 above groves of fresh and verdant trees at the side 
 of the river Sipra. We entered the city, and put 
 up with an old friend of my uncle. 
 
 After our arrival here I was highly pleased with 
 the town, and upon inquiry about it, I was informed 
 that the city had stood, according to the Hindu 
 legends (or Puranas) for many ages. It is held in 
 great veneration by the Hindus, on account of its 
 having been the place where the Rajas Karan, 
 Bhartri, and the most celebrated Vikram, once sat on 
 the throne of Government, aided by invisible spirits. 
 The death of the illustrious Raja Vikram, which 
 occurred about 57 years B.C., is the principal epoch of 
 the Hindus throughout the whole of India. The city 
 was first conquered by Mohamedans in 1229 A.D., 
 and it fell into the hands of the Marathas during the 
 imbecile reign of Mohamed Shah; and ever since 
 has been enjoyed by the Sindhiah family. The popu- 
 lation in 1810 A.D., amounted to about 120,000 persons. 
 
 During our few days' stay in this city, several 
 offers of a second marriage were brought to my 
 mother. To some of them my uncle gave his silent 
 assent; seeing that, though his sister was twenty-
 
 44 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 seven years of age, yet her beauty was still more 
 exquisite than ever. Presently he began to speak to 
 her seriously, telling her that it was a sin to keep 
 unmarried for the sake of mere name which was a 
 sin against our law ; besides, it was sheer folly and a 
 great pity to put a restraint on nature, in attempting 
 which many pious persons naturally fell victims to 
 heinous crimes. To this my mother made a very 
 angry reply, telling him that she knew she and her 
 son proved cumbersome to him, but, in fat are, she 
 would take great care to live separately upon her 
 own industry ; and, as for a second change in the 
 state of her free life, she would rather go to hell 
 than submit to such nonsense again. My uncle 
 pacified her, explaining many things concerning the 
 vicissitudes of man's life in this world, and affirming, 
 at the same time, that we were of great assistance to 
 him and far from cumbersome, and that all his 
 happiness consisted in our welfare and prosperity. 
 In fine, my good parent, listening to the advice of 
 her brother, accepted an offer, and was married to a 
 soldier of high rank in the service of His Highness 
 Daulat Rao Sindhiah's mother, named Mynabee. 
 He was a man past forty years, and of great expe- 
 rience; and the lady in whose service he was, had 
 entrusted all her public and private matters to his 
 care and superintendence. She would not do any- 
 thing without his advice. The discord between 
 herself and the Prince, her son, was owing, I was
 
 MY STEPFATIIEB. 45 
 
 told, to his bad advice. He was a tall man of large 
 stature, well-made, but with a semi-oval enormous 
 paunch before him. His complexion was dark, and 
 his mind was darker than an infidel's heart, for he 
 was illiterate and completely given up to worldly 
 matters. I did not like the unsuitable alliance for 
 some time, but the man having no male issue from 
 his former wife, began to regard me as his own 
 child. He ordered his people to teach me horseman- 
 ship and the use of arms. Tw r o servants waited on 
 me, and I went out in the morning to the courts of 
 the nobles in the city ; and in the evening with my 
 suite, led by vanity, perhaps, to show myself to th 1 " 
 people. Matters went on thus for about two months, 
 when the old lady, our employer and protectress, 
 departed this life, and the counsellor under whose 
 protection we were, began to tremble for his safety, 
 as he was not on good terms with anybody in the 
 court, and under the displeasure of Sindhiah. 
 
 Ten days after the death of the old Princess, one 
 morning at about four o'clock, our lodging was unex- 
 pectedly surrounded by a strong party of matchlock- 
 men, their matches lighted and their swords drawn. 
 They fired a volley at our peaceful abode, which put 
 us in great consternation and peril. My stepfather 
 was in inexpressible alarm. The doors of the house, 
 however, being very strong, the assault of the 
 soldiers had but little or no effect upon them ; but 
 much on the minds of the inmates. The poor master
 
 46 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAII. 
 
 of the house, collecting his scared senses, performed 
 his ahlution and had recourse to his prayers. My 
 mother, with her female slaves and attendants, think 
 ing the approach of death near, fainted outright. As 
 for myself, I felt firm enough, believing that there 
 was no chance of my being killed, as I felt conscious 
 of my innocence; and, further, that even if they put 
 me to death I should die a martyr, and would, in 
 consequence, go to heaven, where I was sure to enjoy 
 a better life in the palaces of rubies and diamonds, 
 fed with nectarious food, and associating with Huries 
 instead of this miserable life. In the meantime, the 
 door of the yard was broken open and in rushed 
 the ruffians. The morning now began to dawn, and 
 the great luminary to send forth its brilliant rays 
 over the world : I felt as if I could not keep myself 
 within the house any longer, but presented myself 
 to the unwelcome visitors. I found them busy in 
 pillaging everything they could lay their hands upon. 
 They had already saddled and despatched the horses, 
 sent away the palanqueen and the carriage, I know 
 not where; suffice it to say that the outer apartments 
 were swept clean in a few minutes, but they dared 
 not enter the house law and custom being impene- 
 trable barriers against them. One of them happening 
 to see me at a distance, standing with both my hands 
 in my pockets, cried out to his comrade in Marathi 
 (which, on account of my natural avidity for lan- 
 guages, at this time I began to understand), " Seize
 
 THE PILLAGE. 47 
 
 the young rascal I " " Make haste," called out 
 another, " and tie him to the post, torture him a 
 little, his screams and lamentations will soon fetch 
 out the Siibahdar, to secure whom is the final object 
 of our expedition." Hearing this, I boldly advanced 
 to the commanding officer, who knew me previously 
 and often talked and joked with me, warning the 
 guard, at the same time, not to touch one whom they 
 would find ready to go to the loaded cannon's mouth 
 if they wanted him. As for torturing, I cared not ; 
 and I swore I would not utter one word, even if they 
 tore my flesh off with pincers ; but if they used me 
 fairly, I considered it in my power to bring out the 
 old Siibahdar and all his property too. The officer 
 heard my bold speech with admiration, and said, 
 " Touch him not ; he is a brave little soldier ; let 
 him come to me ; he is my friend, and hath nothing 
 to do with this rotten affair." This encouragement, 
 of course, emboldened me more ; I greeted the officer 
 for his kindness, and thanked him ; he was greatly 
 pleased with me, seated me by his side, and observed 
 that he was reluctantly put on this important duty 
 by the Minister of State; and his orders were to 
 confiscate all the property that he could find in the 
 outer apartments, and keep the Siibahdar under 
 strict surveillance until further orders from his 
 Highness the Maharajah at Gwalior, but that in case 
 the old man should not give himself up, or should 
 show any resistance, his party then might enter the
 
 48 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAIT. 
 
 private apartments with naked swords, take posses- 
 sion of all the property that might be found there, 
 and secure him, nolens volens. I replied I would 
 go to my stepfather and explain to him the orders, 
 and do my best to persuade him to show himself; 
 should I fail, I told the officer he might execute his 
 commands as he chose. He agreed to this plan, and 
 I, as a little politician, returned and spoke to the old 
 man, telling him that it was the best thing for himself 
 and the family to surrender, and that it was of no 
 avail to kick against the pricks, or, as the Asiatics 
 say, to strike the hatchet upon one's own foot. The 
 old man hearing me with patience, embraced me 
 and kissed my forehead with his eyes full of tears, 
 bnt he was too fond of his life to give himself up 
 so easily. " 111 conscience can never be fearless." 
 He told me that if the officer took his solemn oath, 
 by pouring water on a cow's tail, declaring that no 
 harm was intended to his person, he would appear ; 
 otherwise, he would escape, breaking through the 
 roof of the house, and that he would be off with all 
 speed ; and, " as to the females," quoth he, " let 
 them devise the means of their own safety in the 
 best way they can." Charged with this cowardly 
 message, I turned my back and cursed, the old fellow 
 for his cowardice. I recollected some of my lessons 
 in the Persian Book of Examples and found them 
 verified. " A lion in appearance may turn out to 
 be a jackal on trial, and vice versa" I will here
 
 AN EASTERN STORY. 49 
 
 insert the fable related under the proverb in the same 
 
 ;>ook for the perusal of my reader. 
 
 " There were in ancient times' five ladies of ex- 
 quisite beauty residing in the city of Samarkand, 
 intimately connected with each other both by friend- 
 ship and consanguinity. Four of them had been 
 married, but the fifth would not, on any account, 
 exchange her state of freedom for that of matrimonial 
 bondage. On one beautiful evening in spring, as 
 they sat conversing among themselves, one of them 
 said that her husband's love towards her was un- 
 equalled in the world; the second, in her turn, 
 observed that her husband was the handsomest man 
 in Persia; the third remarked that her spouse was 
 the bravest man of the time ; and the fourth added 
 that her husband was unequalled in liberality : thus, 
 each of them praised her own lord to excite the envy 
 of the unmarried lady, whom they then addressed, 
 
 * Madam, have you nothing to talk of this evening? ' 
 She replied, she had many things to say to them, 
 but would examine first into the truth of the com- 
 mendations they had bestowed on their consorts, and 
 see if they were deserved. She then asked the first 
 beauty, 'if her husband had ever seen a beautiful 
 woman besides herself.' The reply was, ( No ! ' 
 
 * Then,' said she, * try him first, and then you will 
 certainly know whether he loves you or not.' Of the 
 second she asked, ' Madam, has your handsome hus- 
 band got his manly ornament, i. e., the beard ?' ' No ;
 
 50 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 not yet,' replied the other. c Then wait until he is 
 bearded, and then you will be able to tell whether 
 he is handsome or not.' To the third she said, f My 
 young lady! has your lord been wounded in a battler' 
 * No, Madam, not yet,' was her reply. ' Then,' re- 
 turned she ' you cannot tell yet whether he is a brave 
 man or not, so wait till such an accident occurs to 
 testify to his valour.' She then interrogated the 
 fourth, inquiring * whether her lord was liberal upon 
 wealth obtained by himself, by his own industry, or 
 otherwise?' She replied, f Upon the estate left by 
 his late father.' ' Then,' said the virgin, f term his 
 liberality extravagance and prodigality until he is 
 liberal from his own riches.'" 
 
 At first, the gaudy military appearance of my step- 
 father, led me to believe that he was a man of 
 courage ; but, on this trial, I found him to be worse 
 than a jackal. 
 
 Bearing, however, the above message, I came down, 
 and, returning to the officer, I told him that the 
 Siibhadar had armed himself; that he had his blun- 
 derbuss loaded with bullets to the mouth, full cocked, 
 in his hand, and as soon as the guard attempted to 
 enter, he would act in his self-defence. I added, 
 he was determined to hold out to the last ; that he 
 intended to destroy his females, and then he would 
 break through. "Thus," said I, "you will see 
 several murders in cold blood in your presence, and 
 for these I know not who will have to atone ; and,
 
 MY STEP-FATHER A PRISONER. 51 
 
 after all, it is not so safe for tlie guard too. Who 
 knows to whose share the bullets of the blunderbuss 
 are to fall, before the Subahdar is captured, dead or 
 alive ? But," added I, " there is onl y one way for 
 a peaceful conclusion left, that is, if you take your 
 solemn oath upon the cow's tail that no treachery will 
 ensue so as, in any way, to endanger the person of 
 the old gentleman ; if he w T ere sure of this, he would 
 come out and surrender." Thus I delivered the 
 cowardly message, with the addition of a few touches 
 of my own. 
 
 The concluding proposal of mine was immediately 
 agreed to by the commander. A Brahman and a cow 
 were soon produced ; and the Brahman, putting the 
 tail of the animal in the commander's hand, poured 
 down some water upon it, and uttered some words in 
 Sanskrit, which caused the poor man to tremble at 
 their solemnity. The Subahdar, observing this 
 through the keyhole, immediately descended; and 
 the commander's party surrounding him, the officer 
 read his order to the Subahdar, and asked him to 
 give up his arms. This he did with some reluctance, 
 and resigned himself to the decree of fate. In the 
 evening, he gave a bag of five hundred rupees secretly 
 to the commander as a bribe, which dumb coins made 
 him and his party, not only dumb, but enslaved them 
 all to us ; and though we were their prisoners, yet 
 they made themselves ours. 
 
 Two long and tedious months elapsed in this
 
 52 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 unlucky restraint. The poor governor, during the 
 day, sat at the door of his zananah. At night two 
 men always sat by his bed; and if he walked he 
 had them at his elbow. For my part, I was free ; I 
 entered the house, and went out anywhere I liked, 
 without any sort of obstruction whatever. At last, 
 the orders arrived from Gwalior directing our release, 
 and they were duly executed. A robe of honour was 
 given to the old man in the Durbar, to make amends 
 for his sufferings ; and a long speech, in the high 
 Marathi language, was read out by the Minister, to 
 give consolation to the poor weak-minded old fellow. 
 He took all this very coolly, and, on his dismissal, 
 he asked for the restoration of his live and dead stock, 
 confiscated by the Government officers. To this, the 
 deputy replied, he could not give anything back, as 
 the orders were silent on that head. " Had it been 
 otherwise," added he, " I would have had much 
 pleasure in restoring them, and would have added 
 something from myself."
 
 SUPERSTITIONS IN HINDUSTAN. 53 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 My step-father imputes his calamity to shaving on an unlucky 
 day. Astrology and superstitions of the inhabitants of Hin- 
 dustan. We visit Sindhiah's Court at Gwalior. The Prince 
 pays our losses with a smile enlists my step-father in his 
 service. My cruel treatment. I fly from Gwalior. 
 
 THIT old gentleman, after his imprisonment, ap- 
 peared quite satisfied with his lot, attributing the 
 misfortune partly to destiny, and partly to having ' 
 his head shaved on an unlucky day. 
 
 I will here give some idea of the superstitious 
 rites prevailing all over India, among all castes. 
 Although the law of our blessed Prophet rejects 
 every kind of superstition, whether founded upon 
 astrology or Arab traditions of the Dark Ages ; yet, 
 even Mohamedans in general do still follow the 
 errors of the false religions. Upon almost all under- 
 takings of importance they will consult astrology. 
 Marriages, going on a journey, the birth of a child, 
 the commencement of a building, venesection, and 
 even shaving one's head, are all occasions which 
 require an astrologer to be consulted, and lucky days 
 and hours are appointed for such acts. Six days in 
 every lunar month are considered unlucky; to find
 
 54 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAII. 
 
 out these, count on the tips of the fingers, beginning 
 from the little finger to the thumb and repeating 
 the same for the thirty days, and the days that come 
 on the tip of the middle finger are avoided ; they are 
 as follows, 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, and 28th. 
 
 Mohamedans are particular in shunning the per- 
 formance of business, or going on a journey, as for- 
 bidden by the Prophet himself, during the moon's 
 rotation of about fifty-four hours in the sign Scorpio. 
 The rule to find out this time is a very simple one. 
 Take the dates of the lunar month, double the same, 
 add five, and divide the amount by fives, allotting 
 each five to each one of the signs, commencing from 
 that which is the mansion of the Sun at that time, 
 and the last five must be that sign in which the 
 Moon then performs her course. Should there remain 
 any number less than five, such a residue is to be 
 multiplied by six, and the product is the number of 
 degrees which the planet hath gone over in that 
 sign : e.g., this day is the fourth day of the lunar 
 month Jamadu'lawal, corresponding with the 20th of 
 April, 1847, the time when the Sun is in the sign 
 Taurus. Take the number of days in the lunar 
 month, four ; double the same, add five total, 
 thirteen. 
 
 In the number, thirteen, there will be two fives, 
 so the moon must be in the second sign from 
 Taurus, i.e., Gemini; and the residue, three, multi- 
 plied by six, will produce the number eighteen,
 
 ASTROLOGY. 
 
 55 
 
 which is the number of degrees she hath passed in 
 that sign this day . 
 
 The following table exhibits good and bad luck for 
 an undertaking : 
 
 Days of the 
 week. 
 
 The Planets 
 assigned 
 thereto. 
 
 Successful for. 
 
 Unsuccessful for. . 
 
 Saturday . . . 
 
 Saturn . . . 
 
 Traffic 
 
 ( Cutting or putting 
 \ on new clothes, 
 < bleeding at the 
 
 Sunday ... 
 Monday ... 
 Tuesday*... 
 
 Sun 
 Moon 
 Mars 
 
 ( Taking medicines, 
 J employment, cut- 
 1 ting, and putting 
 ( on new clothes. 
 Building. 
 
 I arm, and shaving 
 (.the head. 
 
 {' Beginning with a 
 building or mar- 
 
 Wednesday 
 
 Thursday 
 Friday 
 
 Mercury 
 
 Jupiter ... 
 Venus ... 
 
 | Study and scien- 
 1 tific undertaking 
 Marriage. 
 Journey. 
 
 riage, bleeding at 
 the arm. 
 j Performing obse- 
 { quies. 
 
 The seven planets, viz.. Sun, Venus, Mercury, 
 Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, have dominion 
 assigned to them by astrologers over the seven days 
 of the week; and, then, each of the twenty-four 
 hours of the day has been allotted to a planet domi- 
 nant during that time. The times of the planets 
 Saturn and Mars are considered unlucky, and those 
 
 * A new-born child on the day or hour of the planet Mars, is 
 considered to become crafty, greedy, unjust, and hypocritical.
 
 56 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 of the remaining five planets are thought good, ex- 
 cept Thursday. On this day, though not an unlucky 
 day, a visit to a sick person, inquiring after his 
 health, or taking medicine, is strictly forbidden. 
 Wednesday, governed by the planet Mercury, is 
 appointed for commencing study ; but to begin with 
 any other business is prohibited. 
 
 The dominant planets of the twenty-four hours 
 are found by the following rule. For example, take 
 Monday. The first hour of this day, beginning 
 from sunrise, belongs to the Moon ; second, Saturn ; 
 third, Jupiter ; fourth, Mars ; fifth, Sun ; sixth, Venus, 
 seventh, Mercury ; and eighth, again to the Moon ; 
 and so on, in the above routine through a whole 
 week. 
 
 Another superstitious rule, strictly adhered to by 
 all Mohamedans, and considered by Hindus a part 
 of law, is the observation of invisible spirits that are 
 believed to perambulate the eight directions of the 
 globe, on particular dates of the Hindus' lunar months 
 throughout the year. 
 
 In undertaking a journey, or any expedition of 
 importance, or game of chance, the direction haunted 
 by these spirits should be behind the undertaker to 
 ensure success ; not opposite, which is considered 
 very unlucky, and ill success must follow. These 
 spirits are called by Mohamedans, " Rijalulghaib," 
 by Hindus, " Jogni," or " Dissasul." The following 
 diagram will point out the directions of the " Jogni,"
 
 ASTROLOGY. 
 
 57 
 
 and the dates counting from 1st to 15th, and then 
 again from 1st to 15th, the last 15th day standing 
 for the 30th. 
 
 Auguration also is not left unpractised by the 
 natives of India in general. For instance, a cat 
 crossing the road of an individual on his way, will 
 surely retract or prevent his going at the time. In 
 the same manner, a sneeze in his opposite direction 
 will deter him from going to any place, or under- 
 taking any business: a sneeze heard at the right-
 
 58 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 hand side will prove to be of a contrary effect. 
 In the same way, flights of birds, sight of a herd 
 of deer, and many other things, are good or bad 
 omens. 
 
 Not wishing to take up my reader's time any more 
 with astrological nonsense, I will return to my step- 
 father, where I left him at the beginning of this 
 chapter, quite satisfied with his lot. He thought 
 proper now to proceed to Gwalior, and lay his case 
 before His Highness the Maharajah Daulat Rao 
 Sindhiah. He purchased several horses and camels, 
 and left them in charge of his brother-in-law (his 
 former wife's brother) with some diabolical instruc- 
 tions, which hereafter will be mentioned. 
 
 A lucky day having been fixed, we left the city 
 in company with a nobleman of Sindhiah's family, 
 who was likewise proceeding to that court, after 
 visiting his family at Ujjain. The character of my 
 step-father being that of a real timeserver, he soon 
 ingratiated himself with the nobleman ; so much, 
 that during our journey they were intimately leagued 
 in friendship. We marched every morning till about 
 four o'clock P.M., and then halted. I was now really 
 transformed from a young priest to a nice little 
 soldier. I rode a beautiful mare, ornamented with 
 my glittering arms, sword, shield, and a small spear, 
 all proportioned to my stature, except the mare, 
 which was large, but a very nice animal ; her name 
 was " Bark " (lightning), and she was as quiet as
 
 TISIT TO SINDHIAH'S COURT. 59 
 
 a lamb, that is to say, when I rode her quietly : but 
 if I spurred, or raised my hand by chance, she was 
 as sAvift as her name ; and, after all, so good-natured 
 was the animal, that if I fell down she stood by my 
 side to let me mount again. 
 
 In the course of about one month we reached 
 Sindhiah's camp at Gwalior, which was, in fact, no 
 camp but a regular city, consisting of houses built 
 with soft red stone and mortar, with a large and 
 magnificent palace of His Highness in the centre. 
 The population, at the time, was estimated to amount 
 to three hundred thousand persons, of which armed 
 soldiers amounted to one-third. There were two 
 hundred elephants and three hundred cannons ready 
 for action. We pitched our tents upon a respectable 
 site appointed by the officer of His Highness, and 
 lived for two months unnoticed by any person of 
 consequence. My step-father, however, did his best 
 to enter into intimacies with men of rank and dig- 
 nity; and at last succeeded in obtaining admittance 
 to the Court by distributing one thousand rupees 
 amongst the members of it. 
 
 A day being appointed, we went to the audience ; 
 His Highness, seeing us, stood up on his seat (a 
 cushion of valuable brocade, set with jewels), as a 
 mark of politeness, and stretched forth his right hand 
 to honour us, touching which respectfully with our 
 fingers, we kissed them. His Highness's conver- 
 sation was so graceful, civil, and fascinating, that my
 
 60 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 step-father seemed stupified, and could not speak of 
 his complaints : however, he did not fail to give 
 some hints respecting them. His Highness pretended 
 not to notice them, but comforted the old man by 
 observing that he had given orders for him to be 
 paid his arrears up to the end of that month ; that 
 he might consider himself in His Highness's service 
 from the death of the old queen ; and that His 
 Highness had already enrolled him amongst his most 
 favoured courtiers. This filled the old man with an 
 uncommon pride, and locked his mouth, and rendered 
 him unable to utter another word, except thanks ; 
 but he kept on making salams and profound bows. 
 Immediately upon this, at a signal from an officer 
 in the assembly, atr, pan, rosewater, and dresses 
 of honour were brought out for us. At the time o* 
 our dismissal, His Highness inquired smilingly as to 
 who I was ? " He is my son," replied the old man ; 
 " but let the young man answer for himself." Hear- 
 ing this, I respectfully joined my hands and said 
 " The Siibahdar may be believed, if it please your 
 Highness, since parents are the best authorities to 
 speak about their children." This reply, though a 
 simple one, excited the mirth of the Maharajah to a 
 great degree, and he was pleased to put playfully 
 another question to me. " What is your opinion, 
 then, regarding your own birth ?" " I am too young, 
 my lord," rejoined I, " and not competent to give 
 my opinion upon matters of such importance." His
 
 WE SETTLE AT GWALIOK. 61 
 
 Highness then asked the old fellow if I could read 
 and write ; and in reply he praised me very highly. 
 Hereupon His Highness added to my dress of honour 
 a very handsome MS. copy of Hafiz and S'adi, in 
 one volume, which I have still in my possession as 
 a memento from a great man. 
 
 We were now settled at Gwalior, and were well 
 off. The old Siibahdar's duty was a very slight 
 one ; he went out on a shooting excursion with His 
 Highness perhaps three times a month, and was to 
 sit three hours alternately as a sentry, ready armed, 
 , at the door of His Highness's bedroom, which fell to 
 his turn only two nights a month. This was a post 
 of great honour, and trusted to the charge of gen- 
 tlemen high in rank, and worthy officers : they were 
 called " Yakka," i. e., "a single man with a single 
 horse," and received daily in cash each according to 
 his merit. The minimum of the salary was five, and 
 the maximum thirty, rupees per diem ; besides, they 
 got their daily food ready dressed from the Govern- 
 ment every day, and valuable dresses twice a-year. 
 The number of " Yakkas " did not exceed one hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven. My step-father's situation 
 was the lowest, i. e., five rupees per day; but it 
 being very respectable, he was not only glad, but 
 proud of it. 
 
 During our absence from Ujjain we received 
 several letters from home, one of which informed the 
 old man of the birth of a son, which tidings afforded
 
 62 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 him unparalleled pleasure; and he gave a grand 
 entertainment to all the nobles in the camp, which 
 cost him about two thousand rupees; and the con- 
 gratulatory presents given to him by them on this 
 occasion amounted to upwards of three thousand 
 rupees. This circumstance not only rendered him 
 independent of me, but he began to hate and abuse 
 me now on trifling matters: he used the coarsest 
 language towards me, which I could not possibly 
 bear. He passed his days among his friends, and his 
 nights with a new friend's wife, the man appearing 
 to wear the pair of horns without any sense of 
 jealousy. He never went on his duty, but sent me 
 invariably in his place; besides, when at home, I 
 was always ordered with other servants of his to 
 stand sentry three hours every night Being mal- 
 treated in this manner, I felt very melancholy, and 
 wrote to my mother all the particulars of my pre- 
 dicament, adding that I had formed the intention of 
 deserting the old man, and would rather commit 
 suicide if unsuccessful in doing so. Unfortunately, 
 this letter was intercepted, through the irregularity 
 and neglect of the postmaster of the Maratha 
 Government. The old man happened to call at the 
 post-office, respecting the receipt of some bills of 
 exchange, forwarded through that office some time 
 before ; and the postmaster plainly told him that no 
 reply till that time had been received regarding his 
 bills, and that the reply to his last letter, which was
 
 MY STEP-FATIIEK PUTS ON HIS TllUE COLOURS. 63 
 
 delivered two days ago, and was immediately going 
 to be sent off, would certainly bring joyful tidings 
 of all kinds. " I have sent no letter," rejoined the 
 Subahdar, "it must belong to some other person." 
 Upon this, the letter being produced was recognised, 
 opened, and read by the postmaster, at the request of 
 the old fellow, who returned home with it, highly 
 excited with rage. 
 
 On getting from his palanqueen, he called for me. 
 I went in, and he rose on his seat to show a mock- 
 ing honour to me, of the meaning of which I had 
 not the least conception, but stood amazed and 
 thunderstruck. " My good friend," says he, " here 
 is a letter for you to read, if you please." I took 
 the letter from his hand, and knowing it to be my 
 own, I opened and glanced through it : though the 
 fear of being put to death made me quite pale, yet, 
 seeing no escape, my youthful heart soon resumed 
 courage, and I called to mind the old Persian pro- 
 verb, " Death with courage is far superior to life as 
 a coward." I told him it was my letter, that I 
 delivered it to the postmaster to be forwarded to my 
 parent, and that nobody had any business to open it. 
 This reply kindled up the fire of his anger more 
 than before. " You young rascal," said he, " you 
 have committed an unpardonable crime; and then 
 you are impudent too ! " Uttering this, he sprang 
 from his place, and knocked me down with two or 
 three blows ; not satisfied with which, he kicked and
 
 64 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFCLLAII. 
 
 pounded me with his fists until he was tired (of this 
 I was informed afterwards) ; but, falling down sense- 
 less, I declare I felt nothing. When I recovered 
 from my swoon, I found myself lying on my bed in 
 the stable, and a horse-keeper, named Khushal, 
 standing by. I called for water, and the poor man 
 kindly gave me a cup of sherbet, scented with rose- 
 water, at his own expense. Of this sweet beverage, 
 I could take but a very little quantity, finding all 
 the functions of my body paralyzed. I slept again 
 very soundly for two days and nights, and did not 
 rise until I was forced to do so. Now I could use 
 my limbs, though still very stiff, and made a vow 
 not to see the infernal old butcher's face again in my 
 life, if possible. He sent me sweetmeats and other 
 delicious eatables, as a token of his kindness, but I 
 gave them to the grooms; and for myself, I took, 
 morning and evening, a small piece of their plain 
 bread and cold water, to keep up my spirits. Thus 
 I lived for nearly a fortnight, during which I found 
 that my severe pain had made me quite dumb, my 
 head being overfilled with thoughts of thousand 
 kinds. 
 
 In the meantime, the turn of the guard having 
 occurred, the remorseless old tyrant asked me, 
 through his servant, to act his part as usual. I 
 replied I was unfit for duty, and would not go. 
 Hearing this answer, he armed himself and pro- 
 ceeded to the palace ; and I, having provided myself
 
 MY FLIGHT. 65 
 
 with one loaf, one sacred book, the beautiful volume 
 of Hafiz, presented to me by His Highness, and my 
 small scimitar, took my way to Agra. I left the 
 camp early in the morning, and followed the path, or 
 rather direction, to the town of Gohad, about twenty- 
 two miles from Gwalior. Leaving the highway, I 
 began to proceed through the jungle, to avoid being 
 observed by any individual that might have been 
 despatched to pursue and apprehend me. I went on 
 as fast as my legs could carry me ; and to my great 
 satisfaction, for some time I met no animal walking 
 upon two legs, except a few shepherds every now 
 and then, resting under shady trees, pasturing their 
 herds, guarded by their faithful dogs. At noon I 
 took my rest under a magnificent banyan tree, by 
 the side of a river ; I made my ablution, and spread- 
 ing my doputta,* or waistband, I sat upon it, with 
 my little sword, my Kur'an, the other books, and the 
 loaf of bread before me. A shepherd who sat under 
 another tree near mine, very probably being struck 
 with curiosity, came near me with his dog. He 
 stood at a little distance, leaning against his staff 
 gazing at my acts. The dog also appeared to stare 
 at me with equal curiosity, and at the same time 
 wagged its tail, being pleased, I suppose, with the 
 scent of the bread in my possession, of which it 
 wanted to have a share. The cravings of my hunger 
 
 * It is a sheet that the natives of India tie round their waist, 
 and use for many other purposes. 
 
 D
 
 66 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFDLLAIT. 
 
 at this time being excessive, I took a piece of bread, 
 a fourth of which I first offered to my flattering 
 guest, the dog, and to the remainder I began to do 
 justice. The kind-hearted shepherd asked me if I 
 had any objection to have a little milk with my plain 
 bread. On the contrary, replied I, I should be most 
 happy to get a little, if he pleased, and would feel 
 obliged to him for his generous and hospitable act to 
 a stranger, and a man of different caste like myself. 
 The liberal shepherd immediately brought me a pot 
 of excellent fresh milk ; but the difficulty now arose, 
 how to receive it. The shepherd, being a Hindu, 
 would not allow me to touch his pot ; by his advice, 
 however, I folded up some leaves of the tree into 
 cups, and drank the fresh milk with my bread. The 
 taste of this milk I found far superior to any I ever 
 drank previously; and, to tell the truth, I never 
 obtained milk of that flavour afterwards. The 
 shepherd and his dog then went away satisfied, the 
 former for his benevolent act to one of his fellow- 
 creatures, and the latter at the liberality of a stranger. 
 The sun now declining from the meridian, I said my 
 noon prayers, and set off again, thanking the good 
 shepherd for his kindness, and inquiring of him about 
 my way to Gohad. 
 
 I travelled on with expedition till four o'clock, P.M., 
 when I felt much fatigued, and was looking about 
 for a solitary place to take rest for the night. I 
 wished not to put up in a village, for fear of being
 
 A SUSPICIOUS ACQUAINTANCE. 67 
 
 apprehended ; seeing, however, from afar a well 
 situated near a village, I repaired to it to drink, 
 intending then to look for a place for nocturnal rest. 
 Arriving near it, I asked one of the Rajput maidens, 
 who were busily engaged in drawing water and 
 carrying it home for their use, to give me a little 
 water to quench my thirst with. In reply, she asked 
 me a question, with a lovely air, as pretty as herself, 
 " Have you nobody else to quench your thirst with 
 but me ? " " Madam," replied I, " I have none ; 
 but even if I had one, she could not be more than 
 an atom before your incomparable beauty: a lamp 
 can have no splendour before the sun." This flattery 
 produced a smile in her fair countenance, and she 
 held her pot to me very gracefully, telling me, 
 " Drink till thou art satiated." Thanking her, I 
 took both of my hands to my mouth in the form 
 of a cup, and she kindly poured the water in a 
 fine stream, which I found greatly sweetened with 
 the excellent scent of her rosy hand ; and I drank 
 until I was full. I then made a grateful bow to 
 the beauty, who, taking her pots on her head, went 
 home. 
 
 In the meantime, a tall well-made Muslim, of about 
 forty years of age, came up to me; he appeared 
 to be a wayfarer like myself, by his dusty dress, etc. 
 He saluted me very respectfully, asked me how 
 I did, whence I had come, and where I was going 
 to? I returned his salam, and told him I was '> 
 
 D 2
 
 68 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUITULLAH. 
 
 traveller, and was going to Gohad on business. Hear- 
 ing this, he observed, his destination was the same, 
 but he feared we could not reach it till after sunset, 
 as it was full four miles distant yet from the spot. 
 I liked not the man's appearance, his dull stupid 
 eyes, and his intruding manners ; but he soon fami- 
 liarized himself to me during our inarch, and put 
 me off my guard by his conversation to a great 
 degree. We went about two miles when the brilliant 
 traveller, the sun, reached the horizon. At this time 
 we came to a river, at the bank of which there was 
 an old mosque standing, but no population to be seen 
 in the vicinity. I told my new companion that I 
 could walk no longer, and would make my halt in 
 the mosque for the night, and that he might proceed 
 on to Gohad if he pleased, where the next day I 
 would have the pleasure of seeing him, inshd Allah 
 ta'dla, " if it pleased the Almighty God." Here- 
 upon he observed tliis was a place infested by both 
 robbers and wild beasts, and he would recommend 
 my proceeding on, instead of staying in that dan- 
 gerous place. But I told him I cared not for both 
 kinds of the savage animals : as for the first class of 
 them, I did not think they would injure me, for I 
 had not a particle of the precious metal about me ; 
 and to guard against a frightful visit of the second 
 class, I thought would not be a matter of difficulty, 
 as I was a son of Adam endowed with reason, with 
 which they were not favoured by the Deity : I
 
 JUM'A. 69 
 
 would collect some pieces of firewood and make a 
 fire in the middle of the entrance, and would remain 
 inside without any apprehension. My new compa- 
 nion, " Jurn'a " (such was his name, meaning Friday), 
 heard all this with attention. He examined my 
 person with searching looks, again and again, and 
 then replied, " Very well, sir, do as you please." I 
 then undressed myself to perform ablution for the 
 evening prayer, and to wash my body from the dust 
 of the road. I told Jum'a to take care of the bread, 
 that no dog carried it away, and to watch the dress, 
 etc., whilst I washed myself. He readily accepted 
 the charge, and carefully searched my small luggage, 
 the cloth in which my two books were wrapped up, 
 and my pockets, etc. Finding nothing in them that 
 might have satisfied his brutal cupidity, he sat in 
 silence watching me, very likely to see if I had any 
 money or jewel about me ; this expectation of his 
 also proved to be in vain. Coming out of the water, 
 I wiped my body and performed my sunset devo- 
 tion to my most sublime Creator, whilst Jum'a sat 
 looking on, and sometimes smiled, perhaps at the 
 acts of prayer, which of course are curious to the 
 vulgar eye. 
 
 The night came on, and we entered the mosque; 
 Jum'a and myself brought some firewood and made 
 a large fire at the entrance to guard against the wild 
 beasts. We made a supper upon a piece of bread, 
 each from his own possession. Jum'a offered me
 
 70 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH 
 
 some of his own bread, but I declined the acceptance, 
 and told him he might take a part from my bread if 
 he liked. Now I felt myself excessively fatigued, 
 and so sleepy, that I could hardly keep my eyes 
 open ; but it was the pleasure of Almighty God to 
 save me from an injury or heinous crime from my 
 evil companion, Jum'a, who opened a horrid conver- 
 sation with me, telling me that he had already found 
 I was no more than a mercenary like himself, and 
 even, in my young days, had no friend in the world ; 
 that, if I swore to him by the Holy Book never to 
 divulge the secret about to be delivered to me, he 
 would take me as one of his pupils ; that his pro- 
 fession was so excellent a one as to render the 
 follower of it a man of great fortune in one 
 moment, etc. 
 
 The conversation of Jum'a charmed me much; 
 and, being a young imprudent creature, I swore to 
 hun by the Book without thinking, though I regretted 
 it afterwards. Jum'a then remarked that he had 
 seven pupils in the country, who were all faithful to 
 him. I then asked him to tell me the secret, upon 
 which, making me swear once more, he said he was 
 a Tlmg, and that he killed travellers very easily, and 
 made his fortune by doing so. Opening a long bag 
 from his waist, and undoing its mouth, he poured 
 down gold mohrs from it to enchant my eyes and 
 fascinate my mind. These precious coins amounted 
 to 112, being counted afterwards. When I heard
 
 THE THUG. 71 
 
 this appalling announcement, instead of being pleased 
 I was horrified at the sight of the infernal Jum'a, and 
 still more at the coins. However, I did not forego 
 my self-command, and asked him very coolly how 
 he could destroy a man so easily as he said, since, 
 having been an eye-witness to some executions, I 
 found it no such slight affair to put a human being 
 out of the world. " Never you mind that," said he, 
 " I could teach you that in one moment by my per- 
 formances ; but be you careful never to mention my 
 name in any town or village, for I am a man of great 
 name: keep this secret, and there are chances that 
 to-morrow you will be as rich as myself; but 
 remember, you must pay one quarter of the gain 
 to me and one quarter to a handsome maid of ours, 
 whom we shall see to-morrow at the gate of Gohad." 
 Although exposed to such danger, I could not get 
 rid of my inclination to sleep, which attacked me 
 more and more every minute. To keep awake, I, 
 under the pretence of lighting my cheroot, went to 
 the fire and purposely burnt the tip of my ring 
 finger, and, lighting the cigar, I returned to the seat. 
 Jum'a now being satisfied of my fidelity, began his 
 diabolical instructions to me, telling me that it was 
 not difficult to put an end to a man's life, but it was 
 difficult to delude him and to get into a little confi- 
 dence with him for the performance of the act. 
 " We adopt various modes," said he, " in making 
 ourselves familiar with travellers, by appearing to
 
 72 AUTOBIOGBAPIIY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 them as mendicants, by engaging to be their guides, 
 and even by acting as pimps for them. The woman 
 I mentioned to you is for the last purpose: she 
 attracts a traveller's attention immediately; and, 
 fascinating him in her enchanting conversation, she 
 leads him apart from the road, and then, pretending 
 to be tired, she sits under a tree, takes out a tinder- 
 box from her bag to strike fire for smoking ; in the 
 meantime one of us arriving there, the traveller 
 naturally dislikes such an intrusion, but the woman 
 pacifies him by telling him * he is my husband (or 
 brother), and will soon go away about his business 
 after taking a little fire, and then we will smoke and 
 talk at leisure.' During this talk, if the traveller is 
 not enough off his guard, in smoking and talking, 
 etc., she, as if by accident, removes such a part of 
 her dress as naturally very soon attracts his whole 
 attention ; and then any one of us throwing a hand- 
 kerchief like this (exhibiting a long silk handkerchief 
 with a knot) over his neck, gives him a pull, which 
 brings him down senseless : he, however, shakes his 
 hands and legs a little, which are instantly silenced 
 by giving one sound kick upon his scrotum. His 
 person is then searched, and immediately interred at 
 the same spot, and we pursue our way separately, 
 engaging to meet again at a certain place on a certain 
 day." 
 
 Listening to these abominable narratives, my ears 
 became deaf, my eyes motionless, and my blood
 
 A THUG'S EXPERIENCE. 73 
 
 thrilled in my veins. My self-possession, however, I 
 still maintained, and asked him another question with 
 the same indifference as before. " Do you not relent 
 at all when you commit this act?" "No," replied 
 he, " we are accustomed to it ; a butcher is never 
 moved when he kills his goat or cow. In the 
 beginning one always feels compassionate a little, 
 but practice renders everything easy: upon such 
 occasions we must think of the people's unkindness, 
 selfishness, and remorselessness. For example, they 
 would not give us a rupee were we dying with 
 starvation, and they would not be moved at all if we 
 were punished to death; so they must be treated 
 similarly by us. In the commencement of the 
 profession, I myself was once very much disgusted 
 at it. 
 
 "It happened that once I followed an old priest 
 for about thirty miles from Kota, in the direction of 
 Udepur. In the course of the first day's journey 
 with him, I could find no opportunity to finish him. 
 In the evening he put up with some of his friends, 
 where I could not possibly intrude. The next morn- 
 ing very early, he marched, and I accompanied him, 
 sometimes following, and sometimes preceding him. 
 When the first quarter of the day had elapsed, he 
 took his breakfast near a village, and seeing me in 
 a wretched condition, he gave me a piece of bread, 
 which I received from him with an apparent eager- 
 ness, and thanked him, but never tasted it, thinking
 
 74 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 that eating his salt, and then killing him, would be 
 an unpardonable infidelity in me. I told him I was 
 going to Udepur to look for a situation, and he 
 replied, "May your undertaking be prosperous!" 
 He proceeded on after his breakfast, and I after him 
 till noon, when the time of his prayer, or I may say 
 his death, approached. He asked me if I knew any 
 place nigh where water could be found for his 
 ablution, if not, he might purify himself with the 
 sand, and pray. I told him there was a stream of 
 water running about a quarter of a mile thence, but 
 it was a little apart from the road : he asked me to 
 show it to him, and I made him follow me to the 
 water, where he performed his purifications; and 
 spreading his cloth, began his prostrations, and 
 rising up, heedless as he was, in the latter act of his 
 devotion, I strangled him. He soon gave up the 
 ghost, and to my great despair, on searching his 
 person I found only one "pice," or farthing, with 
 him in ready cash, a rosary, and some pieces of dry 
 bread. The body, however, I interred immediately, 
 and returned. The next clay I came to the village, 
 where I had previously appointed to see my old 
 mother, and found her there. I mentioned to her 
 what had taken place, and my being moved with 
 compassion, and my determination of giving up my 
 profession, telling her that I would rather starve to 
 death than be obliged to stain my hands in future 
 with innocent blood for such trifling gains. She did
 
 A PLEASANT VIGIL. 75 
 
 not like this unmanliness of mine, and, taking the 
 farthing from me, she proceeded to the market-place, 
 whence she returned with a bundle of about one 
 pound in weight of small fish or prawns: placing 
 the bundle before me, she said, * Can you count these 
 small animals my son?' 'Yes,' said I, 'but it will 
 require one whole day to count them, without any 
 use.' ( Then,' returned she, ' you foolish boy, do 
 you not see how many lives are destroyed here for 
 one farthing? and you, like a stupid, cowardly, 
 relenting fellow, seem concerned at the death of an 
 old priest, who had one foot already in the grave. 
 If a lion,' observed she, f feels remorse over his prey, 
 it is quite clear he must starve to death.' This 
 wholesome advice of the manly old woman," con- 
 tinued Jum'a, " restored my mind to my favourite 
 profession, and I never afterwards felt foolish remorse 
 for my deeds." 
 
 Midnight had already elapsed by this time, and 
 the cursed Jum'a now told me that I must be very 
 sleepy and might go to sleep for two or three hours ; 
 during which time he would keep awake, and then 
 he would awake me to watch in my turn. " My 
 friend," remarked I, " I have accidentally burnt my 
 finger, and the pain thereof will not allow to sleep ; 
 go thou to sleep, and I will watch and awaken thee 
 when I feel sleepy." At this he laughed, and, accept- 
 ing the offer with great pleasure, he slept, and began 
 to snore like an unclean animal. I feel it impossible
 
 76 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 to express to my reader the torture that my mind 
 was undergoing at the conversation and sight of 
 this devil in the disguise of man; but it was quite 
 clear that I was helpless. In escaping from bad, 
 I was involved in worse: my finger now became 
 inflamed, the pain was excessive ; but the pain of 
 my mind surpassed it. I thanked Heaven that 
 I had nearly stripped before the beast in my evening 
 ablution, which act assured him of my being money- 
 less, otherwise I should have been strangled like 
 others ere that I had a great mind to cut the 
 throat of the unmanly wretch with my small but 
 sharp scimitar, and send him at once to hell from 
 his slumber, the door whereof, I thought, must 
 be open for him, and " Malik," the keeper of it, 
 would with much pleasure receive and put him 
 into the eternal fire. On the other hand, I felt 
 disinclined to kill him with my own hands, for fear 
 of my being liable to be prosecuted on suspicion 
 of cold-blooded murder, perpetrated for the money 
 on his person. In such troublesome thought the 
 long and tedious night at last came to a finish ; the 
 chirping of the morning birds conveyed the glad 
 tidings of its approach to my anxious ears. I rose 
 from my place very quietly, and getting out of the 
 gate of the mosque, without making any noise, 
 instead of going to make my morning ablution, 
 which was my first intention, I ran in the direction 
 of Gohad, doing the two miles in about twenty
 
 JUM'A'S FAREWELL BENEFIT. 77 
 
 minutes. I often looked behind to see if Jum'a was 
 not in pursuit of me. Just as the gate of the town 
 was going to be opened I reached there, and the 
 doorkeepers and the guard, seeing me out of breath, 
 inquired the reason. In the fit of my excitement 
 and fear (forgetting my oath, I must confess,) I 
 uttered "Jum'a the Thug," in an inarticulate 
 manner ; but the name of the rogue was quite suffi- 
 cient to rouse all the guard. The question then 
 arose where he was, and I pointed out the place. 
 I was asked to accompany them and show the 
 place; but pleading my inability, I stayed where 
 I was. Caring not for me, they ran to the spot. 
 In the meantime I was sent for by the Minister 
 of the State, a young Hindu of very respectable 
 appearance. I was informed afterwards that this 
 young nobleman was the son of the Raja's Minister, 
 and acted as Governor. He examined me very 
 narrowly upon the subject, but before the exami- 
 nation was finished, to my great satisfaction, I saw 
 the brute Jum'a brought into the presence of the 
 Minister, pinioned in a condition befitting his black 
 acts. He was thrashed, beaten, and even pierced 
 and cut with swords all over his body. The Minister 
 and the people present recognised him, as he had 
 escaped from their prison once before. All of them 
 spat on his face, and his person then being searched, 
 the money found thereon was taken by the officers, 
 and without any further inquiry or delay, he was
 
 78 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 tied to the mouth of a large cannon, and in a second 
 blown into atoms, and all his hopes of committing 
 murders in future were in one instant at an end. 
 Thus his abominable existence was terminated: I 
 took my way to the gate, and thence to a well, 
 where, having performed my ablution, I offered my 
 thanks to Heaven for this narrow escape, and 
 sincerely demanded forgiveness of the Deity for 
 the crime of breaking iuy oath. 
 
 Finishing these humble supplications, I kindled a 
 little fire to parch some fresh grain for my breakfast, 
 which having done, I sat comfortably chewing 
 it. This day it was my intention to make a long 
 march ; I was now shy enough of strangers, and 
 determined to proceed on as fast as possible. Just 
 as I was preparing to start, I saw, to my great 
 alarm, one of the guards coming up to me : his 
 appearance filled my mind with a double appre- 
 hension. In the first place I thought somebody 
 might have come from Gwalior to catch me, or 
 very likely I was to be accused of having been a 
 partner of the damned Jum'a, in which case I must 
 have to share his fate, or be made a prisoner. But 
 all such fearful thoughts left me soon, when the man, 
 coming nearer, saluted and kindly told me that the 
 Minister wanted to see me : I accordingly returned 
 with him to the Darbar, and was desired to be 
 seated. The Minister thanked me in the assembly 
 for having been the cause of the destruction of the
 
 I BECOME TIMOKOUS. 79 
 
 impure bloody robber, who had destroyed many 
 lives, and would have taken more had he lived. 
 He then ordered his treasurer to pay me twelve 
 gold mohrs from the amount of one hundred and 
 twelve, found on the person of the guilty. I made 
 a respectful bow to liim, and got the money from, 
 his man ; but counting them I found only ten, and 
 looking at him to express that the number of the 
 money was incorrect, he said he had deducted two 
 for his fee: I made no farther dispute about the 
 shortness of the money, and pursued my course. 
 
 Having now ten gold mohrs in my possession for 
 the first time, the feelings of pride, vanity, and self- 
 confidence, began to take their seat in my little 
 brain. The pure sense of being altogether resigned 
 to the will of the One real Provider of everything 
 to every individual creature, began to leave me. 
 The " yellow slave," as it is termed by the immortal 
 Shakspeare, soon evinced its noxious effects upon its 
 possessor. Notwithstanding all this, my fears, too, 
 were aggravated; formerly I was only fearful of a 
 pursuer, but now my life was endangered by keeping 
 gold about me. The base metal being the object of 
 everybody's love, there are in this world a thousand 
 kinds of plots laid for its attainment, and the human 
 frames, formed by the omnipotent hand of the Deity, 
 are destroyed for the purpose of its impure acqui- 
 sition. I was obliged to travel by the general road, 
 and to seek some company, for the safety of my
 
 80 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 newly-obtained riches, which I kept on my person 
 with all possible secrecy. 
 
 In short, after seven days' hard work and circuitous 
 travelling, I had the pleasure of seeing the vicinity 
 of the ancient city of Agra. My bread, I may say, 
 had the blessing of Jesus Christ, that during the 
 week I lived upon three quarters of it, and had still 
 one quarter of it left ; but to tell the truth, the green 
 grain of the fields, which I plucked and parched 
 every morning, was my wholesome breakfast through- 
 out the journey. It affords me the greatest pleasure 
 now to think of the freedom and happiness I enjoyed 
 in this short travel after bondage. The remembrance 
 of my morning walks, my ablutions in the pure 
 limpid springs of water, my noon prayers in the 
 still jungles, under the shade of the finest tree 
 that I happened to select, on the emerald carpets 
 of verdure supplied by nature, whereon I took my 
 rest after the prayers, still enrich my memory with 
 delight and joy. 
 
 Arriving near the city, I made my halt under a 
 fine shady tree, and sat for a while admiring the 
 ancient lofty buildings, raising their heads from the 
 verdant cloaks of the trees. In the afternoon, I 
 entered the town, and searched for the house of my 
 late father's relative, and was glad enough to find it. 
 I called at the door, and a female slave asked "who I 
 was. I told her I was the son of the late Molvi 
 Mohamed Akram, who was first married in this
 
 AGHA. 81 
 
 louse. The effect of this message was soon shown 
 "by the entry of an elderly man of very respectable 
 appearance, whose countenance betokened his scien- 
 tific mind. When the lock of silence was removed 
 from his worthy tongue, he minutely examined me 
 regarding my step-sisters and the names of my an- 
 cestors, which he seemed to compare with a piece of 
 paper in his hand; and finding my tale to be a 
 genuine one, he embraced me heartily, and took me 
 into the house, where I was surrounded by an 
 assembly of the fair sex, and was introduced to the 
 old lady, my step-grandmother, who kindly took 
 charge of me at once. I was obliged to repeat my 
 history to every new friend that visited me, and I 
 contrived to abbreviate it to a few sentences to save 
 trouble. 
 
 I must acknowledge I am infinitely obliged to this 
 noble family, and most heartily thank them for their 
 hospitable protection and kindness to a stranger, as I 
 was to them, for the principal cause of my relation- 
 ship with them was removed by the demise of my 
 step-mother. The old gentleman, being master of a 
 school, kindly took charge of my education: my 
 punctuality, perseverance, and love of knowledge, 
 soon rendered me his favourite scholar. On Friday I 
 was left to myself to select any amusement I liked; but 
 instead of going to play, I went out to see the ancient 
 gardens and edifices in company with my friends. 
 The ancient city of Agra is handsomely situated
 
 82 AUTOBIOGRATHr OF LUTFULIAH. 
 
 on the south-west side of the famous river Jainna, 
 one of the three sacred streams with the Hindus, i.e. t 
 Ganga, Jainna, and Saraswati, supposed to run under 
 ground. The confluence of these rivers at Prag, or 
 Allahabad, is called Tribeyni (that is, three braids of 
 hair), and is considered by them to be a place of 
 great sanctity, and ablution therein is said to wash 
 away all the sins of the performer ; whereas, bathing 
 in the river Jamna here, frees him from one-third of 
 the sins at least. Agra assumed the title of Akbar- 
 abad from the time of the great Emperor Akbar, 
 who much enlarged it, and made it his capital. 
 The houses of this city are in general lofty, consisting 
 of several stories ; but the streets are very narrow 
 and complicated, not unlike to those of Grand Cairo, 
 except one that leads to the Mathura gate from the 
 fort. A great part of the town in those days was in 
 ruins. About five miles to the north, at Sikandra, 
 is the mausoleum of the wise Emperor Akbar may 
 his memory be blessed! Should the reader feel 
 inclined to know the history of this great king, I beg 
 to refer him to the " Akbar-Namah," or the " Annals 
 of Akbar," by his learned and able minister, Abulfazl, 
 where he will find in detail the account of his wisdom 
 and benevolence, and his incomparable political 
 energies, etc., from the time of his youth. When he 
 was only thirteen years of age, he took the reigns of 
 the great and vast empire of India in hand, and held 
 them unshaken up to his sixty-third year, when he
 
 AKBAR. 83 
 
 
 
 left the kingdom of this world for the next and a 
 better one, where he must be in the eternal enjoy- 
 ment of the blessings of palaces and huris. 
 
 Agra is renowned as the birthplace of the cele- 
 brated minister, Abulfazl, and his brother, the learned 
 Faizi. To the latter, the world is indebted for a 
 translation of several famous Sanskrit works, such 
 as the Gita Mahabharat, and Ramayana, etc. ; and to 
 the former for his energetic political administration 
 of the affairs of India, and for the composition and 
 production of the law institutes, such as the Ayim- 
 Akbari, etc. 
 
 I beg to draw my reader's attention, in this place, 
 ' to the wonderful character of the Emperor Akbar, 
 whose reign of fifty-one years was, and ever will be, 
 considered a blessing to India. Had his successors 
 been half as wise as himself, it would not have been 
 the fate of the country to be under the rule of 
 foreigners. The enormous weight of the kingdom 
 was placed on his shoulders when he was a boy of 
 thirteen years. It must be borne in mind that to 
 sway the vast continent of India is not an easy thing 
 for a boy of that age, when, in this peaceful time, 
 three able statesmen of the enlightened land of Eng- 
 land, aided by members of council, find it an irksome 
 and difficult task to govern. Whereas, in the begin- 
 ning of his government, he found the whole country 
 in a state of confusion ; but the young ruler, as the 
 historian says, being endowed with the following
 
 84 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 three accomplishments by nature, viz., courage, bene- 
 volence, and foresight, he proved to be an incom- 
 parable warrior, reverenced monarch, and a pre- 
 eminent statesman, and consequently managed affairs 
 in such a way as to procure all his subjects' and 
 friends' love for him : and he is loaded with praises, 
 not only by all Asiatic historians, but by Europeans 
 too, and, lastly, with all the eternal showers of mercy 
 from his Creator. 
 
 The fort of the city is strongly built of red stone, 
 such as is taken out of the Gwalior quarries; the 
 depth of its ditch is considerable, the ramparts double, 
 with bastions situated at equal distances from one 
 another. 
 
 Amongst the famous edifices of Hindustan is 
 Mumtaz Mahall, here vulgarly called Taj Mahall. 
 It is a most remarkable work by Indian artists, built 
 of pure marble, decorated with Mosaics. Its materials 
 are uncommonly rich, its design chaste, and its effect 
 most brilliant, attended by solemnity. In beauty, it 
 surpasses all the edifices of India, and in solemnity, 
 those of the whole of Asia. 
 
 The founder of this wondrous building was Shah 
 Julian the Great, who erected it for his favourite 
 queen, Mumtaz Mahall Begam, who was an able 
 woman, and, also, queen of the beauties of her time: 
 it is her mausoleum. 
 
 The number of inhabitants in Agra at this time, I 
 was informed was about eighty thousand. The dis-
 
 AN OFFER OF MARRIAGE. 85 
 
 trict was surrendered to the English army, under 
 Lord Lake, in 1803, by Daulat Rao Sindhiah. 
 
 I lived here under the protection of this noble 
 family for a period of five years, until the beginning 
 of 1817. My education being considered complete 
 in that school, I was left to myself. The old gentle- 
 man then sent a message to me through a friend that 
 my acquirements under him had already qualified 
 me for a man of business, and that he had some 
 interest with the British functionaries, whose Govern- 
 ment, a few years since, had been established there, 
 which he would be glad to use in my behalf if I liked; 
 also, he would be happy to get me married, too, 
 amongst some of his relatives. 
 
 In reply to this kind message, I returned my most 
 sincere thanks to my noble protector, adding that I 
 should never, during my life, forget his kindness 
 towards me, and that, although at that time it was 
 beyond my power to do him any service in return 
 for the protection I had received, yet I hoped I 
 should be able some day to serve him, if it pleased 
 the Almighty God. As to the marriage and employ- 
 ment, I pleaded inability to accept such offers, being 
 desirous of seeing my mother at Ujjain once more by 
 the first opportunity.
 
 86 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 My service with Hindu Rao's physician I visit Delhi Return 
 to Gwalior The cobra's bite cured Once more at Ujjain 
 Filial love stronger than the astrologer's threats Sir T. 
 Hislop's army Battle of Mehidpur I weary of Ujjain My 
 luckless rencontre with Musa the Afghan Strange wander- 
 ings in the jungle The secret unveiled Nadir, chief of the 
 Bheels Am promoted to be thieves' secretary A Bheel 
 banquet and strange horrors My flight The old Sheik once 
 more My mother's death. 
 
 IN the month of February, 1817, Hakim Rahma- 
 tullah Beg Khan, physician to Hindu Rao, the 
 brother-in-law of his Highness Daulat Rao Sindhiah, 
 came to Agra on his way to Delhi on business. 
 Having had the honour of knowing this good old 
 gentleman previously at Gwalior, I called on him, 
 and was received very warmly. I begged, if I could 
 be of any use te him, to be allowed to accompany 
 him in his present travels. He kindly took me in 
 his service as superintendent of his medicines and 
 his household, on a small salary. 
 
 Favoured by unexpected success in this object of 
 my desires, I returned home with the good news, and 
 communicated it to my benefactor, who, with all the 
 members of the family, were excessively sorry to 
 part with me, after being domesticated with them for 
 a period of about five years. On the day of our
 
 I LEAVE AGRA. 87 
 
 departure, the ten gold mohrs, with a few rupees that 
 I had in my possession, I placed at the feet of my 
 benevolent instructor, and begged him to oblige me 
 by the acceptance of such a trifle. He granted this 
 request with some reluctance, to my great satisfac- 
 tion, and then he called on the physician in person, 
 and spoke to them a great deal about me and in my 
 favour ; and, giving my hand into his, he bade us 
 khudd hdfiz, " God preserve thee," and a good journey. 
 Early on Thursday morning we took our leave of 
 our friends, and bade farewell to the city of Agra. 
 It must be well known to those who have visited 
 that part of the country, that travelling from Agra 
 'to Delhi, is no more than walking in gardens for 
 pleasure ; and we completed this interesting journey 
 in a week. On the morning of the eighth day, the very 
 splendid view of Delhi, the ancient capital of rajas 
 and emperors, presented itself to our eyes. The first 
 look of this grand city reminds the reflecting traveller 
 that this was the central seat of empire in India, 
 whence orders -and prohibitions were issued and 
 executed throughout the whole of the provinces; 
 that this was the place, the sight of which filled the 
 mind of many princes of high rank with terror and 
 awe ; that the heads of many delinquent nobles and 
 princes used to be hung at the gates in retribution 
 for their misconduct, while others passed through in 
 triumph. 
 
 On our entering the city gates, some few clerks
 
 88 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 and peons of the English Government, to our great 
 annoyance, searched our luggage and examined us, 
 questioning us very minutely respecting our inten- 
 tion and cause of coming to the city, which being 
 directly replied to, we were left to ourselves. The 
 physician took his temporary abode with a nobleman, 
 a descendant of Nawazish Khan, residing at Chandni 
 Chauk in a grand mansion, furnished with everything 
 requisite for the luxury and vanity of man. Here, 
 after the fatigue of the journey, we lived very com- 
 fortably for seventeen days, during which period I 
 had very little to do. In the morning only I had a 
 few prescriptions, written by the doctor, to enter in 
 the book, and^sometimes gave some medicines as he 
 directed to some of the patients from the chest in 
 my charge ; and then, after breakfast, having all the 
 day at my own disposal, I passed it delightfully in 
 walking through the city and its environs 
 
 The ancient city of Delhi, entitled Indraprastha 
 in the mythological annals of the Hindus, lies in 
 mounds of ruins, to the south of the modern town. 
 Several marks of the ancient palaces and mansions, 
 etc., are still in existence ; and some few of them, 
 such as the old gates of the town, mosques and 
 mausolems of the Emperor Humayun, etc., the fort 
 of Sher Shah and other small citadels, stand unshaken 
 up to this time. Their form and structure seem 
 wonderfully strong, even at this time. The first 
 Mohamedan invader of India was Sultan Mahmud
 
 DELHI. 89 
 
 of Ghizni, who took the capital about the end of the 
 the year 1110, A. D. But, according to his political 
 liberality, he restored it to the Raja, and replaced 
 him on the throne as a tributary to himself. 
 
 The modern town was peopled by the Emperor 
 Shah Jahan, in about 1631 A.D., on the western bank 
 of the river Jamna, and he entitled it Shah Jahan- 
 abad, bestowing his own name upon it. The popula- 
 tion at the time of my visit was estimated to be about 
 two hundred thousand inhabitants. The city seemed 
 to be in a ruinous condition, having suffered much 
 during the Maratha wars. The city walls, with 
 numerous bastions, and seven gates, are built with 
 red-stone. There are many edifices here worthy of 
 notice, some in good condition, others falling to 
 decay. Of the former class are the college of Gha- 
 siuddin Khan, situated near the Ajmeer gate, the 
 palaces of Ali Mardan Khan, Kamru'ddin Khan, 
 and Kudsya Begum, the mother of Mohamed Shah, 
 and many mosques. But the loftiest of all, and most 
 elegant, is the Jam'i Masjid, or great Mohamedan 
 cathedral, built of the red-stone lined with pure 
 marble, and situated in the middle of the city. This 
 venerable place of worship was begun by the Emperor 
 Shah Jahan in the fourth year of his reign, and com- 
 pleted in the eleventh. 
 
 The people are generally polite and well-behaved, 
 and the climate seems healthy. After about three 
 weeks' sojourn in Delhi, my employer ordered pre-
 
 90 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 parations for his return to Gwalior, which being made 
 in a short time, we left the old metropolis of India, 
 and in about another week reached our destination 
 in safety, with the exception of one accident to a 
 peon of ours. It happened so, that on the fourth 
 day of our march, as we halted under a tree by the 
 side of a small village to take our breakfast, this poor 
 Hindu, feeling thirsty, was the first person to descend 
 into the well (near which we had halted) with his 
 pot of water. After having gone down a few steps 
 he was bitten by a large black snake, that was lying 
 under the stepping-stone of the same colour. As 
 soon as the man saw his mortal enemy, and felt the 
 pain of his bite, he took his pistol from his girdle and 
 fired at it The sudden report of the firearm 
 instantly brought us to the well, and what did we see 
 but the man engaged in separating a piece of flesh 
 from his heel with his sword, and the noxious animal, 
 writhing about two yards from him with a hole in his 
 hood that the pistol ball had made. We carried up 
 the poor man, who fainted from the loss of blood ; 
 but our master, the kind physician, immediately 
 ordering a large knife to be made red-hot, cauterized 
 his foot below the ankle, and having washed the 
 wound he put a quantity of common salt upon it. I 
 believe the smarting of the salt roused him from his 
 deadly swoon, and he asked for water ; but the doctor 
 gave him a copious draught of English brandy instead 
 of water, which soon brought him down to sleep.
 
 A RECONCILIATION. 91 
 
 In the meantime a multitude of the people of the 
 village were collected near the well. They thanked 
 us for the destruction of the monster, which they said 
 had put an end to the lives of two men and one 
 woman of their village during that year. The snake, 
 being brought out and measured, was found some- 
 thing more than two yards long; and its stomach 
 being opened, a frog and a sparrow were found in it. 
 Of the former there was only a small part remaining, 
 but the latter was nearly whole. The poor peon, 
 being tied on a camel, was carried during the 
 remainder of the journey, and recovered from his 
 severe illness after about six weeks, when His Excel- 
 lency Hindu Rao (the brother-in-law of His Highness 
 the Maharajah), in whose service our noble physician 
 was, hearing of the man's courage, promoted him 
 from his peonship to the cavalry, on the salary of a 
 rupee per day, and dresses, etc. 
 
 Upon our arrival in the camp, the old Subahdar, 
 my late protector, or rather oppressor, called on the 
 physician, and begged of me to forget and forgive 
 what had passed between us ; and remonstrated with 
 the doctor, asking him to allow me to come with him. 
 The doctor said he had no objection in case it was 
 my wish to go. He then turned towards me to hear 
 my consent. I remarked, " I had already forgiven 
 what had taken place, and would also forget it if I 
 could ; I would wait upon him with pleasure when I 
 had time, but would never leave the service of the
 
 92 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 doctor to stay with him, or on any other account than 
 my finding a caravan proceeding to Ujjain; then 
 would I beg my dismissal to repair to see my parent.'* 
 This determination of mine silenced the Siibahdar, 
 and he went home. 
 
 I stayed with the doctor about six months, during 
 which period, being constantly engaged in medical 
 occupation, I began to take much interest in the 
 profession, and learnt something of that most useful 
 science. The practice of this doctor was very simple 
 and easy : he seldom had recourse to medicines, but 
 generally prescribed change of diet. His employer, 
 Hindu Rao, had great confidence in him, though his 
 salary was only five hundred rupees a month ; but 
 the presents he received amounted to more than 
 double that sum. I recollect an instance of his 
 practice. Once His Excellency Hindu Rao went 
 out hunting for two or three days, to a distance of 
 about thirty miles from the camp, where he was 
 seized with constant and severe hiccup. He had 
 two medical men with him, who tried their best to 
 remove this troublesome malady from His Excellency, 
 but to no purpose. One of them wanted to take 
 some blood from the arm, but this was objected to by 
 the patient himself. His Excellency, not being able 
 to suffer any more pain, returned to the camp 
 immediately, and tiien my master, being ordered to 
 attend, prescribed merely a few small pieces of 
 sugar-cane, sprinkled with rose-water, to be chewed
 
 I LEAVE DELHI. 93 
 
 and smoked. This being done, the patient was 
 instantly relieved, and our doctor, before leaving the 
 palace, was well rewarded. His Excellency took 
 from his own neck a necklace of large pearls, and 
 presented it to him, with a pair of very handsome 
 shawls. 
 
 Whenever I had leisure I visited the Subahdar, 
 and sometimes dined with him, and found him always 
 civil. In August, Khande Rao, the nobleman in 
 whose company we came to Gwalior, obtained leave 
 to proceed to Ujjain to visit his family, and the 
 Subahdar managed to be ordered to attend him until 
 his return. On the day of their departure I obtained 
 my dismissal from the service of the doctor, who was 
 unwilling to grant it, observing that if I stayed with 
 him for four or five years, he would make a good 
 doctor of me, and then I should become an inde- 
 pendent gentleman, or master of myself. But, 
 anxiety to see my parent blinded the sight of my 
 reason, and my prejudiced ear would not listen to his 
 wholesome advice. He paid my arrears, and very 
 liberally added a sum of money and dresses to them 
 as a reward; so I found myself again master of 
 upwards of a hundred rupees. 
 
 About the middle of August we left the camp, 
 and proceeded on our journey by long marches. 
 We started about seven o'clock every morning, and 
 marched till four in the evening. Our travel was 
 not so pleasant, on account of the rainy season.
 
 94 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIL 
 
 Every river and stream detained us for hours, and 
 sometimes for a day and night. On our halting near 
 Bundi the rains began to fall in torrents, and 
 continued all night, and the next day never ceased 
 even for a second. At night the waters, breaking 
 through the trenches of the tents, rose more than 
 two feet above the level of the ground, and caused 
 our beds and pillows to float. Our horses and camels 
 stood trembling, and ourselves were in no better 
 condition than the poor animals ; besides, the pain of 
 hunger crowned our misfortune, and we were obliged 
 to halt here for five days. 
 
 At the end of the first week in September we 
 at last reached our destination in safety, and glad 
 was I to see Ujjain again, after an absence of more 
 than six years. Khande Rao, as also the Subahdar, 
 would not enter the city for a week more, it being 
 unlucky, according to the astrological calculations. 
 As for myself, I was so anxious to see my mother 
 that no astrology could possibly keep me a moment 
 longer in the camp, and, previous to the prohibition 
 being proclaimed there that nobody should enter the 
 city until next week, I was in the house of my 
 parent, with the tears of joy running over my face. 
 I was glad to see her in a state of perfect health, and 
 her son, too, a fine healthy boy. I was more 
 surprised to see her house filled with all sorts of 
 furniture, drapery of several kinds, valuable spices, 
 and copper vessels, etc. Finding these articles
 
 UJJAIN. 95 
 
 beyond the income of the Subahdar, I asked my 
 mother whence they came ? To this she gave me an 
 evasive reply; but, not being satisfied with her 
 answer, I made further inquiries about it, and found 
 out, from other members of the family, that all the 
 riches were plundered property, unlawfully obtained 
 by the brother of the Subahdar 's former wife, who 
 all the time during our absence, acted agreeably to 
 his orders as a freebooter, and used to go on his 
 diabolical excursions with his horses and camels, and 
 bring these articles home. 
 
 I lived with my dear parent for a period of three 
 months, and a few days, very quietly. About the 
 middle of December a force of about ten thousand 
 of the English army, headed by Sir Thomas Hislop, 
 arrived there, and halted at the other bank of the 
 river Sfpra. My whole attention was taken up 
 by their excellent uniforms, their cannons in beau- 
 tiful order, and all their warlike materials. Every 
 day, after morning prayer, I went to the camp to 
 see their extraordinary manoeuvres, exercise, and 
 processions, on parade. I contracted friendship with 
 a white soldier, who was very civil to me in his 
 manner, but he could not speak my language. We 
 expressed our thoughts to each other by signs and 
 a few words of bad Hindustani that he knew. He 
 took me to his tent and seated me by him, and all 
 his friends received me with kindness, and asked 
 me to drink some of the forbidden liquor, which
 
 96 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 they seemed to enjoy. I declined the offer, and took 
 a piece of bread and milk to please them. This was 
 the first time I heard the English language spoken, 
 and I felt an irresistible desire to learn it. In this 
 society, of only three or four days' duration, I learnt 
 thirty-seven words, which I wrote down in the 
 Persian character ; the list still remains with me 
 in bundle of my notes. 
 
 One morning as I repaired to the camp, to my 
 great surprise, I found it gone. The site, being 
 crowded with crows and kites, appeared horrible, 
 but there were a few camp-followers left behind, 
 and they too appeared to be in great confusion, 
 engaged in pulling down their tents, and loading 
 their provisions, etc., on the back of a poor camel, 
 that seemed to have been overworked, as its lament- 
 able cries denoted. From these people I learnt that 
 the army had proceeded to Mehidpur, where they 
 expected to have a battle with Holkar's forces. 
 Hearing this I returned home in despair, considering 
 myself very unlucky, not being capable of partici- 
 pating in such affairs. 
 
 Hira Khan, the Governor of Ujjain, and almost all 
 the chiefs, got ready to plunder the English baggage, 
 the owners of which they considered would get a 
 good beating and be defeated. Also parties of the 
 mercenary vagabonds, who had nothing to lose, but 
 everything to gain and who sojourned in the city, 
 in expectation of such an opportunity of executing
 
 MEHIDPUR. 97 
 
 their evil designs appeared in singular excitement. 
 My old Subahdar and liis former wife's brother, a 
 notorious robber, seemed particularly so, anticipat- 
 ing a disaster to the English. There would have 
 been a host of about ten thousand armed men to 
 destroy the foreigners had they lost the battle ; but 
 all these hopes were frustrated by news of a con- 
 trary nature, which appeared to them incredible at 
 first, considering the strength of Holkar. Little did 
 they know that Nuwab Abdulghafur Khan played 
 the part of a traitor to his master, and deserted 
 the field of battle with the force under his com- 
 mand, just at the moment when the English were 
 on the point of losing the battle through the loyal 
 and gallant exertions of Roshan Beg, the Captain 
 General of Holkar's artillery. The stain of this 
 disgrace clung too firmly to the name of Abdul- 
 ghafur, as long as he lived, to be effaced by his 
 great liberality towards the poor and others : and 
 his son Ghazi Mohamed Khan is not unreproached 
 by the natives of India for his late father's misbe- 
 haviour, though he enjoys the district of Jaora, 
 assigned to the family through the favour of the 
 British authorities in India. 
 
 I stayed with my good parent in the city until the 
 end of December, 1817, and then began to feel very 
 dull, being tired of a monotonous life. Besides, I 
 did not like to eat the Subahdar's bread so unlaw- 
 fully obtained, and I found my mind in a state of 
 

 
 98 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 excitement, hearing the news of wars in the Dakhan, 
 and the overthrow of Baji Rao, the last representa- 
 tive of the family of the Peshwa, whose vanity and 
 short-sighted policy had lately rendered him odious 
 to two formidable castes, his benefactors, viz., 
 Mohamedans and English, forgetting that through 
 the aid of the former he was put on the throne, and 
 through that of the latter, he retained it. He incurred 
 the dislike of the Mohamedans by prohibiting them 
 from appearing in his sight till ten o'clock in the 
 morning every day, in order that his eyes might not 
 be defiled by seeing them. 
 
 Moreover, he issued a proclamation prohibiting all 
 Muslims of whatever rank or station from even pass- 
 ing through those streets which were overlooked by 
 his palace. The wise and powerful Christians, 
 although they were treated alike, yet cared not about 
 his folly in such matters, but were greatly incensed 
 at his vacillation and disregard of their advice. 
 
 In the beginning of January, in the year 1818, 
 hearing talk of the war in the Dakhan, I burned to 
 proceed thither, thinking I should find there a ladder 
 to ascend to the terrace of distinction. Infatuated 
 with this idea, I wandered about in the city in search 
 of a caravan or any kind of a companion through whom 
 to accomplish my design. One day as I rambled 
 about I saw some twenty stranger Afghans, and a 
 Jamadar, apparently a well-behaved man of good 
 temper, who was lodging hi the shop of a Banian.
 
 MUSA KIT AX. 99 
 
 As I passed by, I saluted them according to the 
 established custom of the Mohamedans, founded upon 
 the tradition of the prophet. The Jamadar Miisa 
 Khan (such was his name, as I found out afterwards,) 
 kindly returned my salutation, and asked me to sit 
 and smoke with him, to which I agreed with pleasure; 
 and, to my great satisfaction, I found from the con- 
 versation, that he was on his return to Punah, whence 
 he had obtained a few months' leave to visit his 
 family at Rampur. I inquired as to the tune when 
 he intended leaving the city ; "for," said, I " I was also 
 thinking of proceeding to the Dakhan, where I might 
 get employment." The Jamadar replied, he was to 
 leave the place next morning after prayer, and would 
 take me into his service if I liked, on a salary of ten 
 rupees per month, and that I should eat arid drink 
 with him free of charges ; he would also furnish me 
 with clothes, and I should keep the accounts of his 
 twenty-five Pathans, and might leave him when I got 
 a better situation: but I must make up my mind and 
 be quick. I readily assented to the above terms, and 
 promised to be with him the next morning as early 
 as possible with my luggage. " No luggage," replied 
 he, " as we have none, except our small carpets and 
 arms ; but, if you have any, recollect that you will 
 have to carry it on your own shoulders." Thinking 
 I might easily put up with such an inconvenience for 
 a short journey, I told him I should be as light as 
 possible, and perhaps lighter than his men. 
 
 E 2
 
 100 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 I returned home delighted, and packing up all my 
 things in a box, gave it in charge to my mother, retain- 
 ing the key in my own possession. I kept my inten- 
 tion a profound secret, knowing that, if divulged to 
 anybody, my going would surely be stopped. My 
 future prospects having filled my brain, I was so 
 busy all night in building castles in the air that I 
 could not sleep for a moment ; not having the least 
 idea that I was precipitating myself headlong into an 
 abyss of misfortune worse than death ; but the lines 
 of fate prescribed by the mighty hand of the Supreme 
 Being are entirely unintelligible to the eye of our 
 limited reason. Who can tell what is to become of 
 him to-morrow? Hearing, at last, the first crow of 
 the cock, I got up, and, performing my ablution, 
 said my prayers; and putting my small carpet on 
 my shoulder, and pen, ink, and paper into my girdle, 
 I repaired to my new friends, whom I found prepar- 
 ing to start. They unanimously received me with 
 an acclamation of joy. " This is the first day of 
 your employment with a gallant party of real men," 
 said Musa, "may your days be prosperous: you are 
 very welcome us." He then asked me if I had said 
 my prayers, and if so to sit near the bonfire and look 
 over the arms, etc., until their return. On my taking 
 charge of their things, all of them repaired to the 
 nearest Mosque, and performed their devotions ; and 
 then, returning to me, they rehearsed their salutation, 
 as it is the duty of Muslims to salute each other after
 
 I JOIN MUSA. 101 
 
 prayers, and when they come near one who is seatod. 
 They then accoutred themselves in a few minutes, and 
 unanimously repeated the following prayer, to be said 
 by all Muslim travellers and warriors at the moment 
 of their starting on an expedition: Nasrum min- 
 alldh, failiun Tcarib wabashshiril mominin, Falldhu 
 Jchairun hd/iza wahuwa urahmdnu'r rdhimm, viz., 
 " Assistance from God, and a speedy victory, and do 
 thou bear good tidings to the true believers. God is 
 the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of 
 those that shew mercy" (chap. Ixii., ver. 12, Alkur'an). 
 Having done this we started off, and were out of the 
 gate of the city by the sunrise. 
 
 We went south-west from the town, and leaving 
 the city of Indiir on the left, we proceeded by long 
 marches from morning till evening every day, avoid- 
 ing to put up at any of the large towns that were in 
 the way, for reasons unknown to me. We halted at 
 small villages at nights, and, purchasing our pro- 
 visions, dressed them by turns. We took our 
 dinner at about eight o'clock in the evening, all 
 sitting together; and then one loaf and a little 
 quantity of onions, or coarse sugar, was given to each 
 man to take care of for his breakfast the next morn- 
 ing. My time passed very pleasantly in the society 
 of my new friends, and Musa Khan particularly 
 seemed always very anxious about my comfort. On 
 the evening of the sixth day of our departure from 
 Ujjain, we halted at a small Bheel village, situated
 
 102 AUTOBIOGRAPHf OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 at the foot of the enormous chain of mountains in this 
 part of the world, extending east and west along the 
 valley of the Narbadda River, which on the other 
 side forms a natural boundary between the two 
 extensive provinces of Malwah and Khandesh. On 
 inquiring the reason for our coming to this dreary 
 and difficult part of the mountain, instead of going 
 through the celebrated pass of Jarnghat, I was 
 informed that this pass, named Jamanya, though 
 very difficult, having only a footpath, was preferred 
 by Miisd Khan as being the shortest road to Mandal- 
 eshwar, where the Narbadda is always fordable. 
 
 The next morning, about two o'clock A.M., we set 
 off and entered the mountain. Our progress was 
 very difficult " dark before, and dangerous voices 
 behind;" but, at the same time, it was very fast. 
 Miisa Khan, and the other Afghans, seemed to be 
 as well acquainted with the giddy ascents, dangerous 
 precipices, and fearful ravines of the mountains, as 
 a citizen with the winding streets and narrow lanes 
 of his own native town. At daybreak we halted 
 near a clear fountain, and, performing our ablutions, 
 said our prayers. The cold this morning was so 
 intense that our teeth involuntarily chattered. The 
 Afghans seemed indifferent to it ; but, for my part, 
 I felt my extremities benumbed and my whole body 
 chilled. After prayers, however, Miisa ordered a 
 bonfire to be made and pipes to be filled. We obeyed 
 the order with alacrity, and in a moment pieces of
 
 I AM ENTRAPPED. 103 
 
 fire-wood, of which there was no deficiency, were col- 
 lected into a large heap; and one of the Afghans, 
 taking the chakmak (steel and flint) from his girdle, 
 struck fire and soon kindled a flame, to our inex- 
 pressible comfort. In the meantime, the great planet 
 rising from the eastern horizon rendering us inde- 
 pendent of the fire by his rays, we took our breakfast, 
 and soon concluded it with another smoke. Thus, being 
 well refreshed, we set off again at a more rapid pace 
 than the night before. The road was very difficult 
 and complicated : the footpath that we followed often 
 became traceless. Sometimes we penetrated through 
 the thick forest, and at others we caught hold of 
 the roots of trees and corners of rocks to sling our- 
 selves over a precipice or craggy peak. 
 
 Thus we went on till about five o'clock in the 
 evening, when all the Afghans joyfully exclaimed, 
 " There is the end of our journey ; thanks to God ! 
 we have at last reached our destination." Seeing no 
 trace of habitation, or the expected ferry of the 
 Narbadda, I felt greatly surprised, and asked Miisd 
 where we were? In reply, he pointed out to me 
 a wide valley, thickly covered with trees and dotted 
 with huts, situated at the distance of about a musket 
 shot from one another. " There," said he, " that is 
 the place I was so anxious to reach, and there is- 
 to be my home for one year, and then I shall return 
 to my native country." He added, that in the same 
 valley resided his lord and master, the chief of the
 
 104 ATJTOBIOGBArHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 Bheels, by name Nadir, who always had about five 
 hundred of his tribe ready at his command; and 
 they, with the party of Afghans I had joined, 
 plundered caravans and travellers, and infested the 
 passes and roads of that moutain. The booty was 
 brought to Nadir and divided into three shares, two 
 of which were taken by the Bheel chief, and tho 
 remainder by the Afghans. After telling me this, 
 Musa consoled me by observing that I had nothing 
 to do with their excursions, and might stay at home 
 and take care of their baggage, etc., during their 
 absence, and that their accounts would not engage 
 my time more than half-an-hour every month. 
 
 I was actually horrified at this unexpected address, 
 and my vexation was so great that it nearly burst 
 forth in angry words, when, no doubt, I should have 
 been murdered on the spot; but, on reflection, I 
 perceived the necessity of having recourse to a 
 hypocritical policy, and, with a feigned smile, I 
 inquired, " Are we not, then, to go to Piinah, after 
 all?" " No, never," rejoined he; "what is the use 
 of going there when we can acquire here the object 
 of our desire ?" " Well," replied I, " as I am joined 
 to you by the decree of fate, I will try and make 
 myself useful in your service for the fixed time of 
 one year, and then I shall see if fortune casts her 
 favourable eye upon me." At the end of this con- 
 fabulation we arrived very near the den of our host, 
 and three muskets were fired from our party as a
 
 NADIR BHAI. 105 
 
 sign of our arrival. The report echoed and re- 
 echoed in the valley, and was followed by the wild 
 cries of the Bheels in reply, and in a few minutes 
 we were surrounded by a host of them, naked, save 
 a narrow strip of cotton round the middle, but armed 
 with bows and arrows. Their bows were made 
 of a strong piece of bamboo string, with a thin slip 
 of the same material, and the arrows were not unlike 
 those used in sport by more civilized nations. One 
 of them, advancing furiously forward, cast his red 
 fiery eyes upon us, and addressed the party in a 
 wild, threatening tone, as follows : " Who are ye 
 that voluntarily rush into the jaws of death?" 
 "Dost thou not know me, Kaliya?" cried Miisa. 
 The Bheel recognised the voice of the Jamadar, and 
 advanced towards us, shouting at the same time to 
 the others, Re Musd re apno Miisa rip nahin, i. e. 3 
 " It is our own Miisa, and no enemy." Upon this 
 all of us were intermixed with the native robbers ; 
 and old Kaliya's friendly talking with Miisa Khan 
 demonstrated their former intimate acquaintance with 
 each other. As the evening began to set in we 
 reached a cave, at the mouth of which we beheld a 
 black well-made man squatting on a four-legged 
 frame interwoven with fibres of wild creepers. He 
 was also naked as the others ; but a pair of thick 
 golden bracelets on his wrists, and a sword, placed 
 before him, in addition to the usual bow and arrows, 
 and a chafing dish with live fire at a little distance,
 
 106 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 encircled with several squatting Bheels, clearly 
 showed that he was the chief of the banditti. Miisa, 
 looking at him, saluted and said, " There is Nadir 
 Bhai, the good prince of the wilderness ; make your 
 respects to him and go home; I will be with you 
 after a little while." So all of us raised our hands 
 to our foreheads to the Bheel, who got up from his 
 seat, returned our salams, and desired Miisd to 
 approach, which he did, and sat near him on the 
 ground, leaning against one of the feet of the rude 
 throne. Our party now walked to the place of our 
 future stay, which they knew too well to require 
 a guide. It was only about half a mile off; but 
 abhorrence, disappointment, and despondency having 
 expelled all my eagerness and ambition, I felt going 
 over this little distance equal to a fatiguing journey 
 of a hundred miles. At length we arrived at a 
 place near the side of a hill, which, like a natural 
 wall, formed the back of our dwelling. Adjoining 
 this hill was a spacious shed built of trunks of trees, 
 and the three sides walled with strong bamboos, 
 leaving a large space in the middle of the front 
 side to serve as a door. There were two compart- 
 ments, and about thirty rooms in each, partitioned 
 off with split bamboos. This last march had much 
 fatigued the Afghans too ; so, immediately on our 
 arrival there, all of them hung their matchlocks 
 to the walls of the hall, and each taking possession 
 of a room for himself, flung himself down on a rude
 
 MY SOLILOQUY. 107 
 
 frame, the only furniture there. I followed the 
 example of my friends, and, stretching myself out, 
 attempted to close my eyes in sleep, and thereby 
 relieve my exhausted limbs. But, instead of sleep- 
 ing, I began to reflect, " Why did I accompany this 
 murderous gang without inquiry? I might have 
 waited another month with my kind parent and 
 looked for a better convoy. It is my want of 
 experience, nay, my folly, that always pushes me 
 into the abyss of misfortune. It is true, Miisa 
 acted treacherously towards me ; but an outlaw 
 considers treachery a joke. Why did I allow myself 
 to be imposed upon? Being nearly eighteen years 
 of age, I ought to have judged for myself." Feeling 
 utterly helpless (as is natural with man), I betook 
 myself to the last and unfailing resource. I lifted 
 my eyes and hands towards heaven, and prayed 
 thus : " O Almighty and glorious God, how long 
 wilt thou keep me in calamities ? Am I doomed to 
 be dishonoured, and destined to live with murderers, 
 robbers, and outlaws ? O Lord of earth and heaven ! 
 am I born to be a disgrace to the name of my 
 ancestors ? If so, my most gracious Lord, I beseech 
 thee to put an end to my being in this world. Amen." 
 As I repeated this, the tears flowed over my cheeks 
 incessantly, and then an opposing train of thoughts 
 made their appearance in the mirror of my brain 
 to exonerate me from blame. I began to reflect as 
 follows : " I do not deserve these severe accusations,
 
 108 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 for I must submit to the decrees of my fate in the 
 same way as man, wise or fool, whether endowed 
 with the philosophy of Plato or the stupidity of 
 Khozib, whether with the crown of royalty on his 
 head or the wallet of misery over his shoulder; I 
 knew not the character of the former Subahdar, nor 
 that of Jum'a the Thug, nor was I acquainted with 
 that of the present Jamadar. My outward senses 
 clearly showed ^that they were men; and if they 
 turn out inhuman, I am not to blame." 
 
 In the meantime, about eight o'clock, P.M., Miisa 
 came home. He called to us, and the whole party 
 ran to him immediately, when, to our great delight, 
 we saw several Bheels along with him, carrying pots 
 of water, milk, sugar, and wheaten cakes, more than 
 our appetite demanded. These articles of indispens- 
 able necessity at this moment were considered a great 
 blessing: Miisa was loaded with thanks from all 
 sides. We then performed our ablutions, and said 
 our evening and night prayers at once. Due justice 
 was then done to the meal, and everybody retired to 
 repose, except two sentinels, one of them posted in 
 the hall, and the other upon a lofty tree. Being well 
 tired by the hard labour of the day, all of us were soon 
 asleep ; for my part, I think I was more soundly dor- 
 mant than the others. In the morning I did not get up 
 from my deep sleep until I was shaken by the shoulders. 
 
 I soon felt the necessity of putting up with all my 
 troubles and torture of mind without murmuring,
 
 THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE. 109 
 
 and began to familiarize myself with the place and 
 its original residents. I often sat alone under trees 
 in meditation, and sometimes conversed with the 
 Afghans, friends of mine and foes of the public, or 
 rather bitter enemies of mine too, having imposed on 
 me with success. The system of robbery and rapine 
 was, meantime, constantly carried on under the 
 guidance of the notorious Nadir, the Bheel chief, 
 whose detestable followers not only infested all the 
 passes of the mountain, but very frequently attacked 
 the neighbouring villages and towns. When one of 
 their own party happened to be disabled by wounds 
 from keeping up with them, they immediately cut off 
 his head, which they buried or burnt to avoid being 
 recognised, and to prevent the secret being divulged, 
 as the individual, being tortured, might confess, and 
 bring on a general misfortune. 
 
 Our arrival caused a great acceleration to the 
 current of black deeds systematically perpetrated 
 under the diabolical superintendence of the black 
 chief. Twice or three times a month a detachment 
 of about fifteen of the Afghans used to be ordered to 
 go on an expedition with a band of the native robbers, 
 and if they found no travellers in the passes, etc., 
 worthy of attack, the Afghans generally proceeded 
 to the civilized part of the neighbouring country, 
 stationing the Bheels in ambuscades, where they 
 awaited the return of the former, with travellers 
 decoyed by them and persuaded to engage their
 
 110 . AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 escort to the fatal spot. A signal from them then 
 drew the Bheels to the point, and a false conflict 
 taking place between the banditti and the Afghans, 
 the latter were of course defeated and driven to a 
 distance ; and the poor travellers were then stripped 
 of everything in their possession, even to the clothes 
 they wore. A piece of rag about one foot broad and 
 three feet long was generously given to every plun- 
 dered individual to cover himself, and he was sent 
 away. Any mark of resistance on the part of the 
 poor travellers was sure to bring upon them severe 
 blows or cuts, or even loss of life. Such were the 
 horrid scenes, the accounts of which were brought 
 and faithfully related to me by my comrades, to my 
 secret disgust. Thanks to heaven I was never an 
 eye-witness to these horrible affairs ; but the descrip- 
 tions were quite sufficient to inflict wounds upon 
 wounds on a heart unaccustomed to cruelty. On the 
 fourth return of our party, three heads of our own 
 people were brought back with the booty; two of 
 them belonged to the Bheels, and the third was that 
 of a young Afghan named Dara Khan. These three 
 individuals were so badly wounded in their legs by 
 the defending escort of an attacked caravan, that they 
 were unable to walk ; so, severing their heads from 
 their bodies was considered expedient by their friends. 
 We interred the head of poor Dara according to our 
 usual mode, and he was never thought of any more. 
 My annoyance, indignation, and horror were hide-
 
 A EICII BOOTY. Ill 
 
 scribable ; but my safety depending upon my feelings 
 being kept concealed, I still hypocritically preserved 
 a smiling countenance with my companions. I got 
 up early, at about four o'clock every morning, and 
 proceeded to a solitary fountain, where I made my 
 ablutions and performed my prayers. I returned 
 home after sun-rise, took my breakfast with Miisa 
 and others, conversed with them for an hour or so, 
 and then, with a pellet-bow, a kind present to me 
 from an old Bheel, I repaired to the jungle, where I 
 passed my time either in shooting small birds, or 
 sitting in solitude lamenting my deplorable condition. 
 Very nearly four months as tedious as four years 
 passed in this state, and I thought eight more must 
 be completed before the tree of my hope could bear 
 the fruit of release. 
 
 The eighth expedition of our detachment was so 
 lucky, and so abundantly lucriferous, that every 
 Afghan of the party returned loaded with gold and 
 silver, coin and jewels. The division of this booty 
 took place during the next night, and the Jamadar 
 and all his party became at once in possession of 
 large sums. Two pair of silver anklets, one golden 
 bangle, and thirty rupees in ready cash, altogether 
 amounting to the value of about four hundred 
 rupees, fell to my lot in the distribution. I thanked 
 the Jamadar for this unexpected boon, and buried 
 my riches in my room, unperceived by all. The 
 charm and beauty of the gold tried to allure my
 
 112 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 thoughts in vain, for the possession of this plundered 
 property could not afford me that genial pleasure 
 which one feels in well-earned and lawful gains. 
 
 The Afghans having obtained their object, were 
 now anxious to take their leave of the Bheel chief for 
 a few months to visit their home ; and Miisa, waiting 
 upon him for the purpose, the request was readily 
 granted. The chief told Miisa that as he and his 
 party were to leave him for six months, he would 
 not allow them to depart without giving them a 
 grand feast in about three days. Saying this, he 
 ordered his people to make the necessary prepara- 
 tions for the appointed day. Miisa returned to his 
 followers, and mentioned to them the result of his 
 visit, which delighted them to a high degree ; and I 
 must say these tidings, as they involved my liberty, 
 rendered me happiest of all. Opium and henbane, 
 both plain and in confection, and sweetmeats in 
 plenty, and fat sheep, were sent to our quarters to 
 feast us. The Afghans, considering themselves re- 
 lieved from active duties, had recourse to the 
 nourishing and intoxicating articles, and thereby 
 made themselves as happy as possible. They sat up 
 till late at night to look at the wild dances of the 
 Bheels, and to hear their songs. Thus my friends 
 were deluded, or blinded, by the order of the chief, 
 for three days and nights, and on the fourth day 
 they expected to have the grand feast which had 
 been promised them.
 
 THE SLAUGHTER. 113 
 
 On the morning of the feast I got up from my sleep 
 earlier than usual, and repaired to my frequented 
 fountain; and, after performing the unavoidable duties 
 of a good Muslim, I sat down and began to think 
 upon the happy subject of my return to the civilized 
 world, and freedom from the society of freebooters 
 and thieves. Strange to say, such thoughts, instead 
 of delighting my heart, rendered it more heavy ; I 
 knew not why, but the dawning of the hoped-for 
 morning, instead of cheering the heart, seemed to be 
 clouded with gloom. I took little notice of these 
 ominous forebodings, and at daybreak began my 
 return to the shed. As I neared the place, and came 
 within sound of the voice, my senses were terrified 
 with yells and screams, attended with the slashing 
 noise of cutting instruments, as if a butcher's hatchet 
 descended upon an animal's flesh and bones. Then 
 came cries of distress, ending in groans. Here 
 reason, again making its timely appearance, stopped 
 me to think over the matter. " It may be the sheep 
 are being butchered for our feast," said I to myself; 
 " but what then can be the cause of these dreadful 
 squealings?" Whilst engaged in this soliloquy, my 
 feet were naturally forced backward instead of for- 
 ward ; and suddenly, to my great terror and dismay, 
 what did I behold but an Afghan running away, with 
 his head bleeding, and his dress covered with gore ! 
 Running up to him, " What is the matter, Ibrahim 
 Khan?" inquired I. To this he replied, "We are
 
 114 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFDLLAK. 
 
 undone; all the Afghans are assassinated by the 
 Bheels. I have lost these three fingers in parrying a 
 cut aimed at my head. My wound is not a bad one ; 
 but, feigning death, I have escaped. Don't follow 
 me I may be overtaken run as fast as thou canst 
 to save thy life." " Adieu, Ibrahim," said I ; " may 
 God protect thee ! " 
 
 Saying this, I ran with the speed of a swift horse 
 for more than two hours in a northern direction, 
 without looking back, making hair-breadth escapes 
 over the precipices, rugged heights, and deep valleys. 
 Sometimes I climbed where I saw the clouds under 
 me spread like an ocean ; at others I went down as 
 if to the lowest region. Three hours' run, however, 
 rendered me quite exhausted ; and not being able to 
 move on any more, I dropped down under a tree to 
 refresh myself. Hunger and thirst advanced their 
 demands to be satisfied; I knew not where I was. 
 The slightest shake of the dry leaves of the forest 
 by the wind or an animal was sufficient to scare me ; 
 I trembled at the thought of being overtaken and 
 murdered by the assassins. Recovering myself in 
 about half an hour, I resumed my journey, but was 
 unable to perform it with the first speed. I went, 
 however, on through the wilderness of the mountain 
 and the thick forest till sunset, making several halts 
 to regain strength whenever I found myself unable 
 to walk through fatigue. Often I gathered a quan- 
 tity of wild figs and berries, with which I tried to
 
 ALONE! 115 
 
 satisfy the cravings of hunger ; but they could not 
 well answer the purpose. Fright, I suppose, having 
 deranged my stomach, it could retain nothing. The 
 pellet-bow and tinder-box fortunately remained with 
 me ; with the former I tried several shots at small 
 birds, but without success. 
 
 The dusk of evening now came on, to my great 
 satisfaction. " The darkness of night," thought I, 
 " will be a good motherly veil to protect me." But 
 the danger of being torn to pieces by some ravenous 
 beast, and loneliness, were sad companions. There 
 was no sign of habitation anywhere to be seen. I 
 travelled all day without meeting a footstep, or even 
 a footmark, and knew not where I was. " Where is 
 a bed for me to repose upon? where friends? Is 
 there no one to aid me in this solitary condition? 
 Can I think of being so fortunate as ever again to 
 reach civilized society ? " Involved in these thoughts 
 I stood gazing about on the side of a ravine. Hope 
 did not forsake me even in this condition ; but my 
 fears were far stronger. Horror of either being 
 murdered, or becoming a prey to wild animals, 
 haunted my brain; and, to avoid these evils, I 
 climbed up a large high tree, and rested myself 
 upon a branch of it in deep contemplation. A dead 
 silence reigned, only disturbed now and then by the 
 howlings of the wild creatures of the place. When 
 my eyes turned up, they were fascinated by the clear 
 azure sky, ornamented with innumerable brilliant
 
 116 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 stars, the wonderful works of the omnipotent 
 Creator: these common phenomena filled my un- 
 scientific mind with awe. In the meantime the 
 beautiful orb of the moon began its welcome rise 
 from the eastern direction like a mountain of pure 
 gold. A flood of brilliance quickly extended over 
 the surrounding mountains, and the objects therein 
 situated. The scenes around me began to assume a 
 different form. Steep sides of mountains with 
 hillocks and uneven plains in their front, covered 
 with verdant trees, represented palaces and grand 
 mansions, with handsome gardens before them. 7 
 These deluding phantoms in the clear moonlight, 
 and the refreshing breezes, impregnated with the 
 delicately-sweet scent of flowers and the shrubs of 
 the forest, had such a tranquillizing effect that I was 
 immediately transported to the region of sleep ; and 
 the active mental and corporeal powers being at once 
 suspended, I walked in my dreams in these fantastical 
 gardens amongst Hiiris and nymphs, when a sudden 
 dash, severely felt by my back and head, soon 
 restored me to my senses. 
 
 " He dreams of riches, grandeur, and a crown ; 
 He wakes and finds himself a simple clown." HOWE. 
 
 Thus I was made conscious who and where I was. 
 I found myself lying under the tree, for a moment 
 unable to move; but I soon recovered. Luckily, 
 my tree was situated in a sandy part of the place ;
 
 SUPERIORITY OF ORIENTAL DRESS. 117 
 
 so the shock was, although a great one, in no way 
 injurious. I re-climbed the tree, and then fastening 
 myself to the bough with my turban, I slept as fast 
 as a horse merchant after the disposal of his horses. 
 
 The reader here will observe the superior advan- 
 tages of the graceful Asiatic garb over the patchful 
 light pieces of dresses of the Europeans, which can 
 only be used for the one particular purpose of 
 covering the body closely. On the other hand, our 
 convenient long coat may be gracefully put on to 
 command respect ; and the same will serve as a bed 
 if we chance to have no other. Our dopatta, the 
 waistband, is a zone on respectable occasions ; it is a 
 sheet to cover one at night, if required, or may be 
 erected as a small tent to protect one from the 
 burning sun. The turban is the most useful part of 
 the Asiatic attire, far superior to the European hat 
 in every respect : it is a handsome ornament to the 
 human head, and repulses the severity of the sun ; 
 the hat, on the contrary, attracts it. The turban is 
 the best means to save the life of a thirsty traveller 
 in the deserts and jungles, where there is no water 
 to be had except in deep wells. In such a crisis, 
 the precious liquid can be drawn by the aid of the 
 turban with great ease. A silken turban's softness 
 guards the head from the cut of a sharp sabre better 
 than a helmet ; it can serve the purposes of bandages 
 for wounds on important occasions, when surgical aid 
 is wanting and not at hand ; and many other advan-
 
 118 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLA1I. 
 
 tages can be derived from it, which, if described, 
 would take up time and space unaffordable here. 
 
 The most beautiful chirping of the morning birds 
 awoke me from sleep, when I felt myself much 
 refreshed; but I found the joints of my limbs stiff 
 and reluctant to move. Coming down, however, 
 from my elevated place of sleep, I performed the 
 usual duties of a good Mohamedan to his Creator, 
 by the side of an elegant spring of water near to my 
 tree of rest, and then I resumed my march in the 
 northern direction. Although I had not now the 
 elasticity of the day before, yet I had scarce walked 
 half a mile when the stiffness left me, and the spark 
 of vigour kindled the flame of power anew in my 
 veins. Reader, I should tire you with the difficulties 
 of my progress, without a road or path, or even a 
 spot appearing ever to be trodden on by a human 
 being, the sight of which would then have given me 
 inexpressible delight ; but you will understand me if 
 I say that my egress was a hundred times more 
 difficult than the ingress already described to you. 
 
 To shorten the account of my misery, I travelled 
 on four days, guided by the sun only, and for four 
 nights I slept upon trees, tying myself with my 
 turban to the boughs. My food for this period was 
 wild figs and berries ; I shot only three sparrows 
 and one parrot during the whole time, and, I must 
 confess, they were very palatable. The last-mentioned 
 bird, although forbidden by our law, the compulsion
 
 A RUSE. 119 
 
 of hunger would not allow me to spare. On the 
 morning of the fifth day, from the summit of a hill, 
 I had the happiness to discern, at a distance of more 
 than a mile, several poor Bheel women and men with 
 bundles of firewood on their heads, which clearly 
 denoted that they must go to some habitable part to 
 sell them. I ran towards them with all possible 
 speed, and overtook this half-starved party about 
 nine o'clock A.M., whilst they sat by a well to refresh 
 themselves. The ungovernable love of man for his 
 fellow-creatures felt when alone in a wilderness, 
 involuntarily attracted me to these children of Adam, 
 forgetting that these were of the race inimical to the 
 civilized; and, although they were in a miserable 
 condition, yet their number was sufficient to put an 
 end to my existence if they liked, for a snake, 
 though lean, is still as poisonous as ever. But having 
 already arrived near them, it was now too late to 
 hesitate. " Inquiries as to where and how far was 
 a village," thought I, " might induce them to take 
 me for a wandering dupe, and thus being placed at 
 their mercy, they will surely injure me to any extent 
 they choose." So, shaking off all timidity, I was 
 obliged to put on a grave appearance, and I sternly 
 inquired the price of their bundles. Each of them, 
 mentioning a very trifling sum, asked me if I would 
 buy them on the spot or at Hasilpur ? The name of 
 the village of poor old Shaikh Nasrullah, noticed in 
 the first chapter, revived me as if from death. I
 
 120 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 spoke to them with an affected firmness, to command 
 their respect, and said that a party of my friends 
 I had left behind would require some firewood, and 
 I would buy when I got to the village, if they went 
 with me. 
 
 Upon this, the party started with me ; and, 
 after marching for about three miles, ascending and 
 descending several hills, I had the happiness of 
 descrying the environs of the village. I shall never 
 forget the inexpressible joy I felt at that moment. I 
 ran to the village, leaving my humble escort far 
 behind ; and it was about eleven o'clock in the morn- 
 ing when I reached the cottage of the old Shaikh, 
 whom I found sitting at breakfast with the members 
 of his family ; a large trough, filled with the coarse 
 flour of the Indian corn boiled in water, being in the 
 middle, and a cup of sour milk before each of the 
 assembly. The old Shaikh recognised me from a dis- 
 tance, and ran and embraced me with great warmth 
 and pleasure. I attempted to offer my humble thanks 
 to him, and to inquire after his and his family's 
 health, but the power of articulation was lost. The 
 old man then told me that he had heard of my 
 return from Gwalior, and of my subsequent disappear- 
 ance. " Tell me, where have you been, young 
 man?" said he. But, instead of a reply from the 
 mouth, he had it from my eyes. He was astonished 
 to we the torrent of tears which burst forth at his 
 question. He tried to offer consolation, and inquired
 
 NASIUJLLAH'S HOSPITALITY. 121 
 
 again if I had been maltreated by anybody. " Tell 
 me, my friend, what is tt matter ? " he asked, but 
 in vain. I mf^ no answer, and my tears flowed 
 incessantly- The old Shaikh then ordered a goblet 
 of cold water to be brought, with which he made 
 me wash my face, hands, and feet ; and, by this sim- 
 ple remedy, I found myself quite recovered from my 
 hysterical fit. 
 
 After this, mutual compliments and inquiries 
 having taken place, I was requested to partake of 
 food with them. Hunger lent charms to the trough 
 of plain and sorry gruel and sour milk, and I joined 
 them with eagerness, and devoured a very large 
 quantity of it. I also mentioned to the old Shaikh 
 my miserable circumstances, which, moving his 
 sympathy, caused him to shed tears of pity and com- 
 passion over my misfortunes. The enormous quan- 
 tity of food I had eaten, a feeling of safety, and the 
 sense of excessive pleasure at my escape, soon brought 
 on drowsiness. The old Shaikh, perceiving this, 
 showed me a room to take my rest, where I slept 
 very soundly for about eighteen hours being the 
 remaining six hours of the day and the whole of the 
 night. Early next morning, the old Shaikh aroused 
 me from deep sleep, and after prayers we entered 
 into a long conversation. He gave me news that 
 made me uneasy; it was about my stepfather at 
 Gwalior, the Subahdar that he had resigned the 
 service of Sindhiah, and had engaged himself, along
 
 122 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 with his brother-in-law (his late wife's brother) and a 
 few horsemen, in the service of Holkar, at Indiir, to 
 which city he had removed witli his family. Shortly 
 after his arrival at Indiir, there ensued a. quarrel 
 between him and his brother-in-law, and excitement 
 on both sides rising higher and higher, words were 
 changed into blows, and blows into sword cuts. The 
 
 O * 
 
 latter, being a young and smart swordsman, inflicted 
 several fatal cuts with his sharp scimitar upon the 
 former, and disabled him from any further move- 
 ment. Seeing that he had finished his adversary, 
 he next made a desperate attempt to escape, in which 
 he wounded several persons that happened t6 be 
 near ; but the noise of the scuffle having attracted a 
 multitude of people to the spot, many pursued him 
 and shot him dead. The Subahdar also died of his 
 wounds the next day, and the Government seized 
 all the property, under pretence that they died crimi- 
 nals having disturbed the peace and taken the law 
 into their own hands. 
 
 This sad news brought another cloud over my head. 
 I felt sorry for the Subahdar, but I felt extreme dis- 
 tress for my mother. What had become of her I knew 
 not. My stay with Shaikh Nasrullah was, in conse- 
 quence, of only three days' duration. 
 
 On the fourth I left him against his will, and pro- 
 ceeded to Indiir. I reached the city in two days, 
 where fortunately I soon found out the place of my 
 dearest mother's residence, who was the sole object
 
 A GLAD-SOimOWFUL MEETING. 123 
 
 of my love. Our mutual happiness at meeting is 
 beyond my power to describe. She told me all the 
 particulars of the fatal quarrel, and the unlawful 
 steps taken by the Government in pillaging the house 
 and property afterwards. My own chest that I had 
 left with her, containing my things and the small 
 sum of money lawfully earned, escaped the ransackers, 
 its shabby appearance attracting no attention. Inquir- 
 ing earnestly after my mother's health, which did not 
 appear to me good, I received a sad answer, which, 
 on a sudden, like a Tatar's arrow, pierced my breast. 
 She simply said she had a low fever attended with 
 slight cough and diarrhoea, for which she cared but 
 little; but she felt her vital powers gradually sinking. 
 Knowing the nature of her seemingly mild, but fatal, 
 indisposition, my alarm was great. I kept, however, 
 my self-possession in her presence; and, affecting 
 indifference, I told her that she would recover very 
 soon, if it pleased Almighty God, as the distemper 
 was not serious. At the same time I recommended 
 change of air, saying it would prove beneficial to her, 
 particularly if she returned to her native town, and 
 saw her dear mother, brother, and other members of 
 the family. To this she willingly agreed, and taking 
 a bracelet off her arm, asked me to sell it for the 
 expenses of the journey. But I objected, telling 
 her that I had some money in my chest for such and 
 other expenses, and that, thank God ! we had not 
 been driven to such extremities as to think of dis-
 
 124 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 posing of a part of the few jewels that remained to 
 her untouched by the plunderers, who dared not 
 infringe the rule of respect towards ladies of rank, on 
 such occasions of injustice perpetrated under Govern- 
 ment orders. 
 
 I hastened to the market-place and made all the 
 preparations in a short time. On the next day, early 
 in the morning, we left Indiir, and, by the blessing 
 of Heaven, reached oar native town on the third day 
 without any accident. When we entered our humble 
 abode, we were received by all the members with 
 very sincere joy ; and surprise and astonishment at 
 our unexpected arrival seemed to prevail everywhere 
 in the family. It was a day of real happiness to all 
 except myself: the anticipation of our impending evil 
 day did not allow me to participate in their pleasure- 
 able feelings. I informed my uncle, in secret, of the 
 mortal disease of his sister ; but the paleness of her 
 complexion, slow cough, and depression of spirits, 
 having already told him the same fatal tale, his grief 
 and despair were great. At the same time he com- 
 forted me, observing that I should exhibit no sign 
 of grief to the patient or anybody else, and rather 
 seem pleased and satisfied in my conversation with 
 her, for such were the rules of treatment in such 
 maladies ; and that I must not suffer myself to be 
 overcome with despair, for life and death are the 
 mysterious secrets solely in the omnipotent hand of 
 Providence ; and that it is unwise to fear death on
 
 LAST PARTING. 125 
 
 the two days, i. e., the day that is doomed and the 
 day that is not doomed for our death, because, in 
 the former as well as in the latter case, fear must be 
 folly. 
 
 We observed the above rule very strictly, and 
 used all the remedies in our power ; but to no pur- 
 pose. The disease made progress every day, and the 
 sufferer's strength changed into utter weakness, and 
 in about twenty days she was reduced to a mere 
 skeleton. Perceiving, at last, that her days were 
 nearly finished, she gave me her last injunctions as 
 follows : " My son, be virtuous, and guide yourself 
 by your reason and conscience in the world Take 
 care of that orphan boy of mine, who is only in his 
 sixth year, and has no one else to look to ; treat him 
 with brotherly affection, and may God be your pro- 
 tector wherever you are : as for me, I am now per- 
 fectly sure of being obliged to return to the same 
 region whence I was obliged to come." Saying this, 
 she fell into a deep swoon, and I could no more 
 restrain the flood of tears that was every now and 
 then ready to flow for the impending eternal parting. 
 All the bystanders, my grandmother, uncle, and 
 others, melted into tears and followed my example 
 in the tragical scene. Thus we continued for about 
 half an hour, when, to our great joy, she returned to 
 her senses and called for water; and then she began 
 to appear more composed and firm in reason, as she 
 comforted us and particularly enjoined us not to
 
 126 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 grieve. The next day she appeared to be quite 
 recovered, and, to our extreme happiness, we saw her 
 walking a little, assisted by a staff. But, alas ! this 
 sudden recovery could but retard the fatal result: it 
 was something like a sudden blaze emitted by a lamp 
 when about to go out. So on the following day she 
 became worse than before ; and, in the afternoon of 
 Friday, the 24th of April, whilst her head rested on 
 my bosom, her pure and sacred soul took flight to 
 the blissful region of eternity. May the blessing of 
 the merciful God shower upon her for ever and ever. 
 Amen.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 My mother's funeral A friend obtains me the postrnastership at 
 Dharampur My sojourn there Sudden dismissal The 
 night march The tiger's spring Sir John Malcolm No 
 refusing a great man I become Munshi to the Bheel agent 
 I am transferred to Lieut. Hart The expedition to Nagar 
 Parkar A Maratha horseman's impudence Decision of the 
 Native Magistrate Egyptian version of the story of Shy lock. 
 
 the only person now to be consulted as to the 
 funeral ceremonies, I directed them to be performed, 
 poor as I was, in a dignified style, and defrayed the 
 charges liberally. My funds were, however, nearly 
 exhausted, as I had to bear all the expenses of the 
 obsequies, of the alms to the poor, and of entertain- 
 ing relations and friends, who paid their visits from 
 far and near to condole with the family. I disposed 
 of the few jewels left by my mother, but even then 
 there was not enough to defray all the charges. I 
 began to think of some pretence of deserting the 
 town, where my further stay seemed likely to be 
 both disagreeable and hurtful to my reputation ; for 
 the creditors, of whom I had borrowed small sums, 
 already began to importune me for repayment. 
 
 A friend of mine, named Munshi Najaf Ali Khan, 
 a very respectable gentleman from the upper pro-
 
 128 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 vinces, at this time resided at Dharampur, as native 
 agent of the British Government I frequently visited 
 him, and was treated with much kindness, as I was 
 useful to him in supplying information. Finding an 
 opportunity, I imparted to him my distressful circum- 
 stances with tearful eyes, which moved this honour- 
 able man with compassion; and he not only prevented 
 my fall into the abyss of impending ruin by his 
 generous aid, but used his exertions to promote my 
 interests, in getting me employed as a district post 
 clerk in the Honourable Company's service, upon a 
 small salary of fifteen rupees per mensem. On the 
 18th of May I received the order, bearing Sir John 
 Malcolm's seal and signature, from the head-quarters 
 at Mhow, purporting that I was taken into the service 
 of the Honourable Company, and that, if I proved a 
 loyal and faithful servant, my rise would be certain. 
 At the same time I was instructed to proceed to the 
 village of Dharampur with seven harkaras (or runners) 
 under my command, and, stationing myself there, to 
 act as postmaster and despatch all packages from the 
 Sindua Pass to Mandleshwar, and vice versa. With 
 the Mandleshwar post I was ordered to write a letter 
 containing all the news of the place, and daily trans- 
 mit it to the address of Mr. Bell at Mhow. Having 
 received my instructions, I made preparations for the 
 journey, and proceeded forthwith to the station with 
 my harkaras. I reached my destination on the 22nd, 
 in three days, and put up in a large Hindu temple
 
 THE DHAR GOVERNOR. 129 
 
 with my small party. I was the first British officer 
 that ever had been stationed there, and was respected 
 by all the people in consequence. The governor of 
 the place at this time, on the part of the Dhar 
 Government, was a Brahman by caste, and by name 
 Nathu Bhai. He was a man about fifty, of black 
 complexion, thin, and an opium eater, very tyrannical 
 to the people of the village, and of very peevish and 
 disreputable character, his deeds well corresponding 
 with his outward form. In appearance, he treated 
 me with great respect, furnished me gratis with all 
 the necessaries of life ; but, inwardly, he hated my 
 presence in the town, seeing that I exercised my 
 authority, and his subjects were more submissive to 
 me than to him. Nathu Bhai, of course, was obliged 
 to put up with this, bitter as it was to him. It being 
 quite clear that his master's power, in comparison 
 with that of the British, was as an ant to an elephant; 
 and I being a representative of the latter, a handsome 
 young man of the high governing caste, in appearance 
 far superior to his withered person, he allowed matters 
 to take their course. 
 
 Dharampur, a large town about twenty years ago, 
 but now reduced to a small village, almost all in 
 ruins, with only a hundred houses, and these inhabited 
 by people in indigent circumstances, became the seat 
 of my government. The people having greatly suf- 
 fered from the oppression of remorseless governors, 
 similar to Nathu Bhai, and from the depredations of 
 
 F
 
 130 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFDLLAH. 
 
 robbers, seemed extremely anxious to have a ruler 
 over them endowed with equity ; and, being informed 
 that the justice of the British Government was 
 unparalleled in the world, they were ready to throw 
 themselves under its protection at the first oppor- 
 tunity. Dharampur, though in ruins, as I have 
 already observed, is excellently situated on the right 
 bank of the river Narbadda, lat. 22 10' North, long. 
 75 26' East The sight of the pure limpid water, 
 flowing on the gravelly bed of the river here, is a 
 very charming one. Both banks are adorned with 
 many Hindu temples, built by the cebrated lady 
 Ahilya Bai, who ruled over the extensive possessions 
 of the Holkar Government during the years 1769 to 
 1795, A.D., with talent, energy, and despotic power. 
 Her moderation, impartial justice, masculine courage, 
 and pious liberality will perpetuate her name for 
 many ages. 
 
 The river here abounds with water-fowl of various 
 kinds, and the country, though its forests are not 
 very thick, swarms with game of all sorts, and is 
 infested with ravenous beasts. These animals were 
 dangerously troublesome to the people of our village, 
 whose kine and goats were carried off by them once 
 or twice a month, even from within the enclosures ; 
 and my undoored residence, the temple, consequently 
 was a frightful place at night. I strictly ordered my 
 runners to keep the fire alive all night as a safeguard 
 against these nocturnal visitors. Shortly after my
 
 DHAJRAMPUE. 131 
 
 arrival, a detachment of the Madras Native Infantry, 
 headed by a very handsome Englishman, arrived 
 and was stationed here, to the highest satisfaction of 
 the people and myself, and to the great annoyance of 
 the governor, Nathii Bhai. The Englishman, hearing 
 all I had to say, left his party under the command of 
 his native Subahdar, and himself, with a Naik, and 
 three Sipahis, proceeded to Mhow early next morning. 
 My position and authority now became stronger in 
 the village : the time I passed here was the happiest 
 I recollect. The performance of the Government 
 duties did not occupy me more than half an hour ; 
 the rest of the day was my own. During the day I 
 bathed in the pure water of the river, and caught 
 some water-fowl by means of fish-baits, and played 
 at chess at home with the native officers of the 
 detachment; and, at night, I held a regular Darbar 
 in the temple, attended by the head men from the 
 village, and the officers above mentioned, till mid- 
 night. 
 
 Two months afterwards another Englishman, an 
 engineer officer, named Mr. Dangerfield, arrived 
 with his distance measuring-wheel, etc. He took 
 down the census of the place from my mouth, and 
 put several other questions to me, which, having 
 answered, I retired. This poor man appeared to be 
 very sickly, and his illness seemed to have rendered 
 him harsh and irritable. During my stay with him, 
 a fly having repeatedly settled on his mouth, he did 
 
 F 2
 
 132 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 not only curse his attendant, who stood fanning him, 
 but tried to inflict a blow on his face, though 
 without success, the man having parried it well. 
 This excited his master more and more, until the 
 poor fellow was obliged to leave the tent in self- 
 defence, and would not come back, though strictly 
 ordered to do so. At this I could not help smiling ; 
 but there appeared no sign of mirth on the face of 
 the master. 
 
 I continued here unmolested for a period of about 
 four months. In the beginning of September the 
 post ceased coming to my station, without my being 
 able to account for it ; but during the latter end of 
 the same month an order from head-quarters sur- 
 prised me, like a shot striking a bird, as it announced 
 my dismissal from the service. The translation of 
 it was as follows : " You have conducted your duties 
 to the satisfaction of the sublime government. H. H. 
 the Peshwa having lately been captured, and the 
 country being settled, there is no further need of 
 your services,- so you are hereby dismissed. Please 
 render your accounts in your next communication, 
 which send, with the seven footmen under your 
 command, to Mhow. Receive the amount of forty- 
 five rupees from the bearer, your wages for the 
 ensuing month, and two months pay as a reward. 
 Consider these injunctions to be strict, and act upon 
 tne same." 
 
 This final order I was obliged to carry into effect
 
 I LEAVE DHARAMPUR. 133 
 
 immediately on receipt. Again I was in possession 
 of some little money to get on with in the world; 
 but all my hopes of rising in rank, and becoming a 
 person of consequence, were at once frustrated, arid 
 the castles built in the air for a period of more than 
 four months suddenly vanished. 
 
 The next day I took leave of all my friends of the 
 village, and the native officers and men of the detach- 
 ment. The nights being moonlight at this time of 
 the month, we started at about six o'clock, in the 
 cool of the evening. A Naik of the detachment, by 
 name Mahiu'ddin Sahib, accompanied me for about 
 a mile, being an intimate friend of mine, with whom 
 I generally played chess, and he was a man well 
 versed in that art. I had the pleasure of seeing 
 Mahiu'ddin Sahib again at Surat in 1840, after 
 twenty-two years, in religious garb, with a long 
 flowing white beard. He appeared an entirely dif- 
 ferent man from what I had seen him. I am sorry 
 to add that his change in life did not improve his 
 circumstances, though he set himself up for a Saiyid. 
 
 I left Dharampur, with my seven footmen, and 
 the bearer of the bad news of my dismissal, at about 
 five o'clock for Maheshwar, where I intended to 
 separate myself from these people ; whence they 
 might proceed to Mhow, and I with a caravan to my 
 native town. We proceeded on our march, some- 
 times talking with each other, and sometimes hearing 
 the song of the bringer of the black tidings, who
 
 134 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 sung very well, and was asked every now and then 
 by the party to oblige them with his excellent music. 
 The darkness of the evening, on account of the 
 cloudy weather, came on with rapidity; and I 
 advised that each man should, alternately, lead the 
 way, with a burning log of wood in his hand to 
 scare off the ravenous beasts, as was usual when 
 charged with the post. Being out of the service, 
 my words were not only disobeyed, but actually had 
 no longer any weight with them. They ridiculed 
 my fears, and said, " Pray come on quietly, if you 
 wish to accompany us ; if not, you may return and 
 do as you like." This was the first insult that pierced 
 through my heart, and I never spoke to any of them 
 again. 
 
 It was about eleven o'clock at night when the 
 fatigue of the march and the cool of the night ren- 
 dered my brain heavy, and my feet unwilling to 
 move ; but I strolled on still with the people. The 
 moon sometimes extended her calm splendour over 
 us, and sometimes was overshadowed with dark clouds. 
 Suddenly, upon the left side of our road, a crackling 
 was heard among the bushes : all of us were alarmed, 
 and, in an instant, a tiger, rushing out of the jungle, 
 pounced upon the one of the party that was foremost, 
 and carried him off in the twinkling of an eye. The 
 rush of the animal and the crush of the poor victim's 
 bones in his mouth, and his last cry of distress, 
 " Ho hai!" involuntarily re-echoed by all of us, was
 
 SURPRISED BY A TIGER. 135 
 
 over in three seconds; and then I know not what 
 happened, till I returned to my senses, when I found 
 myself and companions lying down on the ground, as 
 if prepared to be devoured by our enemy, the sove- 
 reign of the forest. I find my pen incapable of 
 describing the terror of that dreadful moment. Our 
 limbs stiffened, our power of speech ceased, our 
 hearts beat violently, and only a whisper of the sam 
 "Ho hai!" was heard from us. In this state we 
 crept on all-fours for some distance back, and then 
 ran for life with the speed of an Arab horse for 
 about half an hour, and fortunately happened to 
 come to a small village of about fifty huts, into which 
 we rushed, heedless of the barking of the dogs, which 
 roused the inhabitants, who, taking us to be a gang 
 of robbers, hooted and shouted with all their might 
 to drive us away. Not caring for the shouts, we 
 entered the Chaura, or miserable police hut, which 
 had a small fire in front. The poor old police Bheel, 
 who sat by the fire, soon found out, by instinct, that 
 we were no robbers, but robbed, and he pacified the 
 inhabitants by telling them his opinion. Being out 
 of breath, we could not utter a word for some time ; 
 but, soon recovering our senses, we found that one of 
 the footmen, named Rama, was missing, and told our 
 tale to our suspicious hosts. They reproached us for 
 our folly in travelling at night through that dangerous 
 part of the jungle without fire, and said it was no 
 wonder we met with a fatal accident. They brought
 
 136 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 us then a large pot of sour milk, diluted with water, 
 and a large draught was kindly served out to each. 
 It was taken with great avidity, and thankfully 
 drunk to the good health of our hosts. After this 
 every one of us was attacked with fever, attended 
 with shivering, in which deplorable state we remained 
 till morning, when we proceeded to Maheshwar, 
 about five miles from this, guided and escorted by 
 two Bheels, kindly lent us by the good villagers, and 
 reached the place at about nine o'clock, A.M. Here, 
 leaving the Government footmen to shift for , them- 
 selves, I put up with the Kazi, or judge, a name- 
 sake of mine, who was also distantly related to my 
 family. 
 
 I passed about a week with the Kazi's family, and 
 was hospitably treated during my stay; and then, 
 with a good caravan, I returned home, where I passed 
 some months in peace, but dejected in consequence 
 of my unexpected dismissal from the service. By 
 the blessing of Heaven, at this time, even after 
 liquidating my small debts, I had a sum of money 
 sufficient to allow me and my brother to live for a 
 year or so. It happened that Sir John Malcolm at 
 this time visited the shrine, and made a handsome 
 present in money to us, the sacred attendants of it. 
 He also took a fancy to a large slab of black marble, 
 about two feet and a half square and four inches 
 thick fixed upon the seat of the pulpit of the 
 mosque on account of its being completely inscribed
 
 NO REFUSING A GREAT MAN. 137 
 
 with a Hindu legend, in excellent order, in ancient 
 Sanskrit. He asked us to give it to him for a sum 
 of money, which we did, after considering over the 
 question. We knew that it was improper to have 
 one of the relics removed from the place of worship, 
 where it had been placed by the mighty hand of 
 the king, who changed the temple into a mosque. 
 Taking this view of the case, we could not at once 
 comply with the request. On the other hand, we 
 thought it was inexpedient to reject the demand of 
 the great man, whose one word to the Raja upon the 
 subject might dispossess us of the stone without any 
 remuneration whatever ; so we allowed the general's 
 people to take it for him, on the plea that the Pagan 
 inscription must have been fixed in that holy 
 receptacle by mistake, and that the sooner it was 
 removed from the sacred place the better. The 
 stone was taken away, and the place soon repaired 
 by the general's people, who was highly pleased 
 with his acquisition. He called us into his tent, and 
 finding me only (and not my cousin) fit to be con- 
 versed with, he approached so near to my person 
 that I found my head reached only to his bosom. 
 He then addressed himself to me, and most amiably 
 talked much, in good Persian, in praise of the stone 
 and our family, etc., which pleased us more than the 
 coins. 
 
 I soon began again to look for employment, and, 
 according to the Arabic proverb " a seeker is a
 
 138 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 finder," I obtained the object of my desire at last, 
 t. ., got a situation with an English gentleman 
 by name Lieut B. Mac Mahon, the Bheel agent at 
 Ndlcha, as Persian teacher to him. It happened 
 that he, in company with Lieut. C. F. Hart, came to 
 our town on a shooting expedition, and put up at our 
 Mosque near the shrine for two or three days, and 
 spontaneously made an offer of the situation under 
 him, which I accepted without hesitation, and accom- 
 panied him to his head-quarters at Nalcha. Lieut. 
 Mac Mahon, now perhaps colonel or higher, was a 
 tall thin young man of great talent and ability, 
 endowed with an excellent gay humour and mirthful 
 temper. His knowledge of the Hindustani language 
 deserved high praise, and his imitations of the Bheels' 
 cries of danger, revenge, and happiness, were per- 
 fect. He also spoke their jargon uncommonly well ; 
 suffice it to say, that if he had been placed behind a 
 curtain, or had been painted black, with a langotf 
 and a bow and arrows in his hand, he would have 
 been taken, or rather mistaken, for a Bheel. 
 
 I lived under the generous protection of this young 
 man for about four months and a half, residing in an 
 ancient palace, when, unfortunately, being taken ill 
 with the jungle fever, he was obliged to proceed 
 to the Presidency for recovery, and thence, I was 
 informed afterwards, to his native land. On his 
 departure from Nalcha, I was made over by him to 
 his friend, the aforesaid Lieut. Hart, to be his
 
 LIEUTENANT HART. 139 
 
 instructor in Hindustani ; and from this time, up to 
 the year 1835, I regularly held the profession of a 
 teacher of the Persian, Hindustani, Arabic, and 
 Marathi languages to the new comers from England, 
 from time to time, and place to place, as their duty 
 obliged and caprice induced them to go. Upwards 
 of one hundred pupils studied with me during the 
 above period, and none of my scholars returned 
 unlaureled from the Government examination com- 
 mittees. I have a book of most flattering certificates 
 in my possession, and I may say that I was better off 
 than many by following this profession. 
 
 About three months after my being employed 
 with Lieut. C. F. Hart, he was ordered with his 
 detachment of pioneers to proceed with a part of 
 the Malwah Field Force, under the command of 
 Col. Barkly, to Nagar Parkar, for the chastisement 
 of one of the predatory Biluchi tribes of Khqjas, 
 commonly denominated Khossas. I was obliged to 
 accompany my pupil, and we left the comfortable 
 cantonment at Mhow in the early part of this year 
 for the Parkar districts, the refuge and resort of the 
 marauders. Our force proceeded by slow marches, 
 via Baroda, where being joined with another detach- 
 ment, we had to march on to Radhanpur, whence we 
 had to cross the desert Ran, about forty miles, 
 which surrounds the insulated district of Parkar, 
 a tract of land about forty-four miles long, and ten, 
 twelve, fifteen, and twenty miles broad, environed by
 
 140 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LCTFULLAH. 
 
 the Ran desert and sand-hills. Each of its villages 
 has not more than ten or twelve miserable huts, 
 except ViraAvaw, which has about four hundred; 
 and the capital town itself contains about six hundred 
 wretched hovels. 
 
 After leaving Mhow, Lieut. Hart rose both in 
 rank and in the estimation of his superiors : he was 
 made Major of Brigade. His treatment of me was 
 brotherly; he ordered his servants to consider me 
 his equal, gave me a separate tent, and appointed 
 one of his best horses for my riding. My duty of 
 teaching him the language recurring only once or 
 twice a month, I felt an earnest wish to do something 
 for huii, at least, in return for the salt that I ate and 
 kindness that I experienced; so I took voluntarily 
 upon myself the charge and care of his domestic 
 affairs, and managed them well, not only to his, but 
 to all his friends' satisfaction. In marches, I had 
 his tent erected first of all ; and at halts, I caused 
 the pilfering hand of his servants to be paralyzed 
 in robbing him. Such acts of zeal and good will 
 cemented the fabric of our intimacy more strongly 
 and firmly every day for a length of time. 
 
 On our arrival at Baroda, a few days' halt was 
 announced in the camp, for the purpose of giving 
 rest to the people, procuring provisions, and pre- 
 paring large leather bags, to be carried by camels, 
 filled with fresh water, an indispensable supply for 
 the men and beasts of the army required during the
 
 A FOPPISH MAKATHA. 141 
 
 impending'Jong marches across the Ran. In the 
 meantime I enjoyed the morning and evening ride 
 in the town. On the morning of the day before 
 we left Baroda, I was greatly teased by a foppish 
 Maratha horseman during my ride throughout the 
 city. He frequently manosuvred his horse across 
 my way and behind me, in such a manner as to 
 show that he derided me and the noble Arab steed 
 I rode, whose value, I believe, far exceeded that 
 of him and his beautifully caparisoned horse. Some- 
 times he made menacing gestures towards me with 
 his long spear, as if he was going to pierce me with 
 it through the heart ; and sometimes he retired at 
 full speed, and whilst galloping, he threw his hand- 
 kerchief and picked it up again. I felt excessively 
 excited at these causeless provocations, and, having 
 an excellent pair of pistols in my holsters, I made up 
 my mind to shoot the man dead in case I received a 
 slight touch of his lance. Curious to say, my noble 
 charger seemed cooler and more careless at the 
 transaction than I. I now thought of cantering 
 homeward without taking any notice of the scorn- 
 ful conduct of the man, but no sooner did I begin 
 to do so than the fellow made his appearance again 
 with renewed energy, and, on his turning close in 
 the rear of my horse, his animal having accidentally 
 stumbled, slightly touched the tail of mine, upon 
 which the noble Arab under me kicked the horse 
 at once with all his might, which threw the horse
 
 142 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 and the rider about three yards off from me, apart 
 from each other. I was greatly astonished at this 
 action of the animal : it appeared as if revenge lay 
 buried in his mind, awaiting only a spark to explode. 
 Immediately after the fall, the horse, leaving his 
 rider to shift for himself, followed an unfortunate 
 rider on a mare, who happened to pass by at the 
 time, through the market-place, "with all the ferocity 
 of a low-origined animal, and raised a great dis- 
 turbance. The poor horseman's sword, in the act 
 of his being separated from the saddle, coming out 
 of the scabbard, slightly grazed his left arm from 
 the elbow to the wrist, from which part an abundant 
 flow of blood took place ; and, in consequence, I was 
 accused of being the cause of the injury, and arrested 
 by the police to answer for it. The affected hero, 
 the rider, perhaps never having seen blood in his 
 life, beholding his own wound, turned pale, cried 
 like a woman, and fainted. <e Where is your horse- 
 manship?" cried one of the crowd, the expression 
 used in taunting a soldier. " These bragging up- 
 starts," added an old soldier that stood at a little 
 distance, "are only fit to be shown in the city 
 market: like ladies of pleasure, they are no men 
 of courage, but a disgrace." 
 
 Thus, leaving the hero in the field of battle, being 
 requested by the police to attend at the magistrate's 
 office, I proceeded thither, and found in the middle 
 of the hall a stout corpulent Brahman seated upon
 
 THE MAGISTRATE'S OFFICE. 143 
 
 a silk cushion, leaning against a large pillow, attended 
 by three writers and several peons. On my arrival 
 there, I tied my horse to a pillar of the hall ; and 
 myself stood in front of the magistrate and made 
 my salam, which he returned with an air of pride, 
 raising his hand scarcely as high as his chin, instead 
 of his head. I disliked this form of extorting defer- 
 ence and awe to his office ; but began to think it 
 was my evil day. He then ordered one of his 
 clerks to take my depositions, and the man com- 
 menced wielding his pen as fluently as I did my 
 tongue. No sooner did the court learn who I was 
 and in whose service, than its aspect was changed. 
 The name of Captain Hart, the Brigade Major, 
 electrified the assembly at once, and the magistrate's 
 assumed awfulness instantly changed into the smiles 
 of kindness. He asked me to sit down by him; 
 but I thankfully declined the honour, pleading ina- 
 bility on account of having boots on, as respect 
 prevented my treading upon his carpet. Upon this, 
 a chair being immediately ordered for me, I made 
 a bow and sat upon it. In the meantime, the wounded 
 hero, the rider of the mare bitten in several places 
 on his back by the vicious horse of the former and 
 the horse were brought before the court. As soon 
 as my deposition was finished, the rider of the mare, 
 who was a clown from the country, represented his 
 deplorable case to the court; and then the brag- 
 gadocio, now as quiet as a lamb, stated his in a few
 
 144 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 words, his whole attention being taken up by the 
 wound, which still kept on exuding blood from the 
 bandage. The court then weighed and considered 
 the subject for a few minutes, and the worthy magis- 
 trate pronounced sentence as follows : " Krishnaji 
 Holkar (such was the name of the cowardly horse- 
 man) in a period of fourteen months, now for the 
 fifth time being brought before the court, having 
 in the former four instances quarrelled with respect- 
 able citizens, was let off by the court on consider- 
 ation that he would amend his character in future. 
 It appears now that the leniency towards him was 
 mal a propos. In this present instance he has insulted 
 an officer of the British Government without any 
 provocation on the part of the latter. It is a very 
 heavy crime and an unpardonable one, for such 
 behaviour of our subjects and servants might pro- 
 duce the displeasure of a powerful government 
 against ours. The Holkar, therefore, shall be dis- 
 missed from the service of His Highness the Maha- 
 rajah, his property confiscated, and himself transported 
 beyond the river Rewra, out of His Highness's domi- 
 nions ; and the British officer, in compensation for 
 the mental injury sustained by him, shall receive the 
 Holkar's sword and apology, and the Patel his horse, 
 to make amends for his corporeal sufferings." A 
 letter, then, containing a summary of the charges' 
 and this arbitrary sentence, was dictated by the 
 magistrate, and forwarded to the Bakshi or General-
 
 AN EGYPTIAN BAREBONES. 145 
 
 issimo ; and I, having received the sword and the 
 apologies from the man, and compliments from the 
 tribunal, was dismissed, and returned home with the 
 prize in my hand and satisfaction in my heart. 
 
 Being absent from home till noon, Captain Hart 
 had become very anxious about me, thinking that I 
 must have met with an accident ; and, on my appear- 
 ance at the tent, he ran out of it bareheaded, shook 
 hands with me with the warmth of a real Englishman, 
 and in the ecstacy of his pleasure, forgetting that I 
 could neither speak nor understand his language, 
 " What made you so late, my dear Lutfullah ? " said 
 he to me. Instinct, however, dictating to me his 
 meaning, in reply, I explained to him what had 
 happened, which made him laugh heartily. 
 
 The sentence of the despotic magistrate does not 
 seem to be dissimilar to the judgments passed by 
 the ancient Kazi Ratalbiik of Egypt, such as the 
 following : 
 
 As civilization began to dawn, in the third century 
 of our blessed Prophet, about the time of Edward II., 
 the martyr king of England, Asiatic fables mention 
 that there was a Cazi (or judge) in the city of Cairo, 
 by name Mansur Bin Miisia. 
 
 His affection of humility was so great, that he even 
 made a ridiculous alteration in his name by dividing 
 it into several monosyllables, and substituting words 
 of humbler meaning, of which he compounded a new 
 name. It being Man Siir Bin Mii Sia (lit., Victor,
 
 146 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 son of Moses), he divided it into the following five 
 syllables : 
 
 Syllables of 
 the original 
 name. 
 
 Meaning. 
 
 Substitutes. 
 
 Meaning. 
 
 Man... | 
 
 Name of a heavy weight con- 
 sisting of 40 lbs.,or two Ratals 
 or pounds in Persia. .. ... 
 
 ( Ratal ... 
 
 Pound (Ib.) 
 
 Sur 
 
 A large trumpet 
 
 Buk .., 
 
 Stnallbugle. 
 
 Bin 
 
 
 Abd-al . 
 
 Slave. 
 
 Mu 
 
 Hair 
 
 Pashm... 
 
 Wool. 
 
 Sia 
 
 Thirty (Persian) 
 
 Panzdah 
 
 Fifteen. 
 
 
 
 
 
 So the third column forms his name, " Ratal Buk 
 Abd-al Pashm Panzdah," S mall -Weight -Penny- 
 Whistle-Slave-of- Wool-Fifteen, instead of Heavy- 
 Weight-Trumpet-Son-of-Hair-Thirty. 
 
 During the time of this extraordinary functionary 
 of justice, there lived a military man in poor cir- 
 cumstances, who had a very pretty young wife ; also 
 in his neighbourhood resided a wealthy Jew, natu- 
 rally characterized by habits of extreme usurious- 
 ness, unbounded meanness, and greediness. This 
 son of Israel, having more than once clandestinely 
 obtained a full view of the incomparable wife of his 
 poor neighbour, conceived a passion for her, and to 
 this degree that, having lost the command of his 
 heart, he impatiently watched an opportunity to 
 seduce her. He tried every means to accomplish 
 his criminal desire, but invariably failed ; for a mind 
 once properly fortified with virtue can never be
 
 THE JEW. 147 
 
 conquered by vice. The poor veteran, being without 
 employment for a long time, had been so overtaken 
 by indigence, that he and his wife actually starved 
 sometimes for two or three days. The pangs of 
 poverty at last being insufferable, the wife suggested 
 a plan to the husband of bettering themselves, telling 
 him that idling was the source of all miseries ; and 
 he must therefore buy a hatchet and ropes, and, 
 repairing daily to the forest, bring a bundle of fire- 
 wood, which certainly would sell for something. On 
 the other hand, she would take to her needle, and 
 thus they would try to make themselves as comfort- 
 able as possible in the world. 
 
 The man approved of her suggestion ; but said he 
 to her, in a submissive tone, " I extol your plan 
 highly, but I find it even difficult to procure the 
 preliminary means to begin. At least a hundred 
 dirhams are needed to purchase some linen and silk 
 for your needle, and a hatchet and rope for me." 
 To this the wife replied that the sum might easily be 
 borrowed, and the Hebrew neighbour would certainly 
 lend it if a prospect of good interest was held out to 
 him. The soldier thought the matter over, but 
 demurred at going to the mean Jew to solicit his aid. 
 " No," said he to himself, " I would rather starve to 
 death than be scornfully looked upon by a faithless 
 Jew." But again he thought he must submit to the 
 dishonour, rather than see his lovely wife on the 
 verge of the grave.
 
 148 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAE. 
 
 So, with mingled fear and hope, he betook himself 
 to the Jew, to whom he represented his case in his 
 soldier-like sincere but unpolished language. The 
 Hebrew was delighted to think that he had nearly 
 won the game, and that, by sacrificing a piece, he 
 would certainly circumvent the queen. So at first 
 he impressed upon the mind of his customer the 
 importance of money in the world. He then said he 
 was very sorry that he had no money of his own to 
 lend him ; at the same time he could not deny having 
 certain small sums in the house, but he dared not 
 touch them for his life, " they being," observed he, 
 " the deposits of other individuals of power and 
 authority." "Then am I to return disappointed?" 
 asked the veteran. " I cannot help it," returned the 
 Jew ; " I will not stake my life and property for 
 others ; so pray be gone, and never trouble me again 
 with such affairs. Don't be angry," added he, " but 
 suppose I lend you from the deposit which I am 
 obliged to produce to the depositor for his satisfaction 
 after two months from this day, and suppose I cannot 
 do so, do you think my head will remain on my 
 shoulders?" "But it will not be in any way 
 jeoparded," rejoined the veteran, "if I promise to 
 pay you back in seven weeks." "But how can I 
 believe you ? " quoth the Jew ; " what security can 
 you afford?" "As for security, I can offer you 
 none," replied the poor man: f lbut I can assure you 
 that I shall be punctual, and I can attach my signa-
 
 A MERCILESS CREDITOR. 149 
 
 ture to any penal bond you may be pleased to draw 
 out." " Very well," said the Jew ; " then in that 
 case, will you engage, as a matter of mere form, of 
 course, to give a pound of your flesh from your body 
 in case you fail to fulfil your promise?" " With all 
 my heart," rejoined the poor man, considering that 
 he and his wife would work night and day, and would 
 certainly be able to liquidate the debt before the time 
 prescribed. Upon this understanding the bond was 
 formally written out, attested, signed, and delivered, 
 and the money paid to the poor man. On the other 
 hand, the Jew was happy in thinking over the 
 matter : " The bait," said he to himself, " is swal- 
 lowed, and I must have patience for seven weeks, 
 when the game will be won. On further considera- 
 tion, he bethought himself that, in the case of the 
 man's being able to produce the amount at the time 
 promised, which appeared to him more than im- 
 probable, he would manage to steal a part of the 
 good coins and mix up some counterfeit ones in their 
 place ; and thus he might easily render him unable 
 to pay his debt, and, besides, might accuse him of 
 cheating. So, the horror of such criminal charges 
 being brought to the notice of the court of justice, 
 and the impossibility of his submitting to be maimed, 
 would certainly cause the tree of his hope to be 
 fruitful of success. 
 
 As for the poor veteran, he, on the receipt of the 
 sum of money, purchased the materials of industry for
 
 150 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFt'LLAH 
 
 his consort and himself ; he also bought some pro- 
 visions and necessaries of life for the time being, and 
 both of them set to work to release themselves from 
 the torturing chains of poverty. They strained every 
 nerve in working to make up the amount within the 
 given time ; but, so far from it, they could not even 
 save half the money required. When the time was 
 finished, the Jew made his unwelcome appearance, 
 seated himself at the door of the poor man, and, in 
 most violent terms, demanded payment. The poor 
 veteran entreated very humbly, soliciting forgiveness, 
 and telling him he was very sorry that all his labours 
 to make up the sum were fruitless, and begged him 
 to accept very nearly half the amount in ready cash, 
 and to grant him more time for the remainder; if not, 
 he might take the money and the materials, by sell- 
 ing which he might get something more than he 
 demanded. These supplications, instead of doing 
 good, provoked the Jew's indignation, and he angrily 
 shouted, "Frivolous excuses will not do with me; 
 the time agreed upon has expired, so be brief; 
 remember the penalty written down by yourself, 
 therefore produce the money or prepare to stand the 
 consequences." Upon this, the argumentation on both 
 sides, being carried on for some time, terminated in 
 a regular scuffle, and the Jew, getting the better of 
 the poor man, caught hold of his collar and dragged 
 him towards the court of justice ; but the poor man, 
 releasing himself somehow or other from his grasp,
 
 THE HALL OF JUSTICE. 151 
 
 took to flight and the Jew followed him. In swiftly 
 crossing the first street, he came on a sudden in con- 
 tact with a pregnant woman, who, being knocked 
 down, unfortunately miscarried; and a relative of 
 hers, seeing this breach of manners, folloAved to 
 apprehend him. A little further, a horseman standing 
 in his way, he struck the horse to clear the road, and 
 the blow unluckily put out one of the horse's eyes. 
 This enraged the horseman, who likewise accompanied 
 the two pursuers to catch the man and hold him 
 responsible for the loss. The poor man, by his quick 
 turns and swiftness, got out of the city, leaving his 
 followers some distance behind ; and, seeing a stone 
 quarry in front, he determined to leap into it and 
 hide himself. With this resolve, exclaiming tf Bis- 
 millah, " In the name of God ! " down he jumped. 
 Now, where he leaped there was a shed, under which 
 an old man was lying ; and, as he precipitated him- 
 self down upon the shed, its weak rafters gave way, 
 and he, coming down upon the old man, not only 
 killed him, but sprained his leg and hurt himself so 
 much that he could move no farther until his pur- 
 suers, joined by the old man's son, whom he had 
 accidentally killed, came up and seized him. They 
 beat him soundly, and, tying his hands behind him, 
 dragged him to the Court of the Kazi Ratalbiik. As 
 the culprit reached the Kdzi's gate, he beheld some 
 shops wherein forbidden liquors were publicly sold, 
 and an old reverend gentleman with a long white
 
 152 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAH. 
 
 beard staggering about, shamefully intoxicated. Pre- 
 sently there passed a living man tied in a bier, and 
 carried to the graveyard to be buried alive, his 
 lamentable shrieks being utterly disregarded by 
 the remorseless bearers. The sight of these horrid 
 scenes enacted at the Kazi's gate, and evidently 
 by his decree, filled the poor soldier with terrible 
 forebodings. 
 
 He was soon, however, dragged into the Court, and 
 trembled at sight of the Kazi, whom he positively 
 looked upon as a deputy of the angel of death. In 
 the middle of the hall was a cushion backed with a 
 large pillow, upon which squatted a diminutive fat 
 person with a very small head and long black beard. 
 He held a rosary in his hand, and kept moving his 
 head in token of assent and dissent to the assertions 
 of the persons about him ; and a few peons stood here 
 and there in respectful postures, with instruments of 
 torture in their hands. The new parties being con- 
 ducted to the edge of the carpet, were struck with 
 awe, and stood trembling. The charges made by the 
 Jew, the relative of the pregnant woman, the owner 
 of the horse, and the son of the old man, were then 
 taken down by the clerks. As for the soldier, he told 
 his unvarnished tale, adding, at the same time, that 
 he had been very severely maltreated by his adver- 
 saries subsequent to his apprehension. 
 
 The matter then was thoroughly discussed by the 
 lawyers in presence of the Kazi, who listened with
 
 A SECOND DANIEL. 153 
 
 profound gravity to the arguments on both sides, and 
 ultimately pronounced sentence as follows : " Let a 
 sharp knife, a pair of scales and weights, be brought 
 forward, and let the peons seize and hold fust the 
 soldier. Jew, there is a knife ; cut off the man's flesh, 
 who has only himself to blame for having so foolishly 
 signed the bond." The Jew gladly took the knife in 
 his hand, thinking that he would have the merit of 
 inflicting a mortal wound upon an enemy of his faith, 
 whose wife would then fall an easy prey. Just as he 
 was going to lay his hand upon the poor man, the 
 Kazi called out, " Hearken to me before you use the 
 knife; the pound must be exactly one pound of flesh, 
 * without any skin or bone, etc., and you must sever 
 it from his body in one cut, no additional torture to 
 the man by plurality of cuts having been agreed 
 upon in the bond. You must, therefore, neither 
 exceed nor come short of one pound ; if you do, you 
 must abide by the law of retribution according to the 
 sacred Kur'an." The Jew, hearing all this, clearly 
 saw the impossibility of the act being performed 
 without endangering himself, and offered to give up 
 his claim. Upon this, the Kazi imposed a fine of 
 five pieces of silver on him for his unreasonable pro- 
 secution, and dismissed him. 
 
 The Kazi next maturely weighed and considered 
 the case of the pregnant woman, and gave his decision 
 as follows : " Let the woman be made over to the 
 defendant, who must first employ a good physician to
 
 154 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 cure her, and, after her recovery, must keep her with 
 him in his own house until she is in the family-way, 
 and then she must honourably be restored to her 
 former husband." The plaintiff, shocked at this sen- 
 tence, begged to give up his suit if such were justice. 
 But the Kazi observed, he should not be permitted to 
 do this unless he paid a fine of ten pieces of silver to 
 the Court for having taken up its time. 
 
 The horseman next being summoned, urged his 
 claim, stating that only a short time ago he had, by 
 a very cheap bargain, purchased his noble horse 
 for two hundred pieces of gold; and it had been 
 seriously damaged by the loss of its eye, K So that 
 the whole price," represented he, "should be paid 
 me, when the soldier may take the animal, or com- 
 pensate me for the blemish by paying a moiety of its 
 value" 
 
 Upon this his lordship duly considered the case, 
 and decreed as follows : " Let a pair of sawyers be 
 sent for to divide the horse longitudinally, from the 
 middle point of his head to the end of his tail ; and, 
 when this is done, the uninjured part shall be retained 
 by the complainant, and the part with the injured eye 
 be given to the defendant, who must pay one hundred 
 pieces of gold, being one-half the price to the plaintiff 
 as compensation for the damage." The owner of the 
 horse, seeing that the loss of his animal would be 
 greater than the compensation, begged to withdraw 
 his claim, which was granted to him with some diffi-
 
 THE LAST CLAIM WITHDRAWN. 155 
 
 culty, on his agreeing to pay a fine of twenty pieces 
 of silver to the Court. 
 
 Lastly, the son of the poor old man appeared, 
 throwing dust over his head for the unnatural death 
 of his venerable father, the cause of which he swore 
 was the rascally veteran's fall upon him, and, there- 
 fore, in justice, he would have him impaled for the 
 crime. 
 
 His lordship coolly heard all his excited statements, 
 and what was said on the part of the prosecution, 
 and on that of the defence, and, weighing everything 
 in the scales of his judgment, pronounced the follow- 
 ing sentence : " Let the offender be dragged to the 
 same shedding under which, with hands and feet 
 tied, let him be placed at the identical spot where 
 the old man was killed, and then let his son jump 
 down upon him from the brink of the quarry in 
 revenge for his father's death." Hereupon the young 
 man, foreseeing the danger of the undertaking, refused 
 to execute the orders, offering to relinquish his claim, 
 and attribute his father's death to an accident ; but 
 his lordship replied that he would not allow the pre- 
 cepts of the law to be disregarded, or the claim to be 
 abandoned, unless he paid a fine of forty pieces of 
 silver to the Court, for his folly in making an unbe- 
 coming charge. The young man then paid the fine 
 and went off", considering himself lucky in getting out 
 of the scrape. 
 
 The hour of noon prayers by this time having
 
 156 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 arrived, the Court was cleared, and the Kazi, having 
 compassion upon the veteran, bestowed on him a 
 handsome present, and inquired if he was satisfied 
 with the proceedings of the Court. The poor man, 
 in reply, praised the Kazi's justice, and said, " God 
 bless you, my lord ; I am entirely satisfied, and my 
 acknowledgments to your lordship during the re- 
 mainder of my life shall be unceasing." 
 
 Having said this, he began to leave his lordship's 
 presence with some hesitation, which being observed 
 by the judge, he asked him if he had anything to 
 say ; and the veteran answered he had something to 
 represent, but it being beyond the bounds of respect, 
 he would not do so unless permission were granted. 
 " You should not be backward," observed his lord- 
 ship, " in satisfying yourself about the law ; for if 
 you leave the Court in suspense respecting any 
 verdict, it may cause others to be misled, and the 
 mischief may become too serious to be remedied." 
 The veteran then humbly stated that he could not 
 reconcile with his lordship's fair justice the forbidden 
 liquor being openly sold at the gate of the Court, 
 where he found a venerable man drunk, nor the fact 
 of a living man being carried to the grave. " I am 
 glad," returned the Kazi, " that you have asked me 
 these questions, as my answers to them will quiet 
 your conscience. Pray hearken unto me with atten- 
 tion. The liquors privately sold are adulterated 
 with poisonous substances by the sellers to strengthen
 
 A LINGERING DOUBT SOLVED. 157 
 
 their effects, and have consequently proved injurious 
 to purchasers who require strong drink as medicine, 
 or as a narcotic after mental labour. Drinking is a 
 crime certainly punishable by our blessed law ; but 
 the same law strictly observes, * Forbidden things 
 are lawful in cases of necessity;' so that by this 
 toleration I have abolished a heinous crime, and 
 have appointed a venerable man, of unquestionable 
 honesty, to test the spirits that are brought here for 
 sale ; and the tasting, which is his lawful duty, may 
 have disguised him a little. As to the person carried 
 alive to the grave, that has been legally ordered by 
 me, because six years ago his wife had been married 
 ' to another man according to the decree of the law, 
 two witnesses of a very respectable character having 
 certified his death at Bagdad. The man, however, 
 came before the Court this morning, pleading that he 
 was not dead, arid advancing a claim to recover his 
 wife. I ordered the two witnesses to re-appear, and 
 they proved beyond doubt, by other evidences, that 
 they had attended his funeral at Bagdad, where he 
 was buried in their presence. From this circum- 
 stance it is easy to conclude that the man cannot be 
 a real one, but the ghost of the former, and must 
 therefore be laid to put an end to all future disputes 
 respecting the woman." The veteran upon this, 
 dissembling his misgivings, praised the Kazi's justice 
 and retired.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Ran desert Colonel Miles Charles the Twelfth's music 
 somewhat too close Tiioughts of Makka Captain Bagnold 
 Mandavi Philosophic meditations and dogmatism dis- 
 turbed Study English at Khaira Infanticide The pirates 
 of Dwarka The Fort taken Wanderings in the hills of 
 Kattiwar The Aghori Gogo Surat The Parsi cemetery. 
 
 To return to my own adventures; on the next 
 morning of my triumph over the Maratha, we 
 marched from Baroda towards Nagar Parkar via 
 Ahmadabad, Karri, Sammi, Radhanpur, and Suigam. 
 Our marches were slow, about ten miles a day on an 
 average. From Suigam in our first long nightly 
 march we crossed to Narrah, a desolate spot in the 
 midst of the Ran where we arrived at about eight 
 o'clock, A.M., and thence on the following day we 
 crossed to Virawaw in another longer and more 
 fatiguing march. All of us were so much knocked 
 up with the fatigue, that a small party of the 
 insurgents might have exterminated our whole force 
 had they had courage enough to attack us at the 
 time. The difficulties and hardships suffered by the 
 force during the last two marches were very severe 
 from the want of fresh water, although a good supply
 
 BRACKISH WATEB. 159 
 
 of it had teen carried along with us upon camels, 
 bullocks, and ponies; but soon after our arrival at 
 Narrah, it was nearly out, and we were obliged to 
 make use of the water of that place, brackish as it 
 was, for the animals, and partly for ourselves too. 
 This salt water, though drinkable, produced looseness 
 of the bowels to many. The mere want rendered 
 our thirst more craving, as the salt water appeared 
 to be nearly out, on account of our free use of 
 it ; and, I am sure, if the army had prolonged its 
 halt for ten or twelve hours more, the whole of 
 the water of the island would have been absorbed 
 by us. The sufferings of the Brahman sipahis of 
 the regiments, whose caste prohibited them from 
 touching water from the leather bags, was greater, 
 for the kettles provided for them by Government 
 held much less than what they required in two days. 
 The good management of the officers and economy 
 on the part of the people, were, however, the means 
 of our safe arrival at that side of the salt desert. 
 
 The view of the Ran, i. e., the salt morass, is not 
 an unpleasant one, perhaps, because it is a curiosity 
 not frequently met with by travellers. The Ran is a 
 vast pathless plain, bright and level. As far as sight 
 can reach nothing is seen but a white sheet, canopied 
 by the sky, and bounded only by the horizon. There 
 is no sign of vegetable or animal to interrupt the 
 view for miles and miles. Small objects, such as 
 dwarf bushes, are magnified by the mirage into
 
 160 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 beautiful gardens and lofty trees reaching the clouds, 
 until you go near them, when you are undeceived. 
 A herd of zebras, that passed by us with uncommon 
 swiftness, assumed the appearance of gigantic horses, 
 something like elephants flying in the air, at the 
 distance of about three or four miles. When further 
 off, they appeared like a hill fort suspended between 
 heaven and earth, which, gradually diminishing in 
 size, at last disappeared. 
 
 On the morning after our arrival at Virawaw, I 
 walked out of the camp in the suburbs of the town 
 in search of something new, where I was surprised 
 to see a European gentleman, who had already 
 anticipated me. I found him engaged with a large 
 slab of stone bearing Arabic inscriptions, belonging 
 to a dilapidated mosque. As he copied it in silence 
 without reading it aloud, I took him to be a super- 
 ficial transcriber, who could not decipher the charac- 
 ter and understand the peculiar turns in the phrase- 
 ology of that difficult language. Upon this, taking 
 out my pencil, I copied the inscriptions for myself 
 in about five minutes, leaving him far behind in his 
 arduous task, and then, in comparing it with the 
 original, I read it aloud : but, finding my European 
 friend following me very close in my reading, I pur- 
 posely read out a part wrong to mislead him; but 
 he checked and corrected me in a very able manner, 
 which convinced me that he was a man of letters 
 and of superior abilities. I bowed to him, and we
 
 COLONEL MILES. 161 
 
 talked with each other in Persian upon the subject 
 of the history of Guzerat for a little while, and then, 
 being mutually made acquainted with each other's 
 name and address, we parted on promise of meeting 
 again. He was Colonel Miles, the Resident at 
 Palanpur, and I had no opportunity of seeing him 
 again until the middle of the year 1844, when I had 
 the pleasure of seeing him in London at his own 
 house. I knew him well, but he knew me not. 
 
 It was about thirty miles distance from this to 
 Nagar Parkar, which .we passed over in four slow 
 marches. No opposition impeded our course during 
 this short journey. One evening, however, intelli- 
 gence being secretly brought to our brigadier that 
 a band of the rebels had encamped at about forty 
 miles distance from our camp, with the intention of 
 surprising us, he immediately marched with a select 
 party of his cavalry to turn their design against 
 themselves. The next morning he overtook them 
 by surprise, and, having killed and wounded some 
 of them, the rest took to their heels unpursued, 
 leaving their baggage for their vanquishers to take 
 possession of. The next day our brigadier returned 
 to the camp victorious. But, to our great dismay, 
 we were afterwards informed that the party attacked 
 were friends ; they were agents on the part of the 
 Sindh Government, deputed to co-operate with us, 
 either in conciliating or reducing the insurgents to 
 our submission ; and thus we returned our thanks 
 
 G
 
 162 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAH. 
 
 to them for their favour. It was a serious mistake 
 on our part, and, in fact, arose through the villanous 
 misrepresentations of a certain designing party. 
 
 During our journey from Virawaw, some antiqua- 
 rians from amongst the officers found an ample means 
 for the exercise of their talent. Idols of fine marble 
 and of different size, the images of the Buddhist 
 gods, were found underground in the country, and 
 were carefully exhumed and carried off. 
 
 On our arrival at Nagar Parkar, as the tents were 
 going to be pitched at a little distance from the town, 
 and a column of the regimental lines was passing by 
 its side in proper order, the insurgents began to fire 
 their matchlocks at us, thinking probably that they 
 would rout the force by wounding and killing a few 
 of us, and then attack the baggage and enrich them- 
 selves by plundering it. Our column, on being fired 
 at, coolly turned in the direction of the enemy 
 instead of its tents, and drove them out of the town 
 immediately. Taking shelter in the mountain, near 
 which the town is situated, they continued firing 
 upon us from behind the rocks and trees in places 
 inaccessible to us, until about three o'clock, P.M., 
 without doing much harm. Several bullets startled 
 me as they passed whistling and whizzing by my 
 head. At about four o'clock in the evening the 
 rebels vanished in the mountains and valleys, which 
 were quite impracticable to us and familiar to 
 themselves.
 
 THE MARCH RESUMED. 163 
 
 In this skirmish Captain Hart was nearly losing 
 his life, though not from the enemy. He had taken 
 a sipahi's musket, and was firing at the Khqjas, 
 when, in his eagerness, he advanced too near the 
 edge of a precipice, over which he fell, but was 
 saved by the sipahi, whose musket he had borrowed, 
 and who caught him by the neck as he was falling. 
 He rewarded the man with a liberality beyond his 
 and my expectation, so much so that he was released 
 from the servitude of a soldier's life at last, and able 
 to return to his own village in the upper provinces 
 with an ample provision to subsist on for the rest 
 of his life. Two years before, when he left his 
 village to enlist, he was no more than a young rustic ; 
 but the momentary display of valour raised the star 
 of his fortune at once, and rendered him a great man 
 amongst his fellow villagers. 
 
 After this trifling affair our force set out on its 
 return, and proceeded to Bhuj via Lodrani. In 
 recrossing the Ran we encountered difficulties some- 
 what similar to our former hardships ; but the sense 
 of getting out of such a diabolical wilderness with 
 laurels, rendered the labour of travelling hardly per- 
 ceptible. We soon had the pleasure of entering the 
 province of Kach, and marched on to Bhuj, the 
 capital of the province, via Anjar, one of its principal 
 towns, the hill fort of which appeared to have sustained 
 a very severe injury from an earthquake, which 
 occurred on Wednesday, 16th of June, 1819. On 
 
 G2
 
 164 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP LUTFULLAH. 
 
 our arrival at Bhuj, Capt. Hart, owing to a severe 
 attack of fever, remained in the British Residency, 
 and the force marched on to Khaira, a small village 
 between Bhuj and Mandavf, where it cantoned and 
 was joined by several regiments of infantry and 
 cavalry, and a detachment of artillery, etc., under 
 the command of the Hon. Col. L. Stanhope, assembled 
 to intimidate the Sindh Government. 
 
 Capt. Hart's illness was a severe one, and con- 
 tinued for about three weeks, during which I 
 remained constantly at his bed, attending him like 
 a brother. On his recovery, I found his temper 
 very peevish, and instead of being thankful to me, 
 he seemed to think what I had done for him was 
 a part of my duty, so we parted from each other not 
 in a friendly way. On leaving his service, I felt 
 much disgusted with the world, and formed the 
 intention of proceeding to Makka by a ship then 
 ready at Mandavi to sail to the Arabian coast. I 
 made preparations for the voyage, and expressed my 
 determination to my friends, Munshi Abba Miyan, 
 of Anjar, and Mohamed Saiyid Khan, a nobleman of 
 Rampur, whom accident had brought to this distant 
 land; but both of these gentlemen disapproved of 
 my plan, finding my stock of money too small for 
 the trip. Abba Miyan observed that he would not 
 for the world dissuade me from my good intention, 
 but he would recommend my taking employment 
 for some time until I should have gained sufficient
 
 SEA-SIDE MEDITATIONS. 165 
 
 money for the pilgrimage, and then I might execute 
 my design. 
 
 I followed the wholesome advice of my kind 
 friends, and the Munshi was good enough to take 
 me to the camp afe Khaira from Bhuj ; and, through 
 his favour, I was appointed teacher of Hindustani to 
 Lieut. H. Spencer, of the 6th Regiment, N. I., and 
 engaged to copy the history of Bombay in Persian 
 for Capt. Bagnold, of the same regiment. Previous 
 to my settlement at Khaira I made a trip to Man- 
 davi to satisfy my curiosity in seeing the sea for the 
 first time in my life. On beholding the immense 
 body of water and its regular ebb and flow, I was 
 struck with astonishment at the unlimited power of 
 the one Supreme Being, before whom the whole 
 of our universe is no more than an atom. Deeply 
 engaged in such meditations, as I stood one evening 
 at the sea-side, looking at the waves on which the 
 large ships moved up and down, I began to think of 
 the Jain tenets, according to which matter is eternal 
 and self-existent; but, before arriving at the con- 
 clusion of the blasphemous syllogism, I was startled 
 by a severe bite from a dog in the calf of my leg, 
 who came slyly behind me, and, after punishing me 
 for my crime, ran away like a shot. I followed him 
 with my stick for a little distance to revenge the 
 injury, but in vain ; the animal vanished from my 
 sight, and I returned home with very great pain 
 in the leg. The next day I returned to Khaira and
 
 166 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 employed myself in the performance of my duty, in 
 which I engaged from morning till evening. At 
 night I enjoyed the good society of Abba Miyan, 
 of whom I learned the English alphabet, and enabled 
 myself to make out the words from dictionaries, and 
 read Hindustani and Persian fluently in the Roman 
 character. From this time until the end of 1829 
 I never went to bed without learning ten words 
 of English by heart, and reading a few pages of the 
 eminent Dr. Gilchrist's grammatical works with full 
 attention by myself. Thus, after the hard labour of 
 full eight years, I learnt English, the most difficult 
 language in the world. 
 
 Before leaving Kach for Dwarka, I must say a 
 few words with regard to the country. It does not 
 possess that pleasing appearance which the fertile 
 parts of India have ; it has no perennial rivers of 
 fresh water a most invaluable blessing to the inha- 
 bitants ; but there are some streams running down 
 from the hills, which dry up immediately after the 
 rainy season is over. In the bed of these streams 
 springs are dug by the people, and a temporary 
 supply of the indispensable element is thus obtained. 
 Large wells at the towns and villages, however, 
 make up the deficiency in quantity, but not in 
 quality. 
 
 Signs of the wrath of God, both in former and 
 present times, are quite visible ; the surface of the 
 earth about the hills is spread with volcanic matter,
 
 DEf&RIPTION OF EACH. 167 
 
 and large blocks are left, split in pieces. The recent 
 earthquakes shattered the forts of Anjaar and Bhuj 
 in many places, and a large number of edifices and 
 hill forts in all the towns were transformed into 
 ruins by the tremendous shock. Great numbers of 
 the inhabitants remained buried in their houses to 
 be raised on the day of the general resurrection. 
 Although the external character of the inhabitants 
 
 C 
 
 in general seems good, a short stay in the country 
 will show a foreigner their want of morality, of the 
 meaning of which thay have no idea at all. High- 
 way robbery, larceny, and piracy are considered 
 heroism. Adultery, fornication, and infanticide, 
 .nay, some things more heinous are perpetrated 
 with impunity. 
 
 Infanticide, the most heinous crime of all a crime 
 unnatural and uncommittable even by irrational 
 beings is committed by men of this country, and 
 that not by common people, but by the governing 
 race of the land, who are Jarajd Rajputs, originally 
 from the Summa tribe of Sindh, who governed that 
 part of the world in ancient times, under the title of 
 Jam. These people must have brought this horrid 
 custom with them from their original country. It 
 could not, by any means, have been invented by the 
 Hindus, who detest the very idea of the act. These 
 Jarajas think themselves so much higher than other 
 Rajputs, that they consider giving their daughters in 
 marriage would ruin their character. This absurd
 
 168 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 pride has hardened their hearts to the perpetration 
 of infanticide to such an extent that, on inquiries, I 
 found the population of Kach to be five hundred 
 thousand souls, out of which there are twelve 
 thousand Jarajiis, and of these but thirty-seven are 
 females. The country now fortunately falling under 
 the control of the British, the late Rao having been 
 deposed for his vices, his son, Rao Desalji, a minor 
 remained under care of the English Government 
 until he came of age, during which time many 
 reforms were effected. 
 
 I lived near the camp at Khatra in the mosque for 
 some months, enjoying the society of my friend, 
 Munshi Abba Miyan may God bless him for his 
 kind attention towards me ! He was my first and 
 last master in English, as, after leaving him, I taught 
 myself from the books of Dr. Gilchrist, etc., for a 
 period of eight years, as I have already observed. 
 On finishing the copy of the history for Capt. Bag- 
 nold, I was very handsomely rewarded by him. The 
 year now approached its end, and a part of the force 
 was ordered to proceed by sea to the islands of 
 Dwarka and Be"t, under the command of Col. L. 
 Stanhope, for the chastisement of the rebels there. 
 My scholar's regiment forming a part of the division, 
 we embarked from the port of Mandavi one after- 
 noon. 
 
 Before morning dawned we reached our destina- 
 tion, and the dreadful report of cannon awoke me
 
 THE FORT TAKEN. 169 
 
 from my sleep instead of the usually serene and sacred 
 call of the Mu'azzin to morning prayer. We landed 
 at a little distance from the mouth of the river 
 Ghumtf, but saw the action going on with the fort 
 quite plainly, and some of the enemy's cannon balls 
 even passed over our heads. An English man-of- 
 war, as if by magic, at the same time appeared in the 
 harbour, and her guns opened at once on the fort. 
 A party of volunteers, headed by a young officer 
 named Marriot, scaled the wall on one side, whilst 
 the general attack was going on at the gate. Poor 
 Marriot, as soon as he made his appearance on the 
 top of the wall, was cut in pieces by the garrison, 
 and hurled back again with some of his companions 
 nearest to him. The business, however, was not of 
 long duration. The garrison, unable to oppose the 
 disciplined troops, soon appeared to be in confusion, 
 and another attack carried the place. The enemy 
 were about six hundred in number, and, it being 
 their characteristic not to receive or grant quarter, 
 were soon extirpated under the English sword, except 
 a few. A detachment of the native cavalry, headed 
 by Capt. Solier, charged a party of the garrison 
 issuing from the gate, who fought bravely hand to 
 hand, and died like men. In this action, a sabre- 
 cut from one of the enemy's party struck off Capt. 
 Solier's fingers from the hand that held the reins, and 
 a few men and horses were wounded. The general 
 loss on our side was but trifling.
 
 170 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 After our brilliant victory over the place, held 
 most sacred by the idolators of India, a halt for a 
 few days being ordered, I explored all the places of 
 worship, and, to my great surprise, found the shrine 
 of a Mohamedan saint, " Pir Patta," on the island of 
 Amara, a light of Islam shining lustrously in the 
 heart of the darkness of Paganism. Our regiment 
 now being ordered to pursue and destroy the outlaw 
 Kattis of the Kuman tribe, under Jogi Das, in the 
 Ghir mountains, we e^nbarked on board a native 
 vessel, and, after about eighteen hours' very rough 
 voyage, landed at Surya Bandar, whence, being 
 divided into detachments of about two companies, 
 we hunted the Kattis throughout the whole Ghirnar 
 mountains. 
 
 This range, though inferior in loftiness to other 
 mountains of India, is very pleasant to sight, being 
 fertile and verdant everywhere. It is held sacred 
 by all the Hindus according to their legends, whence 
 the ancient name of Rewtachal. One of its branches, 
 extending towards Palit&nah, in Goelwar, is deco- 
 rated with Jain temples of various sizes, and re- 
 garded by that class of the ancient Hindus with great 
 veneration. 
 
 The mountains abound with game of every descrip- 
 tion, from the royal lion to the quail. Going about 
 in this wilderness, one sometimes happens to see a 
 Hindu monk, whose zealous austerity prompts him to 
 give over all, and devote his life to the worship of
 
 A HINDU RECLUSE. 171 
 
 the Deity uninterrupted by worldly people. He lives 
 upon the vegetable productions of the place, makes 
 fire by rubbing two pieces of wood against one another 
 to warm himself in the cold nights, and keeps his 
 body rubbed over with ashes, which thin cover, 
 keeping the pores closed, renders him independent of 
 artificial covering. After ten or twelve years' life 
 in this state, he becomes like the wild beasts, and 
 runs at the sight of man. The people in this part 
 of the world have a mistaken idea that these devotees 
 are cannibals, and devour man's flesh if they can get 
 hold of a single unarmed person; but this is not 
 credible. 
 
 One morning, as I marched with my scholar, we 
 entered into a long conversation upon the subject 
 of spirit and matter. Being deeply engaged in this 
 very interesting topic, he left his party in charge of 
 a subordinate officer, and desired me to accompany 
 him a little distance from the road, to talk more 
 fully and with less interruption. So we turned our 
 horses to the left of the party, and walked on engaged 
 in confabulation, taking care, however, not to lose 
 sight of our small troop. All of a sudden we came 
 up to a bonfire without any human being near it. 
 The fire being alive, it seemed as if somebody must 
 have been there. We lighted our cheroots and asked 
 our grooms the cause of the fire in that solitary place. 
 Their unanimous reply was that the fire belonged to 
 some Aghori Baba (i. e. y omniverous father), and that
 
 172 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 it was dangerous for us to stay there longer. This 
 excited our laughter, and we proceeded on without 
 any concern about the matter. After going a little 
 further, we came to the side of a valley enormously 
 deep, and, on looking down, we had the honour of 
 seeing the monk himself, the demigod of the Hindus, 
 about a thousand yards from us, running down as 
 fast as he could, cautiously looking behind every 
 now and then, as if somebody were pursuing him. 
 The poor grooms, on seeing him, were overpowered 
 with fear, bowed to him, touching the ground with 
 their foreheads. My scholar, with European curiosity* 
 hailed the man, and beckoned to him as if he had to 
 make some important communication to him ; but 
 these acts of civility, instead of producing the desired 
 effect, accelerated the flight of our uncivil host, and 
 the impracticable declivity altogether prevented my 
 curious European companion from following. So 
 having recourse to our telescope, we had a full view 
 of him. He was a strong and powerful man, the 
 silvery hair of his head hanging over his shoulders 
 dishevelled, and his long beard in the same state ; his 
 eyes were quick and sparkled with fire, and his 
 shaggy body was rubbed over with ashes. Having 
 seen so much of him, he vanished from our sight. 
 
 Our party's destination at this time was Tulsi 
 Sham, a Hindu monastery in the heart of the moun- 
 tain, about three days' journey off, where they 
 intended to concentrate with other detachments, and
 
 TULSI SHAM 173 
 
 tlience to disperse again in different directions in 
 search of the outlaws. We soon reached Tulsi Sham 
 in safety, where we found several detachments 
 encamped already. Shortness of provisions was the 
 general misfortune now complained of in our camp, 
 particularly by the people of my class, who, being 
 entitled to no bhata like the Honourable Company's 
 servants, suffered much. Complaints of hunger and 
 starvation were brought before the commanding 
 officer, who spoke to the Mahant (or grand priest 
 of the monastery) in serious terms, telling him that 
 if he refused his aid to our camp, with regard to 
 both information and provisions, he would order the 
 monastery (which he knew contained large quantities 
 of grain) to be plundered. These threats brought 
 the sacred old man to his senses, and he said in reply 
 that there was no wheat or rice in that part of the 
 country to be had ; the grain in the storehouse was 
 all bajri (Holcus spicatus), which he would order to 
 be ground. The great mill, drawn by a pair of 
 bullocks, was forthwith set in motion ; so that in a 
 few hours a quantity of the bajri flour was prepared 
 sufficient for the whole camp for one day. This he 
 distributed at the rate of about a pound a head per 
 diem, with proportionate quantities of molasses and 
 clarified butter, without receiving the cash that was 
 offered in return, alleging that the articles did not 
 belong to him, and that he being no grain merchant 
 the grain, etc., being delivered to him for charitable
 
 174 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 purposes he would give them away to the same end. 
 At all events, our need was served by this food, 
 though it was unwholesome to those who were un- 
 accustomed to it. I, being one of them, had an 
 attack of diarrhoea, but soon cured myself when I 
 got good food, which I did as follows. It happened 
 that, during my indisposition, I was visited by a 
 Mohamedan non-commissioned officer, named Sikan- 
 dar Khan, who was then orderly of his own company 
 (now a Siibahdar Major pensioner), and consequently 
 was entitled to double bhata. Finding out my cir- 
 cumstances, he kindly lent me some rice, which was 
 a great relief to me and my servant. My obligation 
 to him for this timely aid was unbounded, and we 
 have been staunch friends ever since. 
 
 Tulsi Sham is revered by Hindus on account of a 
 small image of Krishna, their Apollo, in the monas- 
 tery, in front of which is a thermal spring divided 
 into two large reservoirs of boiling water. Sulphuric 
 and limy veins exist in the stratum, a strong smell 
 of which is quite perceptible. The springs are nicely 
 built up with stones and mortar, having flights of 
 steps on af four sides. The heat of the water they 
 attribute to the miraculous nature of the image, and 
 ablution therefore in these reservoirs is considered a 
 means of salvation. 
 
 Our stay here was no more than four days, and 
 then we dispersed in small parties as before. During 
 our peregrination in the hills for about six weeks,
 
 A DISCOVERY. 175 
 
 we never had the satisfaction of meeting the free- 
 booters alive anywhere. On the morning, however, 
 of the sixth day of our leaving Tulsi Sham, as we 
 came near a large group of the mangoes and other 
 wild trees, a stench, as if from a putrid carcass, 
 became perceptible. On going a little further, we 
 discovered four dead bodies of the outlaws hung 
 inverted to the boughs of the trees, in a most horrid 
 state, maimed and disfigured. This barbarous act, 
 we were given to understand, was perpetrated three 
 days previous to our arrival, by a party of the 
 Gaikwar contingent co-operating with us in the expe- 
 dition. Roaming and wandering about for a period 
 of three months in the mountains, at last we were 
 informed of the rebels being overtaken and seized and 
 destroyed at several places ; so we had now to pro- 
 ceed to the village of Dhari, to be cantoned there for 
 the rainy season. 
 
 My scholar, being a very industrious and attentive 
 lad, never missed his lessons, either on the marching 
 or halting days ; and, by the break of the monsoon, 
 he made himself an excellent linguist in Hindustani. 
 He then obtained leave to proceed to Bombay to be 
 examined. I accompanied him as far as Gogo, where 
 we parted with each other with a feeling of mutual 
 esteem as good friends on the 17th of September, 
 1821. He gave me a handsome present in money, 
 besides the arrears of my pay, and sailed for the 
 Presidency with my best wishes for his success. I
 
 176 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 was soon informed of his passing a good examination, 
 and, subsequently, of his getting the quartermastership 
 of the regiment. 
 
 Gogo is a small town situated on the west side of 
 Cambay; there are about three thousand houses, 
 chiefly of Mohamedans. It is a safe roadstead in 
 the boisterous season of the year. Tradition says 
 that the island of Perim, near its harbour, was the 
 seat of the Government of the ancient Goel Rajputs, 
 when it was joined to the Gujarat peninsula by an 
 isthmus. The island is now a wilderness, on which 
 Government has erected a lighthouse. It is inha- 
 bited by serpents of various sizes and colours. 
 Animal and vegetable fossils of the incalculably 
 remote ages are found on this island by digging up 
 the ground not very deep : many European travellers 
 have taken away some of them as a curiosity to their 
 country. The Mohamedan inhabitants of Gogo, 
 being in general active, strong, and well-made, are 
 very expert seamen. I sojourned at Gogo for three 
 days after parting with my friends ; on the fourth I 
 went on board a small vessel, and on the fifth 
 reached the city of Siirat. I was informed, on 
 board, of the annoyance one is subjected to at the 
 custom-house in being searched, though he may 
 have no articles for sale; and, therefore, I settled 
 with the sailors to smuggle myself and my things 
 for the sum of half a rupee. The aid of darkness 
 being required for the purpose, I was obliged to stay
 
 SURAT. 177 
 
 on board the vessel till evening, when two of the 
 mariners carried my things, and desired me to follow. 
 We landed at a place called Badshahi Bhagal, or 
 Royal Gate; nominally a gate, but there was no 
 such thing as a gate to be seen, except two dilapi- 
 dated ends of the city walls, between which is this 
 passage, a sort of ferry, whence the people carry 
 water for their domestic use, and where small boats 
 resort. I followed my guides in the dark for a little 
 distance, when, unfortunately, a custom-house peon 
 seized the men carrying my luggage, and began to 
 abuse them for infringement of rules ; he insisted on 
 taking them to the custom-house, and said he would 
 have them imprisoned for the night, have them fined 
 the next day, and the baggage forfeited. At this 
 time my fear was very great, thinking that his 
 threats were in earnest ; but the seamen, accustomed 
 to such things, bore all the imprecations and menaces 
 very coolly. They said I was no merchant, and had 
 no articles of trade ; besides I would willingly give 
 him his fee. So saying, one of them gave me a 
 pinch in the arm to signify that I should follow their 
 advice. Upon this I gave the man the amount 
 mentioned, and he departed peacefully without utter- 
 ing another word. I put up in the nearest mosque 
 for the night, as I could get no lodging at such a 
 late hour. 
 
 On the morning of the 25th Zilhajj, 1236, A.H., 
 corresponding with the 23rd of September, 1821, A.D.,
 
 178 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 I got up from my comfortable and sound sleep at the 
 sacred call of the Mu'azzin, and called for my ser- 
 vant Ismail : " Ismail, give me a little fire, that I 
 may have a good morning smoke before I prepare 
 myself for the Divine duty;" but, to my great 
 astonishment and fear, I found him missing. " Well," 
 said I to myself, "this is a very pleasant circum- 
 stance losing in one night what I have earned in 
 return for the servitude of four years. God is 
 great ! one must undergo the decrees of his fate." 
 Overwhelmed with such ideas, I began to grope at 
 the head, feet, and sides of my mattress, to which I 
 had carefully fastened my small box, and other 
 articles of my baggage, before I went to bed ; and 
 to my delight found everything in its proper place. 
 The boy had run away with his own clothes, and 
 about three quarters of a rupee in copper coins, with 
 which he was trusted for daily expenses. 
 
 After the day had dawned, I went and stood at 
 the door of the mosque to look for a porter to carry 
 my things to a small house, rented to me through 
 the kind offices of the Mu'azzin. Presently I observed 
 Mohamedans, both high and low, hastening in one 
 particular direction, some in palkis and bullock 
 carriages, and others on foot, almost all looking as if 
 they had been struck with sorrow. On inquiry, I 
 was informed that Nasir-ud-din Khan, the Nuwab of 
 the city, had departed this life during the night, and 
 they were going to attend the funeral. I learnt, too,
 
 SURAT. 179 
 
 that Nasir-ud-dm had two sons, but one of them, a 
 very praiseworthy character, died eighteen months 
 before his late father, and that the surviving son was 
 a perfect contrast to his late brother, on account of 
 his love for low society and bad habits, though it was 
 hoped the English Government would recognise his 
 right to the titular Nuwabship of the city, by which 
 he would remain entitled to a pension of a lakh arid 
 a half rupees per annum from Government and some 
 other rights and immunities reserved to the family. 
 
 In the city of Surat, entitled "Bab-ul-Makkah" 
 (or " the gate of Mecca"), I stayed four days to see 
 the celebrated town through which almost all the 
 pilgrims to the sacred city proceed, and through 
 which the English first stepped into our country as 
 trading people. Captain Hawkins, of the ship Hector, 
 was the first merchant from England who landed 
 here, in the year 1608, A.D., and after making some 
 mercantile arrangements for his Cation, and leaving 
 some of his companions in charge of the business, 
 he himself proceeded to the court of the Emperor 
 Jahangir at Agra, to effect a favourable negotiation 
 for the trading people of his country to this port. 
 Having assumed the title of an ambassador from the 
 King of England, he was received with attention 
 and kindness, and by dint of some trifling presents 
 and bribes to the king and his courtiers, he not only 
 gained his object, but was presented with a valuable 
 dress of honour, and a Christian lady, whose star of
 
 180 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFDLLAII. 
 
 ill-luck had brought her as a prisoner into the 
 seraglio. 
 
 Siirat is situated on the southern bank of the river 
 Tapti. A brick wall encircles the suburbs in the 
 form of a bow, the string of which, depressed in the 
 middle, is the river. The city extends about six 
 miles in circumference. The wall is flanked by 
 bastions of small size at irregular distances. Its 
 height varies from thirteen to eighteen feet, it was 
 not originally strong, and, having had no repairs 
 from the time it was built, it is now in a deplorable 
 condition. It has twelve gates, with heavy wooden 
 leaves turning on tenons: and another inner wall 
 exists, surrounding the original city, extending about 
 three miles in an irregular oval form, though in 
 construction it is similar to the outer; but in con- 
 dition is worse, so much so that in many places it is 
 level with Mother Earth. 
 
 The city had no walls when, in 1512, A.D., it was 
 sacked by the Portuguese. This grand pillage, fol- 
 lowed by the frequent depredations of the unprin-- 
 cipled Christians, and the barbarous Abyssinians of 
 the Zanjira Island, induced the authorities of Ahmad- 
 abad, under the direction of Sultan Bahadur, to build 
 the walls and the castle, which were completed in 
 1530, A.D., under the superintendence of Rumi Khan, 
 originally a Turkish Mamliik. 
 
 The city seems to be in a decaying state, and the 
 population therefore amounts to only one hundred
 
 THE PAKSI CEMETERY, 181 
 
 and twenty thousand persons, one-sixth of the 
 number of inhabitants sixty years ago. The govern- 
 ment of the city is entirely under the English, and 
 there are no less than twenty-four English officers 
 here, inclusive of the court of Sadr' Adalat. There 
 are two regiments of infantry and a strong party of 
 Golandaz stationed here, I suppose for the purpose 
 of keeping the neighbours in awe, which is quite 
 unnecessary at this time. The expenses to Govern- 
 ment seem to be too heavy, if compared with those 
 of the time of the Nuwabs. 
 
 Being anxious to have an ocular view of the 
 Guebre cemeteries, several of which I was informed 
 existed near the city, I prepared one morning to 
 proceed thither: but my friend, the Mu'azzin, told 
 me it was foolish to run the risk, for a priest is 
 always kept near as a sentry, and any person 
 attempting to defile any of the places, by touching 
 or looking into them, is sure to be murdered or very 
 severely punished. This admonition of my friend, 
 instead of being attended to, increased my eager- 
 ness. " Happen what may," said I, " I must have 
 a look." Finding me determined upon the enter- 
 prise, my friend told me to wait till evening, when 
 he would accompany me and give me his aid. We 
 accordingly proceeded in the afternoon, and when 
 about one mile out of the eastern gate of the city, 
 we discerned several single towers, on the walls 
 of which sat a number of ugly vultures, plutneless
 
 182 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLA.H. 
 
 from the head to the breast. We halted under a 
 tree, expecting in the dusk of the evening to avoid 
 being observed by the sentry priest, as well as by 
 the shepherds and passers by. The time having 
 arrived, I left my friend under the tree, and advanced 
 to the tower to satisfy my curiosity. My friend told 
 me to be on the alert, that if he saw anybody 
 approaching he would cough, which I should con- 
 sider a signal to take to my heels as fast as I could 
 to the direction of the tree. Thanking him for the 
 kind advice, I went and reached my destination in 
 a minute, and ascending the few steps into the door- 
 way, and, being an expert climber, I scaled the wall, 
 resting my big toe on the heavy padlock of the 
 door ; and thus assisted, I soon found myself on the 
 top of the wall, whence I beheld the horrid scene. 
 The human skeletons, some whole and some in 
 pieces, mingled with rags of the shrouds, lay, some 
 on the rampart, and others had found their way 
 iuto the middle pit. The strong and offensive 
 effluvia not allowing me to remain more than five 
 minutes, I quickly began to descend; but unfor- 
 tunately my hands slipt from the parapet, whilst 
 my toes were engaged in searching for the support 
 of the lock. I slid down on the portico, and my 
 chest, rubbing against the side of the wall, was con- 
 siderably excoriated. The noise of my fall, and the 
 rattling of the lock, roused the Parsi warden from 
 his small hut, about two hundred yards from me,
 
 I JOURNEY TO BROACH. 183 
 
 and he came out in a furious manner, with a mouth 
 pouring forth curses and bad names, and a hand 
 armed with a long stick, at the same time calling 
 for help, and crying that he was going to be murdered 
 by robbers. This noise, and the cough of my friend 
 being simultaneous, I fled to the tree, whence we 
 found out that the poor keeper was an old man, 
 toothless, weak, and half blind, or perhaps labouring 
 under nyctalopia, for instead of advancing towards 
 us, he took another direction, every now and then 
 feeling the ground with his stick, and cursing as 
 if his long tongue had been a compensation to him 
 for the other powers he had lost. Nobody coming 
 to his aid, we departed coolly ; but, seeing the old 
 man going towards the same gate we had come 
 through, we passed through the next gate unmo- 
 lested, and returned home. I soon cured my chest 
 by washing it with litharge diluted with rose-water. 
 
 On the morning of the 29th of September I left 
 the city of Siirat for Broach, on my way home, 
 hiring three begaris, or porters, to carry my luggage. 
 These I had to change at every village on the road. 
 I paid them liberally. A penny or two for a draught 
 of the fermented palm juice, of which they are 
 very fond, rendered them entirely submissive ; and, 
 dividing the load between two, the third prepared 
 my pipes every now and then, shampooed me at 
 the resting-places, and held my umbrella to keep off 
 the sun, which I felt very oppressive at this season,
 
 184 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAII. 
 
 though the rains had just ended. Toddy, or palm- 
 juice, is a general calamity for the low people of 
 this district. Toddy shops are to be found in all 
 the villages, and even the roads are not without 
 them. At the distances of one or two miles you 
 can always find a shop under the inviting shade 
 of a large tree or shed, with a small flag waving 
 over it; and the keeper, generally a Parsi, with 
 a soft flattering tongue, entices you to drink, ex- 
 pressing, though less poetically, the idea of the 
 English bard 
 
 " Drink of this cup ! you'll find there's a spell in 
 Its every drop against ills of mortality ; 
 Talk of the goblet that sparkled for Helen, 
 Hers was a fiction, but this is reality!" 
 
 This diabolical drink is the cause of many evil 
 deeds being done by the poor ignorant people of 
 the district. 
 
 I reached Broach on the evening of the 30th of 
 September. It being about thirty miles from Siirat, 
 I was obliged to make a halt for the night at a 
 station called Chauki, nearly half way. Broach, 
 though in the middle of a very fertile district, is 
 itself an ugly dilapidated town, situated partly on 
 a small hill, and partly on the skirt of the same, 
 on the northern bank of the river Narbadda, which 
 falls into the gulf of Cambay, about twenty-five 
 miles from this. The houses are like those of Siirat, 
 but the streets are narrow and more filthy. The
 
 THE TOMB OF FIR CII ATTAR. 185 
 
 population I was informed amounts to about thirty 
 thousand inhabitants. It is under the English 
 Government, who obtained it from Daulat Rao 
 Sindhiah in 1803, A.D. My stay of one day and 
 two nights was not sufficient for me to acquire more 
 information regarding the city and its inhabitants ; 
 so much, however, I can safely say from my per- 
 sonal observation, that the morality of the people 
 does not deserve any encomium. Feeling desirous 
 to proceed by water, if possible, I inquired if there 
 was a means of going up the river as far as Dharam- 
 pur, but was informed that several cataracts in the 
 upper province were insurmountable obstacles to 
 the navigation. 
 
 Before I leave Broach I must mention a natural 
 curiosity, attributed to the miracle of the saint of 
 this place, namely, Saiyid Ismail Sahib, commonly 
 called " Pir Chattar." I proceeded there in person 
 to visit the shrine of this holy man, which is 
 situated about two thousand paces out of the western 
 gate of the city, upon a rising ground. The tomb is 
 said to be upwards of three hundred years old. It 
 is built of the ordinary form, in a small enclosure of 
 about thirty-four feet by ten and a half. It is shaded 
 by a khirni tree (Mimusops kauki) of evergreen 
 foliage, which grows by the side of the eastern wall 
 out of the enclosure. In the middle of the tomb is a 
 reservoir about five feet four inches by one foot 
 eight, and in depth about one foot two inches. In
 
 186 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 the midst of the water there rises, about one inch 
 above it, a small island, or the inner tomb, of four 
 feet by one. This miraculous reservoir is always full 
 to the brim of very cold water, somewhat nitrous to 
 the taste. Hundreds of visitors go to the shrine 
 every Thursday, and each of them takes a tumbler 
 full of the water to drink; but the water never 
 diminishes/nor does it ever overflow when no water is 
 taken from it. There were no less than fifty persons 
 present when I paid my visit to the shrine, and all of 
 us drank without making the slightest difference in 
 the original quantity. The warden of the place, a 
 good old man, very nearly one hundred years of age, 
 on being examined, informed me that he recollected, 
 when he was a boy, a Maratha chief coming there 
 and putting the miracle of the saint to test by order- 
 ing his three elephants to drink from the reservoir ; 
 but, seeing the quantity of the water undiminished, 
 he prostrated himself at the threshold, which he 
 solemnly kissed, and ordered the enclosure and the 
 tomb to be thoroughly repaired at his own expense. 
 
 From what I have heard and seen, my opinion of 
 this holy water is that it must be the mouth of the 
 vein of a spring opened at this place, but I cannot 
 account for the quantity of water never increasing or 
 decreasing. 
 
 In two days' easy travelling from Broach I reached 
 Baroda, where I was obliged to stay for seven days, 
 on account of the fast of Muharram. On my entering
 
 ONE OF THE OLD NOBLESSE. 187 
 
 the city, I happened to meet His Highness Nuwab 
 Mir Amiru'd-din Husain Khan on horseback, with 
 his retinue. Having formerly had the honour of his 
 acquaintance, he recognised me, and persuaded me to 
 put up with him; but I, being inclined to take a 
 lodging and live by myself uninterrupted for the 
 time, begged His Highness to excuse me, thanking 
 him for the offer. I told him that my whole family 
 and myself were sensible of his late father's kind aid 
 when in distress in my native city; and that, not 
 being endowed with the means of making any suit- 
 able return, we were and should ever be thankful to 
 him, and always raised our hands in prayer to God 
 for his happiness and success in all his undertakings. 
 But the true spirit of goodness and hospitality in the 
 man would not permit him to leave me. He dis- 
 mounted from his horse, and, taking me by the hand, 
 he led me to his own noble house, and assigned a 
 private and comfortable room for my sojourn. I 
 passed a week, partly in going about the town, and 
 partly in this noble-hearted nobleman's amiable 
 society. I then requested his permission to proceed 
 to my native country, which was kindly granted, 
 with a handsome present both in dresses and money. 
 This noble-minded Nuwab left this transitory abode 
 for the next at a premature age, in the year 1837, 
 A.D., leaving one of his two brothers to succeed him 
 in the dignity. He died, but his memory in many 
 hearts shall remain respected and unextinguished.
 
 188 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 Leaving Baroda on the 10th of October, I reached 
 my native land in thirteen days, all safe, and had 
 the satisfaction of seeing my uncle, my grandmother, 
 and other members of the family all well. 
 
 Soon after my arrival, our young Prince Ram- 
 chandar Rao making his preparations to proceed to 
 Gwalior to be married to the daughter of Sindhiah, 
 I could not but seize the opportunity of a break to 
 my monotonous life at home. I purchased a small 
 horse and accompanied the procession, in the hope of 
 getting employment. After a few marches towards 
 our destination, an English political officer named 
 Mr. Robinson, destined to accompany the prince, 
 overtook us, and was received by the Raja with 
 marks of respect and courtesy. He delivered a 
 couple of letters in Persian to the Raja and his 
 Minister, Raghunath Rao Bapu ; and, staying a little 
 while with them, returned to his tent at a little 
 distance from our camp. None of the Raja's com- 
 panions being well qualified in the Persian language, 
 the contents of the letters remained undeciphered at 
 the time ; but, the Minister issuing inquiries if there 
 could be found a person in the camp competent to 
 decipher the papers, I was introduced as a Persian 
 scholar to the Court by one of its staff-bearers. I 
 then, making my obeisances to the Prince, and raising 
 my hand to my forehead to the nobles about him, 
 was desired to sit down, and the papers were put 
 into my hand to be read out ; this I performed with a
 
 AN UNFAIR OPPONENT. 189 
 
 masterly fluency, and astonished the assembly still 
 more by viva voce translating the sense into the 
 Marathi, their own language. The minister, a very 
 clever, bold, and sagacious-looking man, seemed to be 
 delighted with this performance, ancf, on my taking 
 leave, sent his clerk to me with a kind offer of em- 
 ploying me under him for a salary of fifteen rupees 
 per mensem, dinner and breakfast with the courtiers, 
 and the horse allowance. This being my very object, 
 I at once accepted the offer. 
 
 The duty I had to perform under the Minister was 
 not an onerous one. I was to attend the Court twice 
 a day to pay my respects either to the Raja, or the 
 Minister, or both. I was obliged to read and write 
 for them only three or four letters a month, and 
 sometimes in the afternoon had to play a game or 
 two at chess, in which I was obliged to be beaten. 
 The Minister, I confess, was a better player than I, 
 but every third or fourth game would have been mine 
 if he had been just; but, alas! he was very unfair 
 on this subject. Whenever I succeeded in taking his 
 queen, or in obtaining another advantage over him, 
 by sacrificing a piece or two of my own, he asked 
 me to give him the queen or to allow him to take 
 the move L back ; and, finding it beyond my rank to 
 refuse or reject his request, I always granted it, and 
 was vanquished in consequence, at which his rejoic- 
 ings were great and my mortification greater. He 
 was also clever enough to check every opportunity
 
 190 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 that might have tended to my rise in the opinion of 
 the prince. At this conduct of his I could not help 
 being disgusted. 
 
 After the wedding, with all its splendour and 
 princely pomp, was over, all of us were first invited 
 to the palace of His Highness the Sindhiah, feasted 
 with the most delicious dinner, and gratified with 
 excellent music and dances. His Highness being 
 bridegroom, could not, according to Asiatic custom, 
 appear to the guests in person, but all the nobles of 
 his Court superintended our entertainment. Valuable 
 dresses were then presented to every one according 
 to his merit, and afterwards atar and rose-water, with 
 betel-leaves covered with gold, as a sign of dismissal. 
 Then all retired except the bridegroom, who entered 
 the apartment assigned to him in the palace, for the 
 enjoyment of sweet repose, etc. 
 
 A week after the above final entertainment, pre- 
 parations for our return being made, we left the 
 camp of Sindhiah two months after our arrival. Our 
 small camp now became a large one, being dignified 
 with an elephant, and horses with bejewelled trap- 
 pings, and tumbrils carrying jewels and treasures, 
 magnificent pavilions for the Seraglio, and domestic 
 attendants of both sexes. A strong escort under an 
 experienced Maratha officer attended us, and we pro- 
 ceeded on by continual marches towards home with 
 the precious prize, and safely reached our destination 
 in seventeen days.
 
 GREAT MEN'S PETTY DEALINGS. 191 
 
 Another event greatly added to my disgust at my 
 situation under the Marathas. The dresses, etc., 
 given to the persons of rank on the night of the last 
 entertainment were, immediately upon our return 
 home, collected by the Minister's people and depo- 
 sited in the Government treasury, for the purpose of 
 taking a despicable advantage, highly unbecoming 
 the character of those who assume the title of Sarkar, 
 or the head of a State. These dresses, etc., were 
 exchanged in the market for some of lower price, 
 which were distributed amongst all, before leaving 
 the camp of His Highness. As for myself, I was 
 left unnoticed, in anxious expectation, until we had 
 reached more than half way towards home. On the 
 day of our halt at Bhilsa, a clerk came to me with a 
 servant bearing a bundle, which, after seating himself 
 by me, he opened, and taking out a turban and a pair 
 of shawls, he delivered them over to me with the 
 Minister's compliments. I found them far inferior to 
 what I had received from the original donor, and 
 besides missed a necklace of pearls, worth about two 
 hundred rupees, which accompanied my dress. I 
 asked the man if he knew any reason for the reser- 
 vation of the first article of the three presented to 
 me at the Court of Sindhiah. He replied in the 
 negative, with a scornful smile at the conduct of the 
 authorities, hinting in figurative language, to avoid 
 being understood by his companion, that the calamity 
 was a general one. Being obliged to submit to the
 
 192 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 treatment, I received the present, as he advised me, 
 with an expression of feigned gratitude. Such mes- 
 sengers, bearers of a present from superiors, accord- 
 ing to the usage of the country, expect a reward from 
 the recipient before they leave him. I therefore dis- 
 missed the deputation more than usually pleased with 
 me. I offered them the present itself, but they hav- 
 ing declined to receive it, I gave them a handsome 
 sum in money, more than their expectation, in order 
 that their master might be informed of my generosity 
 and independence. In short, in a very few days 
 more, having reached home, I tendered my resig- 
 nation from the service, and am proud to say neither 
 the Minister's remonstrance against this measure, 
 which he said was an imprudent one, nor his offer of 
 an increase of salary, could dissuade me from my 
 determination; and I again became free and inde- 
 pendent for a short time. 
 
 I passed a few idle days at home after obtaining 
 my dismissal from the service of the Marathas, during / 
 which time Sir David Ochterlony visited our town 
 to see the Raja, perhaps on some political matter, 
 under pretence of congratulating him on his marriage. 
 On this occasion the old and renowned general paid 
 a visit to the shrine of our ancestor, and gave us 
 a handsome present in money. His meed to us 
 exceeded that of Sir John Malcolm's, but his visit 
 did not create that general pleasure in our hearts 
 which Sir John's alluring and amiable conversa-
 
 OCIITERLONY. 193 
 
 tion had done. I read several Persian and Arabic 
 inscriptions upon the gates of this shrine and other 
 ancient places to His Excellency, in which he found 
 me surpass his two learned native Persian secretaries 
 Karani Ahmad and Hafiz-u'l Husain ; for, having 
 the advantage of being a native of the place, I knew 
 them almost by heart, whereas the secretaries were 
 obliged to collect and spell the words before they could 
 read the inscriptions, which were in a peculiar flourish 
 ing hand. In the course of reading one of the inscrip- 
 tions with fluency, His Excellency checked me, and 
 questioned me to show the spot of some particular 
 words I read to him. I pointed out the exact place 
 and number of the lines. This pleased him much, 
 and, after the work was over, I was honoured with a 
 suitable reward.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Bombay. I disrobe a porter. The mosque of Zacharias. Delights 
 of a passage boat. Panwell. Punah. Parbati. Satara. 
 Aurangzeb's siege, and witticism of Niamat Khan. I marry 
 and repent. Monogamists versus Polygamists. A Sati. 
 The Hindu religion originally pure. I return to Surat. 
 Arabic studies. The high priest of the Borahs. Paradise 
 
 tickets. Ensign W. J. Eastwick his fever. Dr. R . 
 
 Azrail's assistant Tankarir Bandar. Ensign Eastwjck 
 appointed to Lord Clare's body-guard. Baroda. A'bu. 
 
 AFTER having left Raghunath Rao Bapu, I re- 
 mained at home for four months ; and then, feeling 
 myself tired with the monotony of home, in the early 
 part of the year 1823 I again thought of taking 
 English scholars as a first step to advancement in 
 the world. To obtain this employment I required 
 some English friend, and as I had none in my native 
 province, I inquired after the 6th Regiment and my 
 former scholar, whom I had left at Gogo; and, being 
 informed of their being stationed at Satara, I deter- 
 mined on proceeding thither. On consulting my map, 
 I found the nearest way to be via Khandes ; but the 
 high mountains and thick forests, infested both by 
 robbers and wild beasts, and the disturbed state of 
 the country I had to pass through, discouraged me
 
 VOYAGE TO BOMBAY. 195 
 
 from adopting that route ; so I decided on the cir- 
 cuitous way, via Baroda, Surat, and Bombay. And 
 again leaving home, I reached Siirat in twelve days, 
 whence I embarked on board a native boat for 
 Bombay, of which place I had read and heard much. 
 A favourable wind carried us smoothly over the sea, 
 and on the fourth day of our departure from Surat 
 we had the pleasure of seeing the island of the Pre- 
 sidency, surrounded first by the sea water, and then 
 by lofty and handsome-looking hills, except on the 
 western side, which overlooks the vast sea as far as 
 your eyesight can extend. On entering the harbour 
 I was astonished at the sight of a multitude of ships, 
 some of them like floating castles. The first sight of 
 the innumerable masts and riggings from one end of 
 the harbour to the other would lead one to think 
 that it was an extensive forest of vessels all round 
 the town. Our small boat really lost its consequence 
 in my mind, as its proportion to the other vessels was 
 Ho more than that of a sparrow to a phoenix. The 
 magnificent view of the castle, encircling handsome 
 and lofty edifices, quite different from what I had 
 ever seen yet, then attracted my attention, and the 
 scene altogether was a charming one. 
 
 The appearance of Bombay Castle was quite new 
 to me, being built of stone after the European style, 
 the walls very strong and thick, though not high, 
 with battlements flat and sloping outside. The broad 
 and deep ditch, filled with water, and the strong gates 
 
 H2
 
 19G AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 with drawbridges, gave the place an air of impregna- 
 bility. 
 
 In the castle are the Christian cathedral and the 
 dockyard, The former is weekly visited by Chris- 
 tians of every class for their divine service every 
 Sunday, that day being their Sabbath. In the latter 
 are employed about one thousand persons of every 
 caste in building and repairing ships, etc. Thus they 
 obtain their livelihood, being well paid by Government. 
 Nobody is pressed to work here without wages. 
 
 History informs us that this place, now rising to 
 be an emporium of the East, was no more than a 
 fishing town of little or no consequence in the district 
 of Aurangabad. About the year 1499, A.D., after 
 Vasco de Gama's arrival, the Portuguese, being struck 
 with the beauty of the place, and the superior excel- 
 lence of its safe harbour, resolved to obtain it ; and it 
 came into their hands in the year 1530, A.D., during 
 the reign of Humayun, without much difficulty, as 
 the viceroy of Aurangabad did not consider the sub- 
 ject worth his notice. The proud and ambitious 
 Portuguese then having built the formidable castle 
 to the fishing town, it began to assume consequence ; 
 and the confused state of the country during that 
 time of disturbance inducing the neighbouring popu- 
 lation to take shelter under the new patrons, who 
 seemed to be just, and far from a tyrannical sect. 
 Upon this, inhabitants of the neighbouring districts 
 flocked daily to this place of security, and it soon
 
 LANDING AT BOMBAY. 197 
 
 became a city, but a very unhealthy one, on account 
 of the site being intersected with numerous small 
 streams, filled and emptied by the flow and ebb of 
 the tides, and the putrid damp proved very injurious. 
 The Portuguese, however, retained it about one 
 hundred and thirty-one years, till 1661, A.D., when it 
 was ceded by them to the English Government, to 
 King Charles the Second, as a part of Queen Cathe- 
 rine's dowry. Even at this time the town was so 
 poor, that it was leased to the Honourable Company 
 for one hundred rupees per annum. 
 
 On being landed at this capital, a porter, unknown 
 to me, seized upon my small luggage and ran with 
 it among the crowd. Poor man, he did this to secure 
 employment with me, without any bad design ; but 
 I, not being accustomed to such persons, mistook 
 his favour for an outrage, and ran after him to 
 recover my bundle; and, after a good smart run, 
 I succeeded in catching hold of the back part of his 
 langoti, the only defensive and ornamental dress he 
 had on his body, and I am sorry to say that it, being- 
 very old, gave way, and at the first pull the whole 
 concern came off in my hand. The custom-house 
 officers and others laughed very heartily at both of 
 us, to our great annoyance ; but the goodnatured 
 porter, taking very little or no notice of the matter, 
 sat down upon the ground and re-arranged his scanty 
 dress in a minute, telling me at the same time it 
 was not my fault, but the cursed cloth's weakness.
 
 198 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAK. 
 
 " I bought it," said lie, " only two years ago, and it 
 is now worn out ; whereas my former dresses lasted 
 for five years at least." 
 
 The luggage having been examined by the custom- 
 house authorities, I entered the town with my good 
 porter, and, to my great sorrow, on inquiry I found 
 that there was no place in that city for travellers to 
 put up at ; that private lodgings were also not 
 obtainable unless one month's rent were paid in 
 advance, a thing beyond my means to afford. Li 
 this difficulty I asked my naked friend the porter's 
 advice, and, at his suggestion, I put up in a mosque 
 called Haji Zacharias' Masjid. Here I was treated 
 by the servants of the Haji himself with respect and 
 hospitality. I wished to have the pleasure of seeing 
 the founder of this mosque, the Haji, of whose 
 benevolent character I had heard much whilst in 
 Bombay ; and on inquiry I was informed by his ser- 
 vant, who waited on me, that the Haji often sat and 
 talked with me after prayers. Indeed, I recollected 
 a man having done so, but never taking him for that 
 great man, I always slighted and despised him for 
 his clownish manners and coarse dress and conver- 
 sation, instead of acting politely towards him. I 
 regretted much having been so rude to a man who 
 treated me with hospitality, yet could not but impute 
 part of the blame to his own rude dress and manners. 
 It being, however, incumbent on me to apologise for 
 the past, I repaired to his office, where I found him
 
 THE HAJI. 199 
 
 squatted down on an old cushion spread on the 
 floor, with an old bolster pillow behind his back, 
 whilst his servants and attendants, being smartly 
 dressed, every one of them excelled his master in 
 appearance. There were also English gentlemen, a 
 captain and his second officer, belonging to one of 
 his ships, standing there, hat in hand, perhaps for 
 his orders. These were going to be given when I 
 arrived. I was received with much civility, and 
 seated next him. I begged pardon for having unin- 
 tentionally slighted him in his former visits to me, 
 which I assured him was owing to ignorance of his 
 station. He replied bluntly that, being made of 
 humble dust, his duty was to be humble. I then 
 asked him to furnish me with a passport, as without 
 such security from a person of consequence nobody 
 could go out of Bombay at that time. Upon this he 
 told me to take my oath that I was not imposing upon 
 him in this matter; and on my having done so, he 
 ordered his people to give me one, which being imme- 
 diately written out, was signed by him and delivered 
 over to me. I then, having offered my thanks to him, 
 returned home to the mosque. 
 
 After about four days' stay at Bombay, I embarked 
 on board a small native boat to Panwell, about 
 twenty-one miles from Bombay : we started at five 
 o'clock, P.M., and arrived at six o'clock the next 
 morning. This short voyage may be considered 
 a trifling one by inexperienced persons; but, by
 
 200 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIT. 
 
 Heaven ! it was a severe ordeal for me to go through, 
 and I warn my readers not to attempt it on any 
 account in a native vessel of the ferry contractors. 
 If they do, I am sure they will have to experience 
 what I suffered. The vessel was crowded to its 
 every inch with men, women, and children of all 
 classes and descriptions, crammed together ; its ballast 
 I believe being composed of filthy mud and rotten 
 fish, which diffused such an effluvia as to try the 
 brain of a currier himself; besides, it being an 
 unusually sultry night, though in the month of 
 March, all the crew falling into a perspiration, 
 imparted no pleasant smell. Their bodies thus being 
 drained, a general cry for water was raised, which 
 being brought to the lips, was not only found warm, 
 but strongly impregnated with the smell of the 
 ballast. A host of flies and bugs penetrating our 
 dresses with impunity, engaged themselves in biting 
 and sucking our blood. Their number was so great, 
 that if one was killed the vacancy was immediately 
 filled up by half a dozen others. The open part of 
 the body was attacked with mosquitos and cock- 
 roaches ; the former, buzzing about the head, inflicted 
 an occasional sting, and the latter, in flying from 
 one direction to another, came slap every now and 
 then against the face and neck. To crown all, the 
 boatmen wearied our lives out for a present, in addi- 
 tion to their freight, which they had already received 
 in advance. One of them went round, holding an
 
 THE FERRY-BOAT. 201 
 
 empty cup before every passenger, to receive the 
 extortions, whilst another, standing upon a keg 
 placed near the mainmast, preached as follows : " My 
 friends, be charitable, that you may reach the shore 
 in safety. You know your dangerous situation ; there 
 is but a small plank between you and death, and a 
 slight blast of wind may destroy all of us in one 
 moment. We exert ourselves in saving your life 
 and property; do not therefore withhold a small 
 donation from us. Be charitable and good, that God 
 may soon release you from this difficulty." The 
 poor credulous passengers, thus being imposed upon, 
 subscribed something a second time to the villains, 
 until the man, or rather the brute, held his cup 
 before me, when I spoke to him sternly, thus : " I 
 have paid my passage, and will make no contribution 
 for those who never washed their boat, and have no 
 idea of the comfort of others." Hearing this unfa- 
 vourable reply, he turned to his comrade on the 
 cask : " Look at the insanity of this young man," 
 said he, " complaining about the boat being un- 
 washed and himself uncomfortable ; he does not see 
 that the boat on the surface of the water is con- 
 tinually washed, and he is uncomfortable because he 
 is not drowned." This unreasonable language of his 
 kindled up the fire of my rage, and, getting up from 
 my place, I bade him hold his tongue or he should 
 see the consequence. This rendered the beggars 
 mild, and then the unmanly man on the cask sang
 
 202 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 out, " Leave that gentleman alone, we have got other 
 worthy, liberal, charitable, and good people to extend 
 our humble hands to." My just words, I am glad to 
 say, produced the desired effect ; nobody, after having 
 heard my speech, would pay anything to the rogues, 
 but all of them joined with me in reproaching the 
 rascals, whose fallacious logic thenceforth proved 
 fruitless. 
 
 On landing at the town of Pamvell, of the district 
 of Konkan (Concan), early in the morning, I ran to 
 the land like an imprisoned bird escaping from his 
 cage. Here I took one day's rest under an umbra- 
 geous banian-tree, enjoying the free air of the Konkan 
 combined with the fine sea breeze, and had all my 
 clothes and self well washed and cleaned, after my 
 four days' stay in the then filthy town of Bombay 
 and one night's voyage on board the filthiest of boats. 
 The next day I took my way to Punah, about seventy- 
 one miles distant. The road was excellent, mostly 
 shaded by the forest trees as far as the pass, and 
 being built and cut all the way in the mountainous 
 parts by the English authorities, except the Ghat or 
 Pass of Khandala, about thirty miles from Panwell. 
 This pass is not a very high one, being about two 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea; but the 
 natural acclivities being left unadjusted by man's art, 
 it was then quite impassable for wheeled carriages, 
 and most difficult for quadrupeds to ascend with their 
 loads. From Panwell, in three days' easy marches
 
 PUNAH. 203 
 
 of about twenty-five miles a day, I reached the 
 ex-capital of the Maratha power, namely, the city of 
 Piinah, formerly in the province of Aurangabad, but 
 latterly under the Marathas. The late Peshwa's 
 dominion in the Dakhan being invaded by the 
 English in 1818, this became a British district. The 
 appearance of the city is not unlike that of Ujjain, 
 but the material difference between the two is, that 
 Piinah is surrounded by hills. The castle of this 
 place, which is called the palace, is quite unworthy 
 of notice ; it is more like a gaol, having only one 
 entrance, and thick high walls angulated with four 
 round towers. On entering the town by the northern 
 side of it, we crossed the river Miita, which, at a 
 little distance from this joins the river Miila, and the 
 place of their junction is denominated Sangam, where 
 the house of the British Resident stood in the time 
 of the Peshwa. I halted here for two days to see 
 the city, about the wealth and splendour of which I 
 had heard a good deal. On personal examination, I 
 was quite disappointed, and was informed by the 
 inhabitants that the splendour had departed with its 
 former master. " Those markets," said they with a 
 melancholy tone, " where heaps of golden coins, 
 strings of pearls, and caskets of precious ornaments, 
 were exposed for sale, are now all deserted." The 
 amount of the population of the city at this time is 
 said to have been reduced from half a million to 
 about one hundred and twelve thousand persons, on
 
 204 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIT. 
 
 account of the banishment of the Peshwa and the 
 consequent dispersion of his armies and emigration 
 of the people. 
 
 It having occurred to me to ascend the Parbati 
 Hill to have a full view of the city at once, I 
 employed a guide for the purpose and soon reached 
 the summit. It commands a view of the whole city, 
 with its environs and a beautiful landscape of the 
 town, the English camp, and the suburbs, ornamented 
 with nine lakhs of mango-trees planted by the Peshwa, 
 called nau laklia bdgh. 
 
 The next day I left Piinah for Satara, the place of 
 my destination, which, being about fifty-six miles 
 distant, I reached in three days by easy marches on 
 the 30th of March, 1823. Satara, originally belong- 
 ing to the province of Bijapur, is situated in a 
 mountainous country, environed by lofty hills on 
 three sides: or, I may observe, the town is lying 
 under and within the south-western angle of hills 
 running in the form of a syphon, the southern leg of 
 which is the short one, and is walled and towered, 
 partly scarped and partly built into a hill fort, the 
 eminence being about two hundred and seventy-five 
 yards high. The fortress was commanded from many 
 places, particularly from the west. 
 
 The sight of the fortress reminded me of the 
 anecdote of Aurangzeb's able secretary, named 
 Niamat Khan, who, on the morning of the day 
 when this fortress was stormed, Avas the first person
 
 SATAKA. 205 
 
 to bring intelligence of its capture. On reaching 
 the royal pavilion, he found His Majesty sitting at 
 the door of his tent anxiously looking at the fortress 
 and counting the prayers on his fingers, with his 
 thumb at the root of his little finger: when the 
 Minister performed his obeisance, the King asked 
 him, "What news?" "I have glad tidings, my 
 Lord," observed Niamat Khan, and added, extempore, 
 " the effect of your Majesty's prayers has become 
 evident, as the fortress is subdued by the royal arms, 
 the date of which achievement is shown by your 
 Majesty's hand ; " i. e., the fingers of his hand, with 
 the thumb under the root of the little finger, repre- 
 sented the figure of a unit four times repeated, and 
 that was the year of the Hijra 1111, A.D. 1700. 
 
 The British cantonment and the Residency being 
 about two miles east of the town, I proceeded there 
 and had the pleasure of seeing my old friend of 
 Tulsi Sham, Sikandar Khan, now Havaldar Major 
 of the regiment, with whom I put up in the lines, 
 and found in him a sincere, obliging, and hospitable 
 friend. 
 
 The news of my arrival was soon on its wing 
 through the camp, and there being no other com- 
 petent teacher there at the time, I obtained six 
 scholars, a lucrative employment but hard work, 
 the performance of which took up all my time 
 during the day. At night, as long as I could keep 
 myself awake, I studied English from the valuable
 
 206 AUTOBIOGBAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 works of Dr. J. B. Gilchrist. Thus I passed six 
 years at this station, during which time many young 
 officers having passed in the languages by my aid, I 
 obtained some reputation and a good sum of money. 
 
 After a short stay with my good host, I did not 
 like to press on his scanty means, which were hardly 
 sufficient to maintain his own family, so I took a 
 comfortable lodging in the town, where I passed my 
 nights partly in my favourite study and partly in 
 repose, the sweetness of which can only be felt by 
 those who enjoy it after hard labour. 
 
 Thus I passed my time in quietness without being 
 disturbed by anything excepting domestic affairs, 
 such as the neglect of my servants in the performance 
 of their duty and their treacherous conduct, attended 
 with petty larceny in my house, where, on my 
 absence during the day, they had uncontrolled autho- 
 rity. These domestic troubles often embittered my 
 thoughts and disturbed my peace. To remedy such 
 evils I felt the necessity of having a person to super- 
 intend my household and be a companion to me 
 during some of my lonesome hours. 
 
 Thus, being compelled by circumstances, on the 
 23rd of September, 1824, I married a young lady 
 whom I had known when in Kach, and whose 
 destiny had brought her hither some time before 
 my arrival. Man is naturally deluded by tempta- 
 tions, and in many cases he is not undeceived until 
 he finds himself completely entangled in the net of
 
 MARRIAGE. 207 
 
 trouble. In over-rating small evils we generally 
 bring upon ourselves heavier ones. The dream of 
 my happiness in the married state was but a short 
 one, and I soon found myself more involved in 
 domestic anxieties than before. When a bachelor, I 
 thought for myself only, but now I had to think 
 for another person too, whose fate had joined mine. 
 The repletion of my purse likewise began to be 
 changed for depletion; and to crown all these diffi- 
 culties, to my great sorrow, I discovered rny new 
 companion to be of a very pettish and hypochon- 
 driacal temper, to which I had to submit in future. 
 
 Such inconveniences can be easily obviated by our 
 law in divorcing a wife, not only for crimes, but 
 even if she is disagreeable. But who can have the 
 heart to part with his faithful companion without 
 serious cause. This bad practice prevails only 
 amongst the lower classes of the people. A man of 
 high station in life may marry four wives at once or 
 gradually, and may have as many handmaids as he 
 can support ; then, from amongst such a number, he 
 is sure to find one who gives him every satisfaction, 
 and the rest may be maintained without being 
 repudiated, each knowing that she has only herself 
 to thank for a rival in her lord's affections, as she 
 ought to have made herself so dear to him that he 
 could not have desired a change. Here I drop the 
 grand subject of monogamy and polygamy, contro- 
 verted between the doctors of Mohaniedanism and
 
 208 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Christianity. There are many things to be said on 
 both sides, but I will not enlarge my journal with 
 these discussions. I side with my own law, though 
 I have been a monogamist throughout all my life. 
 
 One morning, as I was sitting with Lieutenant E. 
 M. Earle,* of the 24th Regiment N. I., who studied 
 Persian with me (after having passed in Hindustani 
 and Marathi), we were informed that a sati (suttee) 
 was going to be performed that forenoon at the 
 village of Maholi, near the river side. The news 
 startled my young friend as well as myself. We 
 could not believe that such an outrage could be 
 committed with impunity whilst a British Resident 
 remained near the capital. We had hardly finished 
 our conversation on the subject, when we descried 
 the ominous procession, attended with native music 
 passing from the town, along the high road close 
 to the Resident's gate. Upon this, we ran to our 
 horses and rode to the place of execution, which we 
 reached in about half an hour in the heat of the 
 sun. Another scholar of mine, by name Dr. M. F. 
 Kaye, having heard of the sad news, presented him- 
 self on the spot immediately after us. 
 
 After waiting about a quarter of an hour under 
 an umbrageous pipal-tree on the bank of the river, 
 the procession arrived, and the Brahman carriers 
 placed the bier at the brink of the water, so as 
 
 * Tliis very promising young man was drowned in the wreck of 
 the "Lord Castlereagh," 13th of June, 1840.
 
 THE SAT1. 209 
 
 to keep the feet of the corpse washed by that 
 element. The face and hands of the dead being 
 exposed to view, we found the deceased to have 
 been a strong well-made Brahman, about forty years 
 of age. 
 
 Having examined the dead man, we proceeded to 
 the young lady, who seated herself under another 
 pfpal-tree, at a little distance within sight of the 
 corpse, ready to immolate herself on the pile under 
 preparation near the dead body. She was sur- 
 rounded by her relatives and others, about twenty 
 persons in number. To these she kept on talking 
 and foretelling many things, on being interrogated. 
 She was handsome, about fifteen years of age, and 
 her charming countenance showed no marks of fear 
 or anguish. Lieutenant Earle, being an excellent 
 Marathi scholar, finding an opportunity, entered into 
 conversation with her, and delivered a very eloquent 
 speech, dissuading her most earnestly from this 
 horrid suicide, which he said he viewed in the light 
 of a wilful murder committed by the Brahmans, 
 whose evil advice, contrary to the pure Hindu law, 
 enticed her to a death of torture in both worlds. 
 To this her reply was but a short one. " You may 
 say what you please, but I will go with my lord. 
 It was written in the book of my fate to be his wife, 
 so I must be his wife only, to the full extent of the 
 meaning, and that of nobody else. I loved him 
 only, and can never love any one else with that
 
 210 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 primary sincerity, so I must be his true companion 
 wherever he goes. Take you no more trouble, sir, 
 about the matter. Peace be with you." 
 
 Lieutenant Earle now, at the suggestion of Dr. 
 Kaye and myself, begged her to listen to him for 
 another moment, so she turned to him, and he 
 further observed as follows : " My good lady, pray 
 consider over the act once more; act not against 
 your reason; you must be sure that we are your 
 friends and not your enemies, that we would save 
 you from the horrid death by all means at a slight 
 signal of your consent, and would make an honour- 
 able provision for you during your life :" and, he 
 added, " You should try the experiment of burning 
 your little finger before committing your whole 
 precious body to the flames." But, alas ! her fanati- 
 cism had advanced too far beyond the reach of such 
 wholesome advice; and, with a scornful smile, she 
 told Mr. Earle that she was highly obliged to him 
 for his kindness, of which she did not stand in need ; 
 that her word was one and unalterable. She then, 
 boldly tearing up a slip of her handkerchief, dipped 
 it into the oil of the burning lamp (usually placed 
 before satis whether day or night), and, tying it 
 round her little finger, she lighted it up with eager- 
 ness, and it burnt on like a candle for a little while, 
 and then diffused the smell of burning flesh, during 
 which the young beauty talked on to the audience, 
 without a sigh or sob to indicate the pain; yet
 
 THE SATI 211 
 
 the marks of the blood's rush to the face, attended with 
 a profuse perspiration on her brow, betrayed her feel- 
 ing to our unbiassed and sorrowful mind. The fit of 
 this enthusiastic frenzy is aided and maintained, I 
 believe, by the effect of some narcotics, particularly 
 of camphor, a large quantity of which is administered 
 by the hard-hearted Brahmans to the poor victims, 
 which is swallowed up by them immediately after 
 they have uttered their intention of self-destruction 
 in the sudden impulse of grief at their bereavement. 
 The effect soon spreads over the nervous system, 
 stupefaction ensues, and the whole body is benumbed 
 before it goes to the fire to be consumed. The pile 
 now being ready, the corpse was washed and laid 
 inside, and about half a pound of camphor in a bundle 
 tied round the neck of the damsel ; she got up with 
 her usual alacrity, invoking her gods, and rushed to 
 the fatal spot in the same way as a moth to the flame. 
 She then walked round the pile seven times, and, 
 having entered it, she placed the head of her dead 
 husband in her lap, and herself holding a burning 
 wick between the big and second toes of her left foot, 
 she set fire to the combustibles interwoven with the 
 logs of fire-wood. Upon her entering, the Brahmans 
 began to stop the entrance with heavy pieces of timber, 
 when Dr. Kaye, being much excited at the scene, 
 could not keep silence any more. Though he knew 
 very little or nothing of the language, he called out 
 with as much fierceness as he could command, " You
 
 212 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 scoundrels, this is not fair; darwdza mat kholo :" that 
 is to say, " do not open the door," of course meaning 
 the reverse. Such erroneous expressions of the good 
 doctor, even at this tragical moment, produced a smile 
 from most of the bystanders. Immediately the poor 
 woman set fire to the pile, the Brahmans and others 
 surrounding it began shouting out the name of their 
 god, Rama, and ordered the kettle-drums, flageolets, 
 and cymbals that accompanied the procession to be 
 beaten and played, and rent the air with their cries, 
 in order that no cry of distress might be heard from 
 the victim : and, as soon as the flames issued from all 
 sides, they cut the ropes of the four corners of the 
 platform of the pile with their hatchets, so the 
 enormous weight of the firewood, falling at once upon 
 the delicate girl, crushed her in a moment. In short, 
 in about fifteen minutes' time all the fuel became a 
 heap of ashes, the music and the cries ceased, and 
 the party of the executioners, being tired, seated 
 themselves in calmness under the tree, in expectation 
 of the embers being extinguished, that they might 
 throw the ashes into the river and return home. We 
 then hastened to our own places of rest, sad and 
 dejected from what we had seen. 
 
 Religions, pure in their origin, in course of time 
 beget superstitions, which give birth to such results 
 as we have just described. The religion of the 
 Hindus in its origin is pure and sublime, as will be 
 clearly seen from the books of their Ved, or theo-
 
 HINDUISM ORIGINALLY PUKE. 213 
 
 logical works, which were in existence about 1800 
 years before our era of the Hijra, or about 1100 
 years before Christ. They consider the only Supreme 
 Being to be the self-existing ruler of the universe, 
 styled Brahma. His first attributes are the following 
 Trinity : Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, 
 and Siva the Destroyer. These attributes have each 
 a peculiar image, as a medium required for the 
 material being to think of the immaterial being, who 
 is one creator of all the visible and invisible worlds. 
 He is the Almighty, who rules and governs all his 
 creation by a general providence, resulting from first 
 determined and pre-established principles. 
 
 From so sublime a source of the genuine principles 
 of their religion runs the pure stream of their law, 
 which strictly prohibits all the crimes punishable by 
 the laws of the present civilized world. Besides, 
 suicide, infanticide, and sacrifice of all kinds, not 
 only human, but of any kind of animal, are ranked 
 amongst the heinous crimes. But superstition and 
 fables, and the selfish character of their priests, have, 
 in the lapse of ages, produced immorality and cor- 
 ruption to this degree, that the generality of the 
 Hindus of this time are no more than- infidels in the 
 high opinion of their Vedantees or theologists. 
 
 During my stay at Satara I had the honour of 
 seeing a great man amongst the English, whose high 
 renown had often come to my ears from people of his 
 country and my own. This was the Hon. Mount
 
 214 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Stuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay, wlio paid 
 his visit to the State for some political purposes just 
 at the time when the celebration of the marriage of 
 the Raja's natural daughter to one of the sons of the 
 Ghorpora of Piinah took place. On this occasion all 
 the gentry of the city being entertained at the palace 
 for a fortnight, I was one of them ; and, being present 
 at the conference, I greatly admired the amiable, 
 cogent, and comprehensive conversation of the 
 Governor with the Raja. It appeared to me as if 
 the great man was talking to a child, sometimes 
 correcting his ideas, and sometimes tossing them up 
 from one side to another to see if the young prince 
 could re-arrange them well ; but he was disappointed 
 more than once in this respect, I recollect a remark 
 of his in the same conference. The Raja had 
 expressed his desire to know the cause of His 
 Excellency's talking to him in Hindustani, and not 
 in Marathi, in which language, observed the prince, 
 he was as well versed as himself. " Because," replied 
 the statesman, " I speak Hindustani better than your 
 Highness, and your Highness's Marathi must natu- 
 rally be better than mine." 
 
 Six years I passed at Satara, during which time 
 my lawful industry procured money for me sufficient 
 to pass another period of six months without any 
 employment. But, having lost many good friends, 
 both English and native, by the 6th Regiment being 
 ordered to another station, I found myself dull and
 
 THE MULL A OF THE BOHR AS. 215 
 
 lonesome at this place. Besides, tlie climate of the 
 Dakhan and the ingipid society of the Marathas 
 began to prove disagreeable to me, and I thought of 
 leaving the place for another more civilized one by 
 the first opportunity. During my anxiety about 
 leaving Satara I luckily had an offer from Lieutenant 
 Webb of the Artillery, a very nice gentleman and 
 an over-zealous Christian, who, having studied with 
 me for some time, was ordered to be stationed at 
 Siirat in charge of the garrison, etc. I readily 
 accepted the offer, and proceeded forthwith to Siirat, 
 which I reached with my family in April, 1828. 
 My passage from Bombay to Siirat was a quick, 
 rough, and dangerous one. 
 
 A vessel belonging to the same owner left the 
 harbour at the same time, having on board about one 
 hundred and forty Bohras, invited by their Mulla 
 (or high priest) to celebrate the nuptials of his son. 
 She was in sight of us for a few leagues, and then 
 disappeared; and having at night encountered the 
 severity of the storm, foundered about half way to 
 Siirat, and all the unfortunate passengers, instead of 
 enjoying the festival, met with a horrible watery 
 grave. I fancy the Mulla at this time had a good 
 long list of dead disciples to send to his brother 
 Gabriel for accommodation in Paradise. The custom 
 of this schismatic class of Mohamedans is to receive 
 a certificate of the priest for every dead follower, 
 addressed to the archangel, recommending a place in
 
 216 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 the blissful region suitable to the amount of the fees 
 paid on such occasions, which document is carefully 
 placed in the shroud of the deceased. 
 
 I recollect an anecdote of a friend of mine, Dr. 
 C. D. Straker, the civil surgeon of this place for 
 some years. This gentleman attended the Mulla 
 during a bad illness. When it came to the month of 
 Ramzan (the Mohamedan Lent) the doctor told his 
 reverend patient not to observe fasts until his reco- 
 very, as that act of devotion at that juncture would 
 prove injurious to his weak constitution. But the 
 crafty priest, in order to show his religious zeal, 
 observed that the omission of an indefeasible duty, 
 strictly ordered in his sacred book, must be the cause 
 of a severe punishment in the world to come. 
 
 To this Dr. Straker replied, with the characteristic 
 frankness of an Englishman, " No, no, Mulla Sahib, 
 don't you fear about that: I will give you a certifi- 
 cate, which, being shown to your brother archangel, 
 will surely procure absolution for this necessary 
 transgression on your part." This remark of the 
 pure-hearted Englishman produced a smile mingled 
 with mortification from the priest, and the bystanders 
 could not; help turning their faces to laugh, espe- 
 cially two or three orthodox Mohamedan servants, 
 who were obliged to leave the room to conceal their 
 mirth. 
 
 At Siirat I found more scholars than I could 
 attend, so I was better off than in the Dakhan.
 
 ARABIC STUDIES. 217 
 
 By this time I may say my progress in English 
 was not contemptible. I could read and write in 
 that language well enough, and spoke it so well that 
 some of my English friends often jestingly interro- 
 gated me whether both of my parents were natives 
 of India, or one of them English, for my complexion 
 and accent, said they, were different from the natives. 
 In reply to such rude questions, I thanked them with 
 a smile, and said their compliments were more than 
 I deserved. In Siirat I was blessed with the society 
 of men of science and literature ; but my limited 
 knowledge of the Arabic prevented my enjoyment of 
 j;he same to its full extent. I therefore prepared 
 myself to undertake the task of studying at any 
 expense of time, money, and labour, that, next to the 
 English, most difficult language. 
 
 I began the study accordingly with the persever- 
 ance of a true lover seeking a fair damsel, cheerfully 
 undergoing all the difficulties inseparably belonging 
 to the pursuit of such an object. Again I passed my 
 days in earning my livelihood, and a great part of my 
 nights in applying my mind to books, and I am 
 happy to say that three years' hard labour produced 
 to me the sweet fruit of success, and I obtained a 
 good certificate of competency in the Mohamedan 
 law from Shaikh Tajud-din, the chief law officer of 
 the 'Adalat, and another from a famous physician, 
 Mir Isa, in the theoretical part of medicine. 
 
 Amongst my scholars at Siirat, I had a young
 
 218 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAU. 
 
 ensign, by name W. J. Eastwick, of the 12th Regi- 
 ment Bombay N. I., a very promising youth with, an 
 extraordinary memory. What he learnt once was 
 always found indelible on the tablet of his pure 
 mind. By my further stay with him I found that 
 his endowments, qualities, and mental qualifications 
 were superior to his age and station. He was 
 amiable, mild, generous, and charitable in every 
 sense of the word, and his liberality rendered me 
 quite independent of taking another scholar. He 
 passed with me in both the Hindustani and Persian 
 languages in a short time, and made himself master 
 of the elements of Arabic Grammar in a compara- 
 tively short period, learning them of me during my 
 few mornings' rides with him. His invaluable 
 society became so precious to me that I remained in 
 his service almost all the time of his stay in India, 
 excepting some intervals, during which higher 
 emoluments tempted me to leave him for some time, 
 but the attraction of his kindness again brought me 
 soon to him. 
 
 In the month of May, 1829, being invited by 
 Ensign John Ramsay, of the Bombay N.I., I pro- 
 ceeded to Sholapur, a distance of about four hundred 
 and fifty miles from Siirat, which I travelled in four- 
 teen days via Bombay and Piinah, in the hot season 
 of the year. My passage to Bombay was a pleasant 
 one, and thence I hired a small boat to Panwell for 
 myself and servants, avoiding the ferry-contractors'
 
 SIIOLAPUB. 219 
 
 boats by all means, as experience had given me a 
 good lesson in the year 1823 to do so. The deso- 
 lated town of Sholapur, situated in a burning, treeless 
 place, does not deserve any commendation here. It 
 is surrounded by a strong wall, to the south-west of 
 which is an oblong capacious fort, built of stones, 
 flanked by several large towers, and encircled by a 
 deep ditch communicating with a large tank south- 
 ward of the fort. The inhabitants, chiefly Marathas, 
 amount to about twenty-two thousand persons. 
 
 Although the Dakhan is hot, Sholapur, I think, is 
 pre-eminently so, on account of its situation, where 
 hot winds have nothing else to act upon except the 
 poor inhabitants. On my arrival, I proceeded to the 
 cantonment at a little distance from the town, where, 
 at the house of my noble host, I met with a very 
 kind reception, and remained there for about seven 
 months, during which time that worthy and mag- 
 nanimous young man, having rendered himself com- 
 petent in the Hindustani language, I returned to Siirat 
 well rewarded, and was again received with open 
 arms by my patron, Mr. Eastwick, in whose service 
 I continued. 
 
 In the beginning of September, 1831, to my great 
 sorrow, Mr. Eastwick had a very severe attack of 
 fever, for the first time, I think, since his arrival in 
 India, The hot and cold fits alternately succeeded 
 each other for five days, after which time he became 
 insensible, sometimes for fifteen or twenty minutes.
 
 220 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 His life was despaired of by his English friends. I 
 attended on him night and day, and, according to 
 my little knowledge of medicine, I saw no danger, 
 although the attacks were so severe as to deprive 
 him of his strength entirely. So weak became he 
 that he could not get up in his bed unaided. During 
 some hours, whilst free from fever, I gave him doses 
 of lemon sherbet, which afforded him refreshment 
 for a time. I encouraged him whenever I found him 
 dejected, and impressed upon his mind the necessity 
 of a change as soon as possible. My counsel, I am 
 glad to observe, had its timely effect, and he pro- 
 ceeded to Bombay, leaving his horses and effects in 
 my charge. Had he remained two or three days 
 longer, such a delay would surely have cost him his 
 
 life, for I had found the medical gentleman, Dr. , 
 
 under whose charge he was, to be one of the deputies 
 of the angel of death. His prescriptions, when taken 
 to the native apothecary (a friend of mine), were 
 sometimes laughed at, and sometimes received with 
 all the curses at his command. At the sight of them 
 he generally said, " I believe master is mad, and if I 
 obeyed him I should not only be madder, but an 
 executioner and shedder of innocent blood." On one 
 instance, as I took the prescription myself to him for 
 my benefactor under suffering, he took me aside and 
 read the paper to me in English (as they are usually 
 in Latin), pointing out one of the ingredients 
 laudanum fifty drops instead of five! Had this
 
 THE MEDICAL JOE MANTON. 221 
 
 dose been inadvertently given to the patient, and 
 taken by him, it would surely have produced a fatal 
 effect, and he would have required no more anodyne, 
 as it was termed by the doctor, for ever. I brought 
 the ominous bottle, which only contained five drops 
 of the venomous tincture ; but even that I emptied 
 on the floor, having obtained the consent of the 
 invalid to my doing so, and I gave him a dose of 
 sherbet instead. 
 
 Poor Dr. drank so hard that he was always 
 
 " half seas over." For four nights he remained in 
 the house along with us to look after the patient, 
 but he overlooked him all the time. He sat up all 
 the night at a table with a burning candle, a bottle 
 of brandy, and a cigar-case before him; and he 
 drank no less than a bottle a night, with glasses of 
 which I had the honour of furnishing him at inter- 
 vals with my own hands, as he requested me suc- 
 cessively. As for the number of cigars, I am 
 unable to give a correct account of them; but the 
 table in the morning was covered with ashes. 
 
 On the fifth night, I am glad to say, my young 
 patient was far on the sea on his way to Bombay, 
 out of the reach of the doctor, and I, in my own 
 house, no more furnisher of the forbidden liquor to 
 a Christian drunkard. Not having heard from the 
 young man for some time, I wrote to him, inquiring 
 about his health, and receiving no reply for ten days, 
 I felt anxious, and began to think of proceeding to
 
 222 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Bombay in person. On the 29th of October, however, 
 I had the pleasure to receive an autographical letter 
 from him, in which, after announcing his recovery, 
 he directed me to go forthwith to Tankaria with his 
 horses and baggage, where he was proceeding in 
 command of the escort of Lord Clare, then en route 
 to Ajmir. The orders were duly executed, and, 
 meeting at Tankaria Bandar, we proceeded in the 
 retinue of his lordship. 
 
 In five short and easy marches we found ourselves 
 at Baroda, where we remained encamped a few days. 
 His lordship was busy in paying and receiving visits 
 to and from the Gaikwar. At the time of our de- 
 parture, his lordship and all the gentry of his camp 
 were, by His Highness, presented with costly gifts. 
 My share was a golden necklace, a turban, and a 
 shawl, and that of my employer consisted of more 
 valuable articles; but we, as well as others, were 
 soon deprived of them by his lordship, I believe for 
 the Government. On the evening of the announce- 
 ment of our march for the next morning, I returned 
 the couch kindly sent to me by a friend, with my 
 thanks, and made my bed on the ground, placing 
 my new desk of Morocco leather at the head to serve 
 as a pillow, and went to bed. In the morning, when 
 roused by the bugle, I found my bed strewed with 
 damp dust, my skin excoriated in some parts, and 
 my back irritated in others. I called my servant, 
 who was engaged in saddling my horse. " Mahdilli,"
 
 WIHTE ANTS. 223 
 
 said I angrily, "you have been throwing dust all 
 over my bed and self, in shaking the trappings of 
 the horse near my bed in the tent" "No, sir, I 
 have done no such thing," was his reply. When I 
 took up my cloak it fell to pieces in my hand ; the 
 blanket was in the same state, and the bottom of my 
 desk, with some valuable papers, were destroyed. 
 "What misfortune is this?" cried I to Mahdilli, who 
 immediately brought a burning stick to examine the 
 cause, and coolly observed, " It is the white ants, sir, 
 and no misfortune, but a piece of bad luck, sir." 
 Poor man! in all mishaps, I always found him 
 attaching blame to destiny, and never to his own or 
 my imprudence. 
 
 By slow marches from Baroda, via Ahmadabad, 
 we reached Disa, a large cantonment established to 
 keep the predatory robbers of the neighbouring 
 wastes and mountains in check. From this we pro- 
 ceeded north-east to Abu, at the foot of which grand 
 mountain we halted for three days, his lordship being 
 inclined to ascend the high region and explore the 
 antiquities of the place. So the next day, early in 
 the morning, a select party of the gentry, headed 
 by his lordship, began to ascend, along with whom I 
 had the honour to go. Although I was left far 
 behind by most> yet during my ascent I overtook his 
 lordship, in company with one of his aides-de-camp, 
 about half-way to the top, both of whom seemed 
 much fatigued, though they had their swing chairs
 
 224 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 carried along with them, which they mounted occa- 
 sionally, and I could not afford one. Nevertheless, 
 the aide-de-camp, probably envying my agility, asked 
 me to lend my fine strong walking-stick to his lord- 
 ship. Seeing that it would be very impolite to 
 refuse, I granted his request with promptness, and 
 his lordship, having received the staff from my hand, 
 thanked me for the loan (it should be termed a gift, 
 as it was never returned), and seemed delighted to 
 avail himself of the aid. 
 
 I remained with his lordship and suite as far as 
 the Dailvara temples, and then, leaving them to 
 themselves, I wandered about by myself for a little 
 while. Upon the approach of evening finding 
 myself unprovided against hunger and cold, and 
 disinclined to trouble my fellow travellers, as they 
 had only brought sufficient provisions for themselves, 
 and, above all, reluctant to eat of the bread of charity 
 from the staunch pagans of the place I commenced 
 my return to the camp forthwith. Unfortunately, 
 being overtaken by a heavy shower of rain during my 
 descent, I got wet through and through, and reached 
 home about nine o'clock, P.M., regularly exhausted. 
 The effect of this was a severe attack of fever, but I 
 soon got rid of it by medical aid and the careful 
 attention of my good master. 
 
 This Abu is about twenty miles east of the town 
 of Sirohi, belonging to Rao Sewsingji, and is an 
 ancient place of worship of the Hindus, especially of
 
 ABU. 225 
 
 the Jain sect. Its height is about one mile above the 
 level of the sea. There are twelve known paths (by 
 the natives called Pag) for the ascent of this lofty 
 mountain, of which that by Annadra, being considered 
 safest, is mostly frequented by travellers and pil- 
 grims. The village of Annadra is about twenty 
 miles from Sirohi, and three from the foot of the 
 mountain, and thence the ascent to a tank on the 
 summit, called Nakhi Talaa, is four miles and a half. 
 The tank, according to the Hindu legend, having 
 been dug out with the nails of their gods, is termed 
 Nakhi (nakha, " nail "). Anchorites and austere 
 devotees inhabit the valleys and caves of the moun- 
 tain about this tank, but they are very rarely visible. 
 In the month of August, when the sun is in the sign 
 Virgo, bathing in this tank being considered by the 
 Hindus a purgative of all sin, a great number of 
 them, from far and near, then assemble there for the 
 purpose. 
 
 Two of the twelve paths are considered most diffi- 
 cult. These are by the Kacholi and Niton villages. 
 In the first, the traveller, in many places, whilst using 
 his hands and feet like a quadruped upon narrow 
 steps, if he looks upward, finds the proud precipice 
 touching the summit of the sky, and, if downwards, 
 beholds the immeasurable depth, bottomed with 
 nothing but darkness. A false step not only puts a 
 period to the career of his travel, but to that of his 
 life too. 
 
 i
 
 226 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 The ascent and descent of the second path is equally 
 difficult ; besides, it has a very thick forest, which 
 being infested by wild beasts, is more unsafe in conse- 
 quence. One of the valleys of this path being con- 
 sidered impregnable, the former princes of Sirohi 
 have built a fortress there, for their family and selves 
 to retire to in times of danger. 
 
 On the mountain are thirteen villages, three of 
 which are in ruin, and, of the remaining ten, Dail- 
 wara and Achalgarh are said to be the largest, 
 and contain about seven hundred inhabitants. 
 
 The Hindu temples, both Jain and of the modern 
 Siva sect, are numerous. Some of these sacred 
 edifices are very handsome and elegant in design. 
 The marble of the ceilings and floors is pure, and 
 that of the walls is so brightly polished that one can 
 see his countenance in it. I particularly admired 
 the five Jain temples, situated at the village of Dail- 
 wara, erected to Nemnath and Rakhab-deo, etc., the 
 deified Jain saints. The ornamental work engraved 
 upon the pillars, the ceilings adorned with the lotus 
 and jasmine flowers in bas-relief, are nature itself. 
 In the rear of one of these temples there are ten 
 elephants, and, at the entrance of another, the same 
 number and one horse, all formed of pure marble, 
 each about the size of a bullock, fixed in order on 
 the floor. The labour and expense in procuring and 
 conveying these large masses of stone to the summit 
 of the mountain must have been very considerable.
 
 ABU TEMPLES. 227 
 
 The founder of these fine temples is said to have 
 been a banker, who, having no heir, applied the 
 whole of his fortune in building and making these 
 places and objects of worship in A.D. 1243. 
 
 One moiety of the revenues of this mountain used 
 formerly to be taken by the Rajas of Sirohi and 
 some petty chiefs, and the other applied to religious 
 purposes, such as the annual repairs of the temples, 
 and provisions for the poor pilgrims, etc. But now 
 Rao Sewsingji of Sirohi, after his ablution in the 
 Ganges, has ordered the whole to be expended in 
 charities. Our camp left the foot of this mountain 
 the 2nd of January, 1832, and by slow marches we 
 reached Ajmir in another fortnight, about two 
 hundred and twenty-nine miles from Siirat. 
 
 I 2
 
 228 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Udepur Pali Pokharji Ajmir I return to Surat I enter the 
 service of the Nuwab The intrigues of a petty Court My 
 conge. 
 
 THE country beyond A'bii is very sandy, with the 
 exception of parts, where spurs of the Aravelli 
 mountain render it rugged and stony. This very 
 unfertile district, called Mewar, appears a vast 
 wilderness, except three towns of some consequence, 
 through which we had to pass, Udepur, Pali, and 
 Pokharji. 
 
 The first is the seat of the Sissodiya Rajputs, in 
 Mewar, whose tribe is considered purer, and their 
 rank higher, than other Rajputs of India. Their 
 princes are called Ranas, and at their inauguration 
 a spot of human blood is put upon their forehead. 
 How it is procured on such occasions is a secret ; 
 but I believe a prisoner is generally killed to serve 
 the purpose. The city is handsome, and situated on 
 an eminence. The western side is adorned with 
 a large lake, having an island in the middle, upon 
 which two palaces are built, where the luxurious 
 princes pass the hot season in the enjoyment of 
 pleasures of all kinds. 
 
 Pali is a mart on the borders of the desert. I
 
 roKHAiui. 229 
 
 bought some European articles there cheaper than in 
 Bombay. The inhabitants are wealthy in general, 
 and there are above eleven thousand houses. 
 
 The third is Pokharji, priginally Pushkara, so 
 called from a spacious deep tank, three sides of 
 which are built up with stones, and have flights 
 of steps down to the water at irregular distances. 
 The shores are adorned with temples. The town 
 is not large, but the view of it from the eastern 
 side is most enchanting. The 17th of January was 
 the day of our arrival. The evening was cool and 
 calm, and the azure sky seemed in the twilight to 
 shine with seven varied hues when I paid my visit 
 to this romantic tank. Alone, and standing at a 
 flight of steps, I mused for a while, and w r as highly 
 delighted with the beauty of the place. The sheet 
 of water lay like a mirror, reflecting the lofty edifices 
 which began to be lighted up. By degrees, as it 
 grew darker, a multitude of lamps glittered round 
 the lake, and were multiplied in the reflecting waters. 
 I then returned to my tent, well satisfied, and amply 
 repaid for the trouble I had taken. 
 
 The next day, on the morning of the 18th, we 
 reached Ajmir, the capital of Riijputana, and pitched 
 our tents in front of the Governor-General's camp, 
 at a little distance from the city. The two great 
 men secretly consulted on some grand political sub- 
 ject, and the chiefs of the neighbouring principalities 
 having been invited, paid their homage to the ruler
 
 230 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 vested with supreme power over India. We stayed 
 at Ajmir about six weeks, and then returned by 
 Nasirabad and Lunawara to Baroda, leaving Mount 
 A'bu on the right, and passing through a very thick 
 forest and desolate country. 
 
 I must not leave Ajmir without giving a descrip- 
 tion of it. This ancient city, six miles south of 
 Pushkara, stands at the foot of a mountain crowned 
 by the fortress of Taragarh. The houses are of 
 masonry, magnificently built, and the inhabitants 
 are wealthy. Their number does not exceed thirty 
 thousand. After the cession of the city to the 
 British Government by Sindhiah, a civil commis- 
 sioner, Mr. Wilder, was put in charge, and, by 
 good management, it soon became a rival of Jaipur. 
 A quarter of the city bears the name of Wilder's 
 bazaar, the architectural uniformity and beauty of 
 which is unequalled in the cities in these parts. 
 
 Saiyid Husain Mashadf and Khajah Muimi'd-din 
 Chishti, the two most celebrated Mohamedan saints 
 in India, have their eternal repose here. The 
 shrine of the former is on the top of the Taragarh 
 hill, and that of the latter at the bottom of it, 
 adjoining the city. The Saiyid, endowed with both 
 spiritual and temporal powers, was governor of the 
 place for Kutbu'd-din Ibak, them Emperor of Delhi, 
 and it was during his government that the Khajah 
 arrived, and made the place the end of his long 
 journeys, in which, until his arrival here, he passed
 
 THE AJMIR SAINTS. 231 
 
 all his time. Being an accomplished archer, he was 
 in the habit of passing many days without any com- 
 panion in the wilderness of Persia and Turkistan, 
 living upon the game killed by his bow, and employ- 
 ing his time in contemplation undisturbed by the 
 noisy world. He was born at Sijistan, 527 A.H., and 
 departed this life at the age of one hundred and 
 eight. His intimacy with the Governor terminated 
 in a relationship with him, though himself a Sunni, 
 and the Saiyid a Shiah. During his sojourn at 
 Ajmir he visited Delhi twice. On his second and 
 last trip Saiyid WajbuM-din, the uncle of the 
 Governor of Ajmir, who resided at Delhi, was 
 warned in a dream by his sacred ancestor to give 
 his only daughter in marriage to nobody but the 
 saint of the time, Khajah Muinu'd-din, who, having 
 heard of this, observed that, though the time of his 
 stay in the world was nigh over, yet the sacred offer 
 should not be refused. So the marriage took place, 
 after which he lived for seven years, and had several 
 children by his wife. 
 
 The large and spacious mosque near his tomb was 
 built by the Emperor Jahangir, 1027 A.n. The 
 shrine is held in great reverence by all Muslims. 
 The famous Akbar paid his visit more than once to 
 the tomb from Agra, a distance of two hundred and 
 thirty-two miles. He walked all the way on foot 
 out of respect, and barefooted when in sight of the 
 sacred place. Many Hindus, whose superstitious
 
 232 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 minds can be easily persuaded to any belief, pay the 
 same respect to the tomb as true believers. Mahadaji 
 Sindhiah, and Yeswant Rao Holkar, annually sent an 
 offering of money. Daulat Rao Sindhiah, besides 
 the usual gifts, had all the edifices thoroughly 
 repaired. Thousands of pilgrims annually come to 
 pay their respects to the tomb. The prayers of 
 some of the supplicants being granted through the 
 medium of the shrine, and their hearts' desire being 
 fulfilled either by chance or destiny, the effects are 
 attributed to the miraculous aid of the saint. In 
 such respects mankind are like a herd of sheep, one 
 blindly follows another. The inside of the mausoleum 
 is both magnificent and solemn: the floor is paved 
 with pure marble, the walls nicely latticed, the 
 ceiling beautifully white and smooth. In the centre 
 stands the tomb, covered with very valuable brocade. 
 An oblong square palisade of silver grating is fixed 
 about it, leaving a space of about three feet all 
 round. At the head of the tomb is placed a large 
 silver censer, from which the smoke of the burning 
 incense diffuses its fragrance all over the place. A 
 somewhat higher than usual fee to the warden in 
 attendance procures admittance into the palisade, 
 where the visitor touches the tomb with his right 
 hand, which he kisses with solemnity and retires. 
 
 In the month of March, 1833, I returned to Siirat, 
 and passed some time with my family and friends. 
 
 This year, my income being small, I began to
 
 A BIETH. 233 
 
 practice medicine, in which, I thank heaven, I soon 
 obtained a good name beyond my merits, having 
 administered medicine to the poor gratis, charging 
 those only who could afford to pay. I took care not 
 to take a difficult case in hand, but referred such 
 to the Government Hospital. For fifteen months I 
 was a doctor, during which time six hundred and 
 sixty-four patients passed under my care, from 
 which number six hundred and sixty-one recovered 
 and three died, two of fever and one of cholera. 
 
 In November I was blessed with a son, whom I 
 named Kudratullah. His birth afforded me great 
 happiness, but it was overweighed by the embarrass- 
 ment of my circumstances at this time. Burdened 
 with the heavy charges of a nurse and tfre expense 
 of alms and presents requisite on such occasions, I 
 was Tinder the necessity of bidding adieu to my pro- 
 fession as a physician ; and, finding some scholars 
 desirous of instruction, I resumed the office of a 
 tutor. Having an offer of employment from Lieu- 
 tenant H. Boye, at Ahmadabad, I proceeded thither. 
 The young man, being gifted with a clear head and 
 high talents, made himself perfect master of the 
 Urdu language in a short time, and proceeded to the 
 Presidency, taking me along with him. He passed 
 an excellent examination before the committee, and 
 rewarded me beyond my expectation ; so I returned 
 home once more with a sum of money sufficient for 
 about one year's expenditure.
 
 234 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 In June I returned to Surat, and remained without 
 employment for about three weeks, when His High- 
 ness Mir Afzalu'd-din Khan, the Nuwab of Surat, 
 requested me to enter into his service as secretary. 
 I readily accepted the offer, and was invited to 
 breakfast at the palace, when His Highness declared 
 that I was to be his companion for ever, and that for 
 the present he had been pleased to fix certain allow- 
 ances for me, the memorandum of which, bearing 
 |Iis Excellency's signature, would be presented to 
 me. He bade me not doubt of promotion when he 
 was extricated from his present difficulties and had 
 vanquished his enemy, the Guebre Cmeaning the 
 native agent of the British Government). At the 
 same time he presented me with a very valuable pair 
 of shawls and the memorandum. Upon ihis, I rose 
 from my seat, and thanked him with a low bow. 
 
 On reaching home I found a host of mace-bearers, 
 waiting servants, and musicians of His Highness at 
 my door, to congratulate me and to receive some 
 presents in return. I dismissed them, satisfied with 
 my liberality in the glee of the moment. When at 
 leisure, I referred to the memorandum, which ran 
 thus : 
 
 "Memorandum of the Monthly Allowances of the Mnnshi Lutfullah 
 Khun Sahib, from the Sarkdr of His Highness Kamru'd-daulah, 
 Hashmat Jang, Bahadur, Nuwdb of Surat. 
 
 " Rupees, fifty -one in ready cash ; Free Table ; Dry Provisions 
 for the Family ; one Horse, with a Groom and two Peons always 
 in attendance upon him ; two Suits of Clothes annually."
 
 TIIE NIJWAB. 235 
 
 I found the stipend quite sufficient for a gentleman 
 of India blessed with contentment, and was satisfied 
 with it, having the promise of promotion in view. I 
 was punctual and regular in my daily attendance 
 upon His Highness, whom I found quite pleased 
 with me, and he loaded me with presents of every 
 kind every now and then. 
 
 His Highness was a gentlemanly old man, about 
 fifty-three, only five feet seven, but portly and dig- 
 nified. His complexion was brownish, and his 
 manners and deportment very stately and pleasing. 
 A Saiyid by caste, his grandfather was an inhabitant 
 of Burhanpur, and of the sacred order, who came to 
 Surat as an adventurer in 1732. He managed to 
 get himself married in the family of Safdar Khan, 
 governor of the city at that time, and having pur- 
 chased popularity and influence, himself succeeded 
 to the government. His descendants ruled until the 
 13th of May, 1800, when the father of the Nuwab, 
 my master, was obliged to surrender the city and 
 the territory to his patrons, the English, for an 
 annual pension of 15,000/. Besides, he was kindly 
 allowed by them to retain certain small privileges 
 and the empty title of Nuwab. After the death of 
 this Nuwab, in 1821, his son, my master, was placed 
 by the authorities on the throne, and allowed by 
 them to enjoy the stipend and immunities as before, 
 without any change in his shadowy title and dignity. 
 To this phantom of power it was my destiny now to
 
 236 AUTOBIOGBArHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 swear fealty. I was informed by the Minister of His 
 Highness that the native agent, about two months 
 ago, had behaved very disrespectfully towards the 
 Nuwab in ordering one of his servants to be beaten, 
 bound, and taken publicly, under a police-guard, 
 to his Court, merely because he was found drunk. 
 His Highness at the time, being in the house of his 
 Minister, descried his servant in this disgraceful 
 plight, and ordered the guard to be brought before 
 him with their prisoner, whom he bade them release. 
 This being done, in the fury of the moment he kicked 
 out the guard, loading them with curses and impre- 
 cations. The native agent, who could not bear his 
 magisterial authority thus degraded, was now work- 
 ing mischief by bearing tales to Mr. Lumsden, the 
 agent, judge, and magistrate, all in one. 
 
 I had now to reply to eleven of the agent's un- 
 answered epistles. His Highness took three days to 
 read through the drafts, and then condescended to 
 say he approved very highly of the language, style, 
 and spirit of the papers I had drawn, that his Hindu 
 clerks could not write Persian correctly, and some- 
 times it was difficult for them to understand the drift 
 of the subject. 
 
 The cloud of dissension between the Government 
 agent and His Highness being, however, removed 
 by a compromise, the native agent sought to regain 
 favour, and soon obtained it. The Nuwab again 
 began to send, almost every evening, his confidential
 
 DISMISSAL OF THE D1WAN. 237 
 
 officer to the nocturnal Court of the native agent, 
 and sometimes I myself was desired to go to him to 
 take down his answers. 
 
 For five months and a half I remained in favour ; 
 and then I found that some consultation was going 
 on with the native agent, apart and secret from me, 
 the result of which soon manifested itself. By the 
 close association of nearly six months, I found that 
 the poor old Nuwab was a mere tool in the hand of 
 others ; he had no intellectual power to judge for 
 himself, he was fond of low society, and addicted to 
 intoxicating drugs and liquors. Now he was induced, 
 I strongly believe, by his base and malignant Minister 
 (a man vulgar, illiterate, and perfect in depravity, 
 who at first was a menial servant to Captain Rankin, 
 the fort adjutant), at the counsel, or rather instiga- 
 tion, of the native agent, to plunder and sequester 
 the property of the ex-Minister. The native agent 
 lent his aid in the ruin of his bitter enemy, the ex- 
 Minister, on condition that His Highness should dis- 
 miss certain persons from the service and fill up their 
 places by those in whom he had implicit confidence. 
 These were the secret consultations, and they took 
 effect very soon by the dismissal of the Diwan Har- 
 diram Sahibram, a very respectable man, who was 
 suddenly surrounded by the guard in his office, and 
 all the boxes containing cash and records, etc., in 
 his charge being instantly sealed, he was told that he 
 was dismissed from the service because he had secret
 
 238 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 communication with the ex-Minister. Poor Hardirdm 
 boldly replied that he had no secret communication 
 with the Minister, but a secret feud with the native 
 agent, and that, from the date of the compromise, he 
 expected to receive the treatment he now experienced. 
 " God is great, I am innocent, truth at last will 
 certainly shine forth, and guilt will have its due 
 recompense," said he, and so delivered over the keys 
 and departed. 
 
 The next day the Minister and I were deputed to 
 go to Atmaram and offer to him on the part of His 
 Highness, the situation of Diwan. 
 
 Atmaram is the son of Kirparam, who negociated 
 the treaty of 1800, on the part of the Nuwab's late 
 father, with Mr. Jonathan Duncan, and managed 
 to obtain a perpetual pension of three hundred rupees 
 per mensem for himself and his descendants, from the 
 British authorities in return for his services. Kir- 
 param's family, ever since the treaty, were held in 
 odium by the late and the present Nuwab, who found 
 out afterwards that he had acted treacherously in 
 that business of importance, and had sacrificed his 
 master's power and dominion for his own benefit. 
 His Highness, therefore, had turned him out of the 
 service. After the death of Kirparam, his son At- 
 maram, a man well educated both in Sanskrit and 
 Persian, became a hanger-on of the native agent for 
 years, in the hope of getting an appointment suitable 
 to his station in life. Besides his pension of three
 
 ATMAKAM. 239 
 
 hundred rupees a month, lie expended large sums of 
 money in support of his interests, and got in debt to 
 the amount of more than thirty thousand rupees. 
 The native agent's support at last procured him 
 the situation of Diwan, the salary of which was a 
 small one of only fifty rupees per month ; but the 
 great advantage was that, having entered the Nuwab's 
 service, he had extricated himself from the civil juris- 
 diction, and no creditor, thenceforward, could sue 
 him under the Regulations. 
 
 With Atmararn, another crafty Hindu named 
 Matiram was appointed as accountant. This being 
 done the next thing was to get the ex-Minister to put 
 himself in the Nuwab's power, and a message was sent 
 to him requesting his attendance. 
 
 The man, although vulgar and illiterate, having 
 been raised from the grade of a bread-seller to the 
 rank of Minister, yet, by instinctive sagacity, well 
 knew the object of His Highness, who was entirely 
 under the influence of his malignant successor and 
 the native agent. He, therefore, on receipt of the 
 message, repaired to Mr. Lumsden and told him that 
 he was then a British subject ; and, being sent for by 
 the Nuwab, his former master, under pretence of 
 examining accounts, his heart misgave him, and he 
 .suspected a snare being laid for him by the people 
 about the Nuwab, who was a mere tool in their hands. 
 Mr. Lumsden referred him to the native agent, telling 
 him that he had a letter from His Highness on that
 
 240 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIT. 
 
 head, that he was sure the Nuwab could do him 
 no harm, and that he would desire the native agent 
 to make every proper arrangement about it. Great 
 as were the ex-Minister's suspicions, he could not 
 mistrust the word of the British representative, so 
 being obliged to satisfy himself with what had taken 
 place, he made his bow and departed. 
 
 The next evening he went to the native agent's 
 private Court, where, having asked to be heard alone, 
 all present were requested to leave, when the ex- 
 Minister, seeing no alternative, except submission, 
 placed his turban upon the feet of the man in power, 
 about whom a few months ago he cared but very 
 little. He then said, "I have served my master 
 faithfully for fifteen years, and have extricated him 
 out of the difficulties of debt. I have conducted his 
 affairs to his satisfaction, as more than once has been 
 noticed to the British authorities in His Highness's 
 official correspondence. My fidelity and loyalty 
 obtained for me all my wealth and property; but, 
 becoming the object of envy to all my master's court, 
 they conspired against me and were bent on my ruin. 
 I fear not the examination of the accounts, upon 
 almost all of which I was prudent enough to obtain 
 the Nuwab's signature. I therefore most submis- 
 sively beg your pardon for what occurred between 
 me, yourself, and your late brother, and I take my 
 oath to make reparation ; " and, saying this, he knelt 
 down to him. The native agent heard all this atten-
 
 INTKIGUES. 241 
 
 tively, and, taking his guest by the hand, seated him 
 by himself. He gave him all the comfort a politi- 
 cian's tongue could afford, and told him that he had 
 not the least idea of what had occurred between him 
 and h|s brother, and that he was liberal enough to 
 have forgotten entirely if there happened anything 
 in forrper times. 
 
 Next evening, the present Minister and myself 
 were ordered to attend at the native agent's for his 
 counsel. On our arrival there, all persons present 
 were dismissed, and we alone remained in the private 
 assembly. He then addressed me in his broken 
 English, saying, u The Nuwab was an ungrateful 
 man ; many a kindness had he done him, and many 
 a fault covered for him, in vain. He applauds," said 
 he, " the acts of such low, mean, and vile people as 
 the horrid brute with golden necklace next to you " 
 (alluding to the Minister my companion, who knew 
 not a word of English). I replied to him in the same 
 language, telling him that. I, being a new servant, 
 knew very little of the character of His Highness, 
 but that I believed good acts would surely bring a 
 good return at last. He then addressed himself very 
 politely to the Minister in Hindustani', " You may tell 
 the Nuwab, with my best respects, that his adversary, 
 having at last submitted himself, I prevailed upon 
 him to make himself present at the palace. You 
 may send for him and do as you like, but take care 
 do not be harsh in the commencement." Turning
 
 242 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 then towards me, he observed that the question was a 
 simple one ; we were only to examine the accounts of 
 His Highness with the man, asking him to give a 
 satisfactory explanation of all the disbursements made 
 through him, and we should soon find him commit 
 himself. After this we had some conversation with 
 him upon different topics, and then, taking leave, re- 
 turned to the palace and explained to His Highness 
 the result of our mission. 
 
 During the time this was going on, I met with a 
 most severe calamity ; that is, my poor son departed 
 this life at the age of two years and three months. 
 Poor boy, he suffered his fever and cough with the 
 fortitude of a man ; he took his doses of physic 
 bravely, but without avail. The lance of grief 
 pierced my heart through and through, but the 
 loss was irreparable, and there was no remedy 
 except patience, patience, and nothing but patience, 
 under the decrees of heaven. 
 
 After this misfortune, I was left alone for ten 
 days, and then was ordered to take two clerks and 
 books of accounts to a small garden near the palace, 
 where it was appointed for the ex-Minister to undergo 
 his examination. I was to be strict, but not harsh, 
 and to try my best to implicate the man somehow 
 or other. Provided with such instructions, I pro- 
 ceeded with my companions to the place where we 
 found the man waiting for us. I examined him in 
 the best way I could for ten days, but he exonerated
 
 TRIAL OF THE EX-MINISTEB. 243 
 
 himself of all the charges, showing the signature of 
 His Highness to the different items. The Minister 
 himself sometimes superintended the examination in 
 person, We compared the books of merchants, to 
 whom the payments were made, with our accounts, 
 but found them correspond. I told my friend the 
 Minister, in private, that the man was innocent in 
 my opinion in these accounts, and he must look for 
 another stratagem to criminate the object of his 
 animosity. " Could you not alter some of the 
 items ? " remarked he. To this my reply was, that 
 my conscience was more precious to me than His 
 Highness's service, if I was to commit such acts of 
 
 atrocity. " Atrocity, d d nonsense," rejoined he ; 
 
 " would you not be loyal to your liege lord in doing 
 anything and everything for him ? " " Expect me 
 not," returned I, " to do anything against conscience." 
 Some unpleasant words passed between us on this 
 occasion, and from this time His Highness began 
 to appear displeased and sullen towards me, though 
 I affected not to observe it. In the meantime I 
 went on with my duty of examining the man ; but, 
 to my great astonishment, I found Mutiram one of 
 my subordinates, trying to overrule me, and acting 
 the part of a prosecutor very authoritatively and 
 harshly, instead of acting under me in the pro- 
 ceedings as he had hitherto done. He disputed the 
 points wrongfully, and quarrelled with the man in 
 very unbecoming language. He said he cared not
 
 244 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 about His Highness's signatures, which lie believed 
 to be either forged or taken whilst His Highness 
 was sleepy or intoxicated. This line of conduct 
 in my subordinate was highly extolled by the Nuwab 
 and the Minister, and then I knew I was required to 
 play a game beyond my capability. 
 
 I then mentioned to the Minister that it was quite 
 unnecessary for me to attend the prosecution any 
 farther, since Mutiram acted his part in the business 
 very ably and satisfactorily ; that I was not un- 
 conscious of the treatment I had experienced from His 
 Highness and himself for a few days; and that I 
 would resign the service next week if it was con- 
 tinued. This he heard from me very quietly, with- 
 out uttering a word, but I was informed he brought 
 it to the notice of His Highness immediately, by 
 whom he was ordered to consult the native agent 
 about it the same evening. The time of warning 
 given by me having expired without any amend- 
 ment in the conduct of my master and superior 
 towards me, I sent in my resignation, after serving 
 His Highness for seven months and ten days ;" and 
 proceeded in person to the British agent, to whom 
 I stated my case, and told him that, having sent 
 in my resignation to the Nuwab, I had become a 
 British subject again. Mr. Lumsden remarked that 
 it was wrong in me to leave His Highness 9 service 
 so abruptly, and that the poor old man, surrounded 
 as he was by all sorts of rogues and rascals, would
 
 I BESUME MY OLD PROFESSION. 245 
 
 surely be ruined by them. I replied that I could 
 not help it, and that I would not endanger myself 
 and family for the benefit of others. Saying this, I 
 took my departure from the agent's presence, and 
 then paid my visit to the native agent down-stairs, 
 who warmly shook hands with me, and observed 
 that he knew the object of my having seen the 
 agent, and that I had done well in having resigned 
 the Nuwab's service. " The old man," said he, " is 
 a patronizer of mean upstarts, who will not allow 
 any good man to remain in his service." From such 
 and other phrases I perceived that he wanted me 
 to impeach His Highness ; but my reply to all was 
 short and sweet, that service and life were pre- 
 carious, that nobody has read the line of his fate, and 
 that I knew not whether I had acted right or wrong 
 in resigning. Saying this, I took my leave and 
 returned home. 
 
 After my resignation, His Highness sent messages 
 dissuading me from giving up the service. He 
 would not recal the peons, detached to do duty at 
 my house, for some time; but, finding at last that 
 my word was one and unalterable, he sent my pay 
 that was in arrears, and called away his peons. In 
 the meantime I resumed my old profession of a tutor 
 to English officers, and was better off than with the 
 Nuwab.
 
 246 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 I am appointed to an office under the Political Agent in Kattiawar 
 The Nagar Brahmans I resign office in order to accompany 
 Captain Eastwick, assistant to Colonel Pottinger, Resident in 
 Sindh Mr. Erskine presents me with a certificate and a 
 Kashmir shawl I find three unexpected companions Sara, 
 the fair Maimuni I leave Rajkot The Jam of Nowanagar 
 Dharol The merry Governor of Juria Bandar Pleasant 
 sailing Frisky monsters of the Deep Speculations of the 
 Sindhis as to our purpose in coming to their country I 
 act priest at the I'du'l fitr March to Tatta Description 
 ofTatta. 
 
 IN the month of February I resigned the service of 
 the Nuwab, and had hardly passed eighteen days 
 with my scholars, when I received an invitation from 
 Mr. J. Erskine, the Political Agent at Kattiawar, 
 through Mr. Vibart, the principal collector of the 
 Siirat-Zila. I arrived at Rajkot on the 1st of March. 
 After a short stay at Rajkot, I was appointed super- 
 intendent in the neighbouring district of Babriawar, 
 on a salary of one hundred rupees a month. I, how- 
 ever, never entered upon my duties, being detained 
 to investigate charges of corruption against some 
 native officers of the Political Agent's establishment. 
 The accused parties were Nagar Brahmans, and they 
 defended themselves with so much ingenuity, as to 
 turn the tables on their accusers. I was detained,
 
 ADIEU TO KATTIAWAE. 247 
 
 in common with the rest, and was soon glad to avail 
 
 9 O 
 
 myself of any opportunity to quit Kattiawar. 
 
 In the early part of this year I was delighted to 
 hear of my beloved master, Captain Eastwick's, 
 return from England. ( His regiment chanced to be 
 stationed here, and he soon arrived to join it, and 
 again I had the pleasure of shaking hands with him, 
 ard found his heart as warm as ever. 
 
 After a few weeks' stay with his regiment, he 
 was placed at the disposal of the Governor- General 
 of India, and proceeded to Sindh, where he was 
 appointed Assistant-Resident, under Colonel, now 
 Sir H. Pottinger, a real man, wise as Solomon and 
 enterprising as Alexander. 
 
 Resolving to accompany my former master, I 
 tendered my resignation to Mr. Erskine, and received 
 the following certificate : 
 
 " Rdjhot Political Agent's Office, Kattiawar, 
 
 "July 1st, 1838. 
 
 "This is to certify, that Munshi Lutfullah Khan has been 
 known to me for years, that from the beginning of the year 1836 
 he has been employed by me in various capacities in the service 
 of the H. E. I. Company, principally as a translator of Oriental 
 documents. 
 
 " He is master of the Persian, Hindustani, Marathi, and 
 Gujarathi languages, besides having a knowledge of the idiom, 
 structure, and details of the English language that very few 
 Orientals have attained to. As an instructor in the above-men- 
 tioned languages he is invaluable. His intimate acquaintance 
 with the European character, and his contempt for the follies and 
 depravities of the natives of India, render him a most valuable 
 servant to the British Government. 
 
 " I believe him to be a man of integrity, veracity, and ability, to
 
 248 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 such a degree, that I have never elsewhere met with his equal 
 among those of pure Asiatic descent. 
 
 "I have given this paper to Munshi Lutfullah as a sincere 
 testimonial to his excellent character and superior attainments, of 
 which I have been a witness. 
 
 (Signed) "JAMES ERSKINE, 
 
 " P. A., Kuttiawar." 
 
 On Friday, the 23rd November, I repaired to the 
 Political Agent's Office to take leave. All my office 
 friends felt deeply for my loss, and we exchanged 
 tears of parting with one another : they were so 
 obliging as to raise a subscription, and presented me 
 with a valuable dress of honour. Mr. Erskine, 
 likewise, made me a present of a valuable Kashmir 
 shawl, and poor Dr. Graham, since dead, gave me a 
 small chest of medicine. So, loaded with presents 
 and good ' wishes from my friends and master, I 
 returned home, with a heart partly beating with 
 pleasure at having a wide field before me, and partly 
 dejected at separation from friends, in whose society 
 I had remained nearly three years. 
 
 On my return home I found Parshotam Takkarsi, 
 the head of the firm of that name at Rajkot, waiting 
 for me. On inquiring the cause, he observed that 
 he and his family, consisting of sixty-five in number, 
 were all under obligations for my having been the 
 cause of the restitution of their property, ten thousand 
 rupees, carried off by a gang of robbers, who had 
 wounded and killed three members of the family; 
 that they felt very sorry at my departure, and would
 
 THE FAIR MAIMUNI. 249 
 
 not allow me to depart without my accepting a 
 present from the firm; saying this, he poured two 
 hundred rupees out of a bag and begged my accept- 
 ance of the sum. I thanked him for his too good 
 opinion of me, which I told him was more acceptable 
 to me than the coins: so saying, I dismissed him. 
 Thinking I had considered the present too small, 
 he returned to me again in about half an hour 
 with a gold necklace, worth about five hundred 
 rupees, which he begged me very strongly to accept. 
 I did not like to hurt his feelings, so I took the 
 necklace and put it on before him. I asked him 
 if he was satisfied to see me in possession of his kind 
 present. He was greatly so, replied he, and then got 
 up to depart, upon Avhich I took the necklace off and 
 put it on his neck, adjuring him in the strongest 
 terms to accept it from me. The old man, then 
 in tears, said he was very sorry to meet with such a 
 disappointment ; but I told him I would accept some 
 sweatmeats from him for his satisfaction, and would 
 always think of him on my way up to Sindh. 
 
 In the evening three other visitors did me the 
 honour of calling upon me, an old lady and two 
 daughters. The oldest had passed the time of her 
 charms, but the youngest, at the age of about 
 eighteen, by name Sara, was a consummate beauty. 
 Although her complexion was sallow, her form and 
 features were exquisitely handsome, shaped with the 
 chisel of the Goddess of Beauty herself. But they were
 
 250 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 all three in a most wretched condition. They begged 
 to he allowed to travel with the carts of my baggage 
 as far as Juria, and I not only granted their request, 
 but ordered my servants to take their small bundles 
 of clothes, etc., on my carts. They then thanked 
 me for the kindness, and the old dame began her 
 narrative as follows : 
 
 " We are Mohamedan culivators, clan of Maimun, 
 inhabitants of Bhiij ; my husband was a man of wealth 
 and consequence amongst the farmers of the province. 
 The fruit of our union was these two daughters only, 
 and no son. It pleased Almighty God to take away 
 my good husband, the father of these orphans, when 
 my youngest girl was about two years old. After 
 his death the Government confiscated all our property, 
 under the pretence of his having been in debt to it for 
 the lease of the village to him for some years past. 
 Some months after my husband's departure from this 
 world, my son-in-law, too, followed him ; and thus we 
 remained helpless, without any asylum, for some years, 
 pressed hard under the cruel foot of indigence, labour- 
 ing in the fields of others for our livelihood. My 
 eldest girl, unfortunately having been seduced by an 
 
 English gentleman, Mr. , absconded, and left us 
 
 in a miserable condition, worse than before. We 
 never heard of her until lately, when she wrote to 
 me from this. The gentleman, her sweetheart, died of 
 cholera on a sudden, and left nothing for her to subsist 
 upon. She had, however, about three or four hundred
 
 I PROMISE PROTECTION. 251 
 
 rupees worth of jewels, a part of which we have 
 already sold for our maintenance: and, not to conceal 
 it from you, we have still something left, which we 
 intend to apply in agricultural speculation on our 
 return home. The fate of the young Sara is worse 
 than that of the other. I gave her in marriage to a 
 young gardener of Drangdra. She lived with her 
 husband for about two years, when the career of his 
 life was cut short, after which she remained under 
 the care of her. late husband's sister, by whom she 
 was considered an unlucky woman, as her husband 
 died so shortly after the marriage. She was tyran- 
 nized over and maltreated to a great degree, and at 
 last secretly sold by her remorseless sister-in-law to 
 an old gardener of Limri for twenty-five rupees. I 
 heard of her misfortunes, and, coming to this place 
 where slavery is said to be discountenanced, I sent 
 her a message to effect her escape and come over to 
 me. It is now about six weeks since she arrived. 
 The gardener, her unlawful master, with a couple of 
 peons, have also come here, and they are watching 
 an opportunity to seize upon the girl and take her to 
 Limri. We heard of your going to Juria Bandar, 
 and now wait upon you to seek your protection as 
 far as that place, , whence by the first opportunity we 
 shall go to our native land, where we shall pray for 
 your long life and prosperity." 
 
 I listened to her tale with compassion, and told her 
 that she and her daughters should consider themselves
 
 252 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLA1I. 
 
 safe under my protection, being that of a British 
 subject; that they should not only be conveyed to 
 Juria (where they could not be safe from the intrigues 
 of the native States), but landed on the coast of their 
 native land, free of expense. 
 
 Poor creatures, they thanked me heartily for the 
 kindness I showed, and started very early next morn- 
 ing with my baggage. 
 
 On the 24th of November, 1838,1 left Rajkot, and 
 arrived at Pardhari, eleven miles distant, about nine 
 A. M. I met with a hospitable reception from the 
 agent of the Zamindar. Pardhari, though small, is 
 the principal town of twelve villages belonging to 
 H.H. the Jam of Nowanagar, who is graciously pleased 
 to continue the farm of it to the son of Fakir Mohamed, 
 his late favourite Jamadar, still in his minority. 
 
 H. H. the Jam, though illiterate, is a high-minded 
 Prince. His name Ranmalliji, " hero of the field of 
 battle," coincides with his character. During my 
 stay with the Political Agent, I had the honour of 
 conferring with him several times on the part of the 
 British Government, on the subjects of boundary 
 disputes and infanticide. On all occasions I was 
 pleased with his manly conduct and sensible con- 
 versation. Though a Jareja chief,, he has preserved 
 a daughter. 
 
 On the 25th, I left Pardhari at sunrise, and reached 
 Dharol, the principal village, belonging to Jareja 
 Bhupatsingji at ten A. M. I was received with great
 
 HOSPITALITY. 253 
 
 kindness and hospitality. The chief himself did me 
 the honour of visiting me at my quarters out of town, 
 in company with his son, a promising lad of about 
 fourteen, his daughter, a very pretty young girl of 
 six, and his guest, the chief of Amran, attended with 
 a numerous retinue. He stayed with me for three 
 hours engaged in conversation about the impending 
 war with Russia. He seemed to take an especial 
 interest in my account of the Russian Empire. I 
 satisfied his curiosity, to the best of my knowledge, 
 regarding the customs, manners, and habits of 
 Russians. 
 
 On the morning of the 26th, I left Dharol. It was 
 an unusually misty morning. We reached Juria, a 
 very populous and large town, at half-past eight A. M. 
 Here I was received with greater hospitality than I 
 ever experienced in Kattiawar. The governor of the 
 place, by name Ahmad Khawass, had the politeness 
 to send his people to receive me. They conducted 
 me to a very nice place, -where I put up and made 
 myself as comfortable as at home. A very good 
 breakfast for myself, and for all the people with me, 
 had been prepared before our arrival. All of us 
 jointly thanked our host for his goodness. Although 
 his title is " Khawass " (which in Kattiwar means 
 " slave"), yet I found him excel many masters, princes 
 of the country. 
 
 On the 27th, I was obliged to make a halt, as I had 
 several letters to write to my family and friends, and
 
 254 AUTOBIOGBAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 tliis was the last stage whence I could communicate 
 without fear of the letters being lost. I sent away 
 the Gaikwar contingent horsemen who were ordered 
 to escort me as far as this place. I then went to the 
 harbour, which is two miles from the town, to select 
 a boat for my voyage to Sindh. The governor 
 accompanied me. I found the harbour a poor one. 
 The number of the small vessels not exceeding the 
 tonnage of 100 khandies (or 25 tons) was but 26. I 
 took one of 60 khandies, or 15 tons. 
 
 Dined with the governor at six p. M. My jolly old 
 host commenced drinking, or rather sipping, raw 
 brandy, an hour before the dinner was brought. 
 He insisted upon my joining him, but I could not 
 grant his request. The old man was merry by 
 dinner-time. In short we passed the evening very 
 pleasantly. After the dinner was over he showed me 
 two magnificent palaces belonging to his government. 
 The edifices, though not well furnished, are of an 
 excellent design. 
 
 At my departure, he bestowed on me, on the part 
 of his master, a dress of honour, consisting of a very 
 handsome scarf and a turban, both worth about 100 
 rupees. I tried my best to decline the honour, but 
 he insisted strongly on my accepting them, telling me 
 that, five days previous to my arrival here, he had 
 received strict orders from his master upon the 
 subject, and His Highness would certainly be dis- 
 pleased with him if they were not accepted. In short,
 
 THE VOYAGE. 255 
 
 I was so much pressed by the good old man that I 
 consented to receive the things. Seeing that he was 
 very fond of, and in want of, tea, I gave him one half 
 of the quantity I had along with me, and a native 
 saddle which he seemed to admire much, and of 
 which I had no use for the present, having disposed 
 of my horse. 
 
 On the 28th, at eleven A. M., I left the town of Juria 
 for the harbour. The governor accompanied me to 
 see myself and the baggage, etc., safe on board. I 
 saw a European priest, just landed from Bhuj, and 
 exchanged a few words with him respecting his 
 journey to Rajkot, etc. They say it is unlucky for a 
 traveller to see a priest at the time of starting on his 
 way, and it proved to be so in my case ; for, whilst 
 engaged in conversation with him, the tide that would 
 have carried my vessel out of the harbour ebbed, and 
 we were obliged to remain at the mouth of the creek 
 until nine P. M., to our great annoyance. Not wish- 
 ing however, to keep my new friend, the old governor, 
 exposed in the sun, we parted, mutually expressing 
 our best wishes for each other. I went on board at 
 one P. M., and bade adieu to the Peninsula the land 
 of ignorance, opium-eating, and infanticide, and its 
 one million six hundred thousand inhabitants and two 
 hundred and forty-four chiefs in the words of the 
 good ploughman of Scotland, 
 
 " Farewell my friends, and farewell my foes ; 
 My peace with these and my love with those."
 
 256 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 We weighed anchor on the night of the 29th at 
 nine P.M. It being calm, the night and day passed 
 well. The pure atmosphere, the cold breeze, and the 
 gentle exercise of sailing, produced in me a healthful 
 exhilaration. I felt my appetite insatiable, and we 
 had no meat on board, it not being procurable at 
 Juria, where the governor alone killed sheep, and 
 that secretly, not to offend the prejudices of his 
 Hindu Jain subjects, who are generally the richest 
 people. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 30th, when I opened 
 my eyes, I found myself at the port of Mandavi. 
 The scene of nineteen years ago presented itself to 
 my mind. The memory of my reverie when I stood 
 there gazing at the ocean for the first time, and my 
 being startled by the bite of the dog, etc., came back, 
 and it seemed as if all had taken place but yesterday. 
 My Tindal Jum'a, of the clan of Mianas or pirates, 
 coming up to me, put himself in a complimentary 
 attitude very unnatural to him. " Well, Jum'a," 
 said I, "what is the news?" Poor rough creature 
 of the sea ! summing up all the words of politeness 
 he knew, which did not exceed five, he said, in his 
 growling voice, that he would make a stay of one 
 day there to try his luck in taking charge of some 
 cargo for Sindh. He bade me go ashore and order 
 my servants to buy provisions for five days, as he did 
 not like to see me starving without meat. 
 
 I thanked the good man for his kindness, and com-
 
 JUM'A'S REMONSTRANCES. 257 
 
 plied with his request, telling him that he might take 
 rny servant with him for the provisions, and put the 
 three ladies on shore at the same time ; as for myself, 
 I told him a sore foot prevented my going on land, 
 so I remained on board engaged with my book, 
 whilst my friends proceeded to the town. 
 
 At midnight, on the 1st of December, we sailed 
 with a fleet of vessels carrying an English regiment. 
 By the grace of the Almighty God, on the 3rd we 
 passed the " Ghori Kichar," an island of sand. A 
 couple of monstrous sharks, each of them in size 
 somewhat bigger than an elephant, came near our 
 vessel ; they seemed to play with each other, some- 
 times one lying flat and the other mounting it, and, 
 at others, one running after the other, passing under 
 our vessel and going round it, in which act they 
 often gave a shake to our boat, which distressed us 
 and roused the spirit of our Tindal. He said to me, 
 " It is true these brutes are sometimes dangerous to 
 the vessels ; but have no fear, they are as cowardly 
 as huge ; I will soon remedy the evil." Saying this, 
 he came to the side of the boat and, finding them 
 floating along with us, 'began his remonstrances as if 
 they understood his language : " You are kings of 
 the sea, leave pursuing us, in the name of God and 
 of the prophet Solomon. We are poor people, our 
 vessel does not contain more than ten men ; go, 
 therefore, to the other vessels, they are filled with 
 fat soldiers of the Honourable Company." Old 
 
 K
 
 258 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Jum'a's words, instead of producing a good effect, 
 made the animals more frisky and furious. They 
 spouted* up water from their immense nostrils into 
 our ship, in addition to the former annoyances, and 
 played at " hide and seek" round the boat with new 
 vigour, from seven till about a quarter past eight 
 o'clock, A.M. Our good Tindal then, having lost all 
 patience, took up one of his ballast stones, very 
 sharp on one side, pronounced the name of God, and 
 flung it with all his might against the bigger monster's 
 head, inflicting a good blow not unlike that of a 
 hatchet After the receipt of this compliment, the 
 animal went down at once with his companion, with- 
 out making its appearance again, and all of us jointly 
 returned our thanks to the kind Providence for this 
 narrow escape. I regretted much not having brought 
 my gun with me. 
 
 " Ghori Kichar" is now a large sand bank, which, 
 twenty years ago, was the site of Ghori Bandar, now 
 all sunk below the wave. 
 
 On our approach to the aforesaid sand bank, Jum'a 
 desired me to taste the water of the sea, which I did, 
 and to my surprise found it on one side of the ship 
 quite fresh and sweet, and on the other very salt. 
 On inquiring the reason, I was told that the strong 
 current of the Indus ran so far uninfluenced by the 
 sea. We moored about nine o'clock P.M. ten miles 
 off Vikkar Bar. 
 
 * From this it is evident that the Author's sharks were 
 grampuses.
 
 SINDIIl VILLAGES. 259 
 
 4th. It being dead calm, the whole day was spent 
 in reaching the bar. Here we found twelve British 
 men-of-war, two steamers, and about one hundred 
 battelahs at anchor, all of them bearing the British 
 flag and containing soldiers and supplies. My friend 
 the old Tindal passed close by a vessel newly wrecked 
 upon a sand bank. I told him the wreck warned 
 us not to come too near, unless we would share her 
 fate ; but the old pirate replied, that the Tindal of 
 the boat must either have been blind or had some 
 sinister motive to wreck the vessel, for all the banks 
 here were known to every boy of the coast. Moored 
 at the bar for the night 
 
 On the 5th we entered the mouth of the Indus, 
 and on the 6th we arrived within seven miles of 
 Vikkar. There being a small village on the left 
 bank, I went ashore to see it. Visited the head man 
 of the village. Conversed with him through the old 
 Tindal, whose mother tongue was Sindhi. The old 
 chiefs replies to our queries were so loud that at first 
 I thought he either took us to be deaf, or was offended 
 at our intrusion. On asking the reason, Jum'a told 
 me that nothing was wrong, but that such was the 
 custom of the country. These people seemed miser- 
 able beings, living in such huts as the villagers of 
 India have for their cattle, without any partition. All 
 members of the family husband, wife, son, daughter- 
 in-law, etc. sleep in the same stall, upon one bed, 
 the materials of which are no more than a mat 
 
 K 2
 
 260 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIL 
 
 spread over a little grass. Their food is a very 
 coarse bread of rice, with fish, fresh or dry. They 
 are very fond of tobacco and onions, for which 
 articles the head man begged. I inquired about the 
 system of taxation in his country, and he informed 
 me that taxes were mostly taken in kind. The agri- 
 culture in general is confined to rice, which is 
 produced in abundance. The cultivator gets one- 
 fifth of the produce, the remainder being divided 
 into two halves, one of which goes to the Govern- 
 ment, and the other to the landholder. 
 
 On the 7th I landed at the camp at Vikkar, and 
 was most hospitably received by my master and 
 friend, Captain Eastwick. 
 
 The 8th I passed in exploring the village of 
 Vikkar. It consisted of about two dozen miserable 
 hiits. Colonel H. Pottinger arrived in the evening 
 from Hydrabad. 
 
 On the 9th we removed our tents from the military 
 camp, and pitched them near the Resident's. From 
 this date I regularly commenced the performance of 
 my duty. I had the pleasure of seeing Sikandar 
 Khan, my old friend of Tulsi Sham, now Siibahdar 
 Major, the highest rank that a native soldier attains 
 to. He now belonged to the Sappers and Miners. 
 He introduced to me a friend of his, Mirza Ali Akbar, 
 Captain S. Powell's Persian teacher. The young 
 Mughal appeared to be a promising lad. 
 
 I began Sindhi grammar, which I found to be easy
 
 THE OMNIVOROUS ENGLISH. 261 
 
 work. A man acquainted with the rudiments of the 
 Asiatic languages could learn Sindhi with little 
 trouble. 
 
 On the 14th, after the usual work in the office, I 
 was engaged in an onerous task of counting and 
 taking down the numbers of Government treasure 
 boxes, one hundred and seventy-eight in number, 
 arrived from Bombay. A horrible case of suicide 
 occurred in the evening. An officer of Dragoons 
 shot himself; cause unknown. 
 
 On the 15th I had the honour of being introduced 
 to the Resident, Colonel Pottinger. At the first sight 
 his abilities and resolute character were apparent 
 
 I now began to mix with the Sindhis and learnt 
 the idiom of the language by conversing with them. 
 Idleness is the main feature in the Sindhi character. 
 The Tindals of the river sat almost all day at the 
 door of my tent, engaged in confabulation and dis- 
 putes. The general theme of their discourse was 
 Government affairs. One party remarked that the 
 country was lost the English would take it very 
 soon. " The Talpurs themselves, especially Mir 
 Subdar," said they, " are to blame for being too 
 friendly with the omnivorous English: they have 
 taken all India; in the same way they will soon 
 take this country." Another responded, " You are 
 mistaken, my friends. Let the Talpurs of Hydrabad 
 make themselves Christians; but fear not, as long 
 as we have Shir Mohamed of Mirpur on our side.
 
 262 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LFTFULLAH. 
 
 His late Highness Mir Karam Ali's widow has fur- 
 nished, and will always furnish him with funds suffi- 
 cient to carry on a perpetual war with all the 
 Feringees in the world; and, if God pleases, we 
 can be masters of all the gold and implements of 
 war that they are labouring to bring into our 
 country. Know ye not the verse of our Holy 
 Book, " One true believer is sufficient to defeat ten 
 infidels?" A third white-bearded Sindhi, with a 
 profound sigh, observed, " Ah ! my friends, your 
 dream is somewhat too extravagant ; you have never 
 seen the tri-coloured, viz., the white, brown, and dark 
 devils, fighting jointly on a field of battle. Whilst 
 in the service of H. H., the Peshwa, I was an eye- 
 witness of their hard fights in the Dakhan. Here 
 is an unquestionable proof: " saying this, he tucked 
 up his sleeve and showed a scar, which demonstrated 
 a clear transit of a bullet through his left arm. He 
 concluded by saying, "A man may over-match 
 another, or perhaps two or three, if the contest is 
 to be decided by the sword, but these cowardly 
 Satans have no sword, and if they have any it is 
 as blunt as your walking-stick. They will kill you 
 with their rascally shots whilst you are a mile or 
 so off from them, and then what is the remedy ? " 
 Such discussions by the side of my tent walls often 
 amused me much; and sometimes, rising from my 
 seat, I intruded upon them, and preached to them 
 in mv broken Sindhi, that the English would not
 
 I ACT AS PRIEST. 263 
 
 take their miserable country, poducing only fish and 
 rice, even if it were forced upon them ; that they had 
 sufficient golden territories to govern and manage, 
 and that they were staunch friends of the Amirs; 
 that their forces were now passing through the 
 country for the purpose of protecting their posses- 
 sions in India, as well as the Amirs' territory, 
 from foreign aggression. To this they would reply 
 with a chorus of laughter, " What you say, sir, may 
 be true, but we are rude people; we cannot com- 
 prehend high politics of government. Ha ! ha ! ha ! " 
 Being desired by my employer, I made acquaint- 
 ance with a Sindhi Hindu merchant, Naomal, of 
 Karachi, who made himself very useful to the 
 British authorities in Sindh. He visited me every 
 now and then, and tried his best to supply the wants 
 of our army. He was a wealthy man, had a large 
 family, consisting of a father, six brothers, and a 
 number of women and children. He was also a 
 man of consequence and influence in Lower Sindh. 
 
 On the 19th December^happened the I'dul'l fitr, 
 it being the first of the month Shauwal. This is 
 a joyous festival in the Mohamedan world, as it 
 concludes our Lent. But there being no Mohamedan 
 priest with the army, I was obliged, at the request 
 of some friends, to act as one; and, although out 
 of practice for many years, I led the prayers and 
 delivered the sermon to the congregation, composed 
 of the Mohamedan horsemen and footmen, etc., of
 
 264 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 the Company, and received the usual fee in a turban 
 and scarf, which cost about forty rupees, subscribed 
 by the commissioned officers. 
 
 In these days we had often false alarms of Shir 
 Mohamed's giving us a night attack. On the night 
 of the 20th all the men were kept on the alert, and 
 officers patrolled all the night by turns. I noticed 
 that the cocks in this province seemed superfluously 
 religious, as, in addition to their morning and after- 
 noon calls, they took two hours of the night more 
 for crowing, i. e., they began the surplus duties at 
 eight and ended at ten, P.M. This untimely crowing- 
 is considered an ill omen in India and Persia, and 
 such over-officiousness of the bird would cost him 
 his life there, but the Swidhis are indifferent about it. 
 
 Visited the village of Ghorabari, about one mile 
 off. It is considered a large village because it con- 
 sists of one hundred miserable huts. The river in 
 this part of the province, at this cold season, is about 
 a fathom and a half deep. Its width too, in general, 
 is not more than two hundred and fifty yards. The 
 water is muddy, mixed with sand, according to the 
 character of the soil here. 
 
 On the 23rd, we were glad to hear of orders for 
 marching next day towards Tatta, and sent off all 
 our baggage with that of the army. In the morning, 
 striking our small tent, as we were going to mount 
 our horses, my master was ordered by the Resident 
 to stay where he was until some arrangement for
 
 A BANQUET ON DATES. 265 
 
 more camels of burden was made, as the demand 
 for them was on the increase. The 24th passed in 
 making arrangements about the camels, but some- 
 thing remained to be done on the next morning. I 
 slept in the same tent with Captain Eastwick. The 
 cold was intense ; I had never felt so cold in India, 
 We had to content ourselves with very unpleasant 
 lonesomeness. The day before, we were in the midst 
 of an army of ten thousand men, and now we had 
 with us but two peons and two Sindhi grooms. We 
 pitied our four attendants who were shivering with 
 cold, and asked them to sleep with us in the tent, 
 but they on no account would overstep the bounds 
 of respect, and slept close to the tent walls. After 
 the day's work we had neither servant nor provision 
 to satisfy the cravings of hunger. Luckily, I had 
 obtained some dates and half a cake of the coarse 
 Sindhi rice bread for a few pice. Upon these articles 
 we made our dinner. To my master it proved a 
 most palateable meal, and to me better than dainties 
 I afterwards tasted in Mivart's Hotel, London. He 
 said his grace like a good Christian, and I returned 
 my thanks to Him who overlooks our faults and 
 supplies our wants more than we deserve. I made 
 a trial of my good companion at this time, making 
 the following remark : " We must not thank Heaven 
 for bad meals, for if we do, it will never furnish us 
 with better." At this he smiled, and observed, "Let 
 the badness of what we have dined upon be proved
 
 266 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 first, and then we shall argue on further." Thus we 
 beguiled our time in conversation until he was fast 
 asleep ; and then I, having enjoyed my cheroot, 
 went to my bed. 
 
 The 25th of December, the birthday of the prophet 
 Jesus Christ, is a holiday of rejoicing to all the 
 Christian world. Early on the morning of this day 
 we were roused from our sleep by two officers, Mr. 
 Jenkins and Captain Ward, just arrived from Man- 
 davi. They asked Captain Eastwick to guide them 
 on to overtake the army ; but the remaining part of 
 the compact with the owners of the camels requiring 
 his stay a few hours more, he ordered me to go 
 on with these officers, himself remaining alone to 
 conclude the affair. 
 
 We galloped on to Somria, a miserable hamlet of 
 thirty huts, about twelve miles distant, where we 
 overtook the army. Captain Eastwick likewise 
 arrived in the afternoon, successful. Our next 
 march with the army was a long one of twenty 
 miles, to Karampur, consisting of about fifty huts, 
 situated on this side of a branch of the Indus. On 
 the other side is the village of Ghulam Ka Got, 
 of the same size. 
 
 On the 27th we halted, and the 28th brought us 
 to the ancient city of Tatta. Having ) marched 
 early in the morning, we reached the halting place 
 at Makalli, about two miles from the town, at nine 
 o'clock A.M. Our road this morning was partly
 
 TATTA. 267 
 
 sandy and partly stony and uneven. It passed 
 through the ruins of Kalankot, about two miles 
 from this. The fortifications of this remarkable 
 place appeared to be very old and strong. The 
 materials are mortar and baked bricks, which, at 
 this remote period of time, seem quite new, and as 
 strong as stone. In these heaps of ruins certain 
 signs of antiquity, such as old coins, etc., are some- 
 times found by the inhabitants, and sold for a good 
 price. 
 
 On the 30th it was cloudy, tempestuous, and 
 bitterly cold ; so much so that, in the morning when 
 I got up to perform my ablutions, I found the water 
 congealed in the vessel, so was obliged to purify 
 myself with the dust. This being Sunday, I had no 
 office work, and therefore repaired to see the city. 
 
 The town of Tatta has no city walls, and great part 
 of it is in ruins. The inhabited houses are about ten 
 thousand. The markets are narrow and the streets 
 filthy. Most of the inhabitants are weavers. Long 
 silken scarfs (called lungis) and blankets are manu- 
 factured here better than in Upper Sindh. The fair 
 sex of this town, and indeed of all Sindh, are in 
 general very plain, and very clumsily dressed. Mills 
 for grinding grain and expressing oil, are worked by 
 camels. There are upwards of four hundred mosques 
 in the city, but almost all of them are going to decay. 
 
 Visited the Grand Mosque (Jamil Masjid), begun 
 by Shah Jahan, in 1057 A.H. (A.C. 1647), and finished
 
 268 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 by Auran^zeb in 1072 A.n. (1661 A.C.), as I found by 
 the inscriptions. The edifice is a magnificent one, 
 about two hundred yards long by one hundred broad, 
 built with baked bricks and mortar. The inner 
 plaster is glazed in white and blue colours. The 
 whole site is roofed with one hundred domes, every 
 one of them painted in a different style from another. 
 The inscriptions carved round the great arch of stone, 
 and those upon the two date stones, are excellently 
 done in large letters. In short, the whole scene 
 presents a picture of beauty and solemnity to the 
 spectator. 
 
 The bricks and earthenware of this city are very 
 strong and durable, I believe owing to the peculiarity 
 of the soil, which is a composition of white clay and 
 sand. The houses in general are single storied and 
 built of mud and flimsy timber, flat-roofed, clay only 
 being spread over the upper frame ; and partitions 
 plastered with mud are the_[ walls. There are a few 
 houses of double stories, built of bricks, belonging 
 only to very rich individuals. Happening to meet a 
 very handsome Arab, by name Saiyid Mohamed, of 
 the sacred city of Madina, in the market-place, I 
 made his acquaintance, and visited the great priest of 
 the city, Makhdum Shaikh Abdullah along with him. 
 Both of these men had great influence in the city, the 
 former on account of his birth, and the latter for his 
 station in life. Passed two hours with these gentle- 
 men in conversation. Saiyid Mohamed travelled
 
 THE HILL OF MAKALLI. 269 
 
 through Baghdad and Persia for the last three years, 
 leaving his khums to accumulate, this being one-fifth 
 of the property of all the heterodox community of the 
 Shiah sect, paid to him as a religious fee. He has 
 thus enriched himself like a Jew. He speaks Persian 
 fairly enough for an Arab, for Arabs are naturally 
 bad linguists. But my host is a man of learning and 
 good breeding. He has a large and beautiful library 
 containing many standard works both in Arabic and 
 Persian. 
 
 On the 1st January, 1839, a mission, consisting of 
 four or five officers of rank of the court of Hydrabad, 
 having arrived in the camp, was received in the 
 Resident's tent by Sir John Keane and Colonel Pot- 
 tinger. The amity and friendship between the two 
 Governments first being talked of, some differences 
 and discontents of their Highnesses, the Amirs, exuded 
 from the discourse of the Ambassadors. The meet- 
 ing was then adjourned, on their full consent to afford 
 us all the aid in their power for the progress of the 
 army. 
 
 On the 4th I obtained leave to explore the Hill of 
 Makalli near the camp. I proceeded early in the 
 morning and amused myself till four o'clock P.M. 
 
 This celebrated hill is situated at the distance of 
 about one mile from Tatta. The range runs from 
 west of the town to north, being eight miles long and 
 under one mile broad. Its average height is fifty- 
 five feet. The name is said to be derived from that
 
 270 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LtJTFULLAH. 
 
 of a fisherwoman who had her shop there in days of 
 yore. This small hill contains about five hundred 
 domed, and innumerable unroofed, tombs. It is a 
 well-populated city of silence. I had time enough to 
 see only fourteen edifices, as follows : 
 
 1. Idgah, a splendid mosque, where all true be- 
 lievers gather together twice a year, and perform the 
 divine service of the two holy days. The mosque 
 was built by Yusuf Khan, governor of Sindh. Its 
 inscription is in beautiful large Naskhtalik characters* 
 as follows : 
 
 " Yusuf Khan, the powerful lord, erected this place of worship 
 as high as his fortune. The year of its finishing is found by 
 Cherubim the temple of Makkah for the "virtuous, 1043 A.H., 
 1633 A.C. 
 
 1. The tombs of the two Vazirs Mirza Jana and 
 Mirza Ghazi. Date, 1095 A.H., 1683 A.C. 
 
 3. A grand mosque, built by Tughral. 1090 A.H., 
 1679 A.c. 
 
 4. Tombs of Mirza Isa and Mirza Inayatullah, two 
 governors of the place. Magnificent edifices of yellow 
 marble, beautifully carved, with flowers in bas-relief, 
 and surpassing all the buildings of the place. The 
 inscription gives the year of 1058 A.F., 1648 A.C. 
 
 5. The tomb of a Minister. 1048 A.H., 1638 A.C. 
 
 6. The tomb of a Nuwab. 966 A.H., 1558 A.C. 
 
 7. The tomb of Pir Asad, the Kazi, 9 feet long. 
 Era illegible. 
 
 8. The tomb of Saiyid Abdullah, son of Saiyid 
 Abdul Kadir Gilanf, the great saint of Baghdad.
 
 THE BILtJCH PRISONER. 271 
 
 9. The tomb of Mirak Mohamed. 1059 A.H. 
 1649 A.C. 
 
 10. The tomb of Shaikh Zia. 1129 A.H., 1619 A.C. 
 
 1 1. The tomb of a King, name illegible. 1 109 A.H., 
 1697 A.C. 
 
 12. The tombs of Jam Ninda and Tamachi, the 
 governors of the Summa tribe, of yellow marble. 
 The building contains three tombs. 925 A.H., 
 1519 A.C. 
 
 13. The tomb of Baba Isa Langotiband. 920 A.H., 
 1514 A.C. 
 
 14. The tomb of Saiyid Ali Shirazi the Saint of 
 the Jokhia Sindhi tribe. 1190 A.H., 1776 A.c. 
 
 Amongst my official duties I had the special honour 
 to translate the draft treaty of the thirteen articles 
 now about to be enforced upon the Amirs of Sindh. 
 This task I performed in ten hours, sitting up all 
 night. In the morning the work was taken to the 
 Resident, who held the English draft (in his own 
 handwriting, very difficult to read), in his hand, and 
 ordered me to read the translation. This was found 
 to be correct, and met with the Resident's approba- 
 tion. Captain Eastwick gave me a present of five 
 hundred rupees out of his own pocket as a mark of 
 his approbation of my services, and the Resident pro- 
 mised me a higher reward. 
 
 On the 5th, at five o'clock, P.M., our guard killed 
 a Biliich who was taken prisoner for selling liquor in 
 the camp, and was consequently ordered to be flogged.
 
 272 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Poor devil, he committed the crime without knowing 
 the retribution. After he was taken to the quarter- 
 guard, he began to wield his sword and shield (of 
 which he ought to have been dispossessed) and inflicted 
 three cuts upon the sentry, who parried, in the best 
 manner he could, with his firelock, the butt end of 
 which was cut in two. The prisoner then attempted 
 to escape, and had got about five hundred yards from 
 the guard, with the naked sword and the shield in his 
 hands, when, passing between the tents of Sir John 
 Keane and Colonel Macdonald, three muskets were 
 fired at him : the ball of one of them, passing through 
 his side, brought him down dead upon the spot, and 
 thus he escaped the flogging. 
 
 Rumours of our camp being surprised at night were 
 again prevalent. Several camp followers had been 
 plundered near Lakpat, by a party of twenty-five 
 armed Sindhis. 
 
 On the 16th Captain Eastwick was ordered to 
 Hydrabad, so we prepared ourselves to start, and the 
 next morning we proceeded to the ferry, about two 
 miles off, whence we embarked on board the Snake, 
 a small steamer. Here Captain J. Outram joined us. 
 It was a very cold morning, it having rained much 
 all last night We sailed up about twenty miles 
 during the day, and moored near a village. Passed 
 several Shikargahs, or hunting seats of the Amirs. 
 These are large tracts of forest land by the river side, 
 fenced all round, containing all sorts of game.
 
 re: 
 
 ARRIVAL AT HYDBABAD. 273 
 
 .fter steaming and sailing for four days, we 
 hed the port of Hydrabad on the morning of the 
 20^1. The view of the hills and the country, on both 
 sicts of the river, is excellent all along. Flocks of 
 laige birds, with rosy hued plumes, were seen every 
 nojv and then floating on the water. On the morning 
 of the 18th we saw a large alligator fast asleep on the 
 rijl.t bank, within musket shot, and Captain Outram 
 saluted him with a bullet, which rebounded from his 
 scalt back. But the compliment had only the effect 
 of sjartling the monster from his sleep and sending 
 him' to the water. 
 
 JL young nobleman, Dost Ali Khan, the son of 
 Khairullah Khan, a near relative of the Amirs, came 
 on their part to receive us. After the exchange of 
 long complimentary sentences he departed, and we 
 located ourselves at the Residency. Munshi Jeth 
 A'nand, the native agent of this place, was deputed 
 to the Court, to know when it would suit their High- 
 nesses to receive the British representative and his 
 companions. He brought answer on the 21st, that 
 tie Amirs could not see the British officers that day, 
 as they were undergoing the bi-weekly operation of 
 depilation. 
 
 On the 22nd, however, Mir Subdar Khan was 
 foremost to send his confidential agent, by name 
 Badru'd-din, to Captain Eastwick, with a secret 
 message that he had from the first devoted himself to 
 the British cause, and would ever be found most
 
 274 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 sincere in it ; that he must not be held responsble 
 for the acts of his cousins ; and that he felt anxioiB to 
 receive an assurance of the same nature on the praent 
 occasion from Captain Eastwick, before seeing Km. 
 Upon this I was forthwith deputed to accompiny 
 Badru'd-din as a bearer of renewed assurances to lis 
 Highness. 
 
 After going somewhat more than three miles, we 
 came in sight of the citadel of Hydrabad, of which I 
 had heard so much. The near sight of it disappointed 
 me. It is no more than a pentagonal fortificttion, 
 built of baked bricks and mortar, irregularly basticned, 
 without any ditch, containing the families of the Anirs 
 and their relations and dependents. In passing through 
 the town we saw several parties of Biliichis sitting in 
 groups with their pipes, and the extract of htmp 
 under preparation before them. They scowled upon 
 me, and some reviled me in their language. " What 
 do you say to this," said I to my friend Badru'd-din, 
 " Is this the way of treating foreigners in your 
 country?" "Do you not know," replied he, "ajar 
 exudes whatever it contains. These are vile soldiers 
 from the country. They don't like Feringees, and 
 taking you to be one of them, they are eating this 
 dirt ; turn, therefore, a deaf ear to these things in 
 the same way as the Resident himself does sometimes." 
 Considering it expedient to follow my friend's advice, 
 I did so, and entered Mir Siibdar's palace, and was 
 duly presented to him. He was sitting upon a bed-
 
 JIJ'R SUBDAR. 275 
 
 steal with his son Fath- Ah', a handsome boy of about 
 tenJattended by a secretary and slave, in a large 
 spatious room without any furniture. After I had 
 ejaculated my salutation in the Mohamedan style, 
 His Highness stretched forth his hand, which I 
 touched with my right, and was going to take my 
 seat upon the floor like the others, but was parti- 
 cularly desired to take a chair that was brought for 
 the purpose. After compliments, I delivered my 
 message, which His Highness heard with attention, 
 and /was satisfied. After this, some conversation 
 upon the subject of the manners and customs of 
 Europeans took place, and then I took my depar- 
 ture, A couple of Sindhi horsemen were ordered 
 to escort me to the Residency, and to protect me from 
 the insults of the wild Biluchis. When I had got 
 half-way to our camp, another pair of horsemen 
 galloped up, begging me to return for a moment as 
 the Amir wanted to speak to me. I returned and 
 had to repeat my message, some words of which Mir 
 Siibdar had not fully comprehended. 
 
 Having done this I took my departure and began 
 to return to camp with my Sindhi attendants, when I 
 saw my master in company with Captains Outram 
 and Leckie, proceeding to the Court of the three 
 Amirs. My presence also being requisite, I was 
 desired to go along with the British representative. 
 This was a day of hard work and starvation for me ; 
 I took only a piece of bread and a cup of tea when I
 
 276 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 left home in the morning, and the day was coning 
 fast to an end, without any end to my business. 
 
 On arrival at the Darbar, we found the crowd of 
 armed Biluchis and attendants so thick that I thought 
 it was impossible to pass. Road, however, was made 
 for the admission of the European gentry. As for 
 myself, I remained behind and could not pssibly 
 penetrate through the concourse. Captain Eattwick, 
 fortunately thinking of me, when with the A.mirs, 
 turned his head a little and observed, " Here, Lut- 
 fullah, take care of these papers." No sooner 
 was this pronounced, than the attendants, breaking 
 through the mob, took me upon their hands, and in 
 a minute conveyed me sliding over the heads of the 
 multitude to my master, at whose elbow I seated 
 myself and took down notes of the conference. 
 
 The three Amirs, Niir Mohamed, Nasir Khan, and 
 Mir Mohamed, and a young man, Mir Shahdad, sat 
 on a large four-legged square plank, covered with a 
 simple Persian carpet, called the throne, with their 
 swords and shields placed before them. The British 
 representative and his companions sat on the chairs 
 placed for them, but were obliged to take off their 
 shoes before entering the Darbar. The rest of the 
 people sat on the floor, which was well carpeted. 
 There was no order here such as is observed in 
 Indian Courts. The armed Biluchis and Siudhis sat 
 as they pleased, wherever they could find a place for 
 themselves, talking as loud as possible with each
 
 THE DARBAK. 277 
 
 other, and scowling upon us every now and then, as 
 if we were their murderers. 
 
 Niir Mohamed seemed to be a man of high talent 
 and exalted views, brave and handsome, middle-aged 
 and middle-sized. One deep and perpendicular 
 wrinkle between his eyebrows indicated that he was 
 a man of passion and cogitation. He was the only 
 person to be addressed in the conference about the 
 State affairs, as Nasir and Mir Mohamed seldom 
 gave any replies, and, if they did so, then only 
 through him. I highly admired his brave coun- 
 tenance, and his conversation, full of truth, spirit, 
 and valour. 
 
 Nasir was handsome, but very corpulent. Affa- 
 bility, mildness, and generosity, seemed to be pro- 
 minent in his disposition. 
 
 Mir Mohamed was a well-made, soldier-like man, 
 with handsome features, but hare-lipped. It seemed 
 that the hand of Nature, in finishing his face, acci- 
 dentally dropt its chisel between his lips and left the 
 blemish unrectified. He sat to the left of Niir Mo- 
 hamed at the edge of the throne, leaning his left hand 
 against his shield, and resting his right upon the hilt 
 of his sword. 
 
 Such were the Presidents of this semi-civilized 
 Darbar. After the overflow of compliments had 
 subsided, Captain Eastwick seized the opportunity to 
 administer the black dose of his mission to his hosts.
 
 278 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 He took the papers from my hand containing the 
 draft of the treaty lately translated by myself, and 
 read it to their Highnesses with a clear Persian 
 accent. The Amirs listened composedly, though 
 marks of displeasure could he traced on the face of 
 Mir Niir Mohamed. He changed colour, becoming 
 now red, now pale as a ghost. When the reading 
 was over, the Biluchis showed great excitement. At 
 this time a slight signal from their Highnesses would 
 have been sufficient to terminate the lives of all our 
 party under the swords of the barbarian and remorse- 
 less Biluchis, many of whom stood at our head with 
 naked scimitars, in the same way as executioners do 
 at the moment of the performance of their horrid 
 duty. Mir Nur Mohamed first observed, in Biluchi, 
 to his two colleagues, " Cursed be he who puts 
 reliance upon the promises of the Feringees ; " and 
 then, addressing himself seriously to the British 
 representative, he spoke thus in Persian : " Your 
 treaties, I believe, are changeable at your pleasure 
 and convenience ; is this the way to treat your 
 friends and benefactors ? You asked our permission 
 to allow your armies a free passage through our 
 territories. We granted it without hesitation, de- 
 pending upon your friendship under your honourable 
 promises. Had we known that, after the entrance 
 of your army into our lands, you would threaten our 
 safety, and enforce another treaty upon us, demanding
 
 THE WOLF AND THE LAMB. 279 
 
 an annual tribute of three hundred thousand rupees, 
 and a ready payment of two million one hundred 
 thousand rupees for the immediate expenses of the 
 army, we would, in such case, have adopted measures 
 for the security of our country and persons. You 
 know we are Biluchis, and no traders to be frightened 
 easily. We do not govern the country alone, but 
 the interest of the whole of our clan is involved in 
 the government." 
 
 Captain Eastwick heard all this with calmness, 
 and gave brief replies in Persian and Arabic pro- 
 verbs, such as, " Our Government has no intention 
 of putting your Highnesses under any inconvenience, 
 but necessity has no law ; " " Friends must aid friends 
 in emergencies ; " " The present campaign is not only 
 for the security of India, but the safety of your 
 Highness's territories likewise depends upon it," etc. 
 Mir Niir Mohamed smiled, and spoke to his cousins 
 in Biluchi, which we could not understand; and 
 then, with a sigh, he said to Captain Eastwick, " I 
 wish I could comprehend the meaning of the word 
 * friend ' which you use. We cannot give a decisive 
 reply to your present demands at once. The matter 
 requires consultation with those whose interests we 
 cannot sacrifice for ourselves, and who are not 
 altogether under our control." 
 
 We left the Court at sunset. There was no 
 sprinkling of atr and rose water, etc., at dismissal, 
 as usual in Indian Darbars. We reached home at
 
 280 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 half-past six o'clock P.M., tired with the business of 
 the day. 
 
 On the 23rd we remained, expecting a reply from 
 their Highnesses, but affairs seemed to take a bad 
 turn. The native agent sent a secret message 
 requesting us to be on our guard ; and his warning 
 was perhaps not void of reason, for we saw a party 
 of about two hundred armed Biluchis sitting unac- 
 countably in a dale within five hundred yards of us. 
 One or two of them more than once reconnoitred 
 our small party ; but, finding us on the alert, they 
 retired. 
 
 On the 24th, the time allowed for the Amir's 
 answer having expired, we began our return to 
 camp. Having wind and stream in our favour, we 
 glided smoothly down to the village of Jarrak, 
 upwards of eighteen miles, in three hours. 
 
 On the 25th we landed at Jarrak, and joined the 
 army, which arrived that morning. Here I had a 
 narrow escape from being drowned. Having to 
 move a heavy box full of my books, I, with the aid 
 of a Sindhi boatman, got it on the edge of two boats ; 
 and, as I stood with my legs wide apart, the Sindhi 
 suddenly left me so planted, and unable to move, for 
 fear of losing the box. In this disagreeable and 
 dangerous position I remained for a quarter of an 
 hour, when, just as the boats began to part, and at 
 the moment that I and the box were about to drop 
 into the river, the boatman came back, and, without
 
 A PROVOKING BOATMAN. 281 
 
 a word of excuse, asked for a present "suitable," 
 as he said, "to my dignity." I was obliged to 
 suppress my indignation, and give the rascal some- 
 thing to rescue me and my box, though mentally 
 I consigned him to the infernal regions for his 
 impudence.
 
 282 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 False alarms Slur Mohamed Three officers burnt to death 
 The Amirs accept the Treaty The army marches for 
 Shikarpur Nadir Shah and the Saiyids of Lakki Sehwan 
 Larkhana Great cheapness of food Shikarpur Biluchi 
 Robbers Fath Mohamed Ghori Sakhar Khairpur 
 Mir Rustam Marauders The Naik and the Political Agent 
 Thank you for nothing Great heat The scorpion remedy 
 More plundering. 
 
 OUR force remained encamped here for eight days, 
 during which time false alarms of night attacks 
 were often spread. A Sipalu named Chandidin, of 
 the 5th Bombay Native Infantry, having effected 
 his escape from amongst the prisoners of Shir 
 Mohamed Khan, of Mirpur, brought us news that 
 that chief was on the point of joining the Amirs of 
 Hydrabad against us. On the 29th, Mir Ismail Shah 
 and one of his sons arrived in camp to treat with the 
 authorities. 
 
 On the evening of the 30th, three dead bodies of 
 Queen's officers were brought to camp. These men 
 had absented themselves without leave, on a hunting 
 expedition, and the fire having broken out from all 
 sides in a forest, they could not escape. 
 
 On the 1st February, Mir Ismail Shah, the 
 Ambassador for the Amirs, announced their sub-
 
 MARCH TO HYDRABAD. 283 
 
 mission to the terms imposed by the treaty ; and next 
 day Takki Shah, son of Ismail, was despatched to 
 Hydrabad to obtain their Highness' signatures to the 
 paper. 
 
 On the 3rd our camp left Jarrak, and halted at 
 the village of Ismail jo Got, eleven miles off, and the 
 next march of nine miles brought us to the village 
 of Kotri, a small hamlet situated on the right bank 
 of the Indus, opposite to Hydrabad. The Sindhian 
 army that had stationed itself at the opposite bank 
 of the river, inarched back to the capital on the 3rd, 
 but we saw a portion of it on its return in haste. 
 The army consisted of about ten thousand men and 
 thirty pieces of cannon, of which seven thousand 
 men and twelve guns belonged to Shir Mahomed, of 
 Mirpur, who had joined the Amirs to afford his aid 
 against the infidel host ; but, seeing the English far 
 superior in power, number, and discipline, he retired 
 to his own district, after having sent a very civil 
 answer to the Resident's strong and rigorous letter, 
 drafted out by myself and forwarded to him some 
 days before. 
 
 The river begins at this season to rise ; its waters, 
 though always muddy, are very wholesome if puri- 
 fied. The mode of purification is very simple. Take 
 a kernel of almond and rub it against the inner side 
 of a pitcher until it is exhausted; fill the pitcher 
 with the water and let it stay unshaken for one hour, 
 and you will then find the water beautifully clear ;
 
 284 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 have it then strained in another vessel, and drink it 
 to your satisfaction. But if you drink this water 
 unstrained, and especially after eating the delicious 
 fish called pulla, you are sure to get dysentery, which 
 generally proves fatal. 
 
 On the 6th the Resident, having received a num- 
 ber of trays of sweetmeats from their Highnesses as 
 an entertainment to all the gentlemen of the camp, 
 had the kindness to send me two of them, containing 
 about eighty pounds of excellent confections, etc. 
 The English, being originally carnivorous, cannot 
 enjoy the taste of our confections, and this quantity, 
 I believe, had come to my share simply for that 
 reason. All my friends, servants, and self, enjoyed 
 the gift of the great man for some days, and returned 
 our thanks to him. 
 
 On the 9th, Captain Eastwick was ordered to con- 
 duct the army up to Shikarpur, and we made all 
 the necessary preparations for the performance of 
 that duty. 
 
 On the morning of Sunday, the 10th, we marched 
 with the army, and halted at the village of Bada, 
 eight miles from Kotri. Sadikshah, one of the sons 
 of Ismail Shah, joined us here as an agent on the part 
 of the Amirs to render us his aid in obtaining sup- 
 plies. We had orders to keep as near as possible to 
 the right bank of the Indus. A dragoon foolishly 
 took his horse to drink apart from the watering place 
 in the river, and sank with the animal, never to rise
 
 MARCH TO SHIKiurUE. 285 
 
 again. A camel, \vliilst quenching his thirst, seated 
 itself in about knee-deep of water to cool his body, 
 but no sooner had he done so than he was pulled in 
 by a gigantic force, and carried off by a large alli- 
 gator. Five private Sipahis deserted this day from 
 their regiments. 
 The march of the 
 
 llth was ten miles to Umarpur. 
 
 12th nine Gopang. 
 
 13th ten Majhand. 
 
 14th eleven Suma. 
 
 15th twelve Amrf. 
 
 IGth twelve Lakki. 
 Lakki is a large village of about one hundred huts. 
 It belongs to the Saiyids of Sindh. I visited the 
 shrine of Shah Sadr here, situated at the foot of a 
 large mountain of Siwistan, at the distance of about 
 three hundred yards from the village. This famous 
 saint originally came from Arabia, and brought 
 thousands of infidels to the light of Islam from the 
 darkness of idolatry in Sindh. His tomb was built 
 here by order of Nadir Shah, king of Persia, in 
 1155 A.H. Tradition states that Nadir, in a dream, 
 was invited by this saint to come up to Umarkot 
 where he was to find a very large treasure ; and His 
 Majesty, having acted upon the visionary command, 
 discovered the treasure promised to him, and received 
 a very large amount, as a tribute from the Amirs of 
 the time, in addition. His Majesty then bestowed
 
 286 AUTOBIOGRAPHr OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 a large sum of money upon the Saiyids of the vil- 
 lage, directing them to have the edifice built over 
 the remains of the saint. This they carried into exe- 
 cution at the time. The following inscription at the 
 door of the shrine gives the date of its completion : 
 
 " I inquired of intellect the year of its date. 
 " Inspiration informed me it is the Paradise of the member of 
 the sacred house." 1155A.H. 1742 A.D. 
 
 All Saiyids of Sindh that are called Lakki Saiyids, 
 are, I am informed, the descendants of this saint, 
 whose parentage ascends up to the Imam Ali Nakki. 
 I am therefore inclined to think that the word Lakki 
 is a corruption of Nakki, which is the name of the 
 tenth Imam. 
 
 The view of the mountains about one mile from 
 this is fine. On the nearest hill there are two springs 
 near one another; the water of one is very cool and 
 limpid, and that of the other very hot. 
 
 A banian remaining behind in this march, was 
 overtaken by the Biliich marauders, who robbed him 
 of his clothes, and -inflicted two sword cuts on his 
 arm. The poor fellow came in bleeding: several 
 camels were stolen ; the perpetrators of these out- 
 rages were Burgoari, Marri, and Laghari Biliichis, 
 who inhabit this mountain with their asses, goats, 
 sheep, etc., and very seldom visit the neighbouring 
 villages. 
 
 17th, 18th, and 19th. Halted to have the heavy 
 ordnance, etc., sent on first. Three camel robbers
 
 SEHWAN PASS. 287 
 
 having been seized, were on the 18th flogged, and 
 
 O OO ' 
 
 had their heads and beards shaved. A European 
 soldier, who stood by me whilst the guilty were 
 undergoing the penalty, observed that he would be 
 happy to receive such punishment every day, except 
 the flogging part. 
 
 On the 20th, we marched early in the morning, 
 and reached the Sehwan Pass at ten o'clock A.M. 
 The morning was very misty; it rained and thundered 
 in the night very heavily, which is not a usual thing 
 in India in this month. The pass is nearly half-way 
 between Lakki and Sehvvdn, and about two hundred 
 yards long. The difficulty is merely on account of 
 the river's cutting the very foot of the mountain. 
 During your walk on this path you will find yourself 
 in an awkward position, as on your left is the proud, 
 sublime, and steep side of the mountain ; and, on 
 your right, down a very deep precipice, you behold 
 with awe the river whirling on. Our engineers, how^ 
 ever, widened the path about ten feet wherever they 
 found it too narrow, and thus rendered it practicable 
 for the present. Our whole force passed without any 
 accident, except a poor woman, whose leg bone was 
 fractured in the tumult. 
 
 On the 21st we halted, and Sir H. Fane landed at 
 our encampment and had an interview with Nuwab 
 Mohamed Khan Laghari, deputed by the Sindh au- 
 thorities to meet this nobleman on his way here. No 
 one was allowed a seat, except Sir H. and the Nuwab.
 
 288 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP LUTFULLAH. 
 
 I attended several Darbars of the Governor-General 
 when at Ajmir, but never found any gentleman, 
 whether sallow or white, underrated as in this ex- 
 traordinary andience. The English officers of the 
 Bengal side have in general a too good opinion of 
 themselves. Captain Eastwick stood as interpreter 
 in the presence of the two representatives, and I, 
 behind him, euphonizing every now and then his 
 Persian sentences to the Nuwab. When Sir H. heard 
 me first, he called out, " And who are you, sir? " To 
 this Captain Eastwick replied, " He is my Munshi." 
 Sir H. is a tall, well-made, intelligent, middle-aged 
 man, but he seemed to have had no lessons of polite- 
 ness. The Biluch Nuwab wanted to continue the 
 conversation after business was over, but Sir H. got 
 up and dismissed him abruptly. 
 
 The 22nd was a cold and foggy morning. I visited 
 the town of Sehwan which contains about five thousand 
 houses, or fifteen thousand inhabitants. The shrine 
 of Lai Shah Baz, the famous saint of this place, is a 
 grand one, built in 1148 A.H., and it contains but one 
 tomb, that of the saint. A tiger of large size is kept 
 in a wooden cage at the gate. 
 
 Marched on the 23rd to the village of Tarti, nine 
 miles ; our force was obliged to cross a branch of the 
 Indus called Aral, near Sehwan. Our engineers 
 made a good pontoon bridge over this river, and the 
 army and baggage crossed over it in the morning. 
 Tarti is a large village, consisting of about two
 
 THE MARCH FKOM SEHWAN. 289 
 
 thousand houses, situated near a spacious lake of 
 fresh water. 
 
 On the 24th, we had a very troublesome march, on 
 account of the General's changing his mind at a late 
 hour. 
 
 On the 25th, I had the honour of a kind visit from 
 Daji Ghorpore, a nobleman formerly in the service of 
 the late Peshwa, and now one of the officers com- 
 manding the Punah Irregular Horse. I found him 
 to be a gentleman of honourable feelings and extended 
 views. 
 
 In the confusion of yesterday, a part of Dr. Rook's 
 baggage was stolen. This being our holiday of 
 Idu'z-zuha, I was requested by my Mohamedan 
 friends to deliver the sermon, but, being excessively 
 fatigued, I declined. The village of Rokan, where 
 
 O * Cj * 
 
 we were, is a large one, and is full thirty miles from 
 Sehwan. The Mulla of the place, being a mere illi- 
 terate Sindhi, the Divine service of this holiday was 
 lost, and to me for the first time. 
 
 The morning of the 26th was very cold, and the 
 water in our vessels froze during the night. We 
 marched to the village of Ghallu, ten miles. For the 
 last three stages we found the soil brackish. In this 
 district, salt is manufactured in abundance. It is 
 stored in large heaps, covered with the dust, without 
 being burnt, as usual in other countries. On examin- 
 ing it, I found it consisted of more nitric ingredients 
 than the common salt of India. 
 
 L
 
 290 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 27th. Sixteen miles to the village of Ghara, six 
 miles beyond the shrine of Pirpanja. This saint 
 belongs to the order of those Mohamedan monks who 
 dress themselves in black blankets and nothing else. 
 This was a long and fatiguing march through the 
 forest, which is not very thick about this part. The 
 custom of wearing caps, gradually diminishing from 
 Sehwan, is nearly out from this stage. Here you will 
 see almost all the Sindhi heads ornamented with white 
 and becoming turbans. 
 
 28th. Six miles to the village of Chinna, good 
 road and fertile country all the way. The cold 
 began to diminish. 
 
 1st March. This morning the General changed 
 his mind about the halting-place, and caused much 
 confusion. At first, the village of Kamori, sixteen 
 miles, was fixed, which being subsequently changed 
 for Fathpur, ten miles only, many missed the road, 
 and many had to return from Kamori to Fathpur. 
 
 On the 2nd, sixteen miles, to the village of Bak- 
 rani, where, on the 3rd, a halt was ordered, not for 
 the Sabbath, but on account of a large branch of the 
 Indus coming across the way, which required the 
 troops to pass by degrees, the stream being nearly six 
 feet deep in the middle. 
 
 On the 4th, \ve crossed the stream early in the 
 morning, and reached the town of Larkhana in about 
 two hours, it being only eight miles from the last 
 stage. Larkhana is a large town surrounded by
 
 LARKnANA. 291 
 
 a mud wall, and governed by an old illiterate man, 
 Pir Abdu'rraliim. Here the army was obliged to 
 halt until the llth, to make the necessary arrange- 
 ments for the long hazardous journey through the 
 Bolan Pass into a climate too cold for the natives of 
 India. Many camel drivers, especially those of Kach, 
 refused to go to the cold climate ; but, having been 
 well flogged and chastised for refusing, poor fellows, 
 they saw no alternative except submission or desertion. 
 The latter plan was, however, adopted by many, who 
 left their camels to the tender mercy of the swearing 
 soldiers, and took their way home. Here ended, for 
 the present, the duty that Captain Eastwick had to 
 perform, of escorting the army. A young officer, 
 Major Tod, having arrived on the 6th, was to take 
 charge as Political Officer^ so Captain Eastwick, 
 leaving me in the camp, and instructing me to afford 
 all the information I could to the Aides-de-Camp or 
 Major Tod, if required to do so, himself proceeded to 
 Shikarpur, to see Mr. W. H. Macnaghten, the 
 Envoy and Minister. On the 9th, Captain Eastwick 
 returned to the camp from Shikarpur, having been 
 appointed officiating Political Agent in Upper Sindh. 
 He consulted me whether he should remain as 
 Political Agent in Upper Sindh, or accompany 
 the Envoy to Afghanistan, this being left to his 
 option. He inclined to the latter service, in the 
 performance of which he would have the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing a new country, and of obtaining 
 
 L 2
 
 292 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 experience in the impending battles, and distinguish- 
 ing himself. 
 
 I told him I knew the character of the Afghans 
 better than any Englishman ; that I would neither 
 for money nor love endanger myself in the expe- 
 dition, the success of which was to me exceedingly 
 doubtful ; that I would humbly advise him not to 
 go, unless he was ordered, to Afghanistan, where I 
 doubted not he would fall the first victim to his own 
 energy, zeal, and ardour. Hearing this, he smiled 
 scornfully at my remarks, and observed, "My 
 friend, life is a lottery; what is the use of living, 
 when you can benefit others and yourself by your 
 death?" I had an excellent answer to his last 
 remarks on the tip of my tongue, but did not like 
 to argue farther, so I cut the matter short by refer- 
 ring to other things. His services, happily for us 
 both, were so required in Upper Sindh, that he had 
 not time afterwards to think of proceeding to Afghan- 
 istan. 
 
 On the 12th a division of the army marched 
 towards Kandahar, under Sir John Keane, and the 
 other division was obliged to remain till carriage 
 could be procured. 
 
 This very evening we also separated ourselves 
 from the army and slept at Chuharpur, four miles 
 from Larkhana, on our way to Shikarpur. We 
 were furnished with a military guard of a native 
 officer and twenty-three rank and file.
 
 LARKHANA TO SHIKAUl'UR. 293 
 
 On the morning of the 13th we marched eight 
 miles to the village of Naudera. Good road all the 
 way, and the country very populous. The environs 
 of the villages were beautifully surrounded with the 
 palm and mango trees, most agreeable to the sight. 
 We put up in a small garden-house. Naudera is a 
 large village, and belongs to Mir Mir Mohamed, under 
 the management of a rough, but very witty old man, 
 by name Mohamed Khan Siyal (meaning jackal). 
 The art of extracting the palm-juice, which might 
 largely add to the revenue, is unknown in the 
 country. We found the provisions so cheap, that 
 I purchased good fowls for two pice (one and a half 
 farthing) each, the same as you get in London for 
 two shillings. Other things also were proportionably 
 cheap. 
 
 On the morning of the 14th we marched sixteen 
 miles to Gohej, belonging to Mir Nasir Khan. This 
 village is larger than Naudera, but many inhabitants 
 had deserted it on account of the Bengal army having 
 passed through it. We got, however, everything we 
 required as cheap as at Naudera. 
 
 On the morning of the 15th, we inarched sixteen 
 miles, and reached Shikarpur at nine o'clock, A.M. 
 This town is the largest in Sindh, containing about 
 fifteen thousand houses, which are flat-roofed, and 
 some of them two-storied. The city is encircled with 
 mud walls, and has a small fort outside the town. 
 The environs are very pretty, having groves of
 
 294 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFTJLLAK. 
 
 mangos and palms, etc., all round. The water is 
 from wells. The soil seems to be fitted to grow the 
 poppy and flax, several fields of which we observed 
 in a most flourishing state. About one half of the 
 inhabitants are Hindus of the Khatri and Lohana 
 clans, and the other half are Muslims. Shikarpur 
 has an excellent market-place, shaded all over from 
 the sun. The Hinchi tradesmen of this place talk 
 Persian and Pushtu, as well as their own Sindhi. 
 We pitched our tent near the town for the present, 
 and lived in the enjoyment of quiet and solitude after 
 a month's hard work in escorting the army. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th I accompanied Captain 
 Eastwick to the town. He examined the city, the 
 market-place, and the fort, etc., with a scrutinizing 
 glance, and then went to see a state prisoner, a 
 German gentleman. Heard the French language 
 talked for the first time. 
 
 On the morning of the 17th I took a walk in the 
 lines of the two remaining Bengal regiments, and the 
 principal camp market (called Sadri Bazar). Felt 
 very sorry to learn that a number of followers and 
 animals perished beyond the desert for want of 
 water. Mismanagement in every department pre- 
 vailed. Sir A. Burnes, the former Political Agent in 
 Upper Sindh, disbursed large sums of Government 
 money without keeping any accounts. No day closed 
 without seeing some of our people killed or wounded, 
 and some camels carried off by the Biluchi robbers.
 
 SHIKARPUR TO SAKIIAK. 295 
 
 Two very rich and influential Hindu merchants, 
 Chitrumall and Jet Singh, paid their visits to Captain 
 Eastwick this morning. The latter is a very hand- 
 some man, well-informed, and exceedingly polite. 
 His sister, having heen the beauty of Sindh, was 
 forcibly taken away by Shah Shiija, whose name 
 is detested by him and by his clan. 
 
 On the 18th of March we made preparations for 
 our march, but it having rained much in the night, 
 our tents had become so heavy that we had to wait 
 until they were dry. 
 
 An affray took place the day previous, between 
 a party of the Bengal Irregular Horse, guarding 
 camels, assisted by Abdu'ssamad Khan, the manager 
 of the village of Lakki, and ten Biliich robbers, who 
 attempted to carry off the camels. In this, three 
 of the banditti were wounded and one killed; the 
 head, having been severed from the trunk, was 
 brought to Captain Eastwick, as a mark of valour 
 on the part of our people. 
 
 It was a most disgusting and horrid sight to 
 behold a human head weltering in blood and dust. 
 Thus we abuse the law of nature and cruelly treat 
 our fellow-creatures, to serve our filthy purpose 
 of lucre. 
 
 On the 19th we left Shikarpur for Sakhar, and 
 marched in the morning sixteen miles to Mahbiib jo 
 Got, passing the village of Lakki, about half-way. 
 Lakki is a large village belonging to Mir Nur
 
 2% AUTOuioGEAnir OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 Mohamed. Good road all the way, through dense 
 forest. There was no chance of missing the road, 
 as hundreds of dead camels were lying on both sides 
 as well as in the middle of it; so the best guide 
 for everybody was his own nose. 
 
 On the 20th we reached Sakhar, fourteen miles 
 from Mahbub jo Got. We started at six in the 
 morning, and arrived at eight o'clock A.M. Sakhar 
 was a large city, but now is almost in ruins. It has, 
 I am informed, never recovered the shock it suffered 
 in the last conflict between Shah Shuja and the 
 Khairpur Amirs. Sakhar is situate on the right 
 bank of the river Indus. Rori, a large populous 
 city, is on the left, and Bakhar, a fortress in the 
 middle of the stream, upon a small island nearly 
 triangular. This fortress, so much praised by the 
 Persian historians and Sindhis for its impregnability, 
 was lent to the British authorities to keep their 
 stores, etc., until the end of the campaign, but, as 
 I anticipated, the loan turned out irrecoverable. 
 
 On the 21st, I was deputed to call upon Fath 
 Mohamed Khan Ghori, the Minister of Khairpur, 
 who arrived and encamped at the town of Ron, the 
 day before, by his master's orders, to punish the 
 Biliich robbers infesting the country between Sakhar 
 and Shikarpur. He is a very old man, about eighty, 
 but his spirit and energy surpass those of a young 
 man. His head is clear, his experience in local 
 affairs great, and his management of the country
 
 PATH MOHAMED. 297 
 
 commended, both by his master and his subjects. 
 I was politely received by the old gentleman, and, 
 after compliments, I brought the subject of the 
 Biliich robbers under discussion. The old man 
 observed that the Biluch robberies were even more 
 troublesome to the natives themselves than to the 
 foreigners, and that he was obliged at last to gird 
 on his sword, and proceed with his army to chastise 
 the banditti. I told him the object of my master 
 was to coerce the wild people rather than extirpate 
 them ; but I could not help smiling at the old man's 
 remark about his army, etc., as his force consisted 
 of about forty-five foot and one hundred and fifty 
 mounted soldiers. The horses of the latter appeared 
 most lean and miserable. The old gentleman saga- 
 ciously perceived the meaning of my smile, and said, 
 " Do not look upon my soldiers and horses with 
 contempt. They are not fat, but fitted for the 
 warfare of this country, and can endure hunger and 
 thirst for three days, more than your good looking 
 men and fat horses can, in chasing the robbers 
 amongst hills and dales of the land." I did not like 
 to hurt the feelings of the old man, whose grandson 
 appeared to be older than myself; and observed 
 that I had every confidence in the valour and puis- 
 sance of the soldiers under his command ; that I 
 begged his Grace's pardon for my rude mirth, 
 to which I was addicted in consequence of having 
 long been in the society of the English people. We
 
 298 AUTOBIOGEArilY OF LUTFULLAIT. 
 
 then parted with each other as good friends, with 
 the promise of seeing each other on the next day 
 but one, when he would visit Captain Eastwick. 
 
 On the 23rd, he did so, and gained the Political 
 Agent's good opinion in the very first visit. 
 
 Large heaps of grain, that had been lying by 
 the river side for the last eight or ten days in charge 
 of the commissariat conductor, not being timely 
 removed, were carried off the night before by an 
 inundation of the river, which was so violent and 
 sudden as to break asunder the bridge of native 
 boats that joined Sakhar to Ron'. Captain Eastwick 
 adverted to the subject in conversation with the 
 minister, telling him that the river, too, bore the 
 character of the Biliich robbers, and stole away 
 the masses of grain by night. To this old Fath 
 Mohamed replied, very promptly, that he thought 
 the river, on the contrary, acted the part of a friend 
 and adviser to us, in giving us warning not to be 
 careless in a foreign land. 
 
 On the 25th, we crossed the river to the town of 
 Ron, and encamped in a fine garden commanding a 
 beautiful view of both sides of the river, and of the 
 fortress in the middle. 
 
 On the 28th, we left Rori for Khairpur. Started 
 early in the morning, and reached the place at about 
 eight o'clock, A.M., the distance being about fifteen 
 miles. An officer, by name Ali Mohamed, with a 
 party of horsemen, came to receive us three miles
 
 MIR RUSTAM. 299 
 
 out of the town. We pitched our camp in a small 
 enclosure, with a small house, destined for all the 
 European guests who might have occasion to visit 
 the Amir. No sooner had the Political Agent done 
 his breakfast, than two officers of higher rank, 
 namely, Asanand Vakil and Jetmall Diwan, waited 
 upon him to inquire after his health on the part of 
 the Amir. Captain Eastwick received them with 
 politeness, and told them that he could not make a 
 longer stay than one day, and that he would be glad 
 to see the Amir as soon as convenient to His High- 
 ness. They returned with this message to their 
 master, and, in the evening, Inayatullah Khan, son 
 of the old minister, and Jan Mohamed, came with 
 their retinue, and escorted him to the palace. Mir 
 Rustam Khan rose from his masnad and embraced 
 the Political Agent with Asiatic courtesy. The 
 audience chamber was as plain as that at Hydrabad, 
 but less crowded. The Political Agent was seated 
 next to the Amir on the floor. The Darbar consisted 
 of the following nobles Mir Zanghi Khan, His 
 Highness' uncle ; Mir Nasir Khan, his nephew ; Mir 
 Mubarak ; twenty Biliichis ; and the two Hindu 
 officers that waited upon the Political Agent in the 
 morning. The object of the conference was, as I 
 found afterwards, to impress on the mind of His 
 Highness the necessity of taking immediate steps to 
 coerce and chastise the several robber tribes of 
 Biluchis. Mir Rustam promised to do all he could,
 
 300 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 and professed himself the humble, but sincere, friend 
 of the English. The Amir seemed advanced in 
 years: perhaps about sixty. He was a handsome 
 man, and it was clear, from his conversation, that his 
 mind was noble and devoted to religion. He has 
 eight sons. Khairpur is a large town. The palace 
 is situated in the middle of a mud wall fortress. In 
 the forenoon of the next day, another Darbar of 
 ceremony was held, and the Political Agent was 
 received with all honour. Pleasant conversation, 
 with an admixture of business, continued for about 
 an hour, and then the court adjourned. At the time 
 of parting, when Captain Eastwick was about to bid 
 His Highness, and the family, adieu, the Amir 
 observed : " Now I speak to you as a friend ; I have 
 a greater regard for you than any Englishman I 
 have ever seen, for I feel a real pleasure in con- 
 versing with you. I believe you are a good Christian, 
 with a heart as pure as a mirror : I therefore esteem 
 you as one of my own sons." Captain Eastwick 
 bowed, and made a suitable reply. We then left 
 the Darbar for our camp, and, after the performance 
 of our daily work, paid a parting visit to the old 
 Amir; and, having chatted half an hour, left him 
 with our best wishes. 
 
 On the morning of the 30th, we left Khairpur for 
 Sakhar, which place we reached at nine o'clock A.M. 
 As we marched along, easily and leisurely, I observed, 
 all along the road, Cassia fistula trees in abundance.
 
 BILUCH ROBBEKS. 301 
 
 They are as handsome as the Mimosa seris, but theii 
 flowers are deep yellow, handsomer than the latter , 
 and their fruits are long spherical beans, about an 
 inch in diameter, and from two to three feet in 
 lengjji. The tree, with its green foliage, yellow 
 flowers, and bunches of ebony stave-like beans 
 pending from its boughs, is a picturesque object. 
 The Cassia fistula fruit contains a quantity of sweet 
 pulp, with a peculiar smell, covering its seeds, which 
 resemble the cytisus cajan. Physicians of India and 
 Persia use the pulp as an aperient medicine. A dose 
 of one ounce of it, dissolved in hot water, and taken 
 with the almond oil, operates well upon the lower 
 intestines. The Sindhis seem to be ignorant of its 
 good effects, or else they might drive a lucrative 
 trade by exporting it to Bombay, and other places. 
 
 On the 2nd of April, 1839, preparations were 
 ordered for our return to Shikarpur. The press of 
 business for the last few days was so great, that I 
 could not leave my desk from sunrise to sunset, and 
 was unable to go out and see anything in the country. 
 I therefore stole an hour of my employer's time, and 
 visited the shrine of Shah Khairu'd-dm, the famous 
 saint of this place. The tomb is an excellent piece 
 of architecture, built in 1029 A.H., or 1619 A.C. 
 
 On the 3rd we left Sakhar, and reached Shikarpur 
 in three easy marches. Here we found the state of 
 affairs worse than ever. Biliich robbers had the im- 
 pudence to visit the environs of the city, almost every
 
 302 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 day, cutting, maiming, and murdering the poor camel 
 drivers, and some of the guards on pasturing duty. 
 Our native soldiers were useless out of the lines, for 
 want of local knowledge. The tall, well-made, and 
 handsome Bengali Sipahis have not always a Jaeart 
 corresponding with their outward form. 
 
 Here I give an instance of their prowess, displayed 
 by a party of them. On the 6th of this month, 
 thirty-nine camels, belonging to Government, under 
 the pasturing care of a Naik and five Sipahis, were 
 seized upon and carried off by ten Biliich robbers in 
 the afternoon. Two of the drivers received sword 
 cuts, and the sight of these bleeding comrades made 
 the rest run to the Agency; and the guards, too, 
 followed their example. The non-commissioned 
 officer then presented himself to the Political Agent, 
 and, after his (f present arms," gravely said : " The 
 thirty-nine camels, sir, are carried off by the robbers 
 just now, sir ; two drivers are wounded, and all is 
 well, sir." The report of the officer excited my 
 mirth, so much that I left my desk in the room to 
 get rid of my laughter, and then I heard the follow- 
 ing dialogue between the Political Agent and the 
 Naik: 
 
 Political Agent. What were the numbers of the 
 robbers ? 
 
 Naik. They were ten, but we discerned a cloud 
 of dust behind them, which indicated a larger num- 
 ber following.
 
 RECREANT KNIGHTS. 303 
 
 P. A. Why did you not fire at the robbers ? 
 
 N. Because we were dressing our food under a 
 tree ; and, seeing the wounded men run, we ran to 
 you! 
 
 P. A. You are very nice soldiers ! 
 
 JV. I thank your Honour for the good word ; I 
 have done my duty. 
 
 P. A. Good word and thanks ! I have a great 
 mind to give you a court-martial for your unsoldier- 
 like conduct. 
 
 N. Then we must thank our own bad luck, to get 
 such a reward from your Honour's hand for our 
 faithful services. 
 
 P. A. Leave my presence. Do not utter another 
 word, and do not show me your face again. Right 
 about face ! march to the lines. 
 
 It was on this occasion that I saw Captain East 
 wick lose his temper, for the first time in twelve 
 years' association. He then immediately ordered a 
 party of the Bengal Irregular Horse, under Nur- 
 baksh Risaldar, to pursue the banditti ; but no trace 
 of them was to be found : they were as if swallowed 
 by the earth, with the camels and the spoil. To 
 crown other misfortunes, the heat was now so great, 
 attended with the hot wind, that we felt confident, 
 in case nothing else could destroy us, the heat would 
 very soon. The thermometer in my small hut was 
 110 in the middle of the day, and 90 in the coolest 
 hours. The six hours after midnight were the only
 
 304 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFCLLAH. 
 
 time blessed with cool breezes : but, during the 
 remaining hours, we had a window of Jahannum open 
 towards us : exposure to the sun was certain death. 
 Officers of strong constitution and bulky frames I 
 have often seen leaving for the advance one day, and 
 the next day their sudden death has been reported 
 to us. The natives and the Biluch robbers could 
 bear the sun famously : they could trot along almost 
 every day from morning till sunset, exposed to the 
 sun, and without eating or drinking, which is beyond 
 the power of our people of India; Europeans are 
 out of the question entirely. I could not account 
 for this great heat; the place being about four 
 degrees northward from Siirat, the climate ought to 
 be cooler than that of Gujurat. 
 
 Not being able to suffer the heat any longer, I 
 built a small shed of a prickly bush, very cooling 
 in its property, termed Jawassa in Hindustani, in 
 front of my hut, and employed a water carrier to 
 sprinkle it from morning till evening. This made 
 me comfortable for the time. 
 
 On the morning of the llth, I ordered my servant 
 boy to shake my bedding and put it in the sun for 
 an hour or so, that the moisture imbibed by the 
 quilt might be dried. As soon as the quilt was 
 removed from its place, what did I behold but an 
 immense scorpion, tapering towards its tail of nine 
 vertebrae, armed with a sting at the end, crawling 
 with impunity at the edge of the carpet. I had
 
 A REMEDY FOR THE COLIC. 305 
 
 never seen sucli a large monster before. It was 
 black in the body, with small bristles all over, dark 
 green in the tail, and red at the sting. This hideous 
 sight rendered me and the servant horror-struck. 
 In the meantime, an Afghan friend of mine, by name 
 Ata Mohamed Khan Kakar, a respectable resident 
 of the town, honoured me with a visit, and, seeing 
 the reptile, observed, " Lutfullah, you are a lucky 
 man, having made a narrow escape this morning. 
 This cursed worm is called Jerrara, and its fatal 
 sting puts a period to animal life in a moment; 
 return, therefore, your thanks to the Lord, all merci- 
 ful, who gave you a new life in having saved you 
 from the mortal sting of this evil bed-companion of 
 yours." " I have no fear of the worm," replied I, 
 " for it dare not sting me unless it is written in 
 the book of my fate to be stung by it." Saying 
 this, I made the animal crawl into a small earthen 
 vessel, and stopped the mouth of it with clay ; and 
 then making a large fire, I put the vessel therein for 
 an hour or so, to turn the reptile into ashes, which, 
 administered in doses of half a grain to adults, are a 
 specific remedy for violent colicky pains. 
 
 I was informed that the revenues of Shikarpur, 
 together with its dependencies, amounted to about 
 three lakhs of rupees, the net amount of which 
 is divided into seven shares. Four of them go 
 to two Amirs of Hydrabtid, namely, Niir Mohamed 
 and Nasir Mohamed, and the remaining three are
 
 306 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTITFULLAII. 
 
 taken by the Amirs of Khairpur, viz., one of the 
 three by Mir Mubarak, and the two by Mir Rustam. 
 The shares of the Amirs of Hydrabad are fanned 
 to Jetmall, a very clever and powerful Hindu, for 
 the sum of 14,000 rupees per annum. Jetmall was 
 originally a liquor merchant, but his wealth, talent, 
 and ability raised him to this high station in life. 
 He is a very tall as well as bulky man, and is said 
 to make his supper upon one goat and a bottle of 
 brandy every night. 
 
 The revenues of Khairpur, with its dependencies, 
 my friend, Jet Singh, the banker, informed me 
 amounted to about five lakhs of rupees (or 50,000/.) 
 per annum, which sum, being divided into five 
 shares, three go to Mir Rustam, one to Mir Muba- 
 rak, and the remaining one to other members of the 
 family. 
 
 On the morning of the 12th, Captain Eastwick 
 being informed that a large party of Biluch robbers 
 were lying in ambush about thirty miles off, deter- 
 mined to surprise them. He left the camp at noon 
 with about twenty irregular horsemen, and reached 
 the spot early the next morning, where he found 
 small heaps of ashes the sign of the outlaws having 
 prepared their meal there and the dung of their 
 horses, too, lying about. Finding the ashes cold 
 and the dung quite dry, which indicated their 
 having left the place more than six or seven 
 hours before, he returned, disappointed, late in
 
 I AM TAKEN FOR A MAGICIAN. 307 
 
 the evening, fatigued and exhausted by the terrific 
 heat. 
 
 Seeing now the emergent necessity of raising a 
 local corps to keep the marauders in check, he sent 
 in an application to Government to be permitted to 
 do so ; but, as time did not allow him to wait for 
 an answer from the authorities, he at once, on his 
 own responsibility, began on the 15th to enlist 
 Biluchis, selecting especially the two chiefs of the 
 clans of Khosas and Kahiris, who were at feud with 
 the banditti of the following clans, most notorious at 
 this time for their black deeds. 
 
 1. Domki ; 2. Jakrani ; 3. Bugti ; 4. Marri ; 
 5. Mazari; 6. Lagharf; 7. Burdi; 8. Rind; 9. Birohi. 
 The first chief that we took into employment was 
 Kadirbaksh Khosa, a very handsome young man, 
 aged about twenty-five, with fifty horsemen. He 
 was to have the command over all the Khosas and 
 others that were to be enlisted through him. My 
 task was a difficult one now, as I had to take down 
 the names and descriptions of the wild men and their 
 wild horses: some of them laughed heartily when 
 I took down their names, looking at their face for 
 their complexion and distinctive marks. Others really 
 took me to be a magician, and tried my wit if I 
 could pronounce their name after an hour by refer- 
 ring to my book, which having done very easily, 
 they returned from my presence with their mouths 
 wide open. They had no idea as to their ages.
 
 308 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Men with grey beards wanted me to believe that 
 they were not more than twenty-five or thirty. I 
 asked one of them if he recollected the elder Mir 
 Fath Ali Khan's expelling the Kalhoras from Sindh? 
 He replied, " That occurred only a few years ago, 
 when I was a young boy and used to go to the fields 
 to pasture cattle with a pellet bow." At such non- 
 sense I could not help laughing, for the event alluded 
 to took place in 1779 A.D., and, accordingly, he must 
 have been full seventy, though evidently not more 
 than forty. He did not like my laughing, and, hold- 
 ing me by the hand, remarked, " My good friend, 
 you seem to be one of the true believers, but, having 
 associated with the infidel Feringees for a long time, 
 you have lost your conscience, and you will there- 
 fore never give credit to a Muslim." I begged his 
 pardon, and told him not to concern himself about 
 my laughter, to which bad habit I was unfor- 
 tunately addicted, and that he would always find me 
 ready to give my belief to the word of my brother 
 Muslims. 
 
 On the 26th our secret informers brought us the 
 news of a Persian gentleman of suspicious character 
 having arrived in the city. We immediately repaired 
 to his quarters, and found that two camels were being 
 loaded, and his servants were preparing, for their 
 intended march. We soon found that he was a 
 gentleman having some object in view, which he took 
 care to avoid divulging, by turning the conversation
 
 KAMAL KUAN. 309 
 
 to different topics, and telling us that lie was a 
 Dervesh, by name Niir Shah, and had nothing to do 
 with worldly affairs. Under these circumstances, 
 the Political Agent told him that he must consider 
 himself under arrest until some reasonable ex- 
 planation of his being in the country was given. 
 These words startled him at once, and he re- 
 monstrated against the measure with the charac- 
 teristic Persian rhetorical fluency; but all was of 
 no avail, and he was taken to the Agency as a 
 State prisoner. 
 
 In the afternoon I was deputed to proceed to 
 Khanpur, about thirteen miles from this, to visit 
 Kama! Khan, the chief of the Kahiri clan to persuade 
 him to visit the Political Agent, with the promise of 
 his being employed in the Government service. I 
 was to tell him that the maltreatment which his tribe 
 and himself had experienced from Bijar Khan Domki, 
 the outlaw, should be taken into consideration. I 
 proceeded with my escort of half a dozen of the 
 Biluchis, and reached the place late at night, all safe, 
 without having had the honour of an encounter with 
 the robbers. The Biluchis of my escort were merry 
 fellows, and as soon as they were out of the confines 
 of the cantonment and in the forest, they seemed to 
 have attained to the summit of happiness, and beguiled 
 the way in laughing, talking, and singing. I asked 
 them how it would fare if we were attacked by the 
 robbers. In such a case, replied they, we must
 
 310 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 attack them in return ; and they reassured me in the 
 following words: " Be not anxious about it, my 
 friend ; no robber dare touch thy person as long as 
 we six have our heads on our shoulders." 
 
 Old Kamal Khan received me with the frankness 
 and hospitality of the tribes of the wilderness. He 
 had two excellent sheep roasted, and some cakes made 
 with clarified butter. Upon these dainties I dined 
 with him and a number of his Biluch relations. We 
 then performed our prayers, in which, being re- 
 quested, I stood as leader, and acted my part to the 
 satisfaction of my wild congregation. Before going 
 to bed, which was made of straw, I conversed fully 
 with Kamal Khan on the subject of my mission, and 
 brought to his view the unlimited benefits he was 
 to obtain by his immediately entering our service. 
 He expressed his consent, and said that he and his 
 clan would be happy to serve the English cause, on 
 condition of non-interference with his religion ; for 
 he was told by some people that the English would 
 first take the country and then force the people to 
 embrace their religion. I assured him that he need 
 have no fear about that, and should not listen to the 
 stories and fables fabricated by designing persons. 
 I asked him if he had heard of any compulsory 
 measures, towards persons of any religion, ever 
 adopted by the English in India, where they had 
 ruled now for the last one hundred years? In proof 
 of their forbearance, I asked him to see the regiments
 
 A MONSTROSITY. 311 
 
 of the army with his own eyes, in which he would 
 find people of all castes following their own religions 
 without any interference on the part of the Govern- 
 ment ; and, lastly, I asked him what opinion he had 
 of myself, who had been with the English more than 
 twenty-two years. Hearing this, he put his index 
 fingers upon both his eyes, in token of his believing 
 me with his heart and soul. 
 
 On the next morning, very early, we left Khanpur 
 in company with Kamal Khan, and reached the 
 Agency at Shikarpur at eight o'clock A. M, I pre- 
 sented him to the Political Agent, by whom he was 
 taken into the service of the Honourable Company, 
 with his colleagues, on the promise of their ever being 
 faithful to the British interests. 
 
 On the 29th, being requested by some friends of 
 the town, I visited a wonderful man there. It appears 
 that nature, deviating from the usual course, gave 
 this man a small trunk, like an elephant, on the right 
 side of his face, beginning from the forehead to his 
 chin. With his left eye only could he see, the 
 other being covered with this superfluous part of 
 the body. He was a young man of about twenty, 
 sound in mind, as he gave rational answers to 
 the several questions I put to him in the Sindhi 
 language. 
 
 Another difficulty now made its appearance in 
 the state of affairs. Our disciplined people could
 
 312 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LtJTFULLAH. 
 
 not know the newly employed Biluchis from the 
 robbers. 
 
 Whenever they chanced to see three or four of 
 these paid Biliichis near the camp, parties of twenty 
 or thirty native soldiers rushed upon them, seized 
 them furiously, thrashed them, and brought them 
 into our presence, sometimes wounded, too. 
 
 We did not like to rouse the anger of our new 
 lions in taming them, so we proposed to them to 
 wear our belts as a mark of the service ; and, with 
 some difficulty, we prevailed upon them to submit to 
 the halter of our bondage. 
 
 On the 5th of May, the Political Agent ordered 
 the bay Arab horse of his, that I was allowed to 
 ride, to be lent to Sarwar Khan Lohani, who rode 
 this beautiful animal, arid went off with a party of 
 our Biliich horsemen after the robbers, in the heat 
 of the sun, the thermometer being at 150, leaving his 
 own horse to enjoy the stable. He returned in the 
 evening with the party, having succeeded (as he 
 pretended) in overtaking one of the robbers only, 
 whose head they severed from the body and brought 
 to the Agent to show their valour. Poor bay horse ! 
 he brought his brutal rider back, and no sooner 
 was he unsaddled in the stable than lie dropped 
 down dead. 
 
 The heat was now insufferably great. I ordered 
 some eggs to be placed in ( the sun to see the power
 
 JIISRI KUAN. 313 
 
 of the heat, and found them well roasted in about 
 forty minutes. 
 
 On the 7th, a party of our Biliichis, under the 
 command of Misri Khan Khosa, overtook a gang 
 of robbers, and had a skirmish with them, in which 
 Misri Khan himself received two wounds on his 
 shoulder and leg. But he succeeded in bringing 
 in four of the banditti prisoners, being of the Domki 
 and Dashti clans, the companions of the notorious 
 Rahman. The Political Agent consulted Diwan 
 Jetmall, the governor of Shikarpur, about disposing 
 of them. The governor gave his opinion that they 
 should at once be despatched by a disgraceful and 
 torturing kind of death. The Political Agent and 
 his English friends agfreed in putting these poor 
 devils to death, but they remitted the torture, and 
 ordered their being hanged one by one every day. 
 When T interpreted the horrible sentence to them 
 with a throbbing heart, especially pointing out one 
 of them for the execution of the next day, they 
 stared at me very fiercely, without uttering a word ; 
 but the man pointed out carelessly replied, " Je M 
 raza K/tudah ^Y/'i.e., "God's will must be done." 
 As for my friend, Misri Khdn, he had his wounds 
 stitched and dressed by our doctor without a sigh 
 or sob, returned his thanks to the medico, and went 
 home unaided and unconcerned about the loss of 
 a large quantity of blood, with which all his dress 
 was wet. At his departure I said I was sorry to see
 
 314 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTJTFULLAH. 
 
 him involved in that misfortune which his own 
 ambition had brought upon him. " Call it not mis- 
 fortune, man," replied he angrily ; " it is honour not 
 obtainable by every man, the marks of which shall 
 ever be indelible upon my person." After this I 
 wished him a speedy recovery, and we parted for 
 the time.
 
 ZAliK DOMKJ. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Zark Domki The storming of Khangarh The new Governor ol 
 Shikarpur Mr. Koss Bell Abd'urrahman and his civilized 
 Bride Seclusion of women, desirable or not Voyage to 
 Hydrabad I obtain leave for three months to revisit Surat 
 Voyage and journey to Jafirabad. 
 
 EARLY next morning a detachment of our regiment 
 and some armed people of the governor took one of 
 the prisoners to the other side of the town to be 
 executed. But, alas ! destiny led them to take one 
 Zark Domki', instead of the rightful individual. It 
 made, however, very little difference, as the sentence 
 of death had passed for all of them, and they were 
 to be hung one after another every day. Poor 
 Zark's cup of fate being filled before the others, he 
 proceeded to the place without uttering a word, 
 whilst the rest had some time more in the world. 
 
 On the llth we heard of a fight between a detach- 
 ment of the 5th Bombay N. I., some Biliich Horse, 
 and the Khosas of Khangarh. Four of our men 
 were killed, and a Siibahdar and a Mr. Stanley were 
 slightly wounded. The Khosas lost thirty men. 
 Want of knowledge of the language was the cause 
 of this misfortune. All the friendly 1 signals on the 
 part of the Khosas in the fortress were taken to
 
 316 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 be hostile by our people, as was proved before the 
 Political Agent afterwards. Next morning the 
 wounded and prisoners being brought in, the Political 
 Agent set the latter at liberty, and had the former 
 put under the care of our European physician. 
 
 A great annual fair being held at the branch of 
 the river, about one mile from the town, in honour of 
 the inundation, I proceeded to witness the same, and 
 found a great concourse of the natives of both sexes 
 assembled. I had the opportunity of seeing beauties 
 of the Hindu caste unveiled, and I declare I found 
 some of them no less graceful and charming than 
 the nymphs of England. Mirth prevailed every- 
 where to this degree that, in one of these happy 
 assemblies, I saw an old' Hindu with a long flowing 
 white beard, dancing to the sound of the tambourine, 
 played by a handsome lady who assisted the jolly 
 old fellow with her delicate voice, every now and 
 then, in his historical songs. On the 18th, I paid a 
 visit to Jet Singh, the banker. Amongst the jewels 
 pawned to him, I saw a very handsome pair of 
 emerald ear-rings. Each of the two emeralds was 
 somewhat larger than a pigeon's egg, and without 
 a flaw. They were considered worth 20,000 rupees, 
 and were mortgaged to him for 18,000. 
 
 Shikarpur had been for two or three days without 
 a governor : Jetmall, the late governor, being told 
 he was to be removed, absconded. In the mean- 
 time, an order arrived from Hydrabad, saying he
 
 ROSS BELL. 317 
 
 was not to be changed for the present, which having 
 been forwarded by his friends to the place where he 
 was, he made his appearance, and had scarcely 
 returned, when the unpleasant news of his adversary's 
 approach caused his second flight. 
 
 Takki Shah, eldest son of Ismail Shah, the new 
 governor, arrived on the 26th, and, after taking 
 charge of his office, paid his visit to the Political 
 Agent, to whom he gave some complimentary mes- 
 sages on the part of his masters and his old father the 
 Minister. He expressed his deep regret that the 
 plans of the Court to ensnare his predecessor were 
 unsuccessful; otherwise he would have made the 
 golden bird lay innumerable golden eggs for the 
 benefit of his masters and himself. 
 
 On the 6th of June, Mr. Ross Bell, the new 
 Political Agent, arrived. His outward appearance 
 was strikingly handsome. But I soon found this 
 handsome edifice was darkened by pride, ostentation, 
 and vanity. He considered all men below his dignity, 
 and treated the Government servants as slaves. 
 
 Mr. Ross Bell's mode of conducting business was 
 strangely different from what I had ever seen. He 
 had no confidence in his subordinates, and they had 
 no feeling of allegiance towards him in the perform- 
 ance of their duty. Lying down upon his sofa, the 
 great man dictated his letters to his cringing Munshi, 
 who dared not seat himself, either on the floor or on 
 a chair, and was obliged to take down word by word,
 
 318 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 whether sense or nonsense, standing upon his legs, 
 with his inkstand fastened to his waistband. Who 
 could stand such degradation as this? I would not 
 submit to it for the salary of the Political Agent 
 himself: but my friend, Trebania Saha, as well as 
 his colleagues, seemed to enjoy the slavery with open 
 forehead. 
 
 One morning after breakfast, Captain Eastwick 
 sent for me to fill up some blanks in his final report 
 of Upper Sindh. He was in the same room with Mr. 
 Ross Bell, who was dictating a letter to his Munshi. 
 I answered several questions put to me, and was in 
 the act of leaving the room, when I heard the great 
 man dictating an erroneous sentence, which his auto- 
 maton secretary took down exactly, and, reading it 
 out, stood waiting for the next. Thinking that, if 
 the sentence remained, it would prove injurious to 
 the British interests, I could not help speaking out 
 in correction of the error; upon which the great 
 man. stared at me fiercely, as if he would devour me 
 up, had it been in his power to do so. But, without 
 caring about his anger, I turned my back and pro- 
 ceeded to my own desk. In the evening, Captain 
 Eastwick told me that Mr. Ross Bell was very angry 
 with me for my interference in his business. I said 
 to him that a sense of duty caused me to correct the 
 mistake. 
 
 In the night of the 24th of June, at twelve P.M., 
 I was roused from sleep, and was sent for to the
 
 THE INTERCEPTED LETTERS. 319 
 
 private room of the Agency. I found there Captain 
 Eastwick and Mr. Bell sitting up, with some Persian 
 letters in their hands. I took my seat, and Mr. Bell 
 said something in French, which I guessed was a 
 question as to whether confidence could be placed in 
 me. On receiving a reply in the affirmative, the 
 papers were handed to me to be read and explained. 
 I did as required. I believe the letters were inter- 
 cepted by some designing dependant of the great 
 man. After I had read out the papers, and the great 
 man had taken some notes, he discussed the subject 
 with Captain Eastwick, in French, for about ten 
 minutes; and then I was ordered to proceed forth- 
 with to Sakhar with a message of importance to Fath 
 Mohamed Khan Ghori, the Minister. 
 
 So, in the morning of the 25th, at one o'clock A.M., 
 I left Shikarpur, and reached my destination in the 
 camp of the Minister at eleven o'clock A.M. I 
 delivered the message, took my breakfast with him, 
 and then, selecting a quiet place to shelter myself 
 and the horse from the sun, I wrote out the report 
 of my mission, and despatched it to Captain East- 
 wick by one of the horsemen of my escort. I took 
 my rest for about four hours, if rest it could be 
 called, for the thermometer under the tree which 
 shaded me was 116, and then I started at three 
 o'clock P.M., for Shikar-pur^ where I arrived, much 
 fatigued, at half-past eleven P.M. 
 
 On the 24th of July I was deputed to pay an
 
 320 AUTOBIOGRAPHY -OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 official visit to Mir Ismail Shah, the Minister of 
 Hydrabad, who arrived that morning on his way to 
 Calcutta. He had passed eighty-five years, and was 
 actually in his dotage. He had eight sons, all of 
 them holding high and respectable situations under 
 the Government. He was said to have five lakhs of 
 rupees in ready cash in his coffers, and held several 
 villages. So much, I should say, ought to have 
 satisfied him ; but no, he was after more and more 
 until he was no more. 
 
 On the 29th of July, Captain Eastwick receiving 
 his instructions to return to Hydrabad and resume 
 charge of the Residency there, I made over all the 
 drafts of the letters to my friend, Captain Postans, 
 the Assistant Political Agent, and employed myself 
 in preparation for the happy return to Hydrabad. 
 
 I paid parting visits to several friends in the town, 
 amongst whom was Abdu'rrahman Khan Durrani, 
 the monocular. This old gentleman, according to 
 the English ideas, had attained a great degree of 
 civilization in permitting his wife to see his friends 
 unveiled. I had the good luck of visiting this lady 
 and conversing with her more than once ; and this 
 time, having received an invitation, I had the pleasure 
 to dine with her and her civilized husband. This 
 damsel, in her beauty and charm, excelled the fair 
 sex of Shikarpur, and in wit, talent, and ability, 
 surpassed her simple-hearted husband, whom she 
 seemed to lead by the nose.
 
 SECLUSION' OF WOMEN. 321 
 
 Seclusion of women from the society of men is 
 considered a fault by the English, but a virtue by us, 
 the true believers. The English leave their women 
 to remain uncontrolled in life, and permit them to 
 enjoy the society of men both in public and private. 
 Poor creatures ! naturally weak, how many of them 
 fall victims to the brutal intrigues of men ! How 
 many families of high name have been ruined by 
 this unreasonable license ! In London alone, eighty 
 thousand females are said to be registered in the 
 black records. If you take an evening walk in one 
 of the quarters of that greatest city of the world, 
 called Regent Street, you will find many ladies of 
 exquisite beauty and high accomplishments, forsaken 
 by their relatives and friends, in the practice and 
 perhaps under the obligation of committing black 
 deeds. Who is to blame for all this ? I say, nothing 
 else but the license established by the civilizers. 
 
 I do not say that all Mohamedan ladies are vir- 
 tuous. Virtue and vice are two sisters, the former 
 fair and the latter black ; and no nation has ever 
 been or shall ever be uninfluenced by the two 
 ladies. But limits and restraints prescribed by the 
 Mohamedan law and usage in domestic affairs, I am 
 bound to say, at all events prevent increase in vice 
 and decrease in virtue. The time of the Mohamedan 
 ladies being occupied in needlework, in the perform- 
 ance of their religious duties five times a day, in 
 looking over their kitchens, and other household 
 
 M
 
 322 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP LUTFULLATL 
 
 affairs, they have no leisure to think of admirers. 
 Their marriages are arranged by their parents, who 
 are their best friends, and whose experience in 
 worldly affairs must be greater than theirs. Oppor- 
 tunities are in general afforded to the bride to see 
 her would-be husband from a loop-hole or a window 
 before she is married to him; and no matrimonial 
 contract is considered binding, unless the lawfully 
 attested consent of both parties is first obtained, and 
 taken down by the law officer appointed by the 
 Government to solemnize the marriage. Thus many 
 bitter feuds and lasting animosities which poison the 
 minds of contending rivals are avoided, and marriage 
 beds are not only free from contamination, but from 
 the dread of it. In short, seclusion secures women 
 from those delusions and temptations which irritate 
 the mind with fleeting joys, leaving behind the per- 
 manent sting of bitter remorse ; while, never having 
 tasted the universal triumph and dominion which 
 beauty gives in the circle of Europe, the pang of 
 lost power is not added to the painful sensation of 
 fading charms. 
 
 On the 12th of August, 1839, we left Shikarpur 
 for Hydrabad, embarking on board two small flat 
 boats, called beris, engaged to receive us at one of 
 the branches of the river Indus, two miles from the 
 town. It was with some difficulty that Captain East- 
 wick extricated himself from the multitude of his 
 visitors, some of whom ran to pay their respects to
 
 SINDH FEVEK. 323 
 
 him, and overtook us when we were as far as six 
 or seven miles from the town. The very high rise 
 of the water at this season afforded us a beautiful 
 landscape. Three enemies we had to contend with 
 during our voyage, the heat of the sun, the rats 
 of the boat, and the mosquitos of the river. The 
 first tried his power upon us all day long, the second 
 disturbed our sleep, and the third sucked our blood 
 during the night. 
 
 In four days' voyage, by pulling and dragging 
 the boats through the canal, we reached Sakhar once 
 more on the 15th, where, on the next day, I had 
 the pleasure of seeing Captain Eastwick's younger 
 brother, destined to be an assistant to the Political 
 Agent, and found him well acquainted with several 
 Asiatic languages. We made a stay of about one 
 week here, during which time we received the tidings 
 of the capture of Ghasni by Sir J. Keane. 
 
 The state of affairs in Upper Sindh seemed to be 
 fast deteriorating. The new Political Agent was 
 mostly engaged in quarrelling, particularly with the 
 Brigadier-General. Such a line of conduct must 
 prove prejudicial to the service. 
 
 We left Sakhar on the 24th of August, and reached 
 Hydrabad on the 28th, all safe. We enjoyed hardly 
 five days of peace here, in the very pleasant society 
 of Captain J. D. Leckie, when Captain Eastwick, 
 being attacked with fever, was obliged to proceed 
 to Tatta and thence to Karachi, leaving me and the 
 
 M 2
 
 324 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAU. 
 
 baggage at the camp at Tatta. I myself, too, had 
 several attacks of fever, and, not being able to obtain 
 a medical gentleman's aid, I physicked myself with 
 nothing but senna and wormwood infusions, finding 
 the latter plant spontaneously growing here in 
 abundance about the camp. 
 
 On the 15th of September we had a hot day, but 
 the evening was nicely cool, and twilight adorned 
 the sky all round with various lively hues, when on 
 a sudden a dark cloud, rising from the south-west 
 direction, spread itself all over, and substituted 
 darkness for the former beautiful scene ; and then a 
 very heavy rain began to fall, attended with a severe 
 hurricane, lightning, and thunder. I had seen three 
 tempests within the last four months in Sindh, but 
 this was the father of all. Many officers' tents were 
 torn to pieces and flew away; but my small tent, 
 having the advantage of several iron pegs driven in 
 the stony ground, remained in statu quo, though the 
 water, forcing through the entrenchments, rose about 
 two feet high, on the surface of which floated my 
 bed and furniture. This continued for about two 
 hours, and at 8 o'clock P.M., the severity of the 
 weather was luckily changed for calmness, and we 
 went to bed all wet through and through. The 
 weather continued stormy alternately till the 20th. 
 
 On the evening of the 28th, I witnessed a horrid 
 sight : a Sipahi of the 6th Company, 26th Regiment 
 N. I., committed infanticide and suicide. The man
 
 THE SUICIDE. 325 
 
 was a Maratha, aged about thirty. He lost his be- 
 Joved wife ten days before, after having given birth 
 to a child, and the poor man had to take care of three 
 children, the first five years old, the second three, 
 and the third the newly-born one, besides having 
 to perform his onerous duties as an English soldier. 
 Overpowered by such miseries, his reason was dark- 
 ened, and could suggest to him no remedy except 
 putting a period to the lives of the innocent creatures 
 and his own. So at ten o'clock r.M., he first killed 
 the two elder children by cutting their throats, and 
 then shot himself dead. I could not help weeping 
 over the bodies, and the thought of their miserable 
 fate rendered my night an unhappy one. 
 
 On the 19th of October, Captain Eastwick returned 
 to^Tatta, after five weeks' absence, and then, on the 
 21st, Ave left again for Hydrabad to conduct the 
 business of the Residency. Having had to go against 
 the stream, we reached the capital in four days, 
 pulling and dragging the boat. On my arrival, I 
 was sorry to find my friend, Captain Leckie, over- 
 exhausted with fever, and reduced to a skeleton. 
 
 On the 29th, I had a very severe attack of fever, 
 which, increasing every day for one week, prostrated 
 my strength entirely, and rendered me so weak that 
 I was unable to move in bed without aid. Captain 
 Eastwick's anxiety for my recovery exceeded that of 
 a father for his son. May God Almighty reward 
 him for his generosity ! There was no physician to
 
 326 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 be referred to. The mixture of senna and worm- 
 wood was the only remedy at my command. The 
 disease at last began to abate, after nine days, and 
 then the cooling sherbet of sugar brought on healing 
 effects in three days, and I felt myself quite recovered. 
 But the disease had rendered me so weak that I 
 could not stand up and walk for some days. In the 
 meantime, the month of Ramzan occurring, I was 
 prevented by weakness from observing the fast. 
 
 About this time, as I one morning walked out of 
 the Residency compound, a young man with a rough 
 stick in his hand and a portmanteau upon his shoulder, 
 coming up to me, pronounced the formal salutation 
 of a true believer, and inquired if there was a great 
 man in the Residency house, and if he could be 
 seen. I took him to be a rude beggarly traveller, 
 and, giving a rough answer to his query, turned my 
 back. After this he \vent to the Residency gate, but 
 the guard, seeing his miserable appearance, would 
 not admit him. He then seated himself under a tree, 
 and, taking out a piece of bread from his bag, 
 employed himself in chewing the same. After my 
 walk, I returned to my own quarters, and, when at 
 breakfast, thinking of his deplorable condition, I sent 
 my servant to him with a loaf of bread and some 
 curry, but he was not to be found anywhere. In the 
 afternoon, when I took some papers to Captain East- 
 wick for his signature, to my great astonishment, I 
 found the same adventurer, in English dress, sitting
 
 MOUBNING FOR AN UNCLE. 327 
 
 at the table, and conversing with Captain Eastwick 
 in pure English. I was introduced to him. His 
 name was Curzon, and I found him to be a man of 
 superior education and high qualifications. He knew 
 the Hindustani, Persian, and Arabic languages so 
 well that he even deceived me that morning, when 
 he addressed me, into thinking him a native. He 
 had travelled from Calcutta in the same state, and on 
 the 21st, again he disguised himself in his former 
 garb, and parted with us to proceed to Turkey. I 
 had the pleasure of seeing him afterwards hi London, 
 in 1844. 
 
 On the night of the 27th, official intelligence of a 
 battle at Khelat reached us. It announced the death 
 of Mihrab Khan, and the capture of his fortress. 
 
 Next morning the Amirs were officially informed 
 of this success, upon which they ordered a salute of 
 twenty-one guns to be fired from the castle, and the 
 city to be illuminated in the evening. Private infor- 
 mation mentioned that the Amirs were exceedingly 
 sorry to learn of the fall of Khelat, and of the death 
 of the chief, with whom they were not only on terms 
 of intimacy, but to whom they were also related by 
 marriage. Mir Mir Mohamed's father, Mir Ghulam 
 Ali, had married a sister of Mihrab. Such are 
 worldly affairs ; a nephew is obliged to order public 
 rejoicings at the death of his uncle. 
 
 On the 1st of December, Captain Eastwick had 
 another relapse of fever, which confined him to his
 
 328 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFDLLAII. 
 
 bed at once. He held on for a week in hopes, of 
 getting better ; but the fever rising higher, he became 
 weaker and worse every day. Our return to Karachi 
 was then determined upon, and in the afternoon of 
 the 8th we left the Residency in charge of Lieut. 
 Whitelock of the llth Regiment By. N. I. We 
 reached Tatta in the morning of the 10th once more, 
 and Karachi on the llth. Our servants, too, were 
 in a condition worse than ourselves. One of my head 
 servants, Hasan, was a large man of strong make, 
 and gigantic stature, and, when in health, I never 
 found him eat less than four pounds a day. But 
 now the fever had reduced him to a phantom of what 
 he was. His native land being Purbandar, I took 
 the opportunity of sending him home by a Sindhi 
 boat sailing for that port. 
 
 Under such circumstances, my fears were great. I 
 applied, therefore, to Captain Eastwick for leave for 
 three months, which he granted, and furnished me 
 with the following certificate, and a peon, by name 
 Abdul Karim, to take care of me on my way home : 
 
 " My Munshi, Lutfullah Khan, leaves me for three months to 
 visit his family at Surat. In this world of accidents many circum- 
 stances may occur to prevent his return. I cannot, therefore, 
 allow him to depart without recording my deep sense of the value 
 of Ms services, and the high estimation in which I hold him as a 
 friend and preceptor. I have had opportunities of narrowly 
 observing his character at intervals during the last eleven years, 
 and I can conscientiously affirm that, as a native of India, I have 
 seldom met his equal, never his superior, in liberality of senti- 
 ment, in the feelings and manners of a gentleman, in an ardent 
 desire of knowledge, and indefatigable industry in its pursuit.
 
 THE KAHMATI. 329 
 
 When the difference of the advantages of an Asiatic and European 
 education is considered, he will bear a comparison with the best 
 of my own countrymen. I can only add that I can never forget 
 my obligations to him, and that, while his character remains the 
 same, I shall always be proud to number him amongst my 
 friends. That health, success, and prosperity may attend him 
 wherever he goes, is the sincere wish of his attached friend, 
 (Signed) " W. J. EASTWICK, 
 
 " Assistant Kesident in Sindh. 
 " Karachi, 
 " 19<A December, 1839." 
 
 There was no vessel at this time bound for Surat ; 
 but a Sindhi battdla, called Rahmati, under the 
 Tindal Kasim, laden with dry fish, was about to 
 proceed to Bombay. On inquiring about it, the 
 Tindal engaged to land me at any of the nearest 
 ports. " Kasim," said I to the Tindal, " I would be 
 happy to go on board your vessel, but the smell of 
 your cargo I am afraid would not suit my state of 
 convalescence, and would aggravate the sea-sick- 
 ness." " My friend, have no fear about it," replied 
 the gigantic Sindhian sailor, " I shall have the cabin 
 prepared for you, where you shall have no smell of 
 any kind. As for the sea-sickness, if you will have 
 any, it will I am sure do you good, and the sea 
 breeze will greatly contribute to your health." 
 
 These and such flattering words persuaded me at 
 once, and I embarked all my baggage on the 19th 
 of December, on board the Rahmati, without taking 
 the trouble of going to see her first. On the 20th, 
 I parted with my master with a heavy heart, wishing 
 hini all success and happiness, and leaving him to
 
 330 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 the care of the same Supreme Being to whom I 
 looked for my safe arrival at Siirat. Sadik Shah, 
 the governor, and Nao Mall, the great merchant of 
 Karachi, gave me the honour of their company as far 
 as the pier-head, where I bade them adieu for the 
 last time, and, getting into a long boat, was soon 
 conveyed on board the Rahmati. 
 
 On reaching the vessel, I was sorry to find it over- 
 filled with dry fish from top to bottom ; even the 
 cabin promised to me was not without several bundles 
 of them lying at random. The Tindal was ashore, 
 and there were no persons of consequence to be 
 spoken to upon the subject. I addressed myself to 
 the crew, telling them that I would not remain on 
 board unless they would clean the cabin for me. 
 To this they replied very civilly, that they would do 
 everything in their power for my comfort, but I must 
 wait until the Tindal had arrived. After this I made 
 my bed upon the poop, and, having sprinkled a little 
 lavender all over it, immediately on laying my head 
 upon the pillow I was fast asleep, and did not wake 
 till the morning, when the melodious cries of the 
 sailors, in weighing their anchor and setting the sails, 
 roused me from my dormant state ; and, all of us 
 being true believers without exception, jointly pro- 
 nounced the sacred sentence of our Holy Book, 
 usual on such occasions : " In the name of God, 
 while it moveth forward and while it standeth still, 
 for our Lord is gracious and merciful."
 
 THE VOYAGE. 331 
 
 A nice morning breeze floated our vessel swiftly 
 and smoothly, and we were soon out of sight of 
 Karachi. By the evening of the 21st we were 
 opposite to Ghorabari. On the 22nd, I could discern 
 the Kach shores by the aid of my telescope ; and 
 by the 23rd we came in sight of the Miani Hills 
 and Jagat Point, and passed by them gradually. On 
 the 24th, it being dead calm all day, our progress 
 was very slow. The Tindal had the cabin well 
 cleaned for me, and ordered his people to attend 
 to my commands implicitly. The smell, too, began 
 to be less perceptible every day, I believe, on 
 account of my nose becoming more and more accus- 
 tomed to it. 
 
 On Wednesday, the morning of the 25th, the 
 Christmas Day of the Christians, we came opposite 
 to Bilwal Patan, and then I could keep myself no 
 longer on board the Rahmati. I requested Kasim to 
 land me, and he executed my orders as promptly as 
 usual. I parted with him as a friend, and made him 
 a present of a few rupees, which he received very 
 thankfully. I found Kasim Tindal to be a man of 
 high mind, free from avarice, and endowed with a 
 sense of honour ; in fact, he was an exception to the 
 general character of the Sindhians. 
 
 The governor of this place, on the part of the 
 Nuwab of Junagarh, I was informed, was still my 
 old friend Saiyid Abdullah Jamadar, who is so highly 
 spoken of by the learned lady, Mrs. Postans, in her
 
 332 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LTTTFULLAH. 
 
 travels, and he received me with the usual hospitality. 
 I passed two days with him in shooting and playing 
 chess. 
 
 On the 27th, I bade farewell to the good Saiyid, and 
 took my way to Jafirabad. Having lately sojourned 
 for upwards of three years in Kattiawar, I had 
 acquired a thorough knowledge of every corner of 
 the peninsula, and required no guide to show me the 
 way. 
 
 Accordingly I made the following marches : 
 Date. Name of the Village. Miles. 
 
 27th Damlej 14 
 
 28th Kori Nar 10 
 
 29th Unah 12 
 
 30th Rohisa 12 
 
 31st Jafirabad 6 
 
 This short journey was something like a pleasant 
 morning walk, in which I shot a few partridges and 
 wild pigeons every day. 
 
 On my arrival at Jafirabad, I was received with 
 hospitality by the Indo- African authorities of the 
 place, the delegates of the Abyssinian chief at Zanjira, 
 near Bombay. Sidi Mohamed, the governor, assigned 
 me a very nice place in the castle, until a boat bound 
 for Siirat could be obtained. The population of both 
 Jafirabad and Unah appeared to be increasing at 
 this time. A great difference seemed to have taken 
 place in these towns, from what I had seen two years 
 before. The number of houses now amounted to
 
 JAFIBABAD. 333 
 
 about 15,000 at eacli place. On inquiring the cause, 
 the old governor smiled and said, that good govern- 
 ment was the only cause of the increase of wealth. 
 How could that be the case, observed I, since Unah 
 belonged to the Nuwab of Junagarh, whose govern- 
 ment he had himself acknowledged to be a tyran- 
 nical one. To this he replied that the present 
 governor of that place, Fath Khan, one of the slaves 
 of the Nuwab, was a good man; and, if he continued 
 in the situation for some years, which was a matter of 
 doubt, Unah was sure to become more populous than 
 Jafirabad itself. 
 
 Jafirabad is a large town, one of the three estates, 
 viz., Zanjira, near Bombay ; Sachin, with its seven- 
 teen villages, near Siirat; and Jafirabad, in the 
 peninsula, granted by the Peshwa of Pilnah to Sidi 
 Abdulkarim Khan, commonly called Ballu Meah, in 
 1791 A.c. The town has a castle and city walls in 
 good repair, but which are commanded in all direc- 
 tions. The harbour of Jafirabad is good and safe for 
 vessels of small dimensions. The port carries on a 
 profitable trade with Bombay, Siirat, and other towns 
 on the coast of Gujarat, in exportation of cotton, 
 clarified butter, and cattle, and might become a place 
 of consequence if managed properly.
 
 334 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFUI.LAH. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Slave Governor of Jafirabad Return to Surat Death of the 
 Nuwab's eldest daughter I take service with Mr. Pelly 
 He transfers me to Mr. Langford The Nuwab of Cambay 
 and his Salt-pans Once more a Munshi The Nuwab of 
 Surat dies of cholera Sequestration of his property Mir 
 Jaflr Ali, his son-in-law, prepares to proceed to England 
 Engages me and Mr. Scott as his Secretaries. 
 
 THIS year I commenced at Jafirabad, under the 
 hospitable roof of the Indo- Abyssinian governor of 
 the place, Sidi Mohamed, who was intelligent, well 
 behaved, and well versed in the art of governing his 
 subjects. I had met with three governors, once 
 slaves, inferior to no freemen, within the last twelve 
 months, viz., Anand Khawass of Joria Bandar, Fath 
 Khan of Unah, and Sidi Mohamed of Jafirabad. 
 Slaves, when left to their own free will in their 
 conduct, prove better than freemen in general, for 
 their first subjugation teaches them how to act 
 towards their 1 subordinates. But eunuchs are an 
 exception to this rule. The maltreatment received 
 by them in the commencement works so strongly 
 upon their mental faculties, that they are vicious, 
 vindictive, remorseless, and void of fellow feeling and 
 sociableness ever after.
 
 RETURN TO SURAT. 335 
 
 On the evening of the 2nd of January, I took my 
 leave of Sidi Mohamed, and embarked on board a 
 battdla, laden with limestone, proceeding to Surat. 
 On the 10th, I called at the palace, and paid my 
 respects to the Nuwab and his two sons-in-law. The 
 old gentleman received me with his usual kindness, 
 and examined me narrowly about the affairs of the 
 Amirs of Sindh, and the success of the English in 
 Afghanistan. His Highness appeared to be in the 
 enjoyment of good health, but he was no better in 
 a moral point of view. His companions now were 
 low, mean, and reprobate persons, worse than before, 
 in whose society he passed his time in laughing, 
 joking, and nonsense. He had become addicted to 
 drinking ardent spirits, in addition to the usual dose 
 of opium; and was guided, or rather misguided, 
 in all matters by his Minister, Mohamed AH Bey. 
 " Yes, my lord," and " Very true," and " Most un- 
 doubtedly," were the sentences in general pronounced 
 by his courtiers in replies to his Highness's remarks, 
 observations, and desires, whether right or wrong. 
 After leaving his Highness, when I visited his 
 sons-in-law, they were delighted to see me, and 
 complained about their father-in-law's conduct in 
 life. 
 
 On my way to and return from, the palace, I 
 saw the destructive effects of the late conflagration. 
 Nearly one half of the city was turned into ashes. 
 Large naked walls were seen here and there standing
 
 336 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 upright, the only remnant of sublime edifices and 
 exquisite mansions. 
 
 On the 22nd, I learnt that Captain Eastwick was 
 proceeding to Bombay on sick leave. Thus my return 
 to Sindh was rendered unnecessary. 
 
 On the 30th of March I attended the grand funeral 
 of the Nuwab's eldest daughter, Mir Akbar All's 
 wife. She died of consumption this morning at five 
 o'clock, at the age of twenty-one. She had had 
 four children, but none survived her. This lady is 
 said to have been the best of the two daughters. 
 Her love for her husband and father was unlimited. 
 The principal cause to which is attributed her 
 untimely death, was the constant maltreatment expe- 
 rienced by her from her rival mother, who, being in 
 power, and in high favour with the old Nuwab, left 
 no annoyance unpractised towards this unfortunate 
 victim of her malignity. Mir Akbar Ali, having 
 been sent for by the Gaikwar at Baroda, had left 
 ten days before, and could not be present to bid his 
 last farewell to his dear beloved wife. This noble 
 lady had taken in adoption a daughter of a poor 
 Mughal from her infancy, whom she loved like her 
 own child, and had given to her the name of her 
 own great great grandmother, Wilayati Khanam. 
 The cries of this young, innocent, and very pretty 
 girl for the loss of her patron mother, moved my 
 sympathy so much that I could not help weeping 
 very bitterly, like one of the relatives and connec-
 
 A STARTLING RECEPTION. 337 
 
 tions, for a long while, until I left that part of the 
 palace to join the procession. Little did I know that 
 this very girl was destined to be my wife seven 
 'years after, and to be the mother of my several 
 children. 
 
 For five months I continued my old profession of 
 Munshi, when, wishing for Government employ, I 
 \rent to call upon Mr. Pelly. It happened that as I 
 was going upstairs, a Mr. Major, coming out of his 
 master's room, was going down : he called to me, 
 " For God's sake, don't come up." At first I was 
 thunderstruck at this polite reception of a friend; but, 
 casting my glance at the steps before me, what did 
 I see but a black serpent, about one inch in diameter 
 and four feet long, lying in ambush for a mouse. 
 Mr. Major, being nearest the animal, it assumed a 
 menacing posture towards him ; but the bold Christian, 
 taking his nailed shoe off his foot, gave the reptile a 
 blow on its head, which, being inflicted on the vital 
 part, nearly finished it, and then a few more blows 
 from Mr. Pelly, myself, and another servant, rendered 
 it defunct entirely. 
 
 My good and noble host then asked me to walk 
 in : I went in and sat with him ; but the dictate of 
 instinct made my face pale, my tongue mute, and 
 my heart throb for a little while ; then, asking 
 for a glass of water, I drank it, and was relieved 
 from the unpleasant effect of the nervousness. I told 
 Mr. Pelly that want of content and ambition bring
 
 238 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 many misfortunes upon worldly men ; that, not con- 
 tented with my present income, my ambition brought 
 me thither to ask his favour to give me a situation 
 in the Government service, and, instead of gaining 
 my object, I had nearly lost my life and the object 
 itself both together, The old gentleman, smiling it 
 my remark, observed, "Be not discouraged, Lut- 
 fullah, by mere accidents : our life is in the hand of 
 that Almighty Being without whose commands it 
 can be injured by none." He added, it was in his 
 power to give me at present a small situation as 
 English clerk and translator, for thirty rupees per 
 mensem, in his office, and that he would give me 
 thirty more out of his own pocket, if I instructed his 
 daughter and son in the Hindustani language for an 
 hour every morning. This kind offer I accepted at 
 once, and thanked my benefactor for his generous 
 and good act towards me. 
 
 On the 19th of December I reached Bombay, to 
 bid farewell to my old master, Captain Eastwick, 
 proceeding to England for the recovery of his health. 
 We were glad to see each other after one year's 
 interval, and conversed for many hours together, 
 when he was free from fever. As he was about to 
 proceed to his native land by the next steamer, I 
 stayed all the time with him, wrote several official 
 letters for him, and superintended his domestic 
 arrangements. On the 1st of January, 1841, when 
 we were about to part from each other, he was good
 
 I SAIL FOR SURAT. 339 
 
 enough to present me with a letter to Mr. Pelly, and 
 with a sum of money and some articles. I told him 
 that I had come to see him, and not to receive 
 presents ; but, seeing that my refusal would displease 
 him, I spoke no more to him upon the subject. At 
 noon I hired a good easy carriage for his conveyance 
 to the harbour ; and, having carefully put him into 
 it, I seated myself by him and held him fast, as he 
 was shivering with his cold fit. In this state I 
 conveyed him on board the steamer Victoria. He 
 was then conducted to the saloon, where, having 
 spread a small thin mattress, I made him lie down 
 upon it ; and, no sooner had I covered him with his 
 cloak, than I was ordered to leave the vessel. I 
 then bade him adieu with throbbing heart and tearful 
 eyes, thinking over the difficulties of the long voyage 
 he was to encounter in such a state of ill health. 
 
 We poor creatures of limited senses and imperfect 
 understanding are easily overpowered with grief or 
 rejoicing, without thinking of the unlimited power 
 of that Omnipotent Being, before whom it was not 
 difficult to cure the hopeless malady of Job and 
 engulf Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea. 
 
 On the evening of the 5th, at last finding out a 
 boat bound for Surat, I embarked on board of it, 
 and we sailed in the name of the Lord. The wind 
 not being in favour so much as was required, we 
 reached our destination on the evening of the llth, 
 all safe, but greatly fatigued by the effect of the
 
 340 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 jolting and shaking. On the 12th, I attended the 
 office and delivered the letter of Captain Eastwick to 
 Mr. Pelly, who had the kindness to give me an 
 extract of the same, under his own signature, and 
 promised to promote me on the first opportunity. I 
 resumed my office duties again as usual, and on the 
 4th of February, Mr. Pelly prepared to proceed on 
 his tour in the Konkau Zila ; and, having ordered a 
 part of his establishment, inclusive of myself, to go 
 along with him, I got in readiness and joined him, on 
 the morning of the 5th, at the Siirat Bar, on board 
 his vessel, and was received by him with great kind- 
 ness. We had an excellent passage, and reached 
 Karanja, the place of our destination, on the 7th. 
 Entering Bombay harbour, and leaving that town to 
 the left, we landed at the foot of the opposite hill, 
 from which spot across to Bombay Castle is about 
 three miles. 
 
 On our landing at Karanja, I found a few small 
 huts, with inhabitants half naked. Three places 
 were called houses: the first was the Government 
 distillery; the second, the dwelling house of the 
 Pars! in charge of the same; and the third was a 
 caravansary, lately built by Mohamed AH Rogey, 
 the Nakhuda, a respectable inhabitant of Bombay, 
 whose philanthropy and charitable feelings had, I am 
 informed, induced him to build this place for the 
 accommodation of travellers. 
 
 Karanja, with its environs, is a very nic"e healthy
 
 I AM TRANSFERRED TO MR. LANGFORD. 341 
 
 climate, influenced by the sea breeze from three sides. 
 In this good place I sojourned peacefully for a period 
 of about two months. 
 
 On the 30th of March, Mr. Pelly making his pre- 
 parations to proceed to the Nilgiris, he ordered me 
 and the other clerks of the establishment to join Mr. 
 Langford, his substitute, at Bandra. All the mem- 
 bers of the establishment, particularly myself, were 
 very sorry to lose the generous, noble-minded, and 
 good master, Mr. Pelly, who knew the merit of all. 
 On his departure, he gave me an excellent certificate, 
 a note addressed to his successor, and a handsome 
 present in money. 
 
 The next day I crossed to Bombay in the morning, 
 took my breakfast, and hired a couple of carts, one 
 for my luggage and servant, the other for myself, 
 and proceeded on to Bandra, which place we reached 
 at about eleven o'clock A.M. On starting from Bom- 
 bay, my rascally servant, Rahim, deserted me, under 
 the pretence of going to buy some provisions from 
 the bazar: I waited for him one full hour, and 
 searched for him everywhere in the market, but he 
 was not to be found, so I had to help myself in 
 loading and unloading the carts and making myself 
 comfortable in the journey. At Bandra, I put up 
 in the small Parsi inn. The daughter of the Pursi 
 
 O 
 
 landlady was a very pretty young woman : she had 
 a charming countenance and a fascinating air. Begin 
 you to converse with her, and you will immediately
 
 342 AUTOEIOGEATIIY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 find your heart pierced through by her sweet sub- 
 duing glances : in fact, she was a lady called by the 
 English a civilized woman, and I considered it my 
 good luck to eat and drink from her sweet hands. 
 
 In the evening, I accompanied the head clerk up 
 to the house on the hill, to pay our visit to Mr. 
 Langford, and to receive his instructions about our- 
 selves. We sent word that we were waiting to pay 
 our respects ; but the servant returned with the 
 answer, "Wait till you are sent for." After two 
 hours' anxious expectation, admittance being granted, 
 we went into the presence, and, after making our 
 bows, the head clerk was questioned if there was 
 any business of emergency which required immediate 
 attention. On his reply in the negative, we were 
 dismissed abruptly, and ordered to be in Siirat within 
 ten days. Not having had the honour of exchanging 
 a word with the new master, I presented Mr. Felly's 
 note of recommendation to him, which he reluctantly 
 took from my hand; and, casting a cursory glance 
 upon it, he destroyed it, and told me that he had no 
 more to say to me than what he had just spoken 
 to the head clerk, and that Captain Jacob had lately 
 given him some information about me. I did not 
 like this curt answer, with the air of arrogance, and 
 had a great mind to tender my resignation on the 
 spot ; but the head clerk, who stood by me, reading 
 my emotions from my forehead, pinched my hand to 
 stop my tongue, which prevented me. So I bade
 
 ME. LANGFORD. 343 
 
 Mr. Langford a good night, without uttering another 
 word. On our way home, I told my friend Beyzanji, 
 the head clerk, that, after this visit, I felt disgusted 
 with the Honourable Company's Service, in which 
 one is required every now and then to be cringing 
 before new masters. " Don't you see," said I, " that 
 Mr. Langford says that he had heard about me from 
 Captain Jacob, who, I am sure, has no favourable 
 opinion of me; so I should expect no promotion 
 in this department." "But why should you be 
 alarmed?" replied Beyzanji; "Mr. Langford cannot 
 be always the head of the establishment : he is only 
 acting for Mr. Pelly." 
 
 Our conversation ended with our arrival at the 
 inn, where we were received by the fairy, the land- 
 lady's daughter, with an open, sweet, smiling counte- 
 nance, which made me forget all cares. We took 
 our dinner, served by her fair hands, made arrange- 
 ments about our starting early in the next morning, 
 settled about the hire of the carts for the next stage, 
 and went to bed as comfortable as at home. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 1st of April, we left 
 Bandra for Siirat, and travelled on easily, changing 
 our carts at every stage ; we reached our destination 
 on the 8th, all safe. On the 20th of November, 
 I was ordered by Mr. Langford to accompany him. 
 to Cambay, where he required my aid in the pro- 
 posed arrangements with the Nuwab, as to the salt- 
 pans of that district.
 
 344 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 On the 24th, I left Siirat for Cambay with the 
 clerks of the establishment, on board the Govern- 
 ment schooner, and reached that port in the morning 
 of the 28th. Immediately on our arrival here, 
 Gopalbhai, the head man of the native establishment, 
 and myself, received instructions to wait upon the 
 Nuwab, and to [confer with him about the business, 
 and prepare him to acquiesce in Mr. Langford's 
 desires without any further discussion. My com- 
 panion and myself then put on our court dresses 
 and, at about half-past ten o'clock, proceeded to 
 the Court. His Highness having been previously 
 informed of our intended visit, we were duly received 
 by an officer of the State and presented to him in 
 the great hall, opposite to a large reservoir. We found 
 the Nuwab, a stripling of about eighteen, sitting 
 upon his State cushion, with a bolster behind him. 
 He had only four persons for his courtiers, seated to 
 the right, at a little distance from him. These were 
 gentlemanly looking men. There was another person 
 sitting in the window of the hinder gallery behind a 
 blind screen, close to His Highness's cushion, watch- 
 ing strictly what was going on in the Court. We 
 could discern a human figure, but did not know 
 who and what he was until afterwards, when we 
 were informed that it was the uncle, whose daughter 
 was married to the young Nuwab, and who always 
 watched him very carefully, and managed both his 
 public and private affairs. Upon the whole, the
 
 TIIE NUWAB OF CAM DAY. 345 
 
 Court, although it was void of all Asiatic pomp, 
 yet had sufficient dignity for State occasions. 
 
 We took our seat in front of His Highness, and, 
 after mutual inquiries about health, silence for a 
 little while prevailed. My colleague, although high 
 in the service, not being versed in court etiquette 
 and language, whispered to me to explain the sub- 
 ject of our mission. I then gave the Nuwab Mr. 
 Langford's compliments, and began my speech, com- 
 mencing with praises of the enormous power of the 
 British Government and its just and proper use in 
 the hands of its authorities. I then came round to 
 the matter of the salt-pans of his district, and tried 
 my best to impress upon his mind that it was impos- 
 sible to prevent the salt being undersold and the 
 revenue defrauded under the old system carried on 
 by his people, and that the management of the pans 
 must, therefore, devolve upon the British function- 
 aries. The man seemed to hear what was said to 
 him, but he would neither say yes nor no, nor even 
 shake his head to show his approbation or disappro- 
 bation. At the end of my speech, therefore, I was 
 obliged to put an interrogative sentence, telling him 
 that, if he disapproved of the plan suggested, he 
 would oblige us by saying so at once, that we might 
 inform Mr. Langford, who would adopt another mode 
 to remedy the evil. " You are right," observed His 
 Highness at last ; " think not that I disapprove of 
 all you have said; I shall see Mr. Langford this
 
 346 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 afternoon, and settle the matter with him at once." 
 Thus having obtained what we wanted, we took our 
 leave of him and returned to our lodging in the 
 factory. 
 
 On my return I drew up a report of our visit and 
 presented it to Mr. Langford, who highly approved 
 of it. He told me that, as he required me no more 
 in the district, I had better return to Siirat by the 
 boats that had brought us hither, and were going 
 back by the next tide ; that I had given him all the 
 satisfaction he required in the performance of my 
 duty during his charge of the office, and that I 
 should have my promotion by the first opportunity. 
 I thanked him for these soft and civil words in my 
 behalf, and prepared myself immediately for the 
 return. Our voyage back to Siirat was a speedy 
 one, and on the 1st of December I rejoined the 
 office at that place; but hearing that Mr. Langford 
 was going to move us to an unhealthy station, I 
 sent in my resignation. 
 
 Being now free from the office slavery, which 
 took up seven hours every day for only thirty 
 rupees per mensem, I conveniently allotted my time 
 to my English pupils ; amongst whom I had the 
 pleasure to have Mr. C. J. Erskine, a young man 
 of extraordinary talent and ability, whom I liked 
 much. So industrious was he in pursuit of know- 
 ledge, that in a few months he passed in three 
 languages, i.e., Hindustani, Persian, and Gujarati;
 
 SARFARAZ ALI. 347 
 
 and he paid me very liberally, in fact, far beyond 
 my expectation. Although I was better off in my 
 pecuniary affairs at this time, yet certainty of expen- 
 diture and uncertainty of income rendering me 
 uneasy, I thought of having a permanent situation, 
 and, with this view, I wrote to Mir Sarfaraz All. 
 On the 13th of April, I was regularly engaged to 
 instruct one of this nobleman's sons in the English 
 language for an hour every day, on a small salary ; 
 but the young nobleman, my pupil, seeing after- 
 wards that one hour's time was not sufficient, 
 increased my salary to fifty rupees per mensem, 
 with free table and carriage. I then gave up all 
 the English pupils except Mr. Erskine. 
 
 His Highness the Nuwab was also glad to see me 
 with his only son-in-law now in Siirat, the other 
 having gone to Baroda after the death of his wife. 
 He gave me a nice copy of Goldsmith's Natural 
 History, presented to him by an English friend, and 
 asked me to translate it for him into Persian at my 
 leisure hours, promising to reward me very hand- 
 somely for my labour. This offer I accepted with 
 great pleasure. I wrote about two hundred pages, 
 every sheet of which, as soon as I finished, was 
 taken by His Highness, read with avidity, and care- 
 fully kept. 
 
 On the evening of the 7th of August I received 
 a note from Mir Jafir AH Khan, requesting me to 
 attend immediately, as the Nuwab had been taken
 
 348 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 very ill with cholera, on his return from seeing the 
 steamer Carnac for the first time. Instantly, on the 
 receipt of this unwelcome note, I ran to the palace, 
 and on my arrival near the room where his High- 
 ness was, I saw Dr. J. Tawse leaving it with some 
 instructions, and the Parsi Native Agent following 
 him. I entered the room and saw His Highness in 
 a bad state, his face changed, his eyes sunk deep, 
 and his voice low; in fact, I found him beyond the 
 reach of remedv. Besides, his bein^ under the care 
 
 */ o 
 
 of his philosophical minister and his sapient young 
 attendants ensured his speedy departure from this 
 world. I felt deeply for the poor old man, thinking 
 that all his state, wealth, and dignity were now 
 unable to save him. I whispered my idea to my 
 young master, taking him aside; but he did net 
 like to hear what I spoke to him, and, instead of 
 resorting to some precautionary measures, began to 
 cry like a child. Seeing that it was no time for 
 advice, I soothed the young man by telling him that 
 he must not allow himself to be overpowered by grief. 
 In the meantime, it being announced that the 
 Nuwab's favourite wife and his daughter were coming 
 down to see him, we left the room clear for the 
 ladies of the palace. The visit of these children of 
 weakness and simplicity caused the old man to lose 
 a part of his remaining senses. At four o'clock, P.M., 
 death at last relieved him from all his pains and 
 anxieties. The poor old man died thus suddenly at
 
 AN EMPTY TREASURY. 349 
 
 the age of fifty-nine years, after enjoying his nominal 
 Nuwabship about twenty-one years. 
 
 His young son-in-law's grief, confusion, and distress 
 were at this moment inexpressibly great. I prevailed 
 upon him, however, to write an express letter to his 
 father at Baroda, whose experience and timely aid 
 he so particularly required at this critical juncture. 
 After this, at my earnest request, he sealed the 
 Treasury Rooms, with the account books and records, 
 etc. At dawn we broke the seal of the treasury 
 again to take out some' money for the funeral 
 expenses, but to our astonishment we found in the 
 money chest nothing but a vacuum, though the 
 sum of 8,333 rupees, 5 anas, and 4 pices of the 
 Nuwiib's monthly pension had been received from 
 the Collector's Treasury only two days before. 
 The Minister's pretended grief for the loss of his 
 master was so great that he could not say how the 
 money obtained its wings, and flew away in so short 
 a time, and his subordinates' mouths were closed. 
 The rooms were then locked and sealed up again, 
 and Mir Jafir Ali got from his own banker five 
 hundred rupees for the funeral expenses. It is a 
 most remarkable thing that a man, having an income 
 of nearly two lakhs per annum, had not at the time 
 of his death sufficient money in his treasury to 
 defray the charges of his own first stage to the 
 other world. 
 
 On the decease of the Nuwab, the descendants of
 
 350 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 his great great grandfather and his repudiated wife 
 prepared to take their revenge upon the surviving 
 family of the deceased. 
 
 Petitions on the part of the conflicting parties, 
 reviling and abusing each other, were sent in to 
 Government. It was considered advisable that Mir 
 Sarfaraz Ali should proceed to Bombay, taking me 
 along with him to represent the claims of his son and 
 daughter-in-law, and her children, to Government, 
 in person. So on the 3rd of October I left Surat 
 for Bombay, in company with the old gentleman, in 
 whose most agreeable and valuable society I passed 
 two months. I drew up two petitions to Govern- 
 ment for him, of which he approved very highly, 
 and he conferred a handsome reward of five hundred 
 rupees on me. Also he wrote a very flattering note 
 in his own handwriting to my address, which I pre- 
 serve on my records as a mark of his favour. He 
 visited the Honourable the Governor three times, 
 and then received an answer from Government, 
 assuring him that justice should be done in due 
 time. Upon this we made preparations for our 
 return to Siirat, and came back to that city on the 
 1st of December. A few days before our return, 
 the property of his late Excellency was sequestered 
 by the Government Agent, and the parties remained 
 anxiously expecting the final orders of the supreme 
 Government, and building their castles in the air. 
 On the 28th, I was officially requested by the
 
 TITLE OF NUWAB EXTINCT. 351 
 
 magistrate of Siirat to attend forthwith at the Politi- 
 cal Agent's court at Rajkot as a witness. I had 
 accordingly to proceed thither, and was detained six 
 weeks, to my great annoyance and pecuniary loss. 
 
 To return to the late Nuwab's affairs : fourteen 
 months after his late Excellency's death the supreme 
 Government of India sent its dreadful order through 
 the Bombay Government, by which the title of the 
 Nuwab became extinct, the pension ceased, and only 
 such members of the family as were in indigence 
 were entitled to any support from Government. The 
 ears of my young employer, and of all the members 
 of the family, were quite stunned to hear this arbi- 
 trary order. Mir Jafir consulted with his elders, 
 and it was suggested that he should proceed to 
 Bombay, and represent his grievances to Govern- 
 ment in person ; and that, if he failed to succeed, 
 he should then repair to England. So, in accord- 
 ance with this advice, he prepared to proceed to the 
 Presidency by land, and requested me to accompany 
 him. A lucky hour having been fixed by our 
 astrologers for the departure, again, in the latter 
 part of the month of December, we left Surat for 
 Bombay. We proceeded on, shooting and hunting 
 all the way, and finished our pleasant journey and 
 the month of December both together. For about 
 five weeks we stayed at Bombay, during which time 
 Mir Jafir Ali Khan waited upon the Honourable 
 the Governor thrice in person, and sent in his
 
 352 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 memorials to Government ; but no decisive answer 
 being obtained, he made up his mind to proceed 
 to England. He engaged the services of an English- 
 man, Mr. T. J. A. Scott, and of myself, as 
 his secretaries and interpreters for the trip, and 
 passed his agreements to both of us. We then 
 returned to Siirat on the 4th of February to make 
 our final arrangements for the long trip to England, 
 and on the 12th of March, 1844, we left our homes 
 and friends for the other end of the world, via 
 Ceylon. We chartered the steamer Sir James Car- 
 nac, as far as that island, and thence we had to 
 embark on board the large steamer Sentinck, belong- 
 ing to the P. and O. Company.
 
 THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 353 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The voyage to Ceylon Christian quarters and the Unclean 
 Annual Cingalese Gentlemen Aden Ass-equipages Tho 
 Kaba on the move Eve's burial-place Selfishness of John 
 Bull Grand Cairo Mohamed Ali Mrs. Larking Arabic 
 the Language of the Huris Alexandria Did Umar burn 
 the great Library ? Gibraltar Arrival at the Mother-bank. 
 
 IN the afternoon of the 13th we got over our 
 official and private business in haste, and early the 
 next morning, sails and engine being put in motion, 
 off we went in the most holy name of the Omniscient 
 Being, an atom of whose unlimited wisdom is the 
 source of all our sciences from eternity to eternity. 
 On the 4th we came in sight of Vingorla. On the 
 15th we saw Gowa, the Portuguese settlement. On 
 the 16th we passed by the Pigeon Island, and in the 
 evening we got in sight of Mangalur. On the 17th, 
 passing by Kalikot, we made Cochin by dusk. On 
 the 18th, at three o'clock A.M., we had to contend 
 with very rough weather, so much so that it not 
 only prostrated all our companions, but the crew of 
 the steamer too seemed to be in distress. Poor 
 Captain Duverger, a Frenchman, who commanded 
 the vessel, walked up and down on the deck all 
 the time, cigar in mouth, and the effect of the for- 
 
 N
 
 354 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 bidden liquor in his head. He passed by me every 
 now and then as I sat squatted by the side of his 
 walk, embracing one of the awning posts, and told 
 me, " My friend, tell His Highness and your com- 
 panions to be manly, and not quake for a capful of 
 wind." Got in sight of Cape Komorin this evening. 
 The last rock of old India looked well and pic- 
 turesque. The weather continued as harsh as the day 
 before, and the night and the next morning were as 
 bad as the preceding day. I myself, too, began to 
 feel very uncomfortable, and tired of being tossed 
 up and down. Captain Duverger told me that we 
 were opposite the Gulf of Manar and Adam's Bridge, 
 where storms always rage, and that we were about 
 to get over our difficulties. His prophecy proved 
 true, and on the morning of the 20th we were blessed 
 with the beautiful sight of Point de Galle, in Ceylon, 
 at a distance of about forty miles. 
 
 The beautiful view of this precious island became 
 more and more enchanting as we approached. At 
 last we cast our anchor in the harbour, and were 
 immediately surrounded by the black natives, the 
 Cingalese, so-called from the ancient name of their 
 land, Singaldip. The language of the natives sounded 
 to me a harsh jargon, without distinction of sylla- 
 bles or periods, something like gravel put into a 
 copper vessel and shaken; but they spoke English 
 well enough. Seeing marks of the tides at the land- 
 ing-place, I inquired the cause, and was informed,
 
 UNCLEAN ANIMALS. 355 
 
 to my great surprise, that there was no ebb and 
 flow of the tides perceptible in that part of the island. 
 We were overtaken by the evening dusk before we 
 got over our confusion and bustle of landing. In 
 the hurry, an English hotel being recommended for 
 our short sojourn, we proceeded thither and put up 
 comfortably. 
 
 Early in the morning, to our great astonishment 
 and disgust, we beheld a herd of unclean animals 
 running, grunting, snorting, and roaring about our 
 rooms. This abominable sight at once made us 
 anxious to quit the Christian roof as soon as pos- 
 sible; and, on inquiry, we found that there were 
 several houses of Muslims in the town; one of 
 them, the property of a very nice gentlemanly man, 
 by name Maka Murker, was obligingly lent to us, 
 and we immediately migrated to that place, and were 
 gladdened by the hospitality of our good host The 
 Christians of this time, in reforming themselves, have 
 reformed their religion too. They eat and drink and 
 do what they like under the acts of their Parlia- 
 ments, without any regard to the Old and New 
 Testaments, vide Leviticus, chap. xi. ver. 7 ; Matthew, 
 chap. v. ver. 17, 19. 
 
 The animals of this island are not dissimilar to 
 those of India, with some exceptions, in which I 
 would number the elephant. This animal, from what 
 I have seen here, appears to me far handsomer than 
 those the Indian forests produce ; besides, white and 
 
 N 2
 
 356 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 "brown elephants, which are rare in India, are com- 
 mon in this land. 
 
 The following day we were honoured with a visit 
 from five native gentlemen, fine looking men, of a 
 brownish shining complexion, in costume of the 
 ancient fashion, long robes and circular turbans 
 nicely zoned. They were introduced to us as Minis- 
 ters and State-officers of the former governing power 
 of the island. The power is now annihilated in toto, 
 but these are the marks of the ruin of the kingdom, 
 from which one might trace its origin. From the 
 conversation that took place, I conclude that these 
 gentlemen were intelligent and well-informed. The 
 religion of the country is Buddhism. The dead, if 
 laymen, are buried ; if priests, are given to be con- 
 sumed by fire. The prevailing diseases of the island 
 are leprosy and elephantiasis. 
 
 On the morning of the 22nd I had a kind invita- 
 tion from a Mohamedan native gentleman, by name 
 Ahmad Labbe, to breakfast with him at his country 
 house, situated in a cinnamon garden, about three 
 miles from the town. At eight o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, I set out and travelled in a coach for about 
 half an hour in the country, all over verdant, and 
 ornamented with beautiful trees, passing every now 
 and then by aqueducts and rivulets of fresh Avater. 
 I must not call this a travel, as it was somewhat 
 better than a morning walk into .a garden, refresh- 
 ing the soul. On my arrival at the garden-house
 
 CEYLON. 357 
 
 of my host, I met with a very warm reception from 
 him. Ignorance of each other's dialect obliged us 
 to converse in English, in which my host seemed to 
 Le well versed. For a little while he took me along 
 with him, and walked in his magnificent garden, 
 and pointed out a variety of the spice-trees, besides 
 cinnamon, such as those of the cardamons, the cloves, 
 the nutmeg, and the bread-fruit, etc., to my great 
 satisfaction. After this pleasant and instructive walk, 
 we came to the table, which I found laid with several 
 well-seasoned dishes. In the meantime, another good- 
 humoured young gentleman, a relative of the Labbe, 
 by name Tambe Sahib, joined us, and all three 
 of us sat down to breakfast. My host took upon 
 him to make tea for all, and, to my great astonish- 
 ment, instead of sugar and milk the usual auxili- 
 aries of that beverage he added a good quantity 
 of salt, pepper, and clarified butter to it. So the 
 cup of tea sent to me had more the appearance and 
 taste of a black dose than anything else. Not 
 wishing to displease my friends, I sipped it a little 
 with my food, feigning to like the taste ; but, unfor- 
 tunately, my taking it sparingly being attributed 
 to my requiring more of the ingredients, another 
 large quantity of them was added as a special favour 
 to my cup, and, whether I liked it or not, I was 
 in a most friendly manner compelled to swallow 
 it. Nausea at the heart and burning sensation from 
 the tongue to the stomach overpowered me for a little
 
 358 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 while ; but I endured them well, and, I must say, 
 it was a reward for my hypocrisy, which I well 
 deserved. After the breakfast was over, I was taken 
 to another apartment, where, kalyiins being brought, 
 we had a hearty smoke, and conversed a little more 
 on the subject of the Indian Government, and then 
 I parted with my noble friend and returned home. 
 The rehearsal of what had taken place excited much 
 laughter of my companions at home, but I cared not 
 for it, as I had obtained a piece of experience at the 
 cost of a dose, which did me no harm, but operated 
 as medicine twice or three times. 
 
 In the morning of the 25th, hearing a terrible 
 noise at the harbour, we ran and got upon the ram- 
 part to find out the cause, when, to our great delight, 
 we discerned the large steamer Bentinck forcing 
 its way through the sea, with its four tremendous 
 wheels at work, making a dreadful noise, and send- 
 ing up its smoke to the sky. Upon the whole, the 
 sight of this exceedingly big sea monster will give 
 you an idea of a roaring Satan making its appear- 
 ance to devour up all that may come in its way. 
 On the 26th, we embarked on board this large vessel, 
 bidding adieu to the beautiful island of Ceylon. We 
 were introduced to the commanding officer, Captain 
 Kellock, a nice gentlemanly man, of a size propor- 
 tionable to the vessel he commanded. Our cells 
 or cabins, in the sea language were shown to us ; 
 luckily they were in the second of the four stories that
 
 SOCOTRA. 359 
 
 the ship contained. The vessel, although very large, 
 we yet found too much crowded, there being no less 
 than three hundred passengers on board, besides the 
 crew. At half-past two o'clock, P.M., the anchor 
 was weighed and the steamer started with its gigantic 
 force, wending its way as fast as possible. All of 
 us were made very comfortable on board the vessel, 
 through the attention of the good captain and officers. 
 I must say that all the passengers who go by the 
 P. and O. Company's steamers are more comfortable 
 than at home. The English people, from what we 
 saw of them on board the Bentinck, are first-rate 
 eaters and drinkers; almost all of them ate and drank 
 four times, five times, and even some six times a day. 
 I must confess that we ourselves had not a bad 
 appetite, and were amply furnished with every article 
 of food we required, and made comfortable in every 
 respect 
 
 On the 2nd of April we came in sight of the 
 island of Socotra, as predicted the day previous by a 
 number of birds called bostons flying in that direction 
 in the afternoon. This bird seems to be gifted with 
 a wonderful power of flight over the seas. The 
 island of Socotra was not less than two hundred 
 miles distant from the spot where we saw them the 
 day before. Hence it might be concluded that the 
 bird, leaving the island in the morning arid returning 
 to it in the evening for its rest, must travel about 
 five hundred miles a day. Praise to the power of
 
 360 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 the Omnipotent Being! in one stroke of whose 
 mysterious pen, innumerable dexterities and arts can 
 be seen, if one has an attentive eye and comprehen- 
 sive mind. I witnessed another wonder in this purt 
 of the sea, the flying fish. From one of these flocks 
 that happened to go across our steamer, three flying 
 fish having fallen upon the deck, I seized upon one ; 
 and a near view of the animal showed that it was 
 a pretty little creature, and that nature had furnished 
 it with two pairs of wings, one to be used in the 
 water and the other in the air. Besides, when it 
 was fried, I found it to be a very delicious food. 
 
 On the morning of the 4th we came in sight of 
 Aden, and let down our anchor in its harbour at 
 half-past one o'clock P.M. The distance reckoned 
 from Ceylon is 2,215 English miles, So far, our 
 voyage was, upon the whole, a very pleasant and 
 very comfortable one. We had smooth and calm 
 water almost all the way from Ceylon. After our 
 arrival, the ship's company got permission to go to 
 the land, if they liked ; so we landed at once and 
 placed ourselves on the lap of Mother Earth after 
 eight days' separation. There is no such thing as 
 a wheel-carriage known in Arabia ; we had, there- 
 fore, no alternative left but to hire some asses for 
 our short travel to the town of Aden, six miles from 
 the harbour. Some uses in one country are abuses in 
 another. For instance, ass-riding in India is a sign 
 of public disgrace. There you will see nobody riding
 
 ADEN. 361 
 
 a donkey except those who, for heinous crimes, are 
 sentenced to be paraded on the back of that animal. 
 But in Arabia, and perhaps in all other countries, 
 ass-riding is considered no disgrace. The head of 
 our party, Mir Jafir Ali Khan, who weighed some- 
 thing more than seventeen stone, was thought too 
 heavy to be carried by an ass ; besides, he could 
 not be persuaded to ride one, as he lifted up one 
 of the animals upon both his hands to show the 
 Arab owner that it was impossible for him to be 
 carried by a beast that could be lifted up by himself. 
 In the meantime, a muleteer came in, running as if 
 after a wild goose chase, and tendered the use of his 
 fat mule to the bulky rider, who readily accepted the 
 offer, and paid the man well ; and then we cantered 
 on to the town. Town you may call it, if you like, 
 as long as you have not seen it; but, when you 
 have done so, I am sure you would call it a haunt of 
 evil spirits. It is no town, nor even a village, but a 
 few miserable huts situated in the middle pit of the 
 barren hills, circling round in the shape of a natural 
 fortification, the diameter of which is about three 
 miles. 
 
 As a military post I dare say it is not a bad place, 
 if they were to build a suitable gate, and a few- 
 bastions; but in all other respects, in my opinion, 
 the name Aden, denoting Paradise, given to this 
 place, is altogether contrary to its qualities. This 
 name must, I believe, have been given to the place
 
 362 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 upon the same principle as we give the name Kafur, 
 or Camphor, to our African slaves. There is no 
 sign of vegetation here as far as you can see. There 
 is no fresh water, except in one small well, under the 
 Government guard, the water of which is sold for 
 high prices. I suppose I may not say anything 
 about the animal productions of a place where there 
 is no water nor vegetable. The inhabitants are 
 wretched and mean-looking people, bareheaded and 
 barefooted, having nothing to cover their body 
 except a small piece of linen. There were only 
 three or four persons who seemed to honour their 
 heads with turbans ; one of them was Ednisi Saiyid, 
 who acted as priest to these wretches, and led their 
 prayers in the small mosque, apparently going fast 
 to decay. We put up under a shed belonging to 
 an Indian retailer, and, having prepared and eaten 
 our dinner, all of us went to bed and slept undis- 
 turbed very soundly, and did not get up until very 
 late the next morning, when the hot rays of the sun, 
 penetrating through the partition, obliged us to rise. 
 After the ablution and breakfast we thought of 
 returning to the steamer ; but, it being Friday, the 
 day of our Sabbath, it was agreed upon that we 
 should not leave Aden before the performance of 
 our Divine service at noon in the mosque of this 
 place. At the appointed hour we proceeded to the 
 sacred place of worship, whence the Holy Mecca, the 
 rendezvous of the prayers of the Muslim world, was
 
 THE KABA ON THE MOVE. 363 
 
 not too far ; attended to the sermon nicely delivered 
 by the Saiyid aforementioned, and, having performed 
 the prescribed duties, we left Aden for the harbour, 
 which we reached in time, and embarked. 
 
 So, in the evening of this day, the 5th of April, 
 at half-past six o'clock, the anchor was weighed, 
 and off the steamer went on its way. In the morning 
 of the 6th we passed through the Babu'lmandab, and 
 entered the Bahr i Kulziim, by the English called 
 the Red Sea. By ten o'clock we came opposite to 
 Mokka, and then passed several small islands on 
 the left side. This day, in the afternoon, I found, 
 by the mariner's compass, that the Kaba, the criterion 
 point of our prayers, began to incline to the East. 
 I mentioned the fact to my Muslim companions, 
 who, instead of believing me, laughed at me heartily, 
 and said that too much reading in English books 
 most certainly had made my religious feelings too 
 weak. " How could it be possible," said they, " that 
 the Kaba, the most sacred house of God, which is 
 the centre of the universe, should change its posi- 
 tion !" "He must have taken a glass of wine with 
 his English friends," observed another, jokingly, "and 
 what he says, therefore, cannot be sound." In the 
 meantime, my third friend, the old physician, changed 
 his posture, and, addressing himself to his young 
 master, remarked, " Did your Highness ever hear 
 such nonsense? A man with a sound mind would 
 never say that the Kaba changes its position." All
 
 364 AUTOBiOGUApnr OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 these remarks I heard with patience -without saying 
 a word, and established my truth by another bond 
 fide proof. The Arab pilot, taken by the captain 
 from Aden, stood to say his afternoon prayers to the 
 direction mentioned by me. " How is this," said 
 I to my friends, "that this Arab turns to the 
 direction I pointed out?" "We daresay he is a 
 Jew ; we shall, however," said they, " ask him some 
 questions, through the medium of another interpreter, 
 and satisfy ourselves upon this subject of importance." 
 They did so, and got a good reward for their folly. 
 In the first place the interpreter, a young French- 
 man, laughed at them for the questions they put, 
 and, secondly, the rough Arab gave them a scolding 
 answer, and told them that they would soon see at 
 Suez and Cairo all the true believers direct their 
 prayers to the due east. " If you Indians," growled 
 he angrily, " believe in the same God and the same 
 prophet as they do, please follow their example; if 
 not, prepare yourself for hell fire." In the evening 
 we came in sight of the lights of Jeddah, the cele- 
 brated port where all the Indian Muslims disembark 
 first, and whence they proceed on to the holy city of 
 Mekka for the performance of their pilgrimage. As 
 for the derivation of the word Jeddah, which signifies 
 grandmother, I have read in some book that when 
 our first parents were thrown from the blissful region 
 under the wrath of God for their transgression, 
 Adam was destined to fall at Ceylon and Eve at
 
 SUEZ. 365 
 
 this place. They then wandered about for some 
 years in the wilderness, and had at last the pleasure 
 of meeting each other in the holy land of Jerusalem. 
 The old lady, it is stated, at the concluding part of 
 her life, requested to be conveyed to the same place 
 where her feet first touched the earth. This being 
 done, she departed this life, and was interred at 
 this place, whence it had been called Jeddah from 
 time immemorial. I have been informed there is a 
 tomb of enormous length in the vicinity of this 
 town, consecrated up to this time in the name of 
 Mother Eve. 
 
 The 7th and 8th of April passed comfortably ; but 
 on the 9th, we found the sea to be rough in con- 
 sequence of the northerly wind, which is said to be 
 generally too strong and troublesome in this part of 
 the globe. It continued the same until the evening 
 of the 12th, when we reached the port of Suez, 1,300 
 English miles from Aden. After our arrival at the 
 bar of this port, we transhipped ourselves into an 
 Arab sambruk to be landed at the town. This long 
 boat being hired by ourselves, it contained nobody 
 but eight of us Indians and the English secretary, 
 Mr. T. J. A. Scott, with his wife and child. Much 
 cold and great inconvenience we experienced in this 
 small boat. The water having ebbed, it grounded 
 every now and then; and, at the dusk of evening, 
 it became so tempestuous, cold, and chilly, that every 
 one of us was seized with trepidation. Mir Jafir All
 
 366 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 Khan was worst off, through his own imprudence in 
 leaving his cloak on board the steamer. I offered 
 him mine, but he politely declined the offer, telling 
 me that it was too small for him, so it would be 
 worse than useless to deprive me of the benefit with- 
 out relieving him from the cold. At the same time, 
 he suggested to me that there were two blankets 
 without any owner lying about the place where Mr. 
 Scott sat, and one of them had been taken for Mrs. 
 Scott, so the remaining one might be brought to 
 him. I proceeded thither to fetch it, but Mr. Scott 
 prevented my doing so, telling me in a very rough 
 manner, as if we had never known each other, that 
 he was the first person to seize upon the blanket, 
 and he would not allow his father Peter to take it 
 from him until he had done with it. I told him 
 that I did not want it, but that his master required 
 it very badly. " I would not," replied he, " for the 
 world kill myself for others, you may tell my mas- 
 ter." But there was no need of telling the master, 
 as he overheard and understood what passed between 
 us. This showed clearly that selfishness was the 
 general character of John Bull. 
 
 At half-past seven o'clock in the evening we 
 reached the pier at Suez, and were conducted to the 
 inn, where, thanks to God, we got a nice comfortable 
 room, good dinner, and clean beds. After the hard- 
 ships we had suffered in the afternoon, seeing some 
 oranges that were brought from Cairo and sold at
 
 AL MISR. 367 
 
 the door of the hotel, I bought a few, and found 
 them excel, in sweetness and flavour, all fruit of that 
 kind I had ever tasted in my life. My companions, 
 too, extolled the fruit very highly, and not only 
 devoured all that I had bought, but purchased a 
 good lot of them to supply our wants on our way in 
 the desert. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 13th we left Suez ; our 
 luggage and servants were loaded on the camels, 
 and ourselves were furnished with light carriages, 
 called vans ; each of these vehicles held four per- 
 sons, and the fifth was the Arab driver. It was lucky 
 that four of us were put in the same van without 
 making a heterogeneous mixture of the English with 
 us. We proceeded on in the cool of the night, partly 
 conversing and partly dozing and drooping with sleep. 
 At midnight we reached the stage house, where we 
 slept comfortably till morning ; and then, after taking 
 our breakfast, set off again and reached Al Misr, 
 commonly called Grand Cairo, on the evening of the 
 14th. It was a most enchanting scene to see, just 
 at the verge of the wilderness, the lofty edifices and 
 the golden spires of the domes and palaces shining 
 brightly over the houses of the population of this 
 city, the capital of Egypt. 
 
 The houses of the city are built in the ancient Arab 
 manner, within courtyards, confused and crowded, 
 and the streets are very narrow in some places, hardly 
 admitting two persons to go abreast Men and women
 
 368 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 are strong, robust and fair; and the eyes of the 
 Egyptian ladies are remarkably handsome and most 
 enchanting. Donkey riding is considered no disgrace 
 here ; you will see even ladies of rank and dignity, 
 when tired of walking in the streets, beckoning to 
 the donkey man for his animal, who instantly attends 
 to the call, and the fair creature, getting upon its 
 back astride, canters on to her destination. The lan- 
 guage of business is Arabic, and that used at Court 
 and in families is peculiarly Turkish. So much for 
 the city of Grand Cairo. 
 
 On our arrival here we put up in the house of a 
 native Christian physician, and passed a very com- 
 fortable night after the fatigue of our journey. On 
 the morning of the 15th, our young master, among 
 others, had the pleasure of receiving a visit from Mr. 
 ,T. Tibaldie, the head director of the Transit Com- 
 pany, a man of rank, wealth, and talent, perhaps of 
 French origin, but well qualified in the English, 
 French, and Italian languages. This gentleman pro- 
 posed to Mir Jafir Ali Khan to pay his respects to 
 Mohamed Ali Pasha in the afternoon at his garden 
 house, called Shubra, to which he agreed. 
 
 This morning I asked leave to go and see the 
 Pyramids, one of the wonders of the world ; but, to 
 my great dismay, I was refused, under the plea that 
 I could not be expected to return by the afternoon, 
 when my services of interpreting to the Pasha would 
 be urgently required. I prevailed, however, upon
 
 THE TOMB OF A MOHAMEDAN SAINT. 369 
 
 mjf employer to grant me two hours, and, riding 
 a swift ass, I proceeded to visit the tomb of Imam 
 Mohamed Shafai, the author of the third orthodox 
 sect of the Muslims, which is situated about one 
 mile to the east of the town. On my arrival there 
 I was actually in tears to find that the ashes of this 
 renowned reformer, or rather founder of the third 
 sect of Islam, were neglected within the sight of 
 a Muslim Prince. The vault was half-decayed 
 and the tomb inside broken, bent down, and over- 
 grown with prickly bushes. I cared not, however, 
 for the external worldly ornament, and said my 
 prayers v over the sacred ashes of the saint, and re- 
 turned home in full satisfaction. The birth of this 
 extraordinary holy man, histories inform us, took 
 place at Ascalon, in Palestine, in the year 767, A.C., 
 or 150 A.H. He was carried to the holy city of 
 Mekka during his infancy, where he was educated. 
 He was gifted with such a capacity that, when 
 fifteen years old, he composed several books on 
 Mohamedan jurisprudence, of incomparable excel- 
 lence. He came to Egypt in 814, A.C., or 199 A.IT., 
 and five years after that, left his transitory abode for 
 the blissful regions. 
 
 In the afternoon, being furnished with equipage, 
 we proceeded to the Royal Garden House of Shubra, 
 in company with Mr. J. Tibaldie. After going about 
 two miles, partly in and partly out of the city, we 
 reached the Garden, and, meeting with ready admit-
 
 370 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 tance, we entered it, and found the place to be a 
 paradise on earth. The flower and fruit-trees were 
 in beautiful order, loaded with blossoms and fruits, 
 nicely reared with perfect horticultural art, and the 
 avenues, paved with white and black pebbles, repre- 
 sented Persian carpets, spread in straight lines every- 
 where. On entering the palace, we found it to be a 
 massive edifice of alabaster, having an excellent 
 reservoir in the middle. The ceilings were masterly 
 worked in basso relievo, and the pillars, single and 
 solid pieces of the same stone, polished to the lustre 
 of a mirror. We were conducted by a state officer, 
 splendidly dressed, to a spacious room at the northern 
 corner, and there we saw the old famous prince, 
 Mohamed Ali Pasha, plainly attired in a red Turkish 
 cap and a blue cloth coat descending to his knees ; 
 and then, being introduced to him, each of us touch- 
 ing His Highness' right hand with his, kissed it, 
 according to the Turkish form of compliments, and 
 then seated ourselves on the divan, in line to the 
 right of the old prince. Two pairs of valuable 
 Cashmere shawls were then presented by Mir Jafir 
 Ali Khan, and were kindly accepted by His High- 
 ness. Now three heads and tongues were employed 
 to interpret, i. e., I explained my young master's 
 expressions to Mr. Tibaldie, in English, and Mr. 
 Tibaldie to His Highness' principal dragoman (or 
 interpreter) in French, and the interpreter to His 
 Highness in Turkish. The mutual compliments were
 
 PORTRAIT OF MOHAMED ALI. 371 
 
 but very short, and then my young master began 
 addressing himself to His Highness in the usual nat- 
 tering mode of the English princes. He observed 
 that he had always heard about the well-regulated 
 good government wisely constituted and personally 
 conducted by His Highness ; that he thanked heaven 
 he had now an ocular demonstration of the same, 
 and found that all he had heard was nothing but 
 truth. To this the old Pasha replied, " Something is 
 done, but a great deal more remains to be done." 
 After this, His Highness put several questions on the 
 system of the English Government in India, which 
 were duly replied to in short but comprehensive 
 answers. The coffee then being ordered, was brought 
 in, and, being presented to each of us, we rose in 
 turns, and, kissing our own hands to His Highness, 
 as a Turkish homage, we drank it in the same way 
 as an Englishman drinks his friend's health, and then 
 getting our leave, returned home well satisfied with 
 the interview with an extraordinary man, who, 
 although an unlettered soldier once, yet had raised 
 himself to the summit of sovereignty, like the 
 European Cromwell and Buonaparte and our own 
 Haidar and Ranjit. 
 
 Mohamed All was of middle stature, and slender 
 but compact in make. His complexion was nearly 
 fair, and his head well-shaped. His forehead was 
 high and broad, having a plurality of horizontal 
 wrinkles, that appeared and disappeared according
 
 372 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTi'ULLAH. 
 
 to the working of his mind. He had an oval face, 
 fringed with a short white beard, expressive features, 
 an aquiline nose, and black penetrating keen eyes set 
 deep under arqhed eyebrows. His deportment in 
 general was grave, disclosing the mental energy which 
 distinguished him ; but he seemed to have a lively 
 disposition and fascinating manners upon the whole, 
 combined with the air of authority. He was about 
 eighty years of age, and very nearly one-half of that 
 time he had been the ruler of Egypt. 
 
 On the 16th we got on board one of the small 
 steamers appointed to convey passengers to Alexandria 
 by the Nile. We sailed down smoothly and com- 
 fortably. The scenery on both the banks was 
 beautiful all the way. We saw several alligators, in 
 the act of running after their prey, rushing on in the 
 water, regardless of the noise that our steamer made. 
 These monsters seem to be endowed with an enor- 
 mous power by nature; they swam both with and 
 against the stream with equal velocity. 
 
 At noon on the 17th we reached the celebrated 
 port of Alexandria, the metropolis of Egypt, and the 
 former emporium of the East, and disembarked at the 
 garden-house of Mr. J. Tibaldie's sister, Mrs. Lark- 
 ing. A tall, handsome, well-made, and well-behaved 
 gentleman assisted our landing from the steamer, and 
 then we had the pleasure of knowing him. to be Mr. 
 Larking himself. This very polite and hospitable 
 Christian, who does honour to the .English name, re-
 
 LANGUAGE OF PARADISE. 373 
 
 ceived us all like his own brothers, and conducted 
 us to his nice house, commanding a view of both 
 the river and the city. On entering his hospitable 
 roof we had the pleasure of being introduced to Mrs. 
 Larking, a lady consummate in beauty and noble in 
 mind, which gift and quality deserve to be painted 
 and eulogised by a skilful artist and a vivid-minded 
 poet, and not by a poor writer like myself. In short, 
 all of us were as comfortable as at home. This beau- 
 tiful damsel, it appears, knew several languages ; but 
 she conversed in two, i. e., she talked with her hus- 
 band in French, and with us, as well as with her 
 own servants, in pure Arabic. This was the first 
 time that I saw and heard a fair mouth scattering 
 pearls of eloquent phrases in that scientific language. 
 She had an excellent accent, and expressed her deli- 
 cate ideas in a most charming manner. I confess 
 that, in conversing with her, I considered myself 
 having the felicity of confabulating with one of the 
 gazelle-eyed nymphs of Paradise who, our religion 
 teaches us, speak no other language but the Arabic. 
 I conclude Mr. Larking to be the luckiest man in 
 Egypt, being blest with seven goods good health, 
 good wife, a very nice, good child, good disposition, 
 good fortune, good name, and good luck ; and I wish 
 him all happiness throughout his life. An early 
 dinner being ordered, we had the pleasure of dining 
 with this good pair, and then, in the afternoon, being- 
 supplied with a carriage, we were conducted through
 
 374 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 the city of Alexandria to another garden-house, be- 
 longing to Mr. Thurburn, the father-in-law of good 
 Mr. Larking. Here we were comfortably lodged for 
 a short time, expecting the steamer that was to take 
 us on to England. 
 
 The next day we had the pleasure of seeing the 
 old gentleman, Mr. Thurburn, at his own house. He 
 received us with unfeigned attention, and treated 
 us with sincere courtesy during the visit; and, on 
 our leaving, gave strict orders to his servants to see 
 that we were comfortable in every respect, and to 
 attend to all our commands during our sojourn in 
 his nice garden-house. In the evening, being 
 invited to dine with another son-in-law of Mr. 
 Thurbun, by name Mr. Straunary Tossizza, the 
 Greek Consul, we went to liis house. On our 
 arrival, we found the house sumptuously furnished 
 like a palace, fit for a prince to reside in. Here we 
 were also received by our noble host and his beauti- 
 ful wife and her younger sister. These two fairies, 
 I must say, surpassed their sister, Mrs. Larking, in 
 their incomparable beauty. The house was deco- 
 rated with all kinds of rich articles ; and the guests 
 were treated with such real courtesy and politeness 
 as never can be met with from the Christians in 
 India. We returned home after ten o'clock, P.M., 
 over-filled with feelings of gratitude towards our 
 noble hosts. 
 
 For six days we had to stay at Alexandria, during
 
 DID TJMAR BURN THE LIBRARY? 375 
 
 which time I went my rounds within and without the 
 city, at my leisure, for an hour or so every day in 
 search of information. 
 
 Many Christian writers, either on account of their 
 want of knowledge, or from an unfounded prejudice 
 against the true faith (except Gibbon and other 
 eminent authors), accuse our Caliph of the unpar- 
 donable crime of having ordered the contents of the 
 famous library that once adorned this city to be used 
 as fuel for the five thousand baths which are said 
 to have been here. It is something like Dr. Smith, 
 who, in his " Epistles de Moribus ac Institutis Turc- 
 arum," no less than thrice mentions the Mohamedans 
 visiting the tomb of their prophet at Medina, and 
 once speaks of his being born there, the reverse of 
 which is true. So, too, Dr. Philip Prince, in his 
 " Universal History," page 57, observes : " A Moha- 
 medan, amongst other observances, must wash him- 
 self thrice a day," instead of five times a day. 
 Writers of events, I beg to observe, ought to be void 
 of all partiality, and ought to have a thorough know- 
 ledge of the nature and character of the subject they 
 undertake to explain. In the first place, they ought 
 to have known that Mohamedan tenets teach all true 
 believers to hold papers of all kinds sacred, and never 
 to touch them even with their feat, nor allow them 
 to be thrown into an unclean place, as they may 
 contain the name of the Almighty Allah contrary to 
 the custom of the Christians of the present age, who
 
 376 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 have no regard even for their Bible, and would use 
 its leaves, if damaged in any way, as useless paper. 
 Secondly, it is quite absurd to think the same Caliph 
 would commit such an act of insanity, who, on his 
 visit to Jerusalem as a conqueror, ordered the great 
 University there to be repaired at the public expense, 
 and who would not say his prayers within the Grand 
 Temple of that holy place, for fear of its being spoiled 
 by his soldiers in following his example. Besides, 
 the General Amru, who was a lover of science and 
 literature, and a man gifted with poetical talent, 
 would by no means make himself an instrument of 
 such an act of irrational madness. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 24th, at two o'clock P.M., 
 we parted with our noble, hospitable, and good 
 Christian friends, and, embarking on board the large 
 steamer, Great Liverpool) we bade adieu to the port 
 of Alexandria. With regard to the room and atten- 
 tion, we found ourselves more comfortable and more 
 attended to than on board the JBentinck. The fact 
 is, that the more you proceed on towards England, 
 the more you find the English people endowed with 
 politeness and civility. On leaving the harbour of 
 Alexandria, our large steamer, with its 167 passen- 
 gers, glided on the sea smoothly with its usual force. 
 All the company were in excellent spirits, it being 
 calm and peaceful. On the 26th, we discerned the 
 island of Candia something like a flake of brilliant 
 cloud about sixty miles off, covered with snow. And
 
 GIBRALTAR. 377 
 
 on the 28th, we reached Malta, at half-past twelve 
 o'clock, P.M., a distance of 830 miles from Alexan- 
 dria, in four days. Here, the steamer requiring to be 
 coaled, we stopped one day. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 29th, again the gigantic 
 engine of our steamer was set in motion, and she 
 forced her way onward with an additional velocity, 
 obtained by setting sails. We left the harbour of 
 Malta at one o'clock, r.M., and, by the evening, we 
 passed the beautiful island of Sicily, having in view 
 Mount Etna, with the tremendous volcano shooting 
 out from its summit. It is a beautiful scene, both 
 during day and night. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 4th, at three o'clock, P.M., 
 we reached the famous port of Gibraltar, a distance 
 of 825 .miles from Malta, in four days ; and the same 
 distance more now remained for us to traverse to 
 England, the place of our destination. A slight 
 accident to the boiler of the steamer detained us 
 here for a day, during which, the passengers being 
 allowed to go on shore, we also took the opportunity 
 of going to the town and seeing this wonderfully 
 strong place, once belonging to the true believers 
 and now one of the British possessions. I confess 
 I was actually struck with amazement, awe, and ad- 
 miration to see the incomparable fortress of Gibraltar. 
 It is the most impregnable fortress in the world that 
 nature and art have formed in a single solid rock 
 standing in the sea, commanding the entrances of the
 
 378 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the Mediterranean 
 on the other ; keeping, at the same time, the con- 
 tinent of Spain in awe, to which it joins itself by an 
 isthmus. It looks over the Mount Abyla, on the 
 opposite shore of Africa, as its companion, standing 
 in the same majestic attitude. The sides of the rock 
 of Gibraltar are excavated in the forms of galleries ; 
 and guard-rooms, range above range, with loopholes 
 for the muzzles of large cannons, directing destructive 
 fire upon all points of the compass, render this strong- 
 hold the most formidable in the world. In the year 
 712, A.C., this invincible fortress, being conquered by 
 the Muslim General, Tarik bin Zyad, along with the 
 province of Granada in Spain, its former name, Calpe, 
 was changed into that of Jabalul-Tarik, whence the 
 present appellation of Gibraltar. For about 780 
 years it remained under the sway of the Muslims, and 
 was then lost through the short-sighted policy of King 
 Abu Abdullah and his predecessor, 1492, A.C., to- 
 gether with all the Muslim possessions in the country. 
 The Kings of Spain then became its owners, and con- 
 tinued in possession of it for a period of 212 years, 
 when, in the year 1704, fortune gave it to the 
 English, the luckiest nation in the world, who are 
 the rightful possessors of it up to the present day. 
 The population of this town is said to be about 7,000 
 inhabitants, of the English, Jewish, and Portuguese 
 castes, exclusive of the garrison soldiers, about 2,000 
 in number.
 
 QUARANTINE. 379 
 
 By the evening of the 5th, the boiler being mended, 
 the anchor was weighed, and we proceeded out to sea. 
 The calm of the sea, the genial society, and the atten- 
 tion of the good captain and his noble officers to our 
 wants, rendered our voyage most pleasant, and on 
 the 10th of May, at night, the anchor was cast at a 
 spot called the "Mother-bank," where the steamer 
 was to be quarantined for some days, until the pas- 
 sengers should be declared to be in perfect health 
 and free from the signs of the Egyptian plague- 
 Early in the morning, a friend of mine, Mr. Renell, 
 of the Bengal Service, coming to my cabin, roused 
 me up from sleep, telling me that there were some 
 native girls to be seen near our vessel. It was too 
 cold for me, a native of India, to get out of my bed 
 so early, though it was the morning of the llth of 
 May, the hottest month in our climate; but the 
 temptation caused me to wrap myself up in my cloak 
 and attend immediately to my friend's call. Upon 
 going upon deck, I beheld that our steamer was 
 moored in a purgatory-like situation. On the left we 
 had a beautiful view of the main land, and on the 
 right we had the Isle of Wight, a magnificent hill 
 with its white cliffs reflected in the sea. At the same 
 time, there were lying several small boats near our 
 vessel, which, among other spectators, contained 
 several fresh and fair damsels of England, of very 
 dazzling beauty, so it appeared to me at least. 
 
 To be quarantined, after such a long voyage, and
 
 380 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 to see everything good and marvellous about you, 
 without being permitted to have any intercourse with 
 it, is a state most disagreeable to man. Three te- 
 dious, long, and dull days we passed in this state of 
 tantalization on board the steamer; when, on the 
 morning of the fourth, to our great delight, we found 
 our boat moving towards the land in view, and, in 
 about one hour's sail, she entered the Southampton 
 Dock, all safe, thanks to the Almighty God I
 
 ENGLISH CURIOSITY. 381 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Land at Southampton London Kind Friends Mr. Latham 
 Mr. Pulsford The sights of London The Opera Mr. 
 Baring Lord Ripon Return to India. 
 
 ON the morning of the 14th of May, at seven o'clock, 
 we landed near the Custom House, whence our 
 baggage passed without the difficulty and loss of 
 time customary in India, and we put up in a very 
 nice inn, called the Union Hotel, which commanded 
 a view of both the sea and the town. Our party, it 
 appears, was looked upon by the curious natives as 
 one of the seven wonders of the world. Luckily for 
 myself, I had purchased a Turkish dress at Cairo, 
 and thereby found myself safe from being stared at. 
 As for my companions, they, except Mir Jafir, were 
 impatient to go to the bazar ; and, immediately after 
 breakfast, they proceeded to the market-places in 
 their simple Indian dresses, where they were not 
 only gazed at by all with curiosity, but followed by 
 a crowd. Being annoyed at this, they returned home 
 without being able to buy anything, and with a mob 
 at their heels. Before they entered the door of the 
 hotel, they turned right about face, to see their 
 unwelcome audience, and a shout of "Hurrah!"
 
 382 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 resounded from all directions. " Over-curious white 
 devils," exclaimed our doctor, Badru'd-din, very 
 angrily to me; "they have no respect for caste 
 or age : I have a great mind to pelt stones at them." 
 " Don't you do so, Hakim Sahib," said I to the 
 old doctor, " or you will bring evil on yourself and 
 the hotel: these people don't fear any one. It is 
 true, they are over curious, but, after all, they 
 have done you no harm : let, therefore, well alone." 
 
 On the morning of the 15th, we proceeded by rail 
 to London. Seating ourselves in these fairy vans, 
 we proceeded on most comfortably in this unfatiguing 
 journey. Beautiful, but momentary, were the views 
 of the country, green and watered with silvery 
 brooks ; and magnificent were the sights of the 
 villages, towns, and parishes that presented them- 
 selves to our eyes during our progress. The objects 
 appeared and disappeared successively in most delight- 
 ful forms, until we reached our destination. The 
 doors of the carriage then being opened, we alighted 
 in a very spacious yard, all paved with black stones. 
 
 In a few minutes, two nice carriages, drawn by 
 horses of gigantic make and power, being brought 
 near, we got up into them and drove into the far- 
 famed City of London. Street after street, and 
 square after square, that we passed through for 
 about three-quarters of an hour, were all paved, 
 clean and regular, thronged with the busy inhabitants 
 of both sexes, almost all the females good-looking,
 
 MOURNEKS. 383 
 
 and the males well-made and active. Palaces of 
 nobles and dukes are distinguished by their large 
 porticos and superior construction. In one of them 
 I saw two well-dressed men with ashes sprinkled 
 over their heads ; and, thereby concluding that some 
 death might have occurred in the house, I told Mr. 
 Scott, who sat by me, that a mournful event might 
 have been the cause of the dust on their heads ; but 
 the young man laughed at my beard, and said it was 
 the old custom still preserved by some of powdering 
 their hair. Upon the whole, one might imagine that 
 this vast city, whose population is no less than 
 twenty lakhs of inhabitants, contained the riches of 
 the whole world. Surrounded by such wonders and 
 curiosities, we travelled on to a quarter termed Brook 
 Street, and alighted at a magnificent house, called 
 Mivart's Hotel. 
 
 Supplied with all kinds of luxuries suitable to 
 princes, we lived in this inn for three days; and 
 then our chief, being frightened at the enormous 
 charges, of about two hundred rupees per diem, en- 
 gaged a private lodging, No. 7, Sloane Street. 
 
 Here we settled after our long voyage from the 
 middle of the globe to the end of the world, where 
 the sun appears, far to the south, as weak as the 
 moon, and the polar star nearly vertical ; where the 
 country all over is fertile, and the people ingenious, 
 civil, and active ; where the language, customs, and 
 manners are entirely different from our own; where,
 
 384 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 in fine, the destiny of our sweet native land lies in 
 the hand of some twenty-five great men. It cannot 
 be, I am sure, without the will of that one Supreme 
 Being that this small island, which seems on the 
 globe like a mole on the body of a man, should com- 
 mand the greater part of the world, and keep the rest 
 in awe. 
 
 On the 16th, I had the pleasure of seeing my old 
 friend and patron, Captain Eastwick, after three years 
 and a half, and he took me along with him to his 
 own house. 
 
 We passed a week in quietude at home, I mean 
 my chief and his other attendants ; as for myself, I 
 had no rest, even when at home, having the onerous 
 task of acting as secretary and interpreter to all. 
 None of them knowing the language of the country, 
 I was required to be the medium of their business, 
 barters, and negociations, with the natives. During 
 this time I had the pleasure of gaining the acquaint- 
 ance of two gentlemen of high station in life, namely, 
 Alfred Latham and R. Pulsford, Esquires, the first 
 a great merchant, and the second a member of Par- 
 liament; and, through the kindness of these two 
 good gentlemen, I had the satisfaction of obtaining 
 much information, and seeing many places free of 
 charge. 
 
 On the 24th we were taken by our kind friends 
 to see some of the famous places in the town. The 
 first objects that engaged our attention were the
 
 THE OPERA. 385 
 
 enormous bridges in the city, especially tlie iron 
 bridge, and the swinging bridge. It astonished us 
 greatly to see large masses of cast iron regularly 
 fixed and nicely cemented together in these useful 
 fabrics. The country, we felt convinced, must have 
 some inexhaustible mines of this metal, which is so 
 necessary for man; for, besides these bridges, iron 
 appears to be used very profusely. No house seemed 
 to be without iron railings, iron bars, and some houses 
 are even roofed with iron, and some gardens hedged 
 with iron bars. After about half an hour's drive 
 here and there, we were conducted to St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, an edifice that, in my opinion, has not its 
 equal in the world. 
 
 What I disliked most was the multitude of statues 
 and images, all of them scientifically sculptured it 
 is true. I know they are not worshipped, according 
 to the Protestant tenet: but a temple dedicated to 
 sacred purposes, whether humble or majestic, ought 
 to be plain, so as not to withdraw the attention of 
 the congregation from the sermons and preachings. 
 After seeing this grand cathedral, we proceeded on to 
 a subterraneous passage called the Thames Tunnel. 
 
 On the 25th our kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Latham, invited us to the Italian Opera. In the 
 evening, at about eight o'clock, we repaired to this 
 house of entertainment, and found it to be a large 
 palace of substantial construction, erected upon rows 
 of pillars of cast iron. The interior is built up in 
 
 o
 
 386 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAIL 
 
 rich and splendid style. Five tiers of small rooms, 
 called the boxes, for the spectators to sit in, wide 
 enough to hold four or five persons in each, are 
 built up one above another, running in semicircular 
 lines, one end of which begins from one corner of 
 the stage hall, and ends at the other. The boxes 
 and the chairs therein are lined and cushioned with 
 rich damask. The seats of Her Majesty and the 
 royal family are to the right side of the stage. Our 
 seat was just opposite to the stage, in the same line 
 with the royal seats. We sat comfortably for about 
 half an hour, looking at the grandeur of the place, 
 and remarking upon the convenience of the gas 
 lights, which brightened or dimmed at pleasure. 
 Hundreds of lamps at one time were reduced to the 
 dimness of night, nearly depriving the vision of its 
 free exercise, and, at another, they were made at 
 once to shine as bright as daylight. At half-past 
 eight the curtain was pulled up, and two very hand- 
 some ladies, very indecently dressed, and an old man, 
 representing their father, appeared on the stage. 
 They sang, I fancy, some historical ballad, in con- 
 junction with the instrumental music, and danced very 
 expertly. Whilst the females whirled round in their 
 dancing, their short gowns flew up to the forbidden 
 height. Tantalizing the assembly it appears was 
 their principal aim by such a violation of decorum. 
 We enjoyed the music well, but could not understand 
 a word of what was said.
 
 A FANCY BALL. 387 
 
 Having gained acquaintance with a number of 
 respectable inhabitants and great men here, we were 
 almost every evening invited to partake of their hos- 
 pitable entertainments, and passed our evening hours 
 delightfully in the enjoyment of their good society. 
 As for myself alone, when I had no invitation to 
 accompany my chief, I proceeded to the theatres, 
 generally to the Haymarket Theatre and the Lyceum, 
 sometimes alone, and sometimes in company with my 
 friend and pupil, Captain T. Postans, whom chance 
 had brought here with his amiable and learned wife. 
 
 On the 27th I dined and passed a happy evening 
 with Captain and Mrs. Eastwick, who had invited a 
 party of their friends and relatives to meet us. On 
 the 28th, having had an invitation to the fancy ball 
 house, we proceeded thither in the evening, and 
 were highly gratified by seeing persons dressed in 
 various costumes of different countries. One gentle- 
 man in Persian dress actually deceived us, as he 
 passed by ; not only his dress, but his manners, too, 
 appearing to us those of a Mughal. My chief's 
 brother-in-law accosted him and, after formal salu- 
 tation in Persian, asked him how he did, and how 
 long since he had left Shiraz ? But the man, instead 
 of answering him in that language, smiled and spoke 
 in English, which betrayed him to be an English- 
 man wearing a false beard, better a than true one in 
 every respect. 
 
 On the 30th I accompanied my chief to the East 
 
 2
 
 388 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 India House in Leadenhall Street. They call it a 
 house, but it is a palace, containing a great number 
 of apartments and halls, all well furnished. It is 
 the place where the destiny of my sweet native land 
 lies in the hands of twenty-four men, called the 
 Honourable Directors of the Honourable East India 
 Company, who are the principal movers of the string 
 of the machine of Government in India. On our 
 arrival, we were conducted by two state ushers to 
 a room in the middle of the palace, where we found 
 the chairman, with his deputy next to him, sitting 
 on their chairs. The chairman's name was Captain 
 John Shepherd, and that of his deputy Sir Henry 
 Willock. Both of them appeared to be grave and 
 intelligent persons; the latter spoke Persian well. 
 By these gentlemen we were received politely. The 
 conversation first began in Persian with Sir Henry 
 Willock, who, finding it somewhat irksome to explain 
 our meaning every now and then to the chairman, 
 let down the burden of interpreting on me ; so I went 
 on, partly explaining the ideas of my young chief, and 
 partly coming some out of my own head, whatever I 
 thought expedient to serve the interest of my client. 
 The result of the conference, gathered from the 
 remarks of these two great men, was that my chief's 
 coming to this country to obtain justice was an 
 imprudent act, as he might have obtained it in his 
 own country by simply writing to them, without 
 undergoing the hardships of a long voyage and
 
 THE COMPANY'S MUSEUM. 389 
 
 incurring heavy expenses. Little did they know that 
 a despotic stroke of the pen of Lord Ellenborough, 
 their own Governor-General in India, deprived my 
 chief of his rights, and so compelled him to proceed 
 to England to seek for justice. 
 
 After about half an hour's conversation we took 
 our leave of these great men, who are the fountain- 
 head of all the affairs of India. We were then, by 
 a kind friend, taken up stairs, where we saw the 
 Honourable Company's museum, which is a great 
 collection of rarities from all parts of the world, and 
 had the honour of being introduced to three men of 
 learning, viz., John Shakespear, the author of the 
 Hindustani Dictionary ; Professor Wilson, the first- 
 rate Oriental scholar ; and Colonel W. H. Sykes. 
 Knowing the first-named gentleman to be the author 
 of a book in our language, I addressed to him a very 
 complimentary long sentence in my own language. 
 But, alas ! I found that he could not understand me, 
 nor could he utter a word in that language in which 
 he had composed several very useful books. There 
 is no doubt but the second gentleman, the professor, 
 was a learned man, as his conversation with us 
 demonstrated his high acquirements at once. The 
 third gentleman, we were informed, was one of the 
 directors, as well as a member of the Royal Asiatic 
 Society. He was a tall, thin, and handsome-looking 
 man, in appearance more like a noble Arab than an 
 Englishman. His previous long residence in India,
 
 390 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTl-'ULLAII. 
 
 it appears, had made him quite conversant with our 
 manners, languages, and feelings. So this accidental 
 interview with him produced a genial delight in our 
 hearts, and his civility, complaisance, and kindness, 
 attracted our minds at once to seek for his friend- 
 ship. During my stay in London, I had often the 
 honour of seeing him, and conversing with him ; and 
 he was always particularly kind towards me. I 
 found him to be a man of sublime mind, endowed 
 with high attainments, considerable ability, and acute 
 understanding. 
 
 This evening, Mr. Latham kindly took me to the 
 Royal Institution. On my arrival, I was introduced 
 to three or four noblemen, whose names I have 
 quite forgotten ; but they treated me like their own 
 brother, made me sit near, and explained to me what 
 I could not understand. The fact is, that in England, 
 you will find those that are highest in rank are 
 the politest in society. The lecture was ably deli- 
 vered on anatomy which has been a favourite study 
 of mine for many years past by Professor Faraday; 
 and I declare, what I learnt in hearing this one 
 lecture I could not have acquired in one year's hard 
 labour with my books. Mr. Latham further was so 
 good as to obtain permission for me to be admitted 
 whenever I liked, free of charge. Besides, he kindly 
 promised to speak to the superintendents of the St. 
 George's Hospital and the College of Surgeons, who 
 would kindly send for me, whenever a dissection
 
 SUNDAY. 391 
 
 might take place in those institutions most beneficial 
 to mankind. 
 
 On the 1st June, we were introduced to a noble- 
 man, by name Colonel T. Wood, and met with a kind 
 reception at his house, from himself, his wife a lady 
 of high rank and his two daughters, exquisite in 
 beauty, and adorned with the accomplishments 
 obtained from high education. After this, we paid 
 another visit to the East India House ; and were 
 taken thence by Mr. Pulsford to the British Museum 
 and the Zoological Gardens, with which we were 
 highly delighted. 
 
 On the 2nd, it being Sunday, the whole city 
 appeared to be in a very dreary and dull state. No 
 shop was open, and no carriages, cabs, or omnibuses 
 were to be seen running to and fro as usual. But 
 all the inhabitants were richly and neatly dressed 
 within doors. Our English servants, too, having 
 already performed last night what was required of 
 them to-day, dressed themselves very smartly, and 
 went away to the place of their worship. Sunday is 
 called the Sabbath, and it is scrupulously held sacred, 
 just the same as Friday with us, and Saturday with 
 the Jews ; though the word Sabbath, both in Hebrew 
 and Arabic, signifies Saturday, and not Sunday. 
 This being not a day of business, we took a long 
 drive to the two places called Highgate and Hamp- 
 stead, and being gratified with the fresh air and
 
 392 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 scenery of the town and the country, returned home 
 in the evening. 
 
 On the morning of the 3rd we paid our visit to 
 a learned man, by name Dr. Bowring, and derived 
 much benefit concerning our business by conversing 
 with this able man. In the afternoon we visited the 
 House of Lords, and the Parliament, and heard the 
 question of the duty on sugar most ably discussed. 
 
 On the 4th I received an invitation to visit the 
 St. George's Hospital, through the recommendation 
 of Mr. Latham, where I was received with great 
 attention and kindness by Dr. Cutler and Mr. Pres- 
 cott Hewett, and was kindly taken by the latter, along 
 with himself on going round, to see all the patients 
 in the hospital, and then was allowed to participate 
 in the fresh dissection of a subject expired only two 
 days before. Here I became convinced that a great 
 part of what I had studied in " Galen's Anatomy " 
 in Persian and Arabic was founded upon fancy and 
 conjecture, and that it was impossible for anybody 
 to acquire a thorough knowledge of this most useful 
 study for mankind, without the practical course of 
 dissection. 
 
 On the morning of the 5th we proceeded to see 
 the Ascot races, a few miles from town. We beheld 
 a great concourse of people assembled to see what 
 horse would win, and what horse would lose. Almost 
 all the spectators, I am informed, lay wagers among
 
 KOYALTY. 393 
 
 themselves ; and these races are to be the cause of 
 gain and loss of large sums of money amongst the 
 inhabitants. The English racers are the best animals 
 I have ever seen. We cared but little for the amuse- 
 ment, but gained a grand object by taking the trouble 
 of coming to this place; that is, we were blessed 
 with a near sight of our gracious Sovereign, and 
 her husband the Prince, to whom we made our pro- 
 found bows, which were very politely returned by her 
 Majesty and her illustrious Consort. It appears that 
 our dresses, our faces, and our obeisance, without 
 taking off the turbans, attracted the attention of the 
 Royal pair, and of the nobility in their cavalcade; 
 but it was all without the vulgar curiosity of common 
 people. Those who are crowned with greatness by 
 the grace of the Almighty, their minds are also 
 endowed with greatness, 
 
 On the 7th we paid a visit to the Institution-house* 
 of the Civil Engineers, and had the pleasure of an 
 interview with Mr. Walker, the President, and Mr. 
 C. Manby, the Secretary of the Institution, both men 
 of great ability. 
 
 In the evening of the 8th, having been invited, 
 we proceeded to the Asiatic Society, and had the 
 pleasure of hearing a very able lecture on geology", 
 delivered by Dr. Falconer. After which, Lord 
 Auckland, our former Governor-General, made a 
 speech, which we could not understand, as his lord- 
 ship used a language too high for a foreigner to follow
 
 394 AU'i'OBIOGEArilY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 him; so this speech, acting as a narcotic dose upon 
 our brain, we conversed with other lords and nobles 
 that happened to be near us. 
 
 On the 9th, it being Sunday, we took another drive 
 to the village of Richmond, about seven miles from 
 the town, with an English friend. 
 
 On the 10th, we attended the meeting held at the 
 Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufac- 
 tures, and Commerce. The assembly was presided 
 over by Prince Albert himself. We had the honour 
 of getting seats next to the Duke of Sutherland, and 
 His Grace conversed with me in a very polite and 
 friendly manner, whenever his attention was not re- 
 quired to the meeting. On the arrival of the noble 
 President, all present rose up to pay him their re- 
 spects; and we also made obeisances in our own 
 Asiatic manner ; and the Prince, returning his com- 
 pliments to all, very gracefully took his seat on the 
 high chair placed in the middle. The artificers and 
 manufacturers then, one by one, presented their 
 patent articles to the Prince, and described them 
 minutely. The things presented met with the ap- 
 probation of the President and members, and the 
 makers received their applause, and subsequently, 
 perhaps, some reward in money too. After this, we 
 went down-stairs to inspect a large collection of 
 the specimens of various kinds of articles, formerly 
 patented; and, in going our round again, we had 
 the honour to meet the Prince, to whom we made
 
 WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 395 
 
 our profound bows; and His Royal Highness very 
 gracefully addressed my chief, asking him the usual 
 first question of every Englishman, " How do you 
 like this country?" The answer given through me, 4 
 was, that we liked it much. The next question was, 
 " What did we admire most in England? " I boldly 
 but respectfully answered, on the part of my chief, 
 that the civility of the people of high rank and station 
 was the thing most admirable to us ; which answer, 
 producing a slight smile on the Royal face, His 
 Highness walked on. Thus ended our accidental 
 interview with a Prince whom fortune has aided to 
 ascend the summit of the highest authority in the 
 world. 
 
 In the afternoon we saw the Chinese Exhibition ; 
 and, at night, proceeded to another fancy ball, which 
 we found superior to the former. 
 
 Not being fully satisfied with our former visit to 
 the British Museum, on the llth we repaired to 
 that place again, and had the satisfaction of seeing 
 what remained unseen in our previous visit. We 
 then proceed to see Westminster Abbey, and found 
 it to be a lofty edifice of great beauty and splendour 
 finished in the ancient Gothic style. It is said to 
 have been built by Henry III., one of the former 
 kings of England, in 1221 A.C. The pavement of the 
 choir of this sacred place attracted our attention first, 
 being a rich mosaic of innumerable pieces of jasper, 
 porphyry, alabaster, lapis lazuli, and serpentine
 
 396 AUTOBIOGEArHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 marbles, all varying in "size, and skilfully arranged. 
 The portico, termed Solomon's gate, leading into the 
 northern cross, presents a magnificent view to the 
 observer. This sacred place, too, is not destitute of 
 the images of the great men of England, but they 
 are not so numerous as at St. Paul's. The abbot, 
 a very polite young man, of great ability and 
 talent, took us to the west door, whence we had a 
 most beautiful view of the inner body of the convent, 
 which impressed us with awe, caused by the loftiness 
 of the roof and the range of columns by which the 
 whole edifice is supported. The double ranges of the 
 coloured glass windows of the two upper galleries, 
 based upon the arcade of the aforesaid pillars, freely 
 admitted beams of light to the whole abbey without 
 glare. After going through all the convent, the 
 abbot took us to a large hall, Avhere coronations of the 
 Kings of this land take place. The great chair upon 
 which they are seated, seems to be a very old- 
 fashioned one ; and we could not leave the hall 
 without touching this high chair, the seat of empire. 
 We then were taken by the good abbot to his own 
 residence, near the Abbey, and each of us was treated 
 with the best of beverages a glass of water. After 
 this, having conversed with our host for a while on 
 the subject of his cross, and our crescent of the 
 ancient time, my chief went home, and I .was taken 
 by Captain Postans, to visit a great man, the Honour- 
 able W. B. Baring, Secretary to the Board of Control.
 
 THE COURT OF PKOPKIETOKS. 397 
 
 On going to the house, we were kindly received 
 by the Secretary, a young man of about thirty. He 
 put several questions to me regarding the Govern- 
 ment in India, and I answered them according to my 
 humble opinion, of course in favour of my own country, 
 which answers seemed not to agree with the spirit of 
 our host. My friend, Captain Postans, talked with 
 him for a while, and we took our leave. 
 
 On the 14th, we went to an evening party at Lord 
 Ashley's. His lordship and his beautiful lady re- 
 ceived us with great courtesy. Here we had the 
 pleasure of being introduced to Viscount Jocelyn and 
 his wife, the loveliest of English beauties. After a 
 little while I had the honour of playing at chess with 
 this nymph of Paradise. I played two games with 
 her, and allowed myself to be beaten both times to 
 please her. 
 
 On the 19th, I attended the Court of Proprietors, 
 assembled in the India House, and had the satis- 
 faction of hearing an able speech from Mr. Sullivan, 
 tending to the welfare of both the rulers and the 
 ruled of India. 
 
 On the 25th, we had the honour of paying our 
 visit to Lord Ripon, President of the Board of Con- 
 trol. This Minister received us with the courtesy 
 natural to the nobility of England; but, feeling his 
 pulse with regard to our business, we found his 
 lordship to be a very stiff and different man alto- 
 gether.
 
 398 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 On the 27th, we went to an evening party at 
 Major Jervis's house, in the company of several 
 beauties and great men, amongst whom I found 
 Colonel Miles, the same Arabic scholar whom I had 
 the pleasure of seeing at Vira, twenty-four years 
 before. I told him there was a great difference 
 between the two places of our meeting; and he 
 remarked, that the difference was not only in places, 
 but in time. I paid him another visit at his own 
 house, which he never returned, thinking, perhaps, 
 that he was still in India, and not in the land of 
 freedom, where all are equal. 
 
 On the 28th, we proceeded to Regent's Park to see 
 a wonderful place called the Diorama. On our 
 arrival at this place of incantation, we were con- 
 ducted by the keeper into a room as dark as an 
 infidel's heart, and were kindly seated upon chairs. 
 I say kindly, for, having placed ourselves at his 
 disposal, he might have maltreated us in this dun- 
 geon with impunity, if he liked. In the meantime, 
 our sense of hearing was gratified with distant music, 
 and then a beautiful scene of a frosty morning gra- 
 dually presented itself to our deceived vision, in 
 which we saw a rough clownish vegetable vendor 
 at the river side, having landed his large parcels 
 of cargo in a tremendous heap, himself shrivelled 
 with the weather, sitting half-asleep in his boat, 
 and his wife and a child sleeping on the bundles. 
 The motion of the water of the river was nature
 
 THE DIORAMA. 399 
 
 itself, and by the side of the stream there appeared 
 a magnificent palace, whose inmates were engaged 
 in various employments. In the meantime, the sun 
 shone brilliantly and extendejd his rays all over : 
 and then the evening came on, the scene changed, 
 so much so that the vegetable seller was meta- 
 morphosed into a pretty woman, the stars became 
 visible, and the moon rose, casting her serene light 
 over the scene. The palace, too, appeared illuminated 
 with lamps and chandeliers. And the scene then 
 gradually vanished, and the first darkness again pre- 
 vailed, in which the distant music once more allured 
 our attention. After a little while, the light of morn- 
 ing again began to appear, and in about one minute 
 the interior of a grand church presented itself to 
 our view, first vacant, but in another minute filled 
 with the congregation. The morning then turned 
 to day, and the day, in a few minutes, into evening, 
 ^and then night came on, and then to our great de- 
 light we were helped out by the keeper from this 
 house of false magic. The secret of this place was 
 that the house was partly blocked up and partly 
 orificed with windows, turning on a pivot, and the 
 windowed part coming in contact with perspective 
 paintings, placed behind large magnifying glasses, 
 formed this optical deception. But how the water 
 moved, how the sun, the moon, and the stars appeared 
 and disappeared, how the objects were transformed, 
 and the times changed, was still beyond my compre-
 
 400 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAK. 
 
 liension. Thus, half-satisfied and half-puzzled, . we 
 returned home. Some of my companions would have 
 the house to be under the power of evil spirits. 
 
 On the 29th, I received permission to visit the 
 College of Surgeon's in Lincoln's Inn Fields, and 
 met with a kind reception from the superintendent, 
 Professor Owen, who gave instructions to his as- 
 sistants to show me all that I should like to see, 
 and describe everything in full. I walked round 
 the several stories of the house, and inspected human 
 bodies, both whole and in parts, arranged in regular 
 order for the benefit of the students, who, by this 
 help, can easily, in a short time, ascend the summit 
 of the science of anatomy in both theory and practice. 
 
 On the 1st of July we paid a visit to the National 
 Gallery. From this place we proceeded to a theatre, 
 where Herr Dobler, a juggler, exhibited his arts. 
 We admired very highly his performances, in making 
 an automaton shoot at the mark with its gun, in 
 producing pigeons from dry fish, destroying watches, 
 burning handkerchiefs, and then producing them safe, 
 and similar tricks. But, after all, our Indian jug- 
 glersiare superior to these Europeans. In the first 
 place, the latter are furnished with all suitable ma- 
 terials for their performance, with the advantage of 
 the stage-house, which can be darkened or lightened 
 at pleasure; whereas the poor Indian juggler stands 
 in an open plain before the public, and performs 
 such tricks as giving his snake to his mongoose, who
 
 TIIE DIVING BELL. 401 
 
 devours it before all, the animal's mouth being seen 
 stained with blood ; and then the man pulls out the 
 reptile, all alive, from the tail of the mongoose. An 
 Indian juggler stabs his own child and cuts the throat 
 of his wife before your eyes: you see the blood 
 issuing from the wounds, and then you. find that all 
 is sleight of hand. I myself once contracted a 
 friendship with a Brahman juggler, by name Lalbhatt, 
 who pretended to have had a divine inspiration from 
 his goddess, and performed such tricks as in former 
 ages would have surely been taken for _ miracles. 
 Once I took my two European friends, Dr. J. Patch 
 and Dr. W. Leggett, to the place where this wonder- 
 ful man sojourned, at Surat. The two doctors were 
 greatly astonished to see the man clapping his hands, 
 and producing a quantity of cardamom and betel 
 nuts; asking one of my native friends to hold fast 
 his own emerald ring in his hand, which in two or 
 three minutes vanished from his hand, and was found 
 upon the lower dress of Dr. Leggett; and similar 
 wonders. 
 
 The first week of July passed pleasantly in com- 
 parative idleness. In the afternoons I took a walk 
 to Kensington Gardens, not far from our quarters, 
 where I sat peacefully for an hour or two, looking 
 at the beauties of nature. 
 
 On the 10th, I accompanied my chief to the Poly- 
 technic Institution, Regent Street. Among other 
 things the diving bell amused us much. I undertook
 
 402 AUTOBIOGKAPIIY OF LUTJfULLAU. 
 
 to descend into the water by this extraordinary vessel, 
 while my chief and companions would not only not 
 venture to descend, but dissuaded me very strongly 
 from undertaking the trial, telling me that it was 
 an act of great imprudence to endanger life in such 
 useless sport. Turning a deaf ear to such remon- 
 strances, I hastened to the brink of the water, and 
 pronouncing my Bismillah (in the name of the most 
 merciful name of Allah) I got into the bell with four 
 Englishmen. Upon our entering, we found a com- 
 modious seat, and then the bell being let down into 
 the deep, we felt a queer compressing sensation in 
 our ears, but that was all the inconvenience we ex- 
 perienced. We saw a patch of the water on one 
 side, where the bell was left open near our feet; 
 but the vacuum of the vessel being filled up with 
 the air, with which we were constantly supplied by 
 means of a communicating tube between the inner 
 part of the bell and the outward atmosphere, pre- 
 vented the water from rushing in. On reaching the 
 bottom we saw the pebbles and gravel, and then 
 were pulled out again from the dangerous deep to 
 the open air of the world. 
 
 On the 1 1th, we proceeded to the Court of Jus- 
 tice of this city ; and, on our arrival, were received 
 with kindness by the Lord Chancellor, and were 
 requested to take our seat near the high chair of 
 his lordship, on the right side of the Court His 
 lordship, perhaps being hard of hearing, gave me,
 
 LORD ELPHINSTONE. 403 
 
 as interpreter, a chair at his elbow, and iny chief 
 sat at a little distance. The case before his lordship 
 at the time was that of an Indo-European, Colonel 
 Dyce Sombre, an unlucky man, who had lost his 
 large fortune by falling in love and entering into a 
 marriage contract with an English lady of rank. 
 After a little conversation, not wishing to take up his 
 lordship's valuable time, we took our leave of the 
 Court, and proceeded to return a visit to another 
 nobleman. Then, in company with our shipmate 
 and very obliging friend, Colonel Stratton, of the 
 Madras army, we waited on Prince Soltikoff, a young 
 man of very high talent and great ability. He 
 showed us a portfolio containing beautiful drawings 
 of cities, castles, and vegetable productions of various 
 countries in Asia, worked by himself, which showed 
 great knowledge of drawing. Upon the whole, he 
 was an amiable, fine-looking man, not in the least 
 elated with the pride of birth. 
 
 The next day I was ordered by my chief to wait 
 again upon the Russian Prince, and invite him, on 
 his part, to Astley's Theatre, where he had engaged 
 a box. I proceeded forthwith to execute my orders, 
 and delivered over the message to the Prince, who 
 accepted the invitation for the night. There was a 
 tall, well made, and very handsome young English- 
 man in the room at this time, who seemed to take 
 interest in my conversation with His Highness ; and 
 the Prince, observing this, introduced me to him,
 
 404 AUIOBIOGILVPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 pronouncing my name to him and his name Lord 
 John Elphinstorie, the late Governor of Madras to 
 me. I was glad to make acquaintance with this 
 nobleman, as my little conversation with him clearly 
 showed that his cultivated mind corresponded with 
 his outward appearance. 
 
 In the evening, the Prince having arrived in time, 
 we proceeded to Astley's Theatre, and the perform- 
 ances that we saw there were most admirable. The 
 horses of this theatre understood man's language and 
 music, for they turned and returned, ran and stopped, 
 at the words of command and notes of the music. 
 Upon one horse, whilst cantering, a very pretty 
 young damsel, with a smiling countenance, jumped 
 from the ground and stood upon the saddle, urging 
 the animal to speed. In the meantime, one of the 
 performers threw an ivory ball at her, which she 
 caught with alacrity, and playfully tossed it up and 
 caught it repeatedly, as if the atmosphere was under 
 her command, and placed it in her hand quite safe 
 whenever she threw it up. This was not all ; but, 
 in every turn, she caught an additional ball from 
 the performer, and went on tossing it up, until she 
 had received seven ; and all she tossed up and caught 
 invariably in both hands with wonderful dexterity. 
 Every one of the seven balls appeared continually 
 to be in motion at the miraculous touch of her hand ; 
 and the horse ran its round as fast as possible, whilst 
 the fairy stood upon it, with her smiling lovely
 
 GENERAL TOM THUMB. 405 
 
 countenance, unshaken. After, this, the warfare 
 and the political affairs of China were acted upon 
 the stage ; and all ended in a laughable farce. 
 
 On the 17th, having heard of a wonderful dwarf's 
 arrival from the country, we went to see him at his 
 lodging, and found him to be but IGlbs. in weight, 
 and 28 inches in stature, aged thirteen years. He 
 was free from all the dwarfish deformities, such as a 
 curve in the calf-bones or vertebrae, or a Jump upon 
 the back, etc. He was called the General Tom 
 Thumb ; and, by receiving rational answers to our 
 questions from him, we found his reason to be quite 
 sound. He was dressed in a military uniform, with 
 a -cocked hat upon his head and a small sword 
 buckled to his side, which gave him a most ludicrous 
 appearance and excited the laughter of his visitors, 
 especially when he sang love songs and danced with 
 a girl, somewhat bigger than himself, in a very 
 lively manner. 
 
 On the 24th, being invited to spend the day with 
 Mr. A. Latham at his country house in the suburbs 
 of Windsor, we proceeded thither by the first train 
 early in the morning, and reached the famous 
 Windsor, twenty-two miles west of London, in some- 
 thing less than an hour. The town is well popu- 
 lated, and situated on a pleasant site by the River 
 Thames. Our good host having obtained permission, 
 we entered the magnificent castle, and had the satis- 
 faction of seeing the palace inside, and the ancient
 
 406 AUTOBIOGHATJIY OF LUTFDLLAH. 
 
 church. We then proceeded to Mr. Latham's house, 
 and passed a very happy day under his hospitable 
 roof. 
 
 On the 31st we were invited by our friend 
 R. Pulsford, Esq., to take a whitebait dinner with him 
 at Greenwich, so we proceeded thither at noon in 
 his company on board one of the small steamers 
 running to and fro on the river Thames, and arrived 
 in about half an hour. We put up in a nice inn 
 at the river side, and partook of our friend's hospi- 
 tality. The town of Greenwich is situated at the 
 bank of the river, five miles east of London, and 
 is very populous. It is noted for its magnificent 
 hospital for decayed seamen, its beautiful park, and 
 for its astronomical observatory on the summit of a 
 hill, whence all the English seamen reckon their 
 first meridian of longitude. 
 
 The beginning of the month of August passed in 
 business until the 14th, w r hen, whilst walking in the 
 bazar, I was informed of the arrival of some Ameri- 
 cans in the Egyptian Hall. I went in, and, having 
 paid a piece of silver as a fee to the owner, I saw 
 my fellow creatures, nine in number, in their uncivi- 
 lized rude state, dressed in skins, feathers, and straws, 
 made up and interwoven by themselves. Their com- 
 plexion was copper-coloured, their appearance wild, 
 their body proportionate, excepting the arms, which 
 were too slender. They spoke a jargon, in sound 
 resembling Marathi, and a young Englishman inter-
 
 WOOLWICH. 407 
 
 preted their ideas, which were simple and chaste in 
 their nature. They painted their foreheads and 
 bodies somewhat like- the Hindus. This day I 
 received a handsome present of a valuable telescope 
 from R. Pulsford, Esq., as a token of friendship, 
 which I very reluctantly accepted. I prize the 
 keepsake, however, very highly, it being from a 
 gentleman who took much interest in the welfare 
 of my native land and myself. 
 
 On the 26th, the news of the birth of a prince to 
 our gracious Sovereign at Windsor having been tele- 
 graphed, I was, according to our Asiatic customs, 
 ordered by my chief to carry a letter of congratula- 
 tion to the Castle. So again I proceeded to Windsor, 
 delivered my letter to the secretary, and, receiving 
 his reply, returned home in the afternoon. 
 
 On the 27th, having obtained a letter of introduc- 
 tion to Lord Bloomfield commanding at Woolwich, 
 we proceeded thither early in the morning, accom- 
 panied by Captain T. Postans. We sent the letter 
 to the great man, and were informed that we would 
 be received in the afternoon at his lordship's resi- 
 dence. In the meantime, an officer was deputed to 
 remain in attendance upon us, and to show us over 
 the different departments. So, by the kindness of 
 this officer, we had the satisfaction of seeing the in- 
 struments of the British wealth ; and the use of them 
 was explained most minutely to us. 
 
 It was Sir Charles Forbes who procured us this
 
 408 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAII. 
 
 attention at Woolwich; and, from the time of our 
 arrival, we were helped through difficulties in a 
 most friendly manner by this good baronet, who was 
 one of the staunch patrons of India. 
 
 Now, my chief having received answers to his 
 petitions from the Court of Directors,, and, in the 
 beginning of September, having obtained assurance 
 from the Chairman that his business would be satis- 
 factorily settled in India, we had nothing to detain 
 us in England, except the gratification of the pleasures 
 of my young chief; upon whom, with much difficulty, 
 I prevailed to leave this city of enchantments as 
 soon as possible, and our passage was taken in the 
 mail steamer that was to leave the shores of Eng- 
 land on the 3rd proximo. So we had one whole 
 
 month, free from the burden of business, to bid fare- 
 
 
 
 well to our friends, and to see something more that 
 remained unseen. Amongst our new friends in Lon- 
 don we had also the pleasure of having a true believer 
 in Saiyid Aminu'd-din Al Ali, commonly called AH 
 Eifendi, the ambassador on the part of the Sultan 
 of Constantinople to the Court of England. We 
 had the honour of several interviews with this noble 
 minister of the Sovereign of Islam. My chief made 
 him a present of a very valuable Indian sword in 
 token of his most sincere regard and profound respect. 
 On the 12th of September, we paid our parting visit 
 to him, and his Grace would not allow us to leave 
 him without a mark of his friendship. He gave
 
 CHARACTER OF THE ENGLISH. 409 
 
 my chief a very valuable volume of a Turkish book, 
 and a similar one to myself, endorsed by himself. 
 And then, after a long conversation about the Indian 
 Government, we took our leave of him, assuring him 
 that our services at all times were at the disposal of 
 the Islam Government whenever they were required. 
 I may now sum up the character of the English, 
 by saying they are entirely submissive to the law 
 and obedient to the commands of their superiors. 
 Their sense of patriotism is greater than that of any 
 nation in the world. Their obedience, trust, and 
 submission to the female sex are far beyond the 
 limit of moderation. In fact, the freedom granted to 
 womankind in this country is great, and the mis- 
 chief arising from this unreasonable toleration is most 
 deplorable. 
 
 I must now leap over the course of ten years, 
 from 1844 to 1854, during which time I experienced 
 many vicissitudes; to enter into the particulars, I 
 require another volume, which I intend to fill when 
 I am master of my own time, retired from the service 
 of Mir Jafir, and peacefully sitting at my own desk 
 at home. 
 
 In short, on the 3rd of October we left England, 
 and on the 12th of November we reached Bombay, 
 thanks to the Almighty Allah, all safe, where we 
 stayed for a fortnight, during which time we got 
 over the official business, in paying visits to the 
 Honourable the Governor, delivering the letters to
 
 410 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LUTFULLAH. 
 
 him, both from his friends and from his superiors, 
 and seeing other friends at Bombay. My chief then 
 proceeded to Siirat by sea and I by land, and I 
 reached sweet home once more on the 5th of Decem- 
 ber, 1844, A. c. My dear wife, my God bless her 
 soul ! was delighted to see me after this long journey, 
 and I was twice as much delighted to see my only 
 sincere friend in the world and my beloved partner 
 in pleasure and adversity. 
 
 It is quite evident that the pecuniary circumstances 
 of my chief and myself were improved by having 
 proceeded to England, in proportion to our individual 
 capacities. But a severe misfortune at the same time 
 lurked behind the invisible curtain of destiny, to 
 inflict a deep and unhealable wound upon our hearts. 
 His dear wife, the source of his aggrandisement and 
 wealth, departed this life on the 9th of January, 
 1845, of consumption ; and then, on the 15th of 
 January, 1847, my dearest wife, too, having had 
 an attack of the cholera, left this world for the 
 next. My grief for this severe and irreparable loss 
 was so great that I thought of renouncing the 
 world at once. But my friends and companions, 
 especially my chief, blindfolded me again, and led 
 me into the worldly delusions by degrees, and again 
 I gave in my neck to be yoked to the waggon of 
 worldly cares. 
 
 On Monday, the 12th of July, 1847, again I 
 entered into the marriage contract with Wilayati
 
 DOMESTIC CARES. 411 
 
 Khanum, the adopted daughter of Najibu'nnissa- 
 begam, eldest daughter of the late Nuwab of Surat ; 
 and by this lady I am blessed with four children, 
 three girls and one boy. May God bless them all ! 
 My domestic cares are now aggravated, my years 
 advanced, and my income inadequate to cover the 
 expenses of a large family. But I resign myself to 
 the will of that Omniscient Being, whose omnipotent 
 power first creates the food and then his creatures 
 destined to live upon it. Amen ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
 London : Printed by SMITH, ELDER and Co., Little Green Arbour Court.
 
 65, Comhill, London, April, 1858. 
 
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