Mistress of Men
 
 Mistress of Men 
 
 A Novel 
 
 By 
 
 Flora Annie Steel 
 
 AUTHOR OF "ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS," " MARMADUKE," ETC. 
 
 New York 
 
 Frederick A. Stokes Company 
 
 Publishers 
 
 1917
 
 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
 
 THE MEMORY OF A GREAT WOMAN 
 
 WHO IN TURNS WAS 
 
 QUEEN o' WOMEN, LIGHT OF THE HOME, 
 LIGHT OF THE WORLD
 
 PREFACE 
 
 IT is impossible that the life of Nurjahan the Beautiful should 
 r nain unwritten. 
 
 Of reliable historical incident much is available, of equally 
 reliable tradition still more; the whole going to make up a life 
 marvellous in its romance, touching in its humanity. 
 
 In this sketch of it I have adhered in all matters of importance 
 to the evidence of contemporaneous witnesses. That I have given 
 a different complexion to them in many cases, I admit; but no 
 careful student of character and motive could avoid doing so. 
 
 Briefly, Nurjahan's extraordinary personality and power 
 which even in these days would raise criticism in a woman 
 exposed her in the seventeenth century to inevitable traducing. 
 Sinister motives were found for her every action; above all, 
 personal ambition was held to be her ruling motive. This as- 
 sertion is, to my mind, pulverized by the undenied fact that, 
 after her husband, the Emperor Jahangir's, death, she voluntarily 
 retired from all public life and lived a widow indeed. 
 
 In like manner she is credited with much plotting and planning, 
 of which beyond the statement of her enemies no trace is to 
 be found either in her character or her actions. 
 
 ^hus, her sudden abandonment of Shahjahan is set down to 
 pusonal pique and greed; but it is curiously coincident with his 
 brother Khushrau's sudden death when in the former's custody; 
 a death suspicious of poison to many, even in those days. 
 
 I have endeavoured, therefore, to make Nurjahan's character 
 speak for itself; but in no case have I twisted actual events to 
 suit my own estimate of it. 
 
 So much for the historical part of my task. As to the fictional 
 p rt, I have done nothing save fill up with trifling incidents 
 
 .e gaps which history and tradition have left between the 
 
 vii
 
 viii PREFACE 
 
 major occurrences; and, of course, supply the motives which to 
 me, the student, have appeared most likely. All the characters, 
 with the exception of the Strangler, once lived and died, as they 
 are said in this book to have lived and died. For the rest, it 
 has been indeed a labour of love to set down, from personal 
 biography and almost without additions, a record of the most 
 perfect passion ever shown by man for woman. 
 
 A man of many faults, Jahangir shows himself " the Compleat 
 Lover." And Nurjahan was worthy of his love. 
 
 Nothing more need be said, except that Jahangir's ruby cup 
 is still famous on the lips of the people. It is said to have had 
 a name engraved around the lip, whether Jahangir's or Nurjahan's, 
 who can say ? It was last heard of in the beginning of the 
 
 eighteenth century. 
 
 FLORA ANNIE STEEL. 
 
 COURT o' HILL, 
 TENBURY.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 BOOK I 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A motley crowd, hidden within a grave 
 Such is a seed ; for in it crowd and crave 
 A million claims to life ! Ah ! who decides 
 If it grow fig or thistle? Fool or knave?" 
 
 THE sobbing cry of a new-born child rose suddenly on the still 
 night. Far away over the grey, undulating sandhills of -the 
 desert a lighter streak on the horizon showed that the dawn was 
 nigh ; but here, beside the rude screen formed of a woman's veil 
 that was drawn between a woman's travail and man's sleep all 
 was dark, save for the faint glimmer of an oil cresset that filtered 
 weakly through the stretched muslin. 
 
 The man, dozing beside the dying embers of a watch-fire, with 
 a sleeping child in his arms, stirred and yawned. Then came 
 his voice eagerly : 
 
 " What is't, Dilaram boy or girl?" 
 
 ' The Prophet's wisdom be thine," was the quick masterful 
 retort. " Will the man not let a body have time to look around?" 
 And after a second's pause the verdict was given. 
 
 " A girl, master, only a girl." 
 
 The echo of that fiat may have roused the listening worlds t 
 rejoice in yet another life ; but in this particular one of stress and 
 starvation it only brought dull, acquiescent silence. 
 
 Only a girl ! There was no more to be said. The new-made 
 father looked up into the fading stars above his head, then at the 
 dim glow here and there on the wide plain which told where the 
 watch-fires of night were turning to dust and ashes, and sighed 
 faintly.
 
 2 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 After a pause, the stretched muslin of the screen parted, and 
 by the light of the cresset behind, the figure of a stalwart, full- 
 breasted woman showed, carrying something huddled in her 
 veil. 
 
 " A lusty child, master," she remarked approvingly. " Never 
 did I handle a better; but of no use in God's world, when the 
 coffers hold not one farthing for a marriage portion. ' ' 
 
 She held out her burdened veil for him to see ; but he did not 
 look. His eyes fixed themselves hungrily on the little cheek that 
 cuddled closely to his breast. It was his son's. That mattered ; 
 the other did not. 
 
 " And the mother?" he asked after a pause. " How goes the 
 Bibi? Is all well?" 
 
 Dilaram squatted down beside the embers and became gar- 
 rulous. 
 
 " Well?" she echoed, " what else would she be with this slave 
 as midwife to stand between her and unnecessary anguish ? Lo ! 
 as I told my lord at the beginning, a full dose of the Dream- 
 compeller hath done no harm, but contrariwise good. Bibi 
 Azizan sleeps knowing not she is accursed with a girl yet 'tis a 
 lusty one that will I swear." 
 
 Despite her praise, even she did not look at what lay in her 
 veil, so none can say if the child's eyes were wide awake, open, 
 ready to take in the light of its new life, or whether they were 
 closed as they had been in the darkness of the old. 
 
 Either way it made no sound. And those two by the ashes of 
 the fire were silent also. The slow light of dawn was coming 
 faster now, and suddenly the man sighed. The woman rose on 
 the instant and stood beside him, almost menacing, masterful. 
 
 " The die is cast, meean fee," she said, " and 'tis kindest in 
 the end. Lo ! a pellet of the Dream-Compeller concealed in 
 sugar on the tongue, and this transitory world remains not ; the 
 bud blossoms in Paradise." She paused and her tone became 
 harder. " Sure, at best a woman's life is but poor fare ! How 
 we stomach it God knows ! For my own part I had as lief that 
 my parents had stepped in between me and it at the beginning. 
 And, see you, master, 'tis not as if Bibi Azizan were a cow, as 
 tsre folk are, to give milk on parched grain ! She hath not
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 3 
 
 enough food for herself when the two strapping sons have done 
 yelling for it, let alone for a useless girl though by my faith 
 she is a lusty one and a pretty too " 
 
 " Peace, fool !" interrupted the man hastily; perhaps he did 
 not care to hear more of the doomed infant. " Sure, wisdom 
 and plain figures need not to be made plainer by an ass's bray. 
 The die, I tell you, hath been cast ; another useless mouth would 
 be unfair to these my sons" he glanced down with almost 
 passionate tenderness at the cuddling cheek upon his breast, 
 and the swathed outline of another sleeping child at his feet. 
 ' ' And cruel to the babe herself what hath life to offer to such 
 as she?" 
 
 There was no answer to his question; it carried decision 
 with it. 
 
 And now the grey horizon line beyond the sand-waves was 
 changing to primrose, and with the coming of another day the 
 world was beginning to stir. A flight of desert birds winged 
 wedge-shaped into the primrose. Then a yawning man un- 
 happed himself from his blanket, still half asleep, and stumbled 
 to the wide circle of squatting camels which centred the camp. 
 Another and another followed suit, and thereinafter rose strange 
 bubblings and groanings that awakened even the most dreamful 
 of sleepers. All but Bibi Azizan. Behind the veil-screen she 
 slept in a sort of low litter, and by-and-by, when the two boys 
 had been tucked away, as ever, at her feet, and the last camels 
 of the great caravan from Kabul to Hindustan had swayed 
 noiselessly adown the trackless, sandy, eastward desert, 
 Ghiyass-ud-din, the new-made father, and Dilaram, the stal- 
 wart nurse, each shouldered one end of the cross pole and began 
 to sway as noiselessly after them. But not before the latter 
 had made her arrangements. Slipping behind some sparse caper 
 bushes, she scraped a shallow hole with her hand in the sand, 
 that was already warming under the first rays of the rising sun, 
 laid something down in the hollow, and partially covered it with 
 sand as with a blanket, since it might as well be comfortable 
 till the end. 
 
 Was it something, or was it nothing, that useless, drugged 
 girl baby who might in the years to come have given pleasure to
 
 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 some godly man, but who was now, in this time of stress, better 
 out of the way? 
 
 Dilaram scarcely asked herself the question, and yet there 
 was something in the tiny puckered face appearing like a mask 
 out of the soft sand which made her pause for a second and 
 mutter under her breath : 
 
 ' ' A lusty one indeed ! Had the good God but given the 
 soul-bit a male body-bit, it might have been a fine fighting 
 man." 
 
 So she returned to her task of helping the sick mother, the 
 very possibility of anything feminine growing up to be any- 
 thing fine not occurring to her. 
 
 Small wonder, indeed, when even now, after four centuries 
 of wisdom and progress, few thoughts of future fame or of a 
 future career come to the parents of a female child. In that 
 first glance a father gives his infant son, what wonders does he 
 not see hidden in the cradle ! Field Marshal's batons, titles, 
 distinctions, riches all these. But the face of a little daughter 
 shows only the lines of beauty the beauty which shall give 
 pleasure to a man ! 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din, however, had carefully not looked in his 
 daughter's face ; perhaps he feared the sight of it might turn 
 him from what he conceived to be his duty ; for his heart was 
 not so hard as that of Bibi Azizan, his wife, who at the moment 
 was comfortably slipping out of the noose of parental responsi- 
 bility with the aid of opium. But it had all been settled before- 
 hand with infinite and painstaking thought, as everything that 
 Ghiyass-ud-din did invariably was; for precision was with him 
 almost an obsession. Well born, well educated, he had been 
 what nowadays would be called a mathematical professor in 
 Kabul ; but he had fallen upon evil times, and had finally 
 decided on trying his fortune in Hindustan, the land of untold 
 riches. So, almost starving, he had accepted the post of assis- 
 tant invoice-writer to this caravan, and was going through the 
 experience methodically ; for he had added up all advantages, 
 subtracted the disadvantages, and divided out all his duties 
 conscientiously. Even in this problem of life and death, though 
 he regretted the conclusion to which the factors forced him, he
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 5 
 
 did not dream of disputing its validity, but, tall, gaunt, bur- 
 dened with a great load of responsibility, plodded on his way 
 after the fast disappearing caravan, leaving the new life to 
 death. 
 
 Since that first birth-cry the child had not uttered a sound. 
 The pinch of sugar on its tongue, hiding the bitterness of opium, 
 had brought content until the drug had brought unconsciousness. 
 
 So, in truth, the babe had scarce lived at all, and yet, as with 
 puckered-up little face upturned to the sky it lay placid, it still 
 held the possibility of taking to itself everything in the Great 
 Storehouse of Fate. 
 
 The sun climbed into the brazen sky, the hills shimmered and 
 grew opalescent in the noonday glare ; and still the child slept 
 on. But had Nurse Dilaram been there to watch the rise and 
 fall of the sand above its breast, she would have marvelled ; 
 for the pellet of the D ream-compel ler she had given should ere 
 this have stilled the breath for ever. Instead, it came quicker, 
 less evenly. 
 
 A wild honey-bee rifling the coral buds of the caper thorns 
 whose fine fret of shadow tempered the full fierceness of the 
 sun hovered over the wet open mouth as if doubtful if it were 
 not a new kind of flower, then hummed away tunefully to more 
 familiar blossoms. A pair of desert birds hopped round the 
 little upturned face, decided it was not fit to eat, and fluttered 
 away. 
 
 Finally, when the fretwork of the caper shadows began to 
 blur themselves, a great black cobra crept out of its hole hard 
 by, and finding the sand above the child's breast warmer than 
 the rest, coiled itself there to sleep. 
 
 And still the child slept on, though the Dream-compeller was 
 losing its hold on the little life, which must wake to face Death. 
 
 Quaint, indeed, to think of the little soul-bit, in its little 
 woman-body-bit, alone in the desert with all things hanging in 
 the Balance of Fate. Crowns, Kingdoms, Power almost un- 
 limited, Influence unrivalled ! 
 
 The moon at its full rose at last, turning the lingering Indian 
 day to night rapidly, and the sand-waves passed from opales- 
 cence to pearl once more; so faded sombrely to shadow.
 
 6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Hark! what was that? Scarcely a sound. More an air- 
 rhythm; the faintest fall of softest foot upon soft sand. 
 
 So over the darkening distance a monstrous swaying figure 
 showed ghostly ; it was the figure of a swift riding camel. And 
 it was ridden by a man in a hurry ; for Zaman Shah, Chief 
 Constable and Conveyer of Caravans, who had remained behind 
 at the last camping-place in order to negotiate the transport 
 dues payable to insure safe conduct from the tribesmen, was 
 anxious to overtake his charge. For his was a responsible task, 
 though none was more fitted for it than he, Yusufzai Pathan 
 by birth, who knew all the ins and outs of frontier life. A 
 medium-sized, merry man who could quote Hafiz by the yard, 
 and was the best swordsman that side Delhi. 
 
 What was it that made him suddenly draw rein, slip from 
 his high-peaked saddle, and stand peering down at his very 
 feet? Possibly it was the big black cobra which had slidden 
 from his camel's tread. Anyhow, he stood staring astonished 
 at an age-long, puckered little face, that stared back at him 
 with large purblind eyes ; for the useless girl had slipped the 
 Noose of Death and taken the Path of Life. 
 
 Yet still there was no sound, and Zaman Shah whose know- 
 ledge of babies, if superficial, was wide, seeing that he had a 
 wife and family at most of the big halting-places along the 
 route realized that he had seldom seen a silent baby before; 
 except once when a never-to-be-forgotten youthful romance had 
 ended for ever as he stood looking down on a dead mother 
 with his dead son on her breast. 
 
 But this one he paused mechanically to lift it from its sand 
 cradle looked alive enough to scream like the devil if it chose 
 
 It did. He nearly dropped the babe in surprise, so sudden, 
 so forceful, was its howl of hunger. 
 
 For there was no mistaking it ; loud, full, prolonged, the pro- 
 test was for food, immediate, imperative. But how to compass 
 satisfaction, here in the wilderness? Parched grain, the staple 
 provant of the Eastern traveller, was distinctly unsuitable. There 
 was the she-camel he was riding her calf, which had gone on 
 ahead, was almost weaned, but she might have something to 
 appease the yell.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 7 
 
 It was worth a trial, anyhow; so, holding the child con- 
 veniently, he attempted to milk into its open mouth. This, how- 
 ever, only made it yell the louder, and he was at his wits' end 
 when by chance the teat touched the clamouring lips. In an 
 instant they had closed on it like a vice, and remained glued to 
 it, sucking contentedly. 
 
 He chuckled to himself as he stood laboriously holding ths 
 child, whose little arms struggled and beat aimlessly at the 
 animal, as they would have at a human mother. 
 
 A strange group, indeed, in the rising moonlight, that sent a 
 hard yet blurred shadow of mingled man and beast on to the 
 soft shifting sand. 
 
 " By Allah !" murmured Zaman Shah, when at long last the 
 satisfied lips loosed hold. " She is better than most of her sex f 
 She knows what she wants, and gives no trouble when she gets 
 it. I will call her Queen o' Women." 
 
 It was the first intimation he had given to himself that he 
 meant to take the gift the gods had sent him, but it was final. 
 He was used, in his profession of Conveyer of Caravans, to the 
 rapid making of plans, to decisive decisions and sudden actions- 
 Then family ties sat light upon him, and some one of the many 
 women dependent on him would surely mother the foundling; 
 if not, he could easily find someone who would ; for Zaman Shah 
 was a good-looking fellow in the prime of life. 
 
 So lightly, almost without thought, he tucked the now sleeping 
 baby away in the capacious wadded coat girt about the waist 
 with a twined girdle which to the Afghan is general hold-all, 
 remounted, and rode on at full speed. 
 
 Within five minutes he had forgotten all about his burden and 
 was back in some rather troublous thoughts which needed sifting ; 
 for his post of Chief Conveyer of Caravans was not without 
 responsibilities. To begin with, the slow, undulating file of 
 camels which, tied nose to tail, looked sideways like some mon- 
 strous caterpillar crawling on its lengthy way, often carried 
 untold wealth. True, the major part of the packs contained 
 nothing more valuable than dried apricots and plums, pistachio 
 nuts, white grapes packed in little round boxes, and such like, 
 with here and there a tiny packet of asafcetida to give flavour to
 
 8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the whole and bestow on the caravan an atmosphere to carry 
 along with it. 
 
 But others held carpets and rich stuffs, while a few had 
 precious stones turquoise, lapis lazuli, and jade. Still more 
 valuable things were to be found, but these were generally con- 
 cealed on the persons of the travellers who availed themselves of 
 armed escort, so that the Conveyer did not himself know what 
 treasures he was guarding. 
 
 But whenever he found unusual difficulty in settling trans- 
 port dues with the tribesmen, he had a shrewd guess that they 
 had wind of something out of the common. And never had 
 he met with more extortion than on the present trip. His face 
 clouded, remembering the rupees extracted from him that very 
 morning after vain protest and waste of time. But, praise be 
 to Allah ! the tyranny was about overpast. Two more marches 
 would see them over the border, and the very next day he would 
 Be quit of that naked, drunken pig of a Hindu saint, who, he 
 verily believed, was at the bottom of the whole trouble. Bad 
 eess to the banker at Kabul who had persuaded him to convoy 
 the idolatrous anatomy as if the fact that you owed a man a 
 few paltry hundreds was any excuse for his foisting a ver- 
 minous savage on good company ! Zaman Shah spat over his 
 thoughts, then laughed sardonically at the reflection that jogi-jee 
 could not have much about him, since his only clothing was a 
 bit of twine and a rag round his waist. But perhaps he had 
 swallowed something? Not very large, anyhow, as you could 
 see every bone and sinew in his skeleton ! Yes, it would be 
 God's peace when he was safely handed over to the shrine ! 
 
 So from that Zaman Shah's errant thoughts flew to other 
 things, while the swift rewdri camel, with its long swinging trot 
 that had a bump in the middle, forged over the sandhills at 
 fifteen miles an hour; a very different pace from that of the 
 baggage beasts, its brothers. 
 
 It did not take more than an hour and a half to reach the 
 outskirts of the little oasis, preluding a more rapid and rocky 
 descent, where the caravan was encamped for the night, and 
 where Zaman Shah expected to find all asleep and snoring after 
 the dreary, weary, slow march of the day. He was, however,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 9 
 
 disappointed. From afar he could see watch-fires blazing and 
 hear drums beating, while as he passed on a couple of timid 
 guards, armed with pikes, challenged him fearfully. 
 
 With an oath he gave the password, and, galloping furiously 
 to his tent, flung himself from his camel and demanded imperi- 
 ously what was the matter. 
 
 " The Hindu saint, my lord, hath had a dream. He swears 
 if any sleep he will be robbed and murdered," bleated a head 
 accountant, hovering between importance and fear. " And, 
 seeing that he is a holy man ' ' 
 
 Zaman Shah nearly burst with rage. "Go to Gehennum ! 
 Hindu thyself, fool !" he stormed. " Is peace for ever to be 
 disturbed by a drunkard's dreams? Bring the foul beast hither, 
 slaves, and I will cook his pulse for him. ' ' 
 
 A minute later the two men stood glaring at each other, abso- 
 lutely different and apart, yet each instinct with overweening 
 pride and arrogance. Of the two, the jogi had the better share, 
 for one look at the dull blaze of his eyes showed that he was 
 heavily drugged with bhang; and of all known substances in 
 the world, Indian hemp is the one that makes a man feel most 
 supreme, most god-like. So, a miserable, ash-smeared anatomy, 
 his wild sun-bleached hair matted into a sort of crown upon his 
 head, he stood grey and ghostlike in the mingled glare of torch 
 and moon, giving back with interest the Mahomedan's purely 
 physical contempt by a spiritual disdain beyond words. And 
 yet there were traces of a furtive fear, perhaps more of a furtive 
 watchfulness, in his dull, restless eyes and in the quickness with 
 which he followed every movement of the crowd that pressed 
 behind him. A fear, a watchfulness of something that was 
 not, but might be. 
 
 "So! Saint!" jeered Zaman, " thou hast been dreaming 
 again. I will have no drunken dreams ay, or dreamers 
 either in my camp. So tell these split-eared folk something 
 more peaceful, or, by the Prophet, saint or sinner, out you go !" 
 
 The saint gave a scornful laugh. 
 
 "Thou darest not, cow-killer! Thou art bound by thine 
 office to shelter me till I reach the shrine." 
 
 Zaman Shah's face grew black with passion; in an instant
 
 io MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 his resolve was taken, heedless of his own comfort or discom- 
 fort, heedless of all saj/e immediate reprisal. 
 
 "So be it, Saint-fee," he snarled; "then I see thee safe 
 there if God wills this very night. 'Tis a matter of fifteen 
 miles, not more, twelve by the gorge path. That ends it. 
 Dost hear?" 
 
 For an instant the man looked startled, apprehensive; then 
 with curious dignity he salaamed. 
 
 " So hath the Mighty ordained," he said. " His disciple is 
 ready." 
 
 Zaman gave a scornful laugh. " Ay ! Ready enough, see- 
 ing thine only baggage is a bag of bones and some vermin. Thus 
 we can start without delay. Quick ! my other camel, and five 
 troopers thou shalt have decent escort, saint ! And bring me 
 a drink of sherbet I sup not till I be quit, with a thankful 
 heart, of all idolaters." 
 
 There was ever haste in Zaman Shah's dispositions ; but this 
 one was more than usually rapid, and the listening crowd had 
 hardly realized its sequence before the little cavalcade, with 
 the saint perched up behind the last trooper, had started. The 
 moon, shining bright, showed him like a skeleton against the 
 latter's burly form, as, coalescing into a serried group, the 
 party disappeared at full speed adown the rocky decline. 
 
 The watching crowd began to disperse, yawning sleepily. 
 
 " By Allah !" murmured one. " The Conveyer said truth. 
 The saint had bewitched the camp. Now he is gone, I feel that 
 I can sleep in peace." 
 
 " And I also," yawned another. 
 
 But one man looked at another man, and both were alert to 
 the uttermost. They were both slim, small, dark- featured, and 
 after an instant's colloquy they slipped past the camp fires and 
 were no more seen.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 " Ring round with scent the circle where thy lips 
 Shall touch the Bowl of Life ! If the wine drips 
 Untouched into the Cup of Death what then ? 
 Since Life dies not, it matters not who sips." 
 
 ZAMAN SHAH rode at the head of the escort fuming with rage, 
 and yet exultant. 
 
 By his quick decision to take a short cut, and thus, within the 
 limits of a short, swift, but difficult camel ride, deposit the 
 verminous idolater at the shrine which would otherwise have 
 been reached in two days' tedious marching, he had put an end, 
 so he told himself, to an intolerable state of affairs. Never 
 had he had so troublesome a caravan to convoy. And it was 
 not all dreams on the jogi's part; twice, at least, an attempt 
 had been made on the camp at night ; and, from his long experi- 
 ence of travellers, he suspicioned more than one of the Hindus 
 of his party as being in disguise. 
 
 However, the whole affair was ended now, with no worse 
 result than keeping him four hours without his supper ; for it 
 would not take more than that to deposit Saint -jee and get back. 
 If he had had horses instead of camels, not so long ; for the 
 hill-ponies could easily have tackled a further short cut at the 
 beginning, which was impassable for the latter 's soft pads. 
 
 So he led the way in the moonlight for some three miles down 
 the rocky ravine, till they came upon a few sparse pine-trees, 
 and finally entered the densely wooded valley leading to the 
 lower levels. Here a tinkle of water made itself heard below 
 them, as, fearful of a slip among the thick carpeting of pine- 
 needles, they went slowly along the verge of precipitous rocks. 
 A warm aromatic air rose from the camels' footsteps, and the 
 burly trooper bade Sa.mt-jee hold fast if he did not want to 
 save further trouble by gaining Swarga and not the shrine by 
 being precipitated to the rocks below.
 
 12 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Jest not with holy things, outcast !" replied the jogi. 
 " Mai Durga stays not her hand at the m'lechchas." 
 
 " Halt !" came an imperious voice from ahead. It was 
 darker here, in the shadow of the pines ; but it was light enough 
 for Zaman Shah to see that something lay ahead which caused 
 him to fling himself from his saddle with an oath of vexation. 
 The path had passed from the left to the right bank of the 
 stream by a bridge purposely placed at the narrowest part of 
 the gorge; or rather, it should have passed, for the centre of 
 the three tree-trunks of which the rough roadway had been made 
 was no longer there. Peering over the edge, Zaman Shah could 
 see it lying askew, wedged into the rocks half-way down. 
 Doubtless, having grown rotten, it had fallen; such things did 
 happen, especially on little used pathways. Still it was a check, 
 and that to Zaman Shah's temper was intolerable. There was, 
 however, but one thing to be done. A halt must be called, half 
 the troopers must swarm across the remaining trunks, cut 
 down a suitable pine to fell as near to place as possible, 
 while the remaining men guided it by ropes. It was an 
 operation which had constantly to be done on hill roads, 
 and it need only take half an hour; but it was half an hour 
 lost. 
 
 "Leave the camels, my brothers, in charge of Saint-;V<r," he 
 ordered sharply; "his holiness is sufficient for that, I warrant. 
 There is room round the rock yonder for the beasts to squat, so 
 the six of us can set to work." As he spoke he began to throw 
 off his coat. "God and His Prophet !" he continued, aghast, 
 "I had forgot the child!" 
 
 The troopers, aghast, also, stared helplessly at the little naked 
 new-born baby. 
 
 So for an instant there was silence; then the cool night air 
 began to assail the little limbs so lately warm happed in fur. 
 They stretched, curled, the mouth opened 
 
 "Wrap it up, master!" cried one trooper hastily; "it is 
 going to cry, and the devil himself can't stop them if they 
 once begin ! Only a woman can do it." 
 
 But it was too late. Through the still, aromatic night rose 
 pitiful howling.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 13 
 
 " I have milk in my bottle," said a bearded man fearfully; 
 " belike it is hungry !" 
 
 Zaman Shah smiled a grim smile. " And if it be so, bro- 
 ther," he remarked, " naught else but food will content it 
 'tis the veriest shaitan for wilfulness." Then he turned restive. 
 Further delay meant longer supperless time for himself, and 
 that was not to be tolerated. " Here !" he cried, thrusting the 
 child, fur coat and all, into the unwilling jogi's arms for the 
 saint, astounded like the others, had crowded round to look 
 "there is that to occupy thy charity! Give him thy milk- 
 bottle, Ahmed, and let him do nurse while better men work." 
 
 Five minutes afterwards the sound of an axe was ringing 
 through the rocks, while leaning against one of the squatting 
 camels, jogi-jee was attempting to still the infant's cries. 
 
 " He hath not the knack of the job," gravely commented the 
 bearded trooper who had shown second-hand knowledge of 
 nursing lore, as hideous howls still rose upon the night air; 
 "you should jigger the babe up and down till its head 
 whirls " 
 
 " Be not too hard on him, friend," jeered a younger one. 
 "Being celibate, what knows he of family matters?" 
 
 The sally brought a roar of laughter; for the lax morality of 
 the wandering ascetic is a byword in India. 
 
 In truth, his saintship had a difficult task. The lip of the 
 leathern milk-bottle was wide, the infant's mouth was small ; 
 the jogi's hand was unsteady, owing to bhang. So his attempt 
 at feeding it ended in renewed roars as the cold fluid dashed 
 over eyes and nose. 
 
 For a time he continued his effort mechanically ; then interest 
 appeared to wake in him. He laid the child down for a second 
 and stole round the projecting rock to make sure he was unob- 
 served by the bridge-makers. Having satisfied himself of that, 
 he removed something that was hidden in the coils of matted 
 hair that, after the manner of such ascetics, formed a sort of 
 crown upon his head. 
 
 Seen in the moonlight it showed a tiny cup apparently of 
 lacquered wood such as any Indian bazaar produces by the 
 million as a receptable for medicaments, or as a child's toy.
 
 i 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 It was, however, of somewhat unusual shape, being like a small 
 dumpy dice-box, both ends equal, with but a slight attenuation 
 in the middle. 
 
 This the jogi filled with milk, then held it to the child's lips. 
 They seized like a vice on the rim, the cries ceased, and all was 
 peace. 
 
 Once, twice, thrice, the cup was filled, a certain satisfaction 
 showing on the faces of both nurse and nursling, and the former 
 was meditating whether the infant could contain a fourth jorum 
 when he fell forward with one awful gasp. The little cup flew 
 from his hand, buried itself in the folds of the fur coat, which 
 in one last convulsive struggle to rise, he ruckled so that it hid 
 the child's face. 
 
 " Quick !" said a low guttural voice, " I hear steps ! Quick ! 
 Search, brothers !" 
 
 Not more than a minute later Zaman Shah, followed by a 
 trooper, turned the protecting rock. 
 
 "Allah roast the infidel !" muttered the Conveyer of Cara- 
 vans. " Why did he not answer when I called? But he hath 
 appeased the churail of a child. Let that stand to his credit." 
 
 Then he gave an exclamation, for in the very centre of the 
 kneeling camels showed a ghastly, contorted, naked figure, its 
 faced turned to mother earth, the hilt of a dagger showing just 
 under the left shoulder blade. Given a long enough weapon, 
 it must have pierced the heart. 
 
 " That is no bungler's work," said Zaman Shah, " but how? 
 And wherefore?" 
 
 " It is thieves' work, master," replied the trooper, bending to 
 examine more closely. "See they judged it concealed in his 
 hair; it is all undone." 
 
 And indeed, the whole superstructure of tow, wool, rags and 
 indescribable filth which had gone to make up the jogi's crown 
 or turban of plaited hair lay in confusion, each tangled mass 
 torn to bits in hurried search. 
 
 The Conveyer of Caravans looked down thoughtfully at the 
 body. " Thou'rt right, Ahmed; and those who did the deed 
 have gained what they sought. What was't, think you? Some 
 jewel, doubtless, since even yonder wig would not carry gold
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 15 
 
 enough to tempt such attack. Ay, a jewel some idol's eye 
 likely." 
 
 Both he and the trooper spat thoughtfully. It was as well 
 to prevent the poison of such infamy from defiling their orthodox 
 throats. 
 
 Suddenly the Conveyer of Caravans spoke, and he spoke hur- 
 riedly. " See you, brother, this is best not known save to those 
 to whom Providence hath imparted the secret ! Lend me a 
 hand. The gorge will hide the man, be he saint or sinner." 
 
 Without one word the hand was lent. There was a dull thud 
 among the rocks below, and the two men looked at each other 
 with satisfaction. 
 
 "So much for saintship," remarked Zaman Shah coolly. 
 "And now to return whence we came. The idolatrous dog, 
 mind you, hath given us the slip as in tcuth he hath so being 
 quit of all responsibility for safety as I am praise to the 
 Prophet ! I will get my supper sooner than I deemed 
 possible." 
 
 And they both laughed. His saintship had been to them 
 anathema, and his death seemed to them but fitted to his crimes 
 against the Most High. They would not even have yielded him 
 the prayer for mercy they would have repeated to the dying ears 
 of a mouse ! 
 
 " He hath gone," said Ahmed to the other troopers when 
 he joined them at the bridge, leading the camels. " Taken 
 the quick pony-path likely ; it joins in but round the corner. 
 So we are well quit of him and a weary night's ride into the 
 bargain." 
 
 ' ' God be praised ! as the cat said when the tiger escaped 
 by the door," cried one of the five as he mounted and turned 
 his camel on the backward path. 
 
 So through the moonlight once more they retraced their steps, 
 laughing and chattering. But the Convoyer of Caravans was 
 silent and preoccupied. To begin with, he was alarmed lest 
 the infant, whom he carried on his saddle-bow, wrapped up as 
 it had been in his fur coat, should begin to cry again ; and then 
 he was wondering what it was that his saintship had had con- 
 cealed in his hair. If it was a jewel belonging to some princely
 
 1 6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 house, there might be trouble with the banker, who possibly had 
 held it in pawn. 
 
 On the other hand, if it was a treasure belonging to some 
 shrine, the owners would likely say nothing publicly about a 
 loss which might injure their prestige, and therefore their 
 capacity for gaining money from the ignorant. He inclined to 
 the latter belief; for he was an optimist and a fatalist com- 
 bined ; a most convenient admixture in his trade. 
 
 So he set the very idea of the infant aside till he had had his 
 supper, leaving it happed up in the fur coat in the corner of the 
 tent. It was not till he had washed a prodigious portion of 
 quail curry and pillau down with a prolonged draught of good 
 Shiraz wine for, like so many Mahomedans of his time, his 
 orthodoxy did not extend to the foreswearing of fermented 
 liquors that he ordered the servant to bring him the bundle, 
 and not to drop it. For he had no notion of doing dry nurse 
 himself, and he wished to make some arrangement for the 
 infant's welfare before tackling the belated report of the day's 
 doings which the yawning assistant invoice-master had been 
 waiting to give for some three hours ; his superior having incon- 
 tinently retired to sleep when the Convoyer of Caravans started 
 on his night ride. 
 
 So, as luck would have it, Ghiyass-ud-din's eyes were 
 amongst those which opened wide in astonishment when, the fur 
 coat being unfolded, disclosed a naked new-born babe fast 
 asleep. 
 
 The surprise was so great that he might easily have betrayed 
 himself, but for a slight incident which distracted Zaman Shah's 
 attention. As he opened out the coat, something fell out of its 
 folds. 
 
 Brought to him by an obsequious attendant one of those 
 lick-spittle servants which attend all officialdom in the East 
 it proved to be nothing but a little lacquered cup, and Zaman 
 Shah's eyes, which had lit up with sudden interest, dulled again. 
 Vet he looked over the cup curiously. Black and red and 
 yellow as usual showed in lines, with a hint of green below 
 where the graver, at work on the rough and ready decoration, 
 had cut deep into the first substratum of lac. A quaint work,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 13 
 
 this, to watch, as the rapid lathe wheel covers the object with 
 coating after coating of coloured sealing-wax, till black or 
 yellow or red obscures all the others, leaving box or cup dull, 
 uninteresting. Then a swift touch of a chisel ; the superimposed 
 colour peels off as by magic, leaving a contrasting band. A 
 slightly harder pressure of the tool and a ring maybe of purest 
 white appears. But the crowning glory of the whole mar- 
 vellous creation is when, graver in hand, the workman with 
 dexterous flourish maps out curves, tendrils, sets them unerringly 
 with flowers, leaves, fruits, cutting almost imperceptibly dowa 
 to the green, the purple, the yellow, the blue. So, surely, does 
 the Great Creator work at His lathe; so surely does Fate bite 
 deep into man's nature, bringing to light what lies in him. 
 
 This particular cup was, however, of very ordinary workman- 
 ship, and if it had belonged to the murdered man, as it must, 
 he had evidently set but little store by it, since there were traces 
 of milk in it. He must have been using it to feed the babe 
 
 withal when Mayhap the charitable deed might save him 
 
 some torment ! 
 
 So he set the little vessel aside and turned to look at the 
 group of bearded, eager, astounded faces that, in the ill-lighted 
 tent, were peering at a baby's face. And even in those early 
 days something about that face held them. 
 
 "Lo!" murmured one, "how white it is! 'Tis of good 
 parentage, I warrant me." 
 
 "Saw I never the like, so prim, so pretty as new-born," 
 protested one with grey hair and possible experience. " It 
 hath not a wrinkle. And it looks young, not old, as they 
 all do." 
 
 In truth, the age-long look had vanished, leaving the child 
 plump, placid. 
 
 But one man, a tall lank fellow with a philosophic face, said 
 nothing. He was looking on his child's face for the first time, 
 conscious of a great yearning in his very vitals towards it, 
 admitting that his sons had not been half so attractive, wonder- 
 ing whether to confess his desertion of her or 
 
 All this time Zamad Shad was telling how she had been 
 found, fed by a camel, forgotten, and found again. How she
 
 1 8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 had been left in charge of the jogi, who, before absconding, had 
 fed her with Pir Khan's sour milk; all of which, told in his 
 best style, elicited roars of laughter. 
 
 "Yea! Yea!" he ended. "But 'tis no laughing matter, 
 see you ! 'Tis true the child hath no stomach-ache through 
 camel's milk and jogVs milk, but 'twill not do for permanence. 
 And 'tis pity she should die, since her lungs portend long life. 
 A wet nurse is beyond hope; but hath none of you a woman 
 who for a consideration since I will pay would tend the 
 babe?" 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din's head span round. Here was his chance. 
 He had no time to calculate ; to add, subtract, divide, after his 
 wont. A vast longing seized on him to hold in his arms this 
 little daughter of his; this daughter twice born to him, as it 
 were, and that had suddenly become the dearest, the most desir- 
 able thing on this earth. His voice positively trembled, he had 
 to clear his throat ere he could say hastily, lest others should 
 be beforehand : 
 
 " If it please my lord, his slave has young children, and they 
 have a nurse. A stalwart woman, used to babes, who could 
 mind this one also, if my lord desires " 
 
 Even in the turmoil of his mind he realized it was wiser not 
 to mention a possible foster-mother ; that would provoke explana- 
 tion, and he was not sure how this autocratic patron might 
 receive it. 
 
 Zaman Shah heaved a sigh of relief. 
 
 "That settles it," he cried joyfully. "So I have not to 
 appease her hunger myself, I care not who has the task, if that 
 it be properly done. For look you, she is my daughter. God 
 sent her to me, not to any other man. So take her quick to thy 
 woman and this " he threw a gold ashrafi on the fur coat 
 "it may help find milk, though how save camel's God wot ! 
 And stay, the cup also. 'Tis the little lady's by right of gift 
 
 a gift of saintship truly, since the giver " He paused, and 
 
 covered what he had been about, ill-advisedly, to say by his 
 usual method of quoting a ghazel from Hafiz : 
 
 " I'll drink from a smagdarite cup my wine of the roses' hue, 
 Till Death makes a flagon of clay out of me and of you."
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 19 
 
 The rollicking echo of his voice, attuned to cynicism, followed 
 Ghiyass-ud-din, as, scarcely believing in his own luck, he cuddled 
 the child closer and closer as he made his way back under the 
 stars to the tattered tent which was all the protection he had been 
 able to afford his family. Bibi Azizan and the boys monopolized 
 every inch of it, he slept where he could, and Dilaram stal- 
 wart Dilaram how would life be possible without her? rolled 
 herself into a cocoon in her cotton blanket, and so, with every 
 atom of air excluded, managed to keep up her own heat and 
 become comatose within reach of a call from her charges. 
 
 It took some time to rouse the unrecognizable bundle; but 
 finally it sat up, unhapped a face, and gave a tremendous yawn. 
 
 "What is't, master?" she asked sleepily. " Hath the Bibi 
 megrims again, or what? If the Huzoor would but recognize 
 that she is herself and naught else, this slave would have better 
 sleep. Lo ! the soul of a fool is dear at any price." 
 
 At another time Meean Ghiyass might have taken exception 
 to Dilaram's sleepy estimate of her mistress, but he was too much 
 in a turmoil of joy and excitement to mind anything save the 
 child. His hands shook as he held out the bundle he carried, 
 and uncovered the little face. 
 
 ' ' Look, woman ! Look ! The Lord hath given her back 
 to me !" 
 
 For an instant Dilaram stared like a stuck pig. Then, quite 
 unceiemoniously, she reached out her stalwart arms and appro- 
 priated the bundle. 
 
 " The master mistakes," she said coolly. "The Lord hath 
 given her back to me, who am woman, and who loved her from 
 the first. Did I not say she was lusty ay, and pretty too? 
 And did not my lord say, ' Peace, fool !' Ay ! Ay ! ' Peace, 
 fool ! Peace, fool ! ' And he comes to me in the middle of the 
 night with the babe he discarded at dawn." Then with an air of 
 resignation, as who should say what a man might or might not 
 do, she added, "Didst go back all the way to fetch her, master?" 
 
 It was on the tip of Ghiyass-ud-din's tongue to say, " Peace, 
 fool !" once more; but he refrained, and told her briefly how 
 the Convoyer of Caravans had made the babe over to his charge. 
 " He must have found her likely," he added gravely.
 
 20 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 "Ay! Ay! Likely he did, unless the babe walked. But 
 there! If the cat kittens, who tells the father? The child is 
 here and it should have been dead in the desert." Once more 
 she looked down at it with approbation. " Yea, 'tis a lusty 
 one ! Bibi Azizan would have died of the dose. But how 'tis 
 to be fed God knows !" 
 
 For answer Ghiyass-ud-din held out the ashrafi, and Dilaram 
 clutched at it. 
 
 " Why not give it with the babe, master?" she asked reproach- 
 fully; "'twould have saved me somewhat of thought but 
 there ! a blind mouse doesn't see its own tail " 
 
 "And thou wilt buy milk!" suggested the father anxiously. 
 "But where? Lo ! in the whole camp I know of none save 
 camel's milk " 
 
 Dilaram stood up and laughed a loud laugh. " Bah ! I will 
 feed the co\v we have. Bibi Azizan shall suckle the child, for 
 all she is so like a grey crane with a toothache. Yea, she shall 
 eat, and that heartily, for see you, the babe is lusty, ay ! and 
 pretty too ! " 
 
 She held the child close as she spoke, and Ghiyass-ud-din 
 stood helpless, feeling that even as father he had very little 
 to say. And yet, had he been equal to the situation, he would 
 have liked to sit and nurse the child himself ! 
 
 Bibi Azizan, roused sternly to her duty as mother, was half 
 inclined to cavil at Fate, half disposed to welcome a new 
 interest. But the child was pretty, of that there could be no 
 doubt. 
 
 So the days passed to a week, the weeks to a month; and 
 every day Zaman Shah would ask, " How goes my daughter, 
 Mihr-un-nissa?" 
 
 And every day Ghiyass, with an inward squirm at his own 
 deceit, for he was an honest fellow at heart, would say con- 
 strainedly that there was no fear of her dying from the cause 
 of not drinking milk, that being in India the recognized reason 
 for death in all infants under three months of age. And indeed 
 there was none. 
 
 " She will kill me," wailed Bibi Azizan, when Dilaram, tall 
 and domineering, brought the child to her at stated intervals.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 21 
 
 " So that she be not killed, I care not," retorted the nurse, 
 " and with good savoury lentils and sweet pillau the mistress will 
 come to no harm." 
 
 " But I shall get too fat ! I shall not be able to waddle," 
 poor Azizan protested with more tears. " Then the Meean- 
 Sahib will want another wife, and I shall have to kill myself." 
 
 Dilarcam, seated on the ground watching, with the complacent, 
 never-failing interest of all motherly women, how Mihr-un-nissa 
 imbibed her breakfast, said nothing for a second, then mechanic- 
 ally, as if her words needed small thought, said sagely, 
 " Trouble not thyself, mistress. The man is no fool ; one wife 
 is sufficient." 
 
 And Azizan had to accept the doubtful comfort. 
 
 As Zaman Shah had hoped, no claim regarding the murdered 
 jogi had come from either money-lenders or saints ; and there 
 was no reason why they should come. 
 
 Ahmed, the only person who knew of the murder, had con- 
 sented to silence for the modest sum of ten rupees, and he could 
 gain nothing by treachery. Thus the incident seemed over, and 
 the caravan having reached the Panjab, where the Emperor 
 Akbar's autocratic rule made safe conduct unnecessary, Zaman 
 Shah had leisure to settle up the somewhat tangled accounts of 
 merchandise received or convoyed. In a sort of slap-dash way 
 he was no bad total ler up of dues, but the more intricate cipher- 
 ing on paper had ever been beyond him, and he had felt him- 
 self more or less in the hands of his Hindu accountants. So 
 the marvellous rapidity and precision of the ci-devant mathe- 
 matical professor was a delight. Day by day Ghiyass-ud-din 
 grew to favour, and when the caravan arrived at Lahore the 
 Conveyer thereof incontinently sacked the Hindu and nolens 
 volens promoted Ghiyass to the higher state and pay ; much to 
 the latter's disgust, for he had cherished the hope of breaking 
 loose and once more feeling that his child was his own. As 
 matters now stood, he told himself, he was no more than an 
 outcast. The women seemed to have joined forces in pinning 
 him down as the chief offender in the matter of desertion, whereas 
 he had acted in accordance with logic. But Dilaram never let 
 him touch the child, and his wife went so far as to veil the baby's
 
 22 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 face when he came near, as if he had the evil eye. What did 
 for his patience, however, was the Conveyer of Caravans' 
 remark in promoting him, that as he, Zaman Shah, intended 
 to marry Mihr-un-nissa so soon as she was old enough, it was 
 as well to insure her being brought up under his own eye. 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din, proud, aristocratic, could not stand this; so 
 he up and out with the whole story, much to Zaman Shah's 
 disgust. 
 
 Despite immediate anger, however, the latter was a good- 
 natured man, and after a few round curses laughter prevailed. 
 
 11 Ho ! Ho ! By all the twelve Imams ! A goodly trick 
 indeed ! To take the child and my gold ashrafi too nay, 
 twain, for I have given thee one since ! and then to restore the 
 child to its proper mother to suckle ! Truly a cake for thee, 
 dough for me ! ' ' 
 
 " My lord," pleaded Ghiyass in extenuation, " she was nigh 
 starving. She could not have suckled the babe without food ! 
 Eight rupees go not far in five months, and my little sons are 
 lusty." 
 
 " Ha ! Ha !" laughed the Convoyer again; " thou begettest 
 lusty children, though thou beest but a poor lank piece thyself. 
 But see you, sirrah ! How hadst thou the heart to leave that 
 .beauty to the jackals? By the Prophet ! the first blink of her 
 was enough for Zaman Shah. But then I am connoisseur !" 
 And he twirled his moustache arrogantly. 
 
 The much abashed Ghiyass attempted explanation. "I I 
 saw her not, my lord ! I feared to be undone. 'Twas Dilaram 
 the nurse who who laid her aside !" 
 
 Zaman Shah shook his head sagely. " Stick to thy figures, 
 brother; there thou art supreme. But it needs more than 
 Al-jabr* to manage women; 'tis jabr-dust\ they require, as 
 these Panjab folk have it. I must see this nurse and trounce 
 her." 
 
 He saw her; but the trouncing scarcely came off. 
 
 Dilaram duly appeared before him, bearing the baby cuddled 
 on her right arm, her left hand dangling over its nose the little 
 lacquered cup, which she had ingeniously converted into a rattle 
 * Algebra. f Lit., strong hand.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 23 
 
 by putting peas inside, covering the top with a piece of sheep's 
 bladder, and tying a string round its middle. 
 
 Despite her tender age a bare two months the child's fat 
 arms were struggling blindly for the prize, making vain shots 
 at it, touching it, and setting it still further a-swing. It was a 
 breathless, purblind pursuit in which helpless legs joined help- 
 less arms, mouth half open, eyes puckered to a frown. Every 
 action of the small person intent on something, what it scarcely 
 knew. 
 
 Truly an entrancing sight, ended by Dilaram deliberately 
 lowering the cup on to the open mouth, which closed on it and 
 began to suck vigorously. Whereat Zaman Shah laughed. 
 
 " My lord sent for this slave," suggested Dilaram tentatively. 
 " What can I do for my lord?" 
 
 "To ask thee, witch-of-the-evil one," said Zaman Shah, all 
 the more sternly in that he knew his appreciation of the past 
 little comedy had been noticed, "how, in God's name, thoti 
 didst dare to expose to wild beasts a soul and body He had 
 sent to my caravan?" 
 
 Dilaram sat down full flounced, laid the infant before her on 
 her skirts, and folded her arms over her massive chest. 
 
 " Which end shall I swallow first? asked the pelican of the 
 fish, master. Because I had no choice. Even beauty without 
 dower is a prey to many men yea, even such men as my lord is." 
 
 The blood flew to Zaman Shah's face, turning it dusky. 
 
 " How now, slave?" he began, but Dilaram fixed him with a 
 calm eye. ' The child is princely born, master ; though 
 Ghiyass-ud-din claims not his right. And what is life without 
 marriage to a woman? 'Tis but the half-split of a pea to a 
 dishonourable marriage and that is God's curse. And then " 
 she had taken the measure of her man astutely " death the 
 first day is easier than death by starvation, and without the 
 master's gold ashrafis Mihr-un-nissa (we call her by the name 
 the master bestowed with life upon her) would have tugged in 
 vain at an empty breast. So I did well ; but my lord has done 
 better." 
 
 And, unfolding her strong arms, she swept the most appre- 
 ciatory of salaams.
 
 * 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Thou hast a ready tongue, woman," said Zaman Shah, 
 " but mark you, I renounce not my claim on the child !" 
 
 11 Nor I mine," retorted Dilaram, gathering up her charge to 
 her capacious breast. " Lo ! master, she may need us both, for 
 the gods have given her beauty that is a curse to women- 
 kind !" 
 
 It was an even more fatal gift than mere beauty that the gods 
 Had bestowed on little Mihr-un-nissa. They had given her, 
 charm. Ere she was three months old she was the darling of 
 the camp. Everyone vied with the other to make her toys 
 wriggly snakes out of curled bamboo slips, yellow and black 
 tigers out of painted mud, beautiful snow bears out of cotton 
 pods but she would none of them. Her rattle contented her, 
 and if it rolled out of her reach she rolled after it, to the intense 
 amusement of the spectators ; for never was infant endowed with 
 greater tenacity of purpose than this one. Every atom of her 
 dimpled body worked hard to achieve her object, and when it 
 was gained, the content on her dimpled face was all-pervading. 
 So the long caravan crept its way peacefully through the 
 Panjab plains, and Zaman Shah had almost forgotten the very 
 existence of the murdered jogi when one night Dilaram sought 
 a private audience with him, her little charge, as usual, in 
 Her arms. 
 
 She laid it down, asleep, among her flouncing petticoats, and 
 began her tale. 
 
 " We are being watched, master, the child and I. Yesterday 
 an ash-smeared abomination came begging. To-day there were 
 two from the town. Idolaters with hair-crowns like the one 
 whose cup is the child's rattle. And one admired it, asking 
 whence the child had gotten it." 
 
 " And what saidst thou?" came the instant query with quick 
 interest in the tone. 
 
 "That I purchased it for a pice in the Rawul Pindi bazaar, 
 seeing that the one the babe had before which was gotten from 
 a naked abomination such as they had been stolen from her by 
 another naked wretch who wore his hair long and whose ears 
 vrere whole. Theirs were split, see you," she replied imper- 
 turbably.
 
 2 5 
 
 Zaman Shah gasped, and looked at her with stupefaction. 
 And he had ever decried woman's wit ! 
 " Why didst lie so nobly?" he asked. 
 
 Dilaram settled herself down more comfortably, and began 
 with a prodigious yawn : 
 
 " Because a snake goes crooked to its own hole, master. And 
 the men looked sly, to match the untruth. Besides, the ash- 
 smeared idolater who owned the child's cup had his ears split 
 even as these. So I count them as friends ; but they, the long- 
 haired, whole-eared sort are foes ; so I set one against the other, 
 and that is good doing. Then" she paused and fixed Zaman 
 Shah with her eyes " who knows what really became of split- 
 ear? The master says he ran away and fair riddance too 
 
 but Ahmed " 
 
 " What of Ahmed, woman?" put in the Conveyer of Caravans 
 sharply, on the alert for any babbling. 
 
 "Naught, naught, my lord," replied Dilaram airily, "save 
 that he has been oft drunk. Now no leech sticks to a stone, 
 
 and wine comes not save from a long purse. Besides ' 
 
 She paused. 
 
 " Besides what?" asked Zaman Shah angrily, for he felt the 
 woman was turning him inside out. 
 
 " Only that we women love by lies to confound the strength 
 of men," she replied coolly. " Thus I sent them away with 
 fleas in their split ears !" 
 
 Zaman Shah felt irritation overcoming his interest. 
 " Thou hast done well," he said in lordly fashion, " and I 
 will see that the beggars come not into camp again." 
 
 Dilaram laughed scornfully. " Seeing to it when sight is 
 gone is blind man's work, master, and I follow not that path. 
 These ash-smeared ones are by repute passed thieves; so I have 
 taken steps along the road of stratagem. For, see you, the 
 child shall keep her luck. As the adage runs, ' Birth and Death 
 together in one bed make a long life for the one not dead,' and 
 she was but just born when jogi-jee met his end." 
 
 "Who told thee he was dead?" interrupted Zaman Shah 
 hastily. 
 
 Dilaram stared affably. " None till now, master, though I
 
 26 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 guessed it. Not that I care one pin's point who lives or dies so 
 that the child keeps her luck. Thus sniffing danger, I took 
 steps." She drew back the covering from the child. " See 
 you, she clasps the string of her rattle as ever. Dost see any 
 difference, master? Yet the true one is here in safe custody." 
 She drew out a lacquered cup from her capacious bosom and laid 
 it beside the other. " Lo ! the lacquer-maker in the bazaar had 
 it done in a trice from the pattern and charged me a pice for it. 
 And I rubbed it in dirt to take off the newness. So if the ash- 
 smeared abominations steal, they shall steal naught." 
 
 Zaman Shah looked at her admiringly. "Verily thou hast 
 wits in that stout body of thine. Truly 'tis a trick; for if they 
 steal and find not what they sought, they will deem thou didst 
 speak truth about the theft and so follow after the straight- 
 haired, whole-eared one ! Ha, ha !" 
 
 Dilaram caught up the child and salaamed resignedly. " Yea, 
 master; thy wits have it now. But have a care for thyself; 
 these God-forgotten idolaters stick at nothing." 
 
 So she returned to the tent where Bibi Azizan and the boys 
 slept peacefully, and cuddling the child close to her for safety, 
 lay down to rest. For some time she remained awake listening 
 to every sound ; but as the night wore on the effort became too 
 great, and she fell asnoring. 
 
 When she woke day was glinting bright through the slit of the 
 tent curtain. 
 
 Her first thought was for the rattle. It still hung from the 
 child's fat wrist, and as she rose, yawning, to prepare the morn- 
 ing's food, she told herself that she might have saved herself 
 a pice; still, better lose that than be caught napping. 
 
 It was not until she brought little Mihr-un-nissa out into the 
 sunlight that she started, looked closer, then muttered to her- 
 self : " Prayers are over ! Up with the carpet !" 
 
 For the cup which was carefully threaded on to the original 
 string was not the one she had put there the previous night. 
 
 Truly the ash-smeared ones were clever thieves; but they had 
 been foiled this time by a woman's wit.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 " Life's scale tips up, then settles down again ; 
 ' One rati more !' the Jeweller cries. In vain 
 Our Purse we ransack. So the Treasure goes 
 Back to the Store of Things we cannot gain." 
 
 " KEEP thy cursed beasts from this ways," said Dilaram 
 angrily, shifting backwards a little as she sat with Mihr-un-nissa 
 in her arms, watching a snake-charmer make his cobras dance. 
 For the third time one of them had dropped down and com- 
 menced a quick wriggle towards her side of the gathered semi- 
 circle of spectators. 
 
 The man he was extraordinarily small, extraordinarily agile- 
 looking, with slender dark limbs and restless dark eyes caught 
 the offender by the tail, dexterously slipped his other hand up 
 behind the hood, and so returned it to its round basket, where, 
 as he slowly dropped it in, it curled itself round in an obedient 
 coil. 
 
 " 'Tis not this slave's fault," he said with a salaam. " 'Tis 
 the fault of queenship. The nag is wise it recognizes royalty." 
 
 The crowding semicircle tittered at the retort, and Dilaram 
 snorted. "Cease flattery, fool !" she remarked superbly. "If 
 I'm a queen and you're a queen, who'll bang the butter?" 
 
 And the crowd laughed at the prcverb. It was easily amused ; 
 but, the second snake refusing to dance without its comrade, the 
 show was over; so the audience melted away to other distrac- 
 tions. For the Caravan had come to the town of Thaneswar, 
 and there was more than enough to please all and sundry. Even 
 on ordinary days the " City of God " is quaint beyond compare, 
 with its high pink walls scalloped with white like a frosted 
 cake, the multitudinous gilt spires of its temples, and its sacred 
 lake formed by a deep pool of the Saraswati river, that mysterious 
 stream which not so many miles southwards loses itself once and 
 for all in the golden sands of the Rajputana desert. Yet, quaint 
 
 27
 
 28 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 as the city is, its interest pales before that of the country in which 
 it stands. For all around it lies " Kuru-kshetra " in other 
 words, the great Field of Battle where, ever since those half 
 mythical times when the Kauravas fought the Pandavas on 
 the plain of Paniput, the fate and fortunes of every alien con- 
 queror of India has been decided. Strange, almost beyond 
 thought, it is to wander on some moonlit night over the wide 
 stretches of young green wheat that hides the bones of innumer- 
 able men millions on millions of them and listen for the far- 
 off echoes of strife which folk say are still to be heard by those 
 who choose to hear. And they say true ; for to those who have 
 imagination the past is even as the present. But the people 
 who drifted away elsewhere when the snake-show was ended 
 did not even remember that but a few years before Akbar, the 
 Emperor, now reigning in the plentitude of youthful power at 
 Agra, had secured his crown on that same plain ; did not even 
 realize that the blood of the thousands slain there was still 
 enriching the soil, still giving colour to the young wheat. 
 
 They had, however, more excuse for forgetfulness than usual, 
 for Thaneswar was in gala dress. There was to be an eclipse 
 of the moon that night. Now the legend runs that at such 
 times all the sacred waters of India, north, south, east, and 
 west, come to renew their holiness in their sister Saraswati's 
 breast. Pilgrims to the pool, therefore, gain the absolution of 
 many ablutions; so the shores of the little lake were crowded, 
 and jugglers, dancers, musicians, sweetmeat-sellers set up their 
 shows on all sides to amuse the people. Bairagis these, for the 
 most part clean, sleek, well fed ; none the less religious mendi- 
 cants and so-called ascetics. 
 
 In those days Thaneswar was one of the richest shrines in the 
 country; indeed, Zaman Shah had come some way out of the 
 direct road to Delhi in order to deliver a consignment of rich 
 stuffs and spices to the head Gosain, a man of repute and power, 
 who at the moment was showing himself to the pilgrims at the 
 further end of the pool. 
 
 This affording a diversion, the snake-charmer and Dilaram 
 were left alone. 
 
 After a quick glance round, he edged his way towards her on
 
 M/STRESS OF MEN 29 
 
 the soles of his feet as he squatted. Then, without raising his 
 voice, he said : 
 
 " The royalty is not thine, sister it is the child's; but have 
 a care of it. There be thieves abroad." 
 
 " What mean'st thou?" asked Dilaram quickly. 
 
 He pointed to the child's rattle, then shifted a step nearer. 
 " There was a jogi once. He died by the hands of bunglers; 
 had they trusted others they might have found what they 
 sought." 
 
 DilarSm drew in her breath hard. " That one was stolen," 
 she muttered, reverting to the old lie. " I purchased this in 
 the Lahore bazaar for a pice." 
 
 The snake-charmer did not laugh, he chuckled. " And the 
 royalty, sister, that the snake saw? Whence comes it? Didst 
 pay a pice for it also?" His voice, jeering, but not insolent, 
 told her the time of lies was past, and curiosity overcoming her, 
 she asked rapidly : 
 
 "Then it is talisman? I ever thought it was." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders as he rose to adjust the yoke to 
 which his baskets swung. 
 
 "That know I not; but that it was prized is certain, else 
 why send bunglers to kill him who carried it? So hide it away, 
 sister; anyhow, while the caravan remaineth at Thaneswar 1" 
 
 " Wherefore?" she began; then comprehension clutched at 
 her. That chance shot of hers of rivalry between the split-ears 
 and long-haired must have been true ; and at Thaneswar they 
 were bairagis! The thought held her for a second or two, and 
 when she recovered herself the snake-charmer was already many 
 paces away. 
 
 She hesitated about calling him back, decided against it ; but, 
 taking the rattle off the child's wrist, hid it in her bosom and 
 made her way back to the tent. 
 
 It was best to be on the safe side. 
 
 But here trouble of another kind met her; trouble that had 
 already vexed her more than once. But this time she found 
 Bibi Azizan exultant because after many attempts she had suc- 
 ceeded in persuading her husband that, with his larger emolu- 
 ments, it was only fitting the child should have a wet nurse;
 
 30 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 therefore Dilaram had orders to see about procuring one with- 
 out delay. As they were halting by so large a town, this should 
 not be difficult. 
 
 Possibly it would not have been so, had that stalwart woman 
 desired it. But she did not. With Bibi Azizan, who was only 
 too glad to get rid of her little daughter on the slightest pretext, 
 Dilaram was certain of the child's affection; with another 
 woman, in whose arms Mihr-un-nissa would be day and night, 
 matters would be very different. 
 
 So she fought tooth and nail against the suggestion. 
 
 " I care not," insisted her mistress, between anger and whim- 
 pering. " 'Tis not the custom in high-born families for 
 mothers to suckle their infants, and the child is hungry as a 
 wolf." 
 
 " The mistress should bethink her of the days to come, when 
 half Hindustan will be craving to send the betrothal dates," 
 suggested Dilaram artfully. " Lo ! she is beauty incarnate, as 
 all can see." 
 
 " Yea ! Yea ! If the smallpox come not nigh her," argued 
 the mother fretfully. "Who looks at a bride with one eye?" 
 
 Dilaram flared out in a white heat of rage. 
 
 " What ! Art not afraid to even the darling to such a fate? 
 Lo ! 'Twould be just punishment were the evil to befall thy 
 sons !" 
 
 " 'Twouldn't matter so much," protested Azizan, now full of 
 tears. " Who asks of the grooms beauty or health?" 
 
 This was true. Besides, these tempers of the mother invari- 
 ably resulted in a stomach-ache for the child, who, in truth, was 
 hardly getting enough for her strong frame. So Dilaram 
 flounced away, irate. 
 
 She would get a goat, she told herself, and some boy or old 
 man to tend it; the child was healthy, and would thrive doubt- 
 less. If not, there was always the wet nurse. So she sent 
 word to the kotwali, or police-station, of her wants, and judg- 
 ing discretion to be the better part of valour, decided on remain- 
 ing in seclusion for the rest of the day. There were too many 
 bairdgis about for safety, especially until she could see Zaman 
 Shah in the evening and tell him of the snake-charmer's warning.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 31 
 
 A the moment, both he and Ghiyass-ud-din were busy deliver- 
 ing their tale of goods at the Chief Priest's store. When that 
 was satisfactorily finished they passed through the narrowest, 
 darkest, filthiest alleys imaginable, to the Chief Priest's house. 
 It stood close to the temples, backed by the indescribable squalor 
 of the town, but open in front to what was generally the still 
 levels of the sacred pool. To-day, however, the margin of the 
 lake flashed in the sunlight as the multitude of bathers sent the 
 water eddying and rippling in silver waves. The perfume of 
 spent jasmine and marigold mingled with the incense that 
 floated out from the temples, and the insistent yet separate 
 clanging of bells from within the various shrines seemed as if 
 the very pulse-beats of life were being counted counted and 
 appraised by Something Unseen, Unknown. To the imagina- 
 tive mind this Something shrouded all things in a veil of mystery. 
 Both the laughter of the crowd and its eagerness for re-generation 
 and absolution, seemed pitiful beside that ceaseless counting of 
 the heart-beat of humanity. 
 
 The Mohunt, or Chief Priest of the shrines and monastery, 
 however, was not imaginative. He was oily without, oily 
 within ; everything slipped off him, soul and body, save personal 
 gratification. The outcome of a long line of hereditary so-called 
 ascetics, who lived to prey on the ignorance of pilgrims, he was 
 corrupt to the core, and as he sat solemnly flattering the Con- 
 voyer of Caravans while atar and -pan was handed round, he 
 was telling himself that now the outcast had performed his task 
 of delivering certain valuables, it was time he should pay for 
 another treasure, which in some mysterious way had disappeared 
 from the camp. 
 
 For the jogi who had joined the caravan at Kabul had had 
 the treasure. Of that there could be no doubt. But when 
 jogi-jee had been murdered by the emissaries of the shrine 
 nothing had been found upon him nothing. 
 
 So Ramanund, Chief Gosain, flattered the Convoyer of the 
 Caravan and artfully led the stilted conversation of a ceremonial 
 visit to a point, till he could say abruptly : 
 
 " And has his honour heard no more of the split-ear jogi who 
 was murdered near his camp?"
 
 32 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 For one instant Zaraan Shah was taken aback. Then he 
 recovered himself. " The Maharaj," he said, " speaks of 
 things beyond this slave's knowledge; nathless, the Maharaj 
 may know more of the murder if there was one than other 
 folk; thus, he may be able to say who did the deed if it was 
 done." 
 
 And the two men sat looking steadily into each other's eyes 
 in the pause which in Eastern interviews of ceremony always 
 follows on each remark. 
 
 " This slave knows but by hearsay," continued Ramanund. 
 "One of the split-ears passed the shrine not long since, and 
 said the deed was done by thieves for something the man car- 
 ried in his hair a worthless but a holy cup so he said." 
 
 Flashes of inspiration come to most men at times. One came 
 in the pause of etiquette to Zamin Shah as he remembered 
 Dilaram's trick, and when it was time to talk again, he laughed 
 aloud : 
 
 " Lo ! by the twelve Imams ! Maharaj, make me excused. 
 But I have enough of such cups. A woman in the camp who 
 nurses a child made a disturbance about such an one which she 
 found, and gave her nursling as a toy. And she has it that it 
 was stolen from her by a split-ear at Lahore and another put in 
 its place. Mayhap the Maharaj might like to see and question 
 her. I will send her to my lord on my return." 
 
 Ramanund 's watchful eyes glittered during the pause. 
 "Wherefore should I put His Excellency to trouble?" he 
 replied oilily. " I will return with my lord and see for 
 myself." 
 
 There was the faintest note of irony in the last words, and 
 Zaman Shah felt himself trapped. There might be no time to 
 effect the exchange which, in emulation of Dilaram's previous 
 trick, he had intended ; at least, not without a delay which might 
 arouse suspicion. 
 
 All this time Ghiyass-ud-din, who was innocent as the babe 
 unborn of all the secret intrigue concerning Mihr-un-nissa's 
 rattle, had, in accordance with etiquette, sat mumchance; but 
 now he spoke deferentially. 
 
 "May pardon be mine," he said in courtly fashion, "to
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 33 
 
 neither of my lords should this labour come. I, with permission, 
 will return and send the woman and the child hither." 
 
 It was well meant; but Zaman Shah hastily cut him short. 
 
 "Nay, friend," he said. " 'Tis better Mohunt-;'<?<? should 
 take the woman unprepared ; the truth comes uppermost in sur- 
 prise, does it not, Most Religious?" And his haughty stare 
 nearly imposed on the Mohunt ; nearly, not quite. Those watch 
 ful eyes had noted Zaman Shah's first start. 
 
 As they made their way to the camp past the margin of the 
 lake, the latter's mind was busy as to how the business of 
 exchange was to be carried through. Frankly, he did not 
 know. If the worst came to the worst he must risk some delay. 
 And after all it was a triviality. But for the desire to outwit 
 this man who had tried to outwit him he would have told the 
 truth about the cursed little cup. Meanwhile he backed his 
 luck. Was it, he wondered, about to desert him? for there 
 at the door of the tent sat Dilaram, the child in her arms. He 
 felt helpless. There was nothing for it but to be straightfor- 
 ward and leave deception, if it were possible, to the woman. 
 
 She was equal to the occasion. 
 
 " So the Religious wishes to see the child's rattle," she said 
 calmly in answer to Zaman Shah's halting tale. "Nay, but 
 he is welcome. Mayhap the touch of holy hands may make this 
 even as the last that the hell-doomed, split-eared thief stole from 
 me at Lahore." And with that she took the string of the toy 
 off the child's wrist and handed the cup affably to the Mohunt. 
 
 "May God help us!" murmured Zaman Shah under his 
 breath. " Women are beyond us men !" 
 
 Meanwhile the sudden flash of interest on the Mohunt's face 
 was dying down to disappointment, and after a very brief inspec- 
 tion he handed the toy back. 
 
 And here Dilaram's curiosity once again got the better of her. 
 " Yea, yea," she nodded. " r Tis of no account but the 
 other? the other was talisman, was it not?" 
 
 And once again the answer was evasive. " Of that I know 
 not ! But 'twas prized, anyhow, else why should it be stolen?" 
 
 The Mohunt looked from one to the other face keenly ; but the 
 woman's showed stolid, the man's bewilderment. 
 
 \ 3
 
 34 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Wherefore indeed," echoed Dilaram coolly, "save that if, 
 as the master sayeth, it once belonged to split-eared jogi-jee, 'tis 
 his brethren belike that have it now. So that ends it." 
 
 But when the Gosain had swept away, dissatisfied, with his 
 attendants, she sat down suddenly, laid the child on her skirts, 
 and, lifting her hands skywards, gave a heartfelt " God be 
 praised !" 
 
 "Yea, yea!" cavilled Zaman Shah, "God is above all but 
 how didst do it?" 
 
 Then she told him of the snake-charmer, and how for safety's 
 sake she had hidden the real rattle and given the child the false 
 one instead. 
 
 " Thou hast the devil's own luck, woman," said Zaman 
 Shah, " but play no more tricks with fate. Drop the cursed 
 cup down a well and trust to Mihr-un-nissa's own fortune." 
 
 But Dilaram shook her head. " Nay, master, I will keep 
 both, for see you the split-ears believe the long-haired have it, 
 and the long-haired think the split-ears have secured it, so we 
 good folk set free of suspicion and harm Sobhan Allah !" 
 
 Could she have followed Ramanund, however, she might have 
 rescinded the last word, for as he sat secure from interruption, 
 save from his own immediate entourage, in the darkest recess 
 of the most holy of holies, his face showed an almost ghoulish 
 ferocity. Before him crouched a very small man of such dark 
 complexion that he seemed scarce seen in the obscurity. 
 
 "There are the fifty rupees," said the Mohunt. "Thou 
 didst fail in thy last mission the cup for which we hazarded so 
 much hath gone back, it seems, to the split-ears so see that 
 thou fail not in this. Those three must die the man, the 
 woman, and the child." 
 
 A faint chuckle came from the darkness. " Lo ! I have 
 done more than that in half an hour," said a low voice. " The 
 Noose of Death is swift, my lord." 
 
 " Hurry it not, then," was the reply. " Wait till suspicion 
 cannot lie here; but they reach not Agra." 
 
 After that a chink as of money being counted mingled with 
 that ceaseless yet intermittent clang of the bronze bells that hung 
 before the idols in the sanctuaries.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 35 
 
 For it was to be a great night in Thaneswar. But everywhere 
 that chink of money mingled with the call to grace. The alms- 
 bags began to bulge; folk, seeing it so, judged that salvation 
 must be bought by this time, and having perambulated every 
 sacred spot, paid toll at every sacred shrine, squatted down on 
 the margin of the lake to await the rising of the moon. 
 
 And all around them, aiding the lush growth of the young 
 wheat, lay the countless dead who in life had yearned after and 
 waited for the forgiveness of sins, even as they yearned and 
 waited. 
 
 But the camp of the caravan was busy striking tents against 
 the forward march next morning, for Zaman Shah had had 
 enough of Thaneswar; but Dilaram would fain have tarried, 
 since the bespoken goat had not arrived. Not that the heart's 
 darling would suffer, since will-he nill-he Bibi Azizan must con- 
 tinue her duty till a substitute was found. So there was whim- 
 pering and anger and protestation ; but Dilaram had her way. 
 And after all, the penance was not long, since at the very next 
 camp a milk-white goat in charge of a very old man appeared 
 and proved to be all that could be desired. A very old and a 
 very small man, with no teeth and a two days' beard frosting 
 his lank cheeks. He wore no clothes save a small waist cloth 
 and a crimson strip of some kind of stuff, neither cotton nor 
 wool, that did duty as turban. So his old anatomy was plainly 
 visible. But at times he was agile enough, and his bright bead- 
 like eyes were always watchful. Still, he also was all that 
 could be desired, and as the days passed Dilaram set aside a 
 curious distrust that she had seen him before, and more than 
 once she gave the babe to his keeping whilst she was busy with 
 other work. He seemed to have a knack of amusing her, for 
 when Dilaram gave the pair a look to see that all was well, she 
 would find the child sitting large-eyed, grave, watching the 
 fingers that were so agile, despite their age, as they looped a bit 
 of string this way and that and then with a jerk undid the 
 knotted thread. 
 
 " Thou art conjuror, for sure," said the woman, graciously 
 enough, and the old man chuckled. 
 
 "Yea, yea," he mumbled. "For sure I am conjuror! I
 
 36 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 make changes that are beyond wit. So shall the baba-sahiba 
 in years to come; but in a different way." 
 
 Once again Dilaram looked to discover where she could pos- 
 sibly have seen him before, and failed to find a memory. Still, 
 he seemed careful and inoffensive. By his own desire, he and 
 his goat slept close beside the tent, so that they might be at 
 hand should occasion arise; and more than once, coming out 
 during the night, Dilaram had found the old man squatting 
 wide awake by the tent-flap. 
 
 " Dost never sleep?" she asked carelessly. 
 
 ' ' Yea, mistress, yea, ' ' he mumbled ; ' ' when work is done we 
 s4eep and so do others." And again he chuckled. 
 
 Thus the days and nights passed. They were dark nights, 
 so the camp was quiet. So quiet that when Dilaram woke one 
 time she leant over to see if Mihr-un-nissa were indeed breathing, 
 since such alarms assail all true nurses. And as she listened she 
 heard a faint noise. It was like a whispered chuckle. Then 
 suddenly a low voice said in command : " Thou hast a light 
 strike." 
 
 Scarce knowing what she did, she obeyed, and would have 
 screamed but for a sharp " Hist !" 
 
 She held her breath, gazing at what she saw. Before her, 
 one behind the other, lay two dark figures, so slender, so lithe, 
 they were like snakes, and both held in their right hands a 
 noosed strip of crimson cloth. The noose of the first lay loose 
 around Mihr-un-nissa's baby throat, but the noose of the second 
 was tight round a man's. 
 
 "God and his Prophet!" she almost moaned. "What?" 
 
 The man behind sat up. It was the goat-tender; but the 
 years had fallen from him. Ay, the goat-tender, but the snake- 
 charmer also ! So her voice tailed off into a whispered 
 " Who?" 
 
 " I am the Strangler," came the calm reply. " Yonder is 
 the Bungler," and a lithe finger pointed scornfully to the still 
 figure in front of him. "He will bungle no more." He 
 leant over, loosened the noose about the man's neck, and coolly 
 untwisting the silken stuff, wound it round his shaven head. But 
 the figure lay still.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 37 
 
 By this time Dilaram had recovered from her terrified stupe- 
 faction. " Thou art a murderer," she exclaimed. " I will 
 call " 
 
 The deft hand was on the end of the noose that lay loose 
 about the child's throat. "Best not, mistress," came a warn- 
 ing voice. " Did I not say I was the Strangler? Ere help 
 could come, thou and the little queen yonder would have suffered 
 change ! And I would not do her evil. The world will do 
 that all too well. Yet she hath Luck with her, and for that I 
 watched for you and her, and that cursed fool of a Convoyer, 
 who were as well killed." 
 
 "But wherefore?" began Dilaram tremblingly. 
 
 The small, scarce seen figure was terrible in its calm, as, with 
 a twitch which brought a half uttered cry from the woman, the 
 noose about the child's neck unhitched itself and seemed to coil 
 into his hand as the snake had coiled into its basket. 
 
 "Wherefore?" he echoed. "Because yon carrion stole my 
 task. Look you he was Bungler, I am Strangler. So it was 
 mine by right, and he being of my tribe knew this ; but he hath 
 learnt his lesson. Yea, I let him slip past me, I let him cast 
 
 the noose of Death, and then " A faint chuckle came from 
 
 his lips as, standing up, he stooped and lifted the dead body of 
 the Bungler in his arms as easily as he would have lifted a 
 child ; but the flickering light of the cresset Dilaram had lit 
 fell and glistened on muscles tense and strong as steel, whence 
 old age had vanished utterly. 
 
 He paused with his burden for a second. " Say naught, 
 and there is safety for all. Speak, and there is danger," he 
 whispered rapidly. " By dawn the Strangler will be goat- 
 tender !" 
 
 For a full hour Dilaram sat shivering, the light still in her 
 hand. Then, through the rifts of the tent, faint dawn began to 
 show, and she summoned up enough courage to rise and look out. 
 
 The old goat-tender, old as ever, was beside his goat, and 
 he was fast asleep. There was no further need to keep awake ; 
 that at any rate was comforting; but Dilaram's head was in a 
 whirl. The day passed, however, as other days, and none knew 
 of the tragedy that had been enacted save one woman who
 
 38 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 shivered despite her stalwart strength and one old, half palsied 
 man whose watchful eyes held youth in them. 
 
 Dilaram felt as if she could have thrown away the brimming 
 lotahs full of milk he offered her; but something calm and 
 calculating in those eyes made her keep control over herself. 
 
 And she was rewarded. The caravan reached Delhi that 
 night, and the next morning a bright-faced boy appeared as 
 goat-tender. The old one had gone. 
 
 " Whither?" asked Dilaram, feeling a grip at her throat. 
 
 " To Bundelkund, mistress. He belongs there, so he said. 
 And he is a kind man. He gave me this to tie the goat with." 
 
 This was a long twisted slip of what had once been crimson 
 silk. It was worn and frayed by use. . Dilaram shivered again. 
 But she was acute enough to see that the episode of the cup- 
 rattle had ended. Both the long-haired and the split-ears were 
 confident it had been stolen ; and now revenge had passed harm- 
 less, thanks to that Strangler who was not a Bungler. So she 
 breathed again.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 is decked in Spring by Him who knows, 
 For life's great bridal so the maiden grows : 
 Gems without price within her heart He hides, , 
 And on her green branch hangs His crimson rose." 
 
 : was late March when the caravan reached Agra, and Mihr-un- 
 nissa was six months of age ; for these old-time journeyings were 
 leisurely. She was a picture of strength and beauty ; so strong, 
 indeed, that by the help of Dilaram's finger she could stand 
 upright, and more than once had launched herself forth into the 
 world recklessly in pursuit of her beloved rattle ; for it never 
 failed in its attraction. Nor did she. People stopped to notice 
 her always, and as they passed called down blessings on her 
 little life, lest it should be thought that her great beauty had 
 aroused envy, and so brought the evil eye. 
 
 As Zaman Shah had predicted, his recommendation had been 
 sufficient to procure for Ghiyass-ud-din a post in the Finance 
 Department, where he was already gaining golden opinions from 
 his superiors ; so the cup of Bibi Azizan's content was almost 
 full. Restored to her proper position, well housed, well fed, 
 with money wherewith to buy dress and cosmetics, the only thing 
 wanting was an entry to Court circles. 
 
 And that came in this wise. 
 
 The gardens which the dead Emperor Baber had planted with 
 his own hands, and which pleased his grandson Akbar in more 
 detached and dilettante fashion, were ablaze with flowers. 
 Roses straggled over the marble pathway, the tall cypresses were 
 wreathed with double jasmine, the white and scarlet hibiscus 
 were beginning to show on their dense thickets, while over all, 
 through all, the scent of the orange blossom that starred the 
 burnished leaves, beneath which hung the round fruit that was 
 fast yellowing to gold, made the air heavy with perfume. 
 
 39
 
 4 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Now Mihr-un-nissa was wilful to no common degree. There 
 was already strife between her and her small brothers over toys. 
 They held, naturally, that as male creatures they should have 
 all the best of everything. She denied this; her baby fingers 
 held fast to her own, her rosebud of a mouth, when opened 
 wide in distress, emitted a vast volume of sound. So it came 
 to pass that, for peace sake, Dilaram would oft leave the boys 
 behind in charge of one of the other servants whom Ghiyass-ud- 
 din's emoluments made possible, and take the little lass to the 
 " Gold-scattering Garden " that lay close to their house. 
 
 She did not know this, but it was a garden haunted by the 
 memories of happy children Baber, grey of hair, a child in 
 soul ; Tardi Beg the darvesh, world-worn in body, a veritable 
 urchin in mind ; sedate little Gulbadan and Alwar, the mar- 
 vellous boy destined to early death. Here had the four played 
 ball together; here had they chased each other and laughed 
 laughed the whole long summer day. 
 
 Perhaps that was why little Mihr-un-nissa was so happy there ; 
 for she was of their tribe the tribe of wanderers through the 
 desert of life, the tribe that sits free even in this world. 
 
 So one day, as she sat playing with a red rose Dilaram had 
 plucked for her, the Emperor Akbar, in one of his moods for 
 solitude, came adown the orange-enarched path. A tall broad 
 figure of a man still in the prime of youth, alert of body, dream- 
 ful of eye; but the dreams just then were happy ones, for they 
 centred round his two-year-old son Prince Salim the son for 
 Avhom he had waited so long ; the son in commemoration of 
 whose happy birth the rose-red walls and palaces of Fatehpur 
 the City of Victory were rising like magic on the rocky ridge of 
 Sikri. So the whole strong soul of the man who swayed all 
 India with his little finger as easily as a weathercock is swayed 
 by the faint breath of dawn, was preoccupied, not with himself, 
 not even with his power, his Empire, but with the future of 
 his son. 
 
 The day was warm. -The yellow glare of the sunlight seemed 
 to hold and imprison the myriad colours, the myriad scents of 
 the garden. The perfume-laden atmosphere seemed in its turn 
 almost a visible link between flower and leaf, between blossom
 
 s 
 
 i 
 
 41 
 
 and fruit ay, even between the man and the little child, who, 
 set quickly on her feet by Dilaram as the Emperor passed, stood 
 holding on to her nurse's strong finger, and staring at him. The 
 daintiest little figure, clad after Bibi Azizan's own heart and 
 with all the good taste that lady certainly possessed. A quaint 
 little figure, too, in full petticoat and veil, holding a red rose 
 tight in one fat little hand. 
 
 The Emperor paused, hesitated. Dilaram's head was almost 
 on the ground in lowliest fashion when the child suddenly let go 
 the upholding finger and lurched forward, the rose in her out- 
 stretched hand. 
 
 " Have a care, little one," cried the Emperor, and the next 
 nstant she was in his arms. Even so her purpose did not waver. 
 She stuffed the rose under his nostrils for him to smell, sniffing 
 vigorously herself the while. 
 
 And he sniffed too. 
 
 "A/i ha! Ah ha! Ha ha! Ha ha!" So the twain were 
 for the moment as one the man who had come to the fulness 
 of life and the woman who was to come to it in the future. And 
 the whole savour of that life, blinding sweet in its griefs as 
 well as its joys, its failures as well as its successes, seemed so 
 far as the man was concerned to mingle with the aromatic 
 perfumes of flower and fruit, and shut out sense of all but 
 beauty incarnate. 
 
 But the child went on sniffing at the rose. 
 
 " Ah ha! Ah ha!" 
 
 " Whose is the little lass?" asked the Emperor curtly, setting 
 her back in Dilaram's arms. " What Meedn Ghiyass-ud- 
 din's? I remember. Bid her mother bring her to the palace 
 to-morrow. She may amuse my son." 
 
 So he passed on. Dilaram looked after the autocratic figure 
 vexedly. There had not been one word of praise for the heart's 
 darling ; the daintiest, sweetest, prettiest little marionette the 
 world had ever seen or \vas likely to see. Nothing but his son, 
 forsooth ! 
 
 The child, however, was content. She ha<l achieved her 
 object; the rose had been duly smelt. She could now puil it to 
 pieces, which she did remorselessly.
 
 42 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Even Dilaram's embittered reminder that the introduction 
 was due to the despised daughter could not dull Bibi Azizan's 
 almost frenzied delight at the invitation to Court. She lay 
 awake all night devising how best to appear to advantage; and 
 as she was really a very astute little person in a worldly way, 
 Mihr-un-nissa came in for no small share of her planning. 
 
 "She must look her best," she nodded, full of wreathed 
 smiles, "for, see you, 'children's plays bring wedding 
 days!'" 
 
 Dilaram snorted. " Set not aims so high, mistress, or falls 
 will come ; then 'twill be ' Who wants to get up ? as the sluggard 
 said when he fell into the well !' ' 
 
 "High?" echoed Bibi Azizan indignantly. "Is not the 
 Meean of a princely family, for all he feeds on paper like a fish 
 insect? I tell you it shall be an auspicious day." 
 
 Fate, however and Mihr-un-nissa willed it otherwise ; for 
 she was cutting her back teeth, and was contrary to a degree. 
 So much so that she refused to yield her pet plaything to a boy, 
 even though he was the heir apparent ; and when her indignant 
 mother reft it from her by force, she let loose such yells that 
 the great Emperor himself came in to see that was wrong in the 
 nursery. 
 
 " Your pardon, mother," he said good-humouredly as Bibi 
 Azizan hastily veiled herself. " I wist not there were strangers; 
 and verily I thought someone was being killed." 
 
 A chorus of explanation from the ladies, and tearful protesta- 
 tions from behind the veil, mingled with Mihr-un-nissa's appeal 
 for justice, while Prince Salim, a fat, heavy-looking child of 
 nigh three, sat triumphantly beating the cup upon the floor. 
 
 The Emperor, man-like, saw his opportunity for a display of 
 moral power. " Lo ! Shaikie, my son," he said in his deep 
 full voice, "all men and kings especially must learn to 
 respect the property of others." 
 
 And with that a peremptory hand annexed the toy. Where- 
 upon Mihr-un-nissa's howl found fit second in a roar from the 
 Prince, the two making such brain-splitting noise that Akbar 
 clapped his hands to his ears and beat a hasty retreat. 
 
 " God gives the reward of silence !" he laughed. " Here "
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 43 
 
 he flung the plaything towards the children "let them fight 
 for it like puppies." 
 
 ' ' For shame, nephew ! ' ' came a thin silvery voice from a little 
 lady whose abundant white hair showed under a rose-coloured 
 veil. " They be not dogs, but man and woman; and 'tis the 
 woman's part 
 
 Here she also burst into a laugh. Indeed, anything more 
 comical than the race between the babies could not be imagined. 
 Prince Salim began well, being on his feet with wonderful 
 celerity considering his stoutness ; but Mihr-un-nissa, disdaining 
 even to crawl, cast herself on the ground and rolled over and over 
 with such appalling swiftness that Shaikie, seeing himself out- 
 done, cast himself upon her in turn. Whereupon there arose, 
 not shrieks of anger, but shrieks of laughter as the tussle went 
 on, until Mihr-un-nissa, grabbing the cup, sat up and deliber- 
 ately banged Prince Salim's head with it, thereinafter offering 
 it to him with a complacent smile which converted the outrage 
 into an honour. 
 
 The tears of laughter were running down Akbar's face. 
 " Said I not truly they had best fight it out? Lo ! the little 
 lass is true woman; she gives of her own free will." 
 
 And a little pair of hands belonging to the rose-coloured veil 
 clapped loudly, and the silvery voice cried, "Well done ! Well 
 done ! but blows should never be taken on loan, Shaikie ! Give 
 it her back, child ! Give it her back in a kiss." 
 
 Whether in unwonted obedience to his great-aunt Rosebody's 
 suggestion, or because it fitted in with his own wishes, Prince 
 Salim did as he was bid. Mihr-un-nissa received the salute with 
 chill dignity, and thereinafter there was peace ; though the ladies 
 of the harem were scarcely pleased. 
 
 Bibi Azizan when she got home hardly knew whether the visit 
 had been a success or a failure. 
 
 "For look you," she said tearfully, "it Avas a portent 
 most as good as a betrothal." 
 
 "Traa!" retorted Dilaram. "What's a snippet or snippet 
 broth? There be more than kisses to a betrothal ! Nay, Bibi, 
 sing your own song and play your own pipe, for, mark you, 
 many a thing that falls from the sky sticks in a palm-tree.
 
 44 MI STRESS OF MEN 
 
 Meddle not with things that be above you. But what will you ! 
 The camel drowned and the frog asked if the pool was 
 deep !" 
 
 When Dilaram resorted lavishly to the hoarded wisdom of 
 proverbs she was quite unanswerable; so Bibi Azizan held her 
 peace. 
 
 But this incident was the beginning of a considerable intimacy 
 between Ghiyass-ud-din's household and the Palace. The 
 little Prince began it by loudly demanding the return of the 
 " cry-baby and her rattle," whereupon Dilaram, always wily, 
 took care to substitute the imitation cup for the real a trick 
 which enormously improved Mihr-un-nissa's temper, since, 
 curiously enough, it was only the real cup that she would yield 
 to none. So Prince Salim was allowed to possess it, and the 
 ladies of the harem complimented Bibi Azizan on the effect of 
 good society on the child's manners. 
 
 " And they were most of them Hindus," wept the Bibi, " who 
 know nothing of real etiquette." 
 
 But she swallowed her dignity for the time. And as the 
 months passed it grew until it could no longer be ignored. 
 Zaman Shah, returning the next year with another caravan, 
 found his protege promoted to Assistant Treasurer. By this 
 time the Court had moved to Fatehpur, and the camel loads were 
 full of jade, cornelian, and agates for inlaying work, besides 
 rich carpets and stuffs for the new palaces. And still Akbar 
 the Emperor dreamt his dream of the race that should come 
 after him and reap the benefit of what he was sowing. 
 
 So the years passed on. Ghiyass-ud-din rose to be Lord High 
 Treasurer, and Bibi Azizan, by repute and consent, became the 
 recognized leader of fashion in the outermost Court Circle. In 
 the innermost the Beneficent Ladies stuck to their old Chagatai 
 modes and customs. One of these permitted of far greater 
 freedom amongst boys and girls than was countenanced in strict 
 and orthodox Mahomedan households. So Mihr-un-nissa and 
 her brother Asof Khan continued to be playmates with the heir 
 apparent and his two younger brothers. There were other 
 princelings and princesslings too, so that the party was a merry 
 one. And they all chanted the Koran together, and drew huge
 
 45 
 
 black letterings on white chalked writing-boards, and learnt 
 their tables up to sixteen and three quarter's times sixteen and 
 a half. At least, the boys did, and Mihr-un-nissa picked it up 
 easily by hearing them. 
 
 "She hath my head for figures," said Ghiyass-ud-din. 
 Though he was .very silent and undemonstrative, his little daugh- 
 ter was more to him than all the world beside. 
 
 "Traa!" replied his wife scornfully. "Of what good are 
 figures to a woman? Praise God she hath inherited beauty 
 yea, a figure and a face too from my side of the family. 
 Leave ciphering to the boys !" 
 
 Ghiyass pulled a rueful face. "I would if I could, wife; 
 but when I asked Asof what ten times nine was, he answered me 
 thirty-nine; and when I upbraided him, he maintained that the 
 Prince said it so, and the tutor agreed. I misdoubt me they 
 are spoiling the boy between them." 
 
 Bibi Azizan bridled. " Princes cannot be spoilt. But 'tis 
 time, Meedn-jee, that Mihr-un-nissa retire from playing with 
 boys; 'twill make her unmaidenly. Besides, the Prince will 
 
 become accustomed to look on her as a sister, and that " 
 
 She paused before Ghiyass-ud-din's sudden anger. " And 
 wherefore not, woman? Emperor though he may be in the 
 future, he is half Hindu ; besides, I like not his looks. My 
 daughter shall mate with one of her own class. And that 
 reminds me. 'Twas ever arranged between me and mine ancient 
 friend and cousin, Khizy Shah, that should he have a son and 
 I a daughter they should marry. Nay, make not a turmoil ; 
 nothing is settled, but the lad comes from Herat with Zaman 
 Shah next year, as I would fain see him; besides, he must join 
 the Emperor's service. Meanwhile, the child shall run free. 
 She but touches six, and to cage her would be to cage a young 
 
 gazelle " He paused and smiled. " Besides, 'tis good 
 
 for the boys how she queens it over them; even the Prince." 
 
 Here Bibi Azizan's irritation overcame her whimperings for, 
 though her husband seldom laid down the law as he had been 
 doing, experience taught her that when he did so he meant to 
 take his own way. 
 
 "Yea, yea," she interrupted wrathfully, "even the Prince!
 
 4 6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Why, she twists him round her little fingers ! Is that to count 
 for naught?" 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din eyed her sternly. "Ay, unless he be good 
 man; and that remains to be seen." 
 
 What her father had said about caging the little lass was 
 true. Tall for her age, lithe, slender, graceful, Mihr-un-nissa 
 seemed the embodiment of youthful freedom. Her large nut- 
 brown eyes sparkled with sheer vitality, her long, slightly curly 
 brown hair, no matter how deftly plaited, had a trick of becom- 
 ing undone and floating in the sun-bright air, and her dancing 
 feet found a path for themselves anywhere, and everywhere. 
 And it was true also that she queened it over the Prince, as she 
 queened it over all the boys. The girls she treated with 
 indifferent calm. Their ways were not her ways. They 
 shrieked at a mouse, but when her favourite white Persian cat, 
 that Zaman Shah had brought her, caught one, she snatched it 
 from the claws of death and kissed it and cuddled it, weeping 
 salt tears when she found protection had come too late. And 
 despite all opposition and outcry she insisted on " kufn-dufn," 
 or funeral obsequies. 
 
 " Moulvie-jee made us all learn the text about animals from 
 the Holy Book because Shaikie pulled the legs off flies," she 
 said defiantly; "and a mouse comes from God even as thou 
 dost, Dilaram." So in her clear childish voice she intoned those 
 notable words, so little known in the West, so little remembered 
 by the East : 
 
 " Lo ! every beast that walketh upon the earth, and every bird 
 that flieth with wings, is a people like unto you. From the 
 Lord they came, to the Lord will they return." 
 
 The echo of the soft Arabic sibilants and curiously liquid 
 gutturals rang out into God's sunshine and seemed to match it. 
 
 So the mouse was buried with honour in one corner of the 
 huge garden where, one after another, the red sandstone palaces 
 and summer-houses, which still remain to show what the glories 
 of the City of Victory were in the olden days, rose, each in 
 itself completely marvellous, intricate of design and workman- 
 ship. One of these palaces at the highest point of the garden 
 \vhere the roach back of the Sikri ridge trended away on either
 
 M/STRESS OF MEN 47 
 
 side, was not yet finished ; and folk wondered at it then, as 
 they wonder at it now; for the " Palace of the Four Winds " 
 is a puzzle for all time. 
 
 Was it really built as a playground for an idolized son? 
 People nowadays ask the question incredulously. Was all that 
 cube, not of solid masonry, but delicate, intricate stone-carving, 
 built to please a child? Were those four wide low stories 
 open to all the four winds of heaven with their innumerable 
 arches, innumerable pillars, no two of them alike, really 
 designed so that an Imperial heir should, on rainy days, find the 
 wide air and infinite variety of Nature in his playground ? 
 What devotion, what infinite fatherly care, if it were so ! And 
 how rewarded ! The mind shrinks appalled from that father's 
 disillusionment. Small wonder that in the years to come Akbar 
 deserted the City of Victory as a City of Dead Dreams. 
 
 Meanwhile, the children played hide-and-seek and blind man's 
 buff amid the wide arches. First on the lowest story, then in 
 the next, and the next as the quaint gnome-like structure grew to 
 its completion. And Mihr-un-nissa, between the whiles of 
 play, would trace with her delicate, dainty little fingers the 
 carvings on the multitudinous pillars, and name the birds and 
 beasts, the flowers, the fruits thereon ; for she was of the tribe 
 who are at one with such things. 
 
 She was just seven years of age when the topmost story of 
 the Palace of the Four Winds was completed. The children 
 had arranged quite a festival for the occasion. Others were 
 to be invited : Akbar himself, possibly his ministers, Birbal and 
 Abul-fazl, were to be present, and a little coign of vantage duly 
 screened off had been arranged for Auntie Rosebody who 
 dearly loved children's games and such of the Beneficent 
 Ladies as chose to accompany her. Mihr-un-nissa was full of 
 the occasion. She was to do this and that and the other thing, 
 when a bomb fell which left her for the moment quite speechless 
 with indignation. 
 
 She was not to go. She was now seven years old ; it would 
 be unmaidenly, immodest, especially as strange men might be 
 there. So, at any rate, said her mother, and this time her 
 mother was backed by her father's reluctant opinion.
 
 48 M 1STRESS OF MEN 
 
 The state of the child's mind is difficult to describe. Abso- 
 lutely innocent, as such natures as hers ever are, of any thought 
 of sex, surprise was the first feeling; then anger. What right 
 had they to say she was different from a boy ? She was cleverer 
 than most of them, of course, but some boys doubtless would 
 be cleverer than she was. She did not put it in so many words, 
 but she felt it was but -a difference of degree, she felt that she 
 could hold her own alike with boys and girls. 
 
 Then she wept passionate and scalding tears of resentment, 
 and her whole being went out in one vast "why?" 
 
 " It is a lie," she sobbed vindictively. "I'm not weaker 
 than Shaikie, and I have a right to play if I choose, and I will." 
 
 Her mother, however, was obdurate, the utmost concession 
 being that she should be allowed, if she was very meek and vir- 
 tuous, as befitted one entering maidenhood, to sit with Auntie 
 Rosebody behind the screen and watch the boys play. 
 
 "Lo!" cried the child with infinite disdain, "God did not 
 make me to be a caged monkey or an old cat." 
 
 So she sulked ; but Dilaram, keen of observation, noticed a 
 look of determination grow to the young face. 
 
 " If the mistress means what she says," remarked the sturdy 
 woman to Bibi Azizan, "she had best take steps. Those who 
 mean to dance don't wear veils. Though for my part I doubt 
 me if there be a pin's choice between the gadabouts and the 
 cornered ones in virtue. And as for character, give me the 
 former ! The potter makes, but the world fills !" 
 
 So on the eventful afternoon Mihr-un-nissa, who had refused 
 her dinner for two days, was shut up in disgrace with hearth- 
 cakes and water in an empty room. 
 
 It did not in the least disconcert her. She had expected it, 
 had even made her plans whether with devoted Dilaram's con- 
 nivance or not, who can say ? to escape from durance vile. A 
 rope lay coiled in one corner ; she was agile as a young monkey, 
 the room was but one short story from a solitary corner of the 
 garden, where a dense thicket of pomegranates would have 
 hidden a company of soldiers. 
 
 Here she had already concealed what she wanted, and ten 
 minutes after the house had emptied for the " tamasha," she
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 49 
 
 had reached it. Ten minutes more, and clad in some of her 
 brother's garments, her beautiful long hair snipped off remorse- 
 lessly by the ears, and her fair complexion darkened by a rub- 
 bing of red Sikri earth, she emerged, as bold as brass, and 
 made her way to the Palace of the Four Winds. 
 
 She gave her younger brother Sharif's name to the door- 
 keeper. It was a deft deceit, for the boy, being delicate, did 
 not often join in the Palace plays, and was not therefore easily 
 recognized. Thus she passed in unchallenged. 
 
 It was a brave sight indeed. Crowds of boys of all ages, 
 with the Emperor and his Ministers looking on, and a tinkle of 
 jewels and high laughter from the latticed corner, where she 
 ought to be, according to her mother ! 
 
 Well, she was here, and she had little fear of detection, for 
 both her brothers were away with her father on tour for a day 
 or two. One or two of her playmates looked at her curiously, 
 but the short hair and darkened complexion ended their doubts. 
 And everyone was half wild with excitement, Mihr-un-nissa most 
 of all. 
 
 " Look at yon lad-ling with the green turban," said Akbar to 
 Birbal. " He outdistances all in reckless life. He should 
 make a fine soldier by-and-by." 
 
 Birbal 's lip curved. " He should make something, Most 
 High. What, God settles, so they say ; for myself, I hold it 
 matters naught if one be strong or weak, timid or bold, man 
 or woman, so long as one has brains !" 
 
 "Nay, nay, friend," laughed Abul-fazl; "woman needs 
 more than brains; she must be beautiful." 
 
 Birbal flashed round on him. " Not so ! If a woman has 
 brains, her greatest foe is beauty, for men take her at her face 
 value." 
 
 ' ' Look ! Look ! ' ' interrupted the Emperor, pointing to the 
 children, who were now playing a sort of blind man's buff. 
 " Green turban hath challenged Shaikie, and he is as a fish in 
 deep water for slipperiness. But Shaikie will have him yet." 
 
 And truly there was an unwonted air of determination about 
 blindfolded Prince Salim, who, having had the tail of his 
 turban tweaked with an impudent imitation of a sheep's " baa," 
 
 4
 
 50 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 was now bound to catch the imitator, who in his turn was bound 
 to keep on bleating. In and out, round about, the pair ran, 
 both becoming breathless, and it is doubtful if the Emperor's 
 prediction as to his son's success would have been realized within 
 the appointed time had not an obsequious courtier put out his 
 foot and so brought green turban to the ground. Up in a 
 second, it was yet too late, and the pursued stood captive. 
 
 "Who is it, Shaikie?" said the Emperor, delighted. 
 
 The young Prince's hand sought the face beneath the green 
 turban. 
 
 " Mihr-un-nissa ! " he said instantly. 
 
 A roar of laughter followed ; even the Emperor joined in it. 
 
 " Nay, Shaikie," he cried. " Thou hast made a mistake. 
 Girls are not admitted. Try again, my son !" 
 
 Shaikie 's heavy face flushed crimson; he tore the bandage 
 from his eyes. " I have made no mistake," he shouted angrily. 
 "It is Mihr-un-nissa Mihr-un-nissa in boy's clothes." 
 
 A faint shriek came from the screened corner where Bibi 
 Azizan, as usual, was currying favour with the Court, but the 
 rest of the company were too much astonished for anything save 
 silence as they crowded round the culprit, who stood calm, 
 defiant. 
 
 " Yea," she cried, " I am Mihr-un-nissa! I said I would 
 do it, and I've done it, so there !" 
 
 And with that she dived verily like a fish in deep water 
 for slipperiness under Birbal's very arm, and was off and 
 away ere anyone could stop her. 
 
 "Why didst let her through, Birbal?" asked the Emperor 
 reproachfully. 
 
 "Because she desired it, sire!" he replied, and Akbar 
 laughed. 
 
 Meanwhile, . Mihr-un-nissa, unpursued for without royal 
 order naught could be done, and Bibi Azizan in the screened 
 corner was helpless for the time flitted through the gardens 
 like a lapwing guarding its nest, covering her flight from thicket 
 to thicket. And as she ran her brain was busy. If she went 
 home straight to the women's apartments, her mother would 
 find her at once, and being angry, might beat her. Better,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 5 1 
 
 therefore, to give her time to cool. Her father being absent 
 for the day, she would be comparatively safe in the men's side 
 of the house, which would likely be empty. So she dashed in 
 through the tunnelled archway and then at right angles to a 
 small sunny courtyard, where, to her surprise, a tall youth of 
 about eighteen was cleaning his matchlock. He sat on the 
 stone steps of the inner rooms, and at his feet lay a brace or two 
 of black partridge. 
 
 He nodded his head carelessly. 
 
 " God speed thee, cousin," he said good-humouredly. " I 
 have arrived before my time. Zaman Shah and his camels 
 should be here on the morrow ; but having come so far in pursuit 
 of these," he indicated the partridge with his foot " I deemed 
 it foolish to return only to ride the same road again ; so I have 
 sent the servant to buy food." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa eyed the young fellow from head to foot. Very 
 tall, with a pleasant, rather ugly face. 
 
 " So you are the cousin from Herat," she said slowly. " God 
 speed thee !" 
 
 The lad laughed. " Cousin, as God will ! I know not if it 
 be so in reality. But our fathers were friends, as we shall be 
 doubtless, for I like thy looks, though thou'rt most too pretty 
 for a boy should be a girl." And he fell to whistling and 
 frowning over his work; for it was a troublesome job. The 
 matchlock had failed to go off; something had stuck in the 
 channel leading from the powder-pan. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa squatted down beside him and eyed him again, 
 this time almost malevolently. 
 
 " Why should a girl be pretty and a boy ugly?" she asked. 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders. " God knows ! My mother was 
 ugly, and she is the dearest woman in the world ; but folk say 
 so ever." 
 
 " Dost thou say so?" she persisted. 
 
 " Why, no !" he replied as he worked. " So long as both be 
 good company, that is all I ask. And see you ! 'Tis the 
 other way round with the beasts and the birds the cock yonder 
 hath the gayest feathers." 
 
 She stroked the bright plumage gently, thoughtfully. " |
 
 52 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 like thee, cousin," she said suddenly; " thou hast a good, ugly 
 face!" 
 
 His laugh was long and loud as he stood up. " And I like 
 thee, cousin; thou hast a good, pretty one. So are we quits? 
 And now thou shalt have the first shot of thy life, for the 
 channel is clear, and I would fain clean the barrel. See yonder 
 black crow with its gaping black mouth. It deserves to die. It 
 hath just swallowed a young squirrel. So let me hold the 
 weapon too. Be not afraid 'twill hurt a little, mayhap, but 
 not much." 
 
 He was standing over the slim little figure which, nothing 
 loath and with eager inquisitiveness in its eyes, followed his 
 directing hand. 
 
 " Hast a good aim? So ! Now pull the trigger " 
 
 There was an overloud explosion, and the flare of a back-fire 
 nipped at Mihr-un-nissa's long eyelashes. Luckily, the recoil 
 had sent her flat on her back. 
 
 She sat up wrathfully, rubbing her shoulder, but tearless. 
 "Wherefore didst that?" she asked imperiously. "Thou 
 mightst have killed me." 
 
 " Traa !" said the youth, covering his relief that no harm had 
 been done by assumed lightness. " That sort of thing does 
 not hurt boys." 
 
 Her wrath grew; she forgot all but fact. " Traa thyself ! I 
 am not a boy, but a girl so there !" 
 
 He stood and stared at her for quite a considerable time, look- 
 ing a trifle sheepish. 
 
 "So," he said at length, " thou art Mihr-un-nissa, of whom 
 Zaman Shah boasts." 
 
 But the mind of the little lass had drifted to a bigger matter 
 to her than the question of sex. "Did I kill the crow?" she 
 asked anxiously. 
 
 He burst into a peal of laughter. " Now of a surety," he 
 cried, " whether thou beest Queen o' Women or a boy, and 
 whether I be Ali Kul the God-sent One or a girl, matters 
 little we have both good pluck so there !"
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 ' Love passes swift, and leaves no trace behind. 
 On yonder trellis, swept by winter wind, 
 Who knows if 'twere a white rose or a red 
 That in past summers clasped and clipped and twined ?' ' 
 
 MIHR-UN-NISSA'S escapade was considered by her mother suffi- 
 ciently serious to warrant immediate steps being taken to pre- 
 vent any possible recurrence. It was all very well for the men 
 to laugh over it; but that sort of thing was fatal in the mar- 
 riage-market. The best thing for the girl's future, then, was 
 that she should be forgotten. To this end, therefore, she had 
 better be sent away from Agra. Persia, of course, where all her 
 relations lived, was too far off, but a suitable house could easily 
 be found in some quiet country place not too far away for 
 vigilance, whither she and Dilaram could retire. For instance 
 and here Bibi Azizan's voice dropped to a confidential 
 whisper there would, she felt sure, be a most desirable pos- 
 sibility in a few days. It was an open secret that Khanzada 
 Racquiya Begum, the Emperor's first and childless wife, had 
 come to loggerheads with Maryam Zamani, the heir apparent's 
 Hindu mother, over her insensate spoiling of the boy. Doubt- 
 less Khanzada Racquiya, as undoubted head of the harem, 
 would have held her own had not Maryam Makani, the boy's 
 grandmother (the Emperor's blessed and beloved mother, Hamida 
 Banu Begum), sided with the Hindus, and Auntie Rosebody 
 with her quick tongue been betwixt and between. Anyhow, the 
 Emperor, who, to give him his due, was always doing his best 
 for peace, had permitted Khanzada Racquiya to retire from 
 Court for a while on pretence of finishing her book of verses ; 
 also to give change of air to his beloved little imp of a daughter, 
 Aram Banu Begum ; though why anyone should care for a child 
 who, though but five years old, was a compound of unpoliteness 
 and impudence, Heaven only knew. Still, Khanzada Racquiya 
 
 53
 
 54 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Begum was the person above all to instil moralities and manners, 
 so, if she would consent to take Mihr-un-nissa as companion 
 to the little Princess, it would be a combination of educational 
 advantage with just that slight connection with the Court which 
 might be useful in days to come. 
 
 The good little lady nodded and becked over this gossiping 
 confidence, and poor Ghiyass-ud-din felt that it would be waste 
 of breath to dispute a plan which in truth held many advantages ; 
 for he did not want his little daughter to have much to do with 
 the life her mother led ; a life which was made up of pretty 
 pettinesses. Then, even his short experience of the young Herati 
 Ali Kuli Khan had shown the father that here, if anywhere, he 
 would find Mihr-un-nissa that fitting mate, strong, sensible, 
 kindly, straightforward, which he desired she should have; and 
 the girl's absence from home would not only give him more 
 opportunity for seeing into the lad's character, but would also 
 make it easier for him to manipulate the vague promise of 
 betrothal, so that it could be carried out if necessary. He would 
 thus steal a march on his wife Bibi Azizan's objections, which 
 were sure to be vehement. 
 
 As for Dilaram, anything which would give her full and 
 undivided possession of her heart's darling was welcome. This 
 being so, and Khanzada Racquiya Begum approving, the plan 
 was carried through, and ere a month had passed little Mihr- 
 un-nissa found herself seated on the corner bastion of a high- 
 walled garden, appraising the spot where she had come to live, 
 and finding it good. And, indeed, few folk would have found 
 fault with Gulabpur, or Rose-town. 
 
 To begin with, for miles and miles the air was filled with the 
 scent of the roses that grew in long set lines between the high 
 cactus hedges. That, however, was before you came to Rose- 
 Garden proper, which surely was the most wonderful place in 
 the world ! Around it a huge hundred-acre field of roses, fenced 
 about with an impenetrable twenty-foot wall of prickly pear; 
 grey-green, fleshy leaves and pale yellowish and pinkish blos- 
 soms, over which lemon-coloured butterflies and metal -blue 
 dragonflies flickered, and flitted, and fluttered all day long in 
 the sunshine. Then the sea of roses, so prim, so ordered in
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 55 
 
 their lines, with a water runnel between each six rows ; and every 
 bush so like another ! Grey-green, velvety leaves all set thick 
 with Persian pink roses, distractingly sweet. As Mihr-un-nissa 
 sat dangling her legs over the parapet of the inner wall, she 
 seemed to feel the perfume with her toes. Then it crept up and 
 up until it assailed her nose, and then, of course, it went right 
 up into the sky, right away where Paradise grows, and the -peris 
 silly useless creatures by all accounts scented themselves with 
 sandal-wood oil, as if the flowers were not enough ! 
 
 This same wall was a favourite spying spot of the child, 
 partly because it was out of Dilaram's reach, and it annoyed 
 her nurse ;.o find her perched beyond her grip when she came 
 toiling after her charge up the steep one-foot-each-way steps 
 that, built flat on to the wall, led at each corner of the garden 
 to a little cupolaed bastion. 
 
 " God keep the child from harm !" she would mutter, breath- 
 less, as she sank down overcome on the ledge of the eight-sided 
 sort of birdcage where there was room, at most, for but three 
 persons to sit. "A wild bird, she, who will never be caged; 
 but He counts even the crows, they say." 
 
 Then she would scold and wheedle to no purpose until Mihr- 
 un-nissa was tired of sitting astride the wall and sniffing the rose 
 scent. It was quite different from the perfume of the inner 
 garden. Khanzada Racquiya Begum called that the "Garden 
 of Roses ' ' in her poetry ; but in reality it held every sweet- 
 scented thing you could imagine. Lilies and jasmine, orange- 
 blossom and sweet pandanus, trumpet-flowers and bignonia 
 creepers, to say nothing of a wonderful unknown tree with ugly 
 greeny-brown flowers high up in the sky. Lucky it was so, for, 
 though afar their perfume was entrancing, quite near they smelt 
 horribly; but when they dropped on the ground, -pouf / the scent 
 was gone from them at once. The little lass used to gather 
 them up sometimes, and hold them in her hand, wondering what 
 sort of a thing scent was, and whither it went. 
 
 But there were a thousand things in the garden to excite her 
 young imagination. The corner palaces all floreated within 
 with mirror inlay. The marble summer-house in the centre 
 shaded by lace-like tracery, the lotus pink and white, in the
 
 56 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 marble water-courses where the fountains splashed. Then the 
 water-maze ! It was simply heavenly ! Even Dilaram could 
 not object to your flying, with dancing feet, along its four-inch 
 marble footway that criss-crossed and angled here, there, every- 
 where, into intricate patterns, with shallow squares and oblongs 
 of water between them. 
 
 If you fell in, as you invariably did, she had to pick you out 
 and dry you, since the water-maze was a recognized game in the 
 highest circles of virtue and seclusion. 
 
 The Khanzada herself, it is true, did not attempt it; but 
 that was because she was slightly lame. Besides, was she not 
 a poetess ? This fact inspired Mihr-un-nissa with a certain awe 
 and a great admiration ; for, alive to her finger-tips, the child 
 reached out instinctively to all things new in both the material 
 and the spiritual world. So she would imperiously haul away 
 her small companion, Princess Aram, from any of the pleached 
 alleys in which they came upon the poetess pacing up and down 
 in a fine frenzy of composition. 
 
 " Hsh ! Hsh !" she would say, with a forceful hand on the 
 other's mouth. " If thou willst not I will make thee. One 
 should never interrupt that thou canst not do thyself. And God 
 did not make thee poetess." 
 
 " Neither did He make thee, stupid !" Aram would reply 
 with the cosmopolitan tu quoque of childhood. 
 
 And Mihr-un-nissa would look contemptuous. " Did He 
 not? Who knows? I could if I would. 'Tis all ' fadala- 
 toon-fadal-a-ta ' ; I saw it in her book !" 
 
 "Traa!" jibed Princess Aram. "I say thou couldst not; 
 for, look you, she is my aunt, but she is nothing to thee." 
 
 This was conclusive, for the time ; but after a while, as Mihr- 
 un-nissa sat dangling her feet over the sea of roses, while the 
 sun set cloudless behind the butterflies and the dragonflies, the 
 music of beauty began to surge through her child's brain, and 
 she composed a quatrain strictly according to " fadu-la-tun 
 fadu-la-ta" which completely disposed of the little Princess's 
 argument; at any rate, in Dilaram's opinion. She was, in fact, 
 so elevated by her darling's cleverness that after having the verse 
 appropriately flourished out by the children's writing-mistress,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 57 
 
 she carried it and the reluctant yet triumphant composer 
 thereof to the Khanzada herself for approval. 
 
 Racquiya Begum put on her horn spectacles and read as 
 follows : 
 
 " Under my toes there lies a sea of roses ; 
 Their scent comes up and tickles both my noses, 
 Then flies away to feed the breath of God, 
 Who sends it down again to feed the roses." 
 
 Now Khanzada Racquiya Begum was the great Emperor 
 Baber's granddaughter ; therefore, despite her old-maidish ways, 
 she was bound to have two things humour and sympathy ; so 
 she kept her smiles kindly. 
 
 " The idea," she said, "is of the best. All poems by the 
 young should contain allusions to the Creator, since love is not 
 decorous for them. But noses ! Nay, child, noses are not 
 poetry." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa flushed visibly. "Wherefore not?" she pro- 
 tested. " God made them as well as the roses; and He must 
 have made them first. To what purpose scent if there is nothing 
 to smell withal?" 
 
 The Khanzada took off her spectacles and looked hard at the 
 speaker. She saw a tall lass with an eager, alert, childish face 
 poised, oval, above a slender throat. 
 
 " How old art thou?" she asked. " But seven? Then hast 
 thou time for many things ; and methinks thou wilt use it too. 
 Meanwhile ' noses ' is not poetry, neither is toes or toeses." 
 
 The joking hint of a possible rhyme was too much for Mihr- 
 un-nissa 's indignation. She burst into a peal of silvery laughter 
 in which Racquiya joined ; and this was the beginning of a 
 curious friendship between the vigorous young life and the dis- 
 appointed older one, which lasted till the latter ceased to be. 
 
 It was of enormous advantage to the child, for Racquiya 
 Begum was unusually well educated, and she found in Mihr-un- 
 nissa a pupil who bade fair to overmatch her ere long. 
 
 " She is worthy all that can be given her," said the Khanzada, 
 when, discreetly veiled, she gave audience to the Lord High 
 Treasurer when he came to inquire of his little daughter's well- 
 being. "She will have the mind of a man in the body of a
 
 58 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 beautiful woman. That will make life somewhat of a problem, 
 so I would teach her Euclidus and Aljabr (mathematics and 
 algebra), since she has taste that way." 
 
 "She takes it from me, Highness," replied the gratified 
 father. " Lo ! with permission, I will send an ancient master. 
 He can live in the village, and the child can learn in the Rose- 
 Garden." 
 
 So, except when it rained, when a shrivelled ancient-of-days 
 was permitted as a favour to pass through the inner gate and 
 give his lessons in the marble summer-house which centred the 
 garden, Mihr-un-nissa, and Dilaram, of course, went out to an 
 arbour amid the sea of roses, where the child learnt solemnly 
 that two parallel lines continued for ever-and-ever-a-day will 
 never meet, and that a plus b may equal x or any other letter 
 of the alphabet. And her eyebrows, with their faint slant 
 upwards towards the nose strange, almost invariable sign of 
 great beauty would slant still more, giving a puzzled, wistful, 
 yet eager look to the hazel eyes below, and she would argue, 
 " But if there was something outside, it might be different." 
 
 To which munshi-ji would reply sententiously, " There is 
 nothing outside," and Dilaram would bid her not ask foolish 
 questions, but learn her lesson like a good girl. 
 
 So months passed by. In the next season of roses Bibi 
 Azizan came out to visit her daughter, and was simply enchanted 
 with life in the Garden of Roses for a month or six weeks ! 
 After that she hungered for the town again. But while the 
 novelty lasted it was paradise. To rise to the scent of roses, 
 to go to bed with it, to spend the day eating rose comfits, and 
 watch, from a marble cupola, roses being picked ; sometimes, 
 decorously veiled, to go down gingerly to where the great rose- 
 water stills were set in the shade of tall jamun trees and have 
 fresh, still warm, rose-water poured over hands and feet this 
 was idyllic ! Bibi Azizan waxed enthusiastic over it, though 
 she never could understand Khanzada Racquiya's and little 
 Mihr-un-nissa's regret for the poor yellow residuum of roses 
 that was left when the sweetness had been extracted from the 
 petals. Of the two sympathizers, the child was the keener. 
 She refused to have any rose-water poured over her. God had
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 59 
 
 given the perfume of the rose to the rose, and no one had any 
 right to take it away. She wanted nothing but the roses them- 
 selves ; so while the others watched the distilling, Mihr-un-nissa 
 would wander, on the sly, among the rose-beds; much to 
 Dilaram's alarm; for the black cobras would slip out at dawn 
 and dusk from the high cactus hedge to cool themselves and 
 drink in the runnels of water. So much so that before the rose- 
 picking began, the dawn-bright air would echo to the hollow 
 fluting of the snake-charmer's pipe as he sat half asleep against 
 the fence one to each long side of the square they had, so that 
 " nag-ji" might have his music and remain at home. 
 
 But Mihr-un-nissa was fearless, and in troth the long black 
 ropes of things fled from her steps as a rule. 
 
 " Yea, yea, she is safe enough from them," muttered a 
 toothless old man who, they said, had blown his pipe in the 
 garden for years; " but let her not bring the infant's rattle she 
 plays with at times with her, nurse-;'*'. She carried it the other 
 dawn, and lo ! had I not nigh burst my lungs, the king cobra 
 would have slid after her." 
 
 Dilaram, who had been listening superciliously to the old 
 dodderer's mumble, sank among her flouncing skirts all of a 
 tremble. 
 
 "What knowest thou?" she asked fearfully. "Art thou 
 the Strangler again?" 
 
 " Nay, nay, not I," dissented the ancient one. " I am only 
 of the Bunglers; yet for all that, this slave knows a charm 
 when he feels it." 
 
 After that Dilaram never allowed Mihr-un-nissa to carry the 
 rattle into the Rose-Garden; but in truth the child was not so 
 set on it as of old, and only asked for it occasionally, as it were, 
 to assure herself it was still there. 
 
 So the years passed on. Sometimes, for a month or two she 
 went back to her father's home; but Bibi Azizan, in her 
 periodical visitations, found all so satisfactory that the ques- 
 tion of removing the child altogether never arose. In fact, the 
 smart, wily, worldly little woman began to trade on the " Rose- 
 Garden " as an asset, talking of it to her fashionable friends, 
 and declaring town life would be intolerable without the possi-
 
 60 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 bility of a retreat thither and a return to country occupations. 
 And, to do her justice, this was not all talk; for she was a 
 notable housewife, and many were the conserves and pickles 
 and essences of which she supervised the making. She went 
 further, indeed, and actually during those years invented the 
 method of making attar of roses by collecting on tiny swabs of 
 cotton the oily scum that rose on the vast vats of rose-water, 
 and afterwards extracting therefrom an almost priceless essence, 
 one drop of which would not only perfume a complete suit of 
 clothes, but perfume it for years and years. 
 
 Even Khanzada Racquiya, though too much immersed in 
 intellectuals to care for such mundane things as scents, gave full 
 meed of praise to Bibi Azizan's ingenuity ; but Mihr-un-nissa 
 was sternly logical, and held to her view that it was unkind to 
 take away the scent from the poor flowers. They should be 
 allowed to remain as God made them. 
 
 " Traa !" declared her mother. " If we women were to 
 remain as God made us, without falsities and cosmetics, we 
 should be ugly indeed !" Then, as she glanced at her little 
 daughter, she hesitated ; for here was an exception to the rule. 
 For the little maid was growing increasingly and exceedingly 
 fair, and about her, like a perfume itself, hung charm indescrib- 
 able. There was a dimple in her cheek, not where dimples 
 usually lurk, but higher up, closer to the nose, which made her 
 smile a thing never to be forgotten. Dilaram would sit and 
 gaze at her, and shake her head in a sort of helpless admiration, 
 and Zaman Shah, when he came once or twice to see the little 
 lass whose life he had saved, became speechless from all save 
 Hafiz, and murmured of roses and thorns, of changeless Love 
 and the Dust of Chance, while Mihr-un-nissa looked at him 
 mysteriously under her levelled brows and played with the white 
 Persian cat, or the talking mynah, or the little gazelle fawn he 
 had brought her; for she was passionately fond of animals. 
 And she was still a child, though she was nearing her twelfth 
 year. She still loved to sit dangling her toes over the sea of 
 roses, though she had given up straddling the wall out of 
 deference to Racquiya Begum, who told her she was too tall to 
 wear anything but maiden dresses, and though, by this time
 
 M1ST1 
 
 aving a distinct taste for easy versification she could have 
 written quite a respectable ode to the beauty of Rose-town. 
 
 So life passed full of scent and savour, till one evening, as 
 she sat perched in the little octagonal bird-cage of a bastion, she 
 espied her father coming up the roadway which led to the great 
 arched gate of the inner garden. She would have called wel- 
 come to him, but for the fact that he was accompanied by a tall 
 young man whom in an instant she recognized as her cousin AH 
 Kul. She had not seen him for years, but there was no mis- 
 taking his long length and a certain merriness of feature, even 
 though he did wear a bandage over his left temple and there was 
 an ugly streak further down the cheek. He must have been 
 fighting ; likely enough, since he was a captain in the Emperor's 
 service. 
 
 Now Mihr-un-nissa knew that Dilaram would instantly sum- 
 mon her to meet her father, whose coming was indeed one of the 
 girl's chief pleasures, but when she saw her cousin part com- 
 pany with him and stroll along by the wall, she hastily swung 
 her legs inside, slipped down behind the low latticed parapet 
 until only the very top of her head was visible and watched. 
 Ali Kul was evidently admiring the roses while waiting for her 
 father, and if he kept on as he was doing, he must pass right 
 under her perch. And she was consumed with curiosity to know 
 how he had hurt himself. So she disregarded Dilaram's calls, 
 which began immediately to arise, and finally, craning over the 
 parapet, said in a silvery whisper : 
 
 " What hast done to thy face, cousin?" 
 
 Ali Kul, mind and body surcharged with the sweetnesses of 
 
 the roses, looked up and saw Most likely he saw the 
 
 dimple. 
 
 For an instant he stood too surprised for words ; then they flew 
 to his lips. " Mihr-un-nissa, is it thou really, my boy-girl 
 cousin?" 
 
 "Lo!" she replied superbly. "What dost matter if I be 
 boy or girl ? I am Mihr-un-nissa, for sure. So tell me 
 how didst hurt thy face? Hast lost an eye? Quick they 
 come ! ' ' 
 
 And indeed the sound of a heavy body breathlessly ascending
 
 62 
 
 the narrow stairs became audible, accompanied by fitful gasps 
 of indignation. 
 
 " Nay !" began the young man hastily, " my eyes " 
 
 "Oh, waste not time with eyes," interrupted the questioner, 
 dropping her voice to an indignant whisper; " who cares about 
 your eyes ? I asked who did it. Quick ! ' ' 
 
 But it was too late. Dilaram's broad face showed above the 
 level of the bird-cage floor, and the culprit had to wheel round 
 almost ere she caught the one word " Tiger," with which Ali 
 Kul fled round the corner as for dear life. 
 
 Dilaram sat herself down on the topmost step and essayed to 
 be sternly composed despite her lack of breath. 
 
 " Wast talking to thyself, child?" she asked. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa had drawn her veil decorously over her face, 
 but it was sparkling with mischief. " Nay, nursie," she replied 
 coolly. "I was asking my cousin Ali Kul how he had lost 
 his eye?" 
 
 Dilaram gave a little shriek and beat her hands over her 
 head. " Would he had lost both ere he came prying," she said 
 vindictively; "and he is not thy cousin, nor anything to thee 
 at all." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa 's eyebrows levelled themselves to a frown. 
 :i He can be my husband, anyhow, if I choose," she remarked, 
 as, skipping lightly over Dilaram's big body, she flew like a 
 mountain fawn down the perilous stairs. 
 
 She was sitting on her father's knee, cuddling close to him, 
 ere Dilaram arrived, and the latter, despite her indignation, h?d 
 not the heart to disturb the family group by a recitation of the 
 enormity that had been committed. The more so because the 
 good man was in full swing over the tale of his favourite Ali 
 Kul's prowess, to which Mihr-un-nissa was listening somewhat 
 disdainfully. 
 
 " Lo ! child," reproved Ghiyass-ud-din. "Even if 'twas 
 but, as thou sayest, a tiger, and though Heaven be praised, he 
 hath not lost an eye, yet 'twas a brave deed ; for look you, the 
 Prince was in danger from the savage brute when Ali Kul 
 turned on it with bare arms and a stick. Yea, and when the 
 stick broke and both arms were bitten through, he struck it on
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 63 
 
 the jowl with his bare fist and gripped it by the throat, so that 
 they rolled over and over together like two wrestlers. So, 
 through being too near, the savage beast could use neither claws 
 nor teeth, and fear fell upon it. And doubtless Ali Kul would 
 have strangled it had not consciousness left him. Whereupon 
 the tiger gladly left him lying and made off." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's disdain had gone; her eyes were shining. 
 "Did it get away?" she asked almost in a whisper. 
 "Nay!" replied her father; "and here comes in courage. 
 For Ali Kul, regaining sense, followed it and brought it to bay 
 once more, holding it so until others came up to despatch it. 
 'Twas a brave deed." 
 
 The little lass upon his knee said nothing, but that evening as 
 she sat holding her knees tight to her chin after eating her 
 supper, she suddenly announced : " When I marry I shall marry 
 a brave man." 
 
 Dilaram, outraged, scolded her best, but it was the beginning 
 of a new outlook on life for Mihr-un-nissa. She was not always 
 at play now. Sometimes she would sit and dream for hours, 
 and nothing pleased her more than to learn by heart the versicles 
 of Hafiz, or, with Khanzada Racquiya Begum's help, to imitate 
 them ; for the embargo on love in favour of the Creator had been 
 withdrawn. 
 
 So the day of departure from the Garden of Roses came when 
 she was nigh fourteen. At this time she herself, nurtured amid 
 scent and colour, sweetness and beauty, was like some fragrant 
 bud about to open. If all who saw her, even when youth had 
 passed, are agreed upon her extreme beauty, she must indeed 
 have been a " sight for sair een " as she sat for the last time 
 in the birdcage cupola overlooking the sea of roses. 
 
 It was dawn, for she had spent a wakeful night thinking of 
 the new world of men and women into which she was about to 
 step, and with the first blink of light she had stolen up for a 
 last look on the world she was leaving. 
 
 The sky was clear as a topaz ; not a cloud. The great cactus 
 hedges, devoid of their flickering satellites, showed pearly-tinted. 
 It was still so dark that in the sea of roses the grey-green leaves 
 seemed to obliterate with shadow the pale pink of the flowers.
 
 64 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 But all was so still, so soundless, that you could hear the faint 
 bursting of the rosebuds as they opened. It was just a sigh 
 less than a whisper telling of an entry into the lists of beauty. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa held up her hand instinctively to listen. 
 
 As she did so, the little lacquered cup with which she had 
 played as a child, and which for the last day or two she had 
 insisted on carrying about, slipped from her slender wrist and 
 fell into the sea of roses below. She craned over to trace its 
 course if possible ; but she could see nothing nothing, unless 
 that shadowy rope of a thing was a black cobra. What matter ? 
 When day came Dilaram would go and find it. 
 
 And sure enough, when that good soul heard of the loss, she 
 was for searching at once. Vaguely, at the back of her mind, 
 the orthodox Mahomedan woman credited the fogi's cup with all 
 sorts of heathenish sorceries that, impious though they were, 
 still brought luck, and she was determined her darling should not 
 be deprived of it ; especially now when womanhood awaited her. 
 
 So she ambled forth on the sly, taking tent to her steps when 
 she neared the place by reason of the old snake-charmer's caution 
 regarding the attraction the toy had for snakes. 
 
 And sure enough, just under the cupola's bastion, coiled 
 round something like a bird upon its nest, was a huge black 
 cobra. She had to summon up courage to curse it solemnly in 
 God's name and her best Arabic; but it obeyed the mandate of 
 the Most High, and slid away. 
 
 Dilaram, coming up to see what it had held so precious, sat 
 down helplessly in sheer surprise. For there lay, like a broken 
 shell, a lacquered mould, as it were, of the red crystal cup that 
 lay beside it ! She took it up curiously. Was it crystal, or 
 could it be a real ruby cut to cup shape? She could not tell. 
 But it was the child's, and no one else must have it. Yes, it 
 was the child's; for there lay its hiding-place, which must have 
 been broken by the fall. 
 
 Did this explain the desire of the split-ears and the long- 
 haired to get it? Was it really ruby, therefore without price? 
 Or was it also talisman and luck-bringer ? Both, maybe. Any- 
 how, it was the child's. Yet if it was given to her, and if it 
 proved valuable, it would be taken away from her.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 65 
 
 Half an hour afterwards, Dilaram, all grunts and grumblings, 
 gave back to its owner a little lacquered cup, bidding her be sure 
 and not lose it again, since in the rinding of it she, Dilaram, 
 had nigh been bitten by -a cobra. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa took it carelessly. " Why didst trouble, 
 nursie? I could do without it better than without thee." 
 
 And she threw it aside with a laugh. Dilaram chuckled to 
 herself as she went off. The child knows by instinct 'tis false ; 
 so, the real is lalismdn, for sure. And she holds it firm through 
 me, who would give my heart's blood for one breath of her 
 body!"
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 " The clamorous cry of birth is but the Voice 
 Of Self's command ; ' Set wide the Door of Choice, 
 That I may enter ! I, and I alone, 
 Choose that for which I sorrow or rejoice.' 
 
 " Oh Foolish One ! Know that the Door of Choice 
 Opes not for you or me. Long since a Voice 
 Bid it be shut or open at His Will 
 Who sends man tears, or bids his heart rejoice." 
 
 PRINCE SALIM was fighting quails in the topmost story of the 
 Palace of the Four Winds, where he had so often played as a 
 child. It was given over, as it had been then, to his desires and 
 delights ; and they were not all innocuous. A big, handsome, 
 lazy-looking lad of sixteen, he lay on an embroidered quilt 
 watching with yawning indifference the savage fury of the brave 
 birds pitted against each other. 
 
 " 'Tis three to ' Cock-o' -the- Walk/ " said Lala, the Prince's 
 most intimate companion, as, with a feeble flutter, one of the 
 combatants fell over on its side, spent to death, while the con- 
 queror gave shrill cries of victory. 
 
 The Prince frowned. "Match him with * War-King ' 'tis 
 the best bird we have, and the upstart needs a lesson." 
 
 The hot air seemed to quiver; the quail in the hooded cages 
 echoed the cry of conquest ; the tiny victor, breathless but com- 
 placent, strutted up and down the white cloth that was spread 
 for the fight it was spotted with blood and waited for 
 renewed fray. 
 
 But this was a very different antagonist, older by a year, 
 sleeker in plumage, knowing the ways of warfare. Over- 
 matched from the beginning, the younger bird fought desper- 
 ately, helplessly, and a roar of reckless laughter from the group 
 of lads who were watching the "rune followed on a sudden 
 
 66
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 67 
 
 spring which brought it to the ground, fluttering in surprise. 
 But at the same time a grave voice came from behind. 
 
 "Art not ashamed, Shaikie, to lounge idle, watching God's 
 creatures suffer for thy amusement?" 
 
 Prince Salim rose sullenly ; it was his father, the Emperor 
 Akbar. 
 
 " Death is the right of all, sire," he replied, not without wit. 
 
 " Ay," retorted his father sharply ; " but death as God sends 
 it, not as man. Of a truth, wonder holds me how thou canst 
 be son of mine to take pleasure in such cruelties." 
 
 He pointed to the beaten bird, whose blood flowed freely from 
 the vicious wounds given by the silver spurs worn by its 
 antagonist. Akbar 's scorn grew as he marked that the younger 
 bird was not so armed. 
 
 "Lo!" he said, and his voice was thunder. "Such is not 
 sport it is devil's work." 
 
 The bird, all its courage gone, fluttered, reeled round, died ; 
 and Akbar, waiting for no further excuse, strode away. This 
 boy of his was at once his pride and his grief; for, spoilt from 
 his earliest day> Salim was anything but a satisfactory heir to 
 Empire. And yet, mayhap, he was nearer to his father's 
 estimate of what that heir should be than Akbar, ever sensitive 
 to the least failure, was willing to allow. At any rate, he cut 
 short the somewhat ribald receipt accorded by his companions 
 to his father's words with a round curse, seized the strutting 
 victor, wrung its neck, and flung its body far from him; then 
 gave curt orders to the attendants to do likewise to every occu- 
 pant of the hooded cages. 
 
 " His Majesty cannot again say that the death I deal is not as 
 merciful as the Creator's," he remarked amid the silence which 
 had fallen, alike from bird and human voices. 
 
 " I will have quail-curry for supper," quavered the profes- 
 sional buffoon of the party ; but Prince Salim sat glum. 
 
 In truth, his whole habit was sullenness. Like all spoilt 
 natures, he seemed to have a quarrel with fate. Selfish, yet 
 dissatisfied at self, he viewed all things with reference to him- 
 self, so found small pleasure in them; not even the adulation 
 showered on him by a certain Court faction which honestly held
 
 68 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 that the lad would make a better ruler than the present ascetic 
 occupant of the throne, who would wink at no injustice, no 
 malfeasance, and was not to be bribed by luxury and pleasure. 
 
 In truth, the Court was at variance over the young Prince, 
 especially .in regard to his on-coming marriage with a Hindu 
 bride. 
 
 Auntie Rosebody, to whom the Emperor sometimes listened 
 when he would listen to none else, protested against this, almost 
 with tears in her silvery voice. " Nay, nephew," she urged, 
 " a truce to policy ! 'Tis doubtless well to ' grind millet and 
 sing the song of wheat ' if you can impose upon folk, but to 
 give the boy a Hindu to wife because 'tis advisable for Empire 
 that Rajput and Mahomedans be friends is rank foolishness. 
 See you, the torch-bearer sees not his own steps, so I, his ancient 
 aunt, tell the Emperor full plain that he is wrong. All God's 
 strength is truly not put into one man's body, but inside and 
 out, that man's body is his own. So give the lad a wife of 
 his own faith, who will know r how to hold him. These Rajput 
 maidens are high-spirited, I grant, but they know naught of 
 our etiquette and care not for it neither. And Salim needs 
 etiquette to keep him straight." 
 
 Her wisdom, or unwisdom, was, however, lost upon Akbar, 
 who had laid his plans and meant to keep to them, though 
 others besides Auntie Rosebody objected strenuously. The 
 Prince himself sided with neither party. In truth, he was not 
 much interested in the coming marriage except as an opportunity 
 for greater licence in the drinking of wine and the eating of 
 sweets ; in fact, he met the coarse jesting of his boon comrades 
 over his coming nuptials with a sullen recommendation to mind 
 their own business ; it was nothing to him. 
 
 Despite this aloofness of the principal party, intrigue was 
 rife, especially in the Mahomedan harem, where Bibi Azizan 
 held an assured position as general newsmonger. It needed but 
 a little deft management to show herself the unbiassed partisan 
 of other people's daughters. "Lo!" she would say with 
 unction, " I am told the Xawab of Futtehgarh hath a daughter 
 of incomparable beauty, and he is Syyed too ! What more 
 suitable?" And all the while she knew that, charm for charm,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 69 
 
 beauty for beauty, wit for wit, there was no maid in all Islam to 
 touch Mihr-un-nissa, her daughter. 
 
 But the girl was difficult. Taken to Court, she would not 
 show to advantage. " Let me be, amma-jdn," she said as she 
 played with a litter of Persian kittens. " I care not to rub my 
 forehead in the dust before the Beneficent Ladies. They are 
 good and kind, but they love me not, and I love them not save 
 dear Aunt Rosebody, who laughs at me, and I laugh at her. 
 Lo ! I could sit at her skirts for hours, she is so comic." 
 
 Bibi Azizan sighed as patiently as she could. " 'Tis not 
 manners to call a high-born one comic," she replied firmly. " But 
 there ! Water runs off a bald head, and teaching runs off thine. 
 Thou wilt not understand till thou art married, so we must see 
 to it without delay." 
 
 This vague threat was held over the girl's head like any sword 
 of Damocles ; but she took no heed to it. Once, indeed, she had 
 retorted that her father would have to be consulted, and that he 
 would most likely choose his favourite Ali Kul ; but this had 
 only produced hysterics in Bibi Azizan and bread and water for 
 herself, so in future she simply sat and smiled. And in truth, 
 the astute little lady had no intention of marrying Mihr-un-nissa 
 to any of the numerous aspirants whose mothers decorously 
 approached the subject of betrothals. 
 
 " The child is over young," she replied. " In high Persian 
 families 'tis not the custom to marry early, and the Neean, her 
 father, being princely, will not hear of it." 
 
 So she set them aside, while in a hundred tentative ways, by a 
 thousand tentative words, she was insinuating to the innermost 
 Court circles that it would be quite easy to find a suitable bride, 
 and so prevent the beauty and youth of the young Prince from 
 being sacrificed to his father's ambitious aims. She even per- 
 suaded that honest man, her husband, into broaching the subject 
 to Rajah Birbal, the Emperor's confidential friend ; from whom, 
 however, he got small sympathy, since Birbal was renowned for 
 sterling common sense. 
 
 " Look you," he said, " were the youth in love, or did he even 
 show inclination that way, I might cry halt, since love is a master, 
 and the lad needs mastering. But, as I judge, he is not made
 
 7 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 that way. He drinks, he gambles, he plays fast and loose as 
 he chooses, and he is sullen as a crocodile. But women touch 
 him not, and one is as good as another, so be she is fair and 
 comely ; and that this Rajput maid is said to be. This being 
 so, and the marriage pleasing the Most High, I, for one, am for 
 letting an eldest son, like a bad penny, be useful for once." 
 
 And the memory of his own dissolute spendthrift darkened the 
 Minister's face ; for Lala, the chief of Prince Salim's evil com- 
 panions, was Birbal's son his only son. 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din came away from the conversation discouraged ; 
 but Bibi Azizan received the report of it gladly, for it gave her 
 an idea a bold one, a dangerous one, but one worth trying if 
 it could be compassed. 
 
 " Leave all to me, Bibi," said Dilaram succinctly when she 
 was consulted. " What use is a duenna if she cannot conduct 
 a clandestine interview ? Leave it to me, I say, and if I manage 
 not ay, and without talk weave my shroud." 
 
 And in reality it was simplicity itself. Mihr-un-nissa, accus- 
 tomed to outdoor life, had the run at certain times and seasons of 
 that self-same garden where, long years before, the eighteen- 
 months-old child had held out a crimson rose for the Emperor 
 Akbar to smell. What more easy then for Dilaram to take her 
 charge there at an unauthorized time? \Vhat more easy than to 
 find out when the Prince was likely to be there ? 
 
 However managed, by what underhand conniving, by what 
 bribes, certain it is that one sun-setting, Mihr-un-nissa, dis- 
 creetly veiled in the usual thick creamy veil worn by all women 
 when out of doors, was left for a moment or two sitting beside 
 a fountain while Dilaram, apologetic, hurried off on a forgotten 
 errand. 
 
 The girl, more independent than most of her age and station, 
 was nothing loath. The garden was full of scent and flowers, 
 the fountain splashed and made little rippling of wrinkles over 
 the fair young face reflected in the water. It set her laughing, 
 then dreaming of the quaint disaster which seems so impossible 
 to the young her own old age, when she would indeed be 
 \vrinkled. And what would have happened in the interval? 
 For the first time in her life she realized that perpetual youth
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 71 
 
 ras hers indeed, that as woman she was custodian of the immor- 
 tality of the race. So to her dreaming came an imperious voice : 
 
 " Hold my birds ! I am tired of them." 
 
 She looked up to see a tall lad, heavy of brow and face. 
 Instinctively she shrank back, pulling her veil forward ; but the 
 birds two doves were already transferred from his wrist to her 
 lap, their owner had turned away, and she could but hold them 
 as desired. In truth the task was less distasteful than it might 
 have been, since, with her instantaneous recognition that the lad 
 was none other than the Prince heir-apparent, Mihr-un-nissa 
 became eager for adventure. Yes, that was Shaikie, her play- 
 mate. Memories of past supremacy swept in upon her ; she saw 
 herself domineering over the indolent, passionate, but good^ 
 natured boy he did not look so good-natured now ! 
 
 In truth, at the moment Prince Salim was in a very evil tem- 
 per. He had covered his half-hearted shame and angry retalia- 
 tion on the fighting quails by a heavy drinking-bout. 
 
 He had a sore head, possibly a sore heart, though he would 
 have laughed the insinuation to scorn. He had refused to join 
 his boon companions and had chosen solitude in the garden. 
 Having failed to amuse himself with his pets, he was now trying 
 to get pleasure by ruthlessly picking flowers and flinging them 
 away after one short second of possession. To no purpose, for 
 everything seemed savourless to-day, and he was back before the 
 crouched up, shrouded figure, so slender, so childlike in its 
 outlines, demanding his doves again. 
 
 But there was only one. The other had escaped from Mihr- 
 un-nissa's listless hold, and was now cooing its delight at free- 
 dom from a neighbouring orange-tree. 
 
 The lad's face, still sodden with last night's debauch, dark- 
 ened at the sight ; his eyes, too engrossed with self for quick 
 observation of others, saw nothing but his loss. 
 
 " Only one?" he queried angrily, sharply. 
 
 The reply came as sharply, with as much arrogance but with- 
 out the anger. 
 
 " Ay, my lord ! One has flown away yonder." 
 
 The calmness of the answer roused his instant passion. 
 
 " Fool !" he cried. "How?"
 
 72 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 He spoke as he was accustomed to speak to man, woman, or 
 child ; since, save his father, there was none in the land to whom 
 he owed, or chose to give, courtesy. But in the slender girl he 
 met more than his match. 
 
 " Ho\v?" she echoed, and her voice was disdain itself as she 
 rose swiftly and flung out her arms. " So, my lord !" she said 
 superbly, defiantly, as the remaining dove, thus loosed, flew to 
 join its mate. In her quick uprising the thick veil had fallen 
 from head and shoulders leaving her free, ablaze with indigna- 
 tion, beautiful exceedingly. 
 
 There was no sound save the happy cooing of the doves as 
 Prince Salim stared helplessly at what he saw. It was daintiness 
 incarnate, a creature instinct w y ith life, fulfilled with all that 
 makes life perfect, noble, worthy ; and every atom of good that 
 was in him followed his eyes, every atom of his coming manhood 
 held out its hands to her the one woman in the world for him. 
 
 A moment in a million ! Love at first sight ; most mysterious 
 of all things on God's earth. 
 
 " Mihr-un-nissa !" he said in a low voice at last. "Yea, 
 surely thou art Mihr-un-nissa, Queen of Women !" 
 
 Truly the mind, as it travels over the lad's subsequent life, 
 cannot help wonder as to what that life might have been had the 
 love which came to him that sunsetting in the " Garden of Scat- 
 tering Gold," been throughout the long years their guiding star; 
 for it was Love intangible, unspeakable, as it is known but to 
 few, and they seldom of God's best. 
 
 Anyhow, it was a moment in a million millions, in which his 
 past seemed to slip from him, leaving him alone with her, while 
 the skies flamed red with the dying of day, and the bewildering 
 scents of the garden, outwearied by the caresses of the sun, filled 
 the air. 
 
 But the moment came and went, leaving Mihr-un-nissa coldly 
 critical, if a trifle startled by the look which came to the lad's 
 eyes, reddened though they were by last night's carouse. Yet 
 she spoke kindly enough. 
 
 " Yea," she replied. "I am Mihr-un-nissa, thine ancient 
 playmate. And thou art Mahomed Salim, whom we called 
 Shaikie. God speed thee well, my lord !"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 And with that she gathered up her veil in stately fashion and 
 irned to go with dignity. But, seeing Dilaram emerge from a 
 pomegranate thicket hard by (where, Heaven save the mark ! 
 she had been hiding all the time, ready, if needs be, to come to 
 the rescue), a sudden desire for safe shelter with another woman 
 overtook her, and she flew like any fawn towards the duenna, 
 leaving Prince Salim, his soul in his eyes, too bewildered by what 
 had befallen him for speech or action. Possibly, had he known 
 how persistent this was to be, had he guessed that it was to last 
 till the hour of death itself ay, and beyond death doubtless 
 he would have been more bewildered still. 
 
 Meanwhile, the first glance at Dilaram's face, whence radiance 
 would not be dismissed, told the shrewd girl something of the 
 truth ; but with characteristic comprehension she said nothing 
 until, seated in the cool quiet of her own balcony, she had the 
 delinquent face to face and eye to eye, without possibility of 
 interference. 
 
 Then she rounded on her calmly. 
 
 ' Thou and amma-jdn art fools and noodles thus to try and 
 deceive. Yet I grant 'twas well prepared. And my veil slipped 
 to a nicety. What didst tie to it to make it so heavy?" And 
 she held up one corner, where a distinct bulge showed carefully 
 knotted up in Indian fashion. 
 
 Dilaram caught at it. " Nay, child, 'tis nothing 'tis but 
 sand. Give it me, heart's darling. Lo ! 'twas not for heaviness 
 I swear 'twas not," she cried; " 'twas only for luck!" 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's face was almost malevolent in its acuteness. 
 " Is sand luck?" she asked. " 'Tis the first I've heard of it. 
 Besides, 'tis hard." And all the while her deft fingers were 
 busy over the knot. 
 
 Dilaram tried whimpering. " Thou hast no right to say such 
 things. Thou hast no right to suspicion me and thy mother 
 oh, fie ! so foully. It was chance, pure chance !" 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's malevolence grew cynical. "Yet, yea," she 
 jeered. " Chance is as good as any other father to such 
 stupidity ! Chance that I had to put on my best robes because 
 t'others needed mending. Chance that thy memory was 
 befogged ! Chance that 'twas not women's time in the garden.
 
 74 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Chance that Prince Salim, being sullen " here her silvery laugh 
 rang out "nay, that is not chance. He is ever so, they 
 
 say " 
 
 At this moment the knot loosened, disclosing a small red 
 crystal cup. Mihr-un-nissa turned it round and round in her 
 hand, then looked at Dilaram, who sat shaking her head in 
 mingled negation and annoyance. " 'Twas only for luck, I 
 swear," she mumbled tearfully; " and God knows, the veil fall- 
 ing may have been that." 
 
 The girl, however, was too curious to listen. " What is't?" 
 she asked imperiously. " How didst get it? Tell me quick, or 
 I go to my father and that, thou knowest, is bowstrings or a 
 sack!" 
 
 Thus adjured, Dilaram told the story of the jogi's cup from 
 beginning to end, while Mihr-un-nissa, holding it in her hand, 
 listened and laughed and thrilled. " 'Tis as good as Alif-Laila 
 (Arabian Nights)," she said, when it was ended, "and truly, 
 nursie, thou art a clever old thing, and deservest pardon." Then 
 she became serious and lifted the blood-red cup daintily with 
 both hands ; so, suddenly, held it to her blood-red lips and made 
 as if she drank from it. 
 
 Thus for a space the reds mingled and glowed. 
 " 'Tis the Cup of Life my Life," she said, smiling, " and, 
 as Hafiz hath it, I will take it with a laughing lip, even if with 
 a bleeding heart." 
 
 So saying she tucked it away in her bosom. " And look you, 
 pander-procuress, ' ' she continued in mock heroics, ' ' one word 
 of this to anyone and I tell my father, and that, thou knowest 
 right well, is bowstrings !" 
 
 Dilaram, who was still sitting fruitlessly shaking her head, 
 began to nod it instead. 
 
 " Of a truth," she mumbled, her voice half tears, half satis- 
 faction. ' ' I hold there is none other with a right to know, since 
 thou hast come to woman's estate. Yea, I see in thine eyes thou 
 art child no longer. Things have been made plain to thee, and 
 thou must keep thy luck thyself." 
 
 And she was right in a measure. The moment in a million 
 had not left Mihr-un-nissa untouched, even though it had not
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 brought her what it had brought to Salim ; but she had been made 
 to realize the existence of some undefinable, mysterious Power 
 which at any moment might touch her own life. So after 
 Dilaram, full of assurances of secrecy, had left her, she sat with 
 the red crystal cup in her hands, dreaming of what might come 
 in the years, even in the immediate future. And, vaguely, she 
 felt a sort of disdainful pity for the lad with the sodden face. 
 
 In regard to the immediate future matters marched with a 
 celerity that was fair bewildering. 
 
 For Prince Salim, like any child crying for the moon, went 
 straight to his father and demanded to be married forthwith to 
 the only woman in the wide world, Ghiyass-ud-din's daughter, 
 his ancient playmate, whom, by chance, he had seen that day in 
 the " Gold-Scattering Garden." There had been no question of 
 his earnestness, or the intense selfish desire which had overlaid 
 that first spontaneous giving of himself and all that he was 
 worth into another's keeping. 
 
 And Akbar, surprised, had for the first time hesitated in his 
 plan. Whereupon a turmoil had arisen in Court circles. Bibi 
 Azizan, beside herself with joy at the success of her stratagem, 
 faced her husband with unusual indifference to his opinions. 
 
 " Talk not to me of the Prince's character," she said scorn- 
 fully. " A man is ever Avhat a woman makes him. Besides, 
 he is but a lad, and dead to-day gives birth to another to-day." 
 
 " Ay," retorted Ghiyass-ud-din dryly, " but a rope once burnt 
 keeps its twist. Besides " and here he took the final plunge 
 " the child is already betrothed to Slier Afkan, as they call AH 
 Kul nowadays." 
 
 Though this brought about the finest attack of hysteria to 
 which he had ever been treated, he stuck to his point. What is 
 more, he repeated it when Rajah Birbal, by the Emperor's 
 desire, came to sound him, as father, regarding the possibility 
 of a secondary marriage. 
 
 And all this time, according to the custom of the country and 
 the age, no one thought of inquiring the opinions of the girl 
 herself. 
 
 Only the Emperor asked of it when Rajah Birbal made his 
 report. The latter shrugged his shoulders. " That, Most
 
 7 6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 High, I could scarce ask with courtesy. But inquiry is needless. 
 There breathes not a girl to whom the heir-to-Empire would not 
 be welcome husband." 
 
 Akbar's face darkened, yet lightened. " Think'st thou so, 
 friend? Of that I am not so sure. There be some women I 
 
 wot of " And he paused. Perhaps he was thinking of one 
 
 woman, a mere singer of pedigrees, to whom Empire meant more 
 than passion. Anyhow, he was silent for a space ; then he said 
 autocratically, " I would see this girl. Bid her father bring her 
 to me this evening." 
 
 Birbal stared. " 'Tis out of the common, sire," he began. 
 
 " Nothing is that in Akbar's Court !" said the Emperor, cut- 
 ting him short. " Am I not the father of my people?" 
 
 So that same evening, in the light of the seven-wicked lamp, 
 a slender figure in white stood before the Emperor-of-all-the- 
 Indies, while Ghiyass-ud-din waited without. 
 
 "Wilt not unveil, my daughter?" said Akbar courteously. 
 " I would fain see the face that Shaikie loves." 
 
 Without a word the girl threw back her veil and faced him. 
 For a moment Akbar was silent ; then he said quietly : ' ' My son 
 hath good taste, but not better than his father." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa flushed slightly, but her words were simple. " I 
 am glad I please the King." 
 
 '' Wherefore?" came the quick query, but the answer was as 
 quick. " Because they call me Queen o' Women, sire, and the 
 duty of the Queen is to please the King." 
 
 " Thou hast a ready wit too," he said. " Dost wish to be a 
 Queen in reality?" 
 
 She paused, and her clear eyes met his. " It depends, sire, 
 upon the King." 
 
 His grave eyes took her in from head to foot. He recognized 
 that here was one who might be all things to a man, and, taking 
 her by the hand, he led her to the royal divan. 
 
 "Sit there, Queen o' Women," he said, "and give me thy 
 desire. Dost wish to marry my son Salim?" 
 
 Her lip trembled a little. " I wish to marry no man, my 
 lord." 
 
 " Yet thou art betrothed to Sher Afkan, they say. Is this so ?"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEX 77 
 
 " My father says so and he is a brave man. I like him." 
 She spoke quite fearlessly. 
 
 " Better than Shaikie? Wherefore?" Akbar's parental 
 pride was in arms at once; but Mihr-un-nissa heeded it not. 
 " Because he is better man. The Prince is but a boy." 
 
 " And thou art but a girl. So if it came to choice, thou 
 wouldst choose the tiger-slayer?" 
 
 " It cometh not to choice," she began; but he interrupted her 
 with a wave of his hand. " Nay, child, it doth. Either thou 
 must marry Sher Afkan or Salim must have thee. Thou canst 
 not hang like a ripe fruit within his reach ; 'twould not be fair to 
 him. Thou must choose " 
 
 It was the turn for her pride to be in arms. " Then I choose 
 my cousin," she said coldly as she rose. 
 
 Akbar stayed her by a gesture. "Lady," he said almost 
 pleadingly, " wilt not try and love my son? This marriage to 
 the Rajput Princess must go forward, but with all honour would 
 I welcome thee as daughter-in-law." 
 
 Her look almost made him quail. " Sire," she said, " they 
 call me Queen o' Women, and I will be that to a good man, if I 
 am not Queen in reality." 
 
 " So thou art ambitious?" he broke in. 
 
 " Of my rightful place," she said, and her small hands 
 clasped together so tightly as she spoke that he could note the 
 strain she put upon herself. " Great King, you bid me choose, 
 and I have chosen. I love no one ; but love is not all, and none 
 shall say I did harm to anyone least of all to the son of the 
 Emperor Mahomed Jalal-ud-din Akbar." 
 
 And with that she swept him a salaam than which no Court 
 lady of mature age could have done a better, and asked leave 
 to retire. Which he gave, feeling that he also had met his 
 match, and vaguely regretful that it was impossible to secure 
 such beauty and such wit for his heir. For instinct told him 
 that force, even had he been inclined to try it, would have 
 availed him nothing. He could capture the body, but the mind 
 was beyond him, and, in truth, it was too like his own for him 
 to think of coercion. 
 
 Nevertheless, the maiden must be given her freedom of limited
 
 78 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 choice wtfh the least possible danger to Salim. Ghiyass-ud-din, 
 nothing loath at a speed which put a definite term to his wife's 
 outcries, nothing loath at a secrecy which curtailed ceremonies, 
 fell in with the idea of a hasty wedding, and so, ere a week was 
 over, Mihr-un-nissa found herself in bridal scarlet with her hand 
 tight clasped in one that gave her confidence, and as, through 
 the long strings of thread jasmine blossoms which formed her 
 bridal veil she looked calmly at the scar upon the bridegroom's 
 face, she knew she was giving herself to a brave man. Seated 
 on the Persian carpet beside him, her garments touching his, she 
 could feel the tense earnestness with which, when the dower was 
 named, he broke in on the legalities settled beforehand with a 
 sum extravagantly beyond all power to pay, as evidence that 
 never, never would he consent to part with her; and she knew 
 she was giving herself to a loving man. So, when the time came 
 for her to repeat after the Kazi that she took him willingly for 
 her husband, a smile was on her lips, and the bewildering dimple 
 showed itself half revealed by the loose strands of the flower 
 veil. 
 
 Bibi Azizan, of course, was in tears, but that could be put 
 down to natural emotion, and not to chagrin. Dilaram, at heart 
 a woman pure and simple, could not help, like Juliet's nurse, 
 rejoicing that her darling had found at least so proper a man. 
 And of good rank too, since Akbar, to facilitate matters, had 
 appointed him to the Governorship of Bengal. Therefore she 
 was smiles and tears; mostly the former, since she was to go 
 with the bride to the new home. 
 
 And when the marriage contract had been duly signed and the 
 circled ceremony broke up, Sher Afkan stooped to his new wife's 
 ear and whispered : 
 
 " Good-bye, Queen of Women ! I deem it best to go at once. 
 We shall meet later on in some Garden of Roses. Farewell, my 
 heart, for a time." 
 
 She gave him one grateful look through the flowers, and he 
 took the memory of the bewildering dimple with him. 
 
 And as through the darkness of the night her dhooli followed 
 fast in the wake of the knot of horsemen that were galloping 
 hard on the Bengal road, she took out of her bosom the blood-
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 79 
 
 red crystal cup and held it to her blood-red lips with the hand on 
 which shone the ring new given her by her new husband. So 
 once more the reds mingled. 
 
 She gave no thought at all to what she left behind her. A lad, 
 passionate, young, sullen, lying face down on the embroidered 
 cushions in the Palace of the Four Winds, muttering to himself : 
 
 " I bide my time ! I bide my time !"
 
 BOOK II 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 " Lo ! as the taper wastes and wasting burns, 
 So happy Life lives on itself, nor learns 
 Aught of the Lesson that each Soul must know 
 Till Death steps in and good from ill discerns. ' ' 
 
 How long does it take to live twenty-two years ? Not long when 
 the heart is happy ; and the Queen of Women had been very 
 happy. Perhaps not supremely so, since her nature had never 
 been raised to its heights nor plumbed to its depths; but those 
 heights, those depths, were so immeasurably superior to those of 
 the ordinary woman that in the phraseology of normal life she 
 would have been set down as one of the fortunate few who lacked 
 nothing. 
 
 At six and thirty, history hath it that she was far more beau- 
 tiful than she had been at sixteen. The extraordinary charm of 
 face, figure, voice, manner had increased with the experience of 
 those twenty-two years, and the dimple had become more adorable 
 in contrast to the greater gravity of the eyes, the firmer lines of 
 the mouth. 
 
 One regret and that grew fainter with the passing of the 
 years was hers ; she had no son. One had been born to her in 
 the early years of married life, and had died when still an 
 infant. Then had come a long period during which, comforted 
 by her husband's absolute content in things as they were, she had 
 schooled herself to childlessness. Finally, a girl had been born 
 to find its way into some empty niche in its father's heart (which 
 he must have kept concealed from her sedulously), and so round 
 up his life into perfection. 
 
 " Talk not to me of sons, wife," he said. " See you, the 
 whole world, as you know, is bound up for me in one woman ; 
 so I welcome this one made in thy very image." 
 
 81 6
 
 82 
 
 It was not true, for the child took more after him, outwardly 
 at any rate; but he believed it as he put his arm his great 
 strong arm round her ; so she smiled up into his kindly, scarred 
 face. 
 
 The question as to whether she really loved the man she had 
 chosen in preference to Prince Salim, whether the mysterious 
 something she had once seen so clearly in a lad's eyes had ever 
 touched her life, never occurred to her; partly because, kindly, 
 loving, affectionate as he was, it had never really touched her 
 husband's life. He was one of the many who, being made with- 
 out moods, without unevenness of temperament, never feel the 
 need of an over-mastering passion. Clear as crystal, strong, 
 sensible, affectionate to a degree, he was so dear to her, as a 
 friend, a son, might ha T 2 been dear, that she thanked God he was 
 no different. In brains she could not help seeing her superiority, 
 but with this knowledge came the certainty that not one man in 
 ten thousand would have surpassed her ; thus both her own clever- 
 ness, and his comparative lack of it, sank into insignificance. 
 Indeed, for one so palpably more intellectual, she relied on 
 his judgment almost curiously, bringing her paintings, her 
 embroideries, her sonnets to the bar of his opinion. If he 
 approved, she was satisfied, for she knew his verdict to be quite 
 unconventional and natural ; while as for her achievements in 
 conserves, pickles, jams, and the like, she trusted his taste before 
 that of her brother Asof Khan, who was a noted gourmet of the 
 Agra Court, and who, on his occasional visits to his sister, 
 invariably brought with him some recipe for a new dainty. 
 These Mihr-un-nissa concocted with infinite care, to her brother's 
 entire satisfaction ; but, as often as not, her husband would make 
 a wry face and set his portion aside. " There be too many 
 savours to it," he would say, "and I like them all ! So my 
 palate quarrels as which be first, and there is war in my inside 
 also, since turmoil, once begun, invades all things !" 
 
 That, indeed, showed the most salient point in his character. 
 He loved peace as he hated war or pain of any kind. A mighty 
 hunter, he would yet grieve over any wounded buck or bird that 
 escaped to suffer, though he would cut the throat of the one or 
 wring the neck of the other without a qualm. Yet the tale of
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 83 
 
 his slaughter was enormous, for his great recreation was sport, 
 and he taught Mihr-un-nissa to shoot as straight as he did, always 
 maintaining, indeed, that she was a surer, steadier shot at winged 
 game than he was himself. 
 
 " 'Tis a question of temperament," he declared. " Thou art 
 far more alert than I, and it shows in the hitting of black par- 
 tridge as in all else." 
 
 Asof Khan, her courtier brother, was inclined to demur to his 
 sister's prowess in the field, though he was forced to admit that 
 the outdoor life with its varied interests kept her wondrous young. 
 He himself, though but a few years older, was already portly ; 
 a greasy-looking middle-aged man with loose curves about his 
 mouth and a great flow of conversation. He came primed with 
 all the gossip of the Court, and they heard from him their only 
 link with it of the town life they had left so far behind, and 
 regretted so little. And there had been much to chronicle, for 
 those twenty years had not been peaceful ones. Prince Salim 
 had drifted further and further from Akbar 's ideals, had more 
 than once actually rebelled against his father. He had been 
 forgiven more than once also, but the minds of many were 
 already alert over the question of the succession. Would Salim 
 finally be chosen as heir, or his young son, Prince Khushrau, a 
 promising lad of whom Akbar the Emperor was very fond ? 
 Not so fond, however, as he was of the still younger Prince 
 Khurram, who greatly resembled him in many ways. 
 
 Possibly, had the Emperor been quite free to choose, his choice 
 might have fallen on the latter ; but Akbar was ever dominated 
 by a sense of duty, and to oust an elder brother for a younger, 
 from no cause but personal liking, was not in his code of things- 
 to be done. 
 
 So it lay between Khushrau and Salim. Asof Khan plunged 
 boldly for the latter, and waxed hot with indignation against his 
 young brother Sharif, who was an adherent of Khushrau's. 
 
 " He could scarce be worse as a monarch than Prince Salim 
 promised to be," Mihr-un-nissa would say coldly, while Asof 
 Khan sat looking at his sister with curious eyes. 
 
 "Why dost stare so?" she asked petulantly. "Art taking 
 an inventory of me?"
 
 84 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Ay !" he replied jestingly. " Dost forget that amma-jdn 
 and mayhap others will question me as to thy looks on my 
 return?" 
 
 For Bengal being a far cry from Agra, and Bibi Azizan never 
 having forgiven her son-in-law for removing her daughter from 
 Court influences, the good lady had never brought herself to pay 
 his house a visit. 
 
 So matters stood twenty years after Mihr-un-nissa had laid 
 her hand, not unwillingly, in that of her cousin with the scarred 
 face. Griefs had come to their peaceful wedded life, but they 
 had passed. Friends of her youth had died ; among them faith- 
 ful Zaman Shah, who more than once had travelled conveying a 
 caravan as far south as Burdwan in order to see one whom, with 
 a sort of delighted diffidence, he still called his daughter. Many 
 were the strange gifts and pets he sent her, and ever they came, 
 accredited by some ghazil of Hafiz, to which Mihr-un-nissa 
 would reply with her ready wit and easy versification, while 
 those two, Zaman Shah and Ali Kul, w r ould look at her 
 admiringly. 
 
 It had been when on the return journey from his last visit 
 to her that he met with his death. The caravan which he was 
 guarding to Kabul had halted but a few miles from Thaneswar. 
 No noise, no outcry was heard, but when morning came Zaman 
 Shah was found strangled in his bed. Revenge, not robbery, 
 must have been the motive ; but the whole affair was mysterious, 
 since Dilaram, who might perchance have given a clue, kept a 
 close tongue. 
 
 It was safer for her heart's darling. 
 
 But though griefs had passed, joy and luck had come and had 
 remained. So had the little red crystal cup, though for the 
 most part it now held memories of pain, since Mihr-un-nissa, in 
 half reliance on its talismanic properties, had ever used it as a 
 medicine-glass when dear ones were ailing. So the mere sight 
 of it set Sher Afkan making wry faces, and swearing that jogi-ji 
 must have sent it to be the fly in the honey-pot of his life ! 
 
 Thus matters stood w^hen one day he came back from his 
 work at Burdwan and sat him down sadly in the marble summer- 
 house which Mihr-un-nissa had caused to be built in the middle
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 85 
 
 )f the garden she had had laid out in imitation of that Garden 
 of Roses where she had spent so many years of her young life. 
 
 "It is all over, wife," he said. " Akbar is dead the best 
 king India has ever had the finest man in a way our best 
 friend hath found freedom." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa left her occupation of conserving rose-leaves and 
 came to stand beside him. "And who succeeds?" she asked 
 after a pause. " Did the Emperor keep his promise to 
 Khushrau and make him his heir?" 
 
 Her husband shook his head. " Nay, at the last Salim's 
 father forgave his son once more ; and and he may do better 
 than folk think." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's lip curled ; she went back to her conserves. 
 " Then must he have changed much since he was a lad. God 
 send he may !" 
 
 Something in her tone made Sher Afkhan give her a quick 
 glance as he echoed the wish. 
 
 " God send he may !" he cried, and with that caught up his 
 child, a wee girl of some five years old, and went racing with her 
 on his shoulder through the garden. Down one alley, up another, 
 ducking his great height for the most part to avoid the branches 
 of the flowering trees, which sent showers of multi-coloured 
 petals upon child and man, both full of laughter. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa watched them, now in sunshine, now in shade, 
 and a troubled look crept to her eyes. For she was shrewd 
 enough to see that this change of Kings might mean much. As 
 a Prince, Salim had ever been revengeful, and from one or two 
 things her brother had let drop, it might be that he had not quite 
 forgotten. Anyhow, her husband was not likely to be a -persona 
 grata at the new Court, and his faithful service of years would 
 count for little in his favour. So dismissal from his office might 
 occur ; not that it mattered much, since they could live on, these 
 dear ones, quite happily without the pomp and circumstance. 
 For Ali Kul, as she still called him in their intimate life, had 
 never been one to care for luxury, and the child, little Glad- 
 ness who, despite her father's dictum, was growing to be his 
 living image would be as wholesome and as happy in the gar- 
 den as it was possible for any child to be. And for herself?
 
 -86 
 
 She paused in her work and smiled ; for she knew herself to be 
 capable of earning a livelihood shoul-d it come to that in many 
 Avays ; even as confectioner ! And it would be strangely satis- 
 factory to feel that those two dear ones were dependant upon 
 her, though in a way they were so now, since it was her beauty 
 which had brought their present luxury. And her lip curled 
 again at the thought of the payment that had been made; for 
 she was clear-sighted to a degree. 
 
 So she lifted out the rose-leaves from her syrup and set them 
 to dry on the marble slab, noting with pride how they had kept 
 their colour, how crisp, how fresh they looked. Old Dilaram, 
 now grown fatter than ever and rather deaf, was seated a little 
 way off, packing the dried ones in small silver-fringed baskets, 
 that were destined as an offering to Mihr-un-nissa's old friend 
 and teacher, Khanzada Racquiya Begum; this occasional inter- 
 -change of trifling presents and somewhat ceremonious letters 
 being the only link Mihr-un-nissa had cared to cherish with that 
 past life of her youth. 
 
 " Hast heard the news, nursie?" she said, going over to the 
 old woman with a fresh batch of rose-leaves ready for packing. 
 ' ' Our lord the Emperor hath found freedom ! ' ' 
 
 Dilaram threw up her hands. " May he rest in peace !" she 
 exclaimed; then her shrewd, strong old face wrinkled itself in 
 sudden anxiety. " And who hath the throne?" she added. 
 
 When she was told, she sat shaking her head and mumbling to 
 herself. Mihr-un-nissa stamped her foot impatiently. " Out 
 with it, nursie; what thinkst thou?" 
 
 " This !" said the old woman suddenly, unhesitatingly. 
 41 May God save the master's life !" 
 
 Her hearer stepped back, the hot blood leaving her very lips. 
 Then she turned away angrily. " Say not such foolishness, 
 slave !" she cried hotly. " Men are not made so they forget !" 
 
 Dilaram, packing the scented rose-leaves away in their silvern 
 lx)xes, mumbled again over her work. Men might forget some 
 things, but not all. And why had Asof Khan ever been so 
 curious ? 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa, returning to her rose-leaf syrup, tried to set the 
 old woman's words aside, but failed to do so. Mere revenge she
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 87 
 
 had herself imagined; but this was different, and brought with 
 it, not for the first time in her life, a sudden distaste for herself, 
 for the beauty which makes men fight for the possession of a 
 woman as if it were possible to gain possession by blows ! 
 
 Then her whole self, body and soul, rose in revolt against the 
 thought that she might be the cause of danger to her husband, 
 and she told herself the idea was incredible. Still, it remained 
 with her, though, as the next few months passed, bringing no 
 sign of any interference from Agra, it lessened greatly ; and she 
 was just beginning to scoff at her own dread when something 
 occurred which was at one and the same time a relief and an 
 insult. 
 
 Sher Afkan received, by a duly accredited envoy, a clear-cut 
 proposition from the new Emperor that, in consideration of cer- 
 tain benefits one a large sum of money he should consent to 
 divorce his wife, as every Mahomedan is able to do at a moment's 
 notice, and send her to the Imperial harem. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa read the precious document, which her husband 
 put into her hands without comment, and felt, above all, relief. 
 Here was legality and sweet reasonableness with a vengeance. 
 No hint here of violence or even of calculated revenge. Salim 
 Avas willing to strike a commercial bargain; the goods would be 
 paid for when delivered. Then the insult of the proposition 
 made her once more think of her own beauty with abhorrence, 
 and she glanced at her husband almost piteously. He showed 
 calm, unmoved, only a tightened grip on his sword-hilt telling of 
 uttermost tension. 
 
 " Well !" she queried at last passionately. " What sayest 
 thou to the transfer? 'Tis a big price !" 
 
 " What I say or think," he replied in even tones, "counts 
 for naught. That is why I refer it for the woman to decide. I 
 stand in no one's way." 
 
 " And if I say no ! A thousand times no !" she burst out. 
 " If I say that death is preferable, what then?" 
 
 His whole aspect changed. Calm was gone, and the fury of 
 
 the wild beasts he had so often slain informed every inch of his 
 
 great height, every atom of his honest soul, as he shouted : 
 
 ' Then may God curse him for ever and ever to the nethermost
 
 88 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 hell, and may this hand of mine be the one to send him thither, 
 Emperor though he be !" 
 
 His face was black with pure passion; he literally quivered 
 with sheer anger. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa went up to him and laid her beautful head on 
 his breast. " Hush, my heart," she said fondly. " Walls have 
 ears, and he is Emperor !" 
 
 He held her to him with a grip of iron, covering her the while 
 with hot, burning kisses. Then he gave a half ashamed laugh. 
 " 'Tis not often thou seest me thus, sweet wife," he whispered, 
 ''though thy beauty is enough to madden any man." 
 
 She shrank, even in his arms. " Talk not of my beauty, 
 husband," she almost sobbed. " 'Tis such a little thing. So 
 many have it." 
 
 " Not as thou," he protested, " and when I think By 
 
 the Prophet ! I could send my sword through his heart when 
 
 I think " He renewed his kisses, and she gave a little 
 
 sigh. 
 
 " Think not, dear heart," she said almost resignedly. " 'Tis 
 not worth a thought, since thou and I art agreed on this matter. 
 See, I will write a rejoinder in my best style and with my best 
 pen, and thou wilt be satisfied with it." 
 
 " I am satisfied with all things that thou doest, Light of 
 mine House !" he replied fondly. " Sure, none but a fool 
 could be otherwise !" 
 
 Her answer was half smile, half sigh. 
 
 So the letter was written, and a full stately one it was, though 
 AH Kul objected to one argument therein set forth namely, 
 that the woman in question was now of an age when her sex 
 ceases to be desirable. To begin with, he said it was not 
 true ; she might say what she liked ; besides, Asof Khan must 
 have reported otherwise. 
 
 " Thinkst thou," asked Mihr-un-nissa hotly, pausing in her 
 
 scribe's office, " if that were so, I would " Then her mind 
 
 flew back to many a vague hint of her brother's which, viewed 
 from this standpoint, betokened ulterior motives, and she sat 
 silent, asking herself bitterly if even brotherly affection could 
 not withstand the fatal lure of her beauty. But there were
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 89 
 
 other arguments in the letter which pointed out that with the 
 writer honour stood before mere greed of gain, and ended by 
 stating curtly that apart from these considerations of the man 
 concerned, Mihr-un-nissa, as woman, declined to be bought and 
 sold! 
 
 It was duly besprinkled with scent and gold-leaf, placed in 
 an embroidered silken bag, and given to the courier who had 
 brought the Emperor's missive. He carried another packet 
 too, a far more bulky one, being nothing more nor less than 
 Sher Afkan's formal resignation of his office and his papers of 
 commission. 
 
 There was no reference to his wife as to the sending in of 
 these. He simply told her what he had done, and when, some- 
 what taken aback by his promptitude, she suggested time for 
 consideration, he cut her short by saying firmly : " I remain not 
 one other hour in the service of a man who hath so grievously 
 insulted me and thou also. I am no longer Governor ! Nay, 
 more : I hold no rank in the Emperor's army. I owe him no- 
 service of sort or kind. I am free. Here, slave !" he called 
 at an attendant outside. "Take my sword; and thou burn 
 all my uniforms and accoutrements dost hear? Henceforth 
 I am no longer Sher Afkan, since that title also was given 
 me by the Mogul. I am AH Kul Istalijii, by birth Persian, 
 gentleman at large." 
 
 'Twas as that I first saw my lord," said Mihr-un-nissa 
 softly. 
 
 AH Kul's pleasant ugly face was irradiated by a smile. 
 " When thou wert boy ! In truth, my life, I see small differ- 
 ence in thee now, save that thou art taller and better-looking." 
 ' Naught of looks, I prithee, husband," she answered, 
 smiling also. " Others may count them, but we heed them 
 not!" 
 
 So cheerfully, happily, they set the insult aside, and hand 
 in hand strolled off into the garden to see how some new lilies 
 a Chinese traveller had brought from the far-off hills were 
 growing. 
 
 There were plenty such interests for these two, and the next 
 few months passed for them even more happily than heretofore.
 
 9 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 AH Kul was indeed swordless, but his guns remained ; so he 
 and Mihr-un-nissa, with the little Gladness, duly carried from 
 camping-place to camping-place in a little dhoolie all hung 
 with bells, had many an expedition after big game and small 
 game. 
 
 News of the Court drifted down to them slowly, yet surely, 
 but none of it seemed to affect them in any way. They heard 
 the new name which Salim assumed Nur-ud-din Jahangir 
 (Light of the World and World conqueror) and smiled to 
 themselves that one who was a light to nothing, and who could 
 not even govern himself, should arrogate to his person such a 
 title. They heard also of the harshness with which Prince 
 Khushrau's ill-considered attempt at rebellion had been treated, 
 and pitied the lad, who, without doubt, had been incited thereto 
 by his father's rebellion against Akbar, and the consequent 
 indecision of the latter as to the appointment of his heir. 
 
 " God send Sharif doth not mix himself up in it," said Mihr- 
 un-nissa anxiously; "but he is ever hasty, and hath such an 
 enmity to Asof that he will act contrariwise to him if he can." 
 
 " Ay," assented Ali Kui, " but I like the fellow better than 
 his elder brother, for all his hastiness. Asof is too calculating. 
 He hath thy father's turn for figures, but uses those of thy 
 mother, and they are not mine." 
 
 So, after a time, they heard of the Emperor's intended shoot- 
 ing excursion to Kashmir and Kabul, whereat they breathed 
 more freely, feeling that he would be unlikely, when occupied 
 there, to turn his thoughts Bengal ways ; he would have enough 
 pleasure without seeking for more. 
 
 Herein, though partly right, they failed to allow for a very 
 important factor in the case namely, that the attraction Prince 
 Salim had so suddenly developed for the girl who had held his 
 doves was less of a pleasure than a necessity of life. Fur- 
 thermore, they did not realize the effect which his Rajput wife's 
 recent death had had upon a mind that, with all its faults, was 
 imaginative, romantic, and superstitious to a degree. Briefly, 
 it seemed to him to offer a recommencement of life. He was 
 now free to place the one woman in the world where she would 
 have been twenty years before, had not his father thwarted his
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 91 
 
 desire to that father's own injury, be it said, since from that 
 day when he had passionately declared he had been tricked, 
 Salini had been at ill concealed enmity with Akbar. Then the 
 mere method of the poor Rajput lady's death bore out his feel- 
 ing that Fate was at last on his side. For it was not a natural 
 death. She had poisoned herself, in grief, it was averred, at 
 her son Khushrau's evil deeds. Whether this be so or not, it 
 is difficult to say; but that the event made a great impression 
 on her husband Jahangir is evident from what he writes of her 
 in his memoirs. 
 
 " Her mind," the passage runs, " had been several times 
 disturbed, such feelings being hereditary, her ancestors and 
 brothers having shown signs of madness ; but each time she 
 recovered. However, when I had gone ahunting, she in her 
 agitation swallowed a quantity of opium, and quickly passed 
 away. In consequence of her death I spent some days with- 
 out any kind of pleasure in existence, and for the space of four 
 days (which amounts to twenty-four watches) I took nothing in 
 the shape of food or drink." 
 
 Whether the latter sentence conveys truth or not, certain it is 
 that just as Jahangir came to the throne he found himself 
 unexpectedly free to offer the most honourable form of all mar- 
 riages to the love of his youth. That this must, given his 
 emotional nature, have had a profound effect upon him cannot 
 be doubted, though whether it was the determining cause of his 
 first offer of a divorce is a mere matter for guess-work. 
 
 Be that as it may, just as the roses in the Burdwan garden 
 were beginning to blossom the next year, a bolt out of the blue 
 fell upon the contented married pair who lived therein. A 
 firman from the Emperor requiring their instant appearance at 
 Court in Agra was followed almost immediately by the news 
 that Jahangir 's own foster-brother and most approved tool, one 
 Kutb-ud-din Koka, who had lately been appointed Viceroy of 
 Bengal, was approaching with a large following on Burdwan. 
 
 For what purpose? Those two looked into each other's fear- 
 less faces, knowing in their inmost hearts that it boded no peace 
 to them. 
 
 " I misdoubt me 'tis for evil, not for good," said Ali Kul,
 
 92 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 as with his arm round his wife's waist he read and reread the 
 missive which bade him repair to the Viceroy on his arrival for 
 orders. "Yet this," he continued, smiling into her eyes, "is 
 beyond doubt ! I can defend thine honour and mine own 
 better than most." 
 
 Nevertheless, Mihr-un-nissa, even as she looked at his long 
 limbs, his broad chest, and the still youthful poise of his whole 
 figure, felt her heart sink. He was man indeed ; but what did 
 strength and courage avail against treachery? What even did 
 her wit avail against autocratic powers? Yet that they were 
 face to face with both she felt sure. A sense of coming disaster 
 brooded over her very soul ; which stood apart from her, as it 
 were, looking down on the beauty of body in which at times 
 it revelled, condemning it utterly. Had she only been as other 
 women, life would have gone on peacefully. So, as she sat 
 thinking, she took the fogi's red crystal cup from the silken 
 bag in which she always carried it strung round her neck with 
 a fine row of seed-pearls, and laid its brim to her lips. 
 
 Once more the reds mingled, but it struck cold, and she laid 
 it back in its hiding-place with a sigh. 
 
 Was her luck leaving her?
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 O Saki ! Save the Cup of Life, what Gift 
 Hast thou to bring us blind ones ? Canst thou lift 
 The Veil that hides Ourselves from our own Selves? 
 Canst thou show Light beyond Death's dreadful rift?" 
 
 ALI KUL decided to write courteous reply to the coming Viceroy 
 that, having no official standing of any sort, he must ask on 
 what business his attendance was required ; to which had come 
 answer that the Emperor desired him forthwith to leave Burd- 
 wan, and with his wife and family repair to the Court at Agra. 
 
 Again a courteous request for a reason had gone forth, to be 
 met by a temporizing invitation to a private and unarmed meet- 
 ing, when the position would be fully explained. 
 
 " I must go, wife," said Ali Kul decidedly. " Mayhap 
 they mean ill, but 'tis writ fair, and no brave man can refuse." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa stood looking at Kutb-ud-din's message of 
 invitation with a sinking heart. But she did not attempt to 
 over-persuade her husband. She knew him too well for that; 
 knew that when once he had made up his mind as to what an 
 honourable man should do, nothing least of all personal 
 danger would turn him from his purpose. 
 
 ; ' When is the hour?" she asked dully. 
 
 "I have fixed dawn," he replied briefly. "So we have 
 the night before us, O Queen of Women !" 
 
 A night of nights, velvet-still, moonless ; but the fireflies 
 showed them the paths of the garden as they wandered up and 
 down by the light of the stars. Their low voices were the only 
 sound to be heard, for the very cicalas were silent. And they 
 had much to say to each other, much to arrange calmly, quietly ; 
 for they were both brave, and faced possibilities with firm 
 hearts. 
 
 " If, as may well be," said Ali Kul, " 'tis a plot to murder 
 me, remember, dear heart, death is a thing decreed by God, 
 and 'tis His province."
 
 94 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 She stopped him with a swift gesture. " Peace, husband !" 
 she replied in a low deep voice. " If thou goest, which God 
 forbid ! then am I left to judge alone, and before God I will 
 avenge thee ! ' ' 
 
 " I will avenge myself," he answered lightly. " For the 
 man lives not who will send Ali Kul to find freedom in Para- 
 dise without journeying to Hell himself." 
 
 "Yea, yea," she assented, and there was a trifle of im- 
 patience in her tone, as if she were being tied down to some- 
 thing of little importance, while her wonderful eyes took on an 
 intensity of look beyond this world. " That way doubtless 
 thou wilt take vengeance for thyself. But there be other 
 
 methods " She paused and smiled a marvellous smile. 
 
 Held in it was all the wile and wisdom of womanhood, all its 
 infinite cunning and patient skill. " Yea," she went on, " thou 
 shalt be avenged ! The uttermost enemy shall pay the utter- 
 most farthing." 
 
 He smiled back at her almost deprecatingly. " Be not too 
 lavish of thy blame, then, dear heart; for, see you, 'tis never 
 fair to judge poor men folk by what they seem to do. 'Tis 
 only the evil they really do that merits punishment, and what 
 that is, God only knows. Let Him decide!" 
 
 She flung her arms around his neck in a sudden passion of 
 love. Never in all those twenty years of wedded life had she 
 been so near the Mystery of Love as she was then. 
 
 "Nay, nay, dear heart," he whispered; "this is not like 
 thee. Quiet thyself ! There is naught worth a tear." 
 
 Was it not? she wondered, as she controlled herself, and 
 hand in hand they passed on into the shadows of the garden. 
 
 The night slipped by; a primrose dawn followed, without 
 a cloud. A greyness came first, then suddenly a glory of golden 
 light stretching to the zenith. A bulbul was singing to a rose 
 as they walked down the marble-edged path leading to the 
 high-arched garden gate. 
 
 " Farewell, wife," said Ali Kul as he vaulted on to his bay 
 Arab. " I return when God wills. Life has been joy; it may 
 be joy yet." 
 
 Holding little Gladness in her arms, Mihr-un-nissa from the
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 95 
 
 corner bastion of the garden watched him ride adown the road, 
 a simple, manly figure, unarmed, unattended, save by two run- 
 ning grooms. He looked what he was, a well-bred, high-born 
 Mahomedan gentleman, conspicuous chiefly for his physical 
 strength and bravery. Her mind went back to that first time 
 she had seen his scarred face from the bastion of the Garden of 
 Roses, when she was still a child dreaming of childish things, 
 and it travelled onward until now ; yet in all the long years she 
 saw nothing in his treatment of her that she would have changed. 
 So, with a sigh, almost acquiescent in the evil she felt was 
 coming, she turned away. 
 
 Meanwhile, AH Kul rode on cheerfully, though he also 
 cherished few allusions as to the future. They might, though 
 they would scarcely dare so much, murder him; on the other 
 hand, the semblance of legality might be observed. 
 
 At the entry to the Viceroy's camp, a bevy of horsemen fully 
 armed met him. He shot one quick glance at them, raised his 
 eyebrows slightly, then, following the directions given in answer 
 to his curt order to be shown their master's tent, rode on. But 
 that one look had been enough for him. Mischief of some 
 kind was meant. 
 
 At the entrance to a large shamidna tent he dismounted, gave 
 his horse to the running grooms, and strode in for his interview 
 alone, unattended. He found the tent packed with armed men, 
 and he set his teeth. This was to be more than a war of words ! 
 
 The Viceroy, a black-bearded man of about his own age, 
 made feint to greet him suitably, but AH Kul waved his phrases 
 aside. 
 
 " The meeting, my lord," he said bluntly, " was to a private 
 interview. I was bidden to come unarmed, as I have come. 
 Bid these men depart, or I go." 
 
 Something in his bold bearing compelled compliance. With 
 a hasty mumble of forgetfulness, Kutb-ud-din gave reluctant 
 orders to retire. The tent emptied save for three men, who 
 moved close beside their master. AH Kul's eyes fixed them- 
 selves on these contemptuously. 
 
 "My body-guard," began the Viceroy almost apologetically. 
 AH Kul gave a quick laugh.
 
 96 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 "If thou needst a guard against an unarmed man," he 
 replied curtly, " they have my leave to stay," and he gave back 
 their angry scowl with interest; so, turning to the Viceroy, made 
 a courteous salaam as he put the query : 
 
 "What wishes my lord with this slave?" 
 
 " Obedience to my orders," retorted Kutb-ud-din sharply. 
 " I demand the instant attendance of thyself and thy house at 
 Agra. The Lord of the Universe, the mighty Jahangir, ordains 
 it. Thou hast already slighted his command in one way see 
 that thou slight it not again." 
 
 AH Kul drew himself up to his full height. The tent was 
 dark, but through the shadows his eyes flashed fire, though he 
 still spoke in quiet, measured tone. 
 
 " My lord mistakes. I slighted the desire of the Emperor, 
 not his command. Not even Jahangir the Mighty can order a 
 man to divorce his wife." 
 
 "What treason, what defiance is this?" began the Viceroy, 
 seeking a quarrel. 
 
 " Neither treason nor defiance, my lord," returned Ali Kul, 
 still quietly. " Give to me the authority by which such demand 
 can be made, either from the Holy Book or the Unwritten Law, 
 and I yield. Divorce is the right of the husband, not of the 
 King. The command could not be made; therefore treason is 
 not, since there is no disobedience." 
 
 So far he had followed the line of argument thought out by 
 Mihr-un-nissa, and the Viceroy was outwitted. 
 
 " Then see," he said sullenly, " that thou disobey not the 
 lawful command to attend the Most High's court without delay. 
 Thou and thy house." 
 
 Ali Kul smiled. " For myself I am at the command of the 
 Most High. For my house, I crave the reason of this outrage; 
 without it I refuse. Lo ! even Majesty interferes not between 
 a man and his lawful wedded wife. Death alone does that. 
 So, if Jahangir the Mighty desire this slave to die, let him do 
 murder here upon an unarmed man ha!" He turned quick 
 as lightning at a step behind him. Almost too late. The fall 
 of a flashing knife grazed his right arm.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEX 97 
 
 " So !" he shouted, and his voice was that of a tiger at bay. 
 " If 'tis to be death I begin at the beginning." 
 
 And with the words, disdaining the assassin behind him, he 
 sprang at Kutb-ud-din as a tiger springs, clipped him round 
 the middle, tore him from his feet, and, flinging him high in 
 midair, as a terrier does a rat, dashed him to the ground. The 
 blood spurted from nose and mouth; he lay still. 
 
 The onslaught had been so swift that until now the assassin's 
 knife had been Ali Kul's only danger; but it came again, this 
 time gashing in on his shoulder. With another fierce cry, 
 another lightning turn, he was round on his foe, and one blow 
 from his closed fist literally stove in the murderer's skull. 
 
 And now, with teeth clenched and shortened breath, he faced 
 the three men who, for a second, had stood appalled by the 
 incredible swiftness of his attack. Their swords were drawn; 
 he was unarmed ; but to wrench one from its owner's hold by 
 the point though it cut his fingers to the bone and turn to 
 against his adversaries was the work of an instant. But to do 
 this he had had to retreat across the tent almost to its outer 
 wall, ere he could engage his opponents. Then it took but 
 short time to stretch one at his feet and disable another ; but 
 the clash of arms had aroused those outside, and they were in 
 on him ere he had finished the third. 
 
 Ay, the time of Death had come, but he meant to sell his 
 life dear. So, his back against the tent wall for shelter, he 
 defied them. 
 
 A terrible sight truly. All the noble nature of the man 
 turned to the ferocity of the wild beasts he had so often mas- 
 tered, every drop of his kindly blood afire for slaughter, every 
 atom of his gentle strength given over to death-dealing. 
 
 How many he had killed he knew not, cared not. Others 
 remained. His tally of vengeance was not yet complete. He 
 had strength left yet 
 
 So, half awed, they pressed round him as the dogs press 
 round a wounded deer, scarce daring to meet his furious 
 assaults, when suddenly, with one hideous shout of " Coward !" 
 he lurched blindly forward, and the point of his sword, driven 
 on by the weight of his falling body, spitted his nearest foe, 
 
 7
 
 98 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 overbore him, and they fell together. But as he fell his hand- 
 grip loosened on his sword, he turned over, and lay face 
 upwards, with his empty sword-arm outstretched as if in appeal 
 to High Heaven, his head pillowed peacefully on his enemy's 
 breast. He had avenged himself. 
 
 And someone outside the canvas tent wall withdrew from it a 
 long pointed dagger red to the hilt with heart's blood, and said 
 gleefully : " That got the hell-doomed one. He fought like 
 a mad dog till this finished him." 
 
 They had stabbed him from behind. But what mattered it? 
 His dead lay around him. 
 
 The Viceroy still breathed ; but his skull was fractured, and 
 Amba Khan, his deputy, was dead. Likewise the assassin 
 whose knife had started the quarrel, and two others ; while the 
 grievously hurt were many. So Ali Kul Istalijii, even while 
 in sheer despite they hacked at his dead body with their swords, 
 lay content with a smile upon his lips. He had not even had 
 time to think of Mihr-un-nissa or his little child ; he had died 
 fighting. 
 
 But over in the Garden he had never left Mihr-un-nissa's 
 thoughts. After leaving the bastion when he disappeared from 
 view, she had attempted to occupy herself otherwise, had failed, 
 and had returned to watch for a coming which in her heart of 
 hearts she knew would never come. She was so sure of this 
 that as she walked, dry-eyed, her mind wandered over what 
 should be done if he were dead. Like all women of her calibre, 
 she was highly strung, what nowadays is called neurotic. So 
 the unknown future, even for a few hours, was ever peopled 
 for her with possibilities both of evil and of good, and as she 
 watched she saw him lying dead, she anticipated her own grief. 
 
 She had not long to watch. A riderless horse, broken loose 
 from the groom's startled hold, told her instantly of disaster. 
 Yet only for one minute did she give way, only for one short 
 minute did she sink, a cowering heap, upon the ground^ moan- 
 ing in her sudden anguish : " God, why didst Thou give me 
 Beauty ? Why, oh why ? Lo ! we were content with hap- 
 piness we were content content !" 
 
 Suddenly she rose, grief lost in desire for vengeance. This
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 99 
 
 was no time for tears, no time for regrets. Her mind must be 
 at its best, to piece out vengeance. She sat for a minute or tv, o 
 for thought, then, hurrying from the bastion, bade the ser- 
 vants lock the doors and still their outcries; for by this time 
 the running grooms, following fast upon the horse, had brought 
 word of their master's death. Doubtless, she said, he was 
 dead, but he had died a brave man, and there must be no 
 cowardice in his house, or in her.-,. ,7j swiftly, knowing her 
 time might be short, she set them arranging a fitting bier in the 
 outer court of the palace. This she decked with flowers ; then 
 putting on a widow's white robes, she shrouded herself in the 
 coarse veil till nothing but her face showed. A face beautiful 
 exceedingly, but as terrible in its desire for revenge as her hus- 
 band's had been ere death came to make it peaceful. 
 
 So, standing at the head of the bier, she waited, until a 
 knocking came to the outer door, and voices cried : 
 
 ' ' Open l t Open, in the name of the Emperor ! ' ' 
 
 " To whom?" Her voice, strong, clear, silvery, echoed out, 
 and could not be mistaken for that of a servant. 
 
 There was a low-toned colloquy outside; then someone said 
 with more politeness : 
 
 " To the emissaries of the Viceroy, honoured lady." 
 
 "Bid him come himself," she replied curtly. 
 
 " But he is dead," came an incautious voice. 
 
 " For that may God be praised !" she called exultingly, add- 
 ing in colder tones, " Then let his deputy come in his place." 
 
 This time there was a faint chuckle, for paid mercenaries and 
 jealous courtiers have few regrets. 
 
 " He lives not either, Bibi," said someone evidently in 
 authority. " Neither do half a dozen of our best men, for 
 Khan Ali Kuli Khan Bahadur sold his life dearly, as became 
 himself. So we desire his house no harm ; but we have royal 
 orders to enter and arrest. We invite compliance peaceably. 
 If not " 
 
 " Slaves, set wide the doors ! We of this house are loyal to 
 the law !" came sharp command in interruption. 
 
 The servants obeyed, and a party of troopers hustled in, then 
 stood doubtful before what they saw. It was an empty flower-
 
 ioo MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 decked bier, at its foot a child, wide-eyed, curious, at its head 
 i\ widow calm and stern. 
 
 " I claim my husband's body," said the latter, addressing 
 the man who appeared to be in command in full, clear tones. 
 " When he hath been laid to his rest, but not till then, I obey. 
 God knows I will go gladly, since life here has no more to offer 
 to the widow and the orphan." 
 
 Something in the very simplicity of the claim, its stern jus- 
 tice and reasonableness, struck home, even to those rough 
 soldiers, and after a brief consultation the leader consented to 
 delay. So, leaving a guard in possession, the rest retired, dis- 
 cussing amongst themselves the events of the day. 
 
 "By God and His prophet!" said one, "here is a pretty 
 coil ! The Viceroy and Amba Khan whom we can well 
 spare to say naught of half a dozen good men whom we need 
 and that counts not Ali Kul himself, the first of fighters all 
 stiff and straight because a woman's fair !" 
 
 "Fair!" echoed another. " For my part I saw naught of 
 fairness ! Her face struck me cold ; but 'tis the full stomach 
 that sees God, and mine is empty as the Emperor's wine-skin ; 
 so, by Allah ! let us back to fill it." 
 
 Whereat there was a noisy laugh, and they jingled back to 
 camp merrily. Yet were they not without bowels of mercy, 
 for when, later in the day, a slower procession came along the 
 same road, the rough bier carried the body of a brave man 
 decently disposed for burial, and the scarred face was bare of 
 bloodstains and showed placid, smiling. 
 
 " Nay, let him be," said Mihr-un-nissa tearlessly when 
 Dilaram, wailing and moaning, would have undone the shroud 
 to see where his wounds lay. " They stabbed him in the back. 
 The grooms said so. That is enough for revenge." 
 
 Her calm was almost appalling in its stoniness ; it was as if a 
 marble statue spoke and walked and acted. So they laid the 
 dead man on his bier in his own home, and she went off to 
 superintend the preparation of a grave in the summer-house. 
 For she had thought it all out with those clear-seeing, imagina- 
 tive eyes of hers, and had realized that she would have no time 
 to raise a suitable mausoleum for the husk which had held so
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 101 
 
 brave, so dear a man; yet it could not be left to lie unsheltered, 
 uncared for, beneath storm and wind and rain. But in the 
 centre of the summer-house there would be security ; and if she 
 worked hard all night she might be able to cut the name Ali 
 Kul on the marble slab that would lie over his heart; for 
 amongst her many gifts she had somewhat of the carver's 
 art. 
 
 "Ali Kul" over his heart. That would be enough. The 
 rest would be graven upon hers. 
 
 All the moonless night through, therefore, she sat chiselling 
 by the light of a flickering lamp beside her husband's bier, 
 while the fireflies still danced along the shady paths where they 
 had walked together but the night before. 
 
 When the dawn came another cloudless primrose dawn the 
 tablet lay ready. 
 
 She Avould not look again on the dead face, though Dilaram, 
 her features swelled out of all recognition by pent-up tears, that 
 had had to be shed in secret, urged her to it as a duty. 
 
 " Nay," she said quietly, " there will be no forgetting. His 
 scars are graven on my heart." 
 
 Finally, the shrouders came with their monotonous chant, and 
 the Kazi, with his texts and choristers to give back the responses, 
 and all went in orderly procession to the grave, in the side of 
 which a niche had been hollowed out coffin-wise. Such a long 
 niche ! but it was a long length that was laid to rest within it, 
 while Mihr-un-nissa watched, holding little Gladness by the 
 hand, and the wail of the hired mourners echoed out into the 
 garden. She stood silent without one tear till the earth was 
 shovelled in and the marble slabs set back true and level, with 
 the one which she had chiselled with his name just above where 
 his heart should be. 
 
 Then she turned away, leading the child by the hand. 
 
 " Send word to the camp," she said, " that Khan Ali Kul 
 Bahadur's house will be ready at dawn, if fit and proper escort 
 be sent." 
 
 Dilaram would have had her spend the night in packing up 
 valuables, but she would not hear of it. 
 
 " Let the murderers and thieves take all. The greater their
 
 102 M/STRESS OF MEN 
 
 sin the greater their curse. Such things are of life, and deaf' 1 
 is my, portion. " 
 
 And in the darkness of the night she crept over to the marble 
 summer-house that was now a mausoleum, and crouched down on 
 the cold stones above the heart which had beat truly, not for her 
 )nly, but for many. And suddenly the full meaning of the 
 tragedy forced itself upon her, and she sank prone on the marble, 
 laying her hot cheek upon it, while her hot hands beat them- 
 selves together unavailingly. 
 
 "Oh, curses!" she moaned "curses on the beauty which 
 hath wrought a brave man's undoing !" 
 
 And a great contempt for that which till then she had 
 cherished, and a still greater contempt for the men whom such 
 beauty made mad, rose in her, to remain for the rest of her life.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 " Ere the Stars were, my Life was set and planned ; 
 So to the Tavern while I give command 
 God's messenger comes, and, knocking at the door, 
 Shows the real order in his veiled Hand." 
 
 IT is a far cry from Burchvan to Agra; further still to the city 
 of Kabul, where the Emperor Jahangir was seeking pleasure. 
 
 And surely, no more pleasant place could be found. Sur- 
 rounded by snow-clad hills, watered by many streams, set in the 
 midst of enchanting gardens, it showed, this middle-June-tide, 
 a perfect Paradise of sunshine and blossom. The presence of 
 the great Imperial camp brought additional liveliness to its 
 multi-coloured bazaars, while the soft undulations of the gar- 
 dened lawns on its outskirts were dotted, as with flower-beds, by 
 groups of gaily-dressed sight-seers enjoying the, to them, novel 
 sensation of walking upon grass that was soft as velvet under 
 their feet. 
 
 " Lo !" said a tall, stout man of about forty, plainly dressed, 
 but bearing from head to foot the dignity that doth hedge about 
 a king, " to traverse this with even sandalled feet would be an 
 outrage on propriety and good manners !" He spoke easily in 
 a sweet full voice, and smiled indolently, carelessly. 
 
 " The Most Mighty speaks truth," acquiesced an obsequious 
 courtier; "yet even the feet of Majesty must tire after such 
 perambulations as hath been ordained this day." 
 
 Jahangir gave a self-satisfied smirk. 
 
 " Ay !" he assented. " I do not think I ever walked so far 
 before; but truly the body forgets fatigue while the mind is so 
 entranced. See yonder cherry-tree. Do not its fruits, hanging 
 like globes on the branches, seem like round rubies !" And 
 there was a reality in his admiration which gave additional soft- 
 ness to his eyes and the contours of his face ; a heavy face in 
 
 103
 
 io 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 itself, in which expression seemed over-burdened by fleshiness ; 
 yet the expression was there. 
 
 " Write that sentiment down, Record-master !" ejaculated the 
 elder, Asaf Khan, ecstatically. " It is worthy of immortality." 
 
 And the Record-keeper lingered behind a second to set down 
 the Emperor's remark in black and white, while the Imperial 
 cortege moved on at the rate of a funeral procession; for 
 Jahangir was corpulent. 
 
 It passed on through the City-Adorning gardens, first laid out 
 by one of the great Baber's (Jahangir's great-grandfather) many 
 aunts; and paused awhile outside it where a stretch of fallow 
 ground sloped down to a stream. Here a gold-covered chair 
 was set, and one by one the Emperor gave audience to architects, 
 builders, designers ; for here he proposed to lay out a new gar- 
 den to be called the "World-Adorning," which should be so 
 made that for beauty and sweetness there should not be, in the 
 inhabited world, another like it. 
 
 And herein the whole nature of the man showed itself. What 
 his great forbears had done that would he also do, and, as it 
 were, go one better to boot. Since he had been in Kabul, the 
 spirit of his mountain-bred ancestors had risen strong in him. 
 
 He had delightedly studied the priceless memoirs of his great- 
 grandfather, he had ordered his life according to the old pat- 
 tern, and as he, somewhat laboriously, made the round of the 
 gardens, he was tuning his very mind to that keynote of almost 
 exuberant delight in Nature which gives us the harmonies of 
 Baber's delightful book. He did it unconsciously, whole- 
 heartedly ; given the milieu of hardy soldiers and kindly friends 
 his ancestor had had, who knows but Jahangir might have 
 touched reality in his pose? for he was easily influenced. His 
 entourage, however, was against him. The very contractors for 
 the garden hid their greed under the sycophant's guile. 
 
 Majesty must be tired ; Majesty had bestowed his soul-inspir- 
 ing feet sufficiently long on the thrice-blest earth ; Majesty should 
 enter its golden dhooli and repair to the scented shadows of the 
 private apartments. Wheedlings, coaxings, flatterings, while 
 in the centre of the posturing courtiers sat the monarch, heavy 
 of feature, blase of heart, yet fulfilled withal with desire to act
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 105 
 
 up to the present ideal. A pitiful enough spectacle, not without 
 its pathos. 
 
 But there was one thing more to be done, ere drugged rest was 
 his. He must, in company with a select circle of innermost 
 Court ladies, visit the tombs of his ancestors. Khanzada 
 Racquiya Begum, for instance, had never before visited her 
 grandfather's grave. He must go thither with her in approved 
 fashion. So, surrounded by worshipping females, dispensing 
 his sad smiles like a sacrament amongst them, he journeyed to 
 the simple tomb overlooking Kabul city, where Baber rests. 
 
 " HEAVEN IS THE ETERNAL HOME OF THE EMPEROR BABER." 
 
 So runs the legend that uplifts itself into the empyrean, as if for 
 all worlds to see. 
 
 A noteworthy group, this, above the resting-place of one of the 
 most lovable men who ever lived. A man of many faults, but 
 with a heart large enough to hold them all and leave enough for 
 charity the greatest of all virtues. The small bowed figure of 
 old Racquiya Begum, her heart full of conventional regrets, her 
 kindly mind, under all its pious reverence, working away at the 
 ode she meant to compose on the occasion. She brought a stiff 
 posy of tight-packed flowers to lay on the grave. Jahangir, 
 fresh from the reading of the Memoirs, had a bunch of mountain 
 tulips as his offering. Runners had been sent to fetch them from 
 distant uplands, and Jahangir felt a thrill of pride at the appro- 
 priateness of his own offering. For the moment he was the man 
 he wished to be ; for the moment he was the Light of the Faith, 
 the Encircler of the World. 
 
 There were tears in his eyes as he looked out over the glorious 
 panorama of hill and dale, of forest and stream, of earth 
 and sky. 
 
 So his great ancestor had stood, radiant with admiration ; so 
 Jahangir stood, for that ancestor's attributes were latent in him. 
 But only for a moment or two. The time for drugged rest had 
 come. As the gold -encrusted dJwoli of state jostled through the 
 bazaar to the Bala Hissar palace he was already half asleep. 
 He scarce opened his eyes upon the scented women-folk who 
 crowded about his couch in the private apartments ; he yawned
 
 io6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 faint pleasure at a pet monkey's antics as he munched an 
 aromatic comfit heavily laden with opium. So to the sleep 
 almost of the dead, inert, helpless. But there were guards to 
 watch it. Stalwart Abyssinian women with drawn swords at 
 each door and stealthy footsteps of spies in the Persian carpeted 
 corridors ; for despots need guards, and Jahangir was despot if 
 ever there was one. 
 
 So to wake, yawning, at sunset and ride under a .royal 
 umbrella, scattering rupees, half-rupees, and quarter-rupees to 
 indigent persons on both sides of the road, till he reached the 
 Shahara gardens, which, in the evening light, looked green and 
 fresh. 
 
 Being Thursday, the Emperor was giving a wine-party to his 
 intimates, and they were all awaiting his arrival in the twelve- 
 doored marble summer-house that stood on the very bank of the 
 stream that ran through the middle of the garden. A pellucid 
 stream, no more than eight feet wide, that rippled over a pebbly 
 bottom with a tinkling babble. The sumrnerhouse was hung 
 with gold tissue, and set with thick silken rugs, and littered with 
 embroidered cushions. Tall eunuchs with jewelled fans stood 
 ready to whisk away intruding flies ; bare-footed, obsequious ser- 
 vants flitted about with gold and silver beakers; from behind a 
 screen came the fine whinging of a satara and a man's voice 
 chanting a love-song. Every now and again a tiny boy dressed 
 as a girl came round with a silver dish of rose-water and a 
 heron's plume brush, with which he sprinkled the air to make it 
 cool and perfumed. 
 
 Of enervating luxury nothing lacked ; the very guests in their 
 stiff brocades, their faces set in flattering smiles, seemed as it 
 were mere stage properties to the heavy figure lolling on the 
 divan, its restless eyes roving about in search of pleasure. 
 
 " If the Lord of the Universe consents, his slaves have 
 arranged a cooking entertainment as a preliminary, and 
 arghushtak dances to follow on the opposite bank of the stream," 
 said the Master of the Ceremonies, touching the ground with his 
 forehead. " Is it approved?" 
 
 " Manzttr," murmured the monarch, handing his golden beaker 
 to be refilled.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN icy 
 
 So, over the water, a crowd of men and boys appeared ; small 
 portable braziers were brought, filled with glowing charcoal, and 
 ranged in two rows ; sides were chosen ; and swiftly, with laughter, 
 singing and dancing, the bugJira a kind of long, very slippery 
 macaroni was cooked. Then the fun began. Each side flung 
 the slithery comestible at the other side's open mouths, and loud 
 was the merriment both amongst the competitors and the spec- 
 tators as the macaroni was caught or missed. Even when caught 
 it was no light matter to swallow the long length. 
 
 " Quick, slave, quick !" chuckled the Emperor, as one vainly 
 tried to bolt a yard-long piece that in the throwing had coiled 
 itself round nose and ear. " Quick, or thy last chance is 
 over!" 
 
 It was a booby game, but it pleased, and many a cup of good 
 Shiraz had gone down ere it ended. Then came a quieter enter- 
 tainment. Twenty young men, and the like number of young 
 girls, each with great bunches of oleander blossoms stuck behind 
 their ears, circled themselves in couples round a group of 
 musicians and awaited the signal to begin. But custards and 
 confections were being handed round to the guests, so there was 
 a pause. Jahangir 's full voice rose on it with all the solemnity 
 of the half intoxicated. 
 
 " 'Tis a fine flower-bed. Mark you, chamberlain ! Who 
 .loses his oleander in the dance hath his turban taken off to show 
 his bald head." 
 
 " Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Witty beyond compare !" cried one of 
 the intimates, while another said unctuously, "And if the 
 offender be a female, what punishment hath the Crown of Intel- 
 lectuality ordained?" 
 
 Jahangir thought for a minute; then said thickly, " None. 
 Woman, being the flower of of this world is is exempt." 
 
 A chorus of praise went up, and the Court Recorder's pen was 
 called into use once more. Meanwhile the dance went on a 
 stately sort of circling measure, with rapid shiftings of feet and 
 clappings of hands. 
 
 Jahangir yawned, once, twice. Then suddenly he held up his 
 forefinger the finger of majesty. The music ceased, the 
 dancers disappeared. With cups in their hands the onlookers
 
 io8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 were left staring at the empty lawn, across which the moon, new 
 risen, was beginning to throw long shadows. 
 
 "If it pleases the Shadow of God"," came the voice of the 
 impresario rather quaveringly, since the last entertainment had 
 fallen somewhat flat, " there be a poet here who, though he be 
 of the Hindu faith, hath composed an ode in honour of the 
 Most High, and craves leave to recite it." 
 
 The Emperor, now half full of wine, gave an assenting hiccup, 
 and a thin old man came forward and began to chant as follows : 
 
 " If the Sun had a son the world would ever have day ; 
 Night would be no more known for ever and ever alway. 
 For when one gold-crowned head sank out of our sight 
 The other would take his place and keep the world still light. 
 
 " O King ! like the Sun, your father was given a son 
 To sit on his throne after he went to his rest, 
 And illumine the world as brightly as he had done, 
 Driving the night of mourning from every breast !" 
 
 Atrocious doggerel though the verses were, they were received 
 with loud, fulsome acclamation by the courtiers, while Jahangir 
 sat solemn, almost tearful, thinking of his own virtues and his 
 father's. Contrasted with the chill purity of the world outside, 
 now bathed in the light of the new-risen moon, there was some- 
 thing almost revolting in the artificial atmosphere within the 
 summer-house, where a dozen or more of men conspired to pander 
 to every weakness, every vice of another man. The air was 
 heavy with adulation, poisoned by insincerity, infected by 
 intrigue. From the applauding sycophants to the toothless old 
 man bowing and grinning over his rhymes, the miserable victim 
 of these wiles could not hope for one helping hand to aid him in 
 self-government. It says much for him, therefore, that his 
 mind, refusing to dwell on himself, passed to memories of his 
 father. 
 
 " 'Tis ten years since I sat here with that blessed one," he 
 said, after having awarded an elephant to the poet as reward for 
 his eulogy " ten years since he, laughing, bade me follow him 
 over the stream yonder. Could I jump it now, I wonder?" 
 
 ' Wonder is unnecessary," said an intimate rather thickly. 
 " The Lord of the Universe can do all things." 
 
 It was an unfortunate remark, for Jahangir was in that pre-
 
 M/STRESS OF MEN 109 
 
 liminary stage of drunkenness when everything seems cause of 
 quarrel. 
 
 " How knowest thou, slave, when I know not myself?" he 
 asked angrily, and rising unsteadily to his feet, he looked out 
 over the water, shaking his head. 
 
 " Lo ! I will try," he continued, " and thou shalt try also. 
 Stay ! we shall all try in turn, and thou shalt go first go !" 
 
 The wretched man tried to excuse himself. At the best of 
 times he could not have compassed a six-feet jump, and at the 
 moment he was not sure of his own feet; but the fun of the 
 thing had seized on Jahangir's mind, half sobering him, and he 
 was eager as a boy over the idea. 
 
 "See now!" he cried. "Thou shalt be starter, Mohabat 1 
 thou art too old to compete but the others be all under forty 
 now, Dilawari, 'tis your turn first jump !" 
 
 Down by the banks of the stream they stood, the bevy of 
 courtiers in their stiff brocades, Jahangir, towering above most 
 of them, while Dilawar Khan, after two futile runs, took the 
 leap. A roar of half-drunken laughter greeted his ignominious 
 fall in midstream. 
 
 " Swim ! Swim for thy life, man !" almost shrieked the 
 Emperor, beside himself with delight as the miserable man, wet 
 through, scrambled out of two feet of water. Another and 
 another followed, one escaping with a wet foot only, while one 
 cleared the jump easily, amid frantic plaudits, led by Jahangir, 
 who shouted, " Captain of 1,000 horse for that, Afzul !" 
 
 Last of all came the Emperor's turn. By this time a dozen 
 Dr so of more or less soaked sycophants were sitting on the oppo- 
 site bank, half sobered by their dip, shivering with the chill, 
 but ready still with flattery, as Jahangir, with a very creditable 
 effort considering his corporation, took a wild leap and precipi- 
 tated himself on all fours amongst them, amid cries of " The 
 Emperor wins ! Long live the Pillar of the Faith, the Agility 
 of the World!" 
 
 As they helped him to rise, he looked round on them distaste- 
 fully. 
 
 " Yea, I have jumped it," he said, " but now that I am nigh 
 forty years of age, I did not jump it with that activity I showed
 
 no 
 
 when I was thirty in the presence of my revered father. So, 
 gentlemen, to bed, for ye are wet !" 
 
 The royal litter crossed the stream at the word, the bearers 
 wading knee-deep through the shallow stream, and the atmo- 
 sphere of adulation and sycophancy and flattery seemed to come 
 with it, as the dripping courtiers crowded round obsequiously, 
 bowing, prostrating themselves, calling on High Heaven to bless 
 His Imperial Majesty, the Greatest Monarch on Earth (and, 
 incidentally, the best jumper !). So Majesty ambled off, pre- 
 ceded by linkmen, followed by a posse of troopers, and flanked 
 by those unfortunates whose duties were not yet over. 
 
 Thereinafter peace reigned in the garden and in the rest of 
 God's world. But far away down the valley on the road that 
 trends from south to north there was a jingle of bells, and a man 
 lithe of limb, guiltless of clothing, with a pike over his shoulder, 
 and a hoopoe's feather in his rag of a turban, was running for 
 all he was worth ; for he was a Government harkdru bringing 
 news. 
 
 From hand to hand it had come through long nights and days, 
 for as has been said it is a far cry from Burdwan to Kabul 
 city ; but when a royal messenger is waiting every six miles upon 
 the road, ready equipped to seize the packet and start off with it 
 at full speed, posts travel more quickly than one would deem 
 possible, without the aid of metalled roads or railways. 
 
 And the Moguls were ever particular as to their posts. By 
 field pathways, across hill and dale, through flood and tempest, 
 rain and snow-storm, they might have to go, but go they must 
 and that quickly. Moreover, night and day they must be 
 delivered. And so, ere Jahangir the Mighty retired to rest he 
 listened to a letter which had never paused a second since it was 
 written in far away Burdwan. And this is what it said, after 
 the usual salutations : 
 
 " On the 3rd Sufar, after the 3rd watch, Kutb-ud-din Khan, 
 foster-brother, obtained the Mercy of God in this wise. Hav- 
 ing orders from the Most High to bring All Kul,. commonly 
 called Sher Afkan, to Court, and if he showed any futile 
 seditious ideas to punish him, the said Kutb-ud-din Khan,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN in 
 
 immediately the order was received, went hastily to Burdwan. 
 Sher Afkan, becoming aware of his arrival, went to receive him 
 alone, with two grooms. 
 
 " The aforesaid Khan, knowing Sher Afkan's character, 
 immediately surrounded him. This proceeding raised doubts in 
 Sher Afkan's mind, to relieve which the aforesaid Khan gave 
 him a private interview, when the vicious fellow, drawing a con- 
 cealed poniard, stabbed him in several places. Amba Khan 
 Kashmiri, with loyalty and manliness, rushed to his defence, 
 but also received a severe wound. Whereupon the troopers fell 
 on Sher Afkan, cut him to pieces, and sent him to hell. It is 
 to be hoped that the place of this black-faced scoundrel will 
 always be there " 
 
 So far the Court reader had read without interruption, while 
 Jahangir, the little cup of aromatic opium he had been about to 
 take still in his hand, reclined heavily on the divan, listening. 
 The more potent effects of the wine he had swallowed had 
 passed, leaving him dull in intellect, alert in emotion. Now, 
 with a sudden gesture of abandonment, he tossed off his potion 
 and flung the cup away. It crashed and shivered on the wall. 
 
 " Enough !" he cried. " Enough for to-night !" Then he 
 leant forward, his dull eyes ablaze. " Write, slave, write and 
 return by swiftest runners. Jahangir commands that tLe rebel's 
 house be treated with all reverence. So now for dreams for by 
 God and His prophet I am tired yea, weary of many things !"
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 " Friend, play no Game but Love within the House 
 Of Life's illusion ! Let the fool carouse 
 Over the wine-cup ! Keep thou to the Arch 
 That shelters Sight upon the loved one's brows." 
 
 THE journey from Burchvan to Agra was necessarily slow, yet 
 its very slowness served to dull the tragedy which had preceded 
 it. Day after day Mihr-un-nissa's tearless eyes looked out upon 
 new scenes, day after day she knew that, even physically, she 
 was leaving those twenty years of happy life behind her. Every 
 rhythmed footstep of her d/woli-bearers along the dusty road 
 told her that she was being sent forward by Fate. Sent to 
 what ? She asked herself the question over and over again, and 
 the easiest answer seemed death. If the worst came to the worst 
 she could always kill herself ; but to her intense vitality it seemed 
 a miserable thing to do. It seemed a confession of failure. 
 Even the revenge of plunging a dagger into the real murderer's 
 heart seemed poor. It would be over in a moment, and her soul 
 craved long drawn-out punishment. So the days passed. With 
 an armed escort the dhoolis jangled on through the hot nights, 
 the bearers chanting their monotonous appeal to keep step, to 
 amble straight, to think nothing of the burden, to trust in God, 
 which by degrees seemed to sink into her mind and still her 
 nerves. During the scorching day they found shelter in some 
 friendly official's house; for, even without the direct instruc- 
 tions, those who were in charge treated her with every distinction. 
 To them the position was simple. The Emperor had heard of 
 her great beauty. He desired her, and she, being woman, would 
 jump at the connection. She might, of course, stand out for 
 honourable marriage, but the result was the same. With her 
 great charm, which every man in the troop felt through her 
 enshrouding veil, she would likely be favourite ; therefore power-
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 113 
 
 ful. So they treated her as if she were already their mistress, 
 and allowed her such freedom as was consistent with safety. 
 Sometimes in the bright moonlight nights that had succeeded the 
 dark ones, they would order the bearers to set down the dhooli 
 at her desire, and allow her to walk up and down under the 
 enshading trees for half an hour, while they smoked their pipes ; 
 for, after her outdoor life, she felt the need of action sadly. 
 
 One night, just outside the city of Cawnpore, where they 
 were to rest some days, and where she knew she would neces- 
 sarily be shut up within four walls, she asked for this privilege, 
 and it was granted. She had chosen her ground well, for an 
 avenue of glorious s his hum -trees stretched level down to the 
 river. But for the intensity of the white moon-shafts that 
 barred the road in lessening lights it would have been dark 
 beneath the over-reaching branches. To one whose past was so 
 bright, whose future loomed so black, there was something 
 exhilarating in passing at a step from shine to shadow, and then 
 back again from shadow to shine. She wandered on to her tether 
 of two hundred yards or so, and was about to turn in a longer 
 break of light than usual when a faint hissing sound in the 
 shadow beyond made her step forward curiously, fearlessly. 
 
 A snake, certainly ! Nay, two ! Two huge black cobras half 
 erect, swaying with expanded hoods; the light caught their 
 glistening eyes every now and again. And between them on 
 the ground, what was that? Her sight, becoming accustomed 
 to the shadows, made out the form of an old man lying face 
 downwards on the ground. From his position it was evident he 
 had fallen forwards. He had been carrying a bhanghy, for 
 the yoke lay beside him, the baskets at either end jarred open 
 by the fall. 
 
 It struck Mihr-un-nissa in a second that he must have been a 
 snake-charmer, and that the two cobras were likely his stock-in- 
 trade ; therefore harmless. It was as well, however, to be on the 
 safe side, so, seeing the gourd flute of his trade lying beside him, 
 she took it up and blew into it ; for the desire for adventure, for 
 action, was ever hers. 
 
 The hollow note echoed out true to tone, for she had not for- 
 gotten lore learnt in childish days from the old snake-charmer in
 
 n 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the Garden of Roses. At the sound the swaying hoods wavered, 
 sank, and like long black ropes the creatures slid quietly back 
 to their baskets. 
 
 Ere they reached them, some troopers, roused by the sound, 
 came running, and stood amazed. 
 
 " The Bibi hath the charm of the snake also," said one almost 
 fearfully as she coolly held the lids over the reptiles, pressed the 
 latter down as if she had been accustomed to the task all her 
 life, and then fastened the snicks. 
 
 She was on her knees by this time examining the fallen man. 
 " He bleeds still," she said, " and 'tis from a wound in the 
 back. There hath been treachery," she added with a sudden 
 inrush of sympathy, " but he still lives " 
 
 " Ay," said a trooper callously as they turned the wounded 
 man over. "He breathes still; but not for long, since there 
 are none to succour his wound here on the high road." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa stood up, autocratic. " There be travellers, 
 as he was. How far is't to the city? A mile, or two, or three? 
 Then I walk, he has my litter." 
 
 There was no gainsaying her ; indeed, admiration for a cour- 
 age rare nay, almost unknown to their experience of woman- 
 hood would, anyhow, have prevented opposition. 
 
 So through the moonlight, wrapped in her thick veil, Mihr- 
 un-nissa walked by the side of the litter that held Dilaram and 
 the child. Ere she had gone a dozen yards, however, she turned 
 back suddenly. 
 
 " The snakes !" she said. " God's creatures must not starve !" 
 
 " Nay, Bibi," remonstrated the Captain of the Guard hur- 
 riedly. " Wouldst let loose death upon the world?" 
 
 She gave a short laugh. "Ay, that would I," she said 
 bitterly; for she was of two moods. One, open resentment at 
 all men ; the other, pity for those who suffered. 
 
 Dilaram would have got out and walked herself, but her mis- 
 tress was firm; they would never reach Cawnpore at her rate; 
 she had better stay where she was and let those who could walk. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that, more light-hearted than she had yet 
 been, Mihr-un-nissa, invigorated by the welcome exercise, found 
 herself in the early dawn attending to the wound of the man she
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 115 
 
 had picked up on the road ; for she was learned, as her mother 
 was also, in the use of simples. He was still unconscious or 
 nearly so, for he swallowed the medicament she gave him in the 
 red crystal cup but this appeared to be due more to a blow on 
 the head, or his fall ; for the wound seemed to be that of a 
 knife, which had glanced off his ribs. So she left him in the 
 care of a door-keeper, and later on in the day sent Dilaram 
 to see how he fared. The latter found him greatly recovered, 
 propped up against the dark corner of the cell where he had 
 been left. Her first glance at him brought her disturbance. 
 Where had she seen that face before? She was puzzling her 
 brains when the old man, salaaming down to the ground, said 
 quietly : 
 
 " Hath the milk-white goat served its purpose, O ! nurse of 
 royalty?" 
 
 Then she sat down amid her flouncing skirts in breathless 
 recognition. 
 
 " Strangler !" she gasped. "What doest thou hither, after 
 all these years?" 
 
 "Thirty and five," he answered. " Lo ! I was not young 
 then. To-day I am old beyond most men's years; yet am I fit 
 for my work ay, more than most men, though the Bunglers 
 think not so." 
 
 "Dost dost strangle still?" asked Dilaram in a tremulous 
 whisper. 
 
 He nodded. " Ay, when I have the chance; but it comes not 
 often when one is full of years. Yet was I the Head. That 
 is why the Bunglers would have killed me; but they bungled, 
 as ever." 
 
 Dilaram snorted ; she was beginning to lose her dread of the 
 man. "Traa!" she said. "Bungling would neither have 
 been in three or thirteen had not my mistress rescued thee from 
 snakes and wounds, and dust and death, and God knows what ! 
 So there!" 
 
 He salaamed again to the very ground. "This slave knows 
 that," he replied. " He knows also that royalty still holds the 
 jogi's luck. He drank of it last night. It brought life to him; 
 so he owes life to the holder of it for ever, and ever."
 
 n6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 He droned the last words out as if sleepy, laid his head hack 
 against the wall, and closed his eyes. 
 
 Next morning he had disappeared, rather to Dilaram's relief. 
 
 " Bungler or Strangler, I like not the breed," she said as she 
 told the tale to her mistress. " Hadst the Bibi seen done what 
 I saw that night in the tent she would find a difficulty in swal- . 
 lowing even as this slave does." And she cleared her throat 
 ostentatiously. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa, looking listlessly out of window, said dryly : 
 " 'Tis pity he hath gone. He might have proved useful." She 
 was thinking of the future which she knew must be coming. 
 
 After that, the journey onwards was without incident, save 
 that more than once a trooper in the escort would say to his 
 neighbour : 
 
 " Hark! the black partridge cry once more! I like it not. 
 There be Stranglers* about!" And his neighbour would look 
 keenly through the tufts of tall tiger-grass and tighten his grip 
 on his sword. 
 
 Arriving in Agra, Mihr-un-nissa, her child, and Dilaram were, 
 as the former had expected, given over to the care of the Keeper 
 of the Royal Harem. Practically they were prisoners, though 
 they were allowed to see visitors. Ghiyass-ud-din was away 
 with the Imperial camp, but Bibi Azizan came in hot haste, full 
 of gushing if somewhat insincere sympathy. She found herself 
 repelled. Mihr-un-nissa could not forget her lack of it for her 
 husband. Almost fortunately, however, there was a common 
 grief which they could bewail together. For news had just 
 come from Kabul of a conspiracy against Jahangir's life in 
 which Mihr-un-nissa's brother Sharif was heavily implicated, 
 and for which quite justly he paid with his life. 
 
 "Lo!" wept Bibi Azizan, "I have told him full oft what 
 would be the end of his favouring Prince Khushrau. But he 
 hath had an ill spite at the Most High, ever since he was Prince 
 
 Salim, and " The good lady paused in her tears. The 
 
 reminiscence was, under the circumstances, scarcely tactful, for 
 her heart was high with hope. 
 
 * The Thugs or Stranglers use the call of the black partridge as their 
 warning cry.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 117 
 
 Her pause, however, was too late, for Mihr-un-nissa said 
 quietly : " Ay, he ever favoured me, did Sharif, even as a 
 lad. And Heaven only knows what 'twas that made him thus 
 rash now !" 
 
 She sat silent, her eyes travelling over the distant landscape 
 of curving river and wide plain which was visible from the bal- 
 cony of her turret room. It might well be so, she thought. Yea, 
 it might well be that her brother, hearing in Kabul, whither he 
 had gone as attendant on the disgraced Prince, of Ali Kul's 
 murder and her capture, had with his usual hot-blooded resent- 
 ment resolved to compass Jahangir's death in revenge. If this 
 were so, she could not blame him; and circumstances favoured 
 this explanation. The Emperor had left Kabul city, averring 
 that he had tasted all its pleasures, and was anxious to go on his 
 desired way, almost immediately after the news from Burdwan 
 must have reached him. He had, in fact, commenced the return 
 journey with unwonted haste. At the second march out, the 
 conspiracy to kill him during one of his daily hunting expeditions 
 had been discovered, condign punishment had been meted out to 
 three of the ringleaders, but without fuss, for fear of delay, 
 while Prince Khushrau had reverted to the chains from which 
 he had been released while Jahangir, in Kabul, had been imitat- 
 ing the clemency amongst other things of his great-grand- 
 father Baber. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa, wearily awaiting developments, felt that once 
 again her beauty might be responsible for death. She had not 
 seen Sharif, her brother, for years, he had ever been unreliable ; 
 but he was her brother, and the possibility that he had died in 
 defence, as it were, of her husband, made his death all the more 
 grievous ; though with her usual clear-sightedness she admitted 
 his punishment was just, inevitable. 
 
 Majesty could be maintained no other way. 
 Dilaram, returning from the bazaar with her purchases of 
 food for from the first Mihr-un-nissa had refused to eat the 
 Emperor's salt found her mistress in the balcony at her tam- 
 bour-frame. She had set to work at once on embroidery as a 
 means for making money, and being keenly alive to the necessity 
 for quick return, was hastily turning out cheap, easily sold caps
 
 n8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 in preference to more elaborate work which would take time in 
 preparation. That could come after, meantime it was food she 
 required, and must have. Even in such small things her mind 
 was curiously clear; even in commerce she would have made 
 her way. 
 
 She counted out a dozen of the caps and flung them across to 
 Dilaram. 
 
 " That for thy purchases," she said lightly " two annas each 
 
 beyond the cost of stuffs. The rest I keep to pay " 
 
 "For the mistress's shroud mayhap," retorted Dilaram 
 crossly. " Lo ! the Bibi grows thin, and 'tis not becoming." 
 
 " Thank God for that !" replied Mihr-un-nissa with sudden, 
 almost overpowering earnestness ; for that coming interview with 
 the Emperor which she foresaw was ever at the back of her mind. 
 Not that she was afraid. If the worst came to the worst it was 
 but death. And through that Great Adventure Ali Kul had 
 already passed. She would find his lost companionship there. 
 
 Meanwhile, all her care must be to secure safety and freedom 
 for his child. But here a difficulty arose. If little Gladness 
 went to her grandmother, which was feasible, since none wanted 
 to imprison the poor child, Dilaram must go with her; to none 
 other would Mihr-un-nissa trust her. This, however, would 
 leave the Bibi without anyone on whom she could rely, without 
 even a faithful messenger between her and the world, and to 
 this the old nurse would not agree. Yet it was difficult in Agra 
 to find a substitute. In Burdwan it would have been easy ; there, 
 all were devoted to Ali Kul and his house. 
 
 So matters stood when one day the harem door-keeper reported 
 an old woman, ancient servitor of Ghiyass-ud-din's house, who 
 desired to kiss the feet of her patron's child. 
 
 " 'Twill be old Amina, the cook-woman," said Dilaram, nod- 
 ding approval from the carrots she was scraping for a stew. " I 
 saw her, seeking this servant a while back, and she said she 
 could not virtuously die in peace till she had sought dismissal 
 from the Bibi whose first food she cooked." 
 
 "Bid her in," said Mihr-un-nissa, smiling. But it was not 
 old Amina; it was a stranger neither of them had seen before. 
 A quaint, wrinkled old woman, scanty of teeth and hair and
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 119 
 
 veil, but withal respectable to a degree, who prostrated herself 
 on the ground, then rose to stand with bent head and hands 
 joined after the most approved etiquette. 
 
 " What will'st thou, mother?" asked Mihr-un-nissa kindly. 
 
 " This slave seeks permission to pay back what she owes to 
 the noble people," came the answer in a high cracked voice. 
 " Being past work as maid-servant, she seeks service as market- 
 woman and messenger." 
 
 " But who and what art thou?" asked Mihr-un-nissa again. 
 
 The old woman gave one sharp look round ; the harem ser- 
 vants had retired, leaving them alone. Then she advanced 
 quickly, squatted down close to the tambour-frame in full light, 
 and said quietly, as a deft twist was given to her veil : 
 
 " If the Bibi will look carefully she may see." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's needle hand hung arrested over her work in 
 sheer astonishment. The face before her changed as if by 
 magic from woman's to man's, every feature seemed to alter, 
 the very dress seemed different. Dilaram, who was looking also, 
 gave a gasp and sat transfixed. 
 
 " The Strangler !" she muttered helplessly. " The Strangler I 
 God help us all !" 
 
 "Yea," assented the latter cheerfully. "That am I, by 
 caste and occupation. And we are men of many faces, for we 
 need the trick in our trade." He gave a little low laugh, drew 
 down the veil, and was woman again. " If the noble lady will 
 listen, I will tell her why I come. It is for service to the death 
 if need be. And the noble lady is in danger more than she 
 knows. After she gave me to drink out of the Cup of Luck 
 yea, though I was not in the body, I saw the gracious act I 
 found out the danger. There are those here who wanted her not, 
 who would she died on the road. So the cry of the black par- 
 tridge " he gave it suddenly loudly, with such deadly accuracy 
 of tone that both women started " was heard many times from 
 the watchers. For I am still Chief of the Tribe, for obedience, 
 though I grow too old for execution. And now there is danger 
 still"; his dark eyes fixed themselves on the beautiful face 
 before him. " Lo !" he continued with a faint smile, " beauty 
 is ever in danger from the world that is ugly, and many things
 
 120 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 are ugly in the world. So I come to sit in the outer room, and 
 
 watch, and buy the food and cook " 
 
 Dilaram, who, half hypnotized by the low chanting voice, had 
 mechanically resumed her work of scraping carrots, here inter- 
 posed, as she scraped harder than ever : 
 
 " Traa ! Cook, indeed. A likely story. Thy kind are like 
 the glutton eat all things with legs or wings save a paper kite 
 and a bedstead. Not so the noble people ! Besides, thou art 
 too old if ever thou hadst skill it hath gone with thy teeth and 
 hair in relics, mayhap, like the saints beard. Ah. . . !" 
 
 She finished with a little shriek. Something long and crimson 
 had shot out how, Heaven only knew ! from her hearer's 
 hands, and there were hers noosed tight round the wrists, clipped 
 together, helpless, while the carrot and the knife fell clattering 
 to the ground. 
 
 " The skill hath not gone altogether, sister," said the Strangler 
 affably. " Let the Bibi judge if I am too old to be of use." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's brows levelled themselves thoughtfully ; her 
 face grew hard, almost savage, and something in her seemed to 
 leap out gladly to the deadly instrument of death. 
 
 " Show me the Noose," she said imperatively. But in her 
 hand it showed merely a worn strip of silk stained by much use, 
 though as she slipped it, soft and compressible, through her 
 ringers, she felt, as Dilaram had averred, a tightness about her 
 own throat. 
 
 " Thou canst stay," she said suddenly, briefly. 
 So in the old woman's guise the old man was installed as 
 door-keeper, messenger, and general go-between. Dilaram came 
 at first every day to see to the cooking, but after a time acknow- 
 ledged that she was but a tyro in the art, while in marketing the 
 Strangler was far beyond her. 
 
 " Likely," she would say, darkling. " He steals the things." 
 But it was not so. It was only that, as one of a secret guild 
 extending everywhere, he had a thousand avenues for power 
 open to him. 
 
 Long before the Palace had heard anything, Phusli* for by 
 that name the old man had suggested, with a grin, he might be 
 * Lit., "entangled."
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 121 
 
 called would come back from the bazaar with news of this, that, 
 and the other; news that was always fairly correct. "The 
 Emperor is hurried; but he is delayed. There is time yet," he 
 would say, and it was true. 
 
 So the days went on. It had been nigh a two months' jour- 
 ney from Burdwan, and now five months passed, and Mihr-un- 
 nissa, still in her white widow's robe for she resolutely declined 
 the fine clothes and jewels offered her sat in her balcony 
 embroidering and thinking. She knew, or thought she knew, 
 what lay before her, and prepared for it solidly ; though how 
 revenge was to come, whether by the dagger she carried herself, 
 or the Noose which waited day and night in the ante-room, 
 depended upon chance. 
 
 And in the end she was completely taken by surprise. Phusli 
 had spoken of a halt at Delhi, and a hunt for game, yet as she 
 sat in her canopied balcony one evening watching the distant 
 lights of the city, she heard a step in the room behind her, and 
 a voice, assured yet cautious, said : " Has Shaikie permission to 
 interview his old playmate?" 
 
 The moment had come at last ! Drawing her white veil round 
 her closely, and at the same time unsheathing the dagger she 
 always carried hidden in her breast, she rose to her feet. 
 
 " Prisoners have no choice, my lord; that lies with those who 
 have power," she replied coldly, though his address had startled 
 her. 
 
 The next moment Jahangir stood before her. 
 
 The light of the cresset by which she had been working played 
 on the silver tissue of the robe about his feet ; the light of the 
 moon showed on his face, over massive but handsome. Fraught 
 with terrible possibilities as the hour was, she was yet conscious 
 that her first thought came thus : " He is taller and bigger." 
 
 Such trivialities will intrude themselves even upon tragedy. 
 
 Apparently he was startled by her appearance, for he stopped 
 abruptly some paces from her, and passed his hand over his fore- 
 head as if to brush away some unwelcome thought. Then he 
 spoke, one word : 
 
 " Mem !" It was the childish abbreviation of her name. 
 
 Startled again by something in his tone, she did not reply, and
 
 122 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 he stood silent, his face all broken up by passionate emotions. 
 Then she said bitterly : 
 
 " My lord might tell his slave what he desires " 
 
 The taunt seemed to unlock his lips, give him the clue to 
 action. 
 
 " When there has been but one woman in the world for a man 
 these twenty years," he said, stepping towards her arrogantly, 
 " and she stands before him, 'tis idle to ask what he desires." 
 
 "Stand back, my lord!" she cried, stretching out her left 
 hand in negation, the right gripping the dagger beneath her veil. 
 " Seest thou not the corpse of a murdered man between us? Go 
 not near it, lest it rise and kill thee." 
 
 He obeyed her gesture, but narrowed his eyes as if in 
 perplexity. 
 
 " Dost mean thy brother?" he asked quietly. " Sure, if ever 
 death was justly meted to a man, it was to him. Thou canst not 
 think otherwise." 
 
 Her scorn, her passion, flamed up, her voice vibrated harshly. 
 
 " Art thou a man, O Nur-ud-din Jahangir, thus to seek 
 escape from thine own deeds ? Thou knowest 'tis the dead 
 body of Ali Kul my husband, foully murdered by thine 
 order." 
 
 There was a second's silence, then the answer came quietly : 
 
 " I gave no order I " 
 
 " Thou liest ! Yea, to thy face, Salim, I say it 
 
 " Nay ! By God and his prophet I swear ! I bade them 
 bring him hither I " 
 
 The passion died from her voice, the scorn remained. " Thou 
 badest ! Yea ! Yea ! Thou didst bid him give up honour, 
 give up manhood, and he gave up life instead. Better that than 
 live as thou dost, drunken, debauched, dishonoured " 
 
 Jahangir stood, his chest heaving, his face terrible in its 
 sudden rage, his hands stretched out towards her, clasping and 
 unclasping themselves as if they would clutch at her throat. 
 
 " Peace, woman ! Peace !" he muttered in a hoarse whisper. 
 "Peace, or I kill thee!" 
 
 Like a flash her hand sped out with the dagger. 
 
 " Take it !" she cried superbly. " Yea, take it and kill the
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 123 
 
 wife as them didst kill the husband. Take it, or I do the deed 
 myself!" 
 
 With a cry he was on her, but only to snatch the dagger from 
 her grip and fling it from him. Then he stood back once more. 
 
 Ay, he was strong enough, this drunken murderer this 
 
 " Mihr-un-nissa, wilt not listen?" his voice, suddenly 
 appeased, came in almost agonized appeal. " Lo ! all these 
 years I have loved " 
 
 " Defile not love's name with thy lewd lips," she interrupted 
 roughly. " What dost know of love save what the wine-cup 
 teaches? Thou hast thy one woman in the world at thy mercy 
 here here in this palace-prison here amongst thy wretched 
 minions. If thou desirest Mihr-un-nissa, O Emperor of the 
 World, O Light of the Faith, O miserable man, why dost 
 hesitate? She stands before thee, woman and thou art strong 
 man!" 
 
 Beside herself with hot resentment and passionate anger that 
 she should be, as she knew herself to be, the weaker in body, she 
 flung her veil from her with a superb gesture, and stood revealed 
 in all her beauty, all her charm. 
 
 But her mind, her soul, herself, were far from him. They were 
 with the Noose of Death that waited, she knew, beyond the 
 closed door. 
 
 For one instant Jahangir stood as it were blinded by what he 
 saw. Then, his face set, he shrank back into the shadow and 
 was silent. When he spoke his voice had a break in it. 
 
 " That ends it all !" he said. " Thou dost not nay, thou 
 canst not understand. Yet shalt thou listen, woman, who knows 
 not what love is, yet dares to talk of its defilement. Yea ! 
 Yea ! I am drunken, I am debauched, mayhap I am dis- 
 honoured ! Let that be I care not. Thou hast said I lie. I 
 care not for that either. It doth not change me or thee. For 
 twenty long years, against my will I have remembered, I have 
 regretted, I have resented. Then, when power came, I spoke 
 the trickster fair " 
 
 "Thou didst ask him for his honour," broke in Mihr-un- 
 nissa coldly. 
 
 " I asked, as King, for what the King desired," replied
 
 i2 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Jahangir, his tone changing to one of arrogant power. " Have 
 I no right to that? Then, when he refused I sent for him " 
 
 " What need, my lord, to repeat the falsehood?" 
 
 A fierce sigh like that of an angry tiger came from the 
 shadows ; then the strong man turned his face to the cool marble 
 pillar for an instant and rested his hot forehead on its chill 
 hardness. So standing, he spoke more quietly : 
 
 "Thou canst not understand, Meru ! Thou hast no pity 
 love is far from thee ; would to God it were far from me ! All 
 these long years I have dreamt of thy companionship. I have 
 dreamt so often that we played together as we played as chil- 
 dren. And now oh, woman, woman ! Thou dost tell me thou 
 art at my mercy, when I would die a thousand deaths rather 
 than touch the hem of thy garment against thy will. Yea, that 
 ends it for ever. Thou dost not understand. Farewell !" 
 
 He turned to go, but she, remembering the Noose of Death at 
 the door, arrested him. "And afterwards?" she asked. 
 
 He glanced at her sharply. His emotion was passing, his 
 heart was hardening. " Thou remainest in safe keeping like 
 other high-born ladies," he replied. " And none not even the 
 Emperor Nur-ed-din Jahangir shall molest thee." 
 
 She was at the door now, opening it for him to pass through. 
 
 As he did so, he bowed slightly in acknowledgment. Some- 
 thing in the dark corner of the anteroom stirred softly like a 
 sleepy snake, then settled to rest again. The Noose of Death 
 was not required that night. 
 
 And Mihr-un-nissa watched the tall figure disappear in the 
 shadows of the arcade, then shut the door and returned stonily 
 to the balcony. Once there, however, her calm gave way. She 
 fell on her knees, rested her head on the balustrade of the bal- 
 cony, and with arms outstretched to the stars that twinkled on so 
 relentlessly overhead, gave way to a perfect passion of tears. 
 
 They were the first she had shed since her husband's death.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 " Seek not Life's story from the painted art 
 That decks the cloistered Walls, or secret Heart 
 Of Drunkenness from those of sober mind. 
 Cloister and Wine-shop lie not far apart." 
 
 "Lo !" said the Strangler mournfully as he sat by the marble 
 summer-house in the Garden of Roses where Mihr-un-nissa had 
 played as a child. "I be of little use nowadays. Save for 
 the hell-doomed thief who would have stolen the Khanzada's 
 jewels, my Noose lies idle except as a child's plaything." 
 
 And once again the curved crimson rope shot out in the game 
 that was being played, this time to twine round little Gladness's 
 legs and set her a-shouting with laughter. 
 
 She ran off down the garden path, up which her mother was 
 coming with a basket full of rose-leaves, calling out delightedly 
 as she ran, " Amma-jan, amma-jdn, Phusli caught me! Yea, 
 verily, Phusli caught me !" 
 
 Dilaram, once more packing candied rose-leaves into silvern 
 baskets, looked up and frowned reprovingly. " Thou mightest 
 have made the child fall. Why canst thou not miss always?" 
 
 The old man in woman's clothes shook his head deprecatingly. 
 " Art will out at times, sister," he replied submissively. " And 
 if I keep not my hand supple, what use to live ? Why not die 
 at once? Yet," he added, indicating his womanly garments dis- 
 tastefully, "no true man could die in these not religiously!" 
 
 Dilaram bent her brows at him contemptuously. "Traa!" 
 she said. " Better nor thou hast died in petticoats and gone to 
 God. But men are ever so. Lord ! how we apples swim ! A 
 farthing of bhang and a curl to the moustache ! And as for 
 true men dying religious, look you ! When the time for free- 
 dom comes at last, 'tis ever, ' Not to-day, as the saint said when 
 God really called him.'' Then her manner softened; she 
 looked at the spent figure before her more kindly. " 'Tis being 
 
 125
 
 126 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 woman one moment and man the next that wearies thee. A 
 body could not stand it long, though he be born without bones 
 like an acrobat and have learnt to throw back somersaults like a 
 beggar-boy. And there be no use in it, see you, since we are 
 safe in this garden. So why not let Phusli die?" 
 
 The old Strangler stared at her. " What meanest thou, 
 sister?" he asked. 
 
 "But this," she replied: "As snake-charmer on the cactus- 
 hedge thou wouldst be more free to come and go, so be of more 
 use, for 'tis news my lady desires nowadays news, always 
 news ! And old Bisrao is dead, they say, so thou couldst get 
 the place. The Bibi would speak for thee." 
 
 " But Phusli?" queried the Strangler dubiously. " How is 
 she to die?" 
 
 Dalaram grunted impatiently. " I care not, brother, so she 
 die not here, and I have not to sing psalms. Take her away 
 with thee, fool, and do the deed outside." 
 
 " The deed?" echoed the Strangler blankly. " Dost mean 
 with the Noose? Nay, sister 
 
 Dilaram gave a short laugh. " Out on thee, stupidity ! 
 Wouldst noose thyself ? Nay, ask for a space wherein to visit 
 a father's grave or a mother's great-uncle, and die on the road ! 
 'Tis quite simple. But the mistress must give her consent. 
 Mayhap she may see error in it, and she is wise beyond com- 
 pare. Were she but a man " 
 
 "Sister," interrupted her hearer solemnly, "think not such 
 things; wouldst have her as I, neither one nor t'other? God 
 forbid!" 
 
 Nevertheless, Dilaram was right. After nine and thirty 
 years of a normal woman's life Mihr-un-nissa was just begin- 
 ning to find out that she was not normal. Three years had 
 passed away since that first storm of tears she had shed in the 
 balcony of her prison after her interview with Jahangir, yet, as 
 she looked back on it, she felt as if it had been yesterday, so 
 fresh, so poignant were the emotions it had brought her. Instant 
 realization for one thing, that this man, debauched, drunken, 
 had something she had not ; something it was unlikely she would 
 ever have. Yes, she would pass through life as girl, wife,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 127 
 
 mother, doing her duty by that life, enjoying it, and yet she 
 would pass to the grave without tasting of life's greatest gift. 
 
 Why was it ? With all her beauty, all her wit, all her charm 
 the effect of which she saw on almost everyone's face why was 
 it that the womanly instinct to give herself wholly into a man's 
 keeping had never been hers? Perforce alone for long hours 
 while she worked, she argued the point with herself until she 
 saw that men never gave this love to a woman really ; they 
 reserved something always. Even Jahangir, whose love was 
 evidently an obsession, only proposed to give his emotions. 
 Perhaps that was what most women did also; only, since by 
 common repute they were made up of emotions, it might be that 
 in so doing they gave themselves. 
 
 So she analyzed herself and her world, coming finally to the 
 conclusion that, had she been in a man's position, she could have 
 loved as easily as they did. 
 
 Passing to considerations of the present, she saw with joy 
 that a bitterer revenge than even she had dreamt of was hers in 
 regard to the Emperor. A desire that had outlasted two and 
 twenty years, that still desired a woman of six and thirty, would 
 not be appeased by the object of that desire being free and 
 within reach. 
 
 That is to say, if he kept to his passionate declaration that 
 without her consent he could not claim her. This remained to be 
 seen, though in her heart of hearts she felt that he would. He 
 was not without force of character, misdirected though it was. 
 
 So when at the end of the first month she sent back, with a 
 curt refusal to take blood-money, the pension he assigned to her 
 as to all other inmates of the women's quarter, she waited 
 anxiously for a sign ; yet fearlessly, for the Noose of Death was 
 at her door. 
 
 Yet none came. And when Khanzada Racquiya Begum, now 
 a white-haired old woman nearly seventy, suggested to the Most 
 High that she and Mussumat Mihr-un-nissa might retire as 
 before to the Garden of Roses, and live there in the scented 
 seclusion that suited their tastes, she fully expected a refusal 
 of permission. Yet again no sign came ; to all intents and pur- 
 poses the Emperor appeared to have forgotten her. He even set
 
 128 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 about contracting a new marriage for himself. She smiled when 
 she heard the news, as a mother might smile over the efforts of a 
 child to gain its own way ; she was beginning to follow the 
 vagaries of this man's mind, though she still held him anathema. 
 But when New Year's Day came round, amongst the small offer- 
 ings that old friends, seeing a certain position assured to her, 
 began to send her, there was one small bunch of campernelle 
 jonquils for which she could find no donor. It was a north- 
 country habit, that simple ceremonious sending of good wishes 
 with a few stalks of the nodding, bright-eyed, sweet-scented 
 flowers. It might well be that the Emperor himself knew 
 nothing of their sending, save the general order that the courtesy 
 should be shown to all and sundry in the harem at Agra. 
 
 But why send twenty miles out to the Rose-Garden? 
 
 The first year she threw them aside, the second she bade 
 Dilaram place them with the other flowers, and this third 
 anniversary she was sitting with them in her hand, when Dilaram 
 came to ask permission for Phusli the message-woman to die, 
 and Phusla the snake-charmer to take up office at the cactus- 
 hedge. 
 
 She laid them down somewhat hurriedly on that fresh basket 
 of rose-leaves she had just gathered ; for the New Year in India 
 is really the P'east of Spring, and falls ever in late March or 
 early April. 
 
 When the suggestion was put to her, she accepted it at once 
 with a curiously capable, comprehensive keenness. " Ay," she 
 said. " 'Tis well thought of ! I shall gain thereby more 
 knowledge than most ; for thy gang, Strangler, is far reach- 
 ing. So go thy way I will assure thine acceptance and 
 remember, no news is too trivial to report. I seek to know all." 
 
 This was true. The narrow range of the normal woman's 
 life was fast widening. She was nine and thirty now, and 
 though untouched by time as yet, was nearing the great 
 climacteric of womanhood ; for in the East maturity comes early, 
 and by forty most women look and are old. She had few 
 illusions; she knew that time was against her in one way; but 
 she was conscious that fresh capabilities, fresh powers, were 
 rising in her.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 129 
 
 And she had exceptional opportunities for exercising them. 
 Years before, Jahangir had entrusted the upbringing of his 
 favourite son, Prince Khurram (afterwards to reign as Shah- 
 jahan), to Khanzada Racquiya Begum, his grandfather Akbar's 
 childless widow. The lad had now almost come to man's estate, 
 but, being devotedly attached to his step-grandmother, he came 
 constantly to visit her from Agra, where he was finishing his 
 education. And with him came tutors, guardians, professors, 
 grave men of learning and political insight, to whom the Khan- 
 zada (now past the restrictions of absolute seclusion) would give 
 audience, while Mihr-un-nissa, more decorously veiled, would 
 sit a little apart, yet join in the conversation. And Racquiya 
 was a shrewd politician of the old type, as so many of these 
 Mogul women were. 
 
 Then Mihr-un-nissa's own father, Ghiyass-ud-din, was a fre- 
 quent visitor. An able man, now one of the greatest powers in 
 the State, who found in his daughter a companionship denied 
 him in his sons. For Asof Khan, though high in the Em- 
 peror's esteem, did not satisfy either his father or his sister ; 
 there was ever too much of mere personal advantage in his 
 thoughts and actions. But she and her father discussed all 
 topics of State, and from him she learnt how the Emperor was 
 degenerating into a mere drunkard, and how advantage was 
 being taken of him on all sides. And she listened with set lip ; 
 this was revenge indeed. 
 
 " Lo !" said her father to her one day, " thou seemest to 
 have small pity yet has the man good qualities enough, would 
 he but use them as thou dost, child ! Truly thou hast keen 
 wits. They clash with mine at times, but it does but show the 
 temper of thy steel. Sure, there is naught comparable to the 
 tie between us, save that of poor Queen Content and her father. 
 God send her fate touch not thee ! ' ' 
 
 " 'Tis not likely," Mihr-un-nissa replied coldly; but in truth 
 the story of the only Empress India ever had, who was foully 
 murdered after three years of admirable rule, and whose only 
 fault, according to historians, was that she was woman, was 
 rather a favourite of hers. It was so unlike all other tales of 
 
 9
 
 i 3 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 womanhood ; so unlike the womanhood which frequented the 
 Garden of Roses. 
 
 First the Emperor's mother, Maryam Zamani, a dear good 
 soul, but a stupid, who constantly came to talk over her beloved 
 grandson and still more beloved son with Racquiya Begum. The 
 long years had healed the jealousy which had existed in youth- 
 ful days between these respective heads of the Hindu and 
 Mahomedan harems in Akbar's time, and the two old ladies were 
 ready and willing to mingle their tears over the transgressions 
 and excesses of one who had been their idol eyer since his 
 birth. For even they could not deny the fact that year by year, 
 day by day, the Emperor's behaviour became less and less im- 
 perial. So, when any fresh outburst of insensate anger, any 
 fresh outbreak of mere foolish debauchery, became public, poor 
 Maryam Zamani would hasten to find consolation from the 
 childless old poetess in the Rose-Garden. The two would sit 
 hand in hand while Racquiya, mayhap, would quote the verse 
 that heads this chapter, and say softly : 
 
 " He knows, sister ! He knows ! The lad hath a kind heart 
 at bottom, and things went wrong in the beginning." 
 
 And she would give a side glance at Mihr-un-nissa, for they 
 had few secrets between them. But the mother would go away 
 comforted for the time. 
 
 There was another constant visitor to the Garden Arjamand 
 Banu, Mihr-un-nissa's niece and Asof Khan's daughter, a charm- 
 ing girl of sixteen who, by a strange coincidence, had been 
 formally betrothed, with great carousing, to young Prince 
 Khurram just at the time of Ali Kul's death. That was three 
 years ago; both parties to the contract were of full age, yet 
 there had been no talk of marriage. Both these facts excited 
 Mihr-un-nissa's wonder. First as to the service Asof Khan had 
 rendered to make a royal bridegroom for his daughter an equiva- 
 lent reward, next as to the reason for this delay in the nuptials ; 
 a delay, unusual, unaccountable. 
 
 Unless, indeed, her aunt's refusal to fall in with the Em- 
 peror's plans had made the latter determined to have nothing 
 further to do with what must give her pleasure. Or perhaps, 
 again, it might be pure, unreasonable resentment that his young
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 131 
 
 son should have what he desired when he, his father, had been 
 denied it in his youth; for it was common knowledge that 
 Khurram and Arjamand were deeply in love with each other. 
 
 By dint of thought Mihr-un-nissa was beginning, without 
 pity, to follow the wayward workings of the Emperor's mind, 
 and the more she understood, the deeper became her conviction 
 that the best thing that could happen for himself and for his 
 Empire was an early death from drink, leaving the way clear for 
 the Prince to reign in his stead. To this end she encouraged the 
 young couple in their attachment as far as was possible with the 
 strict etiquette of seclusion; perhaps a little more, since her 
 outdoor life with Ali Kul had freed her from many conven- 
 tionalities. 
 
 Naturally enough, a close bond of union sprang up between 
 the young Prince and the woman, double his age, who was so 
 infinitely his superior in wit. She used to rally him on his 
 sober face, and say that his name, which means " joyful," was 
 the most inappropriate one she had ever heard, for in truth he 
 had the look of a disinherited knight as he roamed moodily about 
 the garden paths hoping for some indiscreet glimpse of 
 Arjamand. 
 
 " Show him thy little ringer with the ring he gave thee on't, 
 child," Mihr-un-nissa laughed when, one day, the girl had been 
 manoeuvring to give her young lover some sign of her presence. 
 
 'T would be more soothing, see you, than the sight of six- 
 swathed yards of Dacca muslin, which is all that is possible with 
 the Khanzada looking this way." 
 
 And the girl, blushing, had waved her hand with the betrothal 
 ring on its little finger from the balcony, and both she and her 
 young lover had felt grateful for the suggestion. 
 
 Meanwhile, outside the pleasant haven of the Rose-Garden, 
 matters were going ill with the Empire. 
 
 An expedition sent to quell disturbance in the Deccan failed 
 in its object. Another army had been despatched to the seat 
 of war, more money had been raised and sent; but the Amirs 
 were quarrelling with each other, and grim tales of starvation 
 amongst the troops, from lack of proper supplies, were begin- 
 ning to filter up country.
 
 i 3 2 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 One order after another was given, the Generals were changed, 
 this one promoted, that one degraded, while Jahangir, half 
 fuddled with wine and opium, signed the firmans right royally. 
 The rest of his time he spent in collecting rubies from far and 
 near. Every petty Amir, knowing his craze for them, included 
 one or more in his nuzzer, or offering of entry. 
 
 "Take it back; 'tis the colour of an onion," he said sar- 
 castically to some, and the presenter thereof would slink away 
 ashamed, knowing that a black mark stood against his name. 
 But often the Emperor tired even of rubies, and would go off 
 on hunting expeditions, away from his capital for four or five 
 months, slaying animals by the thousand. 
 
 But ever round his camp the cry of the black partridge would 
 be heard as the secret guild of Stranglers watched and waited, 
 silent and slippery as snakes ; and at nights the chattering laugh 
 of the hyasna would echo out, giving some signal to the stealthy 
 forms that slunk in the darkness. 
 
 For Phusla had kept his promise, and news was being 
 gathered ; trivial news, yet in a way important to the woman who 
 listened to them by the cactus-hedge. 
 
 "Yea, yea," mumbled the toothless old man; "Majesty, 
 having had a surfeit of rubies (there was one that weighed five 
 tanks six surks the giver thereof got commission of 500 horse 
 as reward ; look you, none get aught without rubies), decided 
 on hunting. He hath killed fourteen hundred head yea, he 
 shoots straight when he hath not too much wine in his eyes. Lo ! 
 the chase fills his head and he forgets all else. Ahrah ! But 
 he was an angered when the tiger cubs slipped past by reason of 
 the thickness of the scrub. Majesty is ever fond of young 
 things, and he had set his heart on these. So orders came to 
 search and find without fail. All that night the camp scarce 
 slept, and we also, being expert, searched, yet found not the 
 right ones; but having knowledge of another, we fetched one, 
 and his Highness Prince Khurram appeased Majesty with it 
 next morning. So anger died down somewhat. But that same 
 evening Mohabat Khan, counsellor, sent foot in hand to us for 
 another, ere the king would cease cursing; for see you, he had 
 been in his cups for days. And even so wrath remained
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 133 
 
 Phusla the snake-charmer paused as he sat retailing his yarna 
 to Mihr-un-nissa in the shadow of the cactus-hedge, while 
 unwinking eyes stared at them through the prickly leaves. 
 
 "Ay?" she queried sharply. "And even so wrath 
 remained what then?" 
 
 The old man coughed deprecatingly. " Even so, being but 
 man, and that man largely absent through drink, wrath remained. 
 It was a big blue bull, Bibi; Majesty had crawled within just 
 range. Mehtu, one of the Tribe, Bibi, being passed shikari, 
 had got him up to it when by mischance an owl of a groom 
 and two misbegotten bearers, thinking they had been called, 
 
 appeared; and pouf ! the blue bull was away. So " he 
 
 paused again. 
 
 " So," re-echoed Mihr-un-nissa impatiently, " what hap- 
 pened? If all ill deed be done, to tell of one is not hard !" 
 
 The snake-charmer rocked himself to and fro as he did when 
 blowing at his gourd flute, and he spoke in a hollow sing-song 
 tone to match. 
 
 " Nay, 'tis easy," he replied. " Yet the tongue trembles lest 
 it tell not the exact truth. That is known to God only. But 
 the Emperor being away, as Emperor, and what remained of 
 the rest of him being fuddled with wine, ordered that the groom 
 be killed upon the spot and that the bearers be hamstrung and 
 so be paraded on ass-back through the camp, that none ever again 
 should have the boldness to do such an evil thing as deprive 
 Majesty of pleasure." 
 
 " And was it done?" asked his hearer sharply. 
 
 " Ay, that was it. 'Twas Majesty's order, though Majesty 
 was not there, being half drunk. Mehtu saw the groom's widow 
 wailing. She hath three young children." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa rose swiftly, her right hand clenched. 
 
 ' ' May God curse the murderer ! ' ' she said with terrible 
 intensity, and turned to go; but the Strangler arrested her. 
 
 " Nay, Most Excellent, there is more," he called. "That 
 was Mehtu's news he is of the outdoor tribe; but Lai, who is 
 of the indoor, hath other. He spreads the carpets in the royal 
 tents, Huzoor, and he bade me give the mistress this, which he 
 hath found where the blest bed of Majesty had honoured the
 
 134 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 lean earth !" He fumbled in his breast and produced a torn 
 bit of crumpled paper, which he gave into Mihr-un-nissa's 
 half reluctant hand. " Lo ! the Most High had been marvellous 
 drunk, seeing that he shows it but little as a rule. They could 
 not guide his sainted footsteps, so they lifted his divine body to 
 his honoured couch, where he lay.' But afterwards, waking, he 
 sat up crying, so they say " 
 
 "A drunken cry, set to the drunken laugh," commented 
 Mihr-un-nissa coldly. 
 
 " Mayhap !" assented the old man. " Yet was the man 
 drunk, so not there. Then, as he recovered himself, he called 
 for pen and paper and spoilt much. So when dawn came, and 
 Lai had to spread the carpet elsewhere, there was much litter. 
 But that he found ; so sent it, deeming it might be worth 
 perusal." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa glanced at what she held. Badly written, 
 blotted, half torn. Her first impulse was to throw it away 
 unlocked at. Then she crushed it in her hand, waited till she 
 was alone, smoothed it out, and read : 
 
 " Oh, turn thine eyes from me, Beloved one ; 
 Let me burn rue to cloud what I have done, 
 And drive the devils from my aching heart. 
 Lo ! I am mad to meet thee mad to part ! 
 Yea, take thine eyes away, lest they should see 
 My foolishness. Frenzied and mad for thee 
 The World is ; and thou movest frenzied too 
 With Anger at me. God ! what shall I do 
 To ease the arrow that has pierced my soul ! 
 Thine absence brings despair, and yet the goal 
 Of union would be worse. Jahangir, know 
 The time for tears and prayers is morn ! Then go 
 Down on thy knees and pray God send some light, 
 Even a spark, to cheer thy darksome night."* 
 
 She sat looking at it for some time; then, with a faint sob, 
 folded it up and hid it away. 
 
 * From Jahangir's " Memoirs," written 1610
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 " Oh, if thou beest True Lover, wash not hand 
 From that dear Stain of Love ! From worldly brand 
 Of Self and Pleasure wash it. In the End 
 Ye Twain before God's Judgment seat will stand." 
 
 JAHANGIR, in the balcony of his palace at Agra, lay somnolent 
 among cushions of gold tissue. Beyond the marble fretwork of 
 the low balustrade the sun shone buoyantly on fresh green leaves 
 and blossom buds. 
 
 Beyond that again the level wheat-fields and shimmering cane- 
 brakes stretched away to the opalescent line of pale blue which 
 marked where the distant ridge of Sikri lay ; and over all the 
 crisp cool air of a North Indian early spring morning swept on 
 the wings of a light breeze, which kissed the cheek softly, 
 caressingly. An invitation to be up and out, to leave even the 
 trappings of royalty behind, seemed to filter through to the Em- 
 peror's drowsy mind ; but he had not the initiative to accept it. 
 He lay inert, vaguely content, vaguely discontented. Just out- 
 side, in a curve from the battlements of the Shah-burj to a stone 
 post fixed on the bank of the river, hung the heavy chain of pure 
 gold, weighing over three hundred pounds, all set with sixty 
 golden bells, which it had been Jahangir's first act after his 
 accession to place there, and which he had named the " Chain 
 of Justice, so that if those engaged in administration should 
 delay or practice hypocrisy in the matter of those seeking justice, 
 the oppressed might come to the chain and shake 'it so that its 
 noise might attract my attention." 
 
 Excellent in conception; at first, possibly, in execution. But 
 k seldom rang now, or, if it did, the monarch was in no fit 
 state to hear it. 
 
 At the moment his mind was far from the affairs of State, 
 and he frowned when he was reminded of them by a servant,
 
 136 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 t who, with his forehead in the dust, chanted in modulated voice 
 the information that the Khan Khanum in other words the Lord 
 of Lords, the Commander-in-Chief awaited the Emperor's 
 pleasure. 
 
 The frown settled deeper, became almost a scowl ; for Abdur 
 Rahman the Khan Khanum was in disgrace. The army in the 
 Deccan had fallen into even greater confusion. Men and horses 
 were dying by the hundred ; finally a sort of peace had been 
 patched up with the rebels, and the troops had been withdrawn 
 to Burhanpur. But even this move had not relieved the tension. 
 The Amirs of the Army were quarrelling bitterly ; orders and 
 counter orders came in quick succession ; finally the Second in 
 Command repiesented that " all the division of counsel had arisen 
 from the treachery and want of arrangement in the Khan 
 Khanum, and that the only possible way of success was to recall 
 him, and give the absolute control to the writer, who, on con- 
 sideration of a further force of 30,000 horse being immediately 
 supplied, would engage in two years' time to settle the affair 
 under pain of dismissal from the good graces of the Most High." 
 When this letter had arrived, Jahangir, in hot indignation, 
 had summoned the offender to court. Now that he had arrived, 
 sheer indolence counselled delay. 
 
 " I receive him not; bid him kick his heels elsewhere;" came 
 the verdict. Then satisfaction at having made up his mind 
 gave an impetus to Jahangir 's will. " Bid the astrologers," he 
 added, " find a propitious hour for a hunting expedition. I go 
 to-morrow. Bid the Head of the Tent Department see to it. 
 And to-night, as farewell, bid the Stewards of the Household 
 prepare a Feast of Intoxication. The guests have choice as to 
 what drink they affect, so let them see to it that all kinds are 
 ready. Dost hear?" 
 
 The servant slid out backwards, and Jahangir lay back among 
 his cushions. He was not drunk, nor near it; simply mind, 
 soul, body were poisoned with narcotics and stimulants. 
 
 That night after dark the Feast of Intoxication was held in 
 the Mirror-Room of the Palace. It was not large, this room, 
 and its wall space was reft away by the twelve arched door- 
 ways, three on each side, which led to outer slips of rooms where
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 137 
 
 the servants in their gold liveries hurried up and down, bringing 
 aromatic comfits and strange exhilarating drinks to all who asked 
 for them; but the roof was inlaid in bold arabesques, with 
 floriated gold tendrils bearing leaves and flowers of looking- 
 glass, each reflecting in its own small world the scene that lay 
 beneath it. So there were thousands on thousands of befogged 
 Emperors looking down on the real one, who lay in the centre 
 of the room, his figure half hidden by the soft contours of the 
 pillows on which he rested. 
 
 It was a handsome face that showed faintly, sullenly amused 
 at the antics that were going on. A handsome face with large, 
 well-opened eyes, a fine forehead, and a heavy moustache hiding 
 the full curves of a mouth that was curiously at variance with 
 the weak lines of the lower part of the face. The balance of 
 power was, indeed, absolutely in favour of the upper part, there 
 being very little, either for good or evil, between the long nose 
 and the chin. 
 
 As to the brain that lay behind the forehead, who can say 
 what it might have been ? Adolescence had brought such an 
 excess of alcohol to it he himself confesses to twenty cups, or 
 about six quarts, of double distilled spirit in a day that it had 
 never had a chance of showing its true metal. It had been 
 sodden from the commencement. Yet the same sullenness that 
 he had shown as a boy testified to discontent. Discontent with 
 what ? 
 
 Not with his surroundings, surely. Never in this world has 
 man been placed more favourably both for power and pleasure. 
 Succeeding to an Empire wisely regulated by a wise father, he 
 had the wisdom to continue government on that father's lines. 
 His own additions to the State code were humane and statesman- 
 like. He was surrounded by many sycophants, it is true, but 
 he had men beside him by the score, who, given a hearing, would 
 have brought him sound advice. Despite all this there was a 
 warp somewhere; despite all these advantages he had not the 
 resolution necessary to choose between good and evil, and so on 
 this day, some six years after his accession, he lay, his massive 
 form half hidden by silken softnesses, watching the buffoon of 
 the company mimicking a Sufi religious dance to a tune a very
 
 138 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 undevotional one sung by a choir of Delhi singers who had 
 been amusing the company with their doubtful repertory. 
 
 It was really rather funny ! In a large white sheet and a 
 high cap made of paper twirled to a peak like a dunce's, 
 Sayyidi-Shah spun and twisted and pirouetted while he im- 
 provised a topical verse about everyone present ; and every time 
 the refrain came round he cocked his cap a different way, first 
 over one ear, then over the other, over one eye, at the back of 
 his head, finally putting it over his nose and continuing to spin 
 gravely, amid the roars of his audience. And this was the 
 refrain : 
 
 " A dervish's cap is oft awry ; 
 
 Sometimes it pointeth to the sky, 
 
 Sometimes to earth ; but let me tell : 
 
 It pointeth oftenest to Hell. 
 
 'Tis all awry ! 
 
 Ah, fie !" 
 
 Absolutely banal as it was, there seemed to be something in 
 the cadence that was catching, for more than one drinker of 
 "exhilarating drinks" got up, whirled and span for a minute 
 in imitation of the improvisation, then subsided unsteadily, 
 amid the immoderate laughter of his companions. 
 
 " 'Tis going round that makes my legs giddy," explained one 
 solemnly, after, by a narrow ace, he avoided sitting down on the 
 top of royalty. 
 
 Jahangir was the first to weary of the silly game. He held 
 up his finger despotically, and it ceased as if by magic. 
 
 " Why canst not be original, fool?" he growled to the singer. 
 " Why parody a decent verse?" And he quoted the couplet 
 of Amir Kusrao', concerning the Saint Nizam-ud-din Auliya 
 whose cap was awry. " Yet for my part I have not gripped 
 the hidden meaning of the yerse, though there is one doubtless," 
 he added ; then as if a thought struck him, he gazed round his 
 intimates almost contemptuously, and said : " Mayhap one of 
 you gentlemen have a reading. If so, out with it dost hear ! 
 Out with it !" 
 
 The words were not a request, not a permission, but a com- 
 mand, and the most sober of the lot rose with a bow.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 139 
 
 "An it please royalty, the hidden meaning of the verse is 
 is " he looked round helplessly " is that it hath none." 
 
 There was another roar of laughter; but Jahangir frowned. 
 
 An older man, and a fatter, stood up to appease the storm 
 that threatened. " 'Tis this way, Majesty. He beginneth by 
 saying each man has his own faith, his own religion, his own 
 
 shrine. Then he passeth on to the next hemistich " He 
 
 paused as if the word was a difficulty, and like a cork out of a 
 bottle the most noted toper of them all shot up with a hiccup : 
 
 "And I s'hay he has none! I shay that the hemi-hemi- 
 hemi-stich referreth to women's garments, an' not to poetry. I 
 shay that the world is in a cocked hat " 
 
 As the words were uttered the speaker suddenly threw out his 
 arms and fell, amid yet another roar of laughter. 
 
 " Pick the drunkard up," began Jahangir; then something in 
 the lax inertness of the prostrate figure struck him, and he was 
 at its head before the others had recovered from their surprise. 
 He turned the face upwards, stood for a second petrified, then 
 raised himself, every trace of blood gone from his face, his 
 hands trembling visibly. 
 
 " He is dead," he muttered hoarsely. " God hath called 
 him ! He is dead !" 
 
 Others, crowding about the prostrate man, sobered by the 
 incident, swore it was but a fit ; he would come round ere long. 
 Physicians were called, but Jahangir was right. Even as the 
 mocker fell with the ribald words upon his lips, the spirit had 
 passed. 
 
 " He hath delivered his soul to the hands of his Creator !" 
 said the Emperor, and his eyes showed fear. He had never 
 seen death in this guise, and the sharpness of the contrast 
 unhinged even his apathy. 
 
 " My nightly cup, slaves," he called suddenly. " And you, 
 gentlemen, get you gone, and pray Heaven morning find you 
 not dead like this one." And tossing off his nightly potion of 
 an elixir containing six grains of opium, he retired to the 
 women's apartments. 
 
 A sorry life indeed ; but this incident had for the time sick- 
 ened him of debauchery, and he turned with unusual interest to
 
 140 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 thoughts of his hunting expedition. He would get away from'- 
 temptation and from the cares of State for three months. He 
 would go to his favourite reserve, where antelope and partridge 
 abounded, he would leave behind him the companionship of 
 fools. Ay, even that of the wise men who bored him with 
 advice he never took it was so wily, so considerate. But out 
 in the open he was taken at his face value. If he stumbled in 
 his stalk, the quarry fled before he had a shot at it. If he 
 missed a bird, he missed it. Out in the green wheat-fields or 
 the sandy desert dunes he felt freer. The very thought of them 
 made him more a king, and he spent the day in safeguarding 
 the city during his absence by appointing a suitable custodian 
 and in issuing orders that, to avoid the unnecessary destruction 
 of crops inevitable from the passage of a large camp at that 
 season of the year, the equipage should be limited to things 
 absolutely necessary, and that none but his own personal ser- 
 vants should accompany him. Doubtless his desire to get away 
 from the Court atmosphere shared, with kindliness, the honour 
 of the thought; still when all is said and done, the kindliness 
 remains. 
 
 The astrologers, somewhat hurried in their horoscopes, pro- 
 fessed themselves unable to find a lucky moment for departure 
 until late in the evening, so daylight had almost departed ere 
 Jahangir rode through the city to the Dahrah garden, where he 
 was to spend the night. This being so, he made it a sort of 
 farewell procession. Heralds with bags of small coins preceded 
 him, scattering the money broadcast among the expectant crowds. 
 The royal banner floated, the royal kettle-drums clashed, and 
 over the head of the tall, massive, indolent figure the royal 
 umbrella swayed and waved. 
 
 A fine figure of a man truly, with all the pomp and circum- 
 stance of Eastern etiquette between it and the realization of what 
 it was in essence a drugged, discontented voluptuary. 
 
 He was a different being, however, when the next morning he 
 shed his royalty, and, attired in a plain hunting suit, left 
 civilization behind him for his small camp on the wilds. Ere 
 evening came he had forgotten he was Emperor in a patient 
 stalk of a blue bull which, when brought to the scales, weighed
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 141 
 
 more than any other he had ever shot ; an immense consolation 
 to the man whose Imperial troops were at starvation point in the 
 Deccan. Yet again he did a kindly thing. He had the flesh 
 roasted and given to the poor and needy. 
 
 Meanwhile, what of the city, the Empire he had left behind 
 him? When times are troublous the immediate presence of 
 absolute authority, undivided, unassailable, is a potent factor. 
 This being removed, small wonder was it that, during the next 
 three months, while the Emperor was killing fifteen hundred 
 head of game, matters should come to a crisis. 
 
 Even Mihr-un-nissa, away on the peaceful Sea of Roses, heard 
 of one cabal after another from Phusla the snake-charmer. With 
 the thousand eyes, the thousand ears of his tribe, he was the best 
 of newsmongers, and of late he had been more assiduous than 
 ever, and as he retailed his budget, his soft eyes would fix them- 
 selves on the beautiful face with curious intentness. 
 
 " The Empire is slipping from the Emperor's grip," he said 
 one day, " and that is not well. If my grip on the Noose 
 slackens, that is the end." 
 
 She heard much also from Prince Khurram, who, now past 
 eighteen, was that unusual thing in the East, a son devoted to 
 his father's interests. He came often to consult with his grand- 
 mother, the Khanzada, and each time he came he was more 
 rueful. 
 
 " If my father had but some wise head beside him 'twould 
 be well," he said. " None has a softer heart than he, as I 
 know full well, but he has ill friends about him, and he will 
 not listen to the advice of the wise ones. Mirza Ghiyass-ud-din, 
 for instance, would be a tower of strength; but the Emperor 
 will scarce see him these last four years." 
 
 And he looked to where Mihr-un-nissa sat, unveiled to him as 
 betrothed to her niece. Extraordinarily beautiful still, but the 
 adorable dimple did not show. She sat grave. 
 
 " It's the pity of the world," assented Rcacquiya Begum. 
 ' ' These last four years have changed Jahangir much ; and yet I 
 pray for him each day, though what to pray for I scarce know." 
 And she also looked at Mihr-un-nissa. The latter rose vexedly 
 and left them. She knew what was in their thoughts; knew that
 
 142 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the reason why Ghiyass-ud-din's advice was spurned was that 
 he was her father ; knew that the long unusual delay in the mar- 
 riage of the royal lovers Khurrarn and Arjamand was due to 
 the fact that the bride was her niece. As she walked away she 
 heard the young Prince's voice : " Even if he had such a coun- 
 sellor as thou art to me, O Most Wise " 
 
 "Or as Arjamand will be, O my son !" broke in the'old spent 
 voice sympathetically. 
 
 "Ay, when it comes! But I weary, grandmother. I waste 
 my youth in longing." 
 
 It was all true. Yet what could she do? They could not 
 ask her to forgive the man who had wrecked her life. But had 
 he wrecked it ? She made her way to the cupola'ed bastion which 
 had been her favourite station as a child, and seating herself 
 there, looked out over the Sea of Roses and asked herself the 
 question. Had her life been wrecked ? No, a thousand times 
 no ! That past was gone, but, with her clear sight, she could 
 not but see that her life was fuller, more complete. She was 
 independent as she had never been before. Her embroideries, 
 her paintings, her confectionaries were known far and near in 
 the women's world. " 'Tis Mihr-un-nissa's making," was a 
 cachet that admitted no criticism. And she was happy ; un- 
 doubtedly she was happy, even though as she leaned over the 
 parapet she seemed to see Ali Kul's kindly scarred face as she 
 had first seen it. 
 
 The thought brought her no tears ; only a fiercer spirit of 
 revenge against the man who had cut her husband off in his 
 prime. Yet how different that revenge of hers, so sweet, so 
 complete, had been from the crude killing she had conceived at 
 first ? Four years of gradual degeneration ; four years of dis- 
 content ; that was something like revenge ! 
 
 She gloated over it, setting far from her the thought that this 
 degeneracy involved the ruin of an Empire. Yet, as ever in the 
 midst of her exultation, her husband's kindly words came back 
 to her : " Be not too lavish of blame ! 'Tis never fair to judge 
 us poor men folk by what we seem to do. 'Tis what we really 
 do that merits punishment, and what that is God only knows." 
 True enough ! But even if Jahangir had not lied when he said
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 143 
 
 he had not ordered the murder, even if he had only meant to 
 take her, if not legally, at least peaceably, it made no difference. 
 He was still blood-guilty ; he should have known, he must have 
 known, his tools would have no scruples. 
 
 The sound of a step on the foot-wide stair that clung to the 
 wall made her peer over, to see Phusla the snake-charmer, 
 Phusla the Strangler. 
 
 ' ' I have news, Bibi, ' ' he said in explanation, ' ' and seeing 
 the Most Gracious from my station by the cactus-hedge, came to 
 impart it in private." 
 
 She bade him come up and sit, which he did, squatting as far 
 from her as the narrow limits of the bastion would permit.- 
 
 " 'Tis had from the Deccan," he continued. " The Royal 
 troops have been routed. They were but half-hearted, see you, 
 since sedition grows apace. Prince Parviz hath the army with 
 him, and God knows if he be loyal or not. He is older by two 
 years than Prince Khurram, and, now that Prince Khushrau 
 hath no chance of succession, might well put in his claim ; being 
 as he is full Mussulman, while Khurram is half Hindu." 
 
 "Peace, slave!" interrupted Mihr-un-nissa imperiously. 
 " Thine office is to bring news, not to comment upon it. Hast 
 any definite knowledge of conspiracy?" 
 
 In an instant her ready mind had seized on the idea that if 
 her favourite Prince Khurram were to have his succession dis- 
 puted, it might be well that a crisis should not come quite so 
 quickly. 
 
 " Nothing, Most Gracious," replied the snake-charmer sub- 
 missively. " 'Tis talk ; but talk turns to trouble in a night." 
 
 " Xo other news?" she asked, her mind with what she had 
 heard. 
 
 "Only that His Majesty the Emperor hath to date killed 
 twelve black buck, forty-four gazelle, five bears, 108 blue bulls, 
 beside 1,126 partridges." 
 
 She roused herself angrily. " Peace, fool ! What care I 
 for the Emperor's slaughter-house?" 
 
 The old man gave a grim chuckle. " The Most Gracious 
 was not brought up to love the Noose of Death as I." As he 
 spoke he slipped off the soft strip of crimson silk he wore ever
 
 H4 M/STRESS OF MEN 
 
 as a girdle and passed it through his ringers caressingly. " Lo ! 
 it hath given freedom to many, and the hand that holds it hath 
 dealt death to many ; yet the Bibi shrinks not from this slave. 
 That is because he hath not dealt it to one she loves. That is 
 all the difference. The act is the same." There was a curious 
 expression on the wizened face, half mocking, half sympathetic. 
 
 "It is ever so with women-kind," he went on "ay, and 
 \vith most men also. 'Tis how it touches them that makes right 
 and wrong." 
 
 She looked at him, dissenting. 
 
 " Murder is ever wrong, slave," she began. 
 
 "Ever?" he queried, interrupting her almost cavalierly. 
 " Say not so. Lo ! I will give case, and the Most High shall 
 judge." He settled himself comfortably ere he commenced in 
 the sing-song of the story-teller: "There was a Bungler once 
 who killed a brave man by stabbing him through a tent wall 
 with a long dagger that reached the heart." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa started. "What dost mean, slave?" she 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " Naught, Most Gracious," answered the old man, whose face 
 was imperturbable in its calm. " 'Tis an old trick of the 
 assassin. Lo ! for myself I hold the Noose" he paused 
 " but of that, nothing ! And there was another man who 
 ordered a Strangler to kill the Bungler for his deed. Wouldst 
 say that his crime equalled the Bungler's crime, or that the 
 Bungler's crime equalled the crime of those who gave him the 
 order to stab through the tent wall?" 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's breath came quick and fast. " Cease prating 
 of thy Bungler and Strangler, old man," she cried fiercely. 
 " Whose was the order?" 
 
 The old snake-charmer gave a mirthless chuckle. " Which 
 order, Huzoor? Lo ! they were both to kill, and some think 
 'twas the same mind that fathered both thoughts. Yet I know 
 naught but this. The order to kill the killer came to me, the 
 Head of the Tribe, and I obeyed. A life is such a little thing, 
 Most Gracious. It is so easy to take. If the Huzoor gives 
 orders they will be obeyed." 
 
 His soft eyes looked up into hers with gentle deference.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 145 
 
 "Strangler!" she cried suddenly, " thou art an awesome 
 man go, get thee to thy snakes !" 
 
 After he had gone she sat till dark fell, thinking ever A /hat 
 he had said. If it was true, if, as he had hinted, ths Emperor 
 had meted out death to the death-dealer, what then? Was the 
 crime the same? Yes! A thousand times th:; same. The 
 
 Emperor was guilty ; and yet She gave a rierce sigh, and, 
 
 leaning on her elbows, looked out over the dar!;iing Sea of Rcses. 
 Her woman's life was almost over ; that she knew was inevitable ; 
 but surging up within her came a consciousness that something 
 better, something more germane to her real self, might be pos- 
 sible in the future. So far, she had never yet met her match, 
 not for brains perhaps, though hers were good enough, but for 
 general capability, for keen vitality. In those old days she had 
 been able to outweary Ali Kul, strong man though he was. Her 
 nerves were iron, her slender muscles as steel. What was there 
 then between her and a man's life save sex ; and sex was going. 
 And suddenly all the past seemed to slip from her 1'ke the 
 chrysalis from the dragon-fly, and for a moment she felt new 
 wings, shimmering, iridescent wings. 
 
 So with a little sob she rose up and went down the foot-wid<- 
 stairs to the garden. It might be a perilous path, she thought, 
 that path she saw opening before her, as, carefully in the dark, 
 she found her footing; yet in a way it would be a greater 
 revenge on Fate ay, even on the man who had done her such 
 a deadly injury than the more obvious one. To save an Empire 
 was better than to ruin one. 
 
 She found the Khanzada and Maryam Zamani, who had come 
 over with Prince Khurram, waiting, in a marble-domed room set 
 with floriated tendrils of gold and looking-glass like the one at 
 the Palace in Agra, for the evening rea ling of poetry ; for Mihr- 
 un-nissa was a practised elocutionist. J'y the light of the cresset 
 lamps, their fine old womanly faces sh wed worn and anxious. 
 
 She took up the volume of Sa'adi thai was lying by the read- 
 ing-desk and began, the Persian rhythms falling softly from 
 
 her lips : 
 
 " There lingered still some little of the Night 
 When one of faery face put out the Light ; 
 Like a spent soul, its smoke arose and sighed.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Look down ! Ah ! Now, indeed, Love endeth Right ; 
 This is the Road ! Ah, take it ! Learn of me ; 
 Dying, thou gainest Love's best ecstasy. 
 Art thou afraid ? Ah, then I say to thee, 
 Launch not thy boat upon Love's boundless Sea ; 
 But if thou venture then hoist sail, quit anchor, 
 To storm and wave trust thyself hardily !" 
 
 Her voice jL::nd echo in the vaulted roof, where myriads on 
 myriads of tiny mirrors reflected the scene that lay below. 
 Myriads on myriac . of women listening to those words : 
 
 " Dying, thou gainest Love's best ecstasy !" 
 
 listening with all their ears, and understanding nothing ! 
 
 The sound died away into a murmuring as of many bees. 
 Then there was silence until Jahangir's mother spoke. 
 
 " If thou couldst forgive him, daughter? He might listen to 
 thee. He hath never forgotten " 
 
 " Wash not hand 
 
 From that dear Stain of Love ! From worldly brand 
 Of Self and Pleasure wash it," 
 
 q \oted Racquiya Begum with a break in her voice. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa stood for an instant looking at them, superb 
 in her extraordinary beauty, almost terrible in her set deter- 
 mination. 
 
 " He killed Ali Kul," she said, and left them.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 " With Woman's veil and turban Man-ways tied 
 A Vision came most fair to me. I cried, 
 ' Lo ! art thou Man or Woman thus arrayed ?' 
 ' Nay, I am neither. I am Love, it sighed." 
 
 ARJAMAND BAKU sat in the marble summer-house of the Garden 
 of Roses, teaching Gladness, now a bright-faced girl of nine, 
 how to weave a bridal chaplet of jasmine stars and rosebuds. 
 
 " Thou must give it to thy dolly and prepare a wedding-feast 
 for her," said the elder girl lightly. She was a very pretty girl, 
 very sweet-looking, but she lacked the animation which at her 
 age just eighteen should have been hers. 
 
 " Nay, cousin," replied the little maid solemnly. " Dolly is 
 married already." 
 
 " Then wear it thyself," smiled Arjamand, flinging the 
 finished flower garland over .the child's head. 
 
 " Nay ! cousin," protested the small maiden, still more 
 solemnly. "I am too young yet for weddings. Amma-jdn 
 says so. She says I must wait years and years before the dates 
 are sent. It is a pity; but thou must wear it thyself." 
 
 And with that she tried to transfer the chaplet, Arjamand 
 resisting with almost unnecessary vehemence. " Nay, nay !" 
 persisted the latter. " If thou art too young, I am too old. 
 'Tis true, dearest, I grow far too old." 
 
 And then suddenly, causelessly, it seemed to the child, she 
 burst out crying, and sat covering her face with her hands to 
 hide her tears. 
 
 " What is't, dearest?" asked Mihr-un-nissa, coming at the 
 sound of sobs from the inner arcade, where she had been at 
 work, and laying a sympathetic hand on the girl's head. " Hath 
 Gladness hurt thee ? She is over rough, I fear. Thou shouldst 
 be more gentle, child " 
 
 Gladness pouted. " Nay, amma, I did nothing to her. I 
 
 14?
 
 148 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 but tried to put the wedding garland round her neck, and she 
 said she was too old. And on that she began to blub. If she 
 be too old to marry she can be a canoness. 'Tis a lovely life, 
 with none to worry you. Ah, fie, Cousin Arjamand ! That is 
 not courageous ! ' ' 
 
 And with that the little maid stalked away, indignant. 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa, with a pang at her heart, sat down beside the 
 girl, and drawing the hand that bore the gold betrothal ring 
 away from the tear-stained face, stroked it consolingly. " Doth 
 it hurt so much as that, child?" she asked pitifully, yet in a 
 measure uncomprehendingly. 
 
 "Ay," sobbed the girl, and then suddenly she burst out 
 almost angrily. " Oh, if thou wouldst but be kind, we might 
 be happy ! Nanni says so, and father says so and and he, 
 I am sure, thinks so." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa released the hand, rested her elbow on her 
 knee; so, with chin upon her palm, looked steadily away from 
 the girlish figure, all trembling with its trouble. 
 
 "And what says grandfather?" she asked suddenly. 
 
 Arjamand, drying her tears furtively with her veil, answered 
 in doleful accents : " Grandfather says thou art the best 
 judge " 
 
 " For which Heaven be praised !" put in Mihr-un-nissa 
 devoutly. " But see you, dearest," she went on kindly, " though 
 'tis doubtless true that the Emperor took umbrage at me in years 
 gone by, what warranty have I he cares for' forgiveness? 
 Wouldst have me offer myself to a man?" 
 
 Arjamand sat up now, looking at her aunt with sombre eyes. 
 " Wherefore not?" she replied, " since there lives not one on 
 God's earth but would be proud to take you. Dost know, aunt, 
 that thou hast never reckoned with thy surpassing beauty ? Lo ! 
 when I saw thee last night fresh from the bath, with all that 
 glorious hair of thine enshadowing thee from head to foot, I 
 thought nay, I knew no man would ever forget thee for 
 ever and ever and aye thou wouldst be his vision of beauty." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's face grew stern. "And if I despise him?" 
 she began." 
 
 " Thou canst not despise the King," interrupted Arjamand
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 149 
 
 with a tinge of horror in her voice. " He is God's Viceregent 
 upon earth." And she joined her little palms together and 
 bowed her head between them in respectful homage. 
 
 This argument was new to Mihr-un-nissa, and she admitted its 
 validity to a certain extent as she went back to work. Un- 
 doubtedly Jahangir was the Lord's Anointed, but that was no 
 reason why she should forgive his trespasses against her, why 
 she should forgo her revenge. And if no man could forget her 
 beauty, there was the less virtue in Jahangir's faithfulness if 
 indeed he was faithful. 
 
 As the days went on the little coterie in the Rose-Garden 
 became increasingly sad, for increasingly bad news came from 
 the Deccan, where one trouble after another followed in quick 
 succession. Even the advent of the New Year scarcely sufficed 
 to raise their spirits. Yet it was an auspicious time. Majesty 
 was returning, as ever, to celebrate it with pomp at Agra, and 
 everyone must be in attendance. Mihr-un-nissa begged to be 
 excused, but the old Khanzada was firm. 
 
 " Thou needst not join in the rejoicings," she said, " but 
 thou art of the Court, even if thou refuses! the pension the Most 
 High awards thee, and which he, of his bounty, bestows upon 
 the poor." 
 
 For once in her life Mihr-un-nissa gave a feminine reply. 
 " More likely the overseer takes it as perquisite," she suggested 
 bitterly. 
 
 Khanzada Racquiya Begum looked at her mildly. " Yet 
 were Majesty's orders otherwise. So it counts for virtue to him." 
 
 Her hearer bit her lip to keep down the retort that Majesty's 
 orders were responsible not only for good, but for evil. What 
 was the use, however, of argument? The plea urged by old 
 Dilaram that the Emperor was the Emperor, and the rest of the 
 world his subjects, was much more to the point. So one morn- 
 ing the whole party started in dhoolis. They were to rest at a 
 half-way sarai for the hot hours of the day and reach Agra that 
 evening. The ceremonial entry had been fixed by astrologers 
 for the next morning, March 21. 
 
 Late March is probably the time of all others in which 
 Northern India is at its best; and this year of grace 1611 the
 
 150 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 winter rains had been good, while further showers in February 
 had conduced to a bumper crop. Once the little party passed 
 the seas of roses, leaving even the scent behind them, they came 
 out into a wide, open, fertile plain, a sea of corn fast ripening 
 to harvest ; the fields guiltless of fences, and relying for demar- 
 cation only on little cones of unbaked mud hidden by the stand 
 ing crops stretching away to the horizon in rich promise for the 
 future. But as they neared the half-way house the aspect of 
 affairs changed. Here much of the tall wheat was beaten to the 
 ground ; the green crops had been cut for fodder, and great tracks 
 as of the passing of men or animals showed everywhere. The 
 headmen of the half-way village were in readiness to receive the 
 cortege, as in duty bound, with offerings of sugar-candy, raisins 
 and nuts. They were white and black bearded men, profuse of 
 sad smiles, and with almost preposterous deference for the 
 Court ladies. The old Khanzada interviewed them in right royal 
 fashion, calling them her children, and making the usual per- 
 functory inquiries as to the prosperity of the village. To all of 
 which a chorus of assenting voices proclaimed that under the 
 rule of that Pillar of the Faith, that Light of the World, Nur- 
 ud-din Jahangir, all villages, all men, were prosperous. Yet 
 Mihr-un-nissa, sitting silent behind her veil, watched their eyes 
 wander to their ruined crops even as they spoke. In a flash she 
 made up her mind. Passing rapidly out through a side door into 
 the cloistered sarai, she came upon Dilaram contentedly smoking 
 her pipe. To seize the ample veil of the good woman, cast it 
 round herself, bid the startled owner retire out of sight without 
 an instant's delay, and sit down in her stead, did not take long. 
 She knew perfectly well what the old lady had been awaiting, 
 and as the headmen trooped out from their interview, she was 
 ready with outstretched palm for the douceur to which, as atten- 
 dant of the Beneficent Ladies, she had a right. 
 
 The eldest of the men, a veritable pantaloon with a white 
 beard, who was evidently the purse-bearer, advanced towards her 
 and held out a coin. 
 
 " Traa !" she said, imitating Dilaram's rough tongue as 
 nearly as she could. "That be too small." 
 
 The old man muttered something about poverty, which she
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 151 
 
 interrupted with a laugh. " Lo ! then I take naught, ' ' she 
 said; then lowered her voice. " I am not as the others" she 
 tossed her head backwards to indicate those within " who grab 
 at all things. I am daughter of the fields ! Sit down, father, 
 and tell me, how comes it that the village is poor?" 
 
 The old man pocketed the offered money in haste; he could 
 say he had given it, and, as such expenses cam3 out of the 
 general fund, be, by that, the richer. 
 
 "Dost ask why?" he answered, "and thou a daughter of 
 the fields ? If thou hadst eyes thou wouldst see. Our crops are 
 ruined. The Emperor's camp passed hither yesterday; it is 
 as a horde of locusts." 
 
 " But thou hast compensation," she said quickly. " Ay, and 
 in full. 'Tis the command of the Emperor !" 
 
 The old man smiled the peasant's mirthless smile. " Of a 
 truth, daughter, thou knowest little ! Yea, yea ! The Em- 
 peror gives the order, but the overseers heed it not. Yea, yea, 
 the money is paid, but not to us. So goes it ever when the eye 
 of the Most Mighty is turned away from his servants. Lo ! 
 when he turns it on, there is gladness, yea, even in the littlest 
 things. See you, but yesterday the Most Exalted may he live 
 for ever came on a child crying because they had taken his pet 
 lamb for pillau, they said, to the Most Mighty, but I mis- 
 doubt me it was for some underling. And he waxed wroth, and 
 had the man who took it beaten with staves, and gave ten rupees 
 to the child he is my grandson, daughter as consolation." 
 
 " Then thou art not so poor !" commented Mihr-un-nissa 
 dryly. " So thou canst give me back the coin thou hast put in 
 thy pocket." 
 
 But pantaloon-/'*' had risen at her first hint, and was ambling 
 off. Mihr-un-nissa, having assured herself of what she needed 
 to know, had dismissed him cunningly. 
 
 All that afternoon, as she was jogging along to Agra, her 
 thoughts were busy. A vague indignation, not against but for 
 the Emperor, made itself felt. Was there no person about him 
 capable of seeing that orders which sprang from innate kindness 
 of heart were carried out? A man like her father, wise beyond 
 most but he, alas ! was useless
 
 152 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 So she circled round and round the old question restlessly. 
 
 It had been arranged that she should spend the first night 
 with her mother, in order to leave Gladness in her charge before 
 she went on to the palace ceremonials. She felt glad of this 
 now, since it would give her an opportunity of speaking to her 
 father, and every moment of time she was feeling more and more 
 the need of someone on whose judgment she could rely. 
 
 Yet when she found herself face to face with the grave, grey- 
 bearded man whose every thought came with almost mathematical 
 precision, and who would no more make allowance for frail 
 humanity than he would make an allowance for a fault in 
 arithmetic, she found herself tongue-tied to -all but everyday 
 questionings as to the real state of the Empire. Here Ghiyass- 
 ud-din had not a very optimistic tale to tell. 
 
 " In the Deccan," he said, " things be as bad as well can be. 
 Orders have doubtless been given, but in the plentitude of 
 executants naught is carried out. The Emperor hath sent more 
 than enough money, and troops sufficient. But he hath not the 
 leaders in his grip " 
 
 "Hast heard if Prince Parviz be disloyal to his father?" 
 asked Mihr-un-nissa curtly. 
 
 " To his father, I misdoubt me. With all his faults Jahangir 
 hath the knack of dutiful sons " 
 
 " Except Prince Khushrau !" put in Mihr-un-nissa. 
 
 " Even Khushrau hath no enmity to him now; but were the 
 Emperor to die, those three, Parviz, Khushrau, and Khurram, 
 would be at each other's throats." 
 
 " And which would win?" 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Khurram hath advantage, being his father's nominee. 
 Parviz has that of orthodoxy. 'Tis a powerful lever, since even 
 now folk are not yet reconciled to believers and unbelievers 
 being as one. And Khushrau hath pity to his share, and 
 primogeniture. Yea, he hath a bigger following than most 
 think, witness the strange affair at Patna but the other day, when 
 a mere impostor, saying he was Prince Khushrau escaped from 
 custody, rallied enough adherents to take the fort. So there 
 would be disturbances and oppressions and strife. But God
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 153 
 
 send the Emperor be wiser in the future than he hath been in the 
 past ! Sure, no man can stand such potations for long." 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa felt she had heard all this before, and what she 
 needed was to know exactly, not what the courtiers thought, but 
 what the people, who crowded the bazaars and who to-morrow 
 would pack in dense multitudes to see the show, were suffering. 
 There was but one way to find this out, and it was simple. She 
 must continue what she had begun that afternoon, and go her- 
 self, as the Caliph Haroun-ul-Raschid had done, to see with her 
 own eyes, hear with her own ears. 
 
 Already the city was all agog with preparations for the 
 morrow ; now, then, was the time ! 
 
 There are many high-class Mahomedan houses where the 
 screened women, on occasion, adopt the habit of men, and so 
 pass, in the gloaming or at night-time, where they would not 
 venture in women's garments. The style of dress makes this 
 easy. A big turban hides long hair, the loose shawl covers 
 feminine contours. So not without objections from Dilaram, 
 who, however, was appeased by being allowed to accompany her 
 mistress the two slipped out on their adventure so soon as dark- 
 ness made this possible. Dilaram's face was of a type suffi- 
 ciently common to pass muster. With a wisp of unbleached 
 cotton-wool to do duty as a beard, just showing under the throat- 
 encircling folds of a heavy brown blanketing, she looked the 
 peasant in for a holiday. Mihr-un-nissa, dressed similarly, 
 obscured her beauty with a dirty bandage under her chin and 
 slanting across one eye, as if she had a toothache. Both were 
 quite unrecognizable, and mixing with the crowd that was surg 
 ing through the streets, were soon lost in it. 
 
 The whole city was en fete for the morrow's ceremonials. 
 Everywhere Court officials were busy hectoring unpaid workmen 
 over the putting up of rich brocades, the laying down of carpets, 
 the setting of the thousand and one tiny oil lamps which on the 
 following night were to illumine the Palace. It was perilous 
 work in some places, and Mihr-un-nissa watched with a sickening 
 heart one old man, urged by threats from below, climb the top- 
 most pinnacle of the Fort Mosque. She seemed to know what 
 would happen, and when it did, when the sudden slip came, the
 
 154 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 quick scream, and then the dull thud, she struggled as one pos- 
 sessed not to be dragged towards the spot by the inrush of the 
 crowd of which she formed part. 
 
 When the pressure was over, when the back-draw of satiated 
 curiosity began, she found she had been separated from her com- 
 panion. So much the better, she thought, for her blood was 
 up. She meant to see everything, hear everything she could, 
 and Dilaram hampered her. 
 
 That night was an education in itself. Up and down she 
 wandered, sitting at times beside a sweetmeat-seller, munching a 
 farthing's worth of batdsa, listening with all her ears. Then 
 out on to the levels by the river, where a fair was being held, 
 drifting along with thousands of others through the lanes, all 
 edged with little lights, behind which sat sellers of every kind of 
 toy and trifle glass bangles, little brass gods, rosaries, charms, 
 betel-boxes, lacquer-work all things and everything. But folk 
 were too much interested by these trivialities to talk much save 
 for rough jests and laughter, while the sound of many voices and 
 the banging of cymbals and tom-toms drowned all confidential 
 whisperings. So she drifted away again to the city, where the 
 more staid of all sorts and kinds sat in little knots on the outside 
 edge of the shifting, merry-making crowd, and discussed village 
 politics and town gossip. 
 
 And everywhere she overheard the same tale of orders neg- 
 lected, or kindness of heart frustrated by disloyalty. Some of 
 the stories made her clench her hands and long for revenge 
 not punishment, but revenge pure and simple; for she was true 
 woman in this she admitted no compromise. 
 
 Once and once only she came nigh detection, and that was in a 
 narrow street where flower-decked balconies and an all-pervading 
 scent of musk told the profession of the painted women who 
 sat at the receipt of custom. It was here, if anywhere, Mihr-un- 
 nissa knew, she might come upon things worth hearing, and she 
 had been hanging about for some time in the stream of idlers 
 when she apparently attracted the notice of a somewhat fat, 
 somewhat elderly female, whose artificial allurements covered 
 the loss of natural charm. 
 
 " Thou art too pretty a fellow to pass pleasure by," came her
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 155 
 
 voice, raucous with long years of the singing of indecent songs. 
 " Come hither, my charmer, and I will comfort thee. " And she 
 laid a clutching hand on Mihr-un-nissa's shoulder and leered 
 at her. 
 
 " If thou hast no money she will give thee credit," jeered a 
 half -drunken habitue". " Come, show thyself a man !" 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa gave one look round, realized that her only 
 safety from those evil-looking, sensuous men lay in immediate 
 flight, wrenched her shoulder from the painted grip, and fled, 
 pursued by deafening laughter and coarse jokes. 
 
 She had heard much that night to leave sharp mark upon her 
 very soul, but this was almost too much. Sick with absolute 
 loathing of womanhood and manhood so debased, she would see 
 no more of life, and made her way home, to find Dilaram half 
 distraught with fear. 
 
 "Of what?" asked Mihr-un-nissa contemptuously. "Of 
 myself, likely ! Leave me, I say ; I would rest awhile ere I go 
 to the Palace." 
 
 When she was alone, she threw off in disgust her man's dis- 
 guise, discarded all garments that told of womanhood, flinging 
 both into a corner in a disordered heap, and, wrapping herself 
 in the coarse outside shawl that belongs to both sexes, sat down 
 by the window. 
 
 "So!" she muttered. "There goes humanity! Now for 
 thought !" 
 
 What was she to decide ? What was she to do ? 
 
 The rising sun found her still thinking. Then thought 
 became impossible while the glorious pageant of the light went 
 on. She sat still, almost unconscious of her world, while the 
 light grew on her beautiful face; but when the miracle of sun- 
 rise was past, when the gold had changed to turquoise, when the 
 rosy clouds had paled to fleecy snow, she realized that her mind 
 must have been working all the time, for her way seemed clear 
 before her. 
 
 Revenge she wanted, and revenge she must have; but it must 
 be of a different kind from that in the past. For the last four 
 years she had lived, rejoicing in the gradual decadence of the 
 man who had done her so grave an injury. Now, if it were still
 
 156 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 possible, she would make that man the slave of her will. He 
 should, as it were, live through her; her vitality should over- 
 bear his apathy and indolence. She would at last be Queen not 
 only of Women but of Men ! 
 
 And this would bring with it other advantages. Conscious as 
 she was of a growing power in herself, a power undreamt of in 
 her youth, this would give her a free field. At first, doubtless, 
 she would have to rely on her womanhood for influence; she 
 would not be able to escape from her own bodily beauty ; but 
 she could sit apart in her soul as she sat now, and let it slip by 
 unnoticed. 
 
 A half savage delight at the prospect swept through her. 
 Doubtless, the wrongs of a people misgoverned, and the intoler- 
 able disloyalty of those in authority, were factors in her decision ; 
 but they were almost forgotten in the thought that here before 
 her was possibly a revenge undreamt of, a revenge such as no 
 woman had ever had before. 
 
 But it might not be possible. What should she do towards 
 making it so ? She must see the Emperor, of course ; that was 
 certain. Sick as she was of the unerring effect of her rare 
 beauty on all men, she admitted she had no better weapon. In 
 the meantime she would send Jahangir a New Year's bunch of 
 campanelle jonquils. So much she was in a measure bound to 
 do. So much she could do without forfeiture of self-respect. 
 
 As dawn passed to day, she resumed her white widow's robe, 
 and was carried to the women's apartments in the Palace, where 
 she was lodged in her old quarters. Dilaram and Phusla accom- 
 panied her. The latter had only been prevented from resuming 
 the role of Phusli by Dilaram's stern refusal to assist at a resur- 
 rection before the Day of Judgment. 
 
 " Traa !" she snorted. " God knows His own work. Phusli 
 hath been in His keeping these three years, and were He to see 
 her walking about His earth once more, He would ask why. 
 Nay, nay ! Stick to thy sex which thou hast lost, old man ! 
 See, I will make thee a scarlet coat, and thou shalt wear a sword 
 and a badge like the best o' them." 
 
 " So I may keep the Noose, sister, I ask no more," replied the 
 old Strangler submissively.
 
 AflSTRESS OF MEN 157 
 
 So when Mihr-un-nissa repaired to the palace he took up guard 
 in the ante-room as before, while his mistress belaboured her 
 brain as to what message she was to send with the jonquils. 
 Something that was quite ceremonious and yet no ! there must 
 be nothing of appeal about it ; her pride forbade that. Finally, 
 after tearing up many attempts, it stood thus in her fine elegant 
 caligraphy : 
 
 " Humble greetings to the Most High, the Pillar of Faith, 
 the Representation of the Most Merciful, Nur-ud-din Mahomed 
 Jahangir, Emperor of all the Indies, Encircler of the World, 
 from his slave and servant, Mihr-un-nissa." 
 
 Then she added as an afterthought, " Daughter of I'timad- 
 daulet Ghiyass-ud-din, widow of Khan AH Kul of Burdwan." 
 That, at any rate, told the truth; that, at any rate, showed 
 that if she meant to forgive, she had not forgotten. 
 
 After she had sent it tied to the regulation bunch of jonquils, 
 she sat in her balcony listlessly waiting for the time when with 
 the other ladies of the harem she would go behind the screen in 
 the new building which had been devised for such rejoicings and 
 watch the ceremonious weighing of Majesty against gold and 
 silver and precious stones. Last time he was weighed he had 
 tilted the scale at fifteen stone. It was expensive for Majesty to 
 weigh so much, but good for the poor, who benefited by the dis- 
 tribution that followed. Yet he might well be lighter this time, 
 after close on four months of a hunter's life. 
 
 So the trivial thoughts ran, till the blood flew to her face, then 
 left it colourless at old Phusla's sudden interruption : 
 " The Emperor craves admittance." 
 
 So soon ! He could hardly, as yet, have received She 
 
 curbed her rising thoughts, stood up, threw back her veil, and 
 gave permission in a low voice. 
 
 Undoubtedly he was thinner, as he stood where he had stood 
 four years ago; not in golden tissue and jewels as before, but 
 in the simple morning garb of a Mahomedan gentleman. 
 
 " Nur-ud-din Mahomed Jahangir, Emperor of all the Indies, 
 Encircler of all the Worlds, hath come," he said, and his voice 
 betrayed no emotion, " to tender thanks in person to Mihr-un- 
 nissa, daughter of I'timad-daulat Ghiyass-ud-din Khan, and
 
 158 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 widow of Khan Ali Kul of Burdwan, murdered but not oy the 
 Emperor's orders." 
 
 She could not speak. His words woke all the past; she 
 could only wring her hands together and say in a muffled voice : 
 " Leave that to God. He knows !" 
 
 Jahangir took a step forward. " Yea, He knows !" he cried 
 vehemently. " And He knows how all these years all these 
 long, long years I have waited." His voice failed him sud- 
 denly ; he held out his hands appealingly. 
 
 " Meru ! Meru !" he whispered, his whole face breaking up 
 with the intensity of his desire. " Wilt not forgive?" 
 
 " Yea," she answered firmly, holding out her hand. " I will 
 forgive ; but even the Emperor must not ask me to forget ! ' ' 
 
 Two months afterwards they were married ; married so 
 quietly that no mention is made in Jahangir's autobiography of 
 the most momentous act of his reign.
 
 BOOK III 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 " A ruby cup filled up with ruby wine 
 Of Love's best vintage is this Heart of mine ; 
 Drink of it as thou wouldst, dear one, nor fear, 
 When it is empty, that thou wilt repine." 
 
 " MIHR-UN-NISSA art thou to me alone, my Queen of Women," 
 said Jahangir fondly. " To the world thou art from this day 
 Nurmahal, the Light of Palaces." 
 
 " As my lord pleasr ," replied the woman who, dressed with 
 a splendour befittinp her rank as Empress of the Emperor's 
 whole life, occupier 1 a seat on the royal divan. It was a ques- 
 tion whether she '-.as more beautiful in this guise than she had 
 been in her widow's shroud, but of the beauty, the charm, there 
 could be no question at all. The fame of it remains to this 
 day ; she is the Eastern Helen. 
 
 " Art not satisfied, my life?" came the quick query, and she 
 had to smile and lay her hand on his to appease his solicitude. 
 They had been married close on a year, and no woman with a 
 heart could have experienced such child-like devotion, such abso- 
 lute trust, without a growing affection for the donor. Wayward 
 as he was, spoilt child of fortune, semi-savage in his treatment 
 of many, to her he was ever the diffident lover. What he had 
 said years before, when he upbraided her for her lack of under- 
 standing, was true. Whatever he was to other women, his pas- 
 sionate love for her was reverence itself. That touch of her 
 hand on his was needed to give him courage to lay his lips to it. 
 
 " Yea, I am satisfied in most ways," she replied. She would 
 have been exigeant had she not been so, for those twelve months 
 had wrought many changes. Within a month of her marriage 
 her father had been honoured and promoted, within three he had 
 
 159
 
 160 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 been appointed Grand Vizier of the Empire on account of his 
 previous services and his great sincerity and ability. The result 
 of this had been immediately seen in a complete readjustment of 
 the Government. The campaign in the Deccan had been started 
 afresh, the outlying Amirs had been called to order, and the 
 rules which Jahangir had promulgated on his accession had been 
 once more put in force. These rules are curiously far-seeing 
 and just. Number one forbids the levying of any but Imperial 
 cesses, thus putting a stop to extortion by petty chiefs and land- 
 holders. Number two provided for the creation of State- 
 managed and safe rest-houses on all roads infested by thieves. 
 Number three forbade the opening of bales of merchandise on 
 the public roads without the leave of their owners. This again 
 was a side stroke at imposition by high-placed officials. Another 
 provided for the rights of property in all, unbelievers or Mussul- 
 mans. Only if no heirs were to be found the State might employ 
 property in charitable and religious works. 
 
 Yet another was absolute prohibition of the making or sale of 
 any intoxicating liquor or drugs. Officialdom was further 
 restricted by the order that in Crown lands no one was to inter- 
 fere with the peasants' right of cultivation. 
 
 Finally, the punishment by cutting off nose or ears was 
 abolished, and the founding of hospitals in great cities, with 
 efficient physicians for the healing of the sick, ordained ; the 
 expenditure, " whatever it might be," to be defrayed by the 
 State. 
 
 Not bad rules, as additions to those made by his father Akbar. 
 
 Last, but not least, the young royal lovers had been made 
 happy, to Nurmahal's great and unceasing delight. It seemed 
 as if the intensity and closeness of the bond between these two 
 gave the woman who in both her marriages had missed the per- 
 fection of the tie a vicarious satisfaction. This was accentuated 
 by the fact that she whole-heartedly accepted Prince Khurram 
 as the future Emperor. It was for him, as for his father, that 
 she laboured to set things right. Naturally, the personal feel- 
 ing of power had stepped in to make such labours easy, but the 
 record of this first year of her ascendancy shows that she used all 
 her influence for good. Two very womanly ordinances stand
 
 M 1 STRESS OF MEN 161 
 
 out from the mass of rules promulgated or reinforced, as proof 
 that she did her best to keep Jahangir in the right religious path. 
 One is that all the antelope skins and there were thousands of 
 them that the Emperor shot should be cured and given as 
 prayer-mats to the various mosques a quaint imaginative way 
 of identifying him with the devotions of his subjects. The other 
 is the abolition of the sijdah, or uttermost prostration before 
 royalty, so far as judges were concerned, since they should be 
 considered the pivot of the Divine Law that is above Kings 
 another imaginative and purely feminine idea. 
 
 So the woman who had given up the revenge of destruction for 
 the revenge of reconstruction had every reason to be proud ; and 
 yet her eyes, as they sought the Emperor's, were dissatisfied. 
 
 "Most ways?" he echoed reproachfully. "Why not all 
 ways?" 
 
 She was quite fearless with this man; she answered him fair 
 and straight. 
 
 " Because my lord hath not kept to his promise," she said. 
 " In the matter of wine, it is true that he seldom takes more 
 than the half of what he did; but in the matter of drugs!" 
 She smiled, and her distracting, adorable dimple made mince- 
 meat of the Emperor's rising vexation. " Thou dost take too 
 much, dear friend," she continued affectionately. " It's not 
 good for soul or body ; then thou goest into the women's apart- 
 ments, and they give thee more." 
 
 He gloomed as he sat there holding her hand. " Wouldst 
 have me give up all my pleasures?" he asked almost pitifully. 
 
 " Xot all, my lord," she whispered archly, as, deliberately 
 taking the reins as it were, she guided his hand round her waist ; 
 so, with her head on his shoulder, looked up at him laughing. 
 " Am I not a pleasure, my lord?" 
 
 He kissed her passionately. "Truly thou art a witch- 
 woman," he said, and his voice trembled. " Were all as thou 
 art there would not be a drunkard in the Empire ! But see you, 
 Light of Palaces, Queen of \Vomen, 'tis hard to baulk a man of 
 sleep when he hath been thirsty all day ! And the slaves give 
 me even more than I ask." 
 
 Nurmahal's brows levelled themselves sternly. " That can I
 
 1 62 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 well believe," she said dryly. Indeed, she was becoming accus- 
 tomed to these efforts on the part of his entourage to drug 
 Jahangir back to a slavery which brought others freedom and 
 power. " Therefore, my lord, I have a plan, and if my lord 
 permits I will unfold it," she continued; " but since it is long 
 to recite, I will do it in proper fashion." 
 
 She slipped from his hold to the step of the divan, took up a 
 cithdra that was lying to hand, and in a second had assumed the 
 air and tone of the professional story-teller. 
 
 Jahangir laughed delightedly. " Thou art all things in turn ! 
 Truly a man can never have a dull moment with such a com- 
 panion," he said, little dreaming that she had rehearsed the 
 whole scene beforehand, and was ready with apt reply for all 
 possibilities. So in a moment she had paraphrased a couplet of 
 
 Hafiz: 
 
 " One good companion and a cup of water 
 For these I'd give the world and what comes after." 
 
 She chanted the doggerel with infinite verve, and went on to her 
 tale in approved fashion. 
 
 " It telleth," she said, " of a jogi and an infant's toy, of luck 
 and misfortune, of life and death." 
 
 So, admirably, losing no point of humour or pathos, she told 
 the tale of the red crystal cup. More than once Jahangir, 
 fascinated, broke in with admiration. 
 
 " 'Tis better than Alif Latla!" he cried. " I shall have to 
 call thee Shahzadi; but in truth, as I said, thou art all things 
 in one." 
 
 She swept him a mock salaam, and replied : "The Presence 
 had best wait till this slave hath finished ; then, mayhap, 'twill 
 be off with her head !" 
 
 Thus the story went on. She spared him nothing, or herself 
 either ; though when she described how her dying child, Ali 
 Kul's child, had lain in her arms unbettered by the magic cup, 
 her voice broke a little, and he, with tears in his eyes, bent down 
 to say, " Tell me not, if it hurt thee, dearest." 
 
 Finally, with a laugh she rose swiftly, drew the little cup 
 from her bosom, and held it up. 
 
 " And this and this," she cried, " I gift to my lord the
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 163 
 
 Emperor may he live for ever ! This much, no more shall he 
 drink, from this time henceforth." She turned to him quickly, 
 sinking to her knees. " Promise but this, my lord, and it is 
 thine, my Luck is thine." 
 
 She looked divinely beautiful, her face all soft with a pleading 
 that came from her heart; for those twelve months of intimate 
 companionship had brought into her life a new feeling ; the feel- 
 ing of a mother for her wayward son. 
 
 Jahangir reached forward and held the cup she held ; but his 
 eyes were on her face in passionate delight. 
 
 " Most beautiful !" he said almost triumphantly, " Most 
 beautiful, I promise ! Nay, more this Luck of thine shall 
 measure all my pleasure. All all all shall be thine." 
 
 " Then take it, my lord," she replied softly, and stooping to 
 the cup laid her lips to it. So the blood-reds mingled once 
 more ere her slim fingers loosed their hold, leaving the crimson, 
 cup in the man's hands. He held it at arm's length for a second, 
 every atom of him tingling with fierce delight. At what he 
 scarcely knew at her beauty, her wit, the cleverness of the 
 whole incident, the entrancing romance of it all. 
 
 " Yea, I promise !" he cried, and took her kiss from the cup's 
 lip as he spoke. Then he started suddenly ; his eyes took on a 
 new expression. He turned the cup about and about, scanning 
 it narrowly. 
 
 "Crystal, didst say?" he exclaimed at last. "Nay, 'tis a 
 ruby before Heaven 'tis a cut ruby, and I ought to know." 
 Quick as lightning his diamond ring was off and scoring the cup 
 forcefully. Not a sign showed on the polished surface, and he 
 laughed exultantly." Then as quickly his face grew grave. " Lo ! 
 it is fate," he murmured ; "all these long years I have sought 
 I have waited for the gem of gems and I have found both 
 in one !" 
 
 "Art sure, my lord?" asked Nurmahal curiously. "Is it 
 not over large?" 
 
 " The largest in the world," replied Jahangir, once more 
 exultant. " And it hath no flaw, save this small one here and 
 'tis pure pigeon's blood a gem without price, without fellow ! 
 'Tis worth millions."
 
 1 64 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 But Nurmahal was silent. Was this, then, the secret of the 
 Luck the ultimate end of all things money ? 
 
 " I wist not it was so valuable," she said dully. " I gave it 
 thee for luck." 
 
 "And it shall be for luck!" cried the Emperor, pleased 
 beyond measure " our luck not mine or thine, but ours." He 
 clapped his hands together, and when the servant waiting out- 
 side appeared, bid him go fetch the Court jeweller and his scales 
 without delay ; he must see at once what his treasure weighed. 
 
 " Were it to weigh the world's weight," said Nurmahal sud- 
 denly, " 'twould mean no more to me." 
 
 But Jahangir had thrilled to another note, and scarcely 
 listened. So her brows levelled themselves, her eyes darkened 
 as she left him. Even so, ere she passed into seclusion, she 
 paused to say : 
 
 " Remember thou hast promised, my lord !" 
 
 He glanced round quickly. " Yea, yea ! God keep thee, 
 dearest ! I shall be over busy, showing this to the jeweller and 
 taking counsel regarding its past, for more till to-night. If 
 aught be lacking, thy father can ordain it or thou thyself 
 Queen amongst women ! ' ' 
 
 She did not sigh over his quick absorption in novelty. She 
 knew him too well for that. Yet the discovery of the cup's 
 value was unfortunate ; but for that she could have impressed 
 him more with the responsibility of his promise. And there was 
 need to impress it upon him. At first, in the glamour of his 
 devotion to her, he had kept to her rules; rules so carefully 
 made, so well strengthened by a thousand and one wiles. But 
 of late, since they had returned to Court life from the hunting 
 expedition designed especially to free the Emperor from the 
 temptations of the old routine, lapses had occurred ; and they 
 must not occur; that was certain. Her reign must be abso- 
 ?ute, her power omnipotent ; that she knew. She had called to 
 her aid all her charm, all her wit, her versatility, her know- 
 Fedge of Jahangir's emotional nature briefly, his temperament; 
 and then the pricelessness of the cup she had held all these 
 years as worthless, save as a talisman, had stepped in to cloud 
 her appeal to the man's better self. There was the ironv of
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 165 
 
 fate about it ! That it should be a ruby, of all gems, was in 
 itself an injury ; placing her on a par, as it were, with the num- 
 berless applicants who had sought to curry favour by pandering 
 to Jahangir's craze for the stone. 
 
 She felt depressed ; more so when she found her mother, Bibi 
 Azizan, awaiting her in her own apartments. 
 
 The good lady was now an old woman, and age had mellowed 
 her somewhat. Besides, her delight in at last seeing her daugh- 
 ter in what she considered that daughter's rightful place was 
 almost touching in its whole-heartedness. And when the Em- 
 peror, as a reward for her discovery of the rose essence (also, 
 doubtless, for being the mother of Mihr-un-nissa !) presented her 
 with a valuable string of pearls, remarking that she had " by her 
 ingenuity bestowed a blessing on mankind for all time by her 
 invention of a perfume which restored hearts that had gene, and 
 brought back withered souls with a scent as if many red rosebuds 
 had opened at once," she purely wept for joy, and agreed with 
 the poetess Princess that it should be called " itr Jahdng'ry." 
 
 Since then she had taken to coming to her daughter with long 
 strings of petty requests, long tales of petty intrigues, most of 
 which Mihr-un-nissa set aside, much to Bibi Azizan's despair. 
 To what purpose, she argued, was a woman the favourite sultana 
 of a mighty monarch if one was not able to give with the right 
 hand and with the left, too, just as one chose? And to Nur- 
 mahal's gentle reminders that monarchs and monarchs' wives 
 had responsibilities, she would reply with a snort that such talk 
 might do for her daughter, but she did not find dew a sati.sfying 
 diet ! 
 
 On this day Nurmahal sat patiently enough and listened. She 
 even temporized, for she felt closing in around her that net of 
 fine-spun conventional estimate of what a woman ought to be, 
 will be, must be, from which all clever women have to suffer; 
 briefly, she knew herself condemned unheard for all purposes 
 outside that conventional estimate, not because she failed, but 
 because she was a woman. 
 
 After a time her dressers came in to apply cosmetics, and 
 braid her beautiful hair with fresh pearls and other jewels. To 
 this also she submitted. This she had anticipated ; but after
 
 1 66 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 her five years of freedom from the necessity for attraction, it 
 was more irksome than she had reckoned upon. 
 
 Still, she could not forgo it. Her power over Jahangir was 
 not sufficiently consolidated, as yet, to allow her to neglect any 
 means of enhancing it. So, attired to perfection, the very 
 quintessence of beauty, she waited until the hour chimed when 
 Jahangir, finished with his day's work of audience, should come 
 to her once more for rest and amusement. 
 And he did not come. 
 
 Even as she waited, she gripped the possible reason. When 
 an hour had passed, she sent for the Chief Eunuch. 
 " What ails His Majesty?" she asked. 
 "He rests, Most High." 
 "Where?" 
 
 " In his own apartment. There is naught wrong, Most 
 Gracious." 
 
 " Peace, fool ! I asked not thine opinion. Slaves, my 
 veil." 
 
 Despite the protestations of the official, she stood the next 
 minute beside Jahangir's couch. He was hopelessly, blindly 
 drunk, snoring like a hog. 
 
 With face set like adamant she returned to her apartments 
 without a word. She did not even think. She knew that the 
 great fight of her life lay before her, that if she lost ground 
 now she would have no foothold soon. The man over whom 
 she meant to have absolute sway had weakly succumbed to 
 temptation doubtless to treacherous temptation; that made it 
 all the worse. 
 
 " When the Emperor craves admittance," she said briefly to 
 her janitors, " tell him I do not receive !" 
 
 That night the whole Palace was astir. What new thing was 
 this? 
 
 " He will trounce her, doubtless," said the women servants; 
 but the men looked scared. 
 
 So did the Grand Vizier Ghiyass-ud-din, the culprit's father, 
 when, after an agitated interview with the Emperor, now sober, 
 but sullen, he came to interview his daughter. 
 
 " I receive him not, father," she said in reply to all his
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 167 
 
 exhortations, " without an apology. Let him confess his fault, 
 and I will forgive. Otherwise he hath the sack and the bow- 
 string at his command." 
 
 Jahangir, by this time squirming, face downwards on his couch, 
 heard the answer which Ghiyass-ud-din, honest man, had the 
 courage to give in its entirety, with mingled anger and anxiety. 
 
 " Hath the Emperor of all the Indies ever yet confessed him- 
 self in the wrong?" he asked plaintively, and Ghiyass-ud-din, 
 beginning to realize the importance of the struggle in which his 
 daughter had embarked, was forced to admit that such a sug- 
 gestion had never before entered into the head of mortal man 
 or woman. 
 
 Then ensued a tragio-comedy in the whole Court; for, 
 naturally, such a piece of gossip could not be concealed. At 
 first absolute incredulity prevailed. That anyone, least of all a 
 woman one raised from the dust, too, by the Emperor's 
 clemency, as the scandalmongers, with their usual exaggeration, 
 took care to proclaim should dare to dictate to Nur-ed-din 
 Mahomed Jahangir, monarch of the whole world, was prepos- 
 terous, inconceivable. Then, as truth dawned, resentment 
 became rife, and cabal against the offender grew. Stern old 
 Mahomedans, with their beards dyed black or red, hinted darkly, 
 as Nurmahal herself had suggested, at sacks and bowstrings. 
 The high Court ladies came and upbraided their sister with grave 
 dereliction from duty. As for poor Bibi Azizan, she wept and 
 moaned. Why could not her daughter be content? She had 
 more jewels and more power than any other woman in the world, 
 and if she wanted more, a woman could always wheedle any- 
 thing she liked out of a man. And then in her despair she let 
 out a secret she had hitherto guarded jealousy namely, that 
 though she herself had always posed as a meek, down-trodden, 
 obedient, dutiful wife, she had 'invariably had her own way in 
 everything about which she really cared ! 
 
 " That is no news to me, amma-fdn," remarked Nurmahal a 
 trifle bitterly. " The difference lies here. I care not a split 
 pea for the things thou carest for, and thou carest not one for 
 those things dear to me." 
 
 And through the whole imbroglio she kept her head calm and
 
 1 68 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 collected. She even sent back her regal jewels to the Treasury 
 and began once more on her broidery frame. 
 
 " Thou hadst best not go too far, daughter," said Ghiyass- 
 ud-din warningly. " 'Tis three days now, and the panders 
 are busy devising fresh amusements. There is a Georgian 
 beauty " 
 
 "Thank God for that, father!" retorted Nurmahal with a 
 smile. " She is welcome to that side of him. I like not 
 animals, that are not true animals, but men-beasts !" 
 
 Sitting there, a perfect vision of extraordinary, captivating 
 beauty, the man who had begotten her, looked at her helplessly. 
 Vaguely he felt that what she said was true. Here was woman- 
 hood, even motherhood, without one touch of feminine jealousy. 
 
 Suddenly she softened. " Entreat me not, father," she said ; 
 " I must be firm. Thou knowest not none know save he and 
 I what promise passed between us ere we wedded. Were I to 
 yield now, both he and I are condemned utterly. Let him make 
 his choice between me and drunkenness. He must acknowledge 
 his fault." 
 
 So she met even the pleadings of her dear old friend Khanzada 
 Racquiya Begum, now almost an invalid, who sent for her and 
 first upbraided her, then wept pitifully as she predicted 
 Jahangir's return to his old bad habits. Then it was that Mihr- 
 un-nissa set a trembling lip, and kissing the old withered hand, 
 said almost appealingly : " I prithee trust me in this. Did not 
 I launch my boat upon love's boundless sea? Must I not there- 
 fore quit me hardily?" 
 
 And the old poetess, hearing the familiar words, murmured 
 their sequence : " Now indeed, Love endeth right; dying, thou 
 gainest Love's best ecstasy. God send it may be so, daughter- 
 ling !" 
 
 By this time Jahangir was utterly miserable. The Court 
 functionaries had tried every form of distraction, and he in his 
 turn had tried them all ; but everything was Dead Sea fruit with- 
 out that for which he had longed all his life. Everyone was at 
 his or her wits' end, and still the man's pride of position and 
 the pride of the whole Court was up in arms. Yet, when one 
 venerable pantaloon delicately suggested a return to ancient
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 169 
 
 methods of dealing with refractory females, the Emperor flew 
 into a rage, dismissed him from Court, took away his salaries 
 and perquisites, and was only saved from saying, " Off with his 
 head !" by the bitter consciousness that he would make a fool 
 of himself thereby. 
 
 And then the Emperor with his own hand wrote a letter to his 
 tormentor, upbraiding her with cruelty and sending her a couplet 
 he had written in his dark sleepless hours : 
 
 " Turn not thyself away ; without thee life is naught. 
 For thee to break my heart will it avail thee aught ?" 
 
 And it went on to say that even if he had done wrong she also 
 was in the wrong in demanding that the Shadow of God should 
 lay down his crown at her feet. 
 
 The letter was in itself a confession, and it was pathetic in its 
 helpless, hopeless pride. 
 
 Nurmahal thought over it for a while, and then she sent for 
 her father ; he was her stand-by in all her difficulties. 
 
 How arranged, history says not. It only says that on a cer- 
 tain dawn Jahangir, alone, happened to be standing by one of 
 the arched pillars of the twelve-doored marble summer-house 
 which, after the fashion of India, centred the crossed aqueducts 
 that divided the garden into four quarters. The marble floor- 
 ing, edged by a low lattice-work of carven marble, raised him 
 some four inches above the path outside ; but four inches, yet 
 enough for dignity. And history further says that Nurmahal 
 happened to be walking in the garden at dawn-time, and alone, 
 also that, plucking roses as she wandered, her footsteps led her 
 past the summer-house but four inches below the feet of the man. 
 
 A fascinating picture this for the mind's eye. Jahangir wait- 
 ing a-quiver to give the humble salute which had been arranged 
 was to presage forgiveness ; Nurmahal hovering between laughter 
 and tears, ready to respond with a lowlier one. While all 
 around the rosebuds were bursting and the birds singing, care- 
 less of such trivialities as a lover's quarrel. 
 
 And after all the programme was not carried out according 
 to arrangement. Jahangir, it is true, attempted to be dignified, 
 but his conventional salute suffered from his sight of the adorable
 
 170 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 dimple, and degenerated into one of supplication. Whereupon 
 Nurmahal replaced her courteous acceptation by an effort after 
 the " Tasleem," or Court homage. Too late! At the first 
 sign Jahangir was over the low lattice, and beside her, raising 
 her to his arms. 
 
 " Queen o' Women ! Queen o' Women !" 
 
 The bulbuls sang it to the roses, and the roses sent the per- 
 fume of love into the air, but only those two in the garden knew 
 what it really meant. 
 
 Later on in the day Ghiyass-ud-din stood looking at his 
 daughter regretfully. " Hadst thou but been man," he said, 
 " thou wouldst have ruled India well." 
 
 She pursed her lips, but made no reply. Even here she had 
 to combat the belief that a woman could do next to nothing, and 
 that in what she did do she must be actuated by purely personal 
 considerations. 
 
 But in her heart of hearts she knew that though the verdict of 
 her world might be to call her unscrupulous, cunning, ambitious, 
 she had gained her end, and meant to keep it. That night she 
 sat by the Emperor's couch and told him stories like any profes- 
 sional raconteur until the regulation dose of drugs given in the 
 ruby cup had its effect, and he slept.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 " Lord, if I sin-stainedrest a moment here 
 Within Love's cypress shadow, wilt Thou sear 
 My soul with vain regrets ? What matters it 
 Which Paradise I choose the Far or Near?" 
 
 " APPLE of mine eye ! Core of my heart !" murmured Jahangir 
 fondly to his three-year-old little granddaughter, as he sat play- 
 ing with her in the Garden of Splendour on the edge of the great 
 Anasagar Lake at Ajmere. 
 
 Four years had passed since he the Shadow of God upon 
 Earth had apologized to a woman, and he had never regretted 
 his humility. In truth, he had small cause to do so, for things 
 had gone smoothly since then, both in Court and Empire; in 
 addition, those four years of constantly recurring evidence of 
 her husband's unbounded, almost unreasoning confidence in and 
 love for her, had brought about such a softening of her woman's 
 heart that as Nurmahal sat smiling, watching the man and the 
 child at play together, she felt that both were equally dear to 
 her. And that meant much, for little Chamni, or Princess Par- 
 terre, was the darling of her relatives' eyes. The first-born 
 child of the royal lovers, Khurram and Arjamand, she was a 
 perfect flower; or rather, not a single blossom, but a whole 
 wealth of colour, scent, and sunshine. Hence her name, given 
 her by her grandfather, who had inherited from his, that almost 
 unbalanced love of beauty which goes to the making of a poet. 
 
 Nevertheless Nurmahal had discovered in those four years of 
 intimate association with the man whose personal destruction she 
 had once vowed, that this love of beauty was not his most salient 
 characteristic. That, strangely enough in one so given to 
 ungovernable impulse, was love of justice, and she had long 
 since acquitted him of having connived at Sher Afkan's death. 
 It had been an unforeseen consequence of one of those uncon- 
 
 171
 
 172 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 trolled exhibitions of autocratic power which his entourage com- 
 mended, and about which he himself was of two opinions ; for 
 that he was indeed the Shadow of God upon Earth Jahangir 
 never doubted for a moment. That conviction, indeed, lay at 
 the bottom of his confidence in Nurmahal. She had the power 
 of making him what he should be, more easily than he could 
 make himself; for he was extraordinarily indolent in mind. 
 This, however, may have been due to his health, which even now 
 was but indifferent; he would, indeed, sometimes remark regret- 
 fully that temperance did not suit him so well as excess, though 
 his Empire had doubtless greatly benefited by the change. 
 
 How could it be otherwise ? he would add with a smile, ' ' when 
 its whole fortune was consigned to the disposal of so highly 
 endowed a family as his consort's?" Her father, without a 
 rival in arithmetic ; without a competitor in critical knowledge of 
 every species of ancient and modern poetry; without an equal 
 in facility of quotations. And what was even better than all 
 this, with a countenance ever beaming with smiles and an 
 intellect which insured that every measure of State unconfirmed 
 by his counsels had, by reason of its inherent imperfections, 
 small chance of remaining long on the statute-book. Then her 
 brother, Asof Khan ! The best cook in the Court, an excellent 
 raconteur, to say nothing of his admirable qualities as 
 Lieutenant-General of the Imperial Forces under Jahangir him- 
 self as Generalissimo. A trifle loo stout perhaps, but that was 
 doubtless due to the super-excellence of his quail curries ! 
 
 Finally Nurmahal herself. Here Jahangir's lightness would 
 die down, and hi's voice would tremble. " Of my unreserved 
 confidence the Princess is in entire possession. She is the incom- 
 parable companion of all my cares. I do not think anyone is 
 fonder of me than she is." 
 
 Not a bad character, on the whole. And it was a true one ; 
 so, as he played with little Chamni, he looked back at the woman 
 who had so taken possession of him thirty-two years before, when 
 he was a lad of sixteen, and said to her affectionately : 
 
 " Dost think me foolish, wife? But see you, she is our child 
 by rights. Khurram is mine, and Arjamand is thine, and hadst 
 thou not gifted thyself at long last to me, those two would never
 
 MI STRESS OF MEN 173 
 
 have come together. So she is God's gift to us for our wasted 
 youth." 
 
 She could not but thrill to his thought. Yet it was not true. 
 Had they indeed married in those old days they would have 
 missed much. Yet she went over to him and laid her jewelled 
 hand on the long thin fingers with their one signet of royalty. 
 
 " Mayhap, my lord," she replied. " God knows we could 
 scarce love her more were she indeed ours ! ' ' 
 
 Jahangir smiled. " I could not, for sure. And thou? What 
 says the proverb? ' No woman is mother till she be grand- 
 mother.' ' 
 
 " Wouldst have me as old as that?" she said lightly. 
 
 " Old !" he echoed. " Of a truth I care not so that thou art 
 thou. And she is like thee, I swear she hath thy dimple." 
 He held her hand close ; but he clasped the child closer. Truly 
 it was an adorable little face, but something in the absolute 
 adoration of the man's expression made Nurmahal say warn- 
 ingly, " 'Tis not wise to set thy heart so strongly on any mortal 
 thing. And Khurram may call her back." 
 
 Jahangir shook his head gaily. " That is not likely, with 
 Arjamand so fruitful. He hath son and daughter already, and 
 God knows what the next may be or the next or the next. 
 Lo ! there is one each year ! ' ' 
 
 Nurmahal smiled back at him. " Of a truth she is busy. 
 Yet tempt not the Powers with love so lavish. God calls the 
 little ones to Paradise more oft than he calls us older folk " 
 
 " Lo ! she is of heaven already," interrupted Jahangir. 
 " And, so that He call not thee, I will be satisfied." 
 
 So he sat playing with the child. Prince Khurram, coming 
 in a little later to pay his morning respects to his father, found 
 him so employed and seemingly oblivious of his Imperial posi- 
 tion, careless of all the magnificence which surrounded him 
 the silken carpet spread on the ground, the gold brocade screen 
 set up to ward off the morning breeze, which on the Ajmere 
 plateau, 3,000 feet above sea level, is apt to be chilly. The 
 pearl-embroidered cushions on which Nurmahal reclined, the 
 posse of eager, expectant servitors waiting discreetly at a dis- 
 tance, all seemed forgotten in the flowerful face of the little child.
 
 i 7 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Khurram's usually discontented-looking countenance relaxed. 
 Why it should be so grave, so proud, was somewhat of a per- 
 plexity. He was admittedly the Emperor's favourite son, 
 almost the acknowledged heir apparent, and he had the full 
 favour of the Emperor's counsellors. Then he had but just 
 returned from a successful campaign in Rajputana, where he 
 had had the honour and glory of finally reducing the Rana of 
 Udaipur to submission ; a task which had hitherto defied the 
 Imperial troops and their leaders ay, even the great Akbar 
 himself. 
 
 This he had achieved more by diplomacy than by force of 
 arms ; and he had come back, not with booty, but with the 
 Rana's free gifts ; and what is more, with his son Kunwar Karan, 
 who that very day was to make willing obeisance at the great 
 New Year durbar. Thus there was no apparent cause for a 
 gravity which even in those days set Nurmahal's quick wits 
 awondering. 
 
 " She hath been good child, I trust, during her mother's 
 absence?" he said, somewhat primly, of his little daughter, 
 who by this time was lording it over her grandfather's knee as 
 cock-horse. 
 
 " She hath been as the angels of God," replied the Emperor 
 decidedly ; and cuddling the child he walked with her to the 
 latticed marble balustrade that overhung the shining levels of 
 the lake. 
 
 A marvellous view, this, from the domed pavilions of the 
 Garden of Splendour at one's feet, rippling lightly against the 
 massive stone dam that hems in the gathered waters of the huge 
 reservoir-lake, the breeze-stirred waves, green, pellucid, reflect- 
 ing in quivering light and shade what lies above them, behind 
 them; the Emperor of all the Indies with the little child in his 
 arms ; the golden screens, the orange groves, the rose thicket, the 
 pillared minarets of the distant Mosque; and, crowning the 
 rugged, isolated, rose-red hill, the Goatherd's Fortress, grim, 
 inaccessible. 
 
 Forward, beyond the glittering lake, like blue tents rising out 
 of the green plain, the Aravali hills. 
 
 Curiously peaceful, curiously serene, seeing that for centuries
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 175 
 
 A j mere had been the centre of strife for the most warlike nation 
 in the world, the Rajput race. 
 
 Curiously domestic, curiously simple, considering that the man 
 who stood there, absorbed in the child, was the object of the 
 ambitions, the intrigues, the hopes, the fears, of his whole 
 world. 
 
 The beautiful woman reclining on the pearl-strewn cushions 
 felt the strangeness of it even while she set herself, as ever, to 
 please; to keep her hold on things that Jahangir himself might 
 have let slide. 
 
 "And Arjamand and the two babes? How go they after 
 their fatigues?" she asked in her full round voice; for Prince 
 Khurram's wife to whose memory he, as Shahjahan, was in 
 after years to raise the Taj Mahal never left him in all his 
 campaigns, all his wanderings. 
 
 For an instant the young man's habitually clouded face 
 lightened and brightened. 
 
 " Well," he replied " wondrous well, considering. And the 
 lad is strapping for his nine months. Yet do I think it almost 
 unwise of Arjamand to follow the drum as she doth. Better she 
 had stayed at home, woman-like, under thy kind protection." 
 
 Nurmahal laughed a trifle bitterly. 
 
 " Yet doth she her duty as wife and mother nobly. And as 
 for women being born to idle ! So say all men, believing not in 
 woman's strength and skill, till we teach it them. Arjamand 
 can withstand fatigue better than thou. Nay, 'tis true. To 
 bear children as she doth needs more endurance than to win a 
 battle but of that no more. Since we be alone, I would fain 
 have thy opinion on thy father's looks. To me he seemeth thin 
 and colourless. His illness tried him much. The change of 
 remedies for at first he would seek no counsel, have no 
 medicine, save mine " 
 
 " This have I heard already," interrupted the Prince dryly, 
 his dour face hardening. 
 
 She shot a glance at him of disdainful defiance. 
 
 " Thy newsmongers are worthy of praise, Highness," she said 
 scornfully, " but mine are better." 
 
 And with that she leant forward and whispered something in
 
 i-6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 his ear. He started, and the dark flush flew to his face at what 
 he thought none knew but himself and one other. 
 
 " But how didst hear?" he stuttered vaguely. 
 
 She rose, clapped her hands for her attendants, then swept him 
 a royal salaam. 
 
 " From thy father-in-law, my brother mayhap," she said 
 imperturbably, "or mayhap from my newsmongers but I 
 have heard it." 
 
 So saying, she crossed to where the Emperor stood to tell him 
 it was time to be preparing for the festival, leaving Prince 
 Khurram to digest the fact she wished to impress upon him 
 namely, that it was unsafe for him to count on secrecy for any 
 of his doings. 
 
 Half an hour later, as she passed through from her attiring- 
 rooms to the private audience-hall where she received her father 
 and such high officers of State as desired an interview, Phusla 
 the Strangler, attired now in a uniform positively encrusted with 
 gold, stood with the other servants of the seraglio, his head bent 
 over his breast ; beneath, his joined hands showed in reverential 
 salaam. She shot one look at him to see if the secret sign that 
 he had news to impart showed also on the thin old hands ; then 
 swept on, satisfied that there was none. 
 
 This man, head of an organization which existed all over 
 India, was literally her eyes and ears. Even her father won- 
 dered how she learnt so much, and often, as she sat musing over 
 past events, it seemed to her as if the chance which had brought 
 her this man's devotion was the greatest piece of luck in all her 
 life. And it had come to her, in a way, from the jogi 's cup. 
 But secrecy, absolute secrecy from all save Dilaram and as 
 much as possible from her was the very essence of its value. 
 None must know how she got her information. 
 
 She found her father awaiting her in the audience-room, his 
 hands full of papers : an old man now, with a long white beard, 
 his face was full of affection, full of pride. 
 
 '" 'Tis even as thou saidst, daughter, not as I thought," he 
 began. " Truly thou art wise, and extraordinarily knowledge- 
 able. So orders have been duly issued in the case." 
 
 He passed on to other business, and she sat down beside him
 
 M I STRESS <OF MEN 177 
 
 listening, consulting over the affairs of State. Seemingly she 
 deferred to his opinion, yet a keen observer would have noticed 
 the skill and tact with which she held command over her father's 
 mind when she differed from him; but this was not often. For 
 those two had but a single aim; to manage the Empire as it 
 should be managed, and at the same time to keep up the Em- 
 peror's dignity as Supreme Ruler. It was not an easy task, but 
 it grew easier as time went on, bringing to Jahangir greater and 
 still greater trust and confidence. 
 
 When business was finished she rose to go, then hesitated, was 
 silent, finally spoke. " Father," she said, " let not Asof Khan, 
 my brother and your son, learn too much. Nay, 1 mean no 
 complaint, but see you, things are different for him. Thou art 
 heart-whole devoted to the husband of thy poor daughter Mihr- 
 un-nissa Nurmahal ! Wherefore should he not be so to the 
 husband of his daughter Arjamand? Dost- see? So far Prince 
 Khurram's interests are as ours ; but in the future God knows ! 
 So ignorance is wiser than knowledge." 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din looked at his daughter almost awesomely. 
 "Thou art far-seeing," he replied, "and the wisdom of thy 
 speech is manifest. Yet, saving Asof, whom wilt thou have 
 when I am gone? and I grow old." 
 
 She took his hand and kissed it affectionately. " Not 
 so old for all thy wisdom," she said brightly. " And 
 God knows I may meet the bowstring ere thou meetest 
 fair death. Nay, seek not to deny it, revered ! For all 
 the peace, all the power I possess, I live in danger of 
 my life from day to day. What woman in my position doth 
 not? And were it known that I, and I only, hold consent or 
 denial in the hollow of my hand, my shrift would indeed be 
 short. Yea, thou, with thy wisdom, thy accredited power, 
 standest between me and possible death, certain shame, every 
 hour of my life. So long, that is, that none know how I decide ; 
 only so long as that shake not thy head, revered ! 'Tis so, 
 and I woman though I be have the wit to see it. So let not 
 the cat out of the bag even to Asof ! Farewell ! All is arranged 
 for the durbar, I trust. The entertainment being my portion is 
 prepared and thou hast a truly acceptable offering?"
 
 i 7 8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din smiled a little sadly. " Yea," he replied, 
 " there is a fine ruby " 
 
 She interrupted him with one of her sudden bitternesses. 
 
 " Oh yea, yea ! And Asof hath another, and Khurram, and 
 the Khan Khanum, and the whole string of you. All to curry 
 favour with one who counts but in name who is as a child, 
 pleased with a new toy like the Englishman's coach." 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din puckered up his face. These Englishmen, 
 who had come on the first real accredited embassy from a 
 European sovereign to an Eastern monarch and who were to be 
 formally received that morning were no favourites of his. He 
 preferred the Portuguese Jesuits who had hung round the Court 
 for years. 
 
 "The Englishmen have nought of worth," he began; "I 
 have seen their offering, and 'tis contemptible." 
 
 Nurmahal smiled grimly. " All but the new coach, the like of 
 which was never seen. And novelty ever pleases menfolk ay, 
 even to new women." 
 
 Her father held up his hand reprovingly. " Nay, daughter ! 
 Thou of all women needest not to say that !" 
 
 She looked at him for a moment without speaking, her extraor- 
 dinarily beautiful face almost pitiful in its whimsical comprehen- 
 sion. Then she spoke. 
 
 " Do I not work hard for such position?" she said, and trailed 
 away, the golden ornaments on her ankles tinkling, the golden 
 circlets on her arms slipping and clashing, the great chains of 
 rubies and emeralds, diamonds and pearls, swaying, swinging 
 as she walked, and a perfume of roses and orange-blossom 
 emanating from every fold of her silken robes, every plait of 
 her glorious hair. Truly a figure armed at all points to ensnare, 
 to arouse the devotion and the desire of man. 
 
 An hour or two later she sat behind a thin screen at the 
 jharoka, or window of audience, watching her husband Nur- 
 ed-din Mahomed Jahangir, Emperor of all the Indies, Pillar 
 of Faith, Shadow of God, receive the felicitations of his subjects 
 on this the tenth New Year after his accession. The quaint old 
 town was all hung with rich draperies garlanded with flowers, 
 and thronged to its uttermost with nobles, courtiers, soldiers, in
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 179 
 
 their gala dresses. On the roofs, peering women showed glitter- 
 ing with jewels, and at each post of vantage children of all sorts 
 and sizes swarmed, full of laughter, even the poorest with a yard 
 or so of bright-coloured muslin for turban or waist-cloth. Look- 
 ing down from the balconied window of the jharoka, it seemed 
 a parterre of gay flowers ; all the more like because of the wide 
 green awnings that hung midway above the narrow streets. 
 
 The noise was incessant. Not from the crowd that swayed 
 silent, as an Indian crowd does to-day but from the sweetmeat- 
 sellers, the toy-vendors, and the insistent outcries to make room 
 for this, that, or the other notable on his way to offer homage 
 to Kingship. 
 
 The balcony and the wall beneath it were hung with gold 
 brocade looped .by great ropes of threaded amethysts, turquoises, 
 garnets, and jacinths. The courtyard below was carpeted with 
 silken rugs ; and here two baskets, suspended from above by 
 silken cords, waited in the charge of gold-encrusted servants. 
 As each claimant on the Emperor's regard approached, he laid 
 his offering in one basket, which was immediately hauled up on 
 a lacquered windlass from above by no less a person than old 
 Dilaram, now fat almost to deformity. Its contents were 
 promptly laid before the Emperor, and if they pleased him, a 
 return present in like kind came down by the other basket; if 
 not, the discomfited giver received his own again. 
 
 This procedure was for the jewels, the gold pieces, the various 
 bric-a-brac, the rich stuffs and costly curios; the horses, 
 elephants, tame antelopes, and hunting leopards that went to 
 make up many of the giftings being led past in strings and 
 accepted pending the Emperor's future decision; for naught 
 unworthy could be taken by the Shadow of God, who through it 
 all sat impassive, irresponsive, on the black marble stool of 
 Majesty. 
 
 A marvellous stool this, that followed Kingship everywhere; 
 a talismanic stool with a big red stain as of blood on it, showing 
 how it had resented the footstep of an infidel. 
 . Once, it is true, when his son Prince Khurram, a tall, martial, 
 gallant figure in coat-of-mail, came forward leading by the hand 
 a taller one in the dress of Rajput chivalry, with bright soft
 
 r8b MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 deer's eyes taking in curiously all the novel luxuries of the 
 scene, diplomacy so far overcame dignity as to produce a slight 
 bend of the head, a slight outstretching of the hand of fel- 
 lowship. 
 
 An immense honour, this, from the Shadow of God ! But 
 Kunwar Karan, the mountain-bred Prince of Udaipur, must 
 have his reward for his fealty. And from behind the Queen- 
 consort's screen came a sigh of content, as the group, well 
 pleased, passed on. So much, at any rate, was secure, thanks 
 to Khurram's good generalship and better diplomacy, and the 
 way -was now open to a settlement of the Deccan difficulty, which 
 had defied all effort for so long. 
 
 And now a murmur from the crowd of mingled amusement and 
 Bonder roused Nurmahal to fresh attention. 
 
 The English embassy ! 
 
 She could scarce repress a smile. Three men in doublet and 
 hose, destitute of flowery robes, looking like forked radishes, 
 their heads uncovered, shoes on their feet. She had seen the 
 Hke before, since the Portuguese came often to the Court, 
 though these, being for the most part priests, did not disdain the 
 added dignity of dress. But at a function of this sort ! Still, 
 they bore themselves well, and the great Queen's eyes criticized 
 keenly, as she noted their frank, upstanding attitude of courtesy 
 without servility. 
 
 Yet their offering ! 
 
 Even Sir Thomas Roe himself, writing a report afterwards of 
 its miserably inadequate attempt at barbaric wealth in an 
 assembly where six-thousand-pound pearls and ten-thousand- 
 pound diamonds were plentiful as blackberries, admitted that it 
 had failed, and that if his Company "were furnished yearly 
 from Francford on the Maine, where are all kinds and rareties 
 and new devices, ^300 would go farther than ^300 layd out in 
 England, and here better acceptable." 
 
 It was a complete fiasco, and but for a quick whisper from 
 behind the screen, reminding the Pillar of 'Faith of a certain 
 coach and four, Jahangir might easily have returned the petty 
 offering by the other basket. But at that moment, providentially, 
 the Ambassador of the ruler of Iran appeared with a leash of
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 181 
 
 nine European hunting-dogs, and the Emperor's impassive eyes 
 lit up with pleasure. 
 
 It was a weary business, lasting for hours on hours, and aftej 
 it was over the State procession remained. But here a surprising 
 diversion occurred. Just as the Emperor a gorgeous figure in 
 sleeveless cloth-of-gold coat sashed with twined chains of drilled 
 pearls, rubies, and diamonds, his turban showing the thin heron'^s 
 plume of royalty, and hung on either side by a ruby and a 
 diamond, each as big as a walnut, and centred by a heart-shaped 
 emerald like a field of young green wheat just as he paused at 
 the foot of the stairs for his esquires to buckle on his jewelled 
 sword and hang his jewelled bow and arrows over his shoulders, 
 not one coach-and-four but two drew up ! 
 
 Sir Thomas Roe looked at his second in command doubtfully, 
 
 " By the Lord !" remarked the latter, " but they are clever 
 counterfeiters ; and so quick too ! 'Twould have taken our 
 workmen a good three months to do the like." 
 
 'Twill not last like ours, I warrant me," said the third. 
 
 True enough ; but for the present it was so like that those 
 three knew it not save by the cover, which was of gold Persian, 
 velvet. 
 
 Jahangir, meanwhile, was delighted beyond measure. Into 
 the first coach he got, preceded by drums and trumpeters, the 
 insignia of Empire, and loud music of sorts, and flanked by two 
 gigantic eunuchs carrying huge fly-whisks of long yaks' tails set 
 in maces of pure gold all patterned with rubies. Behind him 
 came nine spare horses gorgeously caparisoned, their furniture 
 garnished, some with rubies, some with diamonds, some, again, 
 with pearls and emeralds. The State palanquin came next, 
 hooded with crimson velvet, fringed a foot long with big pearls, 
 but empty ; for Nurmahal, who had planned everything, done 
 everything to please, sat in the English coach, which, nevr 
 covered and trimmed rich, brought up the rear of the procession, 
 
 Half veiled, looking out with weary eyes, she felt small 
 pleasure even in the success, even though Jahangir had once 
 again told her that none in the wide world could compare with 
 her for beauty or for wit. Even the new title he had given her 
 Nurjahan (Light of the World) instead of Nurmahal (Light of
 
 1 82 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the Palace) seemed of small account. It was true enough, but 
 what did she herself gain by it? What had she gained in the 
 past ? Power, it is true ; but power gained not so much by talent 
 as by beauty. She felt cribbed, cabined, confined by it; she 
 felt that she could not be true to herself. So the vague wonder 
 grew as to whether, had she realized at first the price she would 
 have to pay for power, she would have chosen as she did. Yet 
 the very thought brought shame. The man whom she cozened 
 and cajoled was, after all, well worth her care. So far as she 
 was concerned, she could have no quarrel with him. And the 
 child ? This thought brought immediate joy, and she settled to 
 content, little dreaming, despite her warning to Jahangir against 
 making an idol of his pet, that the day drew nigh when the 
 flowerful face would pass out of their lives. 
 
 " Chamni's hands are hot, dearest," said the Emperor 
 anxiously one morning, and by afternoon the little lass lay 
 languid in his arms, as he walked up and down the terraced 
 Garden of Splendour, where the breeze from the lake struck cool. 
 
 tl The fever will pass with the night," comforted Nurjahan, 
 calm as ever. " Fret not, my heart ! I will give her medicine 
 out of thy ruby cup. It hath always brought us luck !" 
 
 Had it? She wondered, even as she spoke, and with a pang 
 she remembered that other sick baby who had died, despite her 
 care, in those far-off days in Burdwan. Ali Kul had stood 
 between her and grief in those days ; and now 
 
 But the fever did not pass. Old Dilaram, as she sat nursing 
 the little one on her capacious lap, crooning the old, old songs 
 to it, caring for it as even its mother could not care, shook her 
 head tearfully over the dazed look in the eyes that but a day 
 before had been so full of life and laughter. 
 
 " Count not the child as thine till smallpox doth decline," she 
 quoted, snivelling. "And they say it rageth even now in the 
 city." 
 
 Nurjahan heard, and quaked ; but she kept her even calm, 
 standing bravely between sorrow and the man. For a few days, 
 only a very few days. On the fifteenth of June he had to face 
 it. Utterly bewildered, he clung helplessly to her strength. 
 Long years afterwards he writes in his memoirs : " I was greatly
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 183 
 
 desirous of recording the event myself, but my heart and my 
 hand failed me. Whenever I took up my pen, my state became 
 confused; so that at the last I helplessly ordered I'timad-daulat 
 (the child's great-grandfather) to write it." 
 
 And this is what he wrote. " On June n traces of fever were 
 seen in that pure daughter of Shah Khurram of lofty fortune, 
 for whom His Majesty showed much affection, and on the i5th 
 the bird of her soul flew from her elemental cage and passed to 
 the Garden of Paradise." 
 
 They buried the little maid close to the grave of the great 
 Chisti saint in the Durgah, and flowers of every sort and hue 
 and sweetness covered the tiny body of one who had been as the 
 angels of God. It sleeps there still in the sunshine in the little 
 grave that for long puzzled the antiquarians, but is now known 
 to be the sole rel.ic of a tragedy of love and sorrow in the life of 
 a man who was at once passionately cruel and passionately soft- 
 hearted. 
 
 Nurjahan took him away at once to the " Chashma-i-Nur," or 
 " Fountain of Light," a spot amid the mountains close to 
 Ajmere which had hitherto been his chief delight. But he hardly 
 noticed the change, and would sit with his head on his beloved's 
 lap, murmuring her name over and over again. " Queen o' 
 Women ! Queen o' Women !" 
 
 Even when, five days afterwards, the news came that the 
 bereaved, distracted mother had given birth to another son, and 
 Prince Khurram, his heart wrung as much by his father's grief 
 as by his own, suggested that the new-born should take the place 
 of the dead darling, he only shook his head. When he returned 
 to Ajmere, they had walled up the palace window which gave 
 on the quarters where the little lass had lived, but months sped 
 by and still the man's eyes would fill with tears at every trivial 
 thing that recalled the child. 
 
 And Nurjahan watched him with jealous, apprehensive eyes. 
 
 " The Emperor must quit Ajmere," she said at length to her 
 father. " His mind is unhinged. He sleeps not; he eats not. 
 Thus must it be arranged. Khurram hath done his task amongst 
 the Rajputs well. Parviz his brother hath failed in the Deccan. 
 He must be recalled, and Khurram be given over the Deccan
 
 1 84 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 design under his father. The Prince will go forward with an 
 advance guard. The Emperor can follow at his leisure, and 
 can journey so far as Mandu, anyways. It hath a climate more 
 equable than this, they say, and the road thither is of the best 
 for the chase. Therefore suggest this of thyself, I pray thee, 
 to my lord of thyself, remember ! And I will take the infant 
 with me. By degrees it may comfort, though it can never 
 replace." She paused a moment, and her eyes filled with rare 
 tears. " He would not wish that himself his thoughts are with 
 her in Paradise." 
 
 Of a truth she understood this man; understood the womanly 
 passion of his affections and their sentimentality.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 " The heart of man is as a marble screen 
 Behind which hides His Face who holds the mean 
 'Twixt good and evil. In that holy Shrine, 
 Swept by the winds of Heaven, no man hath been." 
 
 PHUSLA the Strangler sat looking mournfully at the crimson 
 Noose of Death. It lay inert in his hands, the hands of a very 
 old man, with fingers knotted by age. And yet, suddenly, the 
 twisted rope of faded silk shot out unerringly and looped itself 
 round Dilaram's pipe-bowl as it stood on the ground beside her 
 frilling petticoat. 
 
 It was even more flouncy than of yore, seeing that Dilaram 
 had grown inordinately stout. Phusla, on the other hand, was 
 as inordinately thin. A mere thread-paper of a pantaloon, yet 
 his eyes were keen still, with the keenness of youth. He heaved 
 a faint sigh, dexterously loosed the loop, rolled up the silken 
 rope, put it in a coil on the ground in front of him as he squatted, 
 worshipped it with appropriate gestures as if it had been a god, 
 then laid it tenderly in Dilaram's lap. 
 
 "To thy keeping, O revered sister, I entrust it," he said 
 mournfully, " for 'tis not safe with me in this mine own coun- 
 try." He stretched his empty hands over the wide valley of the 
 Nerbudda river, which lay below the rocky scarps of the high 
 central plateau of India. For Nurjahan's plan had been car- 
 ried out, and, after five months' journeying, the royal party had 
 settled down at Mandu, the capital of Malwa. A beautiful, 
 half ruined fortress-town set in beautiful scenery, and in a beau- 
 tiful, temperate climate. 
 
 " See you," continued old Phusla, " I was born yonder, and 
 I learnt my trade amid the tall sugar-brakes, the thickets of 
 grass, and the wide opium-poppy fields. Look ! Show they 
 not like the farthing toys full of coloured glass chips, the 
 
 185
 
 1 86 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 children turn to make patterns withal? Yea, they are God's 
 toys, and they make men dream by their colour as well as by 
 their juice ! To sit in the sun and see the Dream-compeller drop 
 like innocent milk ! Ah, sister, it maddens the brain ! And I 
 sat so but yesterday when I went forth a-hunting with the mis- 
 tress as usual. Ay, and I saw others of the tribe, who knew me 
 not, doing as I and to-day I tell thee my hand, old as it is, 
 itches to be at work again, bringing sleep. Lo ! I saw a fat 
 money-lender as I came homewards, trotting along solitary on 
 his mule, and 'twas all I could do to keep the Noose quiet. 
 Therefore, lest I bring disgrace upon my masters, for God's 
 sake, keep it safe from me " 
 
 Dilaram summoned up quite an appropriate shudder. " Not 
 I," she replied scornfully. " Take thy fat red worm away! 
 Shall I, governess to the noble harem of the Most Mighty, 
 condescend to the custody of a Noose that hath slain Heaven 
 knows how many virtuous men?" 
 
 "And women, sister!" put in Phusla with malevolent 
 accuracy. 
 
 Dilaram coughed. "Mayhap, old man," she returned after 
 a pause. " But thy fear of sin comes over late in the day. What 
 is a fowl to one who hath swallowed a sheep ?" 
 
 Phusla looked at her with wistful eagerness. " Wouldst have 
 me use it, then?" he" asked. 
 
 She laughed. "I said not. so and yet" her manner 
 changed " I would for my mistress's sake it were round some 
 necks I wot of; but of that no more at present. So, if thou 
 art afraid, meanwhile, of this " she touched the crimson coil 
 gingerly with one fat finger "why not bury it?" 
 
 Phusla shook his head. " I should but dig it up again, sister; 
 then I might return to my old life, and the mistress would lose 
 eyes and ears ; and that means more than thou thinkest, woman. 
 Yet I would not burn it, since she may need it yet. Therefore 
 it remains but that thou shouldst take custody. Then I can do 
 service with a heart at rest " 
 
 Dilaram snorted. " To beguile the Most High with tales of 
 tigers, and my mistress into spoiling her beauty by exposure to 
 the sun and wind and storms to say nothing of mosquitoes,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 187 
 
 sandflies, and such noxious beasts. I tell thee, old man, I am 
 at my wits' end to repair damages " 
 
 " Yet do we men not see them, sister," interposed the 
 Strangler mildly. " Nurjahan hath charm more powerful than 
 these. I tell thee she is as beautiful in hunting dress " 
 
 " Traa!" interposed Dilaram. " Try not to teach an old 
 parrot ! Do I not dress her in leathern doublet like a man each 
 day ? But there ! the times are upside down ! Pumpkins sink- 
 ing, millstones floating ! And all to follow my lord like a dutiful 
 wife, so one can say naught. And look you, fool, I admit she 
 is even more beautiful so." 
 
 "If thou hadst seen her as I saw her," broke in the old man, 
 his eyes aflame, " thou wouldst have called her the Great Mother 
 of Destruction fresh from Indra's heaven. Lo ! saw I never the 
 like, and no man neither ! See you my men had tracked four 
 tigers, and the Emperor's men marked them down close together. 
 So they lay and so they came out. Two together, one after- 
 wards and one again. And the mistress was in the howdah with 
 the Lord of Light. Now, how it came about I know not 
 mayhap 'twas a game between those two. But the Lord of 
 Light laughed and, keeping his hand on his gun, bade her fire. 
 And she did. First one, then the other, were deprived of life 
 utterly by one shot each. Then, ere there was time for gratula- 
 tion, out came another tiger. That took two shots, and so did 
 the tigress, which came out last. Thus we were all amazed, and 
 she sat smiling like the Goddess of Destruction ! Yea, yea, 
 saw I never the like in all my long life ! The bodies of four 
 tigers deprived of life in the twinkling of an eye ! Until now 
 was such shooting never seen, that from the top of an elephant, 
 from inside a howdah, six shots should be made, and not one 
 miss ; so that the four beasts found no opportunity to spring or 
 move ! Truly 'twas a marvel"* 
 
 Dilaram yawned. " And thou forgettest the best of the tale, 
 O reciter of stale news," she said scornfully. " Namely, that 
 the Lord of Light gave her two emerald bracelets worth a lakh 
 of rupees, and scattered 1,000 gold pieces over her, as reward." 
 
 Phusla's eyes twinkled. " Methinks she was more pleased 
 * Fro n the Memoirs.
 
 1 88 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 with the couplet the poet wrote on 't " ; and straightening him- 
 self he mouthed : 
 
 " In form a woman is fair Nurjahun, 
 Yet slays the tigers as she smites the man." 
 
 Dilaram frowned. " I like it not," she said; " it doth con- 
 tain allusion to matters best left alone. My late master Sher 
 Afkan (may his pilgrimage be fortunate !) was, all men know, 
 a tiger-slayer, but " 
 
 " His wife learnt it of him, doubtless," interposed Phusla 
 dryly. " Meanwhile, thou hast the Noose. Keep it, I pray, 
 against it may be wanted. Nay, woman, thou must. That it 
 is urgent, take my word. If thou didst understand the law of 
 the Stranglers thou wouldst know naught but death or duty parts 
 them from the Noose." 
 
 And he got up masterfully, leaving her staring distastefully 
 at what lay in her lap. Being, however, a woman of sound good 
 sense, she recognized the loss Phusla would be to her mistress; 
 in addition, she had quite an affection for the gentle, suave old 
 man. It would be a pity if he were disembowelled for murder 
 on the high road ; yet the Lord of Light was so set on equal 
 justice that he would not condone a fault even in a faithful 
 servant. And the mistress was learning the trick off him too 
 more was the pity. A body had to do duty fairly and squarely 
 or suffer. So she tucked the soft silken coil into her capacious 
 bosom, where it lay comfortably unrevealed in the contours. 
 
 Meanwhile, in another part of the Palace, Nurjahan, in con- 
 sultation with her father, sat looking at a paper with set lips 
 and keen eyes. 
 
 "Whose was this?" she asked. " I'll warrant me, Asof's. 
 Well, I like it not, and Prince Khurram must be instantly 
 advised " 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din shook his head. "Too late, I fear, me, 
 daughter. No messenger could reach ere the deed is done. And 
 after all, 'tis not so important, being but a slight matter." 
 
 " Slight; yet one that may lead to much. It saps, see you, 
 at the sovereignty of the King," replied Nurjahan. " Besides, 
 I like not to be outwitted even in slight matters, and those who
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 189 
 
 devised this thing have, of intent, left small time for amendment. 
 So a messenger the swiftest must start at once." 
 
 Again Ghiyass-ud-din shook his head. " The swiftest known 
 to me may be of no avail. And even if it were important, Prince 
 Khurram might be trusted. He is heart-whole loyal to his 
 father." 
 
 Nurjahan paused a second ere she answered. " Ay, heart- 
 whole loyal. Yet is he a juggler with words, and words are ever 
 untrustworthy. Yea, he is better diplomat than swordsman, 
 good as he is. That is why I would have all things clear as 
 crystal. Thou knowest as well as I, father, what this Court of 
 ours is like. There be those that favour Khurram, those that 
 favour prisoned Khushrau would God his father would set him 
 free ! I held it would be less evil if the people saw him ; 
 prisoned Princes are ever priceless and there be those who even 
 favour Parviz, who hath no brains. And they be all of one 
 mind concerning Nurjahan, who beguiles the Most High with 
 witcheries." She clasped her hands over her head and let them 
 fall apart with a gay gesture. " So be it ! But even Asof shall 
 not lead into a wrong path Prince Khurram, whom I favour, 
 partly because he is the best of the bunch, mostly because he is 
 the very apple of his father's eye, his son of good fortune and 
 Jahangir God help him ! needs good fortune in his life. So 
 the message shall be sent and that in time." 
 
 " But how? and by whom?" asked Ghiyass-ud-din incredu- 
 lously. 
 
 She laughed. " Knowest thou not by this time, father, 
 that I have magic at my command ? 'Tis hey presto ! Abra- 
 cadabra !" 
 
 " In truth, daughter," smiled her father fondly in return, 
 " folk say so. And thou hast the knack of making men who see 
 thee serve thee 'tis thy beauty, doubtless !" 
 
 " Ay," she answered suddenly, petulantly, " 'tis my beauty, 
 doubtless. Were I man, all could see me and all would serve 
 doubtless. " 
 
 There was one old man at any rate who was ready at all times 
 of the day or night to do her service ; so but a few minutes later 
 Phusla, squatted on the ground in the servants' quarters before
 
 1 9 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 his earthern firehole, was busy kneading hearth-cakes. Not that 
 he needed food ere starting on his errand, which was, briefly, to 
 give a certain letter to the nearest outpost of the Tribe, with 
 orders to hand it on along the Deccan road by all possible and 
 to others impossible speed, by day and night, through jungle 
 and jheel, by field and forest. It was over early hours for 
 dinner ; but he needed one of the hearth-cakes as a hiding-place 
 for that same letter ; a hearth cake with a big bubble to it. 
 
 So he went on kneading, though the elastic dough, soft and 
 smooth as putty, left both fingers and brass bowl clean, showing 
 it was ready for the fire. And as he kneaded, he watched a 
 fellow-servant who he felt sure was watching him ; who had, he 
 fancied, been spying on him for some days past. It was as well 
 to be sure. The man was small, slender, dark ; such another as 
 Phusla had been himself at that age. So he went on kneading 
 until curiosity prevailed. 
 
 " Thou art early at cooking this morn, father," came the 
 comment at last. 
 
 Phusla smiled innocently. " 'Tis because I am hurried 
 to-day, O my son," he replied, and the expected retort followed 
 fast. 
 
 " Not in kneading, father. Thou art particular about thy 
 dough." 
 
 The Strangler's eyes blinked for one moment. It was as he 
 suspected. He was being watched ; doubtless by a Bungler, 
 paid by other bunglers to do work he could not do. 
 
 "Particular?" echoed the old man suavely. "Yes, all are 
 particular when they desire bubbles on their bread ; and I am 
 partial to them." 
 
 As he spoke he caught up a lump of the dough, flapped his 
 first cake to due thinness and roundness between his palms, so 
 with a dexterous twist laid it, like a large wafer, on the hot 
 griddle which awaited it. A second or two and the cake was 
 ready for turning; a second more, and it was toasting on edge 
 before the glowing embers, and the heat, acting on the half- 
 baked dough, was raising a blister which grew and grew all over 
 the surface of the round cake, like a big bubble. 
 ."A good one that !" commented Phusla with a sudden grin
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 191 
 
 and a stony stare. " A body might hide a letter inside, and 
 were it deftly done by one who knows the trick, none would be 
 the wiser." 
 
 The man gave him a quick look of comprehension, knew him- 
 self discovered, and moved away, discomfited, in haste. 
 
 Phusla looked after him, chuckled, and muttered under his 
 breath, " Bungler !" It was clear that somehow or another the 
 fact that his mistress was using him as messenger had, even in 
 that short space of time, become known. How, it was useless 
 to inquire. All treacheries were possible in that environment. 
 His part was to devise some other method of concealment, and 
 that quickly, and to make his escape from the palace without an 
 instant's delay. Less than five minutes after, he started. A 
 very keen eye used to the trade might have noticed that the strip 
 of tinsel round the bambu pipe-stem all travellers carry had been 
 unwound and carefully retwined to allow of a slip of paper 
 being coiled beneath it ; but there was no other sign of a secret 
 letter. 
 
 So he felt safe. Not quite so much so when he was stopped 
 at the gate of the Palace by no less a person than Asof Khan 
 and accused by him of being a Strangler ; in other words, a 
 member of a secret and outlawed brotherhood liable to instant 
 death. 
 
 " But," faltered the Captain of the Guard almost fearfully, 
 " he is servant to her Highness the Begum." 
 
 " 'Tis for that I arraign him, with her consent," replied Asof 
 haughtily. " Lo ! the Emperor sits even now in the Hall of 
 Audience. Haul him thither; Jahangir will see justice done." 
 
 Phusla's keen eyes blinked again; he was wondering how 
 much they knew ; not much, unless he had missed seeing what 
 he ought to have seen ; and he had been very careful, especially 
 since he came to his own country. 
 
 He walked with the constable willingly, his mind busy with 
 his chances. Nurjahan, screened as usual beside the Emperor's 
 throne, lost more composure than he, as she saw her old servitor 
 in custody. That her message was the cause of his arrest was 
 patent; but on what count was he brought to the bar of justice? 
 
 The first words of the accusation opened her eyes. Truly the
 
 1 92 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 old Strangler stood in danger of his life, and she was power- 
 less to help. Even if she could have gained Jahangir's ear, she 
 knew him well enough to realize that an attempt to sway his 
 sense of justice would be vain. Dilaram, however, who as 
 governess to the harem sat at her mistress's feet, after craning 
 forward to look through the lattice, glanced back consolingly. 
 
 " Fear not for the old man, Highness!" she said. " Lo ! 
 he is cunning as a snake that ever goes crooked to its own hole. 
 Justice will slip off him like a camel in mud." 
 
 And Phusla, in truth, looked wondrous calm as he stood before 
 the man who had power to say " off with his head " if anything 
 in appearance or speech proved disagreeable. But Jahangir was 
 a fair judge; on so much history is agreed. 
 
 " What hast thou to say for thyself?" came the quiet ques- 
 tion when the accusation was finished, and the witness in chief 
 (the slender, dark man who had but now watched Phusla making 
 hearth-cakes and who had straightway gone to his employers and 
 told them that the only way to prevent some message being sent 
 \vas instant arrest) had given evidence that on the previous day, 
 being by chance in a grass thicket near the high road, he had 
 seen the accused with the crimson Noose of Death ready in his 
 hand, watching a traveller with evil, gloating eyes. 
 
 Phusla salaamed to the very ground. " I say, Lord of Light, 
 Protector of the Poor, that the witness was in truth watching the 
 traveller himself. That I watched him, so that he had to 
 refrain, and that his story is retaliation. Lo ! Most Just, it is 
 a question of the Noose. I say 'tis he who bears it, not I " 
 
 A faint stifled shriek, " Shah-bash ! Shah-bash !" came from 
 the screened balcony, but no one turned to look ; all were inter- 
 ested in the old man's dramatic appeal. " Lo!" he went on, 
 " let the Most High decide for himself. He knows that the 
 Strangler parts not from his Noose till death parts him from the 
 World ! Let the Pillar of Justice decide between us. If I bear 
 it, then let Death be my portion if he, let it be his. ' ' 
 
 He was playing a desperate game, staking his all on his 
 suspicion that the witness was a Bungler. 
 
 Dilaram in the latticed balcony was rocking herself backwards 
 and forwards in huge delight. " Lo, mistress," she chuckled
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 193 
 
 in a whisper, " said I not true? He is cunning as a snake ! 
 See, here is his Noose !" She pulled it out of her bodice and 
 laid the crimson coil at Nurjahan's feet. " There is no need 
 for fear ! He is safe he gave it me this very morn for custody. 
 Truly he is cunning !" 
 
 Meanwhile, the Emperor, suddenly interested, had turned to 
 the Court referee to know if what the man said about the Noose 
 was true. The answer came guarded, careful. Whether the 
 Strangler parted with his Noose or not was unverifiable, such 
 knowledge belonging to an unrecognized tribal custom; but 
 undoubtedly, the mere possession of a Noose was in law, proof 
 of guilt. 
 
 " Enough !" said the Emperor. " Strip the men !" 
 
 A minute later an anatomy, naked as the day he was born, 
 stood before the assembled courtiers, imperturbably calm, a look 
 of conscious rectitude on its wizened face. Beside it another 
 figure, also stark, save for a crimson girdle round its loins. 
 
 "Give me mine own again, good constable," said Phusla 
 when the inevitable verdict had been given, amid the applause 
 of most, and the ill-concealed chagrin of some of the spectators ; 
 " and forget not my pipe-stem, friend, since I go on a journey 
 without delay." 
 
 His voice, unnecessarily distinct, could be heard in the 
 screened balcony, and as he passed from the Presence he 
 salaamed twice, once to his Imperial judge, on whose crude sense 
 of justice he had so easily imposed, and once to the woman who 
 sat behind the screen, feeling outraged by that Noose of Death 
 that touched her feet, weary of this tissue of machinations neces- 
 sary to hold her position. 
 
 Yet it was worth while ! By taking on herself, through her 
 father, all the cares of State, Jahangir had been freed to follow 
 his real bent and to recover his balance in the outdoor life for 
 which he was best suited. Free to record with his own hand in 
 his Memoirs a thousand and one facts concerning such of God's 
 creatures as he met with, a thousand and one small details about 
 God's birds and beasts and plants and fishes the marvellous 
 affection of the big cranes for their young, and the quaint look 
 of the four-horned antelope, the " peculiarity of a bird to whom
 
 i 9 4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 water is said to be poison (though God knows the truth) ' ' ; above 
 all, the extraordinary beauty of a poppy-field in full flower. 
 
 And beside all this there are the records of the chase ! One 
 can see him, a tall man with sad eyes and a somewhat heavy- 
 looking, sallow face, the stoop of coming ill-health in his broad 
 shoulders, discussing the number of animals he himself had slain 
 since he first began to hunt at twelve years old. Eighteen 
 thousand more or less ; a goodly total ; or was it a bad one ? He 
 hardly knew, being in truth a man of two minds, one cruel, one 
 soft-hearted ; but he had, at any rate, done the world a good 
 turn in " ridding it of eighty-six noxious tigers." And through 
 it all, his one constant companion was Nurjahan; for, ever and 
 always " the Princess to whom he had given his unreserved con- 
 fidence " shared his pleasures and his pains. History nowhere 
 gives us an instance of more perfect comradeship ; and that very 
 evening the heavy face lighted up into absolute beauty as he said : 
 
 " Heart of mine ! Flow I thanked God that justice forbade 
 punishment of thine old servant ! Yea, I will remember it again 
 in my prayers." 
 
 For Jahangir had become very devout. Eight rosaries had he 
 of pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, 
 opals, and onyx, and each held four hundred beads. So at 
 every dawn-time three thousand two hundred words of prayer 
 were said, and said truly. The man was in earnest; yet who 
 could say how much of his profound interest in what he called 
 ''Eternity" was not due in the first instance to a desire to 
 emulate his father's example? 
 
 Anyhow, in the cool of the evenings in the old fort at Mandu, 
 he held many a discussion on religious and ethical points after 
 the manner of those which Akbar held at Fatepur Sikri. The 
 Jesuits were there, in greater numbers than before, and the 
 learned Mahomedan doctors still scowled at them. The more so 
 because Jahangir had hung a Christus and a Virgin to his chaplet 
 of beads. And Sir Thomas Roe, the English Ambassador, 
 scowled at the Portuguese priests also ; but this was because they 
 had told the Emperor that England was, as he had divined from 
 the poverty of presents, but a petty State in Europe. Still, on 
 the whole they were an amicable company, and circled sedately
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 195 
 
 round the Great Secret. Poor Sir Thomas Roe, it is true, 
 bewailed the fact that he found it impossible ' ' to convince these 
 heathen that the Christian faith was designed for the whole 
 earth, and that theirs, therefore, must be mere fable and gross 
 fabrication." He could see no sense in their reply " that they 
 pretended not that their law was of universal application. They 
 did not even say that his was a false religion. It might be 
 adapted to his wants and circumstances, God in His mercy having 
 doubtless appointed many different ways of going to heaven." 
 
 Such an answer he found amusing enough, but quite idle; a 
 position in which he found himself, rather to his dismay, backed 
 by the Jesuits. 
 
 So they sat on the silken carpets in the balconies that over- 
 looked the valley of the Nerbudda, while silent servants glided 
 about with comfits and sherbets, which they ate and drank as they 
 discussed the Humanities and the Infinities. Jahangir, his weak 
 head occasionally flustered with a few glasses of wine, would 
 talk misty mysticism of the Sufi school, the learned doctors 
 would prate in different terms, exactly what the Jesuits prated of 
 the Absolute, and Authority, and Atheism, while Sir Thomas 
 Roe would put in his word for Duty and Discipline, and the 
 Devil take the hindmost. 
 
 And more than once, the Emperor, confused in his own con- 
 ceits, would say : " Would God, gentlemen, Jadrup, the Hindu 
 saint, were here ! Without immoderate praise he sets forth 
 clearly the doctrines of wholesome Sufism, and from him can we 
 hear many sublime words of religious duties and knowledge of 
 Divine things." 
 
 Then one day, when this regret had been reiterated, a voice 
 from behind the screen where, on these occasions, the princess 
 who had been given the Emperor's unreserved confidence invari- 
 ably sat, said gently : " Jadrup is here, my lord ! Shall I bid 
 him enter?" 
 
 In a second Jahangir's face was as a boy's. " Jadrup !" he 
 cried. " Lo ! this is magic indeed !" 
 
 All eyes were turned to the figure of a Hindu ascetic which 
 showed in the shadowy archway ; almost a living skeleton, yet 
 curiously beautiful, like the figure of a carven ivory Christ upon
 
 196 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the Cross. Hairless, toothless, clothless; yet all this forgotten 
 in the soft eyes, lambent with a shady light, that seemed to see 
 things unseen by others. But the whole figure seemed athrill, 
 as it were, to hear sounds unheard, and feel things unfelt. It 
 made no salutation, this figure showing light amid the shadows. 
 It stood still, grave with a soft almost smiling gravity. 
 
 "Dost ask of Jadrup what he thinks, O great King?" he 
 said slowly. " Then dost thou ask thyself, since all are One. 
 Tdt twdm ussi. Thou art that. The Twain are no more twain. 
 All things am I ; yea ! I am all things. Myself within the heart 
 smaller than a grain of corn, smaller than a mustard seed ! 
 Myself within the heart greater than the earth, greater than the 
 heavens ! Lo ! He who beholds all beings in himself and him- 
 self in all beings, he never turns away from it. When to him 
 who understands, this Self has become all things, what sorrow, 
 what trouble can there be to him who has once beheld that unity ? 
 He, the Self, encircles all; bright, incorporal, scatheless, pure, 
 untouched by evil ; wise, omnipresent, self -existent, disposing all 
 things rightly for eternal years. He, therefore, who knows this 
 becomes quiet, subdued, satisfied, patient, and collected. He 
 sees Self in Self, sees Self in all. Free from evil, free from 
 stain, free from doubt, he becomes True Wisdom. Lo ! he who, 
 meditating on this Self in Self, recognizes as God the Ancient 
 of Days who dwells for ever in the Abyss, he hath left joy and 
 sorrow behind him; but having reached true Life, he rejoices 
 because he hath obtained the cause of rejoicing." 
 
 The modulated voice, falling to quiet depths, rising to still 
 heights, ceased, and there was silence. Out in the west beyond 
 the curved blue veil of the world, the vanished sun had left a 
 legacy of light, clear, pellucid as a golden topaz. There was 
 no sound. All things seemed bound in an eternal peace. 
 
 Jahangir was the first to rouse himself from the half hypnotic 
 trance in which the Gosain's words seemed to have plunged all. 
 
 " Said I not truth?" he murmured. " Said I not he had the 
 Secret?" 
 
 But the others woke by degrees to say anathema. Such talk 
 was impious worse, ridiculous since how could the Less con- 
 tain the Greater? So self-satisfied, serene, they pulled Jadrup's 
 words to pieces. But he himself had gone, as he had come, as
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 197 
 
 if by magic ; and after a time the Emperor, wearying, gave the 
 signal for dismissal. So the Absolute and the Infinite had to 
 play second fiddle to the whims of a man. When all the guests 
 had departed Nurjahan came out from behind her screen and 
 stood beside Jahangir, overlooking the fast darkening valley. 
 He stretched his hand out to her. 
 
 "Again, truly," he said affectionately, " thou art witch 
 indeed ! How didst prevail on Jadrup to leave his grave that 
 he had dug for himself and come hither?" 
 
 She smiled. "Doth not my lord say how, in calling me a 
 witch? By magic, without doubt." 
 
 The nimbleness of her mind was a perpetual joy to him. 
 " Yea !" he said softly. " Thou art the magic box in which my 
 life lies hid, as the children tell in their fairy-tales." And he 
 held her to him and kissed her passionately. Yet even so, even 
 though he was very dear to her, even though she spent her whole 
 life in thought for him, a passionate regret and remorse that she 
 could never feel as he did, that for her this exaltation of 
 emotion was not and never could be, rose up within her. For 
 him the moment was one of unalloyed content ; he had forgotten 
 his world : she remembered hers. 
 
 "I have news for your Highness," she said. " 'Tis from 
 Khurram !" 
 
 " Then 'tis bound to be good !" answered Jahangir joyously, 
 a-thrill to his finger-tips. " Lo ! I took an augury from the 
 Diwan of Hafiz, but the other night, as to how the Deccan affair 
 would end, and my blind finger found the couplet : 
 
 " ' The day of absence and the night of parting from my friend 
 Is over, and fulfilment is the end.' 
 
 So, 'tis bound to be good " 
 
 Nurjahan smiled as she might have at a child. 
 
 "Yea, 'tis good. The Deccan is conquered." 
 
 He stood for a second almost overwhelmed. " Baba 
 Khurram !" he murmured. " My fortunate son, Baba Khur- 
 ram ! Truly am I blessed. Truly must I open my lips in thank- 
 fulness before the throne of that God who requires no return 
 for such a son for such a wife ! ' ' 
 
 And over the curved edge of the shadow that held the world 
 that lay at their feet, the sky still showed cloudless, full of light.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 " ' This world is but a bridge,' said Christ-Messie. 
 ' Pass o'er in prayer ; build not ; for what you see 
 Is but an hour, the Rest unknown. Yet hope. 
 Who hopes an hour hopes for Eternity.' " 
 
 To this hour these words, carven in red sandstone round the huge 
 oblong of the Door of Great Height at Fatehpur Sikri, send out 
 their message of transience to the world. And on this January 
 morn, 1619, some eight years after Nurjahan had promised 
 Jahangir to forgive if she could not forget, they showed clear-cut 
 in their warning; a warning that was echoed in every stone of 
 the deserted city of disappointment and disillusionments. For 
 even then Fatehpur Sikri had been left to solitude for long years. 
 Its marvellous palaces had been already the haunt of bats and 
 owls; its wide streets had been the skulking-place of jackals 
 and hyenas, and its gardens had been given over to the parrots 
 and the monkeys, Then suddenly the Court had decided to halt 
 there, for plague was raging in the capital, Agra; and even in 
 those days the danger of contagion was well known and was 
 avoided. Yet, though but a score or so of miles apart, Fatehpur, 
 perched on its dry red ridge, had hitherto been immune from the 
 disease; and so the fiat had gone forth that all things there were 
 to be as they had been; and it was so. With the almost incon- 
 ceivable rapidity which comes from unbounded wealth, unlimited 
 labour, all things had been galvanized into fresh life, and the 
 empty palaces resounded once more to the fulsome flatteries and 
 secret plottings of an Eastern Court. The rustle of silks and 
 satins, the glitter of jewels, filled the wide arcades; while over 
 in Agra the poor were dying daily in their thousands. It is a 
 strange tale, as it is written in Jahangir's own hand in his Memoirs, 
 this tale of how the plague appeared. 
 
 " The daughter of Asof Khan, the elder," he writes, " tells me, 
 and insists upon its truth, that one day in the courtyard of her 
 
 198
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 199 
 
 house a rat was observed rising and falling in a distracted state. 
 It was running about after the manner of drunkards, not knowing 
 where to go. She said to one of her girls, ' Take it by the tail 
 and throw it to the cat.' And the cat was delighted. It seized 
 it, but instantly dropped it. Then the cat became ill, but 
 recovered. The girl, however, died next day. Seven or eight 
 people died also, and so many were ill that they went into the 
 garden from that lodging. In brief, in the space of nine days 
 seventeen people became travellers on the road of annihilation." 
 To which succinct account a contemporaneous writer adds: 
 " If the people of that house had left it altogether and gone 
 into the country, they would have been saved, but owing to that 
 step not being taken, the whole town was destroyed." 
 
 Have we in this year of grace 1916 got much further than rats 
 and segregation ? 
 
 The risk of infection being thus clearly recognized, there 
 were doubtless quarantine stations between Fatehpur and Agra, 
 thus emphasizing the wide chasm which yawned between the 
 glittering Court and the dying people. 
 
 Yet that message of transience and hope upon Akbar's Arch of 
 Victory gave on the wide plain of the world and took no heed to 
 high or low, rich or poor. 
 
 The high certainly heeded it but little; for those four years 
 since Prince Khurram had come back triumphant from a peaceful, 
 settled Deccan to receive at his delighted father's hands the title 
 of Shahjahan, or King of the world, and to have gold coins 
 showered over his head in token of uttermost appreciation, had 
 been years of good fortune for everybody. Jahangir had re- 
 covered much of his mental and bodily health, the Empire had 
 been prosperous, and Nurjahan, through her father, had managed 
 all things well. 
 
 For the most part the time had been spent in travel, and 
 everywhere those two Jahangir and Nurjahan had been fast 
 companions. In his Memoirs such words as the following are 
 frequent: " The roads being difficult, I ordained that my mother 
 and the other ladies should remain behind while I and Nurjahan 
 Begum went on." 
 
 Together they had seen the sea for the first time in their lives;
 
 200 
 
 together they had tempted, and probably found, sea-sickness in 
 an open boat; together they had viewed many notable places, 
 and shot dozens and dozens of strange wild-fowl and poor foolish 
 beasts. And together they braved sickness ; for Nurjahan appears 
 to have excelled as a nurse, and we hear of her unremitting care 
 for her husband, her stepson, and her step-grandson, the baby 
 who was born when little Chamani died. And here they were 
 within an ace, these two, of another similar tragedy, but fortu- 
 nately Nurjahan's care and Jahangir's vow which he kept 
 never again willingly to kill any of God's creatures, were successful, 
 and little Prince Bravery lived to delight their hearts. 
 
 So we read how the Emperor sat on the howdah a-hunting, and 
 got Nurjahan to shoot the man-eating tiger, apparently quite 
 content to see her do his part, so long as he was there to see, and 
 enjoy, through her, the pleasure of the sport. 
 
 A marvellous record, indeed, of absolute self-effacement. 
 How many lovers would be capable of it ? 
 
 We read also of how Nurjahan herself fell sick, and the 
 physicians confessed their helplessness in treating her, until by 
 the aid of God Glory be to His Name ! a new one found a new 
 remedy, and in a short time she quite recovered; whereupon, as 
 a reward for this most excellent service, this fortunate one was 
 given three villages in his native country, and a fee of his own 
 weight in silver, which panned out at some twelve stone. 
 
 For Jahangir had been anxious; how anxious only Nurjahan 
 knew. 
 
 But the anxiety was over. This very day she was to give a 
 feast to celebrate her complete convalescence. Yet as she waited 
 in the alcove of Akbar's palace, surrounded by every luxury 
 that unlimited love could shower upon her waited with the 
 certainty that her husband's morning visit would surely bring 
 her fresh proof of his unreserved confidence she knew that but 
 for him and her father she had not a true friend in the whole 
 Court; not a friend more true to her interests than to his 
 own. 
 
 Shahjahan ? Yes, so far as their views were identical he 
 would march with her, but beyond ? She did not know. Asof, 
 her brother ? She had never trusted him. Mohabat Khan, the
 
 201 
 
 best General of his time ? He was as the others obsequious 
 to her face, envious of her power, scornful of her sex. 
 
 There was Fedai Khan, of course ! She smiled as she thought 
 of him, the tempter, who had been set to conquer, and had re- 
 mained to serve. The curled darling of the Court, whom no 
 woman could resist, who, therefore, might be a means of bringing 
 a woman into conspiracy's power; for there was scarcely one 
 net which had not been spread for her feet. Fedai Khan, " the 
 Prince of Devoted Servants," who had been given the title by her 
 husband for his faithful devotion to one " beautiful as she was 
 good, good as she was beautiful !" 
 
 No wonder the Court was against her, no wonder it was hard 
 for mortal man of those times to realize that the tie which held 
 Jahangir absorbed in Nurjahan was not a sensual, but a spiritual 
 one. It would have been hard even in these days to realize that 
 a woman, still possessed of every feminine allurement, should 
 have left sex behind her. But she had. She was close on fifty 
 years of age. Never in the heyday of her youth had the things 
 of sense had much appeal for her, and through all her long and 
 varied life there never was a whisper against her chastity. A 
 curious record for an Eastern beauty, and one of beauty so in- 
 comparable. But her whole existence was one long marvel. 
 
 So as she lay amongst the embroidered -pillows, awaiting 
 Jahangir's gratulations on this her Feast of Health, she was 
 half weary of her power, half exultant over it. 
 
 He came at last, tall, not so stout as he had been, his hair 
 beginning to be sprinkled with silver, his broad chest hollowed a 
 bit with threatened asthma, his heavy face alight at the sight 
 of her. 
 
 What did they say to each other ? It is hard even to imagine; 
 they were so different in all ways. Perhaps they said nothing 
 save of how Prince Bravery had learnt a whole chapter of the 
 Koran, and how the big cranes had actually hatched both their 
 eggs. For Jahangir's life, judged by his Memoirs, was made up 
 of such trifling things. That, the receiving of rubies, the bestow- 
 ing of robes and honours, mixed up with a gentle hankering after 
 eternal values, seem to have filled up his days. There are no 
 more outbursts of senseless passion, no more cruelties, or over-
 
 202 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 bearing judgments. Even in the business of accepting presents 
 a change had come over the Emperor's manner. " On Thursday, 
 the 4th/' he writes, " the offerings of Mukarrab Khan were 
 laid before me. There was nothing rare on them, nor anything 
 to which my fancy turned, and so I felt ashamed. Finally I 
 gave them to the children to take into the harem." 
 
 Ay, he had changed, and like a flash it came home to the 
 woman who had bound herself to him out of a desire for revenge 
 that she was changed also. Where was her revenge now ? It 
 was lost. She had forgotten it absolutely in her care for this 
 man's welfare; this man who was as a child in her hands. 
 
 And this January morning he was even more childlike than 
 usual, for he was primed with a great secret of his own devising, 
 a secret present ! 
 
 " Thou canst not guess what 'tis," he said joyously. " By 
 all the twelve Imams ! how oft have I not been tempted to ask 
 thy advice, and so stultify myself ! But 'tis done ay, well 
 done also ! Fedai !" he called, " bid the Master of the Mint 
 bring what he hath made, and make thy respects to Her Majesty 
 on this her Health Day thou hast my permission." 
 
 The figure which in answer to the call stood with lowered 
 eyes beyond the draped curtain was one to gladden the eye. 
 From the sole of its buckskinned feet to the tip of its turban's 
 tassel it was perfect, simply irresistible; and a slow, kindly smile 
 spread over the royal faces as they watched the superb salaam 
 that sent, as it should do for perfection, just the faintest perfume 
 of musk into the air. 
 
 " Majesty hath more than my respect," said the young man 
 mellifluously. " She hath all God hath given to Hidayat-ullah, 
 so called Fedai Khan ! Most Merciful, the Master of the Mint 
 presents his work !" 
 
 A minute later Nurjahan was looking with startled, almost 
 incredulous eyes from a gold coin that lay in her palm to the face 
 of the man who, with a wave of his despotic hand, had dismissed 
 even perfection, and was looking at her as the lad Salim had looked 
 at the girl Mihr-un-nissa in the Gold-Scattering Garden long years 
 before. She did not love him even now, and yet the look thrilled 
 her.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 203 
 
 'Tis like thee, is it not, wife ?" said the man. " Lo ! I had 
 it done ten times ere I was satisfied. But now " his voice 
 trembled with his emotion " now am I quite content." And 
 he bent over and kissed the hand that held the coin. 
 
 A few of that minting remain to this day. They show a 
 woman's face superimposed upon a man's, with the legend: 
 " This coin obtains a hundred values from the face of Nurjahan 
 Padshah Begum !" So much he who runs may read; but it needs 
 imagination to realize the meaning of it in the year of grace 16.19 
 in an Oriental country. Even Nurjahan herself was taken 
 aback by seeing facts thus pictorically presented. But Jahangir 
 was too full of his idea to face practicalities. 
 
 " Lo !" he continued, " now may God send what He will 
 for see you, I grow old past fifty now. Yet if the Call comes I 
 leave Majesty behind me. Yea, the verse is true: 
 
 " ' If thou remain'st though I am not, 'tis well. 
 Life's feast be thine, for me the funeral knell ! 
 Death comes to all. I reck not when or how, 
 So that men say, "At her dear feet he fell." ' " 
 
 There was silence, and tears clouded her clear sight for a 
 space. Then with an effort she smiled, and said lightly: " My 
 Lord hath altered the verse 'tis better than Nizami's." 
 
 She spoke almost at random, urged thereto by desire not to 
 break down, to get back somehow to the commonplace. And 
 she succeeded; Jahangir, easily diverted even from his emotions, 
 laughed self-consciously. " Yea, dearest," he replied. " There 
 is in me somewhat of a poet. Thou art happier in versification 
 than I, but I have the better judgment, methinks. 'Twas I, 
 remember, that was amazed at the quatrain of someone we found 
 engraved on the stone at By ana, by the drinking-fountain. 
 Truth, 'tis a fine verse, whoever wrote it." 
 
 And he quoted, and quoted well: 
 
 " ' For some we loved, the Loveliest and the Best 
 That from his vintage rolling Time have prest, 
 Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before, 
 And one by one crept silently to Rest.' " 
 
 The words, quaintly unknswn, pleased mind and body; he was 
 out of the depths and afloat once more on the easy curfent 
 of life.
 
 204 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 And Nurjahan was relieved. She wanted time to think, and 
 after he had left her she sat looking out on her world with her 
 usual calmness; but the tears seemed there, still clouding her 
 clear sight. 
 
 Not for long, howeVer. Within an hour, seated behind the 
 jarokha in the Audience Hall, she was watching the effect which 
 Jahangir's new coin had upon the Court. Never before had she 
 fully realized her crime in being a woman. Never before had 
 she grasped thoroughly the fact that she lived solely by reason 
 of the beauty which had captivated a King. Yet not one word 
 of dissent was spoken; nothing but fulsome flattery, nothing 
 but artificial acquiescence. Therein lay the sting of it. With 
 all her power she was but a puppet in the hand of the Emperor 
 of all the Indies. 
 
 Had she heard the comments which passed from lip to lip 
 when the audience was over, she could not have felt the wound 
 of her friendlessness more acutely. Yet as the company drifted 
 away, comment rose rife. 
 
 " "Tis the cursed beauty of her that hath bewitched the Most 
 High," said one, concentrating the criticism of his group, " and 
 she hath so many charms there is no trapping her ! Would to 
 God she were in Agra, to die of the plague !" 
 
 " Folk die of it in other places beside Agra," suggested a sallow- 
 faced man, as the knot drifted away discussing the outrage 
 discussing, mayhap, some fresh idea of conspiracy. 
 
 Shahjahan, however, with his father-in-law and counsellor 
 Asof Khan, who went with him everywhere, strolled moodily and 
 silently to his grandfather's Arch of Victory. It was a spot he 
 liked; one that suited the idea of Empire which had obsessed him, 
 since, as a boy of twelve, he had seen that grandfather hesitate 
 in his choice of an heir. Possibly the boy he had been Akbar's 
 favourite grandson dreamt dreams even then, and was dis- 
 appointed in immediate realization. Certain it is that he never 
 wavered in his determination to succeed his father on the throne 
 of India. It was the secret of his loyalty, the essence of every 
 action of his life. And so far he had succeeded. At twenty- 
 seven years of age he was Jahangir's son of lofty fortune, his 
 prosperous and noble son, the star in his forehead of accom-
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 205 
 
 plished desires, the brilliancy of the brow of prosperity. He was 
 all that, and yet, as he stood looking out over the plains of India, 
 he asked himself what security had he that his father might not 
 in the end revert, on his deathbed, to the claims of seniority as 
 his grandfather had done ? It was a maxim in the Timurian 
 family that, while the eldest born still lived, the monarchy 
 must never pass to a junior. That was the secret of his grand- 
 father's vacillation. 
 
 And his elder brother Khushrau still lived. Nay, more; there 
 was not wanting a cabal to end his imprisonment. The hell- 
 doomed infidel Gosain Jadrup, to whose opinion the Emperor 
 was over inclined, favoured it. And Nurjahan also ! Was it 
 only woman's pity for a man wasting his youth in captivity ? 
 Or was there in it something malign ? 
 
 Suspicious by nature, silent, proud, loved but by few, feared 
 by all, Shahjahan felt that this new whim of his father's was 
 dangerous. He had said that he would leave Majesty behind 
 him. It was one of his many conceits, and probably meant 
 nothing. But if it meant a woman 
 
 " The Begum hath invited Prince Khushrau to her entertain- 
 ment this evening, and Majesty hath consented. Is't the thin 
 end of the wedge to perfect freedom, think you ?" suggested 
 Asof Khan half craftily; but, in truth, working as he did ever for 
 his daughter and not for his sister, he was genuinely alarmed at 
 the new turn of affairs. 
 
 Shahjahan swore a good round oath. " Would to God," 
 he exclaimed, " that he would die of the plague ! 'Twould 
 make things clearer." 
 
 So in the streets and alleys of the red sandstone city, so lately 
 tenanted only by the innocent birds and beasts, man walked 
 up and down, dealing death by the Great Scourge as a remedy 
 for their trivial jealousies; while but a few miles away in Agra 
 Fate was meting it out lavishly on the just and the unjust. 
 
 But perhaps Nurjahan alone of all the dwellers in the City of 
 Shelter and Victory felt the Shadow of Tragedy looming ahead. 
 She sat in hurried counsel with her father, her chin resting on 
 her knees above her clasped hands, her lips set fast, her eyes 
 keen, looking out beyond the old face that showed so kindly,
 
 206 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the old mind that palavered so adroitly of wisdom, and beyond 
 the walls Akbar had reared, out to the future of which neither he 
 nor she could tell anything. 
 
 " I like it not/' she said suddenly. " 'Tis a parting of the 
 ways; yet will I take it without fear. Lo ! the remembrance of 
 my lord's great goodness should be a light to my path !" 
 
 The old man's wisdom flickered. " And when the light is 
 quenched ?" he asked querulously, the suggestion falling as it 
 were distastefully from his lips. 
 
 She threw her head back suddenly and laughed. " It will be 
 darkness," she replied lightly, " yet mayhap darkness may be 
 more peaceful than this day of deceits and dangers. But till 
 then " her henna-stained fingers closed tightly on her henna- 
 stained palm " I hold all !" 
 
 Small wonder if she did, for if ever woman had the will and the 
 power to be all things, to do all things, it was Nurjahan Padshah 
 Begum. She never hesitated about money; Jahangir had from 
 time to time gifted her almost with provinces. Their revenues 
 were well spent in maintenance, but the surplus she lavished 
 like water in giving pleasure to the man she had monopolized. 
 Twenty thousand pounds on a jewelled robe for Shahjahan, 
 in order to win a smile from his adoring father: thirty thousand 
 to enable her father's yearly offering to be, as it ever was, the 
 best of the bunch. And only this January evening fabulous sums 
 had been spent on the entertainment she was giving in a garden 
 a few miles out from Fatehpur. And if Jahangir had been 
 secret over his new coin, Nurjahan had been trebly so over her 
 preparations. None knew what novelty was brewing. 
 
 It was January, even in Hindustan mid- winter. Fully one half 
 of the trees in Northern India at this season have shed their 
 leaves, and all are equally bare of flower or fruit. Scarcely a 
 season, therefore, for what is nowadays called a garden-party. 
 
 But money can do most things in a land where there are millions 
 of men many of them skilled artificers at command. 
 
 So as, descending from the Imperial dhooli, Jahangir walked 
 through the tunnelled archway of the gate into the garden, he 
 rounded up sharply in sheer astonishment. 
 
 For the scene was summer ! High summer-tide ! Every
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 207 
 
 tree had burst into leaf and flower and fruit., every rose-bush 
 was covered with blossom. The white gardenia scented the air, 
 the scarlet of the pomegranate bells dazzled the eyes, a d amongst 
 the burnished foliage of the orange groves hung golden globes 
 side by side with waxen perfumed flowers. Dark green velvet 
 starred with innumerable blossoms covered the ground, and in 
 the moonlight showed like softest sod, while from every tree 
 rose the song of birds. In the cool shallows of the marble water- 
 courses goldfish darted hither and thither, and the fountains, 
 lit by many-coloured lights into iridescent colours, fell in spray 
 upon huge lotus blossoms, white, pink, red. In the central 
 four-square of the garden stood a huge golden cage, spired and 
 domed, that rose high out of long lines and festoons of soft 
 twinkling lamps so high, it seemed to touch the very sky. 
 
 For one instant the Emperor stood confused; then reached, 
 as if in doubt, to touch a flowering peach-branch that swept 
 above his head. As he did so a well-known voice said in his ear: 
 
 " Why risk a touch when sight says nothing lacks? 
 In a king's hand the whole world is as wax !" 
 
 He turned in a flash of recognition to catch a mere glimpse of 
 a close-veiled figure slipping away through the crowd of courtiers 
 behind him; courtiers who for the time were forgetting con- 
 spiracy in amazement. 
 
 The quip one of many, for Nurjahan's talent for such jeu 
 d'esprit was one of her many attractions put the coping-stone 
 to the Emperor's delight. 
 
 " Witch !" he murmured to himself in a full flood of amusement 
 and admiration. 
 
 A minute or two afterwards, as he entered the golden cage, 
 however, both increased if that were possible by finding the 
 witch ready to receive him, dressed as a peacock ! He sank 
 into the cushions beside her and laughed till his sides ached 
 again. 
 
 " Thou hast no right to that, sweetheart, being female," he 
 said, touching her jewelled feathery train that swept away, 
 and away, and away behind her. 
 
 She replied with perfect gravity. " Has not my lord heard
 
 208 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the tale of the peacock, who gave his tail to the pea-hen ?" she 
 asked demurely, and then set out to relate it in her best style. 
 Yet all the while the Shadow of Tragedy was in her heart. 
 
 For all that the fun waxed fast and furious, as it did ever on 
 such occasions. A gorgeous repast was served under the green 
 velvet canopies and in the golden cage, whither came, by invita- 
 tion, the few who were .privileged to see the ladies; amongst 
 these, of course, the Grand Vizier Ghiyass-ud-din, who naturally, 
 as Nurjahan's right hand, had been in the secret of the Garden 
 of Magic Summer. 
 
 " All hath gone well, daughter," he said doubtfully, as for 
 a moment off her guard her weariness of look struck him. 
 
 " Ay !" she assented coldly. " There remains but the enter- 
 tainments, and they are good." 
 
 And they were. Jahangir has given us his estimate of the 
 juggling in his Memoirs. " Never did I see or hear of anything 
 in execution so wonderfully strange as was exhibited with ap- 
 parent facility by these seven conjurors. In truth, though we 
 bestow on these performances the character of a trick, they very 
 evidently partake of the nature of something beyond the exertion 
 of human energy. It seems, indeed, that there exists in some men 
 a peculiar and essential faculty which enables them to accom- 
 plish things far beyond the ordinary scope of human exertion, 
 and frequently to baffle the utmost subtlety of the understanding. 
 I dismissed them finally with a donation of fifty thousand rupees, 
 and the intimation that all the amirs of my Court, from the 
 order of one thousand rupees salary and upwards, should each 
 and all contribute something in due proportion." 
 
 A quaint admixture of speculation and finance, rery satis- 
 factory to the jugglers ! 
 
 So the hours slipped by. The water-clock at the arched gate- 
 way counted them drop by drop, and the old wizened anatomy 
 of a man who stood in charge of the gong beat them out in mellow, 
 hollow notes. For the measure of the day and night was almost 
 a sacred duty in the Mogul Court, where the monarch learnt not 
 to " surrender more than two or three of these coins of time to 
 the plundering of sleep," but to be " wakeful, because a lasting 
 slumber lies ahead of all."
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 209 
 
 So one by one the record of them quivered through the moon- 
 lit, lamp-lit air among the waxen flowers and fruits, among the 
 singing birds deftly concealed in cages amid the foliage, among 
 the smiling, flattering courtiers. 
 
 It was a world of pretence, indeed, and one weary woman, 
 even in the height of her success, longed to be far from it. Twelve 
 o'clock ! She counted the strokes even as she uttered one of her 
 smartest, wittiest repartees. 
 
 " What new device is this ?" asked Jahangir delightedly, as 
 up the central green velvet path one of the royal dhoolis came 
 swinging, borne by four men. 
 
 ' 'Twill be the new singer from Delhi," replied Nurjahan, 
 stifling a yawn. " I sent for her, seeing that report saith she is 
 even as the angels of God. Fedai, go down and receive her with 
 due honour." 
 
 With one of his most irresistible salaams the gorgeous figure of 
 the Court dandy stepped gracefully down the lamp-edged steps, 
 and the Court beauties craned through the wires to watch him. 
 The men bodies, however, were more anxious to see what sort 
 of woman an angel of God might be ! But the glare of the lamps, 
 soft as it was, half shrouded the little group in a golden mi$t as, 
 the curtains of the dhooli withdrawn, Fedai Khan, with a swagger, 
 prepared to assist the fair occupant to descend. She did not move. 
 
 " Most Marvellous !" began, with another elaborate bow, the 
 man to whom singers and dancers were over familiar; then his 
 jaw fell: " Allah-i-hakk /" he muttered hoarsely, starting back. 
 
 For the sight he saw was ghastly enough. Propped up by 
 pillows into a semblance of life sat a dead woman, bedizened, 
 bedecked, the tawdry finery of her profession contrasting bitterly 
 with the still majesty of the clay-cold face. 
 
 His whispered exclamation reached Nurjahan's ears, over- 
 powering the flutings of the birds and the insistent low throbbing 
 of the drums which are the inevitable accompaniment of all 
 Eastern entertainments. 
 
 She was on the alert in a second, as she ever was; for life was 
 one long round of superintendence and supervision. 
 
 " What is% Fedai ?" she called, and added imperiously, " Do 
 what thou canst !"
 
 210 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 The words seemed to bring comprehension to the Prince of 
 Devoted Servitors; comprehension of danger, possibly of death. 
 But with the comprehension came devoted service, and he pulled 
 himself together. 
 
 " The honourable lady is ill," he said, as with a hand that, 
 despite his effort, trembled, he stepped forward and drew the 
 curtains. " With permission I will escort her to a physician." 
 
 So adown the velvet pathway the royal palanquin ambled, 
 Fedai Khan keeping that trembling hand of his on the curtain, 
 while whisperings arose amongst the guests; whisperings, and 
 amongst some, covert smiles and sneers, while one or two looked 
 disappointed, as if some mischief had missed its mark. 
 
 Perhaps it had ! Nurjahan did not stop to think. 
 
 " Master of the Ceremonies !" came her clear cold voice, 
 " The next item and quickly, slave ! 
 
 It was an acrobatic performance, and greatly interested 
 Jahangir, so far, indeed, as he could be interested, for sleep had 
 almost overtaken him. 
 
 But the mind of the Princess to whom he had given his unre- 
 served confidence was busy now with possibilities. What had 
 it been ? What had folks dared to do ? Her keen sight seemed 
 to have seen a dead face. Had they meant to spoil the festival ? 
 Or was it more ? 
 
 An hour or two afterwards, in her own apartments, she was 
 receiving Fedai Khan's report. 
 
 " Was it of plague the woman died ?" she asked bluntly. 
 
 The strong man flushed a little. " We did not touch her, 
 Highness. Old Phusla came, and some of his belongings carried 
 her to the jungle and burnt her dhooli and all." 
 
 She frowned, but she acquiesced. Life must be dear to the 
 curled darling of the Court; and yet she would fain have known 
 what her enemies had dared. 
 
 " See that another dhooli, alike in all points, be made at once," 
 she said, briefly adding after a pause, " So that ends it !" 
 
 But in her heart of hearts she knew it had but just begun, 
 that she must be prepared for endless plottings and counter- 
 plottings. 
 
 And her very soul sickened at the thought, even while her 
 high spirit rose up in arms against her enemies.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 " In the Serai the Travellers sit and drink 
 Of Friendship's cup with many a nod and wink. 
 Yet some are Murderers, and some are Thieves ; 
 Only God knows what in their hearts they think." 
 
 " 'Tis ever wiser to have two strings to one's bow/' said Nur- 
 jahan, ending a discussion with her father. " And safety lies, 
 when there are plots, in starting others. A multitude of hares 
 perplexes the dogs ; as all know. Shahjahan hath angered Prince 
 Parviz by his jealousy; as if any sane man should be jealous of 
 such a good-natured boy ! Therefore thou must work on the 
 latter to see in Khushrau's release a hope of revenge on Shah- 
 jahan. And the Gosain Jadrup can be bribed to support the 
 release also " 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din shook his head. " 'Tis ill bribing a holy 
 man " he began. 
 
 Nurjahan laughed. " Bribe him by his holiness, father ! 
 He hath an overweening conceit of his own morality. Show 
 him that the worldly do not wish it, and he is caught in the snare 
 of his virtue." 
 
 She spoke bitterly, since in truth her heart was hardening 
 under the pressure of her surroundings; for all save the man 
 whose welfare was now so bound up in her own that it was im- 
 possible to separate their interests. 
 
 " And," she added in a different tone, " 'twill be better for 
 the Emperor's peace of mind. He is not full satisfied concerning 
 Khushrau himself; else would he long ago have yielded to the 
 claim of death for which Shahjahan's success calls so loud " 
 
 " Most true," put in Ghiyass-ud-din craftily; " but if the 
 Timurid law of seniority doth harass the King, will it not in- 
 crease this if Khushrau be set free ?" 
 
 " 'Twill salve the present; and I mean it not to affect the 
 future," replied the Empress curtly; " but 'twill strengthen my
 
 212 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 hands in regard to Shahjahan and keep him where I wish him to 
 remain, in the right path. Therefore prepare Parviz. His 
 offering must be superb. My revenues are his, so see that 
 nothing lacks !" 
 
 And nothing did lack. Parviz, arriving from Allahabad to 
 pay his respects to the Emperor, presented gifts ip the value, 
 they say, of four millions of money eighty trained elephants 
 of the highest value; two hundred thoroughbred horses caparisoned 
 in gold; a thousand dromedary camels chosen for their speed; to 
 say nothing of trays on trays of the rarest fabrics and the most 
 costly jewels. 
 
 No wonder is it that Jahangir, ever ready, boy-like, to be 
 tickled by a straw, threw a pearl chaplet round his son's neck 
 and instantly trebled his emoluments. 
 
 It was a good beginning; then novelty supplied an extra fillip 
 to the growth of paternal pride. It was some years since Jahangir 
 had seen his son, who had grown to be a fine-looking man, portly 
 as was his father at his age, but with frank, engaging manners. 
 
 So he was received effusively and placed on the Emperor's 
 right hand, while Shahjahan, with twice his brains and four times 
 his reputation, was relegated for once to the left hand, where he 
 sat glowering, wondering what the magnificence of the reception 
 meant. He, of course, was accustomed to such welcome. His, 
 after his Deccan triumph, had been still more effusive; but Parviz 
 had done nothing to deserve this save pour riches at the Emperor's 
 feet. So, cursed by his suspiciousness, Shahjahan stood aloof 
 from the rejoicings. 
 
 It was not till a full month after the welcome that Parviz 
 appeared one day at the private audience, bare-headed, the blue 
 kerchief of sorrow round his neck, and casting himself at the 
 Emperor's feet, broke out into bitter regret. It was beyond 
 endurance, he complained, to bear the load of reflection, that while 
 he and his two brothers, Shahjahan and young Shahriyar, could 
 pass their lives in every kind of amusement and indulgence and 
 ease, that their eldest brother should for fifteen years have dragged 
 on a wretched existence in the solitude of a prison. It was not 
 the lot of frail humanity to be blameless; but clemency was the 
 peculiar and most becoming attribute of Kings !
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 213 
 
 The whole scene was probably artificial, the result fore-ordained. 
 
 Jahangir asked if Parviz was prepared to accept responsibility 
 that the unhappy Khushrau would never again commit himself 
 by disloyal and refractory conduct; whereupon Parviz immedi- 
 ately committed to paper a few lines in the nature of a surety 
 bond, and all went merry as a marriage-bell. 
 
 Except to Shahjahan. He was close to the end of the tether 
 of loyalty. Nurjahan, with all her cleverness, had not rightly 
 calculated the full measure of his suspicions. What she had 
 deemed should bring him to heel, by arousing his dread of dangers 
 to come, had awakened reckless antagonism. Something must 
 be done, and at once, to allay his resentment. He must not be 
 allowed to take the wrong path. She must make an effort to 
 reassure him. But how ? 
 
 She was sick to death of plotting and counter-plotting. Shah- 
 jahan had brains. She would tell him the truth. 
 
 So she sent for him, and he came to her in the small gallery 
 overlooking the river. The whole palace had lately been re- 
 decorated by the Emperor in his lavish, flamboyant manner, 
 the pillars all covered with plates of gold and inlaid with rubies, 
 turquoises, pearls. The very marble of the lattice-work of the 
 balcony was gilt and coloured. In sharp contrast to all this 
 splendour, Nurjahan sat on a low stool simply dressed in white, 
 as she had ever been in those first years of her acquaintance, in 
 the Garden of Roses, with the darling of old Racquiya Begum's 
 heart. 
 
 " Farzand " (son), she began, smiling, " 'tis as the friend of 
 thy more than mother that I desire to speak to thee to-day. 
 Sit yourself so thou canst see my face, and listen to the truth." 
 
 " The truth falls not often from a woman's lip," he replied. 
 
 She bit hers to keep back a sharp answer. " Not from Arja- 
 mand's ?" she asked, still smiling. " And she is close kin to 
 me. I think thou dost forget that. Lo ! thy children are as 
 mine. Bethink thee, Shahjahan ! Did I not nigh kill myself 
 nursing thy nurseling ? Is he not even now the apple of mine 
 eyes ? And setting sentiment aside, bethink thee again ! Should 
 I, whose brain has brought me here prefer a dullard to one 
 who despite his evil jealousy could carry on my work as I
 
 214 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 would wish it carried on ? Listen, Shahjahan, to more than 
 I have told others. I came into thy father's life from a desire 
 to revenge Sher Afkan's death. Well, that has gone. I live 
 now to make thy father happy. Do I not succeed ? Answer 
 me that ?" 
 
 "Ay," he admitted grudgingly; " but 'tis to thine own ad- 
 vantage he is happy." 
 
 She burst out at him: " Thou speakest truth. I live but by 
 thy father's pleasure. Without him I am lost. So I will keep 
 him while I can. And he loves thee, Shahjahan ! God ! how 
 he loves thee ! Thou art his star of perfection. Yet of late 
 thou hast been adverse to me, not seeing that without me the 
 Emperor would would die ! Yea, that is God's truth. Ah, 
 foolish one ! Canst not see our interests must be as one, or 
 we both fall ? See here ! Let us make a compact. If thou 
 wilt be true to me, hindering me not at all in this my work, 
 I will be true to thee. Thy father loves thee. In his private 
 talk he speaks of thee as heir. This will I continue to nourish, 
 if " 
 
 Shahjahan's gloomy face gloomed still more. 
 
 " Then wherefore use thine influence for Khushrau ?" he asked 
 bitterly. 
 
 She gave him a keen cold glance. " First as safeguard for 
 myself against thee if thou art recalcitrant. 'Tis ever good to 
 have two strings to one's bow. There ! Thou hast the truth. 
 Next, because the Emperor was fretted in his mind. Thou know- 
 est of late he hath taken seriously to religion overmuch mayhap 
 and he feared to be unjust. He hath a soft heart, Shahjahan 
 and and he is somewhat afraid of God's wrath ! As if 
 but no matter ! Third " here she smiled suddenly, radiantly, 
 and the old dimple asserted its charm " because Khushrau is 
 a good-looking, good-natured dolt, who will harm none so long 
 as folk see what he really is. I'll warrant me in a year the 
 ardour of those who favour a poor, persecuted Prince in prison 
 will have cooled. Nay, Shahjahan," she continued, " emulate 
 not his stupidity. Thou hast the brains, man; so Shahjahan, 
 and Shahjahan only, is what Nurjahan chooses." She held out. 
 her hand, and for the life of him, the man could not choose but
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 215 
 
 take it. Ay, she was clever, and beautiful beyond compare. 
 Confused thoughts of a change in his policy, of making this woman 
 his friend indeed, coursed through his brain. 
 
 " So long," she added, fixing her luminous eyes upon him, " as 
 thou keepest to the straight path. See you I would fain end 
 this doubt of each other I have told you the truth dost accept 
 it ?" 
 
 She held him by her masterful wit. In her presence, with those 
 eyes upon him, he felt she told truth. Yet even so, his response 
 was niggardly. 
 
 " I accept for the past and present. The future is with God," 
 he said; and with that Nurjahan had perforce to be content. 
 
 It made the present easier, at any rate; for Jahangir, once 
 he had made up his mind to for; ive his eldest son, seized on the 
 occasion with all the zest of a ch : !d as an opportunity for merry- 
 making and display. 
 
 If he was to forgive, he declared, it must be done in : ight royal 
 fashion, and with no reservations. And all must take part in 
 it. To begin with a truly magnificent entertainment must be 
 prepared in the " Abode of Light " garden. This was one of 
 the largest gardens in India, covering some three hundred acres 
 of ground and enclosed by an exceedingly strong and lofty wall. 
 A canal, passing through its midst, filled large reservoirs in each 
 corner, and a marble-stepped tank in the middle; while round 
 each sheet of water rose carven marble pavilions richly decorated. 
 So much the art of man had done for beauty; but Nature had put 
 the last touch of perfection, for nowhere else did flowers blossom in 
 such profusion; nowhere else did the fruit-bearing trees in every 
 variety grow so lofty, so lavishly; while all along the wide four- 
 square paths edged by water-runnels, tall cypresses of incom- 
 parable age and size and form stood sentinel. 
 
 A place in which, amid the silence from all whisper even of 
 the outside world, to dream away the hot hours of a summer day, 
 forgetful of all but the flickering butterflies, the scent of the 
 flowers, the song of the birds. 
 
 A pity, surely, to profane it with coloured lamps and gold 
 embroidered carpetings. But this was done without regard to 
 expense, and on the appointed day Prince Khushrau was brought
 
 216 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 thither with all pomp, arrayed in one of the Emperor's best suits, 
 encrusted with diamonds, seated on his best elephant in a jewelled 
 howdah that cost 300,000. 
 
 But nothing lacked to support the splendour of his rank as 
 Prince of the blood royal. 
 
 In truth Jahangir had enhanced the preciousness of the re- 
 conciliation scene by every possible device, and when his son, 
 tall and handsome, lay at the foot of the throne, his head at his 
 father's feet, reciting verses indicative of his deep distress, and 
 imploring clemency for the past and indulgence for the future, 
 the Emperor felt a vast satisfaction at the display of magnificence 
 with which, after his son had been discarded from the presence 
 for a period of fifteen years, he was once again admitted to do 
 homage to the Personality. 
 
 And Nurjahan ? Doubtless some of the courtiers, even those 
 who wen most in favour of Police Khushrau, had their tongues 
 in their cheeks; but she knew the Emperor too well for that. 
 She knew that it was all real to him, that in his heart of hearts 
 he was glad to be at peace with all his sons. 
 
 He beamed so that he even, infected Shahjahan, who did his 
 part with a wonderfully good grace when Jahangir, ever full of 
 ideas and conceits, ordered a rich carpet to be spread before him, 
 then called his four sons to seat themselves on it, and pass round 
 a loving-cup in token of their good accord. 
 
 " It shall be my cup," quoth Jahangir in his full, joyous 
 voice, " the cup of luck ! The cup from which I drink ever, 
 the cup that hath brought me freedom from the toils of intoxica- 
 tion." And he looked round lovingly to where Nurjahan, barely 
 screened by golden lace-work, sat beside his throne. 
 
 It was somewhat of an exaggeration, this statement of his, 
 for with the years, the ruby cup had ceased to be in constant 
 use, and the Emperor's potations had somewhat increased, 
 'bough they were still moderate in comparison with what they 
 had been, and did not interfere at all with his dignity as monarch. 
 Still, the statement reflected his mood at the moment, the cup 
 was produced, and the four brothers toasted each other in it, 
 all smiles and laughter, while the courtiers craned and crowded 
 round to see.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 217 
 
 " 'Tis a quaint cup," said suddenly a man with the level bars 
 of Vishnu worship on his forehead. " Whence came it, dost 
 know ?" he asked of his neighbour. But the neighbour shook 
 his head, and no more was said. Yet a pair of covetous eyes 
 followed the servant who, when the ceremony was over, removed 
 the beaker of wine and the cup for safe custody. 
 
 Then ensued the inevitable entertainment. The slow struttings 
 of professional dancers went on interminably, while Jahangir 
 yawned contentedly and the head officials sat round in adulation. 
 But for others there were other amusements, and down in one 
 of the corner pavilions, whither Nurjahan had retired, little 
 Prince Bravery was getting his fun out of the show by a variety 
 entertainment. Marionettes, jugglers, conjurors, snake-charmers, 
 all in turn and of the very best, displayed their arts, to his in- 
 tense satisfaction and that of the ladies of the Court, amongst 
 them his grandmother and old Khanzada Racquiya, who ; still 
 prim, still precise, was almost bent double with rheumatism. 
 Yet she enjoyed the performances hugely and clapped her little 
 hands louder than Prince Bravery clapped his. 
 
 " Now, have a care, child; the next is snakes !" she shrilled as 
 a man with his banghy baskets appeared salaaming. 
 
 Old Phusla the Strangler, who, in a uniform that was literally 
 encrusted with gold, sat sleepily on the second step of the pavilion, 
 looked up suddenly. 
 
 " Snakes ! Who wants snakes ?" cavilled one of the harem 
 ladies, yawning. " Take them away and let us have something 
 of entertainment." 
 
 " Nay, sister," remonstrated Nurjahan. " These be from 
 the Deccan, and the Prince hath oft told me they excel there 
 and the child loves them, dost not, little one ?" 
 
 The child, who, spoilt unbearably after the manner of Eastern 
 children, had at first word of dissent made preparations for tears, 
 turned to smiles instead, and his grandmothers called down 
 blessings on his head, after the manner of fond Eastern grand- 
 mothers. 
 
 And of a truth the snakes were worthy smiles. They danced, 
 and tied themselves in knots, and did homage in curves to 
 perfection.
 
 2i 8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 It was a quaint scene. Just a corner of the wide garden 
 that was filled to overflowing with pleasure-seekers; a corner 
 screened off for the women folk, who sat chattering, laughing, 
 chewing pan, and idly watching or not watching the group upon 
 the marble steps. A group seen mistily by the soft light of the 
 innumerable little cresset lamps that outlined the pavilions 
 into palaces of golden light. Overhead fire balloons showed on 
 the violet velvet of the sky, and rockets like shooting stars sped 
 over the arch, burst, and sank in showers of coloured sparks ; for 
 in another corner of the garden fireworks were being sent up. It 
 all seemed to centre round the dancing, swaying cobras, the 
 lithe dark man blowing his hollow notes, and old Phusla, but half 
 awake upon the second step; and above that, on the top one, 
 Nurjahan, with the child upon her lap; behind the other 
 ladies. 
 
 " Have a care, slave," cried Phusla sharply, as a snake surely 
 new escaped from the basket slid swiftly upwards towards 
 royalty, and two or three of the ladies screamed; notably the 
 grandmothers. 
 
 " Nay !" smiled Nurjahan. " "Pis not the man's fault utterly. 
 Thou hadst best take the boy thyself, amma-jdn, if thou art 
 feared; for the beasts come ever to me, do they not, Dilaram ?" 
 
 Dilaram, who, despite her many years and increasing stout- 
 ness, still insisted on her position as governess to the harem 
 when entertainments were going on, wheezed a long-winded 
 reply, beginning with experiences in the Garden of Roses. 
 
 Meanwhile the snake-charmer, who had deftly made a dive 
 after the curbing rope of a thing, caught it by the tail and run his 
 hand up behind its hood, was standing within easy reach of Nur- 
 jahan, who had risen slightly to place the child on Maryam 
 Zamani's lap. 
 
 " And there is no fear, Highness," he began in a wheedling 
 voice, bowing down towards her as she sank back among her 
 pillows, "since the poison fangs are drawn. If Majesty permits,, 
 I will show her see " 
 
 He gripped the snake firmly enough, it is true, but a hand that, 
 for all its age, its slimness, was as iron had gripped his. Phusla 
 had leapt to his feet and was on him, his old face demoniacal
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 219 
 
 in swift passion. " See thyself, Bungler !" he gasped in the deadly 
 struggle that ensued. 
 
 The snake, gripped hard by the double strain, writhed in help- 
 less fury from one man's arm to the other, impotently biting the 
 air as in the mad effort for mastery the hands that held it veered 
 dangerously near body or face. 
 
 It takes long to describe the swiftness, the intensity, of the 
 moment. But it was only a moment. 
 
 With a repetition, this time low, guttural, of " See thyself, 
 Bungler !" scarce heard in the awful sob of agonized fear that 
 broke from the wretched snake-charmer's lips, Phusla forced 
 the open snapping mouth on to the man's chin. It was done 
 in a moment the fatal bite was given. He loosed his hold, but 
 Phusla's tightened on the reptile's throat. Then with his left 
 hand he caught it by the tail and, with one swift movement, 
 flung it from 'him furiously flung it as he would have flung his 
 Noose of Death and the creature, with death in its undrawn 
 fangs, sped over the heads of the watching crowd, the lights 
 glancing on its twining curves shot like some deadly messenger 
 of evil, its jaws still snapping wildly at the air, so with a dull 
 thud crashed to death on the marble pavement at the other 
 side of the reservoir. 
 
 It had all passed so quickly that the spectators gasped, knowing 
 not what to think, understanding not at all the cause of Phusla's 
 swift attack; but Nurjahan guessed, and in a second she was 
 ready for the occasion. 
 
 " Thou art somewhat rough in thy teaching of manners, 
 Phusla," she said; " but " she hesitated briefly " he deserved 
 it !" And her voice trembled a little. " Let him nevertheless 
 depart in peace now." 
 
 Phusla, however, had anticipated her order. The snake- 
 charmer, too terrified at the certainty of swift death to do more 
 than moan feebly, was being hurried away, bag and baggage, 
 and the Master of the Ceremonies was already producing a new 
 turn; a turn to arouse titters. Only Racquiya Begum shook her 
 old head sagely and said: 
 
 " 'Twas well the Emperor was not here. He would have had 
 the fellow trampled to death for his impertinence."
 
 220 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Nurjahan looked over to the old woman and saw vague com- 
 prehension in her eyes. 
 
 " Phusla hath punished him enough, methinks," she replied 
 calmly, " and it but frets my lord to hear of such trivial troubles; 
 therefore let it be as if it had not been." 
 
 But as she sat watching wearily amid the titters of the others, 
 her mind was busy. Phusla must have been suspicious; he must 
 have seen the poison-fangs. Phusla had possibly saved her 
 if indeed the snake would have bitten her. Then with a rush 
 came the thought that it would have brought the end brought 
 peace. And she was very weary of it all. Her spirits revived, 
 however, over the wonder as to whose plot it had been. 
 
 Not Shahjahan's, of that she felt certain. He was no murderer. 
 
 But there were many others many, many others. 
 
 What did it matter ? She must be careful and take her chance. 
 One thing was impossible that she should be turned from her 
 purpose by fear of death.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 "Like golden scissors cutting silk, the duck 
 Nips at the azure pool ; the warm winds suck 
 Kisses from flower lips ; my Love and I 
 Lie close and pull rose petals, seeking Luck." 
 
 " HEART of my heart !" said Jahangir with a sigh, " this Kashmir 
 country is hard to come by, hard to leave; and time passes swift 
 therein ! 'Tis but the other day we sped to see the black tulips 
 blossoming on the mosque roof, and now the saffron paints the 
 fields. Lo ! the breeze scents my brain with the perfumes of 
 the flower groves on groves of it, plains on plains. Yet it 
 needed not that for contentment, wife." 
 
 He did not look as if it did, as he lay indolently in the royal 
 barge that was drifting down the Apple Tree Canal towards the 
 city of Srinager. Behind them, tipped by a black marble temple 
 of hoary age, lay the Takht-i-Sulaiman, the Throne of Solomon, 
 quaint isolated hill whence you look out over what is surely 
 one of the fairest countries in God's world the Vale of Kashmir. 
 
 Nurjahan nodded assent. The past six months, since, out- 
 wearied utterly by plague and plots, the royal pair had conceived 
 the idea of spending the summer in the playground of the East, 
 had sped by with scarce a cloud to mar their perfect peace, 
 their absolute enjoyment. 
 
 " Yea," she said absently, " it hath been pleasant." 
 
 The past tense was for herself alone; for she kept all trouble 
 from the Emperor's ears. So they drifted on, the boatmen 
 singing their immemorial song, and marking time to it by clapping 
 their heart-shaped paddles with their hands and so sending an 
 arch of iridescent dewdrops over the boat. 
 
 The scene, the rhythm, the preciousness of it all touched 
 Jahangir into a sort of frenzy of delight, as memories of those 
 short months came back to him.' Where had they not been, 
 together, on all the pleasant places of that pleasant land ? Under
 
 222 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the plane-trees by the Dhal Lake, where the water mirrors land 
 so clearly, that you could trace in it the wanderings of a ladybird 
 on a blade of grass. 
 
 ' ' So clear the water, blind men in the dark 
 Each sand-grain in its depths could count and mark." 
 
 Sitting in some boat watching the sunset flush the snows of 
 Haramukh, or across the long levels of the lake in the shadow of 
 the everlasting hills, lying full of laughter in the garden of the 
 Four Winds. 
 
 They had been everywhere. Nay, more, they are there still; 
 for go whither you will in Kashmir the royal pair seems to have 
 been there before you, and the echo of their great content remains. 
 A certain English poet, by name Thomas Moore, got hold of 
 this undoubted fact and travestied it in a love poem. Fortu- 
 nately he knew so little about the matter that one need not 
 consider Lalla Rookh as having anything to do with Jahangir and 
 Nurjahan. 
 
 Their romance was something very different; for he was in his 
 fifty-first and she in her forty-ninth year somewhat aged for 
 the conventional lovers ! Yet surely in all time no two people 
 ever made holiday more rapturously. They made the hills, the 
 dales, the flowers, the endless beauties of the land, their very 
 own. To this day the man's voice rings in the ear of the traveller 
 to Kashmir. 
 
 " Truly, whatever praise may be used in speaking of this land 
 would be permissible. As far as the eye can reach flowers of 
 all colours are blowing. They have picked fifty different kinds 
 in my presence this morning, and doubtless there were many more 
 which escaped observation. There are babbling streams and 
 whispering waterfalls beyond count. Wherever the eye looks 
 is verdure and running water. The red rose of the hundred 
 leaves, the violet, the narcissus, spring by the wayside, and in 
 the soul- enchanting mountains grow all sorts of sweet and scented 
 herbs more than can be counted, while the gates, the roofs, the 
 walls of the houses are lighted up by the torches of the tulips. 
 What can one say of these things, or of the scented saffron fields, 
 and the fragrant trefoil ?"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 223 
 
 These words do not leave us moderns much room for appreci- 
 ation, do they ? Neither do they spare room for happiness. 
 Even when little Prince Bravery fell out of window and nearly 
 cracked his crown, his grandfather, after filling two pages of his 
 diary with the occurrence, philosophically remarks that for a 
 child of four to fall twenty feet and no harm happen to his limbs 
 is productive of amazement; though how it happened passed 
 comprehension, since, having regard to such dangers and diffi- 
 culties, he, Jahangir, had continually kept the boy in sight and 
 had taken the utmost care of him, never for one moment being 
 forgetful of that little seedling in the Garden of Good Fortune. 
 In other words, the Emperor of all the Indies had done dry nurse ! 
 
 For the child's father, Shahjahan, was still the auspicious, 
 the prosperous son to the Emperor, though Nurjahan watched 
 him with anxious eyes. She could not forget his face when he 
 had first seen the Nurjahani coin, as it was called. And for all 
 his apparent good-fellowship with Khushrau (who had, of course, 
 accompanied them to Kashmir), she was not satisfied. The 
 latter had fully justified her estimate of him. Probably his 
 fifteen years of close imprisonment had weakened his brain, 
 but he was undoubtedly a good-humoured dolt, but with just 
 that touch of likeness to Jahangir which made it impossible 
 to be angry at his childishness. 
 
 In truth they had been quite a happy family party, and, de- 
 spite her preoccupation with affairs, she had found time to watch 
 the little fishes in the brook as they jumped for mulberries, and 
 help the Emperor to admire the marvellous beauties of Nature. 
 For even in this her companionship was needful for full enjoyment. 
 
 Of late, however, disturbing news had come through from the 
 Deccan by her secret agents. 
 
 Shahjahan's work of pacification had not been lasting. The 
 Amirs were in revolt, and it was time someone was sent to punish 
 them. 
 
 Mohabat Khan, the great General of the times, was already 
 busy in Kabul over rebellion; but Shahjahan was wasting his 
 powers idling about the Court. Why not send him ? 
 
 So she hinted to the Emperor, who fell in, as usual, with her 
 suggestions, though it was hard to get his attention to them.
 
 224 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 As they drifted down in the boat, for instance, she attempted to 
 make him serious over the reported death of one of his Governors 
 in the south; but he would none of it. 
 
 " Lo !" he remarked lightly, " if it be so, what else could he 
 expect, being so fat ? He could scarcely walk, and the giving 
 of a dress of honour was a penance. He could not put it on for 
 puffing. Were I as he I should be glad to leave my lump of earth 
 in the perishable dustbin !" 
 
 Whereat she laughed, as she laughed so often at his childlike 
 quips and cranks. 
 
 But they all laughed that autumn day when the plane-leaves 
 were turning crimson, and the distant snows of the Pirpanjal 
 Pass, over which they had to make their way southwards, warned 
 them, by the way they crept daily down the mountain-side, to 
 be up and going ere the drifts became too deep. 
 
 Everyone was in high spirits, for it was the Feast of the Dasahra, 
 and as it was to be the last festival in Kashmir, it was bein? 
 
 ' O 
 
 celebrated with much fervour. 
 
 Seated in a pavilion overlooking the river, the Emperor spent 
 the afternoon while the cup of exhilaration was passed round, 
 .<nd by the time the review of all the horses and camels and 
 elephants and mules belonging to the Imperial stables began, 
 everyone was very merry. And it was an imposing sight. 
 Horses, grooms, elephants, mahouts, camels, and drivers, all 
 caparisoned in their best, and humanity eager for the gold 
 and silver roses, and almonds, and pistachios that were scattered 
 broadcast by the almoners. 
 
 " Thou takest that one with thee to the Deccan, Baba," said 
 Jahangir to his son, as the finest elephant in the stud passed the 
 royal standard, " and thy stepmother gives thee its marrow." 
 
 Shahjahan bowed his thanks, with a quick look at Nurjahan's 
 face. He never felt sure of her, never could make up his mind 
 if she was to be trusted. In a way he was glad to be going to 
 the .Deccan, and yet 
 
 He looked at his father, acknowledging that the rest in Kashmir 
 had done the Emperor good. There was that to be said in the 
 Empress s favour; her husband's health was her first considera- 
 tion* Small wonder since, were his support removed, her power
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 225 
 
 would not take long to undermine. Meanwhile, it seemed safe 
 for him to leave. The Deccan had not taken long to settle last 
 time. His father had promised him the handsomest of money 
 rewards for success, and one must risk something, even though 
 the oaf Khushrau might have some chance of an innings. 
 
 So he sat brooding, silent and glum, while all around him rose 
 laughter. For the Emperor, after the review was over, expressed 
 a desire to make an experiment. He had read in some old writer 
 that if a man were given two pounds of saffron in one dose, he 
 would thereafter laugh so immoderately that death would ensue. 
 The credibility of this statement Jahangir wished to investigate, 
 for, especially when slightly exhilarated, he was keen on abstract 
 truth. Now there was a wicked pirate a peculiarly wicked 
 pirate in jail under, sentence of death, upon whom the experi- 
 ment could be made with the utmost propriety. 
 
 So with the exaggerated decorum of semi-sobriety, the pirate 
 was produced a lantern-jawed man, to whom laughter seemed 
 antagonistic, unknown. 
 
 " 'Tis well," remarked the Emperor sapiently, gravely for 
 he was on the verge of a cup too much " the result will be all 
 the more remarkable." 
 
 So it would have been, had anything occurred; but nothing 
 did. The pirate remained stony grave and no wonder ! but 
 the Court chuckled furtively. 
 
 The Emperor frowned. " Try him with four pounds," he said 
 with deliberation. " If that will not do, 'tis a lie, and I will 
 have the book burned." 
 
 The exhilarated Court wagged their beards, and nodded their 
 heads, trying not to smile, while with difficulty the poor pirate 
 swallowed the four pounds. Then there was a pause of suspense. 
 One minute, two, three, four 
 
 But the pirate remained stony grave. 
 
 By this time Jahangir's last cup had still more bedazzled his 
 brain. He sat looking at the imperturbable pirate mournfully. 
 
 " It doth not even occasion a smile," he murmured; then, 
 looking round on his company, he added, " So where is death ?" 
 
 Sometimes a straw tickles, and no sooner were the words 
 uttered than their absurdity flashed upon the speaker. He began 
 
 15
 
 226 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 to giggle, the courtiers' repressed chuckles rose to follow suit, 
 and a roar of inextinguishable laughter followed, that echoed and 
 rang, and rang and echoed, till it seemed as if it would never 
 cease, and the laughers held their aching sides as they rocked 
 backwards and forwards, shaken to the marrow. 
 
 " Of a truth, gentlemen," gasped Jahangir, when he could 
 get his breath again, " the old chronicler was not so far out. 
 It hath half killed me/' 
 
 So, in high glee, he bade them commute the life-sentence on 
 the pirate as a reward for the longest laugh of his life. 
 
 But a few hours later, startled, alarmed, distressed by his 
 first real attack of asthmatic breathlessness, the memory of his 
 idle words returned to him with remorse. 
 
 " Lo ! this is death !" he gasped to Nurjahan, who, as ever, 
 was foremost in remedies. " I cannot breathe 'tis punish- 
 ment." 
 
 She soothed him as best she could, though it was all she could 
 do to preserve her calm, for even the physicians seemed to have 
 lost their wits; and as for the servants and courtiers, they crowded 
 together talking in whispers and looking askance at Shahjahan, 
 as if his father's moments were numbered. 
 
 " There is but one resource," said the learned doctors. " We 
 must bleed the patient." 
 
 Nurjahan gave a quick glance at the pale, exhausted face. 
 Her common sense rebelled. 
 
 " Nay," she said, " give him wine !" 
 
 " Wouldst run counter to wisdom ?" put in Shahjahan, who, 
 genuinely distressed, stood by helpless. " My father 
 
 She cut him short cavalierly. " My wisdom is greater than 
 theirs," she said curtly; and with that ordered wine to be brought, 
 and before them all filled the ruby cup and held it to the livid 
 lips. 
 
 " Father !" exclaimed Shahjahan in a fierce whisper, " drink 
 not; she knows " 
 
 " Best," came in a faint sigh, as the agonized eyes drifted 
 from his son's face to his wife's; and the wine was swallowed. 
 
 For a second those two stood holding each other with their 
 eyes. The moment for the parting of the ways had come quite
 
 DISTRESS OF MEN 227 
 
 trivially; but each knew that never again would they tread 
 exactly the same path. 
 
 "Madam," said Shahjahan bitterly, "you have mayhap 
 killed my father !" 
 
 " Sir/' she replied, " I have mayhap saved him !" 
 
 Whether she had or not is a moot point, but ere morning came 
 this first and most severe attack had passed so far as the body 
 went, that is to say; but Jahangir came back to ordinary life 
 far more devout than he had been. He was quite convinced the 
 attack was direct punishment for levity. That sort of thing ran 
 in his blood from his great-grandfather Baber, who had a like 
 fancy after every severe bout of fever. And the piety brought 
 with it, of course, a desire to be more conventional, to behave 
 in all ways more after the accredited pattern of an Eastern 
 potentate. 
 
 So Nurjahan had her work cut out for her; .for, naturally, 
 Jahangir's entourage seized upon the passing mood to gain 
 their own ends. 
 
 Faithful to her policy of giving the man she dominated a free 
 hand in small things, she raised no objection to the idea of his 
 going without her for a few days' tour among the saffron-fields 
 in order to recuperate: the result of which being, as she well 
 knew it would, that he returned, before time, eager for her com- 
 panionship once more. 
 
 " I felt, dear heart," he confessed, " as if I had left happiness 
 behind me !" 
 
 They were standing, as he said this, hand in hand, on a spur 
 which gave them their last full look of the Vale of Pleasure, 
 since the journey southwards could no longer be delayed, and 
 they had started immediately on his return from his tour of 
 convalescence. 
 
 She waved her hand towards the valley. " Is it not so indeed, 
 my lord ?" she replied, evading the point. " Have we anywhere 
 been so happy, so content as yonder ? Shall we be so again ?" 
 
 " Nay," he gave back gallantly, " I take happiness with me." 
 And he stooped, with almost a flourish, over the hand he held. 
 
 But Nurjahan was in no mood for compliments. Only that 
 morning her husband had carelessly enough let out what seemed
 
 228 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 to her something of great importance namely, that Shahjahan, 
 who had accompanied his father for those few days, had preferred 
 a request that Prince Khushrau, his brother, should be allowed 
 to go with him to the Deccan. 
 
 She had been too surprised at the time to make much remark, 
 but her thoughts had been busy since. 
 
 Wherefore this request ? Khushrau was no soldier. Indeed, 
 of all Jahangir's sons he was the one most like his father, in- 
 corrigibly idle, full of talent, wilful, but most lovable. That was 
 one reason why she had added her influence to that of Gosain 
 Jadrup and Prince Parviz, in order to set him free from imprison- 
 ment. Parviz's motive had been clear enough. He hoped thus 
 to bind his brother to him and in the future, mayhap, enable him 
 to make a stand against Shahjahan's intolerable pride and pre- 
 tensions. But she herself had had no such views. It was true 
 what she had told the latter. Ever since she had married 
 Jahangir she had set before herself the purpose of building up 
 the Empire first for him and next for his son. There was no 
 question which son. Shahjahan was far the most able, far the 
 most suitable; in addition, his wife Arjamand, the mother of all 
 his children, was her own niece. The point was so settled in 
 her own mind that anything that threw doubt upon it seemed 
 absurd. But this proposition of Shahjahan's opened up new 
 vistas. 
 
 Why did he want to take his brother with him ? There could 
 be but one answer, that he desired to have him in his power, 
 and away from the possibility of a coup d'etat during his own ab- 
 sence in the event of his father's death ; an event rendered more 
 possible by the recent illness. 
 
 Her face set and her lip hardened as she reached these con- 
 clusions, on which, as usual, she acted at once. 
 
 The passage of the Pirpanjal Pass gave her an opportunity 
 such as she desired. The snow already lay deep, and ere they 
 started in the morning a blizzard began. As usual, the order 
 'came for the other ladies to await better weather, while Nurjahan, 
 as ever, remained the Emperor's companion. In her hunting 
 dress she followed him on horseback, lessening the discomforts 
 of the ride for him by one half, in his delight at her daring.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN . 229 
 
 After a time, however, the road became too slippery with ice 
 for horses to pass over in safety. The path also was in many 
 places too narrow to allow of palanquins to pass, so the Emperor 
 and Empress, with much laughter, submitted to be carried in 
 bag-dandies. Altogether it was a most enjoyable day, and 
 ended in just such an amusing episode as Jahangir loved. Owing 
 to the difficulties of the road the royal tents did not come up in 
 time, and those two had to shelter like ordinary mortals in a dry 
 stone shanty near the top of the pass. The shifts and makeshifts 
 giving opportunity for the display of Nurjahan's extraordinary 
 all-round capabilities, she regained her accustomed sway over 
 the Emperor at once, and would doubtless have succeeded in 
 getting her own way in regard to Khushrau but for an un- 
 fortunate accident, news of which was brought to the former 
 ere the Empress had time to speak; for long experience had taught 
 her to be almost over-calculating in her management of this man. 
 So much depended on her success that this had to be, though 
 over and over again it woke in her a contempt for herself. Why 
 could she not treat her husband as a man instead of as a spoiled 
 child ? But she could not. And this accident was one which 
 re-aroused in him that desire to be orthodox, as it were to save 
 his soul, which his illness had begun. A great favourite of his, 
 a young fellow who often acted as mahout in shooting expeditions, 
 was drowned. 
 
 Nurjahan, sent for by Jahangir on their arrival at a stage, 
 found him in great tribulation. It was a judgment on him, he 
 said. The boy had obeyed orders and remained behind some 
 marches in the rear. Being hot, he had started to bathe in the 
 river, though warm water was at hand. Folk forbade him, 
 telling him that unnecessarily to get, hot, into a river so agitated 
 and bloodthirsty that it would roll over a war elephant was 
 contrary to the dictates of caution. 
 
 From excessive self-will and reliance on his powers of swim- 
 ming which were unequalled he mounted a rock and threw 
 himself in. Immediately he fell, from the violent movement of 
 the current he could not even try to swim; to fall and to go under 
 were the same thing, so he gave away the goods of his life to the 
 floods of destruction.
 
 230 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Ready with consolation as ever,, Nurjahan felt she must be 
 patient yet awhile, and take the Emperor in a better mood. 
 
 So it came to pass that when she did speak, Jahangir met her 
 advice not to allow Khushrau to go with his brother with the 
 curt reply that the promise had been made, and must be kept. 
 
 " Must !" echoed Nurjahan, her autocratic temper rising at 
 once. " To such as the Lord of Light there is no ' must ' save 
 his own free-will. Shahjahan wishes it, 'tis true; but Shahjahan 
 is subject. And believe me as thou wilt, my lord, it is not wise. 
 Wait, hear what my father says we meet him at Lahore in a few 
 days. Let Shahjahan go forward as arranged, since the need is 
 urgent. Khushrau can follow, should my father whose wisdom 
 my lord trusts approve of it. So much my lord can surely 
 grant to one he loves, and who loves him ?" 
 
 She had gone through the gamut of her art, she had ended by 
 bringing her beauty to bear on the point she pressed, she had 
 told her usual lie ; but to no purpose. 
 
 Jahangir, beguiled from the subject in hand that was ever 
 an easy task gave a little satis (led laugh. 
 
 " But, dear heart, Shahjahan will not go without his brother. 
 He hath said so in so many words. Therefore let be it wearies 
 me, and we have so many a more pleasant subject of discourse, 
 see you. Did I tell thee, dearest, that the religious have found 
 me two more Names of God for my rosary ? They shall be rubies, 
 and they make up the whole to five hundred and twenty and two 
 or twice the number my revered father may God's way be 
 his ! had on his chaplet. May my wisdom equal his ! Lo ! 
 when we leave Delhi I must go by Brindraban and see that holy 
 man Jadrup. There is none like him sure he is the mirror and 
 mouthpiece of the Most High " 
 
 So he went on, while Nurjahan sat with interested face as if 
 listening; but her thoughts were far away. 
 
 Then Shahjahan refused to take command in the Deccan unless 
 he were allowed the care of his brother ? Evidently he was 
 afraid of what might happen. Evidently he meant to be prepared. 
 
 Well, other folk could be prepared also. There were not 
 lacking ways to counteract Shahjahan's caution. The Emperor 
 had another son, young Shahriyar. A weakling, it is true, yet
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 231 
 
 as a child he had shown promise. Let him be patronized; let 
 him be brought forward. It would at least give Shahjahan 
 cause to think. And stay ! Even as to her relationship to his 
 wife Arjamand, she could outwit the fool ! Had she not a 
 daughter of her own ? A wilful girl, Afzul's child, 'tis true, who 
 would have none of marriage as yet, but chose to be a canoness ; 
 older by some years than Shahriyar, who was but eighteen. 
 Still, all the better for the quick begetting of children; children 
 who would be grandsons and daughters, not grand-nephews and 
 nieces only. 
 
 Did all this come into this woman's mind ? Perhaps it did. 
 She was almost terribly clear-sighted. Far down the years she 
 saw ; far down them she laid her plans. And the habit of scheming 
 had grown day by day, month by month, year by year. It 
 could not in her position be otherwise. It was almost a necessity 
 of her existence. At times lessening times she raged against 
 it; and ever and always she strove to let it touch her relations 
 with her husband as little as possible. But it was there. 
 
 All we know for certain is that Shahjahan marched for the 
 Deccar, taking with him his brother Prince Khushrau, and 
 discretionary powers to treat the latter in any way he might 
 think proper. It is doubtful, however, if Nurjahan or her father 
 knew of this permission. 
 
 And in Jahangir's Memoirs we find this entry made during 
 his stay in Lahore, immediately after the departure of the Deccan 
 expedition. 
 
 " I demanded in marriage for my son Shahriyar the daughter's 
 daughter of Madaru-1-mulk I'timadu-d-daula, and sent Rs. 100,000 
 by way of dowry."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 '' A holy man once dug himself a cave, 
 Six feet by three, as house ; a passing knave 
 Mocked at him for its size ; he smiled and said, 
 ' 'Tis big for one whose end will be a grave.' " 
 
 IF Agra and Delhi are rose-red cities it is because Muttra has 
 made them so; Muttra with her vast sandstone quarries, out of 
 which almost every palace and mosque and temple in Northern 
 India has been built. 
 
 It is an experience to stand amid the buttresses of ruddy rock, 
 the wide hollows that eat into the heart of the red ridge, and think 
 of the glories of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri; of Muttra itself and 
 Delhi that once lay here in solid unhewn mass; dead clay that 
 man's genius has brought to life. 
 
 It was in an outlying spur of these quarries that Jadrup the 
 Gosain, leaving his hole at Ujjain, had dug himself another, 
 as small, as uncomfortable; a hole, as Jahangir describes it, 
 " like an inkpot," in which " he could only turn round with a 
 hundred difficulties and tortures, since the passage to it is so 
 narrow that a suckling babe could scarce pass through." From 
 which we may opine that the Emperor, though he often paid the 
 ascetic a visit, never went inside; for despite constant illness 
 Jahangir was still personable. 
 
 Jadrup had, however, other visitors beside the Emperor, and 
 on one evening in late March in the year following on Prince 
 Shahjahan's expedition to the Deccan, he was sitting in earnest 
 conclave with a man, also of the religious class, but of a very 
 different stamp. Briefly, he was the Head Gosain of the Shrine 
 at Thaneswar. He had come down to Muttra for the yearly 
 religious fair, an unusually big one, since it coincided with a 
 partial eclipse of the sun. But it was not of the money he hoped 
 to rake in from the ignorant that he was thinking, as he leant 
 forward, almost whispering, and watching his companion's face 
 
 232
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 233 
 
 narrowly the while; since, if you wished to influence the great 
 Jadrup, saint and ascetic, you had to be careful. As Nurjahan 
 had said, you had to bribe him by his own holiness. 
 
 " See you," continued the Thaneswar Gosain, " your saintship 
 knows the story. How long ago the Great Mother's cup was 
 stolen from the Shrine, though, having regard to rumour, we kept 
 it secret, and had this made to show the faithful, if need be. 
 But 'tis not shown to the rabble, and, since the Mahomedan came 
 uppermost, there be few of our religion in high places." 
 
 He had taken out of his bosom a small red crystal cup, which he 
 handed to Jadrup, who turned it over and over. 
 
 " Yet is Jahangir most tolerant," remarked the latter somewhat 
 evasively. " He is not far from the Kingdom. Lo ! I have 
 talked with him much, and he listens." 
 
 " Who would not listen to a voice as of God's angel !" exclaimed 
 the other unctuously. " But thou knowest I have told thee 
 how we have sought the real cup, the marrow of this one, for 
 years; how it disappeared; how by chance one of our people saw 
 it, so he thought, in the hands of the young Princes when they 
 toasted each others' healths; how since then we have proved 
 with care and trouble that it is in the hands of the Emperor. 
 Now, harken, saint-^Y ? Since Mai Kali has known where her 
 cup is held held wrongfully, mind you what has happened ? 
 The Emperor hath been ill all the past year he hath been ailing, 
 and his illness increases. For the cup, see you, hath undoubted 
 charm both for evil and for good. That is why we, who guard 
 the Great Mother, desire it back, not for filthy lucre. This " 
 he touched the cup he had given to Jadrup " is as valuable. 
 It also is of ruby nay, it is more so, since it is better colour." 
 
 " 'Tis bright enough, for sure," acquiesced Jadrup as the sun, 
 shining through the translucent red, sent a blood-stain to his hand. 
 
 " And thou wouldst have me tell this tale to the Emperor " 
 
 " Not only so," interrupted the other quickly. " See you, 
 there is no need to tell thee what would have happened had the 
 cup been found in lesser hands. But the Emperor is, even to the 
 Hindu, the Shadow of God, the Lord's Anointed. We dare not 
 kill, and we cannot steal. We have tried, and failed. So, in 
 the name of the Great Mother, saint-_;Y, we come to thee. Take
 
 234 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 this cup of us. It hath stood in the shrine for years. It is even 
 as nay, better than the original. Give it thy blessing. Per- 
 suade the Emperor that it is for his own safety 
 
 Gosain Jadrup shook his head; the craft of the other had gone 
 astray. " Nay," said the holy man, " that is secondary. I will 
 point out the justice. Jahangir is good disciple; he loves justice, 
 and the cup, being stolen, is not rightly his " 
 
 "And," broke in the other, "there is yet another reason; 
 but of this, say naught. Report hath it that Nurjahan Begum 
 gave the Emperor the cup. "Pis a long tale, but of this we know. 
 There was an old woman not worth revenge and one Zaman 
 Shah, who hath gone to his account in it. Now the cup hath 
 charm, and the woman hath bewitched the Emperor. If he 
 were to give it up why then " 
 
 ' 'Tis not meet for any man to be under the dominion of a 
 woman," put in the holy man sententiously. " Leave the cup 
 with me, brother. I will see what I can do for the glory of the 
 Most High, for justice and the Great Mother." 
 
 He held the cup up to the sun as he spoke, and a blood-red 
 ray shot through it and seemed to pierce him through the heart. 
 And all around him the red rocks glowed in the light of the 
 setting sun. 
 
 " But say naught of the woman, saint-^Y," said the other 
 quickly, " and bid the Emperor keep his own counsel. Remember, 
 'tis God gives the reward of silence !" 
 
 Gosain Jadrup looked at his companion with a tolerant smile 
 of spiritual pride. " I need no teaching what to say, brother. 
 The Great Spirit guides my tongue." And with that he relapsed 
 into silent meditation. 
 
 Meanwhile Nurjahan, who, with the Emperor as ever, happened 
 to be at Muttra on one of his constant visits there, was looking 
 out over the river-steps from her balcony with the unfailing 
 interest that everything in the wide world still had for her; for 
 despite her years she was not old in mind, nor in body also, 
 though the last year of life, since Shahjahan had departed with 
 his brother Khushrau on the Deccan expedition, had, with its 
 growing anxieties, brought a look of fatigue to her still lustrous 
 eyes. To begin with, the Emperor had been constantly ailing.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 235 
 
 Asthma in its most severe form had taken hold of him, and the 
 physicians could or would do nothing to alleviate his distress. 
 Hot and dry medicines, cold and wet, goat's milk, camel's milk, 
 all were tried without profit. But Jahangir was extraordinarily 
 patient with his unsuccessful doctors. Far more patient than 
 Nurjahan herself was inclined to be, for since Prince Parviz 
 had appeared hastily from Allahabad, under the impression that 
 his father was dying, she had become somewhat suspicious as 
 to whether the wish were not father to the thought that made 
 the physicians so solemn, so afraid. She herself could see no 
 ground for fear; the complaint was very distressing, of course, 
 but did not threaten life. Between the attacks, too, Jahangir 
 was quite himself, ready even to laugh at Fedai Khan's hot- 
 headed Fedai Khan's suggestion that stringent measures 
 should be taken to make the half-hearted doctors do their 
 duty. 
 
 " Lo !" Jahangir would say with a smile. " See you, 'tis not 
 their fault. If God's destiny did not at times concur with the 
 blunders of the medical profession, we should none of us die or 
 get better !" 
 
 The only thing that so far had seemed to do him good was 
 stimulants. And herein was a further anxiety for Nurjahan. 
 Jahangir had broken from her control. He not only drank wine 
 in hitherto prohibited hours, but he drank it to excess. And he 
 would not hear of moderation; indeed, she had hardly the heart to 
 propose it, seeing that his only alleviation lay in the exhilaration 
 of drugs or alcohol; an exhilaration which led to a generally 
 exalted state of mind, in which he would sit for hours discussing 
 eternal values with Jadrup, or taking himself quite seriously 
 as the Shadow of God upon earth. 
 
 Then Nurjahan had other anxieties. Her mother lay dying, 
 and though the tie between them had never been of the strongest 
 it was ill contemplating the breaking-up of what had outlasted 
 long years. In addition there was the dread of how the loss 
 would affect her father, who was growing very old, and who, 
 despite many a rub, had ever kept his youthful admiration for 
 his wife. 
 
 So as she sat waiting for the Emperor and looking out over the
 
 236 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 crowds that thronged the river-steps, Nurjahan's mind was ill 
 at ease. The curious moaning surge of thousands upon thousands 
 of human voices not dominated by one common cadence, but 
 each giving utterance to individual, personal speech, fell on her 
 ears mournfully. A wail it seemed to her of useless, petty 
 desires and hopes, joys and fears. 
 
 And when the Emperor did arrive, the news he brought did 
 not tend to give her solace. Jahangir, who had evidently had 
 enough wine to carry, was for once loud in complaint. He had 
 summoned a new physician, one who, being " house-born," 
 might have been expected to have sympathy and understanding, 
 instead of which he had positively declined all aid, professing 
 inability to treat a disease of which he did not know the origin. 
 It was not the first time Nurjahan had heard this plea, and her 
 brows darkened. What did it mean ? Were they plotting 
 some new conspiracy against her ? The weariness of a continual 
 petty fight struck home to her; but she soothed the Emperor as 
 best she could, until, with much fervour, he announced his in- 
 tention of giving up all medicine, weaning his heart from all 
 visible remedies, and placing himself absolutely in the hands of 
 the Supreme Physician. 
 
 After which he called for another glass of wine and went off, 
 relieved for the moment, to see Gosain Jadrup; where he remained 
 longer than usual, returning in high spirits, full of Gosain-_/Y's 
 merits. God Almighty had given Jadrup an unusual grace and 
 lofty understanding, an exalted nature and sharp intellectual 
 powers, together with a God-given knowledge and a heart free 
 from the attachments of this world. A man could not choose but 
 be bettered by the blessing. One who had it, as he, poor suppliant 
 at the Throne of God had it, was blest indeed. What to him 
 did it matter what earthly physicians said ? Yes, though he, 
 Mirza Mahomed, the so-called Messiah of the Age, had been 
 honoured above all other Court physicians as more skilful, more 
 experienced, on purpose that at any dangerous crisis he might 
 help his benefactor, he might refuse and go to Jehannum if he 
 liked ! There would be no need for physicians again. The New 
 Year was to bring health. 
 
 So he ran on light-heartedly. He even refused his evening
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 237 
 
 potation. He did not need it. Had he not said he was going to 
 rely on the Supreme Physician ? 
 
 So a day or two passed in comfort, and they went back to 
 Agra, the Emperor more like himself than he had been for 
 months, and full of his duties as monarch even to the haunts 
 of idolatry. 
 
 " Possibly," he said, " I have in this been somewhat remiss in 
 the past. There is good in all things, as I have myself proven." 
 And then he went on to recount how his revered father had once 
 answered his protest against idolaters being allowed to build new 
 temples in these words: " My dear child, I am the Shadow of 
 God upon earth. He bestows His blessing on all His creatures 
 without distinction. Ill should I represent Him were I to with- 
 hold compassion from any of those entrusted to my care. With 
 all His creatures I must be at peace. Why, then, should I 
 molest anyone ? Besides, are not five parts in six of the human 
 race either Hindu or aliens to our faith ? Were I to be actuated 
 by the principles you suggest, what alternative would there be 
 but to put them all to death ? I therefore think it wisest to let 
 these men alone." 
 
 To which self-evident wisdom Nurjahan gave assent. She was 
 not greatly interested in such questions, neither were her thoughts 
 much with things unseen. She was too busy in this world to 
 consider the next; for she was curiously unselfish. Her own future, 
 outside the task she had set herself, did not trouble her at all. 
 
 So things went on, until one night the Emperor was taken ill. 
 His attendants came to her affrighted. Their master was worse, 
 they said, than he had ever been. 
 
 She went to him at once and found him almost choking for 
 breath. Weary of useless doctors, and remembering how he had 
 during the last few days curtailed his wine-cups, she gave his 
 measure in the ruby cup the attendants brought on the instant, 
 brimming it up once, twice, thrice. 
 
 It eased him somewhat, but the attack passed but slowly, and 
 she sat beside him as she always did, holding his hand, cheering 
 him with words, ministering to him in every way she could. 
 
 But it was not till sunset of the next day that, fully at ease, 
 he lay back on his pillows quite himself again. Yet not quite.
 
 238 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 As a rule when an attack was over, the elasticity of his spirits 
 caused a rebound in favour of vitality. This time he lay languid, 
 as if disappointed or dissatisfied. 
 
 " My lord is through his trouble/' said his nurse sympathetic- 
 ally. " Praise be to whom praise is due !" 
 
 He laughed suddenly, bitterly. " Ay/' he answered, " to 
 whom it is due not to those who promise falsely." Then he 
 added, " Give me more wine. I go back to that." 
 
 She handed him the cup. As she did so something about it 
 struck her. There had always been a slight flaw near the bottom, 
 and she could not see it. She held it up in the sun-ray to see, 
 but all was clear, the light was nowhere refracted at a different 
 angle. 
 
 Startled, she looked at Jahangir; he was looking at her half 
 angrily, half dubiously. " Give it me, quick," he said; " stand 
 not so staring at nothing." 
 
 His very voice increased her wonder. " I was looking for 
 the flaw," she said slowly. " It is not there." 
 
 " Not there !" he echoed lightly; " that makes it all the better." 
 
 " Better ?" Her voice took on a sudden seriousness. " Better 
 is comparison, and with what does my lord compare this cup ? 
 with itself ? Then suddenly swift comprehension seemed to 
 come to her, and her eyes narrowed. " This this is not the cup 
 I gave. This is not my lord, what hast done with it ?" 
 
 She held out her hand, holding the cup, accusingly, and 
 Jahangir turned away from her impatiently. 
 
 " I might have known there was small use in trying to conceal 
 it," he muttered vexedly. " Thou art too sharp for most of us. 
 It was not mine. It had been stolen from the Shrine at Thanes- 
 war." 
 
 " Does my lord think I was the thief ?" she interrupted 
 freezingly. 
 
 " Nay, nay, I said not so," he returned, and his voice, like a 
 child's, was full of a general sense of injustice. " Sit down and 
 I will tell thee since* it has to be told." 
 
 So he told her how the Gosain Jadrup had urged him to restitu- 
 tion; how his own sense of justice had coincided with the holy 
 man's request. Besides, he added with rather a wry face, it
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 2 39 
 
 had seemed to him likely that the possession of this idol's treasure 
 was indeed in some way unlucky, that it might be responsible for 
 his illness. 
 
 " Dost give such power to their stocks and stones ?" she asked 
 sarcastically " thou, a believer in the one true God, the one 
 Supreme Physician ?" 
 
 But he was ready with an answer there. Was there not also 
 a power for evil ? was it not the duty of every true Mussulman 
 to avoid the devil ? He did not blame her for giving him the 
 cup, but once he discovered the true ownership of it, his honour 
 demanded 
 
 She started up suddenly, her face ablaze. " Thy honour ! 
 Thy health ! Thy justice ! Didst have no thought of me nor 
 of the long years I played with it as a child not of the care I 
 lavished on thee with the gift to take it all and give not one 
 thought to me to my luck thou hadst no right " 
 
 He was on his feet beside her, tall, menacing, almost bursting 
 with rage. 
 
 " Woman, darest thou to say I have no right ? I, the Shadow 
 of God ?" 
 
 It calmed her somewhat, though she defied him even more 
 strenuously: " Ay, thou hadst no right ! Thou toldst me once 
 long ago that I could not understand thy love. Be that so ! 
 Thou canst not understand mine ! Mayhap no man can under- 
 stand the love a woman gives him by day, by night, always, at 
 all times my thoughts my luck my all and thou wouldst 
 exchange this for mere justice and thy health, doubtless ! 
 Yea, doubtless they promised thee thy health !" 
 
 " And if they did, woman -" he began, trembling with anger. 
 
 She laughed aloud. " Their luck against mine their ruby 
 cup against my ruby cup out on it !" She flung her hand up 
 in disdain. The cup she held slipped from it, crashed upon the 
 marble floor, and shivered to a thousand fragments. The shock 
 of this sudden and unlocked for breakage sobered them both. 
 They stood for a moment staring]down at the splinters of glass, 
 then at each iier. 
 
 Jahangir was the first to speak, and he spoke in a low con- 
 strained voice.
 
 240 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " So they have lied to me," he said. " 'Tis not even crystal. 
 How came I not to see ? I had drunk too much wine, methinks. 
 And yet Jadrup " 
 
 His face worked; he was nigh tears, for he was still weak; and 
 in an instant she had realized what he was feeling, and was at her 
 place as consoler. Even anger could not prevent that. He was 
 so much a child to her, she could not see him suffer. 
 
 " Jadrup hath no knowledge of such things, my lord," she 
 said hastily. " Doubtless he deemed the cup was ruby as 
 thou didst, my lord, being, as thou hast said, overcome with wine. 
 But that is past. Yea, it is all past. It hath not hurt it shall 
 not hurt " 
 
 He caught at her hand helplessly. " But the promise the 
 blessing that went with the cup ?" 
 
 She smiled at him. " That shall remain, my lord, and to it 
 shall be put my forgiveness yea., my forgetfulness ! And thine 
 also ! Come, put it past ! Be patient yet a while, and the cup 
 ay, and my luck too shall return." Her eyes blazed; she stood 
 upright, her head thrown back. " It is I, Nurjahan, against the 
 world with Jahangir as her lord and master." 
 
 Suddenly mindful of the part she had had to play for so long, 
 she was at his feet, kissing them. 
 
 A month later the Emperor wrote in his Memoirs: " Nurjahan 
 Begum, whose skill and experience are greater than those of the 
 physicians (especially as they are brought to bear through 
 affection and sympathy), endeavoured to carry out the remedies 
 that appeared appropriate to the time and to the condition. 
 Although previously to this she had approved of the remedies 
 made use of by the doctors, I now relied on her kindness alone. 
 She, by degrees, lessened my wine, kept me from doing things 
 that did not suit me and food that disagreed with me. As in the 
 past year of my life I had suffered much, in thankfulness that in 
 the commencement of the New Year signs of health became 
 apparent, Nurjahan Begum begged to be allowed to make the 
 arrangements for the festival of my solar weighing. Although 
 from the date on which Nurjahan Begum had entered into the 
 bond of marriage with this suppliant at the Throne of Grace 
 she had made such arrangements as were becoming to the State,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 241 
 
 and knew what were the requirements of good fortune and pros- 
 perity, yet on this occasion she paid greater attention than ever 
 to adorn the assembly and arrange the feast. All the servants 
 of approved service who knew my temperament and in that time 
 of weakness had fluttered round my head like moths, ready to 
 sacrifice their lives, were suitably rewarded. And even the 
 physicians, though they had not done good service, yet in con- 
 sideration of the contempt with which they had been treated, 
 they received various favours. 
 
 " At the conclusion of my weighing I weighed but thirteen 
 stone, owing to my weakness and leanness trays of gold and 
 silver coin were scattered in the skirts of the Ministers of amuse- 
 ment, and of the poor. 
 
 " At the end of the entertainment the offerings she had prepared 
 for me were produced. 
 
 '' And amongst these offerings was a ruby cup." 
 
 " Why !" said Jahangir delightedly, " 'tis the very split of 
 a pea to the other ! Truly thou art a witch ! And to the very 
 flaw how didst arrive at it ?" 
 
 " Art sure 'tis not the same, my lord ?" she said archly; then 
 seeing his face fall, she added hastily: " Nay, I am no thief ! 
 Money can do much, and the Emperor has gifted me with it in 
 such plentitude that all things are possible. Therefore 'tis not 
 the same yet is it the same, since it carries with it Xurjahan's 
 luck !" 
 
 But all the time, though she kept such a brave face, she flinched 
 iuwardlv from the future.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 "Was it God's Star or wandering traveller's Light 
 That guided my lost footsteps in Life's night ? 
 What matters ? Since it lit my path of gloom 
 And cheered me with the hope r_.y way was right." 
 
 ONE of Nurjahan's most potent remedies was change of air, and 
 so soon as the Emperor was fit to travel, they set off on a prolonged . 
 tour round the skirts of the hills, ostensibly seeking for some 
 spot of ground on the banks of the River Ganges where it de- 
 bouched from the mountains that would be suitable for the build- 
 ing of a permanent hot weather residence; since there could be 
 no doubt that a high temperature did not agree with Jahangir. 
 So they set forth in great state, with full Imperial equipage, 
 and taking with them the whole harem of four hundred ladies, 
 old and young. But neither the number of these nor their 
 varied relations to the Emperor made any difference to Nurjahan. 
 She smiled on them all, not because she knew she stood first, 
 but because they really did not affect her in the least, for she 
 seems to have bee'n singularly free from jealousy. 
 
 It was an immense move, the moving of the Imperial camp. 
 Reading of its extent and magnificence in the Institutes of Akbar, 
 the head positively begins to ache over the numeration of its 
 luxuries. The audience tent that covered seven acres of ground, 
 the miles on miles of screens, the square yards of silken carpetings. 
 And outside this the hordes of tent-pitchers and Heaven knows 
 who or what, and the herds on herds of baggage-animals. 
 
 But they all got under weigh, slowly, sedately, and struck off 
 up country, regardless of roads if they happened to have a 
 " contrairy circumbendebus " about them; or rather making 
 their own roads as they went along; a method easy enough in 
 the flat plains of India, especially when no regard is paid to 
 crops. 
 
 A stately march indeed ! One that lingers pleasantly in the 
 
 242
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 243 
 
 mind of this generation ; a generation that is whisked away through 
 God's earth at sixty miles an hour. A march that will be in- 
 conceivable in the next, when "aerobuses " will carry us at more 
 than Ariel's speed. 
 
 In truth, a goodly, kingly march, full of dignity. Yet those 
 who know India, and have camped there, must wonder what the 
 nights between eleven and twelve o'clock must have been 
 like when thousands of camels were being laden with that seven 
 acres of tent; for there is enough noise over the removal of one 
 small " shamiana " to drive sleep away from most eyes. 
 
 Yet from sunset to sunrise there must have been comfort in 
 the " Lamp of Justice " which, swung high on an immense pole, 
 always showed where the Emperor's tent stood. 
 
 There was one very heavy heart that went along with the 
 great camp; the heart of a weary old man, who, but for the fact 
 that his daughter needed him every hour of the day, would fain 
 have remained behind to weep over his wife's tomb. For Bibi 
 Azizan had died, and Ghiyass-ud-din, her husband, felt life was 
 barely worth living without her, though he was brave and said 
 little of his grief. Not like Asof Khan, her son, who mourned 
 profusely; but then he had always been his mother's darling, 
 as the father of that delightful Arjamand who had given how 
 many ? royal sons and daughters to Shahjahan the victorious 
 Shahjahan who in due time would become Emperor, if only 
 Nurjahan, his wife's aunt, could be kept in order. Bibi Azizan 
 had been wrapped up in these royal great-grandchildren, and had 
 rather sniffed at the idea of another royal great-grandchild through 
 Sher Afkan's daughter. 
 
 The good lady had gone her ways, however, without seeing one, 
 and as time went on, even Asof Khan who was already ready 
 to forecast evil and imagine the worst began to think that 
 Providence meant to put a spoke in Nurjahan's neat fifth wheel to 
 the car of State. If there were no children of that marriage, 
 Prince Shahriyar was not likely, of himself, to oust Shahjahan, 
 or, for the matter of that, Parviz, who was also a good-looking 
 man, in the Emperor's esteem. For Shahriyar was small and 
 delicate. 
 
 News came from the Deccan as they journeyed northwards
 
 244 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 that was eminently satisfactory. Once again Shahjahan was 
 successful, once again the auspicious, the fortunate, the victorious 
 son shines in his father's Memoirs. And there could be no question 
 that that father's health was much improved by Nurjahan's 
 treatment. All along the march he was " constantly engaged in 
 the pleasure of hunting," though he still kept religiously to the 
 vow, made for little Prince Bravery's sake years before, never 
 again to kill any of God's creatures with his own hand. But he 
 had grown particular also as to eating them ! The sight of a 
 tame duck swallowing slow-worms was sufficient to make him 
 foreswear all duck-flesh in the future, and there was a perfect 
 tragedy over a white heron which had been sent him as the most 
 toothsome of comestibles. " By chance there came out of its 
 crop ten bugs in a distressing and disgusting manner, the very 
 remembrance of which was an offence," and quite prevented his 
 tasting the delicacy. 
 
 Such, then, was the man who, plus confidence and affection 
 unlimited, unlimitable, Nurjahan had to pilot through the 
 dangerous waters of Statecraft a hard task. 
 
 For her father was failing fast. Indeed, as they reached the 
 hill country he had to be left behind in a standing camp while 
 the others pressed on to Kangra, which the Emperor was deter- 
 mined to visit; since never before had it fallen into Mahomedan 
 hands, and he wished, as it were, to take full possession of it. 
 For of late, even though he still held the Gosain Jadrup to be an 
 easily-imposed-upon saint, he had been inclined to pose more 
 and more as a Defender of the True Faith; an attitude in which 
 he received the full-blooded assent of his courtiers. Nurjahan, 
 on the other hand, being gifted with statesmanship, was for the 
 tolerance of Akbar. But she had little time for minor matters, 
 with her father on the sick list, and the urgent need to watch over 
 the Emperor day and night. 
 
 " If thou art so anxious, dearest," said Jahangir kindly, seeing 
 her reluctance to leave her father behind, " why not remain ? 
 I shall not like it, but what then ? Thou dost more for me 
 than I for you." 
 
 His face, still heavy despite its signs of ill-health, was loving- 
 kindness itself. He meant what he said, yet the woman into
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 245 
 
 whose face he looked knew that he might as well have suggested 
 flying to the moon. He simply could not live really live 
 without her. 
 
 So she shook her head, saying she knew her duty better than 
 that. And yet when having gone but two marches further 
 news came that the old man had taken a sudden turn for the worse 
 and was sinking fast, she broke down for once into womanly tears 
 and regrets that she had ever left him. 
 
 The Emperor was greatly distressed. He " could not bear 
 to see her agitation, and gave instant orders for a return to the 
 standing camp." The courtiers tried to dissuade him from such 
 an unheard of procedure as the alteration of Imperial plans for 
 a woman's sake, but he set them aside. 
 
 " Considering the affection I bear to them both," he said, the 
 tears in his eyes, " I can do no less." 
 
 So, after a hurried journey the Emperor and the Empress, 
 hand in hand, stood beside the dying old man. To English ears 
 this sounds a small thing; but in India, and in those times, it 
 means, and meant, much. Nothing could show the closeness 
 of the tie between those two more than this. 
 
 Ghiyass-ud-din was almost unconscious. So much so that 
 Nurjahan was doubtful if he recognized the Emperor. 
 
 " Methinks he doth not, my lord," she said with tears. 
 
 But she was wrong. With a courtliness and readiness stronger 
 than death the old face smiled, and the old lips murmured the 
 well-known couplet of the Anwari: 
 
 " Lo ! if a man born blind were here, he would feel 
 Majesty even in darkness, and straightway kneel." 
 
 Jahangir, easily affected, could not restrain his tears, and 
 remained by his old Vizier's pillow for two hours, while the 
 courtiers outside fretted and fumed at the unusual condescension. 
 
 But, in truth, the Emperor was extremely fond of his father- 
 in-law, and devoted quite a page of his Memoirs to recounting 
 his virtues, the chief one of which appears to have been his 
 unfailing courtesy. 
 
 " Though it is not within the power of mortal man to grant 
 every request, no one ever went to I'timadu-d-daula with a peti-
 
 246 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 tion who turned from him in an injured frame of mind. He 
 showed loyalty to his sovereign and to his duty, yet left pleased 
 and hopeful him who was in need." 
 
 There is another entry concerning the old man which, from its 
 nature, throws light on the character of the man who sets it down. 
 
 " From the hour in which his companion (his wife) attained 
 the Mercy of God, he cared no longer for life, but melted away 
 day by day. Although outwardly he looked after the affairs of 
 the kingdom, and did not withdraw his hand from business, yet 
 in his heart he was grieving at the separation; and so, after but 
 three months and twenty days, he passed away. What shall I 
 say about my feelings through this terrible loss ?" 
 
 And what of Nurjahan ? She was simply crushed. For a 
 while she seems to have been knocked out of time, as it were. 
 The Emperor resumed his march two days later, but it appears 
 likely that she remained behind partly, no doubt, to see the 
 arrangements for the removal of her father's corpse to Agra 
 carried out fittingly, but partly to gain a breathing-space in which 
 to face the future. 
 
 And while she lay upon her couch, face down, silent, not 
 sobbing at all, but tearlessly, and, after a time, fearlessly, choosing 
 her part in the drama that had to be played to the bitter end, 
 old Dilaram, still flouncy as to skirts, and old Phusla, skinnier, 
 more bright-eyed than/ever, sat solidly in the ante-room refusing 
 admittance to all stoutly. 
 
 They had served the mistress for so long together, these two, 
 that though they quarrelled in words, as always, their hearts 
 agreed. " Lo !" murmured the Strangler mournfully, ' ' 'tis 
 maybe but natural; yet when the lady had borne so much so 
 bravely, one wonders if aught of courage hath gone from her with 
 the cup. For look you, sister, 'tis idle to say it hath not changed 
 hands. My people know it for sure. The long-haired ones have 
 it again." 
 
 "So thou sayest," remarked his companion; "I believe it 
 not." 
 
 " But why, otherwise, did the Bibi move Heaven and earth 
 to get its match as she did ?" persisted the other. 
 
 " So thou sayest," retorted Dilaram again scornfully. " But
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 247 
 
 all saying is not truth, and the cat ever dreams of tripe but 'tis 
 small wonder the mistress loses heart " 
 
 : ' Lose heart, lose all/ " quoted the old man maliciously. 
 
 " Out on thee and thy proverbs !" gave back Dilaram, 
 righteously indignant at her province being purloined. " But 
 there ! a man ever knows best. Lo ! ' the blind cow always has 
 a separate stall.' But if thou wilt the truth, 'tis thus Ghiyass- 
 ud-din gave her life in the beginning and gave it her doubly in 
 State affairs, for, see you, one cannot beat a drum with one hand, 
 and her right is ever occupied with the Emperor." 
 
 And old Dilaram was rignt. Nurjahan felt for once the great- 
 ness of the task that lay before her. But after a while its very 
 greatness stimulated her, and she rose dry-eyed, vital to her 
 finger-tips, too keen to be up and doing for much thinking. 
 
 So she followed the Emperor swiftly, afraid, as she ever was, 
 lest he might be misled without her. 
 
 And in truth he had gone a little further in his religious en- 
 thusiasm over this capture of that stronghold of the Hindus, 
 Kangra, than she was disposed to tolerate. 
 
 He had called all the learned doctors of the law, all the expo- 
 nents of the true faith together, it is true, and had held a solemn 
 service of appropriation in the big square of the fine old fort that 
 crowns the isolated hill above the town. So far, so good. It 
 was only meet ami just that the Kutbah, or Praise-prayer for 
 God, His PropheT^and His King, should be recited proudly where, 
 hitherto, only idolatrous rites had been heard. 
 
 (And here, par parenthese, may one be permitted to wonder 
 why some such ceremony did not form part of King George the 
 Fourth's Great Durbar, and why, for long, long years after India 
 was formally annexed by the English crown, the Kutbah con- 
 tinued to be read in the name of the Sultan of Turkey ?) 
 
 So far, therefore, Nurjahan approved; but when it came to 
 slaughtering a bullock in the Hindu shrine held in the fort, 
 she set her lip. It had been done, however, and Jahangir was 
 piously exultant over it, as he was bound to be; for those two 
 hours beside the death-bed of Ghiyass-ud-din had fanned the flame 
 of devotion, and for the time the conviction that, as the Shadow 
 of God, he had to set a shining example of religious intolerance
 
 248 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 came uppermost. The past, however, was past, and the only thing 
 to be done was to see that in the future the balance was held 
 more evenly. And, truly, the view from the top of the fort, 
 as Jahangir took Nurjahan round to see all the merits and 
 beauties of his new possession, was sufficient to make most human 
 emotions, thoughts, hopes, fears, desires, disappear into the 
 background. Backing the hollows of the town, range on range 
 of shaded mountains rising higher and higher, losing their contours 
 one in the other, till, without a break, like a wall reared against 
 the sunlit sky, they merged into snowy peaks and snowy clouds, 
 one seeming not more remote than the other. Falling from the 
 hollow of the town southward, edge on edge of receding hills 
 melting into the blue horizon of India that cut the sky, soft yet 
 clear, half-way up to the zenith. 
 
 Jahangir stood, his hand in hers once more. 
 
 " Truly, dearest," he said solemnly, " we must prostrate 
 ourselves in thanksgiving for this great gift which no King 
 hitherto has hoped to receive. Let us build a lofty mosque to 
 the Glory of God inside the fort." 
 
 Nurjahan, her eyes on the distant horizon, answered him ab- 
 sently: 
 
 " Ay, there is no harm in that." 
 
 But she guarded him against more disapproval than the re- 
 mark that " the world had here wandered into the desert of error " 
 when together they went to see the great shrine of Durga at 
 Jwala Mukhi, where flames burst forth at intervals from a rift 
 in the rock. Possibly the remembrance that the temple had once 
 already been properly and scientifically sacked by Mahmud of 
 Ghazni may have had a soothing effect upon zeal. It is more 
 likely, however, that the legend attached to the place, telling 
 how the great god Mahadeo, from the intense love and attachment 
 he bore to his wife, had carried her dead body about with him 
 wherever he went throughout the world, until, her form dissolving, 
 her heart had dropped into the rift whence flames come ever to 
 show that even the draught of death cannot quench love, may have 
 had more to do with patience; for Jahangir, with all his faults, 
 was " Compleat Lover." 
 
 Perhaps he clasped the hand he held a little tighter, and
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 249 
 
 wondered what he would do if the woman for whom he had so 
 great an attachment were to leave him alone. As Jahangir 
 himself so often says in his book: " God only knows !" 
 
 But his antagonism to Hindu superstition, Hindu miracles, 
 remained, despite the fact that the beauties of the surrounding 
 country roused the Emperor to an admiration which made him 
 forget almost everything else. The delightful position of one 
 village made it a pleasure worthy of being seen. Another was 
 so enchanting that a lac of rupees was ordered to be spent at once 
 in order to make lofty edifices suitable to the spot, in place of 
 the Hindu buildings which, however much they are decorated, 
 are never pleasant to live in; while it was decreed that in future 
 it should be known as Nurpur, the City of Light, after both 
 Nur-ud-din Jahangir and Nurjahan. 
 
 She by this time had gathered up the reins of State into her 
 small, capable hands, so that, dissent as it would, the Court 
 was not surprised when the Emperor issued his edict conferring 
 all the powers and establishment, all the privileges and emolu- 
 ments of the late It'imadu-d-daula Ghiyass-ud-din Beg to his 
 daughter, Nurjahan Begum, and ordering that her drums and 
 orchestra should hereinafter be sounded immediately after 
 the King's. 
 
 They shook their heads in secret over the guile of womenkind, 
 and that night, post-haste, a horseman with silenced horse's 
 hoofs rode noiselessly southwards bearing the news to Shahjahan 
 away in the Deccan. 
 
 And all the while another horseman with silenced horse-hoofs 
 was bringing news from Shahjahan to Jahangir away in the low 
 hills where he was busy catching jungle-fowl, observing their 
 habits, and remarking on the peculiarity, " that though they 
 differ not at all in plumage or shape from the domestic fowl, 
 they make no sound when caught by the feet and turned upside- 
 down, but remain silent, whereas their congeners the cock and 
 hen deafen Heaven with their outcries." 
 
 He was also observing the habits of others of God's creatures; 
 notably a very holy Hindu, who, by repute, had entirely re- 
 nounced all control over himself. 
 
 " See you, dearest," he said gravely to Nurjahan, as in obedi-
 
 250 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 ence to his daily custom he came to her ere retiring to the society 
 of the other members of his vast retinue in the women's quarter 
 of the camp. " "Pis the duty of Kings to ascertain truth. There- 
 fore I sent for the man and examined him. I found a marvellous 
 state of persistence. He stood, arms outstretched, in the figure 
 of a cross. Thus he remained motionless, neither moving nor 
 to sight breathing, but remaining like a fossil, unobservant of 
 all. So it occurred to me that in a state of drunkenness some 
 change might be wrought. Therefore I ordered that they should 
 cause him to take several cups of double-strength spirits. 'Twas 
 done, dearest, in liberal royal fashion; yet the man remained 
 r impassive; till suddenly his senses left him, he toppled over, and 
 they carried him out like a corpse, dead drunk. 'Twas God's 
 own mercy he did not lose his life, but certainly there is much 
 persistency in his nature. Would God I could carry as much 
 liquor with sobriety !" 
 
 Whereat Nurjahan laughed. But the news that Jahangir 
 brought her was not always provocative of mirth; sometimes it 
 held tragedy. 
 
 The camp had reached the Rawul Pindi district, and Nurjahan 
 had been busy all day settling up details regarding her assumption 
 of her father's office, while Jahangir had passed the time de- 
 lightedly with the poet Bi-Badal, who had composed an excellent 
 chronogram on the taking of the Kangra fort, which began : 
 
 " World-gripper, World-giver, World-holder, World-King, 
 With the s\vord of aghazi he conquered the fort." 
 
 It was growing dusk, and the time for the Emperor's evening 
 visit drew near. So, with a sigh, the woman set aside the man's 
 work for her own, and put herself into the hands of her dressers. 
 It is a quaint picture to raise before the mind's eye. 
 
 A beautiful woman possessed of almost absolute power, yet 
 holding it by virtue of a man's passionate admiration. 
 
 So nothing must be wanting in allurement, nothing to mar 
 the perfect beauty of the still supple, still youthful face and 
 form which, dressed to the uttermost, welcomed the Emperor 
 with smiles. But none were required. In an instant Nurjahan 
 recognized that the man who came before her, a letter held in
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 251 
 
 his shaking hand, his face full of agitation, almost fear, needed 
 more than the solace of this world's joys. In an instant she was 
 beside him; for the instinct of motherhood for one who had given 
 himself so wholly into her keeping was never far below the 
 surface. 
 
 " What is't, my lord ?" 
 
 He looked at her appealingly, almost pitifully. 
 
 " Dearest/' he said, and his voice shook, " he is dead my 
 little son is dead. Lo ! how I remember when he was born, 
 how glad, how proud we all were. And my father peace be 
 with him !" he was maundering on, but the woman's wits 
 outstripped his words; she could not wait for his verbiage. 
 Seizing the letter he held, she glanced at it, then stood almost 
 awful in her quick suspicion. 
 
 " Khushrau, thy son, dead !" she exclaimed. " How and 
 by what means ? His brother's, likely !" 
 
 Jahangir stood before her almost child-like in deprecation, 
 scarce realizing the suspicion of her words. 
 
 " Nay, wife ! Shahjahan himself writes in grief. 'Twas sudden 
 
 a colic 'tis the will of God but he was my eldest, and " 
 
 he stretched his hands out to her as if for help. " When he was 
 a little babe, I remember " 
 
 Then he broke down almost into tears, and even suspicion was 
 forgotten as she comforted him as she could always comfort and 
 console this man who loved her so dearly.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 " A shroud may hide the corpse of one who dies ; 
 Flowers may hide the lips where a kiss lies, 
 And words conceal a thought ; but this is sure : 
 Love cannot hide the Truth from loving eyes." 
 
 " Lo ! I must know the truth/' said Xurjahan in a clear, hard 
 voice, " and thou, Phusla, must bring it me, as thou hast brought 
 me so much before/' she added in a kindlier voice. 
 
 The old snake-charmer, who crouched at her feet, touched the 
 ground with his forehead. 
 
 " To hear is to obey, mistress most great," he replied. " But 
 this slave is old, old quite beyond measure." 
 
 " Traa !" muttered Dilaram, who of late had become almost 
 the old man's double, having taken him completely under her 
 supervision and care. " God knows His own work; 'tis waste 
 time telling Him, and we can see for ourselves that thou art 
 old." 
 
 " Canst not set thy tribe to work as ever ?" asked Nurjahan 
 quickly. 
 
 The Strangler shook his head. " 'Tis a question of life or 
 death, mistress," he replied. " If such things pass through 
 many hands, knowledge filters out and clouds the path. Nay, 
 I must go myself; and I go willingly. Yet " he paused, and his 
 keen, clever old eyes met hers unflinchingly " if the Presence 
 will consider," he went on, " 'tis a long journey hence to Burhan- 
 pore, where the deed was done if it were done at all. And I 
 am old. Therefore let it stand thus: I go; if I return not, the 
 Presence may know that naught has happened, and that I stay 
 to die where my fathers died " 
 
 Here Dilaram gave a feeble conventional whimper. 
 
 " Peace, woman !" continued the old man magisterially. 
 " Obscure not sound sense by foolishness. Wherefore should I 
 journey back to a strange land ? since surely my days are 
 
 252
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 253 
 
 numbered. So I will go, Majesty; and if I find nothing if 'tis 
 true that Prince Khushrau died of the colic, as is reported, then I 
 return not. I should but cumber the ground. But if I find 'tis 
 as Majesty suspects if poison were given if 'twas murder, 
 then " he paused. 
 
 " What then ?" echoed Nurjahan, her eyes on the old man's 
 almost wistful face. 
 
 " Then I must return I will return. Yea, death shall not 
 claim me till I have given my message." 
 
 His head sank to his breast as he spoke; he lifted his right 
 hand the hand that had been so skilful with the Noose of Death 
 as if taking an oath to himself. 
 
 Nurjahan watched him intently. Something in the intense 
 personal vitality of the old man, his utter disregard of all lets 
 and hindrances in his way, had always appealed to her. Now 
 she said with a half smile : " Thou canst not noose death from thy 
 path, Strangler, as thou canst noose thine other enemies. 
 What if it take thee unaware with thy message ?" 
 
 The old man rose and made his farewell salaam. " The 
 Presence may rest assured," he said; " I will deliver my message, 
 if I have one !" 
 
 " And if not," broke in Dilaram with an angry snivel, " thou 
 wilt remain to die, with none to bid thee God-speed with none 
 to spread a funeral feast, with none to to give a decent wail," 
 and she ended with the soft moaning howl of bereaved woman- 
 hood. 
 
 " Woman !" replied the Strangler, turning on her with dignity. 
 " Have I not oft told thee that the ashes of my fathers will 
 welcome me, whether it be in heaven or hell ? But there ! 
 'tis ill teaching an old parrot !" 
 
 With which parting shot of a proverb designed possibly to 
 change old Dilaram's grief to anger he retreated. 
 
 But ere he left he sought another interview, this time alone 
 with the mistress he had served so well. 
 
 " Majesty," he said, " if indeed I go to my death, the tribe 
 will still obey the commands of he who bears this ring." He 
 slipped a slender signet ring in silver off his little finger and laid 
 it on the ground before her. She stooped to raise it. It bsd
 
 254 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 simply a sort of caduceus of two entwined snakes scratched 
 upon it. 
 
 " A paper signed with it will pass; but on urgency use the ring 
 itself." Then the old face grew troubled. " I know not if they 
 will be as true as I, but they will obey." 
 
 That night an old man on a mule, with a crimson coil hidden 
 under his traveller's dress, started southward, guiding his course 
 by the stars. 
 
 Two months ? Yes, two months it would take him to reach 
 Burhanpore. With luck, a month for investigation. And 
 then ? 
 
 " God send he died as all men die !" he muttered to himself 
 as he rode on. " 'Twould be better for Majesty and better for 
 me. Then could I die in peace, and my ashes mix with those of 
 my race." 
 
 Nurjahan, however, as she journeyed Kabulwards with the 
 Imperial camp, thought differently. From the first moment 
 of hearing the news she had jumped to the conclusion that the 
 Prince's death was not natural. In truth, probabilities were 
 against his dying so opportunely. Her suspicions of Shahjahan, 
 which had been aroused by his insistence on having the custody 
 of his brother, had insensibly grown during the last year by 
 being dwelt upon, and Prince Parviz's sudden appearance, 
 without being summoned, during his- father's latest attack of 
 asthma, had strengthened her belief, right or wrong, that his 
 sons were eager for their father's death in order to wrest all power 
 from her. 
 
 And here she was doubtless right. The appointment of a 
 woman to the highest office in the State must have been a bitter 
 pill for the men of that day, or, indeed, for the men of any other 
 day. It was an incredible, inconceivable, unforgivable insult; 
 no more, no less. It warranted every form of detraction, every 
 sort of opposition, all and every conspiracy that could be 
 hatched. A weak, doting, ailing monarch, a designing female; 
 with these two characters, any illiterate fellow could write the 
 book of the play. It would mean nothing to him that the 
 orders of the new Vizier show a new note of tolerance and justice; 
 that the rumours of aggression in Kandahar by the Shah of
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 255 
 
 Persia should be met with statesman-like calm, and a request 
 amounting to an order sent requiring Prince Shahjahan's im- 
 mediate attendance at Court, bringing with him a sufficiency of 
 artillery and elephants to enable him " should the rumour 
 prove true to start at once with an innumerable army and count- 
 less treasure, to bring home to the aggressor the result of breaking 
 faith and of wrong- doing. Since, thanks be to God ! the success 
 of the Prince's arms in the Deccan would now allow of his taking 
 command in Kandahar." 
 
 It would mean nothing to him that a tried servant who had 
 become weak and old was given a more suitable post for his years, 
 or that, in order to ease the condition o the peasants, a certain 
 heavy cess was remitted throughout the length and breadth of 
 Jahangir's dominions. 
 
 It would mean nothing to him that when reliable information 
 was received that the Shah of Persia really had designs on Kan- 
 dahar, orders were immediately issued for the Imperial Court to 
 quit the enchanting region of Kashmir and return to the Punjab 
 in order to expedite the arrival of the victorious army from the 
 Deccan, and to arrange for the due preparation of artillery and 
 all warlike material. It would mean nothing to him that quick 
 foresight is seen in regard to commissariat necessities; that 
 " since there would be little or no cultivated land on the march 
 to Kandahar, the despatch of a large army to sponge on the 
 people was not to be thought of, and that therefore a subsidy 
 should be given to a sufficiency of banjaras, or itinerant grain- 
 sellers, to enable them and their bullocks, to the number of 
 100,000, to march with the army in order that there should be 
 no difficulty about supplies ; but that, by the grace of the Creator 
 the army should be well furnished with everything, so that 
 without delay or hesitation it might reach Isfahan, the very capital 
 of the traitorous Shah." 
 
 Neither would the order sent apparently on provocation 
 
 to the General in the Punjab that he should not give way to over- 
 eagerness, but, undisturbed, await the arrival of the victorious 
 Deccan army before starting on the campaign, be accepted as 
 evidence in favour of mere woman's wit. 
 
 All this masculinity of organization is obliterated by the 
 femininity of the organ !
 
 256 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 So, once more, this time in August, ere the saffron-fields had 
 come to their full bloom, the royal pair he was fifty-four and 
 she fifty-two left the playground of the east, not by the Pir- 
 panjaeb Pass, but by the one which debouches on the hill territory 
 of Jammu, and is the quickest route. 
 
 For Nurjahan was impatient to start the Kandahar expedition. 
 It was too soon to expect old Phusla's return, and with her usual 
 and most feminine sense of fair play, she would not judge Shah- 
 jahan on the mere suspicion which lay, nevertheless, always at 
 the back of her brain. 
 
 They paused at the spring of Achibal for a farewell feast ere 
 saying good-bye to what for Jahangir at least was an earthly 
 Paradise. A place where his great love of the beauties of nature 
 could be satisfied without stint, where he could lead the open air, 
 outdoor life in which his curiously simple tastes found their great- 
 est pleasure. To hold a Feast of Cups beside the great river 
 which gushes out of the living rock at Achibal, to look down along 
 the wide avenue of poplar-trees edging the aqueduct that leads 
 the water to the levels below those wide levels of winding 
 streams and green rice-fields, of silvery willows and the red, 
 hundred-leaved rose that was content. 
 
 " Dear heart," said Jahangir regretfully to the companion of 
 all his pleasures, " 'tis ill to be leaving this land of eternal 
 spring." 
 
 " Nay, my lord," responded Nurjahan gaily, " not eternal ! 
 The winters here are hard indeed, so the report goes." Her face 
 changed to concern. " The poor folk must suffer. They are 
 ill-clothed. Even in the warmth of summer they carry about 
 their clay fire-baskets within their single garment, as my lord 
 must have noticed. So when cold comes they must suffer much 
 poor souls ! I would 'twere possible " 
 
 " All things are possible," put in Jahangir quickly. " Dost 
 forget I am the Shadow of God ?" he added a trifle reproachfully. 
 
 " As such, 'tis my duty to see to this. So I will give " He 
 
 paused, the idea took hold of him and he went on quite eagerly: 
 4< Yea, I will gift a whole village the rental thereof to this 
 purpose of providing a second shift to the poor. Ay, and heating 
 the water for religious ablutions in the mosques, see you, since
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 257 
 
 that is a goodly work. And I will entrust it to " He looked 
 
 round for help to Nurjahan. 
 
 " Entrust it not to clerks whatever," she said, " nor to con- 
 tractors. "Tis not that they are dishonest, but money sticks to 
 them they cannot pass it on if they would !" 
 
 Jahangir laughed. " Hast learnt that, wise woman ? Stay, 
 I have it. I will put it in charge of the poet my Persian poet 
 from Isfahan. Lo ! he is so full of the humanities that he will 
 not discriminate too much and he will write me verses on it 
 also, so that will give us the other half of the lentil !" 
 
 So they sat smiling over the farewell gift to the poor of the 
 land they loved so well. Half an hour afterwards, however, 
 they were frowning over the contents of a letter which a despatch- 
 rider had brought with all haste from the Deccan. It was Shah- 
 jahan's reply to his father's summons. 
 
 Jahangir's heavy face flushed with sheer anger at its wording. 
 Curtly and without periphrases, it was a refusal to come north 
 until the rainy season was over. 
 
 " I like not the style nor the matter," thundered the Emperor. 
 " And I know not the meaning of it " 
 
 Nurjahan, her brows levelled, her nostrils distended, stood 
 looking at the letter she held. " The meaning of it will be made 
 manifest ere long," she said, and her voice was bitterness itself. 
 " Mayhap 'tis fear " 
 
 " Fear !" echoed Jahangir almost incredulously. " But where- 
 fore ? Have I ever given him cause for fear ? Have I not 
 loaded him with honours, with favours, with " 
 
 ' 'Tis not what my lord hath done," put in the Empress 
 coldly. " He sits free of blame; 'tis what the Prince hath done 
 himself. Some deeds bring fear with them." 
 
 " Thou speakest in riddles, wife, and I care not to guess 
 them," retorted the Emperor angrily. " The fact remains. 
 Khurram, my son, whom I have loved " his voice broke " hath 
 written me that which bears traces of disloyalty. He hath 
 dared to do this and' and for the moment I have no 
 remedy " 
 
 " Ay !" said the Empress, her mind going beyond the personal. 
 Shahjahan's guilt or innocence, his loyalty or disloyalty, were
 
 258 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 as nothing to the check and delay this refusal would give to the 
 Kandahar expedition. " There be none worthy to send in his 
 stead save, mayhap, Mohabat Khan." 
 
 " Mohabat hath his hands full with the hell-doomed rebels 
 beyond Kabul," interrupted Jahangir, his anger growing to rage 
 as the full enormity of Shahjahan's refusal came home to him. 
 " And why should I, the Emperor, the Shadow of God, be 
 thwarted ? I summoned Shahjahan. Wherefore comes he not ?" 
 The old uncontrollable passion seized on him, his face grew dark. 
 " My curse upon him as disloyal ! to repay my favours thus 
 disobedient and I trusted him !" 
 
 The man was roused to his very depths; the darkness of his 
 face turned to lividness he gasped for breath, struggled to go 
 on, then sank back among his cushions, speechless, overcome by 
 his constant enemy. 
 
 In an instant, thought was turned to remedies; but even as 
 she administered them, Nurjahan's resentment rose against the 
 cause of the attack. How dared he thus openly defy his father's 
 what is more, her clear orders ? Whether he was fratricide 
 or not and that decision must await the Strangler's return or 
 non-return he was plainly rebellious; he had openly defied his 
 father's and her authority. That this thought of her own power 
 had come to her was inevitable; authority always brings with it 
 a certain arrogance. So her thoughts turned instantly to re- 
 venge. And as she sat when the Emperor had quieted down and 
 gone to sleep after a full dose of opiate from her ruby cup, she 
 sat looking at the empty measure with brooding eyes. 
 
 She had passed beyond the first vague superstitious alarm 
 which had beset her when she had found her luck-cup had gone 
 out of her life. She had, as it were, reasoned herself out of it. 
 Doubtless, it had been " talisman," but the charm had not been 
 hers hers only. It had been something outside herself, and life 
 had taught her that her only safety lay in self-reliance; that she, 
 and she only, made or marred her fate. And this recognition 
 had come home to her with greater strength since her father's 
 death. It had made her colder, harder perhaps to the outside 
 world, but infinitely more capable. 
 
 So she sat, brooding over the empty cup, fully resolved to 
 defend her position to the uttermost.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 259 
 
 By refusing to come at his father's request, Shah jahan had done 
 more than mere disobedience. He had for the moment wrecked 
 all her plans. She had intended that this Kandahar expedition, 
 the first over which she would have entire control, untrammelled 
 even by her father's preconceived and masculine ideas, should 
 be a success. And Shahjahan, whom she had chosen, irrespective 
 of his other actions, was, unquestionably, the first General of 
 the age. He had failed her. 
 
 So the idea flashed in upon her very soul why not vest the 
 command in some creature of her bidding; someone who would 
 be a figure-head to her command ? 
 
 She had tried many things in her life, from cooking to states- 
 manship, and in all she had found something in herself which 
 made for success. Failure seemed far from her; she could 
 scarce credit its occurrence even in generalship. Thus she sat 
 brooding over the empty ruby cup, until her plans took form. 
 
 It was on Jahangir's fifty-fourth birthday that she announced 
 them. They were at the spring of Vernag, the source of the 
 Jhelum river. Here, when as a Prince Jahangir had first visited 
 Kashmir, he had ordered one of his " suitable buildings " to be 
 erected. 
 
 And suitable it was, and is, to this day. An octagonal reservoir 
 darkly deep, reflecting the cloistered walk surrounding it, the 
 verdure of the gardens beyond, the blue of the sky above, the 
 semi-darkness of the domed ante-rooms on each side. A reservoir 
 so clear that a blind man at midnight could count the grains of 
 sand at the bottom of it; so clear that nowhere could the fishes 
 that swam in it hide themselves. 
 
 Jahangir had spent the best half of the morning in watching 
 them shoot from every side to the centre, if a crumb was thrown 
 into the water, till they made a rapid star of silver, and in admiring 
 the surpassing beauty of a water-plant that swayed about in the 
 ripple, bearing flowers here and there, giving it the appearance of 
 the variegated tail of a peacock. Briefly, in all Kashmir was no 
 sight of more beauty, of such enchanting character. 
 
 But now it was audience-time, and there beside his throne 
 was Nurjahan's filmy-screened seat. But a few threads between 
 her and that outside world which held womanhood in such slight 
 esteem.
 
 260 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 It is a picture well worth preserving in the Gallery of Significant 
 Recollections. Imagine it ! A hushed audience of big bearded 
 men, hands on the scabbards of their swords and fingers itching 
 to be at the woman's throat. And she, supremely beautiful, 
 supremely capable so far as history goes, blameless of all but 
 ambition the very life, the soul, the informing power of the 
 monarch who lived through and by her a lovable, irascible, 
 weak, affectionate creature more like a woman than a man. 
 
 So through the cloistered alleys the long-winded phraseology 
 of the Shah of Persia's letter and the answer thereto echoed 
 and re-echoed. The former pointed out how Kandahar was a 
 hereditary fief of Persia; how in times of misfortune it had fallen 
 into the hands of Jahangir's lofty family, who, being of the same 
 blood, were counted as guardians; how, from feelings of brother- 
 hood, the Shah had awaited restitution, thinking that, after the 
 manner of his ancestors who were in Paradise, the Emperor of 
 India would voluntarily take the matter into his consideration; 
 the more so because the petty country was not worthy of his 
 notice. It went on with Persian verses to the effect that the 
 ever-vernal flower of cordiality must remain in bloom, since 
 between Persia and Hindustan trouble could not exist, and naught 
 was possible but love and trust. It ended by a fervent wish 
 that the star-brushing standards of the Emperor of all the Indies 
 might ever be associated with the Divine aid. 
 
 The reply, though it carefully avoided all notice of the Shah's 
 hereditary claim to the disputed province, was even more dignified 
 and flowery. It asserted that the glorious monarch, the star 
 of heaven's army, had without rhyme or reason disturbed the rose- 
 garden of love and friendship; that no mention had previously 
 been made of any wish for Kandahar, that petty village, but that 
 on hearing of its occupation orders had immediately been issued 
 not in any way to transgress the pleasure of the prosperous one. 
 Nevertheless, when such steps were taken without the return 
 of the letter-bearing ambassador, the question must arise, to 
 whom will mankind ascribe the merit of keeping compact and 
 holding in trust the coin of humanity ? 
 
 It ended somewhat curtly with the bald wish that God would 
 preserve the receiver at all times.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 261 
 
 But it was stiff and to the point. So, whether it was woman's 
 work or man's, the hearers accepted it heartily with fulsome 
 flattery. 
 
 Then followed a brief outline of the Emperor's policy. Since 
 Prince Shahjahan had declined to obey the Emperor's order 
 appointing him to the supreme command in Kandahar, that order 
 was cancelled. Fresh ones had been sent to say that the Amirs 
 and the army generally were to come north without him, while 
 he himself might take up a permanent residence wherever he 
 wished, as the provinces of Malwa, the Deccan, Guzerat, and 
 Kandesh, would be handed over to his possession, in return for 
 which hisjaghers in the north would pass to his younger brother 
 Shahriyar, who had been appointed, in Shahjahan's place, 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Kandahar expedition, the entire 
 cost of which would be defrayed by Nurjahan Padshah Begum, 
 who pledged herself, should necessity arise, to expend upon it 
 all the moneys she had inherited from her father and whatever 
 else she had acquired through Majesty's 'favour and indulgence, 
 in order to bring it to a successful conclusion. 
 
 The Amirs, the Omrahs, the courtiers generally, stared at each 
 other when Shahriyar's name was mentioned. He was still 
 a lad, not yet out of his teens, and weakly at that. Up till then 
 he had not shown much forwardness in any way. Still, the Begum 
 had undoubtedly made a very sporting offer, and if someone of 
 experience, such as Rustum Khan, who knew every foot of the 
 way, were sent with the boy, all might go well. 
 
 And as for the order concerning Shahjahan, it was an in- 
 genious method of keeping him at arm's length, and not a few of 
 the Court had begun to look at him askance over his brother's 
 sudden death. 
 
 So once more they assented with fulsome flattery. 
 
 That same evening, however, when Jahangir came on his 
 daily visit to the Empress, his mind was once more running on 
 the extreme iniquity of Shahjahan's behaviour. It was mon- 
 strous, inconceivable, without parallel. 
 
 " He will come to evil, mark my word !" he said, half between 
 tears and anger. " When, with a father like me, who am at 
 least his ostensible creator, and in my own life-time have raised
 
 262 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 him to the dignity of Sultanship and denied him nothing, he acts 
 so badly, I appeal to the justice of God that He may never again 
 regard him with favour ! And what is more/' he added almost 
 spitefully, " 'tis five years since on account of the great regard 
 and abundant affection I had for Khurram and his sons 
 especially Shuja, who was dangerously ill at the time I re- 
 solved, if Providence would grant me the child's life, that never 
 again would I sport with a gun or inflict an injury on any living 
 thing with my own hand. And all these five years, despite my 
 love of hunting especially with a gun I have kept my promise. 
 But now now curse me if I shoot not, just to pay back his 
 unkind behaviour ! Ay, and no one in the camp shall dare to 
 travel with me without a gun too and they shall shoot. Yea, 
 they shall shoot at everything they see." He paused, and added 
 with an appeased smile: " But only God knows if they will kill 
 aught !" 
 
 And the very next morning Jahangir felt some consolation 
 for his son's disloyalty in once more enjoying the extreme pleasure 
 of sport, and laughing at the efforts of his courtiers to shoot 
 straight. 
 
 In such ways he was pure boy.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 " In Life's long Ledger, on each passing page 
 Right deeds and wrong are written. When old age 
 Claims at Death's door its earnings, who can say 
 Which Master has been served, which gives the wage?" 
 
 THE Imperial camp lay at Thaneswar, that quaint old town of 
 sacred shrines where, long years before, the little Mihr-un-nissa 
 in her sleep had so nearly been deprived of her plaything, the 
 lacquered cup. 
 
 And now, Empress of all the Indies, with unlimited power, 
 unlimited resource, at her command, she lay behind silken 
 screens, in a marvellous tent of Kashmir shawls, held up by poles 
 of solid silver-gilt and set with precious :. tones. 
 
 She had rested late, for the last three months had brought the 
 influx of a thousand new anxieties. The Emperor's health was 
 failing fast. There could be no question but that Shajahan's 
 behaviour was largely responsible for his father's sudden break- 
 down. Though the latter still found abundant pleasure in the 
 chase, he was easily tired, and when tired was apt to be piteous. 
 Only that very evening he had come to Nurjahan, his unfailing 
 comforter, full of his grievances, and had kept her from necessary 
 work. 
 
 " See you," he had said, " I write no more with mine own hand 
 in my Memoirs. It shakes too much, so I have desired Motamid 
 to write notes, then submit them for verification ere transcribing 
 them into my book. 'Tis all my son's fault. Lo ! I have ordered 
 that in the notes he shall be named ' Disloyal ' ; nothing else 
 does he deserve. What affection, what interest have I not 
 bestowed on him ! My tongue fails in ability to set them forth. 
 And now in a warm climate that is extremely unsuited to my 
 health I have to be active, to ride and review troops. And what 
 is worse, see you, is this ! His vileness hath deluded others, 
 
 263
 
 264 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 and these must I punish, though heretofore they have served me 
 well." 
 
 And when Nurjahan, as ever, had attempted consolation, he 
 had gone on angrily: " Oh, 'tis well to say 'tis God's will, and I 
 thank my Creator that he has given me strength to bear my burden 
 and reckon it as light. But what lays heavily on my heart and 
 places my eager temperament in sorrow is this, that when every 
 loyal man should be vying with each other in my service against 
 mine enemies, this inauspicious disloyal one should have struck 
 as it were with an axe at the root of his own dominion, and be- 
 come a stumbling-block in the path of the momentous affair of 
 Kandahar. For it will have to be postponed mark my words, 
 it will have to be postponed," he repeated, looking almost help- 
 lessly at the woman to whom he had given his unreserved 
 confidence. 
 
 " It is postponed," she replied quietly. 
 
 And this was the truth; for events had marched quickly since 
 that peaceful day at the Vernag spring. To begin with, there had 
 been a fracas nay, more bloodshed, between Shahjahan's 
 and Shahriyar's agents over one of the latter's jaghirs. The 
 rights of the matter are immaterial; the result was instant 
 animosity. Briefly, the fat was in the fire. All the Emperor's 
 passionate anger had been aroused, he had clamoured for im- 
 mediate action against his son, and as a first step had ordered 
 Mohabat Khan, his greatest General, to Court. Mohabat, a 
 wily, astute man, had replied that he could do nothing so long as 
 Nurjahan's brother, Asof Khan, remained at hand able to check- 
 mate his moves. Nurjahan had seen the justice of this stipula- 
 tion. In her own heart of hearts she saw that her brother must 
 naturally favour Shahjahan, his son-in-law's cause. So as, with 
 a view to expenses, Jahangir had sent for all the treasure in gold 
 and silver that had accumulated since his father's time at Agra, 
 Asof was deputed to escort it thence. 
 
 The result might have been foreseen. News of the treasure 
 came instantly to Shahjahan, who started from Mandu at once 
 with the object of intercepting it. So at least it was said. This 
 had necessitated immediate effort for protection. Hence the 
 journey southwards of the Emperor with a small picked force;
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 265 
 
 a force, however, that was joined on the way down country by 
 many contingents. In fact, though the march from Lahore 
 had been without previous notice for time did not admit of 
 delay or reflection, and there were at first but few Amirs in at- 
 tendance before the arrival of the camp at Thaneswar such a 
 force had come together that in any direction one looked the 
 plain was occupied by troops. Thus once more the green wheat- 
 fields of Kurukshetra were trodden down by soldiers' feet. 
 
 So Nurjahan had her hands full. Yet still she hesitated to 
 take decisive steps, for old Phusla had not returned. It was long 
 past his time; and that might mean innocence. Then Shahriyar ? 
 She could not gloze over his inefficiency. And there were no 
 children of the marriage, no sign of one as yet. 
 
 It is difficult to get at the workings of a woman's mind when it 
 has to deal with such absolute, yet unstable, power as this woman 
 possessed. What thoughts, what aspirations and desires were 
 hers it is impossible to judge; but when the tortuous ways of 
 Eastern diplomacy were over each day, it is to be guessed that 
 she was outwearied. 
 
 On this particular evening more than usually so; she therefore 
 dismissed her attendants, all save Dilaram who, despite her 
 great age, still clung to her duty of sleeping on the floor within 
 reach of her mistress's hand and simply flinging aside her veil, 
 lay down to rest in the flowing white garments that were still 
 her favourite dress. 
 
 So the light of the little scented / jewelled cresset that hung 
 from the tent-pole glinted on diamonds and pearls still twined in 
 her abundant hair and on the ropes of pearls about her neck. 
 The distant noises of the camp filtered through the silken screens; 
 the singing challenge of sleepy watchmen one to the other broke 
 in on the semi-silence. All was peace and darkness; for the 
 " Lamp of Justice " swinging in front of the Emperor's tent 
 hard by threw but a feeble gleam across the wide enclosure. 
 Someone yawned, a patient weary yawn, and from Dilaram's 
 quilt-muffled figure came a gentle snore. 
 
 What was it that in the darkest hour of the night made Nur- 
 jahan sit up suddenly and listen ? She scarcely knew. Not 
 Dilaram's slow snore, but a faint chuckling sound from the
 
 266 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 further side of the tent. But that, surely, had come after she 
 awoke ? Before that, what was it ? Something that awoke 
 her. She waited for a minute, but heard nothing. Then, 
 dissatisfied, she rose, took the jewelled cresset from its stand/ 
 and walked noiselessly across the tent with bare feet upon the 
 silken carpet. 
 
 She was a brave woman, but what she saw made her give one 
 startled cry, half checked by that desire for silence, for secrecy, 
 in which she had learnt to look for her surest weapon. It was 
 enough, however, to rouse Dilaram, who, half drunken with sleep, 
 staggered towards the light. To put down the cresset on the 
 floor, seize her by the wrist, and gag her outcry, was a second's 
 work, but it entailed sinking to the ground with her. So the 
 women's flouncing skirts almost touched the outstretched arms 
 of a naked man which still moved convulsively in a last death- 
 struggle. For a noose was round his neck, a noose that was fast 
 held by another figure that lay behind him, a figure that, even 
 as they looked, slackened its hold, gave one faint sigh, and then 
 lay still. 
 
 " Phusla !" whispered Nurjahan hoarsely. " Phusla ! Not 
 one word, nursie not one word ! Quick, the lamp ! Let us 
 see if he still breathes methinks he is dead ay, dead !" 
 
 The added horror seemed to slip her by as she knelt curiously 
 beside the naked anatomy of the old Strangler. 
 
 He was quite dead. He had gone out like a lamp in a wind, 
 killed doubtless by the effort to kill. And as she knelt the full 
 meaning of his return flashed in on her ; but old Dilaram, grasping 
 nothing save that her ancient friend was gone, began to whimper. 
 
 " Peace, woman !" said Nurjahan in a voice vibrant with com- 
 mand. " None must know. And if thou desirest not that the 
 old man be held Strangler by all, take that noose off yonder 
 carrion. It hath done its work surely !" 
 
 Dazed with sheer horror, the old woman loosed the slip-knot, 
 withdrew the twisted silken rope, mechanically coiled it up, and 
 thrust it as she had done once before at the Strangler's com- 
 mand into her capacious bosom. 
 
 " None will know now none will know," she muttered, rock- 
 ing herself backward and forward. But Nurjahan saw further.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 267 
 
 " They will suspect," she whispered sternly, " if they find him 
 thus. Quick ! Thou hast care of his things his braided coat 
 his badge. Go boldly none will challenge thee !" 
 
 The old woman, mumbling away at charms to keep off evil 
 between her hushed wail of grief, obeyed, as she had ever obeyed 
 her nursling ever since that day when Ghiyass-ud-din, repentant, 
 confused, overjoyed, had given it back to her arms from the desert 
 where it had been laid. 
 
 So Nurjahan, alone, crouched beside the dead men, the jewelled 
 cresset by her side, waited in silence for her return. Such scented 
 silence, holding so strange a scene ! The woman with the light 
 showing her braided, gem-set hair, the two still forms, one so 
 peaceful, the other contorted in the last agony of swift suffocation, 
 lying one behind the other on the silken carpet. Phusla's face, 
 worn, old, inconceivably lined, the mouth open, the eyes closed, 
 showed sideways; the other's was hidden under his arm. Poor 
 loyal heart-loyal old Strangler ! His skill, his contempt for 
 other's incompetence, found vent in her soft, half-smiling 
 " Bungler !" as she drew her white draperies distastefully a shade 
 further from the old man's last victim. 
 
 " Bungler !" Ay, that was what old Phusla would have called 
 him Phusla the Strangler ! 
 
 But how had it come about ? Had mischance brought the 
 old man to the spot in time to save her ? for the Bungler was 
 no common thief; such carrion did not risk life for a few jewels 
 when there was loot and to spare in less secure places. Or 
 had he become aware of some plot against her life there 
 were so many ! and led the Bungler on to believe he would 
 help ? 
 
 There was no fathoming the thoughts or actions of that mind, 
 master in its way. But the question remained. Had the old 
 man returned with a message, or had he come merely to save ? 
 She would never know, for he was dead. How peaceful he 
 looked, this loyal old servant of hers, who had dealt death 
 to how many ? 
 
 But what was death ? Nothing ! She was not speculative 
 in mind. She was too much enmeshed in the things of this world 
 to think beyond it; but she had read much, and the words of
 
 268 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the Bhagavad-Gita, which she had often heard Gosain Jadrup 
 repeat, recurred to her: 
 
 " Yea ; but we when man layeth 
 His worn-out clothes away, 
 And taketh new ones, sayeth. 
 'These will I wear to-day.' 
 So putteth by the spirit 
 Lightly its robe of flesh, 
 And passeth to inherit 
 A residence afresh." 
 
 Certainly, the Strangler, despite his many crimes ay, despite 
 his many virtues had slipped out of life easily enough ! 
 
 As for other thoughts, time enough for them when the immediate 
 present had passed. 
 
 Dilaram was long of coming, but she was old. Ah, there she 
 was at last ! Between them they could clothe the old man to 
 some semblance of his Court office. But after that 
 
 Stay ! Fedai Khan, now the Quarter-master-General. He was 
 ever to be trusted. In a way it was his business. But to send 
 for him in the middle of the night would be to arouse suspicion. 
 She must wait till dawn. 
 
 " Peace, fool !" she said harshly to old Dilaram, whose grief 
 showed signs of becoming audible. " If thou wouldst save him 
 from suspicion, be still ! See, take up thy quilt and follow me 
 to my audience-tent." 
 
 With the lamp in her hand, she set aside the curtain dividing 
 the two and took her place on the cushioned divan. So, one 
 elbow resting on her knee, the hand pressing her firm lips together, 
 she waited for the dawn, while Dilaram, choking in her sobs, 
 fell after a time into profound slumber. 
 
 When Fedai Khan could be called to the Presence without 
 fear of tattle, she would call him. Till then she had time for 
 thought. 
 
 So when Fedai Khan, duly called through the eunuchs in 
 attendance, appeared, as usual beautiful to behold, spick and 
 span, perfect in salutation, he found the Empress ready with all 
 plans. 
 
 Briefly, in private audience, she told what had happened, 
 setting old Dilaram at the tent-curtain to recite her morning
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 269 
 
 verses of the Koran, so as to prevent outside listeners from over- 
 hearing. 
 
 '' The soil within/' she whispered finally, " is but loose sand. 
 A child could scrape a grave for the carrion as it lies. 'Tis but 
 to cover it; the silken carpet will do the rest. Wilt do this for 
 thy mistress, Fedai, and forget thy nobility ?" 
 
 Fedai bowed low. " Nobility lies in service, Majesty. It is 
 done/' and he moved to enter the inner tent. 
 
 "But hist!" interrupted the Empress. "There is the old 
 man Dilaram, thy quilt. Wrap him in it and lift him to the 
 threshold of the outer door. Folk will deem he died in his sleep 
 dost understand ?" 
 
 " But, Majesty," remonstrated Fedai blankly, "he hath been 
 away these months." 
 
 The Empress looked at him coldly. " Thou dost mistake. 
 He returned but yesterday, and sought instant and private 
 interview with me. As ever, I saw him; privately, mind you, 
 and " 
 
 " Majesty's orders shall be obeyed/' said Fedai, bowing 
 hurriedly; there was something almost appalling in this woman's 
 calm foresight. 
 
 The Empress raised her voice as he disappeared into the inner 
 tent, drawing his broad tulwar to serve as shovel. " So the 
 camp moves, as I said, at the third watch. Bear in mind the 
 order, and have all in readiness. Dost hear ?" 
 
 She paused for a reply, and from within came at once the 
 orthodox reply: " Majesty shall be obeyed ! " 
 
 So for the space of some ten minutes orders and answers were 
 given duly. Then Fedai emerged, somewhat breathless; yet still, 
 as ever, spick and span. 
 
 " Thou hadst best call thy writer and set down the order," 
 remarked Nurjahan. 
 
 " Majesty shall be obeyed," murmured Fedai Khan, wondering 
 at this woman's calm. 
 
 So all was in order, and the eunuchs and slave-girls waiting 
 in the corridor discussed the sudden move sleepily. 
 
 " Lo !" said one, a big brawny fellow, " I augured ill from the
 
 270 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Begum's hurry. Can a body not rest in peace ? And she was 
 up half the night too. Curses on all womenkind, say I !" 
 
 " Wah !" commented a pert slave-girl. " That may be. But 
 she dismissed us all early, and the old porcupine Dilaram would 
 not let us in at dawn, saying the Begum was busy. So we be 
 not so hard used as thou man-and-no-man ! Lo ! 'tis better to 
 be woman, say I !" 
 
 It was not for a good hour afterwards that the body of old 
 Phusla was discovered outside the back entrance to the tent, 
 just where he was wont to sleep found cold and stark, wrapped 
 up in a quilt. " Why, 'tis thine anagdh-jee," remarked a curious 
 maid, and Dilaram with sobs told the tale dictated by her mistress, 
 of the old man's late return and how she had loaned him her quilt. 
 And as her grief, till then pent-up, was genuine, it carried the tale 
 with it. Even the magnificence of the obsequies ordered by the 
 Begum for her faithful old servant did not assuage the poor old 
 lady's tears, though she took undoubted pride in the amount of 
 sweet-scented woods and oils that went to the burning of that 
 frail body. 
 
 Nor, though the ashes were duly put in a proper receptacle, 
 and Nurjahan promised to send them safe to the village in the 
 Deccan whence the Strangler had said he came, was she content. 
 She sat weeping and shaking her wellnigh bald head disconso- 
 lately. 
 
 " Nay, nay, Meru !" she moaned, reverting to childish days. 
 " Thou meanest well, but none can see to it save I. Look you, 
 I, too, grow old nay, I am old and past work as he was. Yet 
 must my bones lie near his ashes, for, see you, we .were as brother 
 and sister. So of what use are thirty-two teeth to one rice- 
 grain ? Better to send us both by one carrier. Lo ! I can sit 
 in one basket and he in the other." 
 
 For all her sympathy with the poor old soul's tears, Nurjahan 
 could not repress a smile. 
 
 " Thou wouldst scarce balance with poor Phusla's ashes, 
 nursie," she said; " but if such be thy desire, thou shalt go in 
 state." 
 
 So, two days later, a quaint procession started southwards 
 from the Imperial camp, Dilaram attired in scarlet like a bride,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 2?r 
 
 seated in a spangled dhooli which seemed too small for her size 
 and flouncing garments, preceded by a bhangy wallah, his bamboo 
 yoke scarce bent by the weight of Phusla's ashes in one basket, 
 balanced by the coolie's pipe in the other. 
 
 ' 3 Tis ever so !" remarked Dilaram almost apologetically. 
 " Were I burnt, which God forbid ! I should not be so heavy. 
 'Tis so with all men. ' If I live, the world lives; if I die, the 
 world dies !' " 
 
 And Nurjahan, Empress though she was, felt that she was 
 more alone than ever without her two old servants. 
 
 That evening she sent again for Fedai Khan. 
 
 " Did they find the carrion ?" she asked sharply. " If so, 
 
 and there was the mark of the Noose " She paused in 
 
 evident regret. 
 
 Fedai salaamed as ever to perfection. " Majesty has no cause 
 for vexation," he replied. " I cut the carrion's head off with 
 my sword ere I buried it." 
 
 Nurjahan was silent for a second. Then she said coldly: 
 ' Thou hast done well, Fedai. Better than I, who had hours 
 and hours for thought." Then she added half to herself: 
 
 " Lo ! I grow old, too !" 
 
 She felt disheartened, uncertain; in a way disappointed. 
 Phusla had returned, but had he returned with a message? 
 Or, discovering one of the many plots against her life, had he 
 journeyed back simply to save her? She had immediately 
 caused inquiries to be made as to whether the two men had 
 been seen together, and had traced them back as far as 
 But beyond that ? 
 
 For if old Phusla had journeyed northward but one 
 alone she felt she would have the right to believe the worst ot 
 Shahjahan. 
 
 Yet when all was said or done, she knew, being no fool, that 
 when she and Jahangir were dead and gone, Shahjahan was the 
 worthiest of all the claimants to power. Prince Parviz and Shah- 
 riyar were alike unfitted for the throne, and even Prince Dara 
 Buksh, Khushrau's eldest son, who had been honoured by the 
 Governorship of Guzerat and a handsome allowance, did not 
 promise well.
 
 272 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 She was in this curious frame of mind when news came to her 
 which changed the whole tenor of her mind. 
 
 After three years of marriage a child was to be born to her 
 daughter. In an instant the horizon of life altered. Her am- 
 bition no longer personal, and therefore to one of her character 
 trivial centred with all the fervour of a mother round the thought 
 of an heir who would be bone of her bone, flesh of her flesh. 
 
 A day or two afterwards the Emperor ordered his army to 
 put on their chiltas, or quilted coats in other words, to make 
 ready for battle.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 " O'er Life's grim battle hovers Victory 
 Read}' with laurel wreath. The fighters try 
 To win her favour, while with bended bow 
 And arrow set. their Fate stands smiling by." 
 
 THE order came none too soon, for Shahjahan and his army 
 were marching rapidly on Delhi ; with what intent who can tell ? 
 Yet this is certain: matters had at last come to a crisis. 
 
 It is true that the undutiful son had, through an envoy, made 
 proposals to his father, but these requests were, in that father's 
 opinion, so unreasonable that Jahangir not only refused him 
 permission to argue his point, but actually handed the am- 
 bassador over to Mohabat the Generalissimo to be kept in prron. 
 
 It was a strong measure, and the result was ill. Shahjahan, 
 driven to despair, fell in with the advice of those around 
 him. Many of these were men of desperate fortune, who hoped 
 to mend matters by a civil war;^but most were those who at all 
 costs wished to be rid of a woman's power. Such men were 
 insidious in assuring Shahjahan that his only chance lay in im- 
 mediate resistance; that in the same way as he had been dis- 
 possessed of his northern provinces, hisfnew southern ones would 
 be taken from him, when he would be helpless. Foremost 
 amongst these counsellors was Rajah Bickramajeet, to whom 
 Jahangir, at the request of Shahjahan, had given his title. A 
 Hindu, and Brahmin of high caste, he had been the latter's 
 right hand for years, for he showed great talent as a General. 
 He it was who had captured Kengra; indeed, some say that to 
 him Shahjahan owed most of his campaigning successes. An 
 ambitious, crafty man, his sole idea was to place his patron in 
 power as soon as might be. 
 
 His voice, therefore, was for war at all costs. Yet still Shah- 
 jahan hesitated; he would indeed have been less than human 
 had he not remembered his father's kindness, had he not himself 
 
 273 18
 
 274 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 felt a kindness towards that ood-hearted, irresponsible, curiously 
 vain, yet affectionate nat e. So he divided his vast force into 
 three sections, and, re ining one himself, counter- marched 
 some fifteen miles to th. east, leaving the others to do as they 
 chose. Apparently he wished to avoid a battle himself. 
 
 Meanwhile, over in the Emperor's camp, a certain confusion 
 was manifest. The decision to pursue the quarrel to the bitter 
 end came like a clap of thunder on those and there were many 
 who had not yet made up their minds which cause they would 
 espouse; the Begum's or Shahjahan's. For by common consent 
 the battle lay between those two. So men looked at each other 
 suspiciously. And Mohabat Khan, the Generalissimo, was 
 overbearing. A big burly man with a henna-dyed, purple-black- 
 edged beard; a bigoted Mahomedan to whom woman was in all 
 ways the creature of man. During Ghiyass-ud-din's lifetime he had 
 taken orders from him, glozing over Nurjahan's part in making 
 them. If one man was fool enough to obey a woman, that was 
 not his business. Now, entrusted with the task of defeating 
 the disloyal one, he brooked little interference. Still, when, 
 amongst others accused by him of favouring Shahjahan's cause, 
 Fedai Khan's name was put forward, the Empress protested. 
 
 " On whose report ?" she asked defiantly. 
 
 " Abdullah Khan's ?" she echoed. " What warranty have we 
 for his loyalty ?" 
 
 " What warranty ?" echoed Jahangir in his turn, somewhat 
 helplessly. " Sure, dearest, he is second in command. Mohabat 
 trusts him utterly. He hath command of the vanguard. Who- 
 ever he selects to join his corps he gets at once. He marches 
 a mile ai.ead of all the other forces. He is entrusted with the 
 intelligence department and the selection of routes. Is not that 
 enough ? Besides, each day he brings to me long written strips 
 of news which his spies have sent him from the disloyal one's 
 camp. In them Fedai's name was certainly apparent." 
 
 Nurjahan's beautiful eyebrows met in a frown. Now that 
 poor old Phusla had gone, she could not be so sure of her own 
 information. The tribe, it is true, still worked for her; but it 
 was for pay, and she was wise enough to discredit much of the 
 bought news. Yes, truly, she was more alone than she had been.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 275 
 
 Still, her courage did not fail her. By-and-by, ere long, she would 
 have something of her own flesh and blood by her, something 
 for which, indeed, to fight. No mother could have looked for- 
 ward to that coming child with more hope, more tenderness, 
 than did this grandmother. 
 
 So she possessed her soul in patience. " Lo ! my lord, think 
 for thyself, and be not led away by other minds. Yea, bethink 
 thee ! Last week, was not Khalil denounced ? the day before 
 yet another of thy servants ? Wouldst thou not have sworn 
 both men faithful ? Have a care lest, led away by intrigue, 
 thou shouldst destroy thy friends at the bidding of thine enemy." 
 
 Jahangir looked alarmed. " Dost hold Abdullah false, then ?" 
 he asked. 
 
 " I say not so," replied Nurjahan. " Yet if he is, 'tis better 
 he should not suspect our suspicion. The time is not one for 
 the removing of a veil openly from evil deeds, therefore continue 
 to show him all attention. But for Fedai Khan ! Lo ! I, 
 Nurjahan, hold him my hostage; the dust of his sincerity is pure." 
 
 And Jahangir was satisfied. Over in Abdullah Khan's tent, 
 however, there were gnashings of teeth* 
 
 " The hell-doomed woman is too sharp for us," muttered the 
 traitor-in-chief, Abdullah. " We must go softly, since she 
 suspects. But I would we had decapitated Fedai and some 
 others ere the battle came. They are too faithful, too brave !" 
 
 So, after a day or two the battle did come. It was ere day- 
 break that a messenger came to the leader of the vanguard, 
 bringing him as a special mark of favour Jahangir's own quiver, 
 with a request that its possession might animate his zeal. Fedai 
 Khan, who was standing by, not a button or a buckle ajee in 
 all his glorious panoply of war, muttered into his twirled mous- 
 tache: " 'Twere better to make sure first for whom he fights." 
 
 But Mohabat was too busy making dispositions to think of 
 aught else. 
 
 It was a fine body of 25,000 horsemen that the Generalissimo 
 had in his grip that March morning on the sandy plain to the west 
 of Delhi. Far as the eye could reach as the sun rose, the level 
 beams sparkled on chain armour and lances and the bright trap- 
 pings of the lean, eager little Indian horses that were never for
 
 276 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 one instant still, yet never moved a hair's breadth from their 
 station. About their feet, showing the tense quivering of their 
 small hoofs, lay a little cloud of dust that turned to gold in the 
 sunrays, while the pennons and flags seemed piled one upon the 
 other^ against the primrose of the dawn. 
 
 Abdullah Khan, long, thin, dark, sitting his horse as if he were 
 glued to it, was at the head of his contingent of ten thousand; 
 as fine a body of men as India could show. Close at his side rode 
 Fedai Khan, beautiful to behold, on a grey Arab. But the hand- 
 some face was stern, and the eyes, lustrous as those of a woman, 
 never left Abdullah's face for a moment. Behind him, again, 
 rode the Syyeds of Barha; a loyal race this, to whom treachery 
 even to an enemy was unconceivable. Fedai was responsible 
 for their being in the vanguard; otherwise, not one of them 
 would have consented to follow " Lanat-ullah," or the " Curse 
 of God," as the common folk styled Abdullah. But there they 
 were, small, hawk-eyed, active, like the birds of prey after whom 
 they had named their ancestral home the " Falcons' Nest." 
 
 As the dawn grew, Abdullah's face grew dark. 
 
 " Hath the messenger not returned ?" he said anxiously to a 
 favourite henchman. The man shook his head, and the com- 
 mandant of the vanguard bit his lip and looked over to the dis- 
 tance, where two faint clouds on the horizon showed that the 
 enemy was awaiting the onslaught. 
 
 What was in front of him? Bikramajeet's division, or 
 Darab's ? On that hung much. And yet, if the worst came to 
 the worst, it ought not to be difficult to distinguish friend from foe. 
 
 Hark ! The kettledrums of Empire ! In a second every 
 horse was as a statue. Again the wild, rolling call, and like 
 an arrow from a bow each flung itself forward. 
 
 The charge had begun. 
 
 On, on, right up to the very line of the enemy, and then from 
 thej mouth of almost every horseman of the ten thousand rose 
 up theory: 
 
 " Friend I Friend !" 
 
 Fedai, riding hard at Abdullah's heels, rose in his stirrups. 
 
 " Traitor !" he cried, and delivered a swinging blow at the 
 head^before him. But the grey Arab swerved and the next
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 277 
 
 moment he was trying to guard his own from the furious onslaught 
 of the foe. 
 
 " Deen ! Been ! Fateh Mahomed ! A Barha to the rescue !" 
 shouted the Syyeds, and with them the whole hundred or so of 
 loyalists whom Fedai had brought with him. Then came battle 
 indeed ! 
 
 For no matter what Abdullah's treachery, these men of Shah- 
 jahan's, under the generalship of Darab, had no news of it, so 
 they fought what they deemed the foe right fiercely. At first, 
 at any rate, for that small knot of loyalists firmly planted the 
 foot of courage and gave no countenance to half-heartedness. 
 Yet disaster was close at hand. One by one the combatants 
 fraternized, turned, and made for the nearest real fighter. But 
 the horses were not as the men; they could not, would not, 
 change their colours in the thick of the fight. No, not even 
 though, breathless with hot haste, Rajah Bikramajeet himself 
 rode upon the scene bellowing, " Hold, enough !" So for a few 
 more minutes the uproar, the confusion lasted, and one and yet 
 one more loyalist went down by sheer weight of numbers. Then 
 for one second all seemed lost. Fedai, who, with the courage 
 of real loyalty, had risked even his reputation by swift return to 
 hurry up reinforcements, would have been too late. Then it was 
 that a chance shot from a matchlock caught Bikramajeet between 
 the eyes, and he fell dead without a cry. It was a signal for re- 
 treat. His followers hesitated; the pillars of their courage shook. 
 
 Ere they could regain their dash, ere they could steady them- 
 selves, Mohabat's troops were on them. 
 
 The battle was brief. Discomfited, disorganized, scarcely 
 able to discern friend from foe, the rebels broke and fled. 
 
 And as Lanat-ullah, the " Curse of God," otherwise Abdullah 
 Khan, rode in hot haste with a slash from Fedai's sword on his 
 right shoulder to join Shahjahan he cursed his luck. Why had 
 Darab's division been opposite the new guards ? Why had 
 Darab not received his message of treachery ? Why had not 
 Bikramajeet given him warning ? 
 
 But there was one good thing the hell-doomed dog of a 
 Hindu was dead. Now he, Abdullah, Lanat-ullah, call him what 
 you will, would have a fair field with the heir apparent.
 
 278 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Shahjahan, however, did not view the death of his right-hand 
 servant in the same light. Whether from regret or remorse, he 
 refused further fight at the time, and retired westwards. 
 
 Yet even in the Emperor's camp the times were critical. The 
 defection of Abdullah Khan had raised many questions of loyalty: 
 Some made excuse to leave, and some returned also with excuses. 
 And both the one apology, and the other had, as the Emperor 
 put it, " to be bought as if genuine." 
 
 For the whole country was in a flame. So, after a while 
 negotiations for peace were staited in both camps, and finally 
 Mohabat Khan, as Generalissimo, entered into a treaty with the 
 discomfited yet still strong Shahjahan to the effect that no further 
 steps should be taken against him, if he would consent to retire 
 to Mandu and disband his army. In which case his provinces 
 and estates would be restored to him. 
 
 To this Shahjahan consented, and for the time peace was re- 
 stored; so the Emperor and the Empress, nothing loath, retired 
 to Ajmere, there to await the coming of the child, which for the 
 time being absorbed all Nurjahan's thought and cares; Mohabat 
 meanwhile, with Prince Parviz, and a large army, going southward 
 on pretence of watching the disloyal one keep his promises. 
 But Fedai Khan, who was now almost the only reliable friend 
 the Empress had, shook his head and augured ill of the expedition. 
 
 " May it please Majesty," he said urbanely, with his most 
 perfect salutation, " the cunning of Mohabat Khan would in- 
 struct the devil !"
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 " The wakeful, ode-rehearsing nightingale 
 Sang to the fading roses, wan and pale ; 
 But like strung beads on the Beloved's arm 
 The rosebuds showed above the leafy veil." 
 
 NURJAHAN and Jahangir sat once again on the terrace over- 
 looking the great lake-reservoir at Ajmere. 
 
 And once again a little child filled their eyes, their thoughts; 
 but it was a babe, almost new-born. It lay in the sunshine 
 upon a satin quilt on Nurjahan's lap, naked save for a wee muslin 
 shift, delicate as gossamer, with fine stitching, and a quaint, 
 peaked cap of golden tissue fringed, as with hair, by brown silk 
 and little clusters of seed-pearls. A fat morsel of a babe, not 
 purple-red, as are Western infants, but cream-coloured, with 
 ochre shadows, and heavy black brows and eyes; all the heavier 
 for the antimony painted round them to keep o'ff evil, envious 
 glances. Jahangir, bent and broken, his hair tinged with grey, 
 his breath at all times coming somewhat laboured, leant over 
 the two. His face was radiant. 
 
 " We will call her Arzani, wife," he said, " since she hath 
 come in answer to our prayers. And she is ours ours only ! 
 My son and thy daughter ! The Gifted Lady ! Yea, we will 
 call her so, seeing that it telleth both ways that she is God- 
 given, and that Fate hath gifted her with all; for, see you, she is 
 the very spit and image of her grandmother. Lo ! so must 
 thou have looked when thou layest in thy mother's arms at 
 first." 
 
 Nurjahan's face it was still extraordinarily beautiful despite 
 her five and fifty years hardened a little. 
 
 " Yet did she and my father leave me to the desert for being 
 female," she replied. " And my lord too, he would rather it 
 had been male." She looked up to see his face, but it smiled 
 back at her. 
 
 279
 
 a8o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Not I !" he laughed. " At first, mayhap, the old idea came 
 to me; but now dear heart, when we are dead she will live to 
 keep alive thine image." Then his smile faded. " Besides . . . 
 it is little Chamni ove'r again ! "Pis being here, where she found 
 the Garden of Paradise, that hath made me think of her so much, 
 lately; but her small grave drew me till this one came. So 
 'tis thou only who art disappointed." 
 
 Suddenly, with an almost passionate denial of his words, 
 Nurjahan strained the sleeping infant to her breast, and her face 
 grew almost exultant. 
 
 " I nay, my lord, there, thou art mistaken ! True, I wished 
 a boy; but now the girl hath come, I see what Fate decrees. 
 Yea, she will be like me but more fortunate more beloved 
 
 " More beloved ?" echoed the Emperor in a hurt tone. " That 
 thou canst not be. Truly, Meru, I have loved thee " 
 
 She turned to him tolerantly. " Yea, yea, my lord ! Thou 
 hast given me more than I deserve." How could she tell him that 
 his best was not hers ? "I meant but that she should not have 
 so many enemies as I " 
 
 " Enemies !" he echoed again, this time angrily. " Thou hast 
 none that are not mine also. But have comfort, dear heart ! 
 This very morn have I received a missive from Mohabat. The 
 disloyal one, being now worsted, hath finally fled. So there is 
 no more need for anxiety, he writes, from the rebels: ' willingly 
 or unwillingly the rulers of the Deccan are performing their due 
 of obedience and submission, therefore Majesty may make 
 his mind at ease about that quarter, and enjoy himself in hunting 
 and travelling in whatever place in the royal dominions of which 
 he may approve, and which is good for his health.' So what say 
 you, dearest, to Kashmir ? Do ! My heart leaps at the very 
 thought of it." 
 
 But Nurjahan's eyes had narrowed; something in the Generalis- 
 simo's report had struck her. 
 " What means he by ' now ' ?" she asked quickly. " Hath 
 
 there been more fighting ? I wist not " She interrupted 
 
 herself quickly. " This last month or more I have been bound 
 up in other things. Lo ! Gladness was so ill the child's life 
 was in danger, and so and so " She passed her hand over
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 281 
 
 her forehead as if to sweep away such trivialities., and asked 
 again: "Surely there hath been no more fighting all was 
 arranged " 
 
 Jahangir coughed somewhat uneasily. 
 
 " Ay, but Mohabat thought it best to strike while the iron was 
 hot " he began. 
 
 Nurjahan was in a flame in a second. " Mohabat !" she echoed. 
 
 " Who is he ? What right hath he ? Besides, he made the 
 
 treaty " 
 
 Jahangir looked relieved. " Ay, dearest, that is so; and there- 
 fore he had the right to act. Beside no harm was done. The 
 disloyal one escaped the net that was laid for him ay, and 
 Lanat-ullah also, and the only one that hath paid the penalty 
 is the dog of a Hindu that was ever shaking the chain of enmity 
 and perversion ! So fret not thyself over a broken treaty ! 
 Lo ! Mohabat is wise in his measure, and he hath managed the 
 thing well he and my son Parviz. Lo ! he is nigh as fortunate 
 as Khurram was in the old days " 
 
 The Empress's eyes were keenly on the Emperor's sallow, 
 kindly face, and she turned the subject abruptly. 
 
 " Ay, truly fortunate," she said briefly. " Wast successful 
 in the chase this morning ?" 
 
 Jahangir succumbed in a second. " Did I not tell thee ?" he 
 replied delightedly. " As thou knowest, the huntsmen brought 
 word of a tiger, but after entering the forest three others became 
 visible. Having killed all four, I returned hitherwards. 'Tis 
 strange the liking I have for tiger-shooting; when I can get it 
 I go not after other sport. So it was also with Mahmud of Ghazni. 
 Many stories are told of his deeds. Once a very large tiger, 
 enraged with pain, got on the elephant's back; but the Amir 
 knelt down and struck him such a blow with his sword as cut 
 off both his forefeet, so that he fell backwards. Yet when I was 
 Prince I did better. The same thing happened, but I had no 
 time to seize my sword. So I clubbed the matchlock and dealt 
 him such a shrewd blow on the head with it but there ! 'Tis 
 not manners to talk about oneself, so I will restrain my tongue 
 and go. God be with you both, dearest." 
 
 She looked after him pitifully as he walked away, bent and
 
 282 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 worn and old; yet still full of memories of olden strength; yet still 
 happy when he was with her still happy so must he be ever ! 
 
 After he had gone she sat cuddling the child, looking out with 
 almost vacant eyes over the shining levels of the lake to the blue 
 Aravelli hills. 
 
 Yes, for the present, till the child grew up in her likeness, 
 the first object of her Nurjahan's life must be the Emperor's 
 health. To that all else must bow. Shahjahan's rebellion was 
 scotched for the moment; by what unfair means she could not 
 stop to consider, though the thought of them made her burn 
 with anger against Mohabat. What Fedai had said of him was 
 true. He could instruct the devil in cunning. Still, for the time 
 he was rounding up rebellion, and making matters smooth. 
 
 So her thoughts passed to the immediate future. A holiday 
 in Kashmir ! A holiday with the child ! 
 
 How true was the saying: " No woman is a mother till she is 
 a grandmother." She sat basking in the sunshine, dreaming 
 as any woman might do, forgetful even of her power, until the 
 infant began to cry; then she laughed aloud at its effort to suck 
 her finger, and clapping her hands, summoned the servants, 
 who sat discreetly behind screens, but within call. 
 
 Then leisurely, her long white garment trailing on the white 
 marble path, she passed by the fountain-set aqueducts to the 
 palace, followed by a tribe of attendants carrying fans and essence- 
 boxes, and Heaven knows what luxuries of all sorts and kinds. 
 But she had forgotten them in the child. 
 
 So had not the child's mother, who lay, still languid, in the 
 darkest corner of a stuffy little side room. She was a tall, thin 
 woman, no longer quite young, and not in the least like her 
 mother. But she had an honest, good, truthful face. 
 
 She scarce took notice of the babe, which, after it had been 
 duly suckled by its wet nurse, was brought to her pillow. There 
 it lay content, as its grandmother had lain content after her 
 first draught of camel's milk. But its mother's eyes were on 
 the sunshine beyond the narrow strip of room. 
 
 " Ah, amma-jdn," she said suddenly, impulsively, to Nur- 
 jahan, whose eyes were on the child. " Have I not done my part ? 
 The babe is there for thee, now let me go ! As thou knowest,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 283 
 
 I had foresworn the married life. I was canoness. Did I not 
 say, even as a child, that I cared not to have a husband ? Yet 
 did I obey thee. Thou didst not think of me, mother, it was the 
 child that I should bear. Well ! I have borne it. "Tis pity 'tis 
 not a son; but it is clean and healthy, and that is much con- 
 sidering " She paused, and her plain face hardened into 
 
 lines of positive beauty as she went on resolutely: " But I have 
 done my task. Shahriyar hath other women let them bear 
 him sons !" 
 
 Her bitterness was concentrated into calm, and Nurjahan as 
 she listened felt herself condemned. It was true what her 
 daughter said. In making this marriage she had thought mostly 
 of her own plans; yet her daughter had raised small objections 
 she had not protested 
 
 " Thou hast not been unhappy, child ?" she said with sudden 
 unwonted tears in her eyes. 
 
 Gladness smiled gently. " None could be unhappy with thee, 
 mother, and he hath not troubled me much. But, see you, 
 my task is done. Thou art content with the child; I see it in 
 thine eyes. Therefore I will return to my father's people, where 
 I have lived all these years " 
 
 " There was no choice, daughter," began Nurjahan. Before 
 this simple woman she felt herself defenceless. 
 
 " None, mother," assented her daughter, " after thou hadst 
 made thy choice." 
 
 And Nurjahan made no answer. What was the use of trying 
 to explain her action ? Both women and men were against 
 her. So she took the sleeping infant from the pillow and said 
 gently : 
 
 " I take it as thy gift, daughter, clean and wholesome and 
 healthy, as becomes the descendant of Ali Kul, honourable 
 gentleman. Never child shall be loved more than this child. 
 Thou hast done thy task well, and thou shalt have freedom." 
 
 In a way, she told herself, it was as well. Shahriyar what 
 was Shahriyar ? Something to keep the throne warm for the 
 child, that was all. Something to keep her Nurjahan in 
 power for the time should unkind Fate decree that Jahangir 
 should not survive. But he must. The defection of his favourite
 
 284 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 son had tried him much; this must be minimized to the utter- 
 most. For the time being Mohabat and Prince Parviz must be 
 allowed a free hand despite the opposition of her brother, Asof 
 Khan. Curious; but she never felt she could trust the latter, 
 despite her affection for him as the only surviving member of 
 her family. Still, he was able, and the ordinary government 
 of the Empire went smoothly and well. 
 
 A month or so later saw the Imperial camp starting for Kashmir. 
 It marched leisurely, as usual, but the winter snows had hardly 
 melted from the Pirpanjal Pass when they arrived at it. Still, 
 it was their favourite entrance to the Enchanted Valley, so they 
 braved the difficulties with an advance guard from the main 
 body. And so it came to pass that on a brilliant April morning 
 Jahangir and Nurjahan, well wrapped up in furs, sat looking 
 once more down the long valley that leads from the pass to the 
 lovely levels of their Pleasant Land. Despite their ages, they 
 were both young in heart, so it is small wonder that the atmosphere 
 of their content, clouded with the faint mist of coming tragedy, 
 still lingers, for those who know their story, in every stone, 
 evety turn of the rocky path they trod so often hand in hand. 
 They had come to the first vantage-ground whence the Kashmir 
 Plain is visible, and there, descending from their dhoolis, they 
 rested for the midday halt. A small shamianah tent had been 
 erected, but it was warmer in the sunshine, so cushions had been 
 spread, backed by a rock, and there they reclined with the 
 Gifted Lady, now a fine strapping babe of eight months old, 
 the very joy of their hearts, fast asleep between them, showing 
 as a mere bundle of white Astrachan fur. 
 
 For a long time they did not speak. The scene vras too en- 
 thralling. Below them in the shallow rocky ravine a stream, 
 that overnight had been a roaring torrent through the melting 
 of the snows during the hot day, now gurgled as gently as any 
 sucking-dove amid its boulders. On either side of it lay snow- 
 streaks leaving the browned grass in deep toothed recessions 
 to the on-coming hosts of spring flowers, advancing so boldly that 
 their foremost leaders cropped up amidst the snow itself. Such 
 gay, reckless leaders ! A rose-pink primula without a petal 
 astray, a blue gentian looking as if it had grown in a glass case,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 285 
 
 and, velvety in purple and gold a mountain heartsease, lifting 
 up its face fearlessly to the heavens. Beyond this, inundated, 
 lapped, almost overwhelmed, by blue morning mist, spur after 
 spur of rock, of pine-clad slopes, seeming almost to rise out of 
 the one wide blue cloud that lay further and further towards the 
 blue sky, until, sharp and clear, glistening in the sunlight like 
 diamonds, showed the eternal snows. 
 
 Jahangir's hand sought and found Nurjahan's, and his haggard 
 face looked wistfully into hers. 
 
 " Thou hast been happy yonder with me full oft, dearest," 
 he said. " Is't not so ?" 
 
 And her whole heart went out to him in protecting affection 
 as she smiled back her answer. 
 
 " Full oft, my lord and never more so than now !" 
 
 His sudden laugh of gladness rang out among the rocks and 
 amid the flowers that nestled at their feet. 
 
 " Ay, that is good to hear; and true likewise. And, see you, 
 I have a strange tale to unfold, that I kept for thy hearing till 
 we were in this very place. Last night, as I returned from hunt- 
 ing, the stream yonder over the pass was mighty swollen with 
 the melted snows. The bed was rocky, the water running 
 tumultuously. One of the servants was carrying my huntsman's 
 relish thou knowest the gold tray with three gold cups of 
 wine with covers all held on a wadded coverlet. Well, his 
 foot slipped in the pool, and the salver fell from his hands into 
 the water, but though they searched and better searched no 
 trace of it could be found. Being unwilling to lose my old 
 companions, I commanded another search this morn, and by good 
 chance, in the very place where it had fallen, it was found; and, 
 more strange still, it had not been upset, neither had a drop of 
 water got into the cups. They were still full of good Shiraz. 
 'Tis little short of miraculous ! So I commanded that they be 
 brought here for thee, for me, and for the child to drink 
 prosperity nay, happiness during our stay in this Pleasant 
 Land !" 
 
 He clapped his hands as he spoke, and a servant, duly prepared, 
 brought forth on the instant the little golden salver and the three 
 covered golden cups of the huntsman's relish. They were marvels
 
 286 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 of delicate workmanship, each showing adventures of the Emperor 
 in the chase. 
 
 " The child will not relish her portion, my lord/' said Kurjahan 
 gaily. " Mayhap my lord had better drink the two." 
 
 " Fie upon thee !" retorted the Emperor as gaily. " Dost 
 tempt me to exceed ? Nay, we will pour the child's portion on 
 the ground. Sure, there must be some life in it to give life to 
 so many flowers, and good wine holds all things yea, life and 
 death in it. Does not the poet say: 
 
 '" Lo ! 'tis God's earth that nourisheth the vine, 
 His sun ripens the grape, His years the wine. 
 Drink then, O Pilgrim ! 'Tis no poison-cup ; 
 It holds a sacrament of care divine ' ? " 
 
 So with light heart and hand he poured the wine out upon the 
 ground, then drank his own portion to Happiness. 
 " And Health !" put in Nurjahan fondly.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 " The tulips, love, showed red when spring was nigh, 
 Yet red and gold the leaves that withered lie. 
 Naught can surpass the glory of decay ; 
 Heaven send it may be autumn when we die." 
 
 A WHOLE year and a half had passed since the golden goblets 
 of the hunter's relish had toasted health and happiness on the 
 Pirpanjal road; and both these gifts had come. After a summer 
 in Kashmir, the Court had moved only as far as Lahore; then, as 
 the hot weather approached once more, had flitted back to the 
 Pleasant Land. The enforced rest for after all, Kashmir is 
 too small a province for much marching and the cool bracing 
 climate of both it and Lahore during the winter, had wrought 
 wonders in the Emperor's health; and though he still fretted and 
 fumed over his eldest son's rebellion, he had, with Mohabat and 
 Prince Parviz's help, got so much the better of the disloyal one 
 that he could afford, for the present, to disregard him as an actual 
 enemy; and being of a forgiving nature, he was not anxious for 
 revenge. During these eighteen months the affairs of the Empire 
 had gone on with fair smoothness; and as Jahangir had given 
 orders that no defective people that is to say, those who were 
 blind, or who had lost arms, or legs, or noses, or ears, and no sick 
 folk of any kind should be permitted to come near his camp, 
 he had nothing to vex his soul. All was beauty and pleasure. 
 The little " Gifted Lady," now two years old, was a delight, and 
 Nurjahan, as ever, the one human being to whom he had given 
 his unreserved confidence. 
 
 And, in truth, despite her years, she was in a way more lovable 
 than she had been as a younger woman; for she was softer. 
 The child had taught her much. To a great extent she had 
 become absorbed in it and her dreams for its future. Then the 
 doings of Mohabat Khan and Prince Parviz, far away in the south, 
 were too remote to rouse her interest greatly, despite the fact 
 
 287
 
 288 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 that Asof Khan did his best to inflame her against the former. 
 Here he was backed by Fedai Khan, who, nevertheless, more 
 than once came to her with tales of perfidy closer at hand. These 
 she hesitated to credit, for Asof was her only brother, and she 
 could not believe him absolutely false to her. That he would 
 fain have Shahjahan forgiven she knew, and condoned. He 
 could, in his position, scarce think otherwise. 
 
 So the months had passed, bringing few excitements. The 
 whole country northwards was gradually settling down, and one 
 by one the recalcitrant Amirs and noblemen were coming in to 
 seek forgiveness. And, as Jahangir writes, in the majority of 
 cases, " in order to please and satisfy Nurjahan, the pen of pardon 
 was drawn through the record of their faults." 
 
 Thus matters stood in the early autumn, when, on the usual 
 slow^return over the Pirpanjal Pass to a Panjab winter at Lahore, 
 the Imperial camp halted amid the saffron-fields at Pampur. A 
 quaint spot this, built on the curious plain which lies above the 
 level of the Kashmir valley proper, below the southern slopes of 
 the outermost range of the encircling hills. A plain that is cut 
 through into long fingers every few miles by such abrupt ravines 
 that it seems as if the hand of man must have excavated them as 
 a defence to the flat fields above, so perpendicular, so absolutely 
 unclimable, are they. And right up to the very edge of this cliff 
 grows the flowering saffron. 
 
 Viewed from the hills above, the karewa-\a,nd, as it is called, 
 shows like a purple-gloved hand stretched_out over the green 
 fields below. 
 
 And it was autumn. The plane-trees were aflame, their white 
 branches showing skeleton-wise amongst the dense^rich russet. 
 So were the cherry-trees, and in lines along the water-courses in 
 the valley the willows began to gleam golden. 
 
 A marvellous bit of colour truly, with the blood-red stamens of 
 the saffron standing clear above the tangled mass of lilac petals 
 and silvery stems. 
 
 The beauty of it was sufficient to go to Jahangir's head, with- 
 out the aromatic flowers " that scented the brain," or the cups 
 of good Shiraz that he drank as he lay among the blossoms on 
 a coverlet of gold and silver tissue. Every atom of him was simply
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 289 
 
 steeped in delight, and he watched the little " Gifted Lady " as 
 she buried her fat hands in the basket full of the dried stigmas 
 the contractor had brought for his inspection, with a keen ap- 
 preciation of the perfect picture she made; for the child was 
 at least outwardly the very image of her beautiful grandmother, 
 saving for the dimple. Jahangir would often remark on this, 
 and assert his pleasure that he had kept something for himself 
 alone. He was fond of such sentimental ideas, and, when in 
 the mood, would embody them in somewhat halting rhymes. 
 
 He made one that morning, and repeated it to Nurjahan, 
 who, as ever, listened with smiles. 
 
 " From head to foot, where'er I look, 
 A glance plucks at the heart's skirt, saying, 
 ' This is the spot for pleasant lot, 
 For wine and roses, love and playing.' " 
 
 " Nay, my lord !" criticized Nurjahan archly. " It should be 
 ' saffron/ not ' roses '; it scans as well." 
 
 Jahangir looked doubtful. " Ay, but who ever heard of 
 saffron in a couplet ? though, to be sure, being aphrodaisiac, it 
 hath to do with love " 
 
 " Say not so, my lord !" she interrupted quickly. " Sure, love is 
 different it hath so many faces. There is a father's love " 
 
 She had not meant to touch the sore, but he shrank in a second. 
 " Ay, and what reward hath it ?" 
 
 " Hark !" put in the Empress to change his thought. " There 
 is the jingle of a hurkdru and yonder he comes, the sun slight 
 upon his hoo'poe's plume ! What news bringeth he ? I trust 
 pleasant ones, to suit the place." 
 
 " More like unpleasant," grumbled the Emperor. 
 
 And half an hour afterwards he sat looking at the letter he 
 had received by special messenger with a half smile, half frown; 
 for it brought both bad and good news. It told of Shahjahan's 
 serious illness, of his compunction for having rebelled against his 
 father, and his earnest desire to be reconciled to him on any 
 terms. It was written after partial recovery, and was couched 
 in most repentant words. 
 
 The quick tears came into Jahangir's eyes. There could be 
 no question as to his love for his !son. Yet, as ever, he was 
 irresolute, and looked to the Empress for support. 
 
 19
 
 2 9 o MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " He deserves it not !" he said almost apologetically. " And 
 yet, dearest, thou knowest how I have grieved for him. And 
 I grow old. "Tis the duty of the old to forgive the young, and 
 he had evil counsellors: the dog of a Hindu who hath gone to 
 hell, and Lanet-ullah who yet awaits damnation God's curse on 
 them both ! But Khurram ! When he was a little lad I mind 
 
 The Empress had been sitting looking out over the purple 
 crocus-fields idly. She was of those whose minds are quickly 
 made up. In a flash she saw what this would mean to the man 
 whose life was her chief care and she had begged forgiveness for 
 others, possibly as guilty; besides, with care, it might mean 
 nothing in the future. So she spoke conclusively, calmly: 
 
 " My lord, seeing that he is penitent, should forgive his offences. 
 Nay, more ! If my lord were to write the letter with his own 
 hand, 'twould be best. Yet " her mind always travelled fast 
 " seeing also that his fault is grave, 'twere better should we 
 impose sureties. He should send his sons to my lord as hostages 
 they would be well received and maintained " she paused 
 and hesitated " for the rest, let my lord consult my brother. 
 He is devoted, as my lord knows, to the Prince, and will suggest 
 nothing amiss." 
 
 It was all done on the spur of the moment, but Jahangir's 
 relieved, almost grateful look was sufficient to prevent any regrets 
 or second thoughts. 
 
 " Of a truth, dearest," he replied, " thou art right. We will 
 enforce penalties, but forgive freely. Ay, and he shall have all 
 the Deccan as his own province. So that is settled. Cup- 
 bearer, another goblet of wine. I will drink to his entire re- 
 covery." 
 
 That same evening Nurjahan, holding a long rambling letter 
 in her hand, was wondering whether, had she perused^it first, she 
 would have been so ready in her decision. It was a much delayed 
 letter, written to the dictation of one Dilaram, deceased. The 
 news of her death down in Bundelkhand had|already reached 
 the Empress through those appointed to pay her' pension; but 
 this apparently was a farewell which had been committed to a 
 friend's care, and been delayed. 
 
 Beyond high-sounding phrases and pathetically plain allusions 
 to her own imminent decease, there was not much in it save
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 291 
 
 these words: "This dust-like one, already treading the path of 
 annihilation, hath naught but gratitude to send save this: it 
 hath been great solace at last to find relatives of Phusla deceased 
 may God pity him ! whose real name, they say, was the ' Fat 
 One.' (Mayhap he was, as a babe, though mothers' eyes are 
 blind to truth.) They helped weep on proper occasions, and ate 
 much, since the uninvited guest cometh ever with a big platter. 
 Yet thanks to generosity there was ever enough. It seemeth 
 that Phusla may many tears water his ashes ! lodged with 
 them, and they lament always that he left. But he would take 
 none with him, neither would he remain, saying ever that he 
 must keep his promise to his mistress ere he died. Truly a snake 
 goeth ever crooked to his hole, and a righteous man straight to 
 his duty." 
 
 She sat and looked at the words which supplied information 
 she had hitherto sought in vain, with a dull wonder as to whether, 
 after all, it made much difference. In her heart of hearts she 
 and many others had always believed that Shahjahan had 
 been responsible for his brother's death, though she had never 
 openly declared her opinion. And she would not do so now, 
 though she would plot harder than ever to keep the offender out 
 of his heritage. 
 
 That was to be Shahriyar's and after him, the child's her 
 child, who was to be like her, but more fortunate yes, more 
 beloved ! 
 
 Asof Khan, after consultation with the Emperor, came on to 
 see her, his relief and delight showing visibly in his fat face. 
 He was now nigh sixty years of age, but the years had given 
 him little dignity. He was still oleaginous and somewhat 
 pompous. 
 
 Nurjahan listened to his lengthy periods, showing how he had 
 safe-guarded her interests by demanding the surrender of certain 
 fortresses. 
 
 " And in exchange ?" she -->ed briefly. 
 
 Asof became more pompous. " The promise of the whole 
 Deccan as his fief," he replied somewhatdefiantly. " Since it 
 was ever Majesty's plan to keep him at a distance." 
 
 " Ay !" she replied curtly. " The further the better for my 
 plans." Then suddenly she laughed. " Lo ! brother/' she
 
 2 9 2 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 continued, " wherefore should I seek to bring a murderer to Court ? 
 Shrink not ! Thou knowest as well as I that Khushrau died by 
 poison. I say not that 'twas Shahjahan's act, but he was his 
 brother's keeper ay, and by his own urgent wish. Therefore 
 he comes not to wheedle his father while I am here mark that ! 
 For the rest art satisfied that the Emperor acts of his own 
 free-will in this ?" 
 
 Asof Khan had stood helplessly dumbfounded at the suddenness 
 of her attack, to which he had indeed no counter save bold 
 protestation. Therefore he mumbled something, to confuse the 
 issues, about Mohabat and the breaking of the last treaty. 
 
 Nurjahan's brows met in instant anger. " True !" she broke 
 in. " Such must not occur again. And methinks both Parviz 
 and Mohabat have had too free a hand for safety, the latter 
 specially. He also is best at a distance. Therefore send him to 
 the Governorship of Bengal, and bid Parviz to Court. The 
 Emperor is in full train to love him as much as he loved 
 Khurram." 
 
 She flung the remark at her brother almost as if it had been a 
 gibe, and anger showed on his face also. 
 " And if he comes not ?" he said. 
 
 " Then we shall have two disloyal ones," she replied recklessly, 
 " and yet another chance for Shahriyar! Oh, brother, brother !" 
 she added bitterly; " if thou couldst but trust a woman but 
 thou and thy like canst not. Still, in this have I played a man's 
 part ay, better than most men ! But see that those orders 
 be carried out, and at once." 
 
 So she dismissed him; but she sent for writers, and far on into 
 the night sat at work, looking into things which for eighteen 
 months she had allowed to slide more or less. And as the re- 
 ports were read to her a cloud grew to her face. Ay, truly, 
 Fedai, and even Asof had been right. Mohabat Khan and Prince 
 Parviz had been having too much of their own way; but now 
 that another temporary peace hrd been patched up between 
 Shahjahan and his father, it was time to bring them to book: 
 aiore especially Mohabat, who appeared not to have accounted 
 properly for large sums which had been forfeited by rebels. 
 
 It did not do, she told herself, to let loose the reins; she would 
 hold them more firmly in future.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 " The millions sleep ; but, with hushed, weary sound 
 The Wheel of Life spins ever round and round, 
 So when the Dawn comes THAT which was is not ; 
 Kings are but slaves, and slaves that were are crowned." 
 
 THE winter had passed at Lahore without bringing much of 
 importance save that Prince Parviz had remonstrated against 
 his father's order to send the Generalissimo Mohabat Khan to 
 Bengal; he could not, said the Prince, be spared. Whereupon, 
 instead of instant anger, as after Shahjahan's similar disobedience, 
 the Emperor and his advisers had contented themselves with 
 a sharp reprimand and a more stringent order that Mohabat be 
 immediately told to repair to Court, unattended, in order to ex- 
 plain certain deficiencies in his accounts. So far Asof Khan 
 had succeeded against his old and bitter enemy. The rest he 
 left to chance, to Nurjahan's implacable sense of discipline, and 
 Jahangir's still uncontrollable temper. 
 
 Thus matters stood when the question of a move to a cooler 
 climate came with the approaching hot weather. And here 
 Jahangir, rather to the Empress's surprise, plumped for pastures 
 new; not that he was tired of the Pleasant Land, but Nurjahan 
 had never seen Kabul, and he would like to show her its beauties, 
 and once more visit the graves of his ancestors. Besides, the 
 country had been newly settled, and he thought it right to over- 
 look the arrangements. 
 
 So, instead of branching hillwards after the Chenab river 
 was crossed, the Imperial camp went on, in stately march, up 
 the Great Trunk road, which even then led from Patna to Pe- 
 shawur. It was along this road that Jahangir had ordered the 
 building, every ten miles or so, of caravanserai to afford safe 
 resting to travellers. In many places they exist to this day; 
 wide squares of cloisters with bastion quarters for the better folk 
 beside the high arched gateway. But the Imperial camp was 
 
 293
 
 294 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 pitched right away on the hard level white plain dotted with grey 
 caper-bushes; for it covered many acres of ground. 
 
 It moved on in very lordly, very deliberate fashion, for the 
 country round was full of antelope and partridge, nilghai, and 
 bustard. 
 
 So the Emperor was happy; but one evening he burst in upon 
 Nurjahan's afternoon hour in a towering temper. 
 
 It was on a piece, he said, with the universal lack of propriety, 
 the universal slackness of manners, and it gave weight to his 
 suspicions that Mohabat Khan was, at heart, a rebel; an idea 
 ever fostered by Asof Khan. 
 
 He was so breathless with his anger that the Empress feared 
 an attack of his enemy, asthma, and ordered a goblet of good wine 
 at once; for experience had shown her that a certain measure of 
 excess often warded off trouble. And in this case it succeeded, 
 though it seemed to increase his irritation. Mohabat Khan, it 
 appeared, without asking permission to do so which was tanta- 
 mount to an insult had actually married his daughter to a 
 young nobleman of the Court ! Unheard of impudence, intoler- 
 able lack of common decency ! If that was his notion of loyalty 
 and proper behaviour, he, Jahangir, would refuse to allow him 
 an interview (in other words, would put upon him the greatest 
 disgrace possible to inflict on a man of his rank and status). 
 And as for the young man, he had had his punishment already ! 
 He had been well bastinadoed in the audience-tent ! 
 
 " Yet if he be true lover !" put in Nurjahan indifferently. 
 
 The Emperor was within his rights, and her sole desire was 
 to soothe his wrath. 
 
 " True lover !" echoed Jahangir, almost turning his anger on 
 her. " If he be true lover, could he not wait ? Did not I wait 
 long years ? Was I guilty of vulgar breach of manners ? Did 
 I cast etiquette to the winds ? But 'tis not a question of etiquette 
 only. Mohabat hath forgotten himself. They report he cometh 
 with over two thousand Rajputs to his bodyguard and I bid 
 him come alone. Yea, verily, I will do as Asof Khan counsels I 
 will refuse to see the wretch " 
 
 So he went on until the opium which he took regularly had 
 effect, and he slept. Nurjahan, vexed as she ever was at anything
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 295 
 
 which disturbed the Emperor's calm, told herself that the incident 
 had but precipitated matters, since Mohabat would have had, 
 anyhow, to learn a lesson. 
 
 The next day saw the camp on the banks of the River Jhelum, 
 close to the bridge of boats by which on the morrow the long 
 procession of baggage animals, and troops, and camp-followers 
 would file across to take up their position on the opposite bank. 
 At least, this would have been the ordinary procedure, but that 
 day, owing to the narrowness of the bridge, which would make 
 crossing almost a single file, As of Khan ordered that the maior 
 part of the army and the spare tents should cross by daylight. 
 So all day long the bridge creaked and groaned under a slow pro- 
 cession of camels and carts, and little bodies of horsemen, the 
 pennons on whose lances showed clustered against the sky-line. 
 And all day long cries and unavailing shouts and the resounding 
 thwacks on unwilling oxen told the depth of the sand on the river- 
 road. They cut down the tufts of river-bed grass and strawed 
 them on the way, but the result was poor; the bullocks strained 
 and the blows fell as ever. 
 
 About sunset-time, however, the turmoil died down. Practi- 
 cally the whole camp had crossed, leaving nothing but the royal 
 tents behind, and these but scantily guarded. Yet as dusk 
 came on the spiked tops of the tiger-grass that grew in tufts on 
 that sandy river-land showed like the spear-points of watching 
 pickets. A sand haze, still golden with a reflection of sunset, 
 lay over the wide plain, and out of it the purple and red and gold 
 tents rose like some dream vision from a cloud. Above, the sky 
 was darkening to purple, and in the west hung the evening star. 
 Then slowly out of the dust haze rose another star, as the Lamp 
 of Justice swung to its place, marking where the Emperor's 
 tent stood. 
 
 It was a still calm night. You could hear over the wastes of 
 sand and water the distant noise of many voices, the hum of a 
 great camp hushed to a murmur that blent with the rushing 
 swish of the deep stream that lay close at hand. 
 
 A gong chimed midnight from the royal enclosure, and one of 
 the sleeping four who watched at the bridge-head rose and 
 echoed it on his gong.
 
 296 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 A crescent moon showed now, and by its faint light vague 
 shadows could be seen flitting among the tufts of grass; and 
 suddenly, with one long wail, the jackals' cry rose, clamoured to 
 wild chorus, and fell again to silence. 
 
 " God send there be no more than jackals this night !" 
 murmured one of the four with a yawn. " What ailed them all 
 to cross in such a hurry ? 'Twas not by Quarter-master-General 
 Fedai Khan's order, that I know, for I heard him, ere he left to 
 mark out the new camp, telling the Deputy all was to be as 
 usual." 
 
 " Ballah !" responded a still sleepier sentry. " All is well. 
 They say Mohabat is but ten miles off, and he hath two 
 thousand Rajputs with him so they say. Guard enough, 
 in conscience !" 
 
 He was asleep almost ere he finished, and silence reigned 
 once more. Within the royal enclosure, which screened off 
 the common outside world, Jahangir and his women-folk slept 
 secure, ignorant even of the fact that they were unguarded. 
 
 Twelve one two three struck on the gong, struck sleepily, 
 and were echoed sleepily from the bridge-head. It was nigh 
 time for the last jackal call; near time for dawn. Was it the pack 
 gathering that swayed the tiger-grass tops ? Or were those 
 real spears which showed higher than the rest ? 
 
 A faint jingle as of a bridle broke the sleepful silence. It 
 was followed by a low 
 
 " Hist, brother ! No more till we have the bridge !" 
 
 The warning was reiterated adown a file of horsemen. 
 
 A minute later there was a faint scuffle, but not a cry, not a 
 moan. The feeble bodyguard was overpowered, and men, 
 flinging themselves from their horses, began *to cut the ropes 
 that bound the boats together with their swords. 
 
 " Four or five is enough for now/' came the low voice. " So ! 
 pitch the roadway planks to the river and let the boats drift." 
 
 It did not take long; a few minutes and the oily, sliding stream 
 flowed uninterrupted for fifty yards or more. No one would 
 recross the bridge that night. 
 
 " Pass the word back that all is secure," said the commandant 
 of the advance guard; and then he laughed low and long. " We
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 297 
 
 have him neatly trapped. Now may Mohabat make good the 
 rest as he will." 
 
 And Mohabat was already on the way to make it good. 
 Followed by fifty or sixty of his picked men, he was at the door of 
 the Emperor's tent, guided thereto by the Lamp of Justice. 
 Once within it in the warm, scented, luxurious air that contrasted 
 so strongly with the crisp, fresh night air outside, even he paused. 
 The Emperor lay asleep in a drugged sleep on a low divan 
 guarded by but two drowsy courtiers. They were awake in a 
 second, protesting. 
 
 But Mohabat was firm; he meant, he said, to see the Emperor 
 he would take no denial he intended no harm to the royal 
 person; but he had trapped him and he meant to keep him as 
 hostage for fair treatment. 
 
 A bold step indeed, and one that could scarce be parried. 
 By this time orders for the rest of the bridge to be burnt had been 
 given, and a dejected little group of camp-followers were watching 
 its destruction. How the dry boats and the bamboo stanchions 
 and railings crackled and flamed till they touched the water, 
 all aflame with the reflection from above, so that the sudden hiss 
 and splutter as fire met water seemed inexplicable, mysterious. 
 
 And then as the lashings gave way, and boat after boat, charred 
 to the water-line, broke away to float, still glowing, down stream, 
 converging towards each other in the perspective till they lay 
 massed, sending out sparks against the western horizon, the 
 spectators held their breath at the novelty, the beauty of the 
 sight. 
 
 Meanwhile in the tent Mohabat Khan had roused the Emperor. 
 At first, still drowsy with opium, the latter had sat up confused. 
 Then perception dawned upon him, and he was on his feet in 
 an instant, his hand on the drawn sword that ever lay beside 
 him. 
 
 " Mohabat ! Traitor ! What means this ?" he cried furi- 
 ously. 
 
 Mohabat drew back. There was never any questioning 
 Jahangir's courage or his fiery temper. So, in an instant, the 
 Generalissimo was on his knees kissing the ground; but behind 
 him stood his bodyguard, nonchalant yet ready.
 
 298 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Highness !" whispered one of the two courtiers, who, seeing 
 nothing for it but restraint, were standing by, sword-hand on 
 sword-hilt, ready if need be to defend their liege lord with their 
 lives, " your slave entreats you to be patient the sword is the 
 last resource of true majesty." 
 
 The appeal was crafty; it roused Jahangir's remembrance that 
 he was the Shadow of God upon earth, and restored his dignity. 
 
 " How darest thou !" he began sternly. 
 
 " This slave dares all to make his sovereign see the truth," 
 put in Mohabat. " Let him listen but for once, then strike his 
 servant dead. Lo ! I seek protection at the hands of the Emperor ! 
 Protection from the machinations of Asof Khan and others." 
 
 " And others ?" queried the Emperor sharply. " Speak plain ! 
 Whose ?" 
 
 Mohabat gave one sharp glance round at his Rajputs. 
 
 " Asof Khan and his sister " 
 
 " Dog of an infidel !" shouted Jahangir. " Dost dare die ! 
 Wretch !" 
 
 And once again the sword rose and flashed. 
 
 " For the sake of God, sire !" whispered the other courtier in 
 Turkish, " leave punishment to Him. This is a time for 
 wisdom." 
 
 And once again the sword-arm dropped. 
 
 "Thou shalt have protection ay, though thou beest the most 
 hell-doomed rascal in existence," said Jahangir; " but what 
 wantest thou now ?" 
 
 " The Emperor's palki stands at the door," replied Mohabat 
 hardily. " I ask that he come with me and show the world 
 that I am forgiven. 'Tis dawn-time, and the populace expect 
 him. Or if the Emperor prefer, there is my horse." 
 
 "Thy horse !" flamed out Jahangir. " Wherefore thy horse ? 
 
 Order mine own, slave; and " He paused and looked down 
 
 on his attire. " I cannot show myself in these. I go first to 
 change my garments." And he made a move towards the tent 
 corridor which led to the women's apartments, to Nurjahan, 
 who stood ever betwixt him and the world. 
 
 But Mohabat was before him, barring the entrance. " Not 
 so, my lord. The Emperor needs no more than the dignity of
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 299 
 
 kingship to cover him or, if he feel the cold, there are coats 
 here and to spare." 
 
 He pulled off his own warm posteen as he spoke, but the 
 Emperor dashed it from his hand. 
 
 " I bide my time, hell-doomed !" he cried passionately. 
 " Heaven will repay the kidnapper of Kings." 
 
 Mohabat bowed low. Whether he had me,ant to go so far is 
 uncertain; but now that circumstances shaped themselves to 
 absolute abduction, he accepted the situation cynically. 
 
 " Majesty speaks truth as ever," he replied calmly. " I take 
 my sovereign from unworthy influence. If Majesty is ready, 
 I am." 
 
 The brisk fresh morning air outside brought, for the time, 
 added confusion to Jahangir's still befogged brain. He mounted 
 his horse without a word; but once he was on its back passionate 
 anger at coercion took possession of him once more. He dug 
 his bare heels into the animal's sides, and with one bound it was 
 off like the wind. 
 
 But once again Mohabat was too strong for him. Armed 
 Rajputs barred the way on every side, and the Emperor was 
 nigh thrown by the sudden check. 
 
 " Majesty will find an elephant safer," said Mohabat caustic- 
 ally. " Mine awaits him." 
 
 With mingled curses and tears, Jahangir did as he was bid, 
 and mounted the elephant, which moved off, a Rajput as mahout 
 and two armed Rajputs behind the howdah. 
 
 " Stay !" said Mohabat suddenly. " Where is the Emperor's 
 cup-bearer ? Let him go also. Majesty will be the better of 
 wine this cold morning a full beaker, slave, dost hear ? and as 
 many of them as Majesty desires. There be no limits set to 
 Majesty's wishes so long as he be in Mohabat Khan's keeping." 
 
 By this time news of the abduction had spread abroad in the 
 camp, or what remained of it. For the most part helpless in 
 the presence of two thousand armed Rajputs, the majority knew 
 not what to do. But the keeper of the elephants made a bold 
 attempt to rescue his master. Hastily mounting a huge female 
 elephant, his son ready behind the howdah to give aid, he forced 
 his way through the gathering crowd mercilessly.
 
 300 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Back ! Back !" he cried as the great beast ambled forward. 
 " Back ! Back ! Majesty rides his own elephant, not that of 
 disloyal rebels !" 
 
 The ruse was almost successful. The small male animal on 
 which Jahangir was riding gave a trumpet and made instantly 
 for the female, despite its mahout's efforts to restrain it, while 
 the leviathan, perfectly under control, allowed it to approach. 
 Another instant, and Jahangir, who had grasped his faithful 
 servant's intention, would have been able to scramble over to 
 his own beast, when Mohabat, seeing the danger, called on his 
 lancers to charge. The huge beast swerved, and in a second 
 the armed Rajputs from behind Jahangir's howdah had swarmed 
 over to its back. There was a brief scuffle, a few murderous 
 stabs, and both the keeper of the elephants and his son were 
 thrown down before the feet of the infuriated animal. But the 
 attackers had reckoned without the blind loyalty of the beast to 
 its master; they had calculated on the flimsy faith of humanity. 
 With a scream of terror the maddened creature started aside so 
 violently to avoid those beloved bodies that one of the two 
 Rajputs who had crept forward to regain control was thrown to 
 the ground. To trample on him viciously, and then, with a wild 
 trumpet, to gallop off, heedless of all, was the work of an instant. 
 None but those who have seen an elephant at the gallop can have 
 any idea of the hideous power of its action. Clinging desperately 
 to the crupper rope, the second Rajput strove to avoid being 
 dashed to the ground vain precaution against death ! With 
 another fierce trumpet of defiance the animal plunged into the 
 sliding river and made for the opposite shore, its tumultuous 
 action changing to slow rhythm as it swam. Vain relief ! The 
 man clinging behind gave one yell of dismay, strove to lift him- 
 self higher, failed, choked, rolled over into the water, and dis- 
 appeared for ever. 
 
 Meanwhile Jahangir, overcome with the excitement, the grief 
 at seeing his servants killed before his very eyes, had helplessly 
 held out his hand for another goblet of wine, and when he had 
 swallowed it for another and another. 
 
 " Give him what he desires," muttered Mohabat under his 
 breath; " he will be more easily managed drunk than sober."
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 301 
 
 The thought made him remember Nurjahan. 
 
 Fool that he had been not to send and have her kidnapped 
 also ! That was an error which must be remedied at once. 
 
 Turning his horse, after brief directions to take the Emperor 
 to his, Mohabat's, tent and give him in charge to his, Mohabat's, 
 two sons, he called a body of Rajputs and rode straight for the 
 women's tents. 
 
 He found them full of excited ladies screaming and sobbing 
 and crying. 
 
 " The Empress !" he shouted " the Empress ! where is she ?" 
 
 But she was not to be found. The bird had flown. So, 
 cursing his own short-sightedness, he returned to his captive 
 to ply him with drink and pleasures and fulsome flatteries; for 
 therein, he saw, lay his best chance of success.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 " In the Great Mart where Life's best goods are bought 
 Prudence is worthless, Caution is as naught ; 
 He wins who counts no cost of what he buys, 
 But pays his money down without a thought." 
 
 WHEN Nurjahan was awakened about dawn by noises in the 
 innermost enclosure, she started up, threw on a quilted robe, 
 and, going to the outer room, gave instant order for the guards to 
 be doubled. Enclosed as she had been within the purple and gold 
 screens, she had no idea that the royal tents stood alone that side 
 the stream. 
 
 The answer given her opened her eyes, and with a rush it came 
 home to her that here was treachery. But whose ? 
 
 Then came with overmastering force the question: "What 
 was to be done ?" 
 
 The other women seemed to have answered it their own fashion 
 they had rushed in on her, begging her to save them from 
 what ? That was the question. Of her own personal safety 
 she did not think. There was the child, of course; but even 
 Mohabat would not injure the child ! 
 
 Nor, surely, would he dare to harm Jahangir. There was no 
 reason why he should, since, once he got the Emperor into his 
 grip, it would be all too easy to turn him at his will. She, of all 
 people, knew how plastic the latter was in strong hands. Still, 
 she must know for certain now ere she could decide on what had 
 best be done. 
 
 So she stood, not trembling outwardly, but within all aquiver 
 with excitement, her ear glued to a crevice in the tent, listening 
 listening 
 
 With her quick wits it did not take her long to grasp the 
 situation. The Emperor was being kidnapped, for what purpose 
 remained to be seen. On this side the river she was powerless 
 to prevent it. On the other side, were they all traitors ? Surely 
 
 302
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 303 
 
 not 3,11 there was Fedai, at any rate. And Asof might be shamed 
 into action; he was Mohabat's bitterest enemy 
 
 Her resolve came in a second. She must somehow cross the 
 river, and that at once, and as secretly as might be. The bridge, 
 so they had told her, was gone; but there must be boats; if not 
 close at hand, yet still a little way down the river-bank. 
 
 Calming the other ladies with a few words of reassurance 
 that no harm was meant, she passed rapidly into the inner tent 
 again, where she found a group of lower-class women servants 
 huddled together in alarm. Their aid would be better than that 
 of the eunuchs and such like; they would be less likely to prate. 
 Taking off her bracelets, with them and a few swift words she 
 bribed them without difficulty, the ignorant woman's love of 
 mystery and deception working in her favour. So, ere a few 
 minutes had passed, she found herself, suitably dressed and 
 closely muffled in a coarse outdoor veil, being carried along the 
 river-bank in one of the common square dhoolis in which such 
 women usually travel, and which had been waiting outside the 
 tent for the expected move that day. On her lap, still asleep 
 and carefully wrapped up in another common veil, lay the Gifted 
 Lady, whom she had not had the heart to leave behind. 
 
 One of the women, a tall strapping Panjabi, walked beside her 
 and gave instructions to the two bearers, bidding them hasten 
 all they knew, on promise of reward. 
 
 So far, good. Nurjahan, still vital to her finger-tips, felt her 
 heart beat high, her spirits rise at the thought of adventures to 
 come; adventures which must, which would, be surmounted. 
 Their way lay for the most part along a narrow beaten path 
 that led through dense tamarisk thickets, across sparse fields of 
 pulse sown as a catch crop on soil new upturned from the river, 
 and then out again on the sliding yellow stream which sapped 
 with a tinkling sound on the crumbling edge of the sandbanks. 
 On and on they went, the pinky-purple plumes of the tamarisk 
 scattering pollen as they swept them back, the grey geese rising 
 from the green crops, the fresh light of dawn falling on stretches 
 beyond of curving water and curving sand. Nurjahan was 
 just beginning to wonder if she had been right to trust to the 
 chance of finding a boat below, or whether it might not have been
 
 3 o4 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 better to brave the possibility of detection above, and make 
 straight for the recognized ferry, when, turning a sharp corner, 
 they came upon an encampment of those strange river-folk 
 who haunt the banks of the Jhelum and the Indus, and who live 
 by hunting the crocodiles, drying their flesh, and, when the 
 summer floods come down, making further fishing impossible, by 
 selling it round the country-side. 
 
 Big, black, long-armed, fuzzy-haired men and women are they, 
 dressed for the most part in nakedness and blue beads, speaking 
 a strange, uncouth language of their own, and sheltering them- 
 selves in beehive-like wigwams round a central fire. But there 
 were a couple of dug-out boats floating in the shallows, and 
 without a second's hesitation Nurjahan stopped the bearers and 
 got out of the dhooli, the child still in her arms. 
 
 Then ensued a sharp altercation, first between the high-pitched 
 voice of the Panjabi woman and the headman, a big fellow on 
 whose almost black limbs the rising sun sent blue lights. It 
 went on and on, it seemed to Nurjahan's impatience, inter- 
 minably; at length, with one backward sweep of her dis- 
 engaged arm, she loosened the folds of her outer veil, let it drop, 
 and so stood before the semi-savages revealed in all her singular 
 beauty, a vision such as they had never seen before. 
 
 " Lo !" she said clearly, majesty in speech, manner, figure, 
 " I am your Empress, and I command you to obey. I would 
 cross the river now, this instant. Bring yonder boat, and this 
 shall be your reward." As she spoke, she took off the string of 
 pearls from her neck and held it aloft. There was an instant's 
 murmur of amazed greed, for these fishers of the big streams 
 knew well the value of the pearls they sometimes found in the 
 river-mussels. In an instant half a dozen long-legged lads were 
 ankle-deep in the water, bringing the biggest of the two boats to 
 ihore. It looked surprisingly small, and the Empress's liquid 
 eyes travelled for one instant over the wide stretch of water, a 
 mile or more, that had to be traversed. Then, without a word, 
 she stepped into the frail craft, still holding the pearls aloft, since 
 not till she had really started did she mean to pay the price. 
 Her unaccustomed feet and weight caused the boat almost to 
 overset, but the headman, paddle in hand, readjusted the balance,
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 305 
 
 and as willing arms shoved the boat up the stream she flung the 
 string of pearls backwards. As she did so the silk on which 
 they were threaded broke, and they fell upon the sand in little 
 heaps and runnels, one poised on the very outermost edge of 
 the little sand cliff that the water was eroding. A burst of 
 laughter followed as men, women, and children scrambled for 
 the prize. The poised pearl slipped, but a lank boy was after 
 it like an otter, and ere the boat was in midstream rose with it 
 in his teeth, salaaming and shaking the water from his woolly 
 mat. 
 
 It was a good beginning, thought Nurjahan, as she began to 
 realize that she was alone on the yellow flood with a man who any 
 instant could overpower her, fling her body to the stream, and 
 make off with her jewels. And in her hurry she had forgotten 
 once more to shroud herself in her borrowed veil. Few women, 
 even the most courageous, like to feel themselves at the mercy 
 of a strong man, and Nurjahan was no exception to the rule. 
 And she had no weapon save only her own beauty, her own charm. 
 So she sat still in the bottom of the dug-out, the child still asleep 
 at her feet, the early sunrays flashing on her jewelled hair, her 
 liquid eyes fixed on the coarse animal face of the man in front 
 of her, who plyed his paddle with such singular dexterity. For an 
 instant she thought of bribing him with necklace or bracelet. 
 But an instant's reflection showed her the uselessness of this, 
 when all was at his bidding. There was but one thing to do to 
 show no fear no fear of anything. 
 
 Ah ! there was a sandbank right ahead, a lashing current by 
 it, a sharp curve the little boat, caught in a whirlpool, shot 
 round. Brave as she was, she could have cried aloud for the 
 very tenseness of her dread of what might come; but she only 
 clenched her hands on the gunwale tighter and tighter. Then 
 came a swift stroke of the paddle, the dug-out righted itself 
 and they were in slack water once more. 
 
 " Shahbash !" she cried impetuously, her whole heart in the 
 praise. " Shahbash !" And the dimple showing in her delicate 
 face brought broad smiles to that other sensual one, as the man 
 nodded his head approvingly; this was a brave one ! 
 
 After that the long voyage across the waste of waters was one 
 
 20
 
 306 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 series of hair-breadth escapes, for the boatman went out of his 
 way to show his prowess, and win that swift approval. 
 
 They swept round sandbanks, they slanted across swirling 
 rapids, they skimmed so close to a crumbling cliff or sandbank 
 that Nurjahan instinctively clutched at the child so that at any 
 rate they might drown together. But ever and always she was 
 ready with her " Well done !" even from pallid lips, and he was 
 ready with grins of pleasure. A queer couple these, out on the 
 yellow flood, that only ended on the level horizon. Luxury and 
 poverty, civilization and savagery, held together by a woman's 
 charm. 
 
 The sun crept up and up, but on the water it was cool. The 
 child woke and laughed with joy to find herself in such novel, 
 delightful surroundings. 
 
 Despite her first fears Nurjahan felt strangely rested when at 
 long last the dug-out shot in shore, and, stepping out, she found 
 herself within a hundred yards or so of a sentry's tent. She gave 
 her pioneer her brightest smile and a farewell " Shahbash !" 
 then, the child running in front of her, made her way to the tent. 
 
 A group of men lounging and smoking stared at her in blank 
 amaze. 
 
 " I am the Empress," she said calmly. " Conduct me to the 
 tent of Fedai Khan and carry the child; she will tire !" 
 
 Speechless with astonishment, they obeyed. So through the 
 camp she walked firmly, while some folk stared and others fell 
 down, kissing the dust at her feet. 
 
 For this woman of fifty-five, walking as she had not walked 
 for years, among crowding spectators, was Empress without 
 doubt. What but Majesty could so sustain a woman before the 
 public eye ? 
 
 " Bid the master attend me without delay," she said right 
 royally to the servants in Fedai's tent, and they hurried to do 
 her bidding at once. None gainsaid her, none doubted she spoke 
 truth. 
 
 She had not long to wait. Fedai Khan was at her feet, kissing 
 the very dust at them in delight at her escape. But she met 
 him with a frown. 
 
 " How comes it, slave," she cried, " that the Emperor was so
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 307 
 
 deserted ? and how comes it, traitor, that thou art not at this 
 moment rescuing him from the hands of his enemy and mine ?" 
 
 Fedai drew himself up to his full height. " I am no traitor, 
 Highness ; my duty it was to go forward to the new camp. I was 
 out-wearied with the work. I slept late, and then lo ! I have 
 spent these two hours urging men to act, but not one will plant 
 the foot of courage in the pathway of honour. So, Majesty 
 permitting, I go alone,!" 
 
 He turned as he spoke and would have left, but she called to 
 him in a softer voice. 
 
 " No traitor thou, Fedai; but I am outworn and need help. 
 The others Asof and the rest where are they ?" 
 
 Fedai stood gloomy, his hand on his sword. " Of Asof I know 
 naught ! Lo, I have sought for him without avail. The others 
 are dumbfoundered petrified such as are loyal and the 
 others " He flung his sword out. " They count not, High- 
 ness. I and my followers " 
 
 " Peace, Fedai," said the Empress, regaining the composure 
 she had almost lost. " There must be no bloodshed this side the 
 river till we have held council. Are the royal tents prepared ?" 
 
 " As ever, Highness." 
 
 " Then bid a royal dhooli here to take me thither. And 
 summon all ay, every Amir, every courtier, every noble to a 
 council of war. Dost hear ? A council on the instant not a 
 moment to be lost." 
 
 Less than half an hour afterwards Nurjahan, unattended, .alone, 
 the only woman in the vast tent, faced her audience of men. 
 She stood, a tall slight figure, unscreened, almost unveiled, for 
 the gauzy head-covering with which she had started on her 
 perilous adventure was all torn and frayed by rough usage. But 
 she looked every inch an Empress as her woman's voice, full of 
 scorn, full of reproach, rang out. 
 
 " resplendent noblemen of the Court ! O strong bodies 
 and brave hearts ! what do ye here obeying a woman's behest 
 when your master, your King, your God, captive in the hands 
 of his enemy, cries aloud to you for deliverance ? Is not shame 
 yours ? Lo ! I, a lone woman, have crossed the river to seek 
 aid. Could not ye, strong men, hundreds of you nay, thousands
 
 y>8 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 have crossed it likewise ? Shame on ye ! Shame on ye ! 
 Lo ! I say not, wherefore did ye leave the Emperor unguarded ? 
 That is past and over. Your honour is in the dust; but there 
 remains redress. Why stand ye idle ? Be up and doing ! Call 
 together the army, else I, a woman, do so, and shame ye all. 
 Oh, had I but been born a man, I would not have stood gazing 
 as ye do while my honour, my renown, was being trailed in the 
 dust by a low-born scoundrel. And as for thou, Asof," she 
 continued, turning swiftly on her brother, " I ask not even why 
 thou didst forsake him thou knowest best. But if thou art ever 
 to claim Nurjahan Padshah Begum as sister again ay, if thou 
 art ever to claim dead Ghiyass-ud-din as father, and not brand 
 thyself bastard, thou wilt, as the highest in the land since that 
 thou art, since my lord the lord whom thou leavest in captivity 
 made thee Vizier call on these others to action as I call on 
 them as woman. Oh, men, up and be doing; be not cowards. 
 Lo ! I will lead the van let the dawn see our emprise." 
 
 She was trembling like an aspen ere she finished, but her lips 
 were firm, her hands hard clenched. 
 
 Then someone spoke. " I am no coward, Highness," he said 
 simply; " but I was told the Emperor himself had sent a letter 
 to bid us withhold action, nor bring about unnecessary bloodshed." 
 
 She turned like lightning on Asof Khan. " Is this true ?" 
 she asked. 
 
 "Ay," replied Asof unwillingly; "but 'twas no letter. 'Twas 
 a verbal message, yet the bearer held the Emperor's signet as 
 warranty." 
 
 Nurjahan laughed aloud. " That could be slipped from his 
 
 ringer while he slept, since " she paused. They knew as well 
 
 as she the ease with which such theft could be made from a drugged 
 man. Ay, made perhaps not as theft, but willingly. Then she 
 turned to them in final appeal. 
 
 " Gentlemen, high-born and honourable, if that message be 
 true, think you the Emperor sent it of his own free will ? Nay; 
 ill, weak, unhinged as he must be by this violence, he is at the 
 mercy of Mohabat. Will ye also be slaves as ye will be to 
 one low-born, who could outmatch Satan himself in guile ?" 
 
 She had touched the right chord that time, and a low grow
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 309 
 
 of dissent ran round the tent, during which Nurjahan leant 
 forward and whispered to Asof fiercely. 
 
 " Fool !" she said. " Canst not see that if Mohabat hath the 
 Emperor in thrall, Par viz will take the place of Shahjahan ? 
 Up, man, and tell them the message is a lie bid them be ready 
 at dawn, and all will go well." 
 
 He looked at her, and acquiesced. Mohabat was his bitterest 
 enemy, it was true. So bitter that, finding he was at the head 
 of two thousand gallant Rajputs, with reinforcements said to be 
 behind him, Asof had meant to find discretion the best part of 
 valour (as he did indeed the next day). But his sister's arrival 
 and upbraidings had made retreat without dishonour impossible., 
 s D, to all appearance, he fell in with her views. A general muster 
 was called for dawn, and each went his way, some determined 
 to fight truly, others to look on. 
 
 But the soldiery took it in good sooth, and round the camp- 
 fires sharpened their lances and swords and looked to the flash- 
 pans of their matchlocks; since a fight is ever a fight to the pro- 
 fessional. 
 
 And one man who, by profession, was Court favourite also, 
 took it seriously. Fedai Khan had no liking for the term 
 "coward"; and though his mistress had rescinded the accusa- 
 tion, it still rankled. Besides, he had no intention of leaving 
 his master unstriven for, to spend a night alone and in captivity. 
 
 So when darkness fell, a small body of horsemen, headed by 
 Fedai, their horses' hoofs deadened with felt pads, stole down the 
 river-bank, and making their way from sandbank to sandbank, 
 stood at length on the shores of the big stream which the bridge 
 of boats had spanned. It was not so long a journey as Nurjahan's 
 had been, for she had had to skirt round the sandbanks and gain 
 the further side of the whole wide river-bed, whereas they had 
 cut straight across, fording the shallow streams and swimming 
 the deeper ones; but there were treacherous quicksands to be 
 negotiated, and time had passed more than once in extracting 
 an incautious trooper or two from a quagmire. 
 
 But now, with the rising of the crescent moon, they gathered 
 in a knot on the furthest point of the big stream shore, and 
 tightened their girths for the struggle that lay before them. As
 
 310 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 fine a body of tail, sinewy, black-bearded Rangars as ever was 
 seen, each hardy in thought and deed, and eager for the adventure. 
 
 " Art ready ?" asked Fedai. " Then follow me !" At the 
 word he and his horse plunged into the tide, and the next instant 
 were being swept down by the force of the current, but swimming, 
 swimming gallantly. And behind him, in twos and threes, in 
 groups or alone, the troopers showed like floating shadows on 
 the water, which, dark though the night was, gleamed light. 
 
 A hard swim and a long swim; but heavy accoutrements had 
 been left behind, and the game little Indian horses had been well 
 fed up three hours syne with a wonderful mess of raw sugar and 
 eggs and roasted gram-flour. 
 
 Still, it was a perilous adventure, and more than one pair of 
 bold eyes watched the twinkling lights on the opposite shore and 
 wished he was there with unsheathed sword ready to thrust into 
 an enemy's wame. 
 
 " There goes Gulab Khan !" said one to his neighbour. " I 
 warned him against the big Kabuli^mare, but he would hold it 
 better than the little Arab. God rest him !" 
 
 " Mayhap he may find a sandbank somewhere," said his com- 
 panion indifferently, as he threw himself off his mount for a spell 
 of swimming in order to aid the beast. 
 
 But it was not only Gulab Khan who went ; others followed, and 
 it was a reduced party which, gaining the bank at last, noiselessly 
 reformed itself some mile and a half below the enemy's tents and 
 took stock of its number and arms. 
 
 Fedai counted them anxiously. A bare dozen; the rest had 
 disappeared, and though some of them had doubtless found safety 
 further down, there was no time to wait for them to rejoin. 
 There were enough, mayhap, for his purpose of surprise; if not, 
 it was God's will. So, spick and span still, despite the fact that 
 he had not a dry stitch on him, Fedai Khan rode carefully on 
 at the head of his little party of rescue; and as he rode he was 
 carefully balancing the pros and cons for stealth all through, and 
 defiance only at the last. 
 
 Fate, however, was against both. They had almost reached 
 the tents when a challenge rang out from the darkness, and they 
 found themselves surrounded by Rajputs. Thank God ! By
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 311 
 
 Rajputs, for if there be one thing a Mahomedan Rangar loathes, 
 it is a Hindu Rajput; possibly because deep down in the soul of 
 every Rangar lurks the knowledge that before Mahomed of Ghazni 
 converted his tribe wholesale to Mahomedanism by the sword, 
 it had belonged to the great martial race of India. 
 
 So, with one guttural cry of " Din Din ! Fatteh Mahomed !" 
 they were at the throats of their alien brothers, and it was cut 
 and thrust fiercely, as inch by inch they were driven back river- 
 wards by overwhelming numbers. Fedai, a fine swordsman, 
 engaged one after another till his horse's hoofs sank in mingled 
 water and sand; then with a supreme effort he clove his last 
 assailant to the very chine, and turning his game little beast 
 by sheer pressure of his knees leapt clear into the current, his 
 hands still clasped on his sword-hilt. " Till dawn !" he shouted, 
 as the stream carried him down. " Till dawn, hell-doomed 
 infidels !" 
 
 He had not succeeded, but he and his party had at least ac- 
 counted for twice their number of the enemy. 
 
 So it was not a discomfited but a radiant Fedai who, just as 
 the sun was rising, reported himself and his adventure to the 
 Empress. 
 
 She looked grave and preoccupied in her leather hunting-dress, 
 to which she had added a coat of mail, while a steel chain cap 
 covered her jewel-braided hair. For she was to keep her promise 
 of leading the men. 
 
 " 'Tis well," she said. " It shows that it is fordable. And 
 that is all we need !"
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 " Give largesse with both hands ; an empty Purse 
 Is a light burden. Fate will reimburse 
 The costs of those who with unbending will 
 Play out the part She gives them to rehearse." 
 
 NURJAHAN did not sleep that night. She sat waiting for the 
 dawn such a slow dawn ! Easterly of those distant tents on 
 the far side of the river there was just a faint lightening below 
 the heavy bank of cloud that lay on the horizon. So by degrees 
 the shadows on earth and sky paled, the bank of cloud curdled 
 to little flecks, then flushed rosy like the cheek of an expectant 
 maiden at her lover's step. 
 
 And he was here, the Great Earth-lover ! the Bringer of Life ! 
 
 In an instant all was bustle. Ere the sun had really risen, 
 large bodies of horsemen stood grouped along the northern bank 
 of the River Jhelum, waiting for the sign to advance; waiting 
 indeterminately, since Asof Khan had issued no definite orders, 
 and each leader was left to choose his own objective, to select 
 his own fancied point for fording the swift stream. 
 
 It might be that this lack of disposition had its merits by 
 allowing freedom of action, but it certainly showed a lack of 
 unanimity, a wavering of purpose. 
 
 There was neither, however, in the armoured cohort of elephants 
 which swept down from the royal tents, led by the Empress 
 herself, on the celebrated Alum Gajraj, the first and favourite 
 male of the whole stud; a huge beast close on fifteen feet in height, 
 which had ever been the Emperor Akbar's favourite mount. 
 Renowned alike for courage and strength, he lilted along as if 
 proud of his burden. And well he might be; for never in her life 
 had Nurjahan looked more a " Queen of Women." She was 
 dressed in her leathern hunting-suit, and over it she wore a coat 
 of mail, while a cap of linked^steel chain hid her still gem-decked 
 hair. At her feet, in the armoured vfar-howdah, sat the little 
 
 312
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 313 
 
 Gifted Lady, why, it is hard to say. Possibly her grandmother 
 expected small difficulty in her task of rejoining and rescuing the 
 Emperor. Possibly, again, she may have anticipated evil, and 
 been unwilling to leave the child, thelMecca of all her hopes, to 
 the scant mercies of those who knew and detested her plans for 
 the future. Certain it is the child was there; a well-grown, 
 healthy little lass of two and a half, forward in every physical 
 way, but backward mentally. Outwardly the image of her 
 grandmother, inwardly, showing but small promise of her com- 
 manding intellect. 
 
 " Is all ready ?" asked Nurjahan of Fedai, who, ever since he 
 returned from his night's raid, had been riding up and down, 
 seeing to this contingent, urging that one to plant the foot of 
 honour on the path of courage, to remember that 'twas by their 
 neglect the Emperor's freedom was endangered, that never again 
 need they call themselves men did they not avenge the insult 
 put upon him, and upon every loyal man, by the mean-spirited 
 hound Mohabat brave words, which served their purpose to a 
 certain extent. Those behind the Empress, at least, were eager 
 for the fray. And to the left, above the burnt bridge, Asof Khan 
 made fine show of determination at the start, at any rate. 
 
 " They are as ready as they can be made," replied Fedai 
 gloomily. 
 
 " Then bid the kettledrums sound !' ' 
 
 With a curious crackling boom, high-pitched, insistent, the 
 advance rang out, and on^the throbbing roll of the drums rose the 
 blare of conches from the Hindu contingent. 
 
 So in stately march the elephants, in single file, slid down the 
 high bank, and traversed the sandbank below, their great pads 
 leaving circular pools of water behind them. 
 
 There was a pause on the water's edge to allow the next elephant 
 to step up and take its place to the right of the leader, its head 
 level with the^first one's girth. Thus alongside, yet in slight 
 echelon, a veritable dam of brute force, each beast gaining a 
 certain support from the breakwater of its fellow, the elephants 
 struck out, slightly up stream. 
 
 " Shahbash, Gajraj !" said Nurjahan to her huge beast, as the 
 wise creature, putting his forefoot suddenly into deep water,
 
 3M MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 trumpeted the news to those behind him,, to set them on guard. 
 And now, still in rigorously kept formation, the great dam of 
 body and mind, swimming, breasted the swift current. 
 
 Meanwhile, the news of coming assault had reached the opposite 
 bank, and it was lined by dense bodies of Rajput horsemen 
 ready to dispute a passage. Further down-stream, indeed, 
 where a party of loyalists had taken advantage of the elephants' 
 breakwater to push their horses rapidly across, the clashing of 
 sword on sword was already to be heard. The same thing might 
 have occurred above where Asof Khan led, for there the passage, 
 if deeper, was narrower, had the attack been pressed home; 
 but it was not. And that below failing in its object, the main 
 body of the enemy was free to deal with the central force, which, 
 led by Nurjahan, came on steadily if slowly; for the elephant is 
 not a fast swimmer. 
 
 But in the end Gajraj found footing, trumpeted the news, 
 and stood like a rock despite the arrows that were already flight- 
 ing round him, till his companions had formed up in battle array. 
 Then ensued a bitter combat. The enemy had the advantage of 
 higher ground; also they had larger targets than their foes. 
 Still the former diminished every step taken shorewards, till, 
 save for activity and numbers, the combatants stood equal. But 
 both these were on the side of the rebels, joined to the dare- 
 devil rashness in which Rajput soldiers have no rival. They were 
 in the water, swimming round the wading elephants, maddening 
 them with their spears, regardless of the lashing trunks, the sharp 
 tusks of the infuriated leviathans, regardless of the steady fire 
 of matchlocks from the howdahs, the ceaseless flights of arrows. 
 Reddened by fast-flowing blood, churned to foam by the frantic 
 struggles of men and beasts, the waves of water lashed over the 
 combatants and sent an ominously tinted spray into the sun- 
 bright, crisp morning air. 
 
 And ever the fiercest of the fray raged round Gajraj. The 
 arrows, the javelins, flew about him in showers; but his hide was 
 thick, his armour strong, his courage indomitable. And sterner 
 still was the mettle of the woman whom he carried. Unmoved, 
 though the missiles were falling round her like autumn leaves in 
 a gale, she pressed on, dauntless.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 315 
 
 " Well done, Gajraj !" shouted the mahout one who had been 
 in the Emperor's service since he was a baby, who had been 
 rocked to sleep in the huge beast's curled trunk, who had lived 
 with him, and asked nothing better than to die with him. " Shah- 
 bash ! Shahbash !" 
 
 And the game beast, fighting furiously, responded with a 
 trumpet, that was answered by the others; so sound, terrific, 
 ear-splitting, came to add to the horrors of the scene ; but even as 
 he reared his trunk a wandering arrow struck him on the tongue, 
 and his shrieking bellow changed to a roar of pain. Mad with 
 rage, he made a supreme effort. With the downward sweep of 
 the trunk he tore the leader of the attack from his horse and flung 
 . him skywards, to fall and sink like a stone, while with his forefeet 
 he beat the foe in front of him down, down, trampling them out 
 of all shape into the soft sand. 
 
 " Shahbash, Gajraj !" cried the Empress triumphantly; but 
 at that moment the mahout fell sideways, slipped Gajraj 's 
 little twinkling eyes saw the fall, his quick prehensile trunk 
 was at his friend's disposal in a second to help him to his place 
 again. 
 
 Too late ! The man's heart had been pierced with an arrow 
 too late, for with lightning swiftness a sword came down on the 
 offered support. One shriek of pain and the animal turned to 
 face its assailant, but confused by the double duty, it missed its 
 footing in the soft, slimy bottom of sand and flesh and blood, 
 slithered, and its sudden falter was the signal for wild assault. 
 
 " Down with the woman ! Down with her ! Down with the 
 witch who beguiles men !" 
 
 So rose the cry from a hundred mouths. Nurjahan answered 
 them with her matchlock, shooting down her assailants with the 
 same deadly aim with which she had shot many a tigert And her 
 few staunch adherents fought desperately, while Gajraj alone, 
 unaided by guidance, continued to press on. 
 
 But there were too many against him. Inch by inch, though 
 his courage never failed, he had to give way. Inch by inch, 
 covered by a hundred wounds, mere pin-pricks to his stout hide, 
 yet 'still draining his strength, until a crafty foe, swimming 
 alongside, cut him twice over the proboscis with a two-edged
 
 3 i6 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 sword, and with a mighty roar of sheer wrath he fell back into 
 deep water; so floundering, half swimming, half unconscious, 
 drifted down stream. 
 
 The few remaining elephants for many of them had already 
 given up the fight seeing his discomfiture, turned tail and fled. 
 
 The great assault had failed. 
 
 But a few minutes afterwards the beaten giant grounded on a 
 sandbank, happily beyond reach of arrows or javelins, and, 
 struggling to his feet, lifted up his maimed trunk in one roar 
 of defiance. And his challenge was unanswered. 
 
 It brought to Nurjahan's aid, however, those of her staunch 
 adherents who remained. 
 
 They were not many, and they flocked round in terror of what 
 they might find. What they did see was very simple a woman 
 on her knees busily engaged in binding up a child's wound; for 
 an arrow had glanced on the little Gifted Lady's wrist, and her 
 grandmother was bent on consoling her. 
 
 " Hast anyone, by chance, some sweetstuff to stop her cry- 
 ing ?" she asked hurriedly, as she tore another strip from her own 
 white drapery to finish her bandaging; whereupon a young trooper 
 somewhat shamefacedly pulled a handful of sugar-drops from 
 within his shirt of mail, and peace was restored. 
 
 But the day was lost, and there was nothing for it but to return 
 and see if it were possible to make another attempt. 
 
 So, haltingly, the wounded veteran carried his mistress back to 
 the other side; and during the journey she sat calm, pale, silent, 
 the hurt baby in her arms. 
 
 Yes, the attack had failed, saving for Fedai Khan's contingent. 
 Profiting by his last night's experience, and with a large party 
 of the finest fighters in the camp, he had gone up stream a good 
 bit; so, letting the current carry him down, had landed above 
 the encampment on the further shore, meeting with but slack 
 opposition on the bank, as most of the Rajputs were heavily 
 engaged on the bend below. 
 
 So far, so good, and they made their way swiftly across level 
 fields to the tent where Fedai knew the Emperor was lodged; but 
 this they found overwhelmingly guarded at all points. Never- 
 theless, there was nothing for it but to attack, and Fedai, nothing
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 317 
 
 daunted, went at his task with a will. For two long hours the 
 unequal fight went on; would have gone on doubtless until the 
 ast man had been disabled, but for the sudden appearance 
 between the combatants of the Emperor's personal attendant, 
 who, at the risk of his life, implored a moment's respite in which 
 to deliver a message; whereupon Fedai withdrew a space. 
 
 The message was briefly this: that some of the arrows had 
 actually fallen on the couch where the Emperor lay asleep, and, 
 if he did not intend to kill the Shadow of God, Fedai Khan should 
 desist from a violence which was quite contrary to Jahangir's 
 wishes. 
 
 Fedai laughed scornfully. He had been badly wounded him- 
 self, his horse almost cut to pieces, and his lieutenants were seizing 
 the lull to staunch the bleeding as best they could. " I return 
 not without him," he said. " I will not face my mistress if I 
 bring him not." Then suddenly he burst into angry imprecation: 
 " Asleep, saidst thou ? Nay, flatterer ! Time-server ! Syco- 
 phant ! He is drunk and thou and thy like are traitors ! Do 
 I not know Mohabat ? Is he not false as the fiend himself ? 
 Can I not see his trick ? Lo ! he will give the Emperor freedom 
 he will tempt him he will pander to him. Go back, fool ! 
 Tell those who sent thee that so soon as this bleeding stops Fedai 
 will have at them again." 
 
 But the bleeding did not stop, not at any rate till he was 
 almost unconscious. Then his friends held a hurried consultation, 
 followed by a parley with the enemy, from which it appeared 
 that no violence was being done to the Emperor, that none was 
 intended. Furthermore, that Jahangir had with his own hand 
 written an order to his troops over the water, commanding in- 
 stant cessation of hostilities. 
 
 The men looked at each other and sheathed their swords. 
 
 " Since rescue by force is not to be," quoth one, " I am for 
 home. 'Tis the safest place these times." 
 
 " Ay," said Fedai's most faithful servant, " and for wounded 
 men most of all. My master needs rest !" 
 
 And he got it. When he came to himself he was miles away 
 from the scene of the conflict; nor was he fit to return to it. 
 
 Meanwhile, over the water worse confusion than ever prevailed.
 
 318 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 The Sirdars, who, owing to Asof Khan's hesitation, had scarcely 
 known the plan of attack, were loud in blame of the faulty dis- 
 positions. Everything was at sixes and sevens, and though 
 Motamid Khan, the Emperor's secretary, went about trying to 
 mend matters, not one soul did he find to plant the foot of honour 
 firmly. Asof Khan himself, after lengthy complaints about the 
 uncertainties of this changing world, disappeared, and was no 
 more seen; desiring, as he wrote afterwards, to be safe from the 
 oppressive soul of Mohabat, he had fled to Attock. And, one by 
 one, the Amirs and nobles either followed his example of retreat, 
 or went over boldly to the opposite side of the river, leaving the 
 Empress alone with a few faithful servants. 
 
 And she ? 
 
 She sat in the royal tents and clenched her hands, not in despair, 
 but in sheer anger. 
 
 She was no fool; she knew as well as Fedai what was happen- 
 ing over yonder, where Mohabat, the prince of deceivers, was 
 virtually King. She could imagine it, long before the Emperor's 
 secretary returned from paying his respects, with a succinct 
 account of what he had seen. 
 
 Motamid was a tall, lank man with a pale face and piercing 
 dark eyes. He squatted on the ground in front of the divan 
 where Nurjahan sat in her favourite attitude, her elbow on her 
 knee, her chin in her hand, her mouth firm and set. 
 
 " Of a truth," said Motamid mournfully, " Majesty may believe 
 that when Mohabat introduced me to the presence, his con- 
 versation was so frivolous and trifling that, in my opinion, death 
 would have more become him." 
 
 " But the Emperor," put in Nurjahan in a tone of irritation. 
 " Lo ! what care I for what the rebel says or does the Emperor, 
 my good man, the Emperor !" 
 
 Motamid shook his head. " He was not there, Majesty. 
 My master was not there. One lay upon the couch half wake 
 with wine, half in dreams with drugs. A slave-girl fanned him 
 and another, with flagon and glass, knelt ready to fill a cup 
 not when desired, Majesty; he was past that but when the sign 
 was given." 
 There was a long pause of silence. Nurjahan did not stir;
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 31, 
 
 her face set firmer; the hand upon her chin gripped it tighter. 
 Finally she spoke spoke more lightly. 
 
 " And Mohabat what said he of this unheard of, this almost 
 unconceivable plot to kidnap the Shadow of God ?" 
 
 Motamid looked even more mournful. " What matters it, 
 Majesty ?" he asked. " Lo ! is he not even as the man of whom 
 'twas said ; ' He spoke and I believed him; he insisted, I doubted 
 him; he swore, and I knew it was a lie ' ?" 
 
 Despite her anxiety Nurjahan smiled. 
 
 " And the Amirs, the nobles ? Are they there ?" she asked. 
 
 " They are on their knees, Highness. And what the Emperor 
 says is law, what he wishes is done; but they put the words 
 into his mouth, the thoughts into his brain." 
 
 " Thou hast dismissal," said the Empress sharply; she had 
 heard what she wanted. After he had gone she sat alone think- 
 ing. The tent grew dark, yet still she sat thinking, thinking. 
 
 Had she been bested, or had she not been bested ? 
 
 So long as she was separated from Jahangir her influence was 
 gone; but if she were to return to him ? What then ? 
 
 So, as she thought, the very hardihood of the idea appealed 
 to her. If she were voluntarily to put herself into Mohabat's 
 power; if she were to risk her liberty perhaps her life on the 
 throw of the die what then ? 
 
 And she need not do even this. Motamid could carry in- 
 structions to the Emperor, carefully worded, that, seeing no hope 
 of rescuing the Shadow of God from the sacrilegious hands that 
 had been laid upon him, she, as a dutiful and obedient wife, was 
 coming back to share his captivity. What then ? 
 
 The urgent desire in times of great stress to be alone, away 
 from the rest of humanity; to be out in the open, with nothing 
 above one save infinite space, which comes to most of us, especially 
 to those of vivid individuality, drove her out under the stars, to 
 stand and wonder at this little life. So, after a time, her eyes 
 wandered from the shadow of the world which we call night to 
 the twinkling lights that showed across the river. 
 
 No, she could not admit defeat so easily. She would go 
 back and resume her sway, let them say what they liked ! She 
 would checkmate them with one swift move.
 
 320 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 She passed rapidly into the tent again, and sitting down, 
 wrote with her own hand the following letter: 
 
 " Mihr-un-nissa, whom the Light of the World hath honoured 
 with many titles and more kindness, lays herself and her life 
 before the Emperor, and craves an interview, that she may tell! 
 the Lord of Light that she hath forgotten as well as forgiven." 
 
 This she gave to Motamid, with instructions that he was to take 
 it across the river, and not to return until he had succeeded in 
 getting permission for the interview. 
 
 " If it comes not at all," she said, " then will I risk all. Mean- 
 while I will try wisdom." 
 
 It was two days ere the secretary returned, and she was just 
 preparing for the final risk when the lank figure and mournful 
 face appeared, and he brought back with him a permit signed 
 in Jahangir's own handwriting, desiring that the bearer should 
 have access to him on presentation. 
 
 " Lo !" said the secretary, " I was long in getting it, since they 
 scarce left me with him alone for a moment. There is a Rajput 
 guard of two that stays with him day and night. Praise be to 
 God ! they eat opium comfits, and I had a friend in the buttery 
 who used what I gave him but not without payment; it cost ten 
 gold dskrafis." 
 
 " Ay !" interrupted Nurjahan impatiently; " but the Emperor ? 
 Kow did he receive my letter ?" 
 
 Motamid Khan's eyes blinked. 
 
 " He wept, Majesty; but he was far gone in wine." 
 
 " It matters not," cried Nurjahan joyfully. " Where tears 
 tire, feeling is not dead !" 
 
 " True," assented the secretary wisely. " Yet, were I Majesty, 
 I would be swift in action. Each day brings danger, and I know 
 not but methinks some plot is afoot." 
 
 " Mayhap," replied Nurjahan nonchalantly; " but they shall 
 not worst me. Yet go I at once even now." 
 
 " Now ?" echoed the secretary, almost alarmed at her swiftness. 
 
 " Ay, now is ever the best time !"
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 " My heart's sweet aloe wood, my love is fire, 
 My body is the censer of desire. 
 Yet thou, like summer moth, flitt'st round my flame 
 While I consume my Love and so expire." 
 
 NURJAHAN and Mohabat Khan stood looking at each other. She 
 was dressed all in white, her thick white veil drawn tight round 
 her oval face as widows wear their shrouds. She had chosen 
 this attire for her interview with Jahangir because it was what she 
 had worn on that long past day on which she had covenanted 
 to forgive, if she could not forget. 
 
 And now that she had promised to do both, she strove to 
 awaken a memory of vanished manhood in the man she strove 
 once more to redeem. 
 
 " Wherefore am I not to see my lord ?" she asked, and her tone 
 was haughty. 
 
 Mohabat's strong intolerant face showed pitiless. But one 
 short half hour since, the Keeper of the Gates had brought him 
 word that Nurjahan Padshah Begum demanded admittance, 
 and he had sworn a big oath of grudging admiration for her 
 temerity. 
 
 Then he had shrugged his shoulders and said to the sycophant 
 courtiers who, seeing the trend of his policy, had given it their 
 whole-hearted approval. ' 'Twill save a mounted escort, anyhow. 
 Ay ! and mayhap innocent blood too, since the woman hath still 
 followers." Then he turned to the Chamberlain. " See that she 
 be shown to a fitting place. I will attend her ere long." 
 
 He had delayed a while. Perhaps even he, with his light 
 estimate of womanhood, did not quite relish the task he had to 
 perform. But it had been decided in full council; the Emperor 
 drugged it is true almost beyond consciousness but what 
 matter since Government would in future be carried on by male 
 wisdom instead of accursed female wisdom acting through a 
 
 3-i 21
 
 322 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 beguiled Shadow of God ? had set his seal to it, and the warrant 
 for the execution of one Mihr-un-nissa, called Nurmahal or 
 Nurjahan, was ready in Mohabat's hand. 
 
 He gave it to her without a word. Brave as she was, the blood 
 curdled at her heart as she read and for a noticeable space she 
 caught in her breath hard and the colour forsook her face, leaving 
 it of creamy pallor. 
 
 " It will be painless/' said the man of iron and relentless will, 
 
 misreading her emotion, " a lethal draught and sleep 
 
 The ludicrous ineptitude of his words woke her ready sense of 
 humour, and she laughed aloud; but his words also roused her 
 contempt and with it her vitality. 
 
 " Fool !" she said, and the scorn of her tone cut even his tough 
 hide. " Judge not of others by thine own fear of death. What 
 matters it when the Call comes, to-day or next, since come it 
 must ? So that for thy warrant !" 
 
 And with swift hands she tore the paper across and flung the 
 pieces at his feet. 
 
 His face grew darker as he bent to recover them. " That 
 avails thee not, lady," he began, when she interrupted him with 
 another mocking laugh 
 
 " Say not so ! O Mohabat Khan ! Prince of Deceivers ! 
 Thou hast had to stoop to pick them up !" 
 
 He desisted from his task abruptly and glared at her as she went 
 on. " And it avails thee not either. Bethink thee ! Does not 
 the law of the land Jahangir's own law mind you ordain 
 that no warrant for death be carried out for twenty-four hours 
 after it be received by the one who is to die, so that there may be 
 due time for appeal ? And is not four and twenty hours sufficient, 
 even for the disloyal, to carry out the Sovereign's wishes ? 
 Wishes not sealed only like yonder waste paper that could be 
 stamped by a seal slipped from a drunken finger, but written in 
 Majesty's own hand ?" 
 
 And in her turn she handed Mohabat the Emperor's passport 
 to his presence. Passion positively distorted his face as he seized 
 it, tore it to fragments and scattered the pieces broadcast. " That 
 for thy paper, woman !" he almost shouted. " Thou diest, 
 and by the Emperor's orders !"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 323 
 
 She looked at him with cool disdain. " That may or may not 
 be !" she said quietly, " meanwhile it avails thee not, since I 
 stoop not to undo thy actions. Yet do I claim the law's delay. 
 Go ! ask the judges if I be not right." 
 
 To a certain extent he felt she had mastered him in detail, 
 and he shrugged his shoulders impatiently. " What matters 
 it to-day or to-morrow ?" he replied. " So take thy respite. Till 
 then thou wilt be honourably dealt with." 
 
 And with the words he turned on his heel and left her. 
 
 To what reflections ? First, doubtless to thought-distracting 
 dread since say what the bravest may, death to vivid life must 
 ever be unwelcome. But ere long that vivid vitality was at work 
 striving to escape. They brought her food and drink and she 
 took both, feeling she would need all the support she could get in 
 her battle against these men. So by degrees her mind settled 
 on this. They desired she should not see the Emperor, therefore 
 all her efforts must be to secure an interview. But how ? If she 
 could get at Motamid Khan the secretary she must try ! Finally, 
 begging a slip of paper and a pen, she wrote a short petition to 
 the Chief Judge, a man whom she knew to be one of her bitterest 
 enemies, begging him to allow her under the law, as a convicted 
 criminal, the services of the royal secretary in order that, ere 
 execution, she might have her last wishes duly set down concern- 
 ing her granddaughter, who, by previous arrangement with the 
 Emperor and his son Shahriyar, was to be returned to her mother's 
 keeping, there to be brought up in strictest seclusion as canoness, 
 in the event of her grandmother's death. 
 
 Ijlt was a deft bait. The problem of Shahriyar's daughter, who 
 had a strong hold on the Emperor's affection, would thus be settled 
 without further action. Permission for Motamid to attend 
 under surveillance was therefore given. 
 
 So much then was gained, but Nurjahan, when she faced a 
 friend, felt the hopelessness of her position more keenly than 
 when she had been defying an enemy. Yet, ere he came, she 
 had her plan ready. Watched as they would be, almost every 
 word they uttered overheard, her quick brain had had to devise 
 means for conveying her wishes without exciting suspicion. 
 Mercifully in order to please the Emperor she had learnt the
 
 324 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Turkhi language, with which Motamid as secretary had also to be 
 acquainted. Unknown, as it was, to most of the courtiers and 
 to all the servants, she was able when giving the address of her 
 daughter to say rapidly a word or two which were sufficient to 
 put the secretary on the watch for more. So with infinite in- 
 genuity she gave her directions. Under her veil she still wore 
 some valuable jewels; these she removed, and giving into her 
 chief janitor's keeping those which she said belonged of rights 
 to the Emperor, she handed the remainder to Motamid; taking 
 the opportunity afforded by the swift greed of the former to pass 
 unobserved under the latter's flowing coatee something small and 
 hard, which with the quick comprehension of the Eastern, to 
 whom such contrivings are the salt of life, he ignored for the 
 time, his ears attuned to every word she uttered. 
 
 " See that they be given correctly and at once," she said, 
 slowly emphasizing some words rather unduly, " to those to 
 whom of right they belong as my last gifts ; with much grief and 
 many regrets I may not see them again, though of a truth I 
 know how earnestly they will desire it, as do I, Mihr-un-nissa 
 whom in childhood they called Meru. And bid them, if they 
 give way to grief and anger at this deprivation, as likely they will, 
 to lay the blame where blame is due, since I have prayed and my 
 prayer has not been answered. Therefore is it God's will." 
 
 Her rich clear voice did not falter. She waited till the flourish- 
 ing hand paused, poised over the ink-pot, then said shortly: 
 " That is all stay !" she added with a faint smile. " I have 
 given thee no reward for thy labours, and I have nought left save 
 this." She passed over a small, silver-filagree vinaigrette such 
 as most women of high rank wear attached to their wrist bangle. 
 "It is at least something. Lo ! writers such as thou have oft 
 tired confused brains, and there is a powder in it that is efficacious 
 to bring clearness. I have oft used it for" she paused; then 
 went on, " but that is over. See you, so much as will be upon 
 a thumb nail in a cupful of wine wine is ever pleasant will 
 clear the brain marvellous. And thou canst take more in half 
 an hour's time, without harm, if the first suffice not. 'Tis all I 
 have to offer. Lo ! I brought it to use myself, but I shall need 
 it no more. Farewell, and may the blessing of the Most High 
 attend all !"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 325 
 
 She stood, tall, slender, still beautiful, and Motamid as he 
 left her, the tears rolling down his sallow face, felt mingled sorrow 
 and awe at her dignity, her supreme wit, her unshrinking courage. 
 
 The latter nerved him to effort, as safe in his own small tent 
 he undid the little parcel she had conveyed to him so deftly and 
 which, with the Eastern instinct of conspiracy, he had as deftly 
 concealed. 
 
 It contained the ruby cup. 
 
 A thousand times he had seen it used; and now with this clue, 
 her words became plain. He was to put some of the powder 
 into wine, and filling the cup ; give it to the Emperor as the last 
 gift from Nurjahan nay ! from one whom in childhood had been 
 called Meru 
 
 Nay ! further 
 
 It was to be given twice. It had no taste it was to be given 
 after half an hour 
 
 Bit by bit the meaning of Nurjahan's carefully guarded words 
 came home to him. So much for the powder it was to be given 
 twice; but the cup ? The cup was to be given with regret that 
 the giver was prevented from giving it in person. The blame for 
 this, the anger for this, was to be poured out where anger was 
 due ! 
 
 As he sat there, looking at the ruby cup, he understood. Nur- 
 jahan, in whose keeping it was ever, had brought it with her, 
 as she had brought the tasteless powder which cleared the brain, 
 especially to be able to administer the dose to the Emperor 
 herself. Now he was commissioned to do so. And he was com- 
 missioned also to arouse anger if he could. 
 
 Since he had returned from over the river to his normal duties, 
 Motamid had been careful to curry favour with Mohabat and his 
 party in no other way could he have secured access to the 
 Emperor. And he had been still more careful to avoid the 
 discovery of his visit over the river to Nurjahan. Thus far he 
 was not suspect; and his friend in the buttery might help. 
 
 So, on the pretence that he had urgent papers which required 
 the royal seal, he sat down in the anteroom tent where dozens of 
 other claimants on the royal leisure waited. 
 
 " Majesty can transact no business," said a eunuch, his tongue 
 in his cheek. " It sleeps."
 
 326 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 There was a faint murmur, half chuckle, from those who 
 waited; but Motamid spoke up. 
 
 " Lo ! sleep or no sleep, my business is but with the royal seal, 
 and sleep or no sleep, it can stamp a paper. Let me in, I pray 
 thee, for I need no speech of Majesty." 
 
 The eunuch laughed. " If thou didst, thou wouldst get none. 
 He is most blind drunk, and but now hath called for more wine." 
 
 Motamid accelerated his steps. " Then let me at him ere he 
 drinks," he said. " Else may I be here all night." 
 
 As he entered the inner alcove tent, where a brazier full of 
 perfumes was sending out a faint blue smoke that, added to the 
 heat of the enclosed air, seemed to bring slumber with it, he saw 
 the Emperor lying prone on a richly embroidered divan, while 
 beside him stood a wine-bearer in the act of pouring out another 
 goblet of wine. 
 
 " A moment, friend !" whispered the secretary. " I need but 
 three impressions of the royal seal and methinks the Emperor, 
 even as he is, hath enough for the task." And hastily he pros- 
 trated himself and told his errand. 
 Jahangir looked at him stupidly. 
 
 " What wantest thou ? My signet ring ? Then take it, fool, 
 and be damned to thee !" he said. " So be it is not for death. 
 Nay ! Nay ! Jahangir seals the death warrants of himself 
 but quick, slave ! I need my wine." 
 
 Motamid hurriedly drew forth his papers and fumbled for his 
 ink, his flurry gaining on him. 
 
 " Lo ! idiot ! slave ! fool what is it ? Why this delay ?" 
 roared Jahangir, growing more and more indistinct. 
 
 " The ink, Highness !" faltered Motamid, " I have forgot the 
 ink 1" 
 
 " Ink ! Ink !" echoed Majesty in half-drunken anger. " Go 
 to is there no ink in the royal tents ? Bring it, slaves ! Quick ! 
 Ink ! Ink ! Ink !" 
 
 A second afterwards Motamid breathed again. In the bustle 
 he had contrived to slip so much as would lie on a thumb nail 
 of the powder into the goblet which the wine-bearer had hastily 
 set down in order to do his irate master's bidding. 
 
 So far, so good !
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 327 
 
 But for the rest ? There was nothing for it save boldness. 
 
 " I stay here," he whispered to the eunuch when with great 
 difficulty he had got Jahangir to affix his seal to several quite 
 innocuous papers. " I have other business to transact. Mayhap 
 when Majesty awakes he may be more fit. Meanwhile I 
 write " 
 
 He sat himself down by the couch as he spoke and began 
 on work. 
 
 " As thou pleaseth/' replied the eunuch grudgingly; " but 
 Majesty will not wake these two hours. "Tis easier work watching 
 now than when that she-cat was ever after us." And with a 
 yawn he passed from the alcove and sat down to dice with his 
 companions beyond the curtain. 
 
 Majesty would not wake for two hours, thought Motamid 
 with a sinking heart. Fortune had favoured him so far; but 
 what if the powder failed of effect ? 
 
 So, as he sat, he remembered that if he were to give a second 
 dose, he had better make sure of having wine wherein to give it. 
 
 The ewer-bearer had left the flagon on the salver beside the 
 royal couch; but had taken the goblet away to rinse it. 
 
 There was, however, always the ruby cup. 
 
 And with the thought came supreme satisfaction at the idea 
 to which it gave birth; an idea he had failed to grip from Nur- 
 jahan's necessarily halting instructions, but which, he felt sure 
 now, she had intended. Yes, he would give the next dose in 
 the ruby cup, and that would naturally bring about explanations ; 
 at any rate, if the drug worked. 
 
 . So after filling the little cup and placing it ready, he sat down 
 again to watch and wait. 
 
 Supposing the drug had no effect ? Yet that was not likely. 
 For years the Empress had been, as it were, Jahangir's physician 
 in chief. She had great experience. She had brought this drug 
 with her, evidently intending to use it, as she had doubtless used 
 it before. Besides, there was nothing for it but to wait and hope. 
 
 So, in the semi-darkness of the alcove, he sat silent, watching 
 the heavy face that lay so stupidly among the gorgeous cushions. 
 
 And outside in the wide tent, servants laughed in low tones, 
 while the click of dice and the chink of money could be heard
 
 328 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 above the human voices, dominating them with the curious power 
 these two inanimate sounds have ever. 
 
 Time was passing, and Motamid's hopes were waning, when 
 suddenly Jahangir sat up. 
 
 " Slave !" he called in a loud, fairly clear voice. " Wine ! 
 Dost hear ? Wine !" 
 
 In a second the cup-bearer was at his post; but Motamid was 
 before him; the little ruby cup was in the Emperor's hand. 
 Mechanically, as from a habit borne of long usage, he carried it 
 to his mouth and drank the contents. 
 
 But then memory stepped in, and he paused, half raised among 
 the cushions, looking at what he held. 
 
 " How came it here ?" he asked thickly. " Where is the 
 
 Empress ? I I forget " 
 
 Motamid was in the dust at his feet. 
 
 " Sire !" he began, " this slave has a message." Here the 
 eunuchs interposed, but Jahangir with one wave of his despotic 
 hand, one swift frown of anger, stopped their interference. 
 
 " Deliver it," he said dreamily, turning his eyes again to the 
 familiar object. Then he added in a sharper tone: " Why comes 
 she not herself ? Will she not obey ? Hath she also rebelled 
 
 against me ? as they said when they bade me but I forget 
 
 And his voice tailed off again to drowsiness. 
 
 For one instant Motamid thought of repeating exactly what 
 Nurjahan had told him; then he realized that something sharper, 
 more primitive, than sentiment concerning childhood might be 
 needed to pierce that sodden, drugged brain, and with a sudden 
 flash of inspiration he told the truth. 
 
 " Nay, my lord !" he said boldly. " Nurjahan Padshah 
 Begum is as ever faithful to the Emperor. 'Tis the rebels will 
 not let her come. 'Tis Mohabat who hath denied her entrance, 
 even though she bears with her the sign-manual of Jahangir." 
 
 He had hit the mark. In an instant, still befogged though he 
 was, all the former's arrogance, his intolerance of control, had been 
 aroused. He started to his feet, swaying a little it is true, yet 
 with distinct purpose, and stood there, still a fine figure of a man, 
 though bent and broken. 
 " What !" he cried furiously. " Doth Mohabat dare ? Hath
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 329 
 
 he refused ? Before God, am I not the judge ? Shall I not do 
 what seemeth me right ?" Then he turned on the officials of the 
 bodyguard, who, hearing voices, had crowded in. " Is this true, 
 slaves ? Hath Mohabat dared ?" 
 
 He swayed and almost fell; but Motamid, at his right hand, 
 saw with a thrill of hope that he steadied himself with an effort. 
 Ere long that second dose would begin to work he must have 
 as much time as possible. 
 
 " Yea ! Most Mighty," began the secretary with a com- 
 mendable boldness, since if he failed death was his sure portion. 
 " I, Motamid Khan, secretary to the Lord of Light, proclaim it. 
 Lo ! did not the Shadow of God with his own hand write a permit ? 
 and did I not see the fragments of it lying torn on the ground 
 where Mohabat's sacrilegious hand had dared to scatter 
 them ?" 
 
 He had almost gone beyond the mark. Jahangir looked at him 
 sillily. " Thou liest, slave," he said; " he would not dare !" 
 
 " Let the Lord of Light ask him if it be not true," cried Motamid, 
 feeling that every instant of delay was precious. 
 
 " Ay !" replied the Emperor with the sageness of half-sobriety. 
 " There thou speakest sense. Send for Mohabat, slaves ! Bid 
 him to the Presence at once !" 
 
 And with the words, as if they absorbed all his powers mentally 
 and bodily, he sank back among his cushions and so remained, 
 his eyes fixed on the ruby cup, which he still held. 
 
 God send ! prayed Motamid in his heart, it might bring remem- 
 brance; at any rate the pause gave time for the second dose of 
 the drug to work. 
 
 And it did work. When Mohabat Khan after some delay 
 entered the alcove, Jahangir sat up ready with instant, autocratic 
 blame. " Didst dare, slave, to deny entrance to one who carried 
 my permit ?" he asked. " Wherefore ?" 
 
 But Mohabat was ready with his answer. " Because after 
 Majesty had given the permit he had condemned the bearer to 
 deserved death." 
 
 Jahangir, startled, stood for an instant utterly befogged. 
 
 " Condemned to death !" he muttered. " Nay we did talk 
 of it but I " He passed his hand over his brow as if
 
 33 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 
 
 to clear his brain. " I meant not surely I I cannot re- 
 member." 
 
 But Mohabat was inexorable. "The royal seal was affixed; 
 so the one order counteracted the other, and I acted as was fit." 
 
 Something there was in the arrogance of his tone that roused 
 Jahangir's instant resentment. " Who made thee judge, slave ?" 
 he burst out. " Am I not the Shadow of God ? Send for the 
 woman be she what she may forthwith. Dost hear ?" 
 
 Mohabat took a step nearer to the Emperor. " Majesty !" 
 he protested in a low voice, " this is not wise ! Did we not 
 discuss this ? hath it not been settled ? Doth not Majesty desire 
 untrammelled freedom ?" 
 
 " God's curse upon thee, fool !" cried the monarch, his brain 
 rising to the sarcasm. " Then give it me. Lo ! I desire to see 
 this woman to tell her of her faults to upbraid her to say 
 what thou hast said to " his eyes were on the ruby cup again 
 " to explain." Then sheer anger returned. " Send for her, or 
 by my kingship thou diest !" 
 
 And once again he sank back among his cushions, his face work- 
 ing with the mingled passions of regret and resentment; so for a 
 space there was silence in the tent. For even with a criminal 
 condemned to death the Court proprieties must be preserved in 
 the Emperor's presence; and this one was a lady of high rank. 
 Even Motamid had slunk away, and Mohabat's voice came dis- 
 creetly from beyond the curtain, when after five minutes' delay 
 he said: 
 
 " Highness, the woman is here." 
 
 Jahangir rose on the instant. He was now almost sober 
 in truth, the sudden realization of what lay before him was 
 enough to sober any man. What had he done ? Was it true ? 
 He stood drawn up to his full height, kinglike, dignified; but 
 he still held the ruby cup in his right hand, and his eyes were 
 fixed on it. Then he raised them and looked at the white 
 figure that stood quietly among the shadows waiting; so had 
 she stood oh God, how often ! So had she looked 
 
 There was a long, long silence. 
 
 Then one word and one word only broke it. 
 
 " Meru !"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 331 
 
 It was enough. The drugged dream had vanished. Jahangir 
 was once more in the Gold Scattering Garden where Love had 
 flitted from the listless hand of Fate. 
 
 " 'Tis not for the Emperor of all the Indies to ask in vain," 
 said the discomfited Mohabat ten minutes later, " but the lady 
 must promise not to interfere again in the business of the State." 
 
 " Ay, ay," returned the Emperor joyously, " that will she do 
 gladly, her only care being for me and my health. Lo ! friend, 
 I should have died without it." 
 
 And Mohabat, as he went off to discuss the position with his 
 friends, while he admitted the truth of what Jahangir had said, 
 was by no means sure how to regard the fact. The Emperor's 
 speedy death in one way might be a consummation greatly to be 
 desired; but it certainly would have put an end to his, Mohabat's, 
 power; for Shahjahan would tolerate no interference. So 
 perhaps, after all, if only the woman would keep her finger out 
 of the pie of public affairs, the present arrangement might be 
 better.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 My bird is weary with imprisonment, 
 
 My soul is sad with disillusionment. 
 
 Oh, Hafiz ! leave the Wherefore and the How. 
 
 God knows! So drink Thy Wine and be content." 
 
 THE record of the next days could never be adequately written. 
 It is hardly possible even for the imagination to grip the agony 
 they must have brought to one of Nurjahan's nature. The weak- 
 ness of the man who loved her was, it is true, no new knowledge ; 
 none the less, it must have been hard to bear. That he was re- 
 morseful goes without saying; but that, even when bedrugged 
 and befogged, he should have consented to the undoing of the 
 princess to whom he had given his unreserved confidence must 
 have been to him almost pathetically incredible. So it must 
 have bred resentment. Doubtless in those days, with nerves 
 racked by debauchery, maudlin by turns over his wrongs and his 
 self-reproach, Jahangir must have been difficult to guide. But 
 Nurjahan's firm hand never wavered. It is almost appalling to 
 think what it must have meant to her. To begin with she had 
 to resign all outward show of power and take a place simply as 
 the Emperor's favourite Sultana. Yet she did not flinch; she 
 bided her time. 
 
 In all her varied life no greater sign of power shows than this, 
 that the journey to Kabul was resumed as if nothing had occurred 
 to interfere with its smooth, ordinary course. 
 
 And every day must have lessened the strain, as Jahangir 
 regained control over his nerves and his spirits. After a while, 
 indeed, he began to discredit Mohabat's tale of a death warrant 
 altogether. Whether he had signed one or not, however ,|^it 
 was quite clear that he had never meant to carry it into execution. 
 The very thought was preposterous. And with this Nurjahan 
 agreed. She had had no fear, she said; and this indeed was 
 true in a way, for fear seems to have been unknown to her. 
 
 332
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 333 
 
 Besides, as Jahangir, with the easy palliation of his easy nature, 
 would say, no matter what had happened there was no question 
 that life was more pleasant now that both he and she had for- 
 sworn public affairs, and, leaving all to Mohabat, could devote 
 themselves to each other. 
 
 To which Nurjahan, reverting to her role of Nurmahal, the 
 Light of the Home, would smile bewilderingly; but when she was 
 alone her lip would set she was biding her time. 
 
 So the slow months of the Imperial march crept on, and when 
 they ended the peach-trees were abloom round Kabul city, the 
 tulips were ablaze on the green lawns, and in the Shahara gardens 
 the leafless Judas-trees flushed rosy purple to the tiniest twig. 
 
 " Truly, dear heart," said Jahangir almost rapturously, as 
 from his great-grandfather's tomb he looked out over the fair 
 prospect at his feet. " 'Tis not the Pleasant Land, yet do I 
 nowhere feel so virtuous as at Kabul. 'Tis the air, methinks !" 
 
 " Mayhap/' replied Nurjahan absently. She was watching 
 the Gifted Lady playing with her dolls, and there was a troubled 
 look on her beautiful face; but it seemed younger than ever, 
 for the last few months of comparative rest had been physically 
 good for her. 
 
 " Nay !" put in a thin old voice, " 'tis heredity. 'Tis not 
 possible to escape it. What doth Firdus say ?" And the speaker, 
 with much show of elocution, recited the well-known lines : 
 
 " A tree that is bitter by nature, 
 If planted on Paradise soil, 
 Will never, I swear, compensate your 
 Long labour, your care and your toil. 
 If you pour on its rootlets pure honey 
 And give it the Water of Life, 
 It's fruit at the best will be funny, 
 And not worth the cut of a knife !" 
 
 And old Khanzada Racquiya Begum lay back in her little carry- 
 ing chair somewhat breathless. She was inconceivably old for 
 an Indian woman, but she had begged so hard to be allowed 
 another sight of her ancestors' graves that Jahangir had consented 
 to bring her along with the camp; and she was wonderfully spry, 
 wonderfully alive for her years. 
 
 Jahangir laughed. " 'Tis not complimentary, ainma-jan," he 
 said cheerfully.
 
 334 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " And 'tis not even true/' interposed Nurjahan, her eyes still 
 upon the little girl and her dolls. It was a pretty picture, for 
 the child was beautiful as an angel; yet when her grandmother 
 called to ask her if she were content, the face which looked up 
 from the play was sweet, placid beyond compare, but it lacked 
 much expression. 
 
 " Yea," replied the little lass. " I play with my dolls. Goolu 
 is getting married." 
 
 " Why dost not play with thy cousins yonder ?" continued 
 Nurjahan, pointing to two boys, the youngest about nine, who 
 were amusing themselves with a ball a little way off. They were 
 Shahjahan's sons, who had been sent as sureties for their father's 
 good behaviour, and who were treated by the kindly Emperor 
 as his own children. The elder, Dara Shukoh, was a fine, tall 
 lad, the younger, Aurungzebe, small, somewhat wizen, with a 
 sharp cunning face. 
 
 The Gifted Lady gave them a glance, then drew her tiny veil 
 together with great decorum. " I do not play with boys," she 
 said demurely. " I am a girl, and girls are different." 
 
 " Shahbash, little one !" applauded Jahangir. " Ay, that 
 they are; and 'tis best that they remain so;" he looked over 
 almost pathetically at the woman who had done a man's work 
 for so many years. " Dost not think, dearest, that we have 
 been happy these last six months ?" 
 
 " Yea, happy indeed," she answered; and in a way it was true. 
 What need to tell him that almost her every thought was coloured 
 by an insistent design to oust the traitor Mohabat from his 
 sovereign's regard and the self-chosen position of Prime Minister, 
 and resume it herself ? " Ay, happy indeed. And would all 
 Majesty's subjects were as content ! But I hear much complaint 
 
 of the Vizier's harshness " She said these things constantly 
 
 of aforethought. 
 
 " 'Tis necessary at times," replied Jahangir gravely. " Yet 
 will I warn him on your words to be as lenient as he can. 
 Lo ! I tell him all that I hear, to show my confidence." 
 
 And Nurjahan's averted face showed a slow smile. This was 
 what she wanted. Such confidence must needs put a man off his 
 guard.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 335 
 
 Old Racquiya, who was seated with her almost bald head bare 
 to the soft wind for they were a family party, even the servants 
 withdrawn to a respectful distance seemed to have got no further 
 in comprehension than her stepson's profession of happiness. 
 
 " Yea, yea !" she assented. " It hath been happy. Hath it 
 not brought to Majesty the best gift this world can give the 
 repentance of an erring son ? Yea, yea ! How my old heart 
 rejoiced when I heard Shahjahan, on the instant of hearing of 
 Mohabat's rebellion, set out to rescue the Emperor !" 
 
 Jahangir looked doubtful. " Wouldst call it a rebellion, 
 mother ?" he began, and Nurjahan hastened with diplomacy. 
 
 " Yea, Shahjahan hath redeemed much; and his boys are good 
 lads." 
 
 But Racquiya, old as she was, was still remarkable for decisive 
 opinions. 
 
 " I offer excuse," she said with a sniff, " but in my poor opinion 
 the elder is a fool, the younger a knave. Mark my words, he will 
 make an evil name for himself. He hath Chagatai blood in 
 him, doubtless, but 'tis over-watered but there ! with due 
 deference I am but old." 
 
 And there were ready tears in the old eyes. 
 
 " We all be old here, we three, kind one," said Nurjahan 
 gently, laying her hand as gently on the wrinkled one, so thin, so 
 worn with long life. 
 
 " Old ?" echoed the older woman tartly. " Lo ! thou art but 
 seven and fifty, and I close on my nineties. Out on thee ! And 
 never a grey strand in thy beautiful hair !" 
 
 " Old ?" echoed the Emperor almost wonderingly. " Yea, 
 I am old, as the mother sayeth. Ay, and ailing too but thou ?" 
 He paused as if faced by fact, then shook his head. " To me, 
 dearest, thou never canst be old, Light of my Life." 
 
 And his hand found hers. 
 
 Little Gifted Lady, the doll bride on her arm, came up and 
 looked at them with her solemn dark eyes. 
 
 " Lo ! I will play handy-pandy too," she said gravely. So 
 there under the Judas-trees, beside the grave of Babar the man 
 with the joyous child-heart whose brief epitaph records that 
 Heaven is his eternal home these four the childless old woman,
 
 336 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the passionate man-lover, the woman who knew not what love 
 meant, and the little child whose baby thoughts were with 
 marriage, played the game which children love all over the 
 world; and laughter, soft and gay, rose up among the flush of 
 flowers. 
 
 Truly, as the Emperor said, they were very happy. 
 
 But Nurjahan was simply biding her time to strike a blow for 
 her former position. 
 
 Up till now, the presence of the army of Rajputs had made all 
 attempts to oust Mohabat impossible; besides, the Emperor, too 
 lazy to take trouble himself, and curiously unwilling to revert 
 to the old arrangement, found the clever, arrogant, intolerant 
 man a great stand-by. Of late, however, the unbridled licentious- 
 ness of these same soldiers had brought about a fierce fight with 
 the hot-headed Afghans, which resulted in the force being almost 
 decimated; for the Kabuli tolerates no meddling with his women. 
 Following on this had come desertions from an army and a country 
 in which the mercenary's recognized amusements were disallowed ; 
 the result being that Mohabat's bodyguard was reduced to half 
 its original number. Yet still he kept his hold on the Amirs 
 and the nobles, while the Court, almost to a man, was in favour of 
 anyone who would keep it from falling again under a woman's 
 rule. 
 
 Beneath the mask of peace and happiness, however, Nurjahan 
 was at work. 
 
 Those long years of power had left their inevitable mark upon 
 her; and then she was passionately resentful at the effect which 
 even those few days of organized excess had had upon the man 
 whose health had been her chief care. Do what she would, the 
 evil asserted and reasserted itself in ever renewed attacks of his 
 old enemy. She could not blind herself to the fact that in all 
 probability those few days had taken years from his life. 
 
 And his unchanging love had made him very dear to her. 
 She would sit and look at him sometimes, when, at his best, he 
 was playing with the child, or instructing Shahjahan's boys in the 
 art of venery, and wonder why she did not love him as a woman 
 loves a man. But she did not. She never attempted to disguise 
 the fact from herself; she accepted it.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 337 
 
 In a way it put a keener edge to her resentment against the 
 man who had done him an injury. She knew that she did not 
 give Jahangir all he ought to have, and this made her the less 
 tolerant of the loss others might inflict upon him. 
 
 And all the time the knowledge that she, a woman, was alone 
 against all these men spurred her to an almost savage resistance. 
 
 She had so few friends whom she could trust. Asof her brother 
 had been made, and was still held, a prisoner by Mohabat ; e vea 
 so, was he to be trusted ? She was not sure. Fedai Khan had 
 never returned to Court after his ineffectual attempt at rescue; 
 perhaps as well, for the Emperor still spoke with resentment of 
 the arrows that had fallen upon' his couch ! Motamid the 
 secretary, who had done so much to save her life, was less ready 
 to aid any return to power. 
 
 But one of the royal eunuchs, by name Hoshyar Khan, was a 
 distant kinsman of Fedai's, and had in addition a cause of quarrel 
 with Mohabat. That was the worst of it ! Without some 
 personal axe to grind, no one's service was secure. 
 
 Still, quite undaunted, she laid her plans carefully; the first 
 thing to be done being to secure at least an equal force on her 
 side. Mohabat had mercenaries ; why not she ? Her revenues 
 were large; and stretching away through the Salt Range on the 
 edge of which the fortress of Rhotas stood, to the very foot of the 
 Kabul hills, lay the Ghakker country. Now the Ghakkers were 
 a wild predatory tribe which had never been reduced to real 
 obedience. The fine old fort supposed to be impregnable 
 had been built to keep them in order and between bounds. 
 
 Here, then, lay her chance. As the inheritress of her father's 
 fief she had a right to a contingent at the periodical reviews; 
 but she took care to have this as meagre as possible. 
 
 " Thou shouldst bid thy agent enlist more, dearest," quoth the 
 Emperor, " if it hurts thy pride so to see thy contingent reduced. 
 Yet of what good is it to thee, being woman ? Lo ! cannot the 
 Shadow of God shelter thee sufficiently ? 
 
 " Ay !" she would reply with a smile. " 'Tis enough for 
 myself truly; but there be others in the world. And I have issued 
 orders to enlist; for see you, my lord, Mohabat is of use, doubtless, 
 but he brooks no interference. Did he not check my lord's going
 
 338 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 forth without a Rajput guard even on a shooting expedition ? 
 'Tis beyond the province of a Vizier whatever. In my father's 
 time ay, and in mine, as the Emperor knows his freedom 
 was secure." 
 
 So with deft hints and every means at her disposal, she strove 
 to influence Jahangir. 
 
 And every now and again a secret messenger, disguised, would 
 come in from Rhotas ways, and her eyes would glisten at the 
 thought that, mayhap, it might not be long now ere Mohabat's 
 power was broken. 
 
 They started back to Lahore from Kabul early in the season, 
 and chose the lower route for their return. Among the low hills 
 the coolth lingered, and there was better sport for the Emperor, 
 who renewed all his youthful keenness in the due instruction of 
 his grandsons. 
 
 " Dara Shukoh is the bolder," he would say, " but little 
 Aurungzebe hath the better eye. He can follow a spoor like a 
 trained huntsman." 
 
 " Or a jackal !" quoth Racquiya Begum, who never missed an 
 opportunity of giving her opinion of the boy. The journey 
 homewards was sadly trying the old lady, and Nurjahan felt that 
 ere long one of her earliest friends would be no more seen. Then 
 of all the kindly folk she had known, only the Emperor would be 
 left. And Asof, her brother ! Yes, if she succeeded in her em- 
 prise, Asof must come back. He was no worse than the others, 
 and the Emperor liked him. Had the latter not said over and 
 over again that he regretted separation from him, since, he was 
 distinguished above all other servants for ability, good dis- 
 position and tact, very unequalled in all kinds of propriety, so 
 that his society was pleasurable to a degree ? 
 
 So Asof must return as titular Vizier, at any rate. 
 
 This and many another detail was settled as the Imperial 
 camp wound its long length through the sharp defiles of the Salt 
 Range. A strange country this, with its rugged, treeless peaks, 
 its narrow valleys so bare in the rainless season, so lush with 
 grazing grass when the torrent beds run swift with brackish 
 water. But there was plenty of game, and in the still noons 
 the sunlight baked into the rocks and made them show opalescent 
 against the sky.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 339 
 
 It was just as they were debouching into the more level ground 
 out of which the Rhotas foot rises, as rises the Rock of Gibraltar, 
 that a halt was called to enable the Emperor to have a review 
 of his troops, ere they began the march through the open plain 
 that showed like a blue mist beyond the curving stream of the 
 Jhelum river. 
 
 That night the news ran round the camp that the Begum's 
 new-raised cavalry were to take part in the morrow's demon- 
 stration. 
 
 How many were there ? Where had they been raised ? 
 
 Some few in Kabul; that folk knew. Some few more, en route ; 
 but that was not enough to warrant Mohabat Khan's restlessness. 
 
 What was up ? 
 
 None knew; though one coming from the plain to the left of 
 Rhotas had tales to tell of a great company of wild-looking 
 horsemen awaiting orders. 
 
 But Fedai Khan, when he rode over to pay his humble duty 
 to the Emperor, said not one word about them. He was fairly 
 well received, for he brought news of a great herd of antelope 
 that had been driven into a neighbouring defile for Jahangir's 
 special delectation. 
 
 " Lo ! I will go after them to-morrow, when the review is over," 
 said the Emperor in high delight. 
 
 Whereupon Fedai Khan remarked that there would be small 
 chance of sport if the Lord of Light had to take his usual Rajput 
 guard, to which Jahangir had replied in an ill humour that, 
 Mohabat or no Mohabat, he would do as he liked. 
 
 And that evening he sent word to his Prime Minister that since 
 the Begum was going to exhibit her new-raised cavalry it would 
 be well if he, Mohabat, kept his Rajputs out of the way, to avoid 
 the possibility of a quarrel. 
 
 Mohabat, doubtless, being of a cunning that would instruct 
 the devil, smelt a rat; but he was powerless to avert the crisis, 
 so, being a wise man, he kept his breath to cool his own porridge, 
 and withdrew his guards. 
 
 Needlessly, it appeared at first; for when the dawn broke and 
 the contingents stood ready for review, only Nurjahan's poor 
 muster showed amongst the others.
 
 340 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 " Where be thy new troops, dearest ?" asked the Emperor 
 half playfully of his consort, who ever sat with him in the howdah 
 of the royal elephant. It was Gajraj, recovered of his wounds. 
 
 " They are here, my lord !" replied Nurjahan meekly. " Give 
 the word for advance, Gajraj !" she added, and the wise beast, 
 lifting its trunk there were two long scars on it bellowed 
 forth his mightiest trumpet. 
 
 So from every ravine, every sparse bit of cover on every road 
 and path, came an answering fanfare of wild horn and drums and 
 conches, as over two thousand wild horsemen swept into view, 
 their lean little ponies, unused to such slow work, prancing and 
 neighing and fidgeting, until, with a sudden hoarse word of com- 
 mand, the leader of the first company relieved them from discipline, 
 and like a tornado one furious gust of lances and legs and tails, 
 dominated by stern set faces, from which the long black curls 
 swept backwards like a mane they forged up to the royal 
 elephant, then paused, irregular, yet like a rock. 
 
 It was enough. 
 
 Ere the last company had formed up, Mohabat was to horse 
 and away. 
 
 That evening there were two camps once more on the banks 
 of the Jhelum river; but this time the northern had the whip 
 hand of the southern, and where Jahangir had lost his liberty 
 he found his freedom. 
 
 And Nurjahan was once more mistress of all India; but ere she 
 slept, with the almost terrible foresight she always possessed, 
 she sent off two messengers one to Mohabat, treating him as a 
 mere Generalissimo, giving him orders to at once deliver up 
 Asof Khan on pain of having sufficient force sent against him 
 to compel compliance; after which he was to proceed against 
 Shahjahan in Scende; the other to Shahjahan himself, bidding him 
 beware of Mohabat, and advising his retreat to the Deccan, 
 there to defend himself with better chance of success. 
 
 After which it is to be hoped she slept. She had at any rate 
 by sheer force of purpose gained her object, and all the men in 
 India had passed under a woman's rule.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 " Swift Death found Love a-cold, and gave her place 
 Within his Shroud, then hurried on apace 
 To Harvest. ' Oh, dread Death !' his victims cried. 
 ' Nay, I am Love,' he said, and showed her face." 
 
 ONCE more it was the Pleasant Land, and yet, as Nurjahan sat 
 beside the Emperor's couch in the Garden of the Breezes down by 
 the Dhal lake she felt that its pleasure was, so far as she was 
 concerned, a thing of the past; for every day, every hour, every 
 minute was consumed by anxiety. A single look at Jahangir 
 was sufficient to tell that he was ill indeed. He had never really 
 recovered the shock of his kidnapping or the organized debauch 
 which followed on it. 
 
 And yet his face, thin and hollow-cheeked, looked less heavy 
 than in the years gone by, and his kindly smile when he met her 
 eyes seemed more radiant than ever. 
 
 Still, the last year had brought him many sorrows. As Nur- 
 jahan had anticipated, old Khanzada Racquiya Begum had gone 
 to her rest, and by her own desire had been carried back to 
 Kabul, there to lie beside her father's people. But who would 
 have predicted the death of Prince Parviz, strong, hale, hearty ? 
 Yet he had died of a seizure brought on by excessive drinking. 
 So would Jahangir have died, doubtless, years before, but for 
 a woman's care. Then Shahjahan, joined by the time-serving 
 Mohabat, had showed renewed signs of independence. Finally, 
 Shahriyar, the Emperor's sole remaining son, had not been 
 satisfactory. He spent his time dissolutely amongst low company, 
 and was beginning to suffer from the consequences ; to what extent 
 Nurjahan kept from the Emperor, as she strove to keep all 
 disagreeables. 
 
 Thus, as she sat in that loveliest of all gardens, on the low 
 marble dais that juts into the pellucid water, she smiled back at 
 the Emperor's smiles, and applauded his versifications to the
 
 342 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 echo; for now that he was for the most part confined to his couch, 
 his favourite amusement was stringing words together; and he 
 was becoming curiously sensitive to praise or blame, as he was to 
 his own bodily pain. 
 
 " Lo !" he said with his halting breath, which made his lines 
 run rough, " these are the best I ever wrote, methinks." And 
 he began: 
 
 " The zephyr sheds a perfume from her skirts, 
 For she hath kissed the roses, and the pool 
 Roughens in smiling ripples as with curt 
 1 Good-morrow, friend !' she hastens past to cool 
 The forehead of the lover of good wine 
 And sharpen his desire. Oh, Rose divine, 
 When I, sad singer, be beneath the earth, 
 Yon musky bud will bring thee a new birth. 
 So, Hafiz, be of joyous heart ; sure, God 
 Sends Spring, although thou liest beneath the sod." 
 
 The words, the laboured breathing, the thin fluttering hands 
 that strove to give appropriate action, sent sudden tears to the 
 woman's eyes. Yea, it was true ere long it must be true. 
 And then ? 
 
 She would not, she could not think. But one thing seemed 
 certain. The child on whose future she had built her own would 
 never fill the place to gain which her grandmother was prepared 
 to fight to the end. 
 
 Tall for her age, with every promise of surpassing beauty, 
 little Gifted Lady, now in her fifth year, showed no promise of 
 intellect beyond that of the ordinary girl-child of her years; 
 perhaps less. 
 
 All this flashed through Nurjahan's brain, but she set it aside 
 and turned a smiling face to the poet. 
 
 " Yea," she said, " that is better than most yet why speak of 
 sods save as a rhyme to gods !" she added with a laugh. " Thou 
 art better, dearest, far better than thou wast; and we will return 
 sooner this year, since the cold here may be detrimental to thy 
 cough." 
 
 So, clapping her hands, she ordered the servants to bring him 
 instantly the violet sherbet and the candied rose-leaves which he 
 loved so well; for he had become very dainty in his food, and 
 scrupulous as any high-caste Hindu as to things clean and un-
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 343 
 
 clean. Briefly, he had outlived the coarseness of life, and in- 
 validism had robbed him of his virility. None the less was he 
 the more lovable to a woman of Nurjahan's type, and she came 
 nearer to passion during those months in which slowly, almost 
 idly, they wandered luxuriously about the low levels of Kashmir 
 than she had ever done before. They did not attempt the hills 
 as formerly, but Islamabad saw them when the pilgrims to 
 Amarnath were passing through that quaint congeries of wooden 
 temples and tanks, crowding fishes and crowding men, women, 
 and children. 
 
 It was the sight of the mounds of hungry fish-mouths that 
 rose out of the sacred water in pursuit of the veriest crumb that 
 started the idea of a fishing excursion round the great sources of 
 the river; the three springs which at the eastern end of the 
 valley gush out from the living rock. 
 
 Asof Khan, who had done his work well and more than his 
 work, since secret messengers had been going backwards and 
 forwards between his office and the Deccan would have had 
 Jahangir save himself the trouble of marching, and set to work to 
 catch some of the mounds of sacred fish where they were; for he 
 was a bigoted Mahomedan, to whom Hindu superstition was rank 
 abomination. But Jahangir with much pomp admonished his 
 Vizier on the duties of those who governed mixed races, mixed 
 religions, and quoted at him a quatrain of which he was very 
 
 proud: 
 
 " For the care of all subjects I keep 
 Mine eyes unacquainted with sleep ; 
 For the care of the bodies of these 
 My own trouble and pain are as ease." 
 
 It was at Islamabad that the most crushing blow to her ambitions 
 fell upon Nurjahan. Shahriyar, without doubt, had been for 
 some time past her nominee for the throne in the future. Even 
 the conviction that his little daughter would never, and could 
 never, rise to the level of the dream-child she had been when she 
 was born, had not altered the Empress's plan of continuing to 
 rule through Shahriyar as figurehead. Even the connection 
 
 of his unworthiness had not altered it. Up to a certain point 
 
 But now something happened which turned her tolerance to 
 loathing. Shahriyar, as the result of his evil life, was stricken
 
 344 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 with a sort of leprosy, and was advised by his physicians to 
 return without delay to Lahore, there to be efficiently treated. 
 
 " Miserable !" she said, facing the young man with scorn in 
 voice and face, heart and mind. " Was not a throne sufficient 
 bribe to make thee decent ? Was not kingship enough to keep 
 thee from the gutters ? Now in the time when God's Providence 
 may call thee to play thy part, thou wilt be absent ! But go, 
 and go quickly ! Yet not one word of this to the Emperor. 
 His dying ears shall not listen to thy shame, his dying days 
 shall not be clouded by yet another unworthy son !" 
 
 She spoke bravely, but after he had slunk away, eager to seek 
 relief as soon as possible, she sought solitude, flung herself on her 
 couch, and cried as she had never cried before. 
 
 The meanness of it, the petty, miserable meanness of the man 
 of so many men seared her soul as with a red-hot iron. Was 
 life, which held such horrors, worth the trouble she gave to it ? 
 And in one illuminating flash she saw herself as she had been 
 from the beginning always at work, never giving mind or body 
 an instant's rest; ever, rightly or wrongly, striving to impress 
 something that she saw, and others did not seem to see, upon her 
 world. 
 
 No, it was not worth it. A great distaste to effort forced 
 itself upon her. 
 
 Then came remembrance that in speaking to Shahriyar she 
 had for the first time confessed, even to herself, that the Emperor 
 was dying. She sat up in her favourite attitude, and for the 
 first time also gripped what that confession meant; and a great 
 pity, a great protecting love, welled up in her heart for the stricken 
 man. 
 
 These last few days or weeks should give him all he had ever 
 asked of her. So she rose, sent for her dressers, robed herself 
 with unaccustomed care, and went over to where the Emperor 
 was amusing himself mightily with examining a manawal pheasant 
 which had just been brought to him from the snows. 
 
 " Look, dearest," he said. " Saw you ever such colours on 
 the breast. Lo ! when I was a lad I mind me trying to extract 
 copper from a peacock's tail because folk said it was an antidote 
 to poison ! But there is copper here and to spare ! And see you
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 345 
 
 the real pheasant's ear coverts, but the hinder parts as a bustard. 
 Truly a goodly bird, and it weighs heavy for its size. Yet is it 
 not good eating, so they say, seeing that for the most part it 
 lives on the juniper-berries. But the plumage is extraordinarily 
 beautiful. God knows why 'twas made so, seeing that it liveth 
 alone in the snows." 
 
 " It hath its mate," smiled Nurjahan, and Jahangir laughed. 
 
 " Yea, but she is a sober bird, they say. "Tis the other way 
 with us menfolk," he said; " and of a surety, dearest, thou dost 
 prove it in that dress ! Never didst thou look more beautiful." 
 And his eyes had all the ardour of a young lover in them. Even 
 the little Gifted Lady, a doll in each arm, came to stare admiringly 
 at her beautiful grandmother with big, solemn, childish eyes. 
 
 " When the wedding- trays come I shall have many such 
 dresses," she said confidently, and Jahangir, delighted, caught 
 her up and kissed her. 
 
 " So thou shalt, apple of mine eye," he protested. " Yea, 
 yea, ' the peacock's tail will hide its head,' for, see you, thou wilt 
 never be her equal never never !" 
 
 Nurjahan gave a little shiver; that was true, deadly true. 
 
 But after that began the leisurely marching of a mile or two 
 a day for Jahangir felt even the rhythmed motion of a palanquin 
 almost too much for him from one beautiful camping-ground 
 to another still more beautiful; and ever and always it was to 
 the woman a march of death, since she knew that never again 
 would they pass that way hand in hand. 
 
 So their steps lingered. Those who have imagination can 
 march with them, even in these later days, from Machibawan to 
 Archibul, from Archibul to Vernag. After which, seriously, 
 they set their faces to leave the Pleasant Land. Day by day, 
 bit by bit, mounting higher and higher up. the winding path till 
 they paused to take breath below the pass proper. 
 
 Oh, strange, sad marching ! One can still see the little caval- 
 cade toiling up and up. The Emperor of all the Indies, fighting 
 full oft for sheer breath, at other times beguiled, comforted, 
 sustained, by the woman who was never far from his side. Love 
 and Death hand in hand ! 
 
 Their shadows fall still on the wealth of flowers that, at all 
 seasons, blossom on the uplands.
 
 346 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 But the pass and the march below and beyond must be crossed 
 in hot haste, for these high altitudes are cold, and the travellers 
 are fleeing to the plains in a last desperate hope that a warmer 
 climate may bring relief. 
 
 It was almost starlight when they started on the long pass 
 march. No time, now, to rest and say farewell to the rich levels 
 below them. It was a race for life through the sharp cliffs and 
 peaks where the snow already lay thick, and along the wild 
 stretches of bents that seemed interminable. Nurjahan, with a 
 wisdom beyond her generation, had given Jahangir an extra 
 dose of opium, and he slept, happed up in furs. 
 
 And she ? 
 
 Most wives, most mothers, can tell what her feelings must have 
 been as, sometimes walking, sometimes riding, she kept up with 
 her charge, but as the rest of the world can never even grip at 
 the truth, words are useless. 
 
 So, hurrying along, with relays of fresh bearers every mile or 
 so, they reached their destination in safety. It was, perhaps, the 
 most beautiful spot in all the Pirpanjal route. A valley nestling 
 at the foot of the steep descent; a valley of green swards and 
 mighty chestnut-trees that crept also amongst the sober pines 
 up the surrounding hills. And the chestnuts were changing to 
 scarlet and gold, and the great Himalaya lilies reared their heads 
 from the green and gold ferns. Here, sheltered from all the winds 
 that blow, in a warm moist atmosphere, the Emperor's asthma 
 took a sudden turn for the better. The place had always had 
 charms for him, since nowhere was better sport to be had, and he 
 once more decided to stop for a few days and enjoy such hunting 
 as he could compass. 
 
 i This was not much, as stalking was beyond him; but Nurjahan, 
 as ever, was to the fore in procuring him amusement. So at the 
 foot of a mountain, where two small valleys debouched, a butt 
 was hastily built wherein Jahangir could sit and shoot at the 
 driven deer and wild goats as they came past. 
 
 The Emperor, in the seventh heaven at being once more able 
 to use his matchlock, was merry as a cricket, and all went well. 
 But as the light was failing one of the beaters on the steep cliff 
 above the butt let the animal he was striving to drive downwards
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 347 
 
 escape him upwards, and drew down on himself angry shours 
 from below. He turned rapidly to retrieve his mistake, his 
 foot slipped, and with one yell of despair he fell, his body bound- 
 ing from rock to rock till he lay a mangled corpse almost at the 
 Emperor's feet. It was the work of a few seconds. Almost 
 before the echo of his yell had ceased reverberating among the 
 rocks, he was dead. 
 
 The Emperor, starting up, covered his face with his hands, 
 and stood trembling in every limb. 
 
 " "Tis my fault !" he gasped. " I killed him ! What right 
 had I to kill God's creatures ? What right ? What right ? 
 Lo ! I am punished ! His blood is on my head !" 
 
 And the man who but a few years before had recklessly ordered 
 two innocent men to be executed because all unwittingly they 
 had disturbed his aim at a nilghai, would not, could not be 
 comforted. Even the Princess to whom he had given his un- 
 reserved confidence was powerless before his self-reproach. 
 Why had he ever broken the vow he had made when little Prince 
 Bravery was ill, never again to injure any of God's creatures ? 
 Because he was angered with his son a son who after all had 
 repented him of the evil. 
 
 Ah ! rightly was he punished ! All hastily he sent for the young 
 man's mother; and her story of how the dead son had been her 
 only means of support but increased the Emperor's agitation. 
 He could give money ay, he could give money and to spare; 
 but who could give back the love, the affection ? And it was his 
 fault ! his fault ! his fault ! 
 
 Then the physical distaste at the sight of such a tragedy rose 
 strong. 
 
 " I see it still wherever I look I see it still," he cried. " Let 
 us go on; let us no longer stop in this hateful place where I have 
 called Death to me !" 
 
 And she, looking at his pallid breathlessness, the pained 
 frown upon his forehead, acquiesced. Change of scene would 
 doubtless weaken the impression. It must be tried, at any rate, 
 and that without delay. 
 
 It was a cloudless day when at three in the afternoon they 
 started for Rajaur, two marches away, for the intervening one
 
 348 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 was but a comfortless place. At Rajaur, however, the Emperor 
 could rest awhile. 
 
 Ay, he might rest indeed ! 
 
 Nurjahan's eyes did not fill with tears, her lip did not tremble 
 at the thought. All of her, body and soul, was at the man's 
 service; she had no time to think of grief. So they went swiftly 
 on to rest. 
 
 It was nigh sunset when they paused for a moment. The 
 Emperor had asked for some wine, and Nurjahan was ready as 
 ever with the ruby cup. 
 
 He put it to his lips, then held it out to her. " I cannot 
 drink," he whispered. " Drink thou for me !" 
 
 They had set down the palanquin on a tiny patch of greensward 
 beside a trickling stream almost hidden by the dense growth 
 of maidenhair fern. Around, in changing colour, were the autumn 
 woods, and high up in the sky so high that it seemed inconceiv- 
 able, incredible, it should belong to earth and not to heaven 
 showed one snow-clad peak. 
 
 Nurjahan knelt down beside the dying man and kissed him on 
 the lips. 
 
 " I drink for both," she whispered back; so, draining the cup, 
 she hid it in her bosom. Its work was done. Then, rising, she 
 bid the bearers make haste with their burden. 
 
 So they started once more, and the fallen leaves about their 
 feet rustled a soft refrain to the musical cadence of their half- 
 sobbing chorus of muffled voices. 
 
 It was dark ere they reached Rajaur, and the Emperor was 
 unconscious. They laid him in the arched verandah of the fort 
 which 1 "! overhung the rushing river, and it sang a whispered 
 lullaby to him, hiding the faint sobbing of his breath. 
 
 " Let him be," said Nurjahan sternly. " Let him have peace 
 at the]i last !" 
 
 Outside and within men were passing to and fro, talking; 
 planning and preparing; but there, in the moonlight, was silence. 
 
 Would he speak again ? Would he recognize her at the last ? 
 
 Mayhap. She must be patient and wait. 
 
 So when the sun had risen to show the exquisite beauty of the 
 view the rushing river, the clustered town, the terraced fields
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 349 
 
 rising tier upon tier, and behind them the everlasting snows 
 he stirred. And the woman bent anxiously over him. Then 
 his eyes opened; but he looked away from her, as a smile showed 
 faintly on his face. 
 
 " Meru !" he whispered, and held both hands out to the empty 
 air. 
 
 And as Nurjahan rose from her ended vigil she felt that he had 
 indeed passed her by. All her long years of life and effort were 
 as naught. It was " Meru/' the child he had played with; the 
 girl he had loved in the garden to whom he gave his last, his 
 best. 
 
 As she stepped out of the verandah to make room for those 
 who were to perform the last offices to the dead, Asof Khan 
 stopped her. 
 
 " It will be better," he said deferentially, yet still authorita- 
 tively, " if Majesty will come to the apartment prepared for her.'* 
 
 She gave him one look, a look that seemed to shrivel him, body 
 and soul. 
 
 "Traitor!" she said; and followed where he led without 
 another word.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 " Count in thy Life Love's kisses; count the prize 
 Of Friendship and of Trust that never dies ; 
 But count no wrong, no Enemy, no Lie. 
 They shall be counted at the Great Assize." 
 
 " THE woman keeps quiet as the grave," quoth a high functionary 
 doubtfully. " God send she be not plotting against us. Lo ! 
 it were well, methinks, to put her out of harm's way." 
 
 Asof Khan squirmed. " Nay, Khan-;Y," he replied hastily. 
 " Men ay, and women too must be judged by actions; and she 
 hath scarce opened her mouth since Jahangir may the mercy 
 of God receive him ! set out on the path of annihilation; save, 
 indeed, to send me word that his wish and hers was that the corpse 
 should find a resting-place in the garden thou mindest it on 
 this side the Ravi. Dost remember ? The Emperor desired it, 
 bought it of the Herati pigeon-fancier Mumin, and gave it to 
 to my sister. 'Tis a rare garden, and hath lofty plane-trees 
 and handsome cypresses ! 'Twill do well for a tomb therefore 
 I gave consent." 
 
 The high official sniffed; he liked not Asof's assumption of 
 command. " Authority lies with Majesty," he said, " and 
 Majesty lies with the eldest son of the eldest son Dawar Baksh." 
 
 He scanned his hearer's face narrowly; but everyone in the 
 wide camp that still halted at Rajaur looked at his neighbour 
 askance. What was to be the upshot of Jahangir's death ? 
 Would the two brothers fight for the throne Shahriyar gaining 
 slight advantage by being closer to the spot than Shahjahan or 
 would the Legitimist party win it for the heir-at-law ? All day 
 and all night plots and counterplots were being hatched, and men 
 were counting how long it would take the news to reach the 
 Deccan, how long it would take Shahjahan to return and claim 
 the Empire. 
 
 Asof Khan and his party admitted mournfully that four 
 
 35
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 351 
 
 months would scarce be sufficient; though all the while they knew 
 that almost ere the late Emperor had breathed his last the 
 swiftest messenger in India an almost incredibly swift messenger 
 had started southwards with the news, and that his journey 
 would be a record one, even for him. 
 
 Meanwhile, to keep finalities in abeyance, it was at last decided 
 by all parties that Dawar Baksh, dead Khushrau's son, should 
 be proclaimed heir to Empire. It satisfied all factions the 
 Legitimists because it was the proper conventional course; 
 Shahriyar's faction and the Shahjahan faction because it gave 
 time for their nominees to put in an appearance. 
 
 And it hurt no one, save poor Dawar Baksh himself, who, after 
 vainly seeking to be excused the dangerous honour, gave in 
 to it. 
 
 Hitherto he had been more or less under surveillance, despite 
 the fact that he was really a quite negligible, if well-meaning, 
 nonentity. 
 
 This point settled, the camp moved Lahore-wards, carrying 
 with it Nurjahan, to all intents and purposes, a prisoner. 
 
 But a silent one, greatly to the astonishment of her surround- 
 ings, more especially of her brother, who, despite his disloyalty 
 to her ambitions, had a great affection and admiration for his 
 sister. 
 
 And her resolute refusal to see him made him feel guilty; 
 hence he had fallen in at once with her views as to the burial-place 
 of the late Emperor which she sent him in writing. The prepara- 
 tions necessary for the journey did not take long, the prayers, 
 the wailing, were soon over, but until she had watched the little 
 cavalcade which escorted the embalmed body disappear round the 
 last visible curve of the downward road, Nurjahan gave herself 
 no time to think. 
 
 Yet all the while realities were coming home to her. Most of 
 all the certainty that it was not she, as she knew herself not the 
 compound of Mihr-un-nissa, Nurmahal, Nurjahan, that ardent, 
 yet in a way cold, vital, capable personality that Jahangir 
 had loved; it was Meru, the child he had played with, the girl 
 he had seen in the garden. 
 
 And her dulled eyes would follow the little Gifted Lady as she
 
 352 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 played with her dolls, realizing that she also was capable of play- 
 ing that part in a man's life. Why, then, should she poor child ! 
 be asked to undertake a harder role ? She should not ! She 
 should be married when the time came to some worthy bride- 
 groom. Fedai Khan's son was a suitable age. 
 
 She caught up her vagrant thoughts then to ask herself why 
 she had undertaken this harder role ? She scarcely knew; 
 but it had been played, and played well. Yet she would play 
 it no more. Ever since that flood of womanly tears which had 
 followed on Shahriyar's miserable meanness, she had known 
 that it would come to this. It ;was not as if she had been beaten, 
 as if she had been worsted in the fight. She had gained her 
 point; she had set herself a definite aim, and she had accom- 
 plished it. 
 
 Now yes, now ! she would revert to being the Meru men had 
 loved. 
 
 So, day by day, she journeyed in silence, making no comment 
 on the gossip of the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting who still 
 surrounded her. None the less she was laying her plans, and one 
 of them she carried into execution a few days ere they reached 
 Lahore; for Dawar Baksh had been a favourite with Jahangir, 
 who had ever liked all simple-minded folk. 
 
 So one evening she sent a formal request to be allowed an 
 interview with the Emperor of all the Indies, to which the young 
 man, who was beginning to believe in his own good fortune, 
 and take himself seriously, responded by appearing before her 
 in person, very full of his power to open prison doors if suitable 
 security were given against any future meddling with the affairs 
 of State. 
 
 To which Nurjahan, dressed in her white widow's robes, had 
 responded that she had no desire for freedom, but wished to speak 
 to her late husband's grandson privately, as she had something 
 to say which it would be to his advantage to hear. 
 
 Possibly to his advantage, but his good-natured face grew pale 
 with fear as, bidding him sit beside her and listen, she told him 
 plainly that his life was not worth purchase. 
 
 " See you/' she said kindly enough, " thou art the stalking 
 horse, for all that thy cause has followers. But thou hast neither
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 353 
 
 money nor brains. Yet would I fain save thee, since thy grand- 
 father loved thee, and hath oft spoken of thy fitness for heirship. 
 But he decided against it and rightly " 
 
 " Yet by all the laws of my family, by Timurid customs, I 
 am heir," broke in Dawar Baksh hotly, " and " 
 
 But Nurjahan's eyes held him silent. " Lo !" she replied, 
 " thou canst try it an thou wilt. But it is death. So take 
 advice ! When the storm breaks disappear ! Lay thy plans 
 beforehand and be ready." 
 
 " Easy to say," began the young man. 
 
 " Easier to perform," put in his step-grandmother with a 
 charming smile. " See here, this ring." And she took from her 
 finger the little signet the old Strangler had given her. " It 
 means safety. Seek out the nearest colony of Thugs there is 
 one at Durga's temple in the Almond Bazaar at Lahore. Then 
 at the first hint of danger, escape thither; show them the ring. 
 Yet wilt thou require money, and money that is light to carry." 
 As she spoke she drew out of her bosom the ruby cup. " This," 
 she said, and her voice trembled, " hath done its part in my life. 
 It hath not brought me luck 'twas the real one that was 
 talisman but of that no more. I have no time to tell thee all, 
 and if I did thou wouldst forget it. But if thou wilt take that 
 cup to the Khan-phatta shrine, the split-eared jogis will give 
 thee gold galore for it ! Ay, and keep silence too." She laughed 
 suddenly a bitter laugh, then went on: "So first the ring to 
 the stranglers; then, with their aid, negotiate the cup at the 
 split-ear shrine and thou art safe !" 
 
 Dawar Baksh stared at her. " But wherefore ? I under- 
 stand not " 
 
 " Neither will thine enemies," she replied curtly. " This 
 much will I tell thee. The split-eared ones have been searching 
 for that cup or its marrow these fifty and six years; that I 
 know. So do as thou art bid, if the need comes and come 
 it will." 
 
 And, as usual, she was right. 
 
 They were close on Lahore now, and over the level fields came 
 unwonted signs of coming war. From the north had come 
 contingent after contingent to join the mock majesty of Dawar 
 
 23
 
 354 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Baksh. A pitiful sight this royalty surrounded by servants 
 who, as they cringed and bowed, held their tongues in their cheeks. 
 Asof Khan, their leader, full of wild boasts of what the Legitimists 
 would do, even while in thought the whole manhood of him was 
 with the Hindu messenger Binarsi, who day and night, night and 
 day, was speeding southward with his verbal message for Shah- 
 jahan; since not one instant of time had been wasted in the writ- 
 ing of a letter. A signet-ring off the little finger as a sign of faith, 
 the words, " Kingship awaits you," and, like an arrow from a bow, 
 the man had started. Would he do the journey in the twenty 
 days he had promised ? That was the question. If it could 
 be compassed they would have both the other factions on the 
 hip. Shahjahan could march on Agra, the capital, and thus 
 reduce the other claimants to the position of rebels against central 
 authority. 
 
 Meanwhile, Shahriyar was the immediate enemy. On hearing 
 of his father's death he had seized the Treasury at Lahore, and 
 with the money therein, added by Nurjahan's vast revenues, 
 which with a curious disdain she contrived to place secretly at 
 his disposal, he commenced bribing right and left, thus gathering 
 together a large force. 
 
 The two armies met on the banks of the Ravi, not far from the 
 spot where Nurjahan, listless, almost contemptuous, sat beside 
 a new-made grave, chanting prayers over it, and watching the 
 squirrels that raced from tree to tree, the pigeons that sidled on 
 the roof of the summer-house which centred the garden. 
 
 How the dead man^would have rejoiced in the peace and quiet 
 with her ! 
 
 Well, he had thefpeace, the quiet; and he should have her also. 
 
 He had given her much in life. In death she could 'give him 
 his heart's desire. 
 
 So the noise of battle drifted past almost unheeding ears. 
 
 Let men-folk^squabble as they pleased over the bauble of a 
 crown they knew notjhow to wear. She, a woman, had done her 
 part. Sheihad ruled|well. She had made one man die with 
 dignity as Emperor of all the Indies. And as she sat there, while 
 the little Gifted Lady, deprived of her two boy companions 
 for Asof Khan had at once removed Shahjahan's two little sons
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 355 
 
 from their step-grandmother's care, as if fearful evil should 
 befall them played with her dolls, the mind of the women w at 
 back to the night when, a girl of fourteen, she had met che ^reat 
 Akbar's half sarcastic remark, "So thou art ambitious?" with 
 the proud words, " Of my rightful place." 
 
 Well, as she had promised then, she had done no harm to the 
 son of the Emperor Mahomed Jahal-ud-din Akbar ! Her delicate 
 hands clenched in on themselves ; she set her lip. 
 
 When her attendants came running with news of the tide of 
 battle, she met them impatiently. 
 
 " So be it," she said; " I care not who wins. They be all 
 men, and there is small choice between them murderers, rake;, 
 thieves, and liars !" 
 
 And she was not far wrong. It is an evil thing to try and get 
 at the minds of the majority of these fighters. Mercenar'es, 
 traitors, pure unabashed deceivers. Asof Khan, for instance, 
 one eye ever on the Deccan, the other bent in humble Icyalty 
 to the puppet whose very life depended on when Binarsi, the 
 messenger, reached his goal. 
 
 Meanwhile, there was enough to fill the days, even after Shah- 
 riyar, totally defeated, had fled to the fort at Lahore, and, being 
 dragged from the women's apartments therein, had been thrown 
 into prison along with Prince Danial's two sons, who might be 
 suspected as collateral heirs. For the puppet Dawar Baksh 
 had to be crowned. 
 
 Nurjahan, over in the garden at S hahdera, heard of the grand 
 doings, and smiled to herself. 
 
 " Tell me not of the loyalty of the festivities. Tell me how 
 Asof Khan bears himself. I would 1 could see him; 'twould be 
 a lesson in the courtier's art !" 
 
 But she steadfastly refused an interview. There was no 
 need, she said. His mind was occupied with this world, hers 
 with the other. If he and his like chose to think otherwise, they 
 were welcome to do as they chose. She would be content to 
 rejoin her father and mother and give them the first version 'of 
 the tale. 
 
 Whether this bitter sarcasm availed or not, it is impossible 
 to say; certain it is that she was left alone in her garden'seclusion
 
 356 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 where, calm, almost uninterested, she listened to all the gossip 
 of ."he town that lay so close over the water. So the days passed, 
 and c ceitain sense of safety grew even to Fedai Khan's heart as 
 he washed night after night while his mistress slept the sleep 
 of a chilJ. At the first news of her semi-imprisonment he had 
 ridden fast and far with a band of devoted servants to succour or 
 die with her; but she had forbidden all attempts at rescue. So 
 he had dismissed his followers, though he had remained himself. 
 So much he -efused to be forbidden. 
 
 " News ha '\ come from the Deccan," said Nurjahan suddenly 
 to him one da . 
 
 " So soon ?' he exclaimed. " Impossible !" 
 The Empress laughed her bitter laugh. " Thou knowest not 
 Asof," she replied. " Lo ! he is my brother, and he is capable. 
 Now we shall see what we shall see ." She laid her hand suddenly 
 on his. " And if all goes well, as it will, thou wilt be free to go, 
 Fedai. I have ever told thee Shahjahan dare not touch me; 
 this will prove it !" 
 
 Once again she was right. Whatever the letter sent in im- 
 mediate answer to the verbal message contained, it held no 
 penalty for Nurjahan Padshah Begum. But that very night, 
 as the historian puts it, Shahriyar, the two collateral Princes, 
 and Gurhasp, Dawar Baksh's brother, " trod the path of annihila- 
 tion, and the world was rid of their unnecessary bodies." 
 
 And Dawar Baksh himself ? Strange to say, he escaped the 
 aiiare. How, none could guess, save a woman who smiled to 
 herself when she heard the news as she sat by a new-made grave. 
 And what is more, he disappeared utterly. Long years after, 
 a tale filtered through the bazaars from the north that he had 
 been seen in the guise of a wandering fakir in Persia; so it is to be 
 inferred that though he had escaped, he had notjgained untold 
 gold through the ruby cup. But by that time the glorious 
 administration of Shahjahan was firm, and none cared if the other 
 were alive or no. 
 
 And folk seemed even to have forgotten that by a curious 
 coincidence all the available claimants, all ,the possible aspirants, 
 to the throne had been disposed of, comfortably, the very day 
 before Shahjahan entered Agra in triumph and took on his 
 shoulders the responsibility of Empire.
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 357 
 
 Proof positive, of course, that he could not have connived in 
 their murder ! Yet it is strange that even to-day, when by the 
 cool light of time truth becomes more manifest, the possibility 
 of Shahjahan being implicated in his brother Khushrau's murder 
 is stoutly denied, on the ground that there is no other record of 
 such crime in his life. What, then, of the letter which brought 
 about wholesale murder on the very day before his coronation ? 
 A strange coincidence, my masters ! That is all. 
 
 But one woman in a garden never wavered in her certitude. 
 And so it came to pass that after some years had sped the chance 
 of facing one whom she had been too proud to seek with the 
 truth, came to her. 
 
 Shahjahan, Emperor of all the Indies, being at Lahore, came 
 to visit his father's grave. It was now enshrined in the magni- 
 ficent building which remains to this day. On it Nurjahan had 
 spent all the revenues which she had openly claimed for this 
 purpose; claimed with a calm certainty which admitted of no 
 refusal. 
 
 And Shahjahan on his State visit of ceremonial had been forced 
 to acknowledge that the money had been well employed. Simple 
 in design, curiously flamboyant in execution and decoration, 
 the tomb seemed, and still seems, to shadow forth the personality 
 of the man it covered. That Shahjahan appreciated this is 
 certain; for he held in trust that inheritance of the artistic 
 temperament which had come down to him through four genera- 
 tions of Great Moguls; an inheritance which, Heaven knows why, 
 was lost to his sons and their sons, but which blossomed out 
 again two hundred years after in the person of a young Prince, 
 whom the West failed to recognize as worthy successor. 
 
 Be that as it may, Shahjahan, in the full blaze of his glory, 
 surrounded by adulation, almost unique in power, certainly so 
 in wealth, was, as he stood beside his father's grave some five 
 years after his accession, a broken, despairing man. 
 
 For Arjamand his wife was dead. After all their wanderings, 
 their troubles, their discomforts together, she had died almost 
 ere she had realized her queenship. 
 
 And the woman in the garden had set her lip still more firmly, 
 had felt still more surely that punishment had best be left to 
 God. As All Kul had said, " Let Him decide 1"
 
 358 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 So when Shahjahan, as in duty bound, had craved an audience 
 of the Keeper of the Garden, she had refused. 
 
 But Fate ordained a meeting. Urged by Heaven knows^what 
 secret desire to be alone for a few moments beside his father's 
 grave, Shahjahan rode over to it one night, and leaving his two 
 retainers at the gate, went, a tall solitary figure, to the tomb, 
 which in the full flood of moonlight showed almost as^iridescent 
 as by day; showed dim like mother-of-pearl seen through waves. 
 Tl e central chamber was dark and scented. The crimson, gold- 
 edged pall that covered the low sarcophagus of marble tracery 
 showed a dense blot of black shadow, but as he approached 
 something tall, slender, lighter, rose from behind it, andji voice 
 that thrilled him through and through said quietly: 
 
 " Confess not thy fault, Shahjahan; he never knew it. I 
 never told him. Let him rest in peace !"
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 1 ' Two Lovers in the dark lay side by side. 
 ' Where art thou, dearest ?' each to each they cried ; 
 But answer came there none ; their bed the Grave, 
 Two corpses they, bloodless and hollow-eyed." 
 
 LONG years had passed since Mihr-un-nissa, widow of Ali Kul 
 Istalijii, and of Nur-ed-din Mohamed Jahangir, Emperor of all 
 the Indies, had taken up her abode in the rare garden down by 
 the river Ravi that had once belonged to the pigeon-fancier 
 from Herat. 
 
 The plane-trees were loftier, the cypress handsomer, and the 
 pigeons more numerous. Roses and sweet jonquils had been 
 planted everywhere, and centring all, rose a huge pile of brick 
 masonry set with encaustic tiles, a medley of colours, blue and 
 white, purple and red, all blending, like the iridescence on the 
 breasts of the pigeons which circled and fluttered round the 
 slender octagonal minarets that cornered the wide square of 
 arched cloisters. Within, dark, cool, spacious, was the domed 
 tomb where Jahangir the Emperor slept that last long sleep, the 
 thought of which, he had oft said, should be a spur to every 
 true man's wakefulness in this life. 
 
 Close by, yet aloof, stood another tomb infinitely less imposing 
 and, as yet, untenanted by the dead. But the living habited it; 
 and every morning, just as the first sun-rays were brightening 
 the spring world, as they had brightened it that day at Rajaur, 
 now nineteen years ago, when Nur-ed-din Mahomed Jahangir, 
 the Light of the Faith, had passed into the Great Darkness, an 
 old woman of seventy-six, frail, yet still upright, would go down 
 the narrow staircase that led from the roof of the smaller tomb, 
 .walk slowly through the cloisters, and, entering the larger one, 
 lay a packed posy of flowers on the sarcophagus which centred 
 the building. 
 
 Then from the attendant canonesses for there were no male 
 
 359
 
 360 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 voices in that choir would rise a Marsiah, or hymn of lamenta- 
 tion, and the long drawn-out minor intervals would wail up into 
 the dome, mixing with each other into one sobbing keen, until the 
 loud chanted " Ameen " would bring the music back to the major 
 key, and the singers, having finished their morning task, would 
 close their books softly, salaam to the dead and the living, so 
 file out from the incense-laden air of the tomb to the fresh bright 
 sunshine, leaving the two alone together. 
 
 Sometimes for a full hour the figure at the head of the sarco- 
 phagus would sit there, still, silent, while the flocks of pigeons 
 which awaited their daily measure of corn on the plinth outside 
 grew impatient, and fluttered and cooed for the giver to finish 
 her prayers and attend to them. And sometimes, if she were 
 over-long, one or two of the tamest would venture inside, and 
 after circling round and round in the shadows of the dome, the 
 rustle of their wings rousing a soft echo as of innumerable bees, 
 settle down suddenly on her lap, as if they brought her something. 
 
 And they did; for she would smile as suddenly, and the adorable 
 dimple would show as fascinating as it was, when, a girl on the 
 threshold of life, she held Prince Salim's doves on her lap in the 
 Garden of Scattering Gold^, 
 
 For even in her old age Mihr-un-nissa kept her charm ; that is 
 a gift to which the years make no difference. 
 
 And she was beautiful besides, partly because her beauty had 
 become a cult with her. It had pleased men who were dead. 
 Why not keep it, therefore, if she could ? 
 
 Did she dye her beautiful hair, that showed no touch of time 
 in it ? Possibly she did. There were great hedges of the henna- 
 bush in the garden, and henna had to be prepared to keep her 
 finger-tips as rosy as a bride's. Anyhow, her hair was thick and 
 long, and glossy as of yore, and she plaited it with jewels still, 
 though she wore no other ornament save the string of huge pearls 
 the Emperor had given her; and they were hidden by her plain 
 white widow's veil. 
 
 So she would rise tall, slender, still lissome, a youthful figure 
 till you saw her eyes; and they held in them the weary secrets of 
 a long life that had kept its counsel to itself. 
 
 " Kurru 1 Kurru kru I" she called to the pigeons, and they
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 361 
 
 flocked round her in whirls and whorls while she scattered their 
 grain. 
 
 How the Emperor would have rejoiced to see them ! And 
 Ali Kul also ! Thank God the two men she had known best 
 had loved the dumb beasts, even though they hunted them 
 mercilessly. It was a strange thing, that, yet true. The keener 
 the sportsman, the more comprehension of his prey. 
 
 So she passed on into the garden it was walled in those days 
 
 -walking slowly, a little breathlessly, adown the marble-edged 
 paths that divided it into squares, until she came to the big 
 mango-trees where the greeny-white flower-spikes stood upright, 
 like candles on a Christmas-tree, sending out a faint perfume of 
 honey. And there was a stickiness on the marble path-edge, 
 as if honey had fallen there. The recognition of this made her 
 smile again. Small use in calling the palm squirrels to their 
 daily feast of almonds when Dame Nature gave them so much 
 sweetstuff ! 
 
 Still, she called, and some came, though one big, fat, bold-eyed 
 morsel of a thing lay on a branch almost within reach and lolled 
 out a long red tongue at her in a stupendous yawn. It was the 
 young ones that came; pretty, barred, fluffy creatures with tails 
 twice too big for them and a total lack of discrimination as to 
 which, in her outstretched hand, were almonds and which filbert- 
 shaped nails ! 
 
 So the dimple showed again, this time a trifle wearily; for 
 Mihr-un-nissa, despite her looks, was beginning to feel her years. 
 But there was much to be done yet ere she could labour up the 
 steep stairs once more for her usual rest. 
 
 Quite a tribe of women were awaiting the daily distribution 
 of food, and there were several new claimants whose cases had 
 to be considered. For during those nineteen years Mihr-un- 
 nissa had kept her word, and every cowrie of the money granted 
 her by the State, that was left after paying for the building of 
 the tomb, went in charity. Not all in food, though; and to-day 
 there was merriment among her audience over a petition for a 
 husband. Suitable ones, said the somewhat clamorous mother 
 of a young girl, who sat shamefaced, hiding her face in her veil, 
 were not to be had without a dowry; no, not even though
 
 362 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 the daughter was not ill-looking, as the lady might see for 
 herself. 
 
 " Come hither, child/' said the voice, still strong, still sweet, 
 that had once commanded all India; and the girl obeyed. 
 
 Not a bad-looking face, healthy and good-humoured ay, 
 and modest too. 
 
 " Wouldst like to be married, child ?" came the question 
 gravely. 
 
 The girl hung her head. " Mother says all girls are born to 
 get married that single women are accursed of God." 
 
 A spasm of pain crossed Mihr-un-nissa's face; it showed very 
 weary indeed. 
 
 " I will enquire," she said briefly, " and if it be as thou sayest, 
 the dowry shall be forthcoming." 
 
 A little murmur of approval rose amongst her audience, for 
 one of the most virtuous forms of charity in India is the bestowing 
 of husbands. So one by one, calling down blessings on their 
 benefactress, the women drifted away with their daily doles. 
 
 " Thou hast tired thyself out, mother," said a voice with age 
 in it, as one of the canonesses came out from a side room to sit 
 beside her; " but the Gifted Lady will be here anon with her 
 children, and that will cheer thee, will it not ?" 
 
 And yet once more the smile showed the dimple. 
 
 " Ay," she said softly. " Both thy father, Gladness, and her 
 grandfather loved the small folk; and thou sayest these ones are 
 nice !" 
 
 " Nice !" echoed the grandmother in hot indignation. " They 
 are peris from Paradise they are heart's darlings !" 
 
 And even as she spoke, there came down the garden path from 
 the gate a little group which, certes, deserved praise. 
 
 The Gifted Lady, beautiful exceedingly, all smiles and laughter, 
 holding by one hand a small girl of four, her very image, with 
 the other supporting the somewhat erratic steps of a sturdy 
 young urchin of two. 
 
 Behind her came three or four maid-servants, one of them 
 proudly carrying an infant in arms. 
 
 So there came an excited childish treble: " Look Xanni ! 
 Look ! how well Fedai walketh ! Look ! Look ! He walketh | 
 like dada !"
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 363 
 
 And Mihr-un-nissa laughed, quite a youthful laugh, and was 
 ready with huggings and kissings for all four. 
 
 " And so thou art happy, little one/' she said at last when 
 the children had gone off to look at the pigeons, and the three 
 generations of women sat in the sunshine hand in hand. 
 
 " Who would not be happy with those darlings ?" quoth 
 Gladness, forgetful utterly that though a good grandmother, 
 she had been but a poor mother. But the Gifted Lady went a 
 step further, and pursed up her pretty mouth decorously. " Lo ! 
 grandmother, the possession of a good husband is all a woman 
 needs to make her happy; and mine Heaven save him ! is 
 good indeed !" 
 
 Mihr-un-nissa's eyes twinkled maliciously. " Is he still, then, 
 good-looking ?" she asked, and a little scream of protest answered 
 her. 
 
 " Lo ! grandmother, he is the handsomest of all !" 
 
 " So was his father God rest his soul ! before him," said 
 Mihr-un-nissa gently. " I mind him well. Fedai Khan, the 
 beauty of the Court and doth thy man still dress well, my 
 child ?" 
 
 " Never hath he a fold awry. Oh, grandmother, I am most 
 blessed !" 
 
 " Never a fold awry," echoed Mihr-un-nissa dreamily. " Neither 
 had his father God grant him peace ! the dandy of the Court !" 
 Then suddenly she rose. " Lo ! I am more than ordinary tired, 
 children; therefore I go to rest; but I shall see thee again, little 
 one," and her warm clasp enfolded the younger hand. 
 
 " Yea, yea; but thou must not descend the stairs again, 
 mother," fussed the canoness. " See you," she added to her 
 daughter, " the stairs try her much, for she gr jws old !" 
 
 Old ! The word lingered in Mihr-un-nissa's mind as, with 
 many a halt for breath, she made her way up the same narrow 
 stairs. But she would accept no help. She did not feel old, 
 and her memory was as good as ever. 
 
 After her servants had put all things ready to her hand, and 
 left her for her noontide rest, she sat for quite a long time on the 
 edge of her string bed for she had put away all luxuries nineteen 
 years before, and had since lived the life of a religious recluse
 
 364 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 thinking over the past years, from the days of her infancy, wonder- 
 ing what was the first thing she really recollected in her life. 
 
 Was it the giving of a red, red rose to a tall dark man ? Or 
 had she learnt that from Dilaram's tongue ? 
 
 Dear old Dilaram ! and quaint, faithful Strangler ! Looking 
 down the perspective of the years, she saw clearly how much of 
 her success in gripping the reins of government had been due to 
 the certainty that the news he brought her was true. Ay, true, 
 always true ! 
 
 So her mind passed to Shahjahan. Her prophecy that his 
 sin would find him out was coming to pass. He had lost his 
 dearest dear; Arjamand was dead. And the son Aurungzebe 
 strange how the old Khanzada had disliked him ! was giving 
 trouble. Thank Heaven ! they neither of them, now, ever came 
 so far north as Lahore. She had been right in choosing this 
 peaceful spot for the resting-place of the father who had never 
 known the full treachery of his son. Of all the things in her 
 long life that gave her pleasure to recollect, that gave the most : 
 that she had kept her counsel, that she had done her best to make 
 the man she had never loved, happy. 
 
 But then she had never loved anyone; not even Ali Kul, the 
 husband of her youth. She would go down to the grave never 
 having felt the self-surrender of a woman's love. Never ! Never ! 
 Neither could she. have given a man's love not as she had known 
 their love. Yet there might be something beyond. There 
 might be ! 
 
 So her thoughts took another turn. 
 
 Why had she failed ? 
 
 Because of her beauty. It was that which had killed Ali 
 Kul; it was that which had forced in on men the recollection that 
 she was woman. Beauty and womanhood those were her 
 crimes. 
 
 A sudden desire to see the face which had at once been her 
 blessing and her curse came over her. She rose suddenly to 
 reach a tiny hand-mirror set in a bracelet which the Emperor 
 had given her in days long gone by, because he said laughingly 
 that so much beauty could not be held in the ordinary mirror-set 
 thumb-ring all native women wear. It was the only mirror
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 365 
 
 she had left herself, and she used it always; and though it gave 
 but a small image it was wonderfully clear. 
 
 In taking a step forward her foot caught in the carpet, and 
 she stumbled; then stood breathless, her hand on her heart for 
 a second. 
 
 So standing, she looked down into what she held. What she 
 saw was the head and shoulders of an unveiled woman for her 
 veil had fallen back in her stumble a woman with jewel-braided 
 hair seen against a background of clear blue sky. 
 
 A beautiful woman, without doubt ! No wonder men had 
 loved her and hated her. No wonder they 
 
 She gave a sudden lurch forward, a sudden sigh. 
 
 So fell, her face buried against the glass which had held her 
 fatal beauty. 
 
 She lay there in the sunshine, while the servants below waited 
 for their lady's call. 
 
 The pigeons fluttered over her, and once a palm squirrel with 
 barred, bottle-brush tail erect drew nearer, nearer to her with 
 little starts and loud chirruping; then fled from her swiftly, 
 startled. 
 
 The shadows were lengthening when they found her, quite 
 dead. 
 
 " Lo !" said a weeping servant-maid as they turned her over, 
 and the beautiful face showed unharmed, save for one long 
 scratch where the dimple had been wont to be. " See, she hath 
 hurt her poor nose. 'Twill spoil her beauty as a corpse !"
 
 L'ENVOIE 
 
 " Refuse not, pilgrim, what men ask of thee 
 Love, Labour, Life give all, and give it free. 
 When in thy wallet naught remains but Death, 
 Know that thine own, and take it for thy fee." 
 
 IT was in 1877, just two hundred and fifty years after Nurjahan 
 Padshah Begum, renouncing Empire, had retired to the solitudes 
 of the rare garden down by the banks of the Ravi river, that I 
 first saw it. 
 
 The high wall which had " shut out the world, shut in the 
 flowers" was gone; the plane-trees had disappeared, but some 
 few of the cypresses, ragged, decaying, uncared for, still stood 
 sentinel over what once had been beds of roses and jonquils. 
 One or two stunted orange-bushes remained to show where 
 vanished groves had been, and in one far-off corner a pomegranate 
 was ablaze with fiery blossoms. A few pigeons still circled 
 round the great tomb, to which age, by time's insensible soften- 
 ing, had given greater iridescence from the blendings of colour. 
 The tomb itself was in fair condition. It had been thought worth 
 while to preserve it as a sight for globe-trotters. Hard by it 
 stood the tomb of Asof Khan; for, possibly by some strange 
 belated remorse, that worthy yet unworthy gentleman had 
 directed that he should be buried beside his sister. 
 
 Her tomb was sadly out of repair, but one huge white jasmine 
 flung its wide-arched arms, all starred with scented blossoms, 
 over the crumbling walls. 
 
 My man was engaged in taking up land for a new railway, 
 which, intersecting the garden, was to pass within a stone's 
 throw of these tombs, and already long files of coolies,* men, 
 women, children, were leisurely piling up the big embankment 
 which was to lead to the iron bridge that was to span the river. 
 
 As I watched the slow process of these human ants, each 
 contributing but a few spoonsful of earth from the shallow 
 
 366
 
 MISTRESS OF MEN 367 
 
 baskets they carried on their heads, I told myself that so were 
 formed the great dams of human ignorance, human prejudice, 
 each one in turn adding his or her finite experience by following 
 in the steps of someone else. 
 
 A man of about sixty sat out in the open on a cane-bottomed 
 chair, leisurely chewing betel and watching the orderly process 
 with placid satisfaction. 
 
 Clothed in white, stout, oleaginous, with a long grey beard 
 and an immaculate turban, it struck me at once that he might 
 have stood model for Asof Khan in those old days, since his 
 face showed courteous, intolerant, intelligent, yet bigoted to a 
 degree. 
 
 That he was an official was evident from the posse of underlings 
 smoking their pipes under a neighbouring tree. That he was in 
 Government employ was clear from the alacrity with which he 
 recognized the presence of one higher in rank than himself, 
 and the profuseness of his salaams for the " Sahib." The " Mem," 
 however, appeared not to enter into his calculations at all, so 
 the following remarks must be considered as addressed to the 
 sympathies of a man. 
 
 " Of a truth, Huzoor, the tomb of Jahangir Padshah is a 
 beautiful structure, but it was not built by a woman. She 
 provided the money, having been enriched greatly by her artifices. 
 It is true the Emperor gave her the title of Nurjahan, but in 
 reality she was but a beautiful Persian. The Huzoor says truly. 
 Rumour hath it that she was very beautiful, as it becomes a 
 woman to be. But clever ? God knows. She did the Emperor 
 much harm, and brought his grey hairs with sorrow to the grave, 
 by reason of her quarrel with his virtuous son Shahjahan. See 
 you, she desired to rule the Empire after her husband's death, 
 and to secure that end stooped, after the fashion of womenkind, 
 to much artifice, being ambitious and without shame." 
 
 Here I broke in. " But," I said, " she retired from public 
 -ife when Jahangir died; she lived in this garden in her widow's 
 veil for nineteen years; she gave all her money that was left 
 after building his tomb to the poor. That does not look like 
 ambition. Why did she do it, if, as you say, she wanted to be 
 Empress ?"
 
 368 MISTRESS OF MEN 
 
 Asof Khan passed my remark by with the utmost courtesy, 
 and once more appealed to male sympathies. 
 
 " Being a woman," he said unctuously, " she doubtless had 
 some nefarious purpose in coming to this garden." Then he 
 sighed solemnly, and added : 
 
 " Aurat sab makr wafareb." (Women are all deceit and guile.) 
 ***** 
 
 Poor Nurjahan ! destined to be judged by male standards 
 throughout the years. Ere I left the garden I picked some of 
 the starry jasmine blooms and laid them on her grave. 
 
 But Jahangir's remained undecorated. Though I judged 
 him the most Compleat Lover the world has ever produced, 
 I knew that his reputation could take care of itself. 
 
 AMU SONS, LTD., FK4NTEK.S, GUM.DFOKD, *fLAND.
 
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