CHAPTER V. of rebellion. In Hindustan there never has existed a period of complete repose.' Moghul wars against Hindú peasantry, 99 88 This horrible state of things was not an episode in the reign of Jehangir; it began in the reign of Akber; it lasted for a century longer. Manouchi confirms the testimony of Jehangir. He wrote at the latter end of the seventeenth century. His account is based partly on the Moghul chronicles; partly on his personal experience during a life of forty-eight years in India. His evidence is to the following effect:-"The war against the rebellious peasants gave more trouble to Akber than all his wars against the Rajas. The peasants were entrenched in inaccessible forests; they were familiar with the paths; they burst forth in bands to burn and pillage villages. When taken by surprise, they fortified themselves amidst ruined habitations. They fought with carabines. When attacked they discharged their carabines at the distance of half a musket-shot. Their wives reloaded their carabines. When their ammunition was exhausted, they fought with bows and javelins. The war against the peasants began in the reign of Akber; it is not yet over; to this day the wretches are beheaded whenever they are found in the villages carrying arms. Nothing is more common than for travellers to find heads hung upon the trees, or fixed upon poles, along the great roads. These robbers are to be known by their shaven chins; their long mustachios which reach to the ears. They are dispersed amongst all the villages between Agra and Delhi." 89 88 Jehangir's Memoirs of Himself; translated by Major Price, pages 117 to 128 London, 1829. The language of Jehangir is a reflex of his detestable character. 89 Catrou's History of the Moghul Dynasty in India, founded on the Memoirs of Manouchi, page 97: London, 1826. little Summer and Jehangir reigned nine years after Roe's de- CHAPTER V. parture. His further movements are of moment in history. After some wanderings he pro- ends in tragedy. ceeded to Lahore. He made Lahore his head quarters; he spent the hot months of every year amongst the cool mountains of Kashmír. The history of his reign is a record of intrigue, treachery, and murder. It has no parallel except in oriental annals. Horrible as it will appear, it is confirmed by the fact that the current of affairs in Persia was equally marked by perfidy and blood. winter migrations: reign tragedy. The chief actors in the tragedy are easily re- Actors in the alized. Jehangir was the indolent and self-indulgent sovereign. Núr Mahal was the jealous and vindictive queen. Khuzru was the heir-apparent; he was heir to nothing but misfortune; he was helpless and out of favour. Parwíz was a drunkard; he played a small part in the drama; he died before it was over. Shah Jehan was still in favour with Jehangir; he was hated by Núr Mahal; he was ready to commit any crime that would clear his way to the throne. daughter. Núr Mahal had betrothed her daughter to Núr Mahal's Shahryár, the fourth and youngest son of Jehangír. She had thus become the natural enemy of Khuzru, Parwíz, and Shah Jehan. Henceforth she plotted their destruction; they stood between Shahryár and the throne. Doubtless she anticipated the death of Jehangir; she aspired to reign after him in the name of Shahryár. Núr Mahal and There was a breach between Núr Mahal and her Breach between brother Asof Khan; they were plotting for different Asof Khan, ends. Núr Mahal was working for her son-in-law Shahryár. Asof Khan was working for his son-inlaw Shah Jehan. CHAPTER V. The Khan Mahábat Khan, the Rajpoot. War in the Two men appear upon the stage as types of classes. They were known as the Khan Khanán and Mahábat Khan. The Khan Khanán was a Moghul." He had long been notorious for treachery and corruption whilst commanding the army in the Dekhan. He had made his peace with Shah Jehan by giving him a daughter in marriage. He had become the staunch ally of Shah Jehan; but he was false and treacherous like all Moghuls; it was easy to foresee that he would desert his own son-in-law if it served his ends. Mahábat Khan was a Rajpoot; he commanded Rajpoots; he showed himself on all occasions to be a Rajpoot. His loyalty to Jehangir under the strongest provocations was an instinct in his Rajpoot nature. It shows the marked superiority of the Rajpoot to the Moghul.91 The first tragedy was the murder of Khuzru. The war in the Dekhan broke out afresh. Shah Jehan was ordered to return to Burhanpur; he still had reason to fear Khuzru; he refused to leave the court unless he took Khuzru with him. Núr Mahal raised no objection; if Khuzru was murdered, Shahryar would be rid of another rival. Shah Jehan proceeded to the Dekhan accompanied by 90 This is the same man who has already appeared in history in the reigns of Jehangir and Akber. He was a son of Bairam Khan. Khan Khanán is not a It is the title of the commander-in-chief. name. 91 Herbert says that Mahábat Khan was a Rajpoot. Jehangir, in his Autobiography, says that he was an Afghan. He must refer to some other Mahabat Khan. Mahabat Khan commanded Rajpoots; the Rajpoots would obey no one but their own Raja. Mahábat Khan was viceroy of Kábul; no Afghan would be appointed viceroy of Kábul. Jehangir was likely to follow the example of Akber; to appoint Mahábat Khan to be viceroy of Kábul, and to keep down the Afghans by an army of Rajpoots. Tod clears up the difficulty. Mahábat Khan was a Rajpoot of the family of the Rana of Chitór. He had been converted to the Mussulman religion. Tod's Rajasthan, vol. ii. page 42 note. his eldest brother under guard. He was also ac- CHAPTER V. companied by his father-in-law the Khan Khanán. The details of the war in the Dekhan are of Murder of small importance. Shah Jehan fixed his headquarters at Burhanpur; he soon reduced Malik Amber to submission. Suddenly the news reached Burhanpur that Jehangir was dying. Tidings that the Padishah was dead or dying always created a ferment. If Jehangír died, Khuzru would have succeeded to the throne. Shah Jehan had thus the strongest motives for getting rid of Khuzru. He feigned sickness; he left Burhanpur; in his absence Khuzru was strangled in the night by one of the officers of the Khan Khanán. Next morning the wife of Khuzru entered the chamber; she saw that her husband had been strangled; she shrieked, tore her hair, and proclaimed the murder. Shah Jehan returned to Burhanpur; he affected deep sorrow. Every one in Burhanpur suspected him of the murder; they all cursed him as the prime mover in the crime.92 Khuzru. pects Shah Buláki to be Jehangir had by this time recovered of his sick- Jehangir susness. He guessed at once that Khuzru had been Jehan: appoints murdered by Shah Jehan. He sent for the widow crown prince. and her son Buláki. Ten thousand horse. He gave Buláki the rank of successor to the empire. The crime that was to Núr Mahal must have been confounded by the Núr Mahal 92 See Herbert's Travels, folio, pages 79 et seq. London, 1635. Herbert travelled in India in 1626; he was thus a contemporary of the events he describes. He was an English gentleman of good family. His statements are confirmed by Father Catrou. He is the main authority for the remainder of the history of the reign of Jehangír. checkmated. He CHAPTER V. nomination of Buláki. He was only a child; possibly she purposed to get rid of him on a future day. Meanwhile she was bent on the ruin of Shah Jehan. She plotted to get Shah Jehan out of the Dekhan. The Persians had taken possession of Kandahar. Shah Jehan was ordered to proceed to the northwest and drive the Persians out of Kandahar. pretended that he could not leave the Dekhan. was soon out-manœuvred. The command of the expedition to Kandahar was given to Shahryár. Shah Jehan was ordered to send the greater part of his army to Shahryár. The leading officers in his army were ordered to leave him and join the camp of Shahryár. Plot of Asof Shah Jehan. Failure. He Shah Jehan's affairs were desperate; there was no fighting against Núr Mahal. He had some hope of Asof Khan; he had married Asof Khan's daughter. Asof Khan was secretly working in his favour. A plot was hatched of startling audacity. Asof Khan formed a plan for getting possession of the vast treasures at Agra. Had it been successful Shah Jehan could have bought over all the officers in Jehangir's army. They would have rushed to his standard directly they heard that he had got the gold. The plot very nearly succeeded. Asof Khan persuaded Jehangir to move the treasures from Agra to Lahore. Shah Jehan was to capture the treasure on the road. He was ambitious, greedy, and revengeful; he had no scruple about robbing his father; the plot suited every passion in his nature. He at once prepared to play his part in the scheme. Asof Khan carried Jehangír's order to Agra. The treasurer at Agra was suspicious of the order; |