On the 15th, which was a halting day, news came of
the death of Mīr ‘Alī, son of Farīdūn Khān Barlās, who
was one of the trusted amīr-zādas (descended from amirs)
of this family (the Timurides). On the 16th a march
took place. Having traversed 4 1/8 kos, the camp of
heavenly dignity was pitched near the village of Girī.
On the road the scouts brought news that there was
a lion in this neighbourhood. I went to hunt him and
finished him with one shot. As the braveness of the
lion (shīr babar) has been established, I wished to look
at his intestines. After they were extracted, it appeared
that in a manner contrary to other animals, whose gallbladder
is outside their livers, the gall-bladder of the
lion is within his liver (?). It occurred to me that the
courage of the lion may be from this cause. On the
18th, after traversing 2 3/4 kos, the village of Amriyā was
our halting - place. On the 19th, which was a halt,
I went out to hunt. After going 2 kos, a village came
to view exceedingly sweet and pleasant. Nearly 100
mango-trees were seen in one garden; I had seldom
seen mango-trees so large and green and pleasant. In
the same garden I saw a bar-tree (a banyan), exceedingly
large. I ordered them to measure its length, breadth,
and height in yards (gaz). Its height from the surface
to the highest branch (sar-shākh) was 74 cubits (ira‘).
The circumference of its trunk was 44 1/2 cubits and its
breadth*
175 1/2 measured by the gaz. This has been
recorded as it is very unusual. On the 20th was a march,
and on the road a blue bull was shot with a gun. On
the 21st, which was a halt, I went out to hunt at the
end of the day. After returning, I came to the house
of I‘timādu-d-daulah for the festival of Khwāja Khiẓr,
whom they call Khiẓrī; I remained there till a watch of
the night had passed, and then feeling inclined for food
I went back to the royal quarters. On this day I
honoured I‘timādu-d-daulah as an intimate friend by
directing the ladies of the harem not to veil their faces
from him. By this favour I bestowed everlasting honour
on him. On the 22nd an order was given to march, and
after 3 1/8 kos were traversed the camp was pitched at the
village of Būlgharī (Nawalkheṛī?). On the road two blue
bulls were killed. On the 23rd day of Tīr, which was
a halt, I killed a blue bull with a gun. On the 24th,
traversing 5 kos, the village of Qāsim-kheṛā was the
halting-place. On the road a white animal*
was killed,
which resembled the kūtāh pāya (hog-deer); it had four
horns, two of which were opposite the extremities of its
eyes, and two finger-breadths in height, and the two other
horns four finger-breadths towards the nape of the neck.
These were four finger-breadths in height. The people
of India call this animal dūdhādhārīt (dudhāriyā?).
The male has four horns and the female none. It was
said that this kind of antelope has no gall-bladder, but
when they looked at its intestines the gall-bladder was
apparent, and it became clear that this report has no
foundation. On the 25th, which was a halt, at the end
of the day I rode out to hunt and killed a female
nilgaw with my gun. Bāljū, nephew of Qilīj Khān, who
held the mansab of 1,000 personal and 850 horse, and
had a jagir in Oudh, I promoted to 2,000 personal and
1,200 horse, dignified him with the title of Qilīj Khān,
and appointed him to the Subah of Bengal. On the
26th a march took place, and after traversing 4 3/4 kos
a halt was made at the village of Dih Qāẓiyān, which
is in the neighbourhood of Ujjain. A number of mango-
“By day our clothes are the sun,
By night our mattress and blanket the moon's rays.”
He bathes twice a day in a piece of water near his abode, and once a day goes into the city of Ujjain, and nowhere but to the houses of three brahmins whom he has selected out of seven, who have wives and children and whom he believes to have religious feelings and contentment. He takes by way of alms five mouthfuls of food out of what they have prepared for their own eating, which he swallows without chewing, in order that he may not enjoy their flavour; always provided that no misfortune has happened to their three houses, that there has been no birth, and there be no menstruous woman in the house. This is his method of living, just as it is now written. He does not desire to associate with men, but as he has obtained great notoriety people go to see him. He is not devoid of knowledge, for he has thoroughly mastered the science of the Vedānta, which is the science of Sufism. I conversed with him for six gharis; he spoke well, so much so as to make a great impression on me. My society also suited him. At the time when my revered father conquered the fort of Āsīr, in the province of Khandesh, and was returning to Agra, he saw him in the very same place, and always remembered him well.