On Thursday, the 4th of the Divine month, Sayyid Kabīr and Bakhtar K., the Wakils of ‘Ādil K., who had brought his offering to the exalted Court, obtained leave to return. Sayyid Kabīr was honoured with a dress of honour, a horse, and a jewelled dagger, and Bakhtar K. with a horse, a dress of honour, and a jewelled ūrbasī,* which the people of that country (the Deccan?) wear round their necks, and a present of 6,000 darbs was given to each of them for expenses.

As ‘Ādil K. was constantly asking for a likeness of myself through my prosperous son Shāh-Jahān, I sent him one with a ruby of great value and a special elephant. A gracious farman was issued that he should be presented with whatever territory of Niāmu-l-mulk or Qubu-l-mulk he might get into his possession, and whenever he should require any support and assistance, Shāh-nawāz K. should prepare an army and appoint it to assist him. In former days Niāmu-l-mulk was the largest of the rulers of the Deccan, a superior whom all acknowledged, and whom they considered as their eldest brother. At this period ‘Ādil K. did approved service, and was honoured with the exalted title of “son.” I appointed him the head and leader of the whole country of the Deccan, and wrote this quatrain on the portrait with my own hand:

“O thou towards whom is always (turned) the eye of my kindness
Repose at ease under the shadow of my fortune,
I have sent thee my own portrait,
That thou mayest see me spiritually from my picture.”

My son Shāh-Jahān sent Ḥakīm Khūsh-ḥāl, son of Ḥakīm Humām, who was one of the excellent house-born ones of this Court, and from his early years had been in my son's service, in company with the Wakils of ‘Ādil K. to convey to him the good news of the Jahāngīrī favour towards him. On the same day Mīr Jumla was honoured with the duty of ‘Arẓ-mukarrir. As Kifāyat K., the Diwan of Gujarat, at the time when he was employed in the Diwani of Bengal, in consequence of certain accidents, had lost property (az sāmān uftāda), a sum of Rs. 15,000 was presented to him.

At this time two copies of the Jahāngīr-nāma that had been prepared were laid before me. One of these I had some days previously given to the Madāru-l-mulk (centre of the king­dom), I‘timādu-d-daula, and the other I on this day bestowed on (my adopted) son (farzandī), Āṣaf K. On Friday, the 5th, Bahrām, son of Jahāngīr Qulī Khān, came from the province of Bihar, and had the good fortune to pay his respects. He laid before me some diamonds he had obtained from the mine of Kokra. Approved service had not been performed in that province by Jahāngīr Qulī K., and it was also frequently reported that certain of his brothers and sons-in-law had stretched out the hand of tyranny in that country, and were oppressing the servants of God (the people), and that each of them, cutting out a governorship for himself, did not regard the authority of Jahāngīr Qulī. On this account a farman written with my own hand was given to Muqarrab K., one of my confidential old servants, stating that he was appointed Governor of Bihar. I ordered that immediately on receipt of the farman he should hasten to that quarter. Some of the diamonds that Ibrāhīm Fatḥ-jang had sent to Court after the taking of the mine had been given to the Government lapidaries to cut. At this time Bahrām suddenly came to Agra, and was going on to the Court (in Gujarat). Khwāja Jahān (the Governor of Agra) sent along with him some diamonds that were ready. One of them is of a violet* colour, and cannot be outwardly distinguished from a sapphire. Up to this time I had not seen a diamond of this colour. It weighed several surkh,* and jewellers estimated its value at Rs. 3,000, and represented that if it had been white (safīd) and had had perfect marks, it would have been worth Rs. 20,000.

This year I had mangoes up to the 6th Mihr (middle of September). In this country there is abundance of lemons (līmūn), and they are large (bālīda?). A Hindu brought some from a garden called Kākū (or Gangū), which were very pleasant and large (bālīda, perhaps ripe). I ordered them to weigh the largest of them, and it came to 7 tolas.

On Saturday, the 6th, the Dasahra festival took place. First, they decked out my horses, and paraded them before me. After that they produced the elephants, decorated in a similar way.

As the Mahī had not become fordable, so that the sublime camp could cross it, and the climate of Maḥmūdābād was quite different (i.e., it was better) from that of other stages, I remained here for ten more days. On Monday, the 8th, I marched and encamped at Mūda.* I had already sent Khwāja Abū-l-Ḥasan Bakhshī with an active body of servants, such as boatmen, and also oars,* to make a bridge over the Mahī, with instructions not to wait till it was fordable, so that the victorious camp might cross at ease. On Tuesday, the 9th, there was a halt, and on Kamshamba (Wednesday), the 10th, the camp was at the village of Aina.*

At first the male sāras used to hold its young one by its leg upside down in his beak, and there was a fear that he might be unkind to it and it might be destroyed. I accordingly ordered them to keep the male separately, and not allow it near its young ones. I now ordered by way of experiment that it should be allowed near them, that the real degree of its unkindness and affection might be ascertained. After allowing it, he displayed much at­tachment and kindness, and his affection was found to be no less than that of the female; I thus knew that this perform­ance was out of real love. On Thursday, the 11th, there was a halt, and at the end of the day I went to hunt with cheetahs, and two black buck, four does, and a chikāra were caught. On Sunday, the 14th, I also went to hunt with cheetahs, and caught fifteen head of male and female antelopes. I had ordered Rustam and Suhrāb* Khān, his son, to go out hunting and shoot as many nilgaw as they could. The father and son together killed seven head, male and female. As it was represented to me that there was a tiger in this neighbourhood, a man-killer that had taken to eating men's flesh, and the people of God were afflicted by it, I ordered my son Shāh-Jahān to save them from its wickedness. He, as ordered, shot it with his gun, and brought it to me at night. I ordered them to skin it in my presence. Although large in appear­ance, as it was thin, it turned out less in weight than the large tigers I had myself killed. On Monday, the 15th, and Tuesday, the 16th, I went to shoot nilgaw, and on each day shot two blue bulls. On Thursday, the 18th, on the bank of a tank at which I pitched, a feast of cups was held. Rare lotus (kanwal) flowers had blossomed on the face of the water. My private servants enjoyed themselves greatly with cups of wine. Jahāngīr Qulī had sent twenty elephants from Bihar, and Muruwwat K. eight from Bengal, and these were brought before me. One of Jahāngīr Qulī's and two of Muruwwat's were placed in my private stud, and the rest were divided amongst my followers. Mīr K., s. Mīrzā Abū-l-Qāsim Namakīn, who was one of the khanazads of this Court, was promoted to the mansab, original and increased, of 800 personal and 600 horse. Qiyām K. was appointed to the duty of chief huntsman, and had given him the rank of 600 personal and 150 horse. ‘Īzzat* K., one of the Bārha Sayyids, who was distinguished for bravery and ambition, is attached to the province of Bangash. At the request of Mahābat K., the Governor of that Subah, he was promoted to the mansab of 1,500 personal and 800 horse. Kifāyat K., Diwan of Gujarat, had an elephant given him, and was allowed to depart. I conferred a sword on Ṣafī K., Bakshi of that Subah. On Friday, the 19th, I went to hunt, and killed a blue bull. I do not remember a bullet passing through a large male nilgaw. Many have passed through females. On this day, at a distance of forty-five paces (qadam), it went through both skins. In the language of hunters a qadam means two feet (gām* ) placed one in front of the other. On Sunday, the 21st, I enjoyed myself with hawking, and ordered Mīrzā Rustam, Dārāb K., Mīr Mīrān, and other servants to go and shoot as many nilgaw as they could. They killed nineteen head, male and female. Ten head of antelope were also caught with cheetahs. Ībrāhīm K., Bakhshi of the Deccan, was, at the request of the Commander-in-Chief, Khān Khānān, promoted to the mansab of 1,000 personal and 200 horse. On Monday, the 22nd, a march was made, and on Tuesday, the 23rd, I again marched. The huntsmen repre­sented that there had been seen in the neighbourhood a tigress with three cubs. As it was on the road I went myself after them and shot all four, and then went on to the next stage. I crossed the Mahī by the bridge that had been made. Though there were no boats on this river of which a bridge could be made, and the water was very deep and flowing rapidly, Khwāja Abū-l-Ḥasan, the chief Bakhshi, had built with great exertions a very strong bridge two or* three days before. Its length was 140 yards and its breadth 4 yards (dara‘). By way of testing it I ordered the elephant Gun Sundar Khāṣṣ which is one of the large and strong elephants, with three females, to be sent across it. It was so firmly built that its supports did not shake with the weight of elephants of mountainous form.

From the most honoured lips of my father I heard as follows: “In early youth I had taken two or three cups (of wine), and had mounted a full-blooded (mast) elephant. Though I was in my senses, and the elephant in very good training, and was under my control, I pretended that I was out of my senses, and that the elephant was refractory and vicious, and that I was making him charge the people. After that, I sent for another elephant, and made the two fight. They fought, and in doing so went to the head of the bridge that had been made over the Jumna. It happened that the other elephant ran away, and as there was no other escape, he went towards the bridge. The elephant I was on pursued him, and although I had him under control, and ḥe would have halted at the slightest signal, I thought that if I held him back from the bridge the people would regard those drunken ways (of mine) as a sham, and would believe that neither was I beside myself, nor was the elephant violent and headstrong. Such pretences on the part of kings are dis­approved of, and so after imploring the aid of God—Glory be to Him—I did not restrain my elephant. Both of them went upon the bridge, and as it was made of boats, when­ever an elephant put his forefeet on the edge of a boat, half of it sank, and the other half stood up. At each step there came the thought that the lashings might give way. People on seeing this were overwhelmed in the sea of perplexity and alarm. As the care and guardianship of the Great and Glorious God is ever and in all places the protection of this suppliant, both elephants crossed the bridge in safety.”*

On Thursday, the 25th, a wine-feast was held on the banks of the Mahī, and some of my intimate servants who had admittance to such assemblies had their hearts delighted by brimming cups and ample favours. Certainly it was an entrancing halting-ground. I stayed here four days for two reasons—first, because of the beauty of the spot, and secondly in order that the people might not be confused in crossing the river.