SULTAN MAUZAM'S ADVENTURE. 191 



lion was occasionally hunted without these pre- 

 cautions. Bernier gives us a remarkable instance. 

 Aurungzebe, who was gratified by displays of 

 personal courage, and who had distinguished him- 

 self when a youth by attacking an elephant single- 

 handed, commanded his son, Sultan IVlauzam, in a 

 full assembly of omrahs, to kill a lion which had 

 descended from the mountains, and was then laying 

 waste the surrounding country. The grand master 

 of the hunt ventured to hope that Sultan Mauzam 

 might be permitted to avail himself of those capacious 

 nets which are ordinarily made use of in so perilous 

 a chase. " He shall attack the lion without nets," 

 sternly replied the king, " when I was prince I 

 thought not of such precautions !" An order given 

 in so decisive a tone could not be disobeyed. The 

 Prince declined not the fearful undertaking, lie 

 encountered and overcame the tremendous beast, 

 with the loss of only two or three men ; some 

 horses were mangled, and the wounded lion bounded 

 on the head of the Sultan's elephant." 



