126 Baddoni and his Works. [No. 3, 



The mistake which 'Abdul Qadir made in the very beginning, and 

 which he would not rectify, though even advised by Akbar himself, 

 consisted in this, that he preferred for his services a grant of land 

 (madad i ma'asK) to having his name entered on the list of the army 

 (dagh kardan). These were the two roads for young, ambitious men at 

 the time of Akbar. But ' joining the army' had in those days a 

 different meaning from what it now has. A civil service did not exist : 

 every servant of the government, or rather every servant of the king, 

 was on the rolls of the army, and though perhaps in civil employ, 

 was liable to field service, and had to keep up a contingent of horses 

 and beasts of burden, which at stated times were mustered by Akbar. 

 The custom then obtained to brand the animals {dagh kardan) at 

 each muster, after which the troopers got their pay from the 

 treasury, and the officers received their assignments on the revenue 

 of the districts where they were stationed. A young man, therefore, 

 on joining the service of the emperor, got a commission as Dahbdshi 

 (commander of Ten), or as Bisti (commanded of Twenty), to which 

 offices salaries of Rs. 100 and lis. 135, respectively, were attached. 

 Promotion was rapid and depended upon personal exertions. 



'Abul Qaclir, however, did not care for the ' brand' of the emperor. 

 Mir Sayyid Muhammad, the Mir 'Adl of the empire, strongly advised 

 'Abdul Qadir to join the army. " Young man," said he, " do not run 

 after a grant of land, and do not submit to the insolence of the Qadrs 

 (III, p. 75). Take the brand of the emperor ; see only how grand 

 and proud His Majesty's officers are." " As I would not listen," said 

 'Abdul Qadir, subsequently, " I had to see what I saw and had to 

 suffer what I suffered." 



Abulfazl at once submitted to the dagh ; and whilst 'Abdul Qadir, 

 when he wrote his history, had to struggle hard for the retention of 

 the one thousand UgliaTis of land which Akbar had granted him, his 

 younger school comrade was prime minister of India, and was in 

 receipt of a salary of Rs. 14,000 per mensem. 



About a year after his introduction to Akbar, 'Abdul Qadir ' on 

 account of the beauty of his voice,' was appointed Court Imam for 

 Wednesdays (II, pp. 206, 226). As such, like the Imams of the 

 other six days, he had to be present at the five daily prayers. The 

 Eunuch Daulat Hazir, whose duty it was to call 'Abdul Qadir, when 



