1869.] Baddoni and his Works. 129 



have been the very first to apply for permission to go." I replied 

 that I looked upon the emperor as the Commander, and had nothing 

 to do with Man Singh ; but I had resolved to go. One day, when His 

 Majesty sat on a high dais in the tomb of Mu'm i Chishti,* to 

 which a ladder was attached, Naqib Khan mentioned my request. 

 " Is he not an Imam," asked the emperor. " How can he go?" Na- 

 qib Khan replied that I was anxious to join a religious expedition, 

 whereupon His Majesty called me and asked whether I was in 

 earnest. I said, I was ; and when the emperor enquired after my 

 reason, I replied, " I wish to make my black whiskers red [with the 

 blood of infidels] in Your Majesty's service." " You may go," said 

 Akbar, "and bring me the news of victory." After this he 

 fell into a reverie, and then prayed devoutly a Fdtihah [the open- 

 ing chapter of the Qoran]. But when from within the dais I 

 tried to shew my gratefulness by touching the feet of His Majesty, 

 he drew them back ; but he called me as I returned from the office of 

 the Diwan, and giving me a handful of Ashrafis (goldmuhurs) — in 

 all fifty-six, — he bade me adieu. On taking leave from Shaikh 'Abdun- 

 nabi, who in those days had become my well-wisher and had over- 

 come the dislike which he had formerly taken to me, he exhorted me 

 not to forget to include him in my prayer before battle ; for accord- 

 ing to a genuine tradition, the Prophet had said that the battle line 

 was the place where man had his prayers heard. I also asked the 

 Shaikh to read a Fdtihah for me. I then got my horse ready and 

 set out with a few friends whose thoughts and plans were similar to 

 mine." 



" The expedition" from the first to the last, was successful. I took 

 the news of victory to Fathpur Sikri, as also the famous elephant of 

 Rana Kika, which to capture had been one of the objects of the 

 expedition." 



Towards the end of 984, 'Abdul Qadir fell ill ; but he afterwards 

 joined Akbar at Dipalptir in Malwah, and accompanied him, in Eajab 



remove Todar Mall. " Have you not each," said Akbar, " a Hindu manager 

 on your estates ? Why do you complain, i-f I do as you do ?" Bad. II 96. 

 In another place, Badaoni says, " The Hindus are indeed mighty fellows j the 

 soil belongs to them, and they have half the army." 



* The great veneration in which Akbar held this saint, explains the inscrip= 

 fcion yd mu'in, helper ! which we find so often on his coins. 



18 



