THE DISCOMFITURE OF FADAI KHAN 203 



yellow of the great Punjab rivers, nor the still 

 green slime of the city tanks, but clear bubbling 

 springs, together with sloping ground, a moderate 

 climate, and every opportunity for a great garden. 

 It is easy to imagine Fadai Khan's delight, and 

 the haste with which he started planning his 

 new country palace. But the neighbouring hill 

 Rajas watched the work with dismay, for they 

 dreaded the coming of the Mughal Court; and 

 feared still more to lose the use of the precious 

 water which irrigated the surrounding country. 



A quaint story still survives, how, when at 

 length the work was finished, and Fadai, came 

 in state to spend his first summer there, his 

 enjoyment of the garden and its beauties was 

 short-lived; for the Rajas quickly frightened 

 him away. In the districts round Pinjor, and 

 in fact all along the foot of the Himalayas, 

 occasional cases of goitre are to be seen ; so 

 from far and wide these poor people were collected 

 by the wily Brahmins, and produced as the 

 ordinary inhabitants of the place. The gardeners 

 all suffered from goitre ; every coolie had this 

 dreadful complaint ; even the countrywomen 

 carrying up the big flat baskets of fruits and 

 flowers to the zenana terraces were equally dis- 



