DELHI. 
45 
ments had been heaped upon him by Akbur, who 
loved to behold in others that daring intrepidity for 
which he was himself remarkable. Jehanghir held 
his court at Delhi at the time when he called Shere 
Afghan to his presence. The doughty chief an- 
swered the royal summons in person, and was not 
only very graciously received with words of welcome, 
but was loaded with new honours ; for being natu- 
rally open and generous, he suspected not the em- 
peror s treacherous intentions. Time, thought he, 
has erased from the mind of Jehanghir all recollec- 
tions of Mher-ul-Nissa. Alas ! how soon was his 
confidence abused ! 
The monarch, being impatient for the accomplish- 
ment of his wishes, determined upon removing his 
rival from his path, without loss of time ; and the 
means to which he had recourse were at once foolish 
and disgraceful. He appointed a day for a great 
hunting expedition, and gave orders to his couriers 
and shiJcarris that they should endeavour to discover 
the haunts of all the most formidable tigers which 
were to be found in the jungul. News was quickly 
brought to him that a tiger of a very extraordinary 
size and of terrible ferocity, which had been for 
many days committing fearful havoc and devas- 
tation in the villages, and had hitherto destroyed 
all the shiJcarris who had arrayed themselves against 
him, now lay concealed in the forest of Nidarbhari. 
So monstrous and powerful a brute was this tiger 
