340 
W. Irvine —The Later Mugrkals. 
[No. 4, 
language and harsh expressions, things being said which had better been 
left unsaid. In his rage Farrukhsiyar shouted : “ If I am a true son of 
“ ‘Azim-ush-shan and a real descendant of the Lord of the Conjunctions 
“ (i.e. Taimur), I will impose retribution for these uncalled-for deeds 
“ and this unmeasured audacity. I will have the lands of the Barhah 
“ploughed by asses, and mice thrust into the trousers of their women.” 1 
Qutb-ul-mulk grew furious, and venting his wrath in disrespectful 
words, left the Diwan-i-khas for the guard-room ( pe-shkhanah) of the 
Diwan-i- l ala , and turned out seven hundred of 1‘tiqad Khan’s horsemen 
who were still on guard at the Khizri, or water-gate of the palace, and 
the rest of A jit Singh’s men. He saw now that if they were to save 
themselves, extremities must be resorted to, for as Sa’di has said ; 
“ When a snake touches the foot of the villager, he withdraws it and 
“ breaks the snake’s head with a stone.” 2 As soon as the minister had 
left his presence, Farrukhsiyar turned upon I‘tiqad Khan and poured 
out on him angry abuse and reproach. We are told that I‘tiqad Khan 
had ventured to object to delivering the keys of the gate to the 
Sayyads. This aroused Farrukhsiyar’s anger, and turning to him he 
exclaimed: “ 0 wretched man ! all this calamity has come on me by 
“ reason of you. This moment, when I am a prisoner in their hands ? 
“ you choose as the time for giving contrary advice.” The Emperor 
ordered him to be turned out of the palace. I‘tiqad Khan, seeing that 
things had assumed for him a different complexion, hurried away to 
his own dwelling, as already stated. 8 
Farrukhsiyar now began to cool, and addressing Zafar Khan said: 
“ Bring back ‘Abdullah Khan by any means you can ; I will do all that 
“ he demands.” Zafar Khan replied : “ The opportunity has been lost ; 
“ the only thing is for your Majesty to go to him in person.” Far¬ 
rukhsiyar refused. Then full of mingled rage and fear, he quitted the 
window of the Privy Audience Chamber and entered the female apart 
ments. The queens and the concubines crowded round him, the Turk!: 
and Habshi women were told off to guard the doors, and the night was 
passed “ in supplication and lamentation before the throne of the 
Eternal.” Qutb-ul-mulk had turned Zafar Khan out of the fort, and 
1 ‘ Ibratndmah, Kam Raj, 66a. Yoking donkeys in a plough and driving them 
over the ruins of a captured fort was a well-known practice. See Elliot “ Supp, 
Gloss. ” under Gadhe led hal, or Donkey plough. The practice was known to the 
Tamils in early times, see Dr. G. N. Pope’s article in R. A. S. Journal, April, 1899, 
p. 252 : “ Asses are yoked to plough up the soil with spears, while worthless plants 
“ are sown on the foundations. Thus rages the conquering king.” 
* Az an mar bar %>ae ra‘i zanad , Jcih tarsad, sar-ash, rd ba-lcobad ba-sang. 
3 Kam Raj, ‘ Ibratnamah , 66a. Khafi Khan, II, 807, Yahya Khan, 124b, Muham- 
mad Qasim, 237. 
