Siddha reached the Mosque at the appointed time, and had not waited long before he saw the servant approach and sign to him to follow her. She led him through different side-paths until they reached a high garden wall, in which there was a small door. She opened this, and carefully shut it again, after they had entered. A path thickly bordered with cactuses and other plants led him to a kind of terrace with orange-trees and fountains, on which the back part of a small but tasteful house opened; the rest of it being hidden by thickly growing trees. Siddha’s guide led him up a flight of marble steps and through a gallery to an apartment open to the fresh air, and having left him she disappeared “Noble lord,” she said,—and if the impression she had already made on Siddha had been unfavourable, the sweetness of her voice would at once have won him to her,—“I thank you for so speedily fulfilling my request. Perhaps it seems a little indiscreet; but when you hear the reasons, I trust you will not think harshly of me.” “To refuse such an invitation,” answered Siddha, “would indeed have been uncourteous; though I confess I did not await the time with the impatience I should have done, noble lady, had I known whom I should meet.” Acknowledging this compliment with a slight inclination of her head, she continued,—“My excuse is, that no personal reason made me take this step, but the affairs of another, of a friend of mine, whom I love with all my heart. Some time ago she was forced to fly from Agra to escape the snares laid for her by powerful persons here, and sought a refuge in your country, in Kashmir. Now I have a communication to make to her which may be of great importance; but until now I could think of no means of sending safely to her, as I do not trust any of the messengers at my disposal. Then I heard accidentally, it does not signify how, that you with your former tutor had arrived in Agra, and that the guru would shortly return. I at once saw that I could not do better than trust in the honour of a nobleman whose name was well known to me, and so determined on begging you to ask your friend to undertake the delivery of my letter, in which I inform my friend of many things that are only of importance to her; and I trust my request will not inconvenience you or the worthy Kulluka.” At these words, Siddha’s first feeling was one of relief. So, then, the whole affair merely consisted in taking charge of an apparently innocent letter, and which, at any rate, did not concern him. But with his satisfaction At a sign from the lady the servant appeared, bringing her a paper folded in the form of a letter, and fastened with a silken cord, bearing a seal. “The direction, as you see,” she said, as the servant left the room, “is not to my friend, but to some one whom perhaps you know.” “Certainly,” answered Siddha, “we have often hunted together.” “He will deliver the letter, and so your friend Kulluka will not know who the real recipient is; for I think it is better that as few as possible should share the secret. I hope,” she continued, after a moment’s silence, “that my friend will profit by what I tell her. Indeed I pity her greatly in her banishment, though at times I almost envy her the opportunity she enjoys of visiting your beautiful country, of which I have read such glowing descriptions. But tell me frankly, are not these descriptions a little exaggerated—at least, they are rather poetical?” “Indeed,” answered Siddha, “though my tutor has always warned me against exaggeration as outstepping the bounds of reality and good “But I detain you too long,” she said, at last rising, “and am taking advantage of your kindness. Still, one more request: let our interview, for the sake of my friend, remain a secret between you and me. This short meeting can be of no importance.” “For you, certainly not,” said Siddha; “but for me more than you seem to think.” “I see,” she replied, laughing, “that you Hindus are as well versed as our people in the art of paying compliments. But let us leave that. There still remains something that I should say. I should show myself indeed unworthy of your “And why, noble Rezia, should that not be?” asked Siddha. “I see no reason against it, and possibly I may have things to tell you of the country where your friend now is, that might interest you.” “Well,” answered Rezia, “I will not refuse your friendship; and if some evening you should have an idle hour, I would gladly hear tidings of my letter, and that its charge occasioned no trouble. At any rate, I am sure it has a good chance. No doubt you will meet my servant, and have only to tell her when you will visit me in my solitary dwelling.” “For the opportunity of seeing you again, I When he reached his home he stood for some time in the verandah, busied with thought, gazing on the river that flowed softly below him. Those were the same waters that would bathe the walls of Allahabad fortress, and reflect back the lovely features of Iravati; true, might it not be that the waves would take a greeting to his loving betrothed, and whisper words of love and faith? And he snatched Iravati’s portrait from the wall, and pressing his lips to her image, he seated himself in the gallery; and as he gazed on her, lovelier than ever seemed the features of the noble and beautiful Hindu girl. But as his eyes wandered over the palace and gardens bordering the river, another’s figure appeared before him—the graceful form, the blue eyes, and sweet voice of Rezia the Armenian. What was she to him? Nothing, certainly; but what harm was there even if he found her charming? He had never promised Iravati that for her sake every other woman should appear to him both ugly and unpleasing. “Hallo!” was heard next morning in the courtyard of Siddha’s dwelling. “Is your Before Vatsa could obey the command, Siddha, who was preparing to go out, recognised the cheerful voice of Parviz, AbÚ-l Fazl’s nephew; and hastened to meet and beg him to come in. “Are you on service now?” he asked. “Not for a couple of days.” “That is well. Then perhaps you will come with me for an expedition?” “Very willingly. Where shall we go?” “To FathpÚr Sikri, “I submit myself entirely to your friendly guidance,” answered Siddha; “but excuse me if I leave you for a few moments to say farewell to Kulluka, who is on the point of starting.” He found his tutor in all the hurry of departure, and, as he said farewell, entrusted him with the letter, which Kulluka took without any questions. And before long Siddha and Parviz were mounted and, followed by their servants, on their way out of the town. Their journey was “See,” said Parviz, after they had ridden for some time; “such avenues the Emperor has had planted almost everywhere; and in places where formerly no green leaf was to be seen, and men died of heat, now these shady roads are to be found. Is not this a great and useful work? Certainly every traveller has good cause of gratitude to Akbar.” “Yes, indeed, the Emperor does great things,” answered Siddha—and his thoughts turned to the extraordinary man with whom, yesterday, he had talked of Akbar. And he described to Parviz his strange meeting, and asked if he knew who the person he described could be? “No, I know him not,” said Parviz, with difficulty suppressing a smile; “but perhaps you will meet him again.” “Very likely,” answered Siddha, “But, tell me, how is it that here there are so many people without beards? I always supposed that your Muhammadans thought a great deal of their beards.” “So they do; but Akbar thinks quite differently. A little moustache, like yours and mine, he can put up with, but would rather see nothing at all Agreeing to this proposal they dismounted in the inner court of a farmhouse built of stone and wood, and surrounded by tamarinds and acacias. The proprietor himself soon appeared—a middle-aged, respectable-looking Hindu, with a magisterial air. After the usual greetings, and while fresh fruit and ice-cold water was brought for their refreshment, the conversation naturally turned to agriculture and the great prosperity of the district, although but lately brought under cultivation. “Partly, of course,” said the chief of the village, “we owe the fortunate condition in which we find ourselves to our own labour and exertion; but we owe great thanks to the Emperor, whose “I have heard of his system,” remarked Siddha; “still, to tell you the truth, I am scarcely master of it.” “Yet it is very simple,” replied the Hindu, “and, to one like you, very easy to comprehend. The system rests principally on a wise division of the land, and a just settlement of the taxes on land, and, above all, on the certainty of law and justice, possessed equally by proprietor and tenant. Everything used to depend on arbitrary decisions, and no one knew what he might keep or what he would be obliged to pay; and we chiefs of the villages had to decide what the yearly taxation of the fields should be. Now that is all changed: the fields are correctly measured, their boundaries fixed, and the taxation regulated with reference to their productiveness, according to which they are placed in classes, and rented for a certain number of years. “The same system in any country would lead to the same results,” answered Siddha. “What “We must also be grateful to his councillors,” said the magistrate, “particularly to Todar Mal, “But, worthy sir,” asked Siddha, “is there not danger of these excellent regulations falling to the ground if a less wise prince should ascend the throne?” “I do not believe it,” was the reply. “No despot could easily take from our community such rights when it had once obtained them. You know that our people almost entirely govern themselves by their magistrates, and are thus, to a certain extent, independent of the sovereign. If he attempted to deprive them of their rights he would find that he must wage war against a “What a happy condition of things,” said Siddha, “for both parties.” “But the union of state and people is not much advanced by it,” remarked Parviz, joining in the conversation. “No, that is true,” answered the magistrate. “But do you believe it possible that there can be real unity in a State such as our present Hindustan, where so many and such different races and people are brought together under one rule?” “I acknowledge that it may be difficult; still, it is worth trying for.” The conversation, which was very interesting to Siddha, continued for some time, and then the two friends, taking leave, mounted their horses and continued their journey. A brisk but rather long ride, which obliged them more than once to halt and rest, brought them in sight of the As Siddha and his companion, leaving their horses to the charge of their servants, entered the precincts of the palace itself, the former, though less astonished, was far more delighted than he had been with his first view of Agra. The gardens pleased him more, and were more satisfying to the eye, for here no wrong was done to nature; the paths, instead of being laid out with uniform regularity, followed the unevenness of the ground, and were thickly overshadowed by luxuriant vegetation. And what a magnificent and refreshing view over the neighbouring hills and fields, rich and golden with corn, and over the silver shining river! For some time the two wandered about, sometimes through solitary groves, and then through galleries filled with guards and servants. At last Parviz proposed they should go to the lower town to seek their lodgings, and to obtain better refreshment than had been possible “Excuse me,” said Parviz, “if I leave you for a few minutes. I have to give some papers from my uncle to one of his officers here, and to speak to him about some affairs which will not interest you. He lives close by, and I shall be back immediately. In the meantime you can visit that old temple yonder, surrounded with acacias; or, if you like it better, pay your devotions there.” “Very much obliged,” he answered, laughing; “I scarcely care to do that, but I will willingly visit the temple, and will await you close by.” Siddha had hardly entered the vaulted, dimly-lit building before he recognised it as a temple of Siva by the numerous emblematic ornaments on the pillars, and, advancing a few steps, he saw at the furthest end a kind of hall lighted from above, where was placed a colossal image of the god, seated cross-legged on a lotus, his arms and ancles ornamented with numberless rings, the symbol of the trinity on his forehead, and a necklace of skulls around his neck. Siva was the immortal ruler of the world, creating to destroy, and destroying to create afresh, endless in his manifestation and transformation of being, from whence He had not been long alone before he heard a voice behind him, although the silence was unbroken by any sound of footsteps. “Om,” sounded through the stillness; “Om, the unworthy servant of Siva’s holy consort greets thee, O Moral Force.” Turning to the spot from whence came the voice, Siddha recognised the Durga priest Gorakh, whom he had seen in company with his uncle at Allahabad. “I greet you, holy man,” he said, and awaited what the other should say. “So, then, we have not forgotten each other since our last meeting,” replied the priest. “In truth I have not lost sight of you since I saw you in the neighbourhood of Badrinath.” “Let that be as it will,” answered Siddha, half impatiently; “but I scarcely comprehend, honoured lord, why you should concern yourself about me.” “Should not,” asked the other, “the nephew of “Gurupada?” asked Siddha. “Certainly; he is a hermit living in the mountains.” “Yes; but I mean who he was before he assumed his present name.” “Of that I know nothing—he never alluded to it.” “But your guru, Kulluka, must have told you.” “I never asked him; it was nothing to me.” Gorakh turned a penetrating look towards the speaker; but he would have been no true Indian had his countenance displayed ought but utter indifference. However, irritated by the persistence of his questioner, he proceeded, with less caution, to say, “Even if I knew who and what Gurupada had been, can you not understand that I would not tell you?” “Ha!” cried the Yogi, “you mean you do not trust me. You mean to defy me. Do you remember that I am a friend of the Governor of Allahabad?” “Yes, I know that,” said Siddha, expressing vexation. “What do you know?” “I know what I know, and that is enough.” The priest regarded Siddha with anger, not unmingled with disquietude. What was the meaning of this tone, and what could he really know? Still for the moment the wisest course seemed to be to break off the conversation. “Enough, then,” said Gorakh, “both for you and for me; but bethink yourself, my young friend—though you are so little desirous of my friendship, and I will not force it on you,—think that the mighty goddess, to whose service all my feeble strength is devoted, not only protects but destroys also, and that there is no hope of mercy or chance of salvation for him whom, through her priests, she has chosen out for her service and who has turned from it.” So saying, he disappeared down a side aisle, without waiting for any answer to his mysterious menace. Siddha looked after him with an involuntary feeling of anxiety; and though in reality the Durga priest was alone, yet he almost fancied he could see him followed by a long train of naked bronze figures, with white cords round their necks, just as he had seen him in the dimness of night passing along the wall of Allahabad fortress and vanishing in the jungle. And that night, as he went to rest, he thought it would be as well to question his faithful servant who awaited his orders. “Vatsa,” he said, “at Allahabad you assured me that neither you nor Kulluka’s servant had “I should never have thought of it again, Sir, if you had not brought it to my mind,” replied Vatsa; “but now I remember that near the stable a half-naked, bronze-coloured man once talked with us, and told us much about the town and fortress, and then asked us about our journey.” “And you told him of my adventure with Gurupada’s tiger?” “I believe we did.” “And did you say anything of the hermit and his appearance?” “Certainly,” answered Vatsa. “His venerable and princely bearing had so struck us that we were full of it, and not thinking there was any harm in speaking of it we made no secret of our meeting with him to the stranger.” “Did you describe Gurupada’s appearance exactly?” “I cannot distinctly remember all we said; but I believe we did speak of it.” “There is danger,” murmured Siddha to himself, “and more than danger. The priest naturally learnt enough from his spy about our journey to “I hope we have done no harm by our talk with the stranger,” said Vatsa, disquieted by seeing his young master sunk in thought. “No, no,” he replied; “and even had you done so, it was done unintentionally, and you are not to blame. We ought to have been more cautious, and to have warned you beforehand. But in future, Vatsa, do not speak to any one of the hermit, whoever it may be that asks you; do you understand?” “Perfectly, my lord,” was the answer; “and in future I have never seen the hermit, or even if I have done so, I have entirely forgotten what he was like.” “Nevertheless,” thought Siddha, “it might be as well to warn Kulluka, and even Nandigupta himself. I will try and find a safe opportunity, whether Salhana has anything to do with it, or not.”
The lands of the two first of these classes were divided into best, middling, and bad. The produce of a bÍgah of each sort was added together, and a third of that was considered to be the average produce. One third of this average was the share of the State, as settled by Akbar’s assessment. Remissions were made on the two last classes of land. The Government demand might be paid either in money or kind. The settlement was made for ten years. In Akbar’s reign the land revenue yielded £16,582,440, and the revenue from all sources was £32,000,000. Akbar also remitted many vexatious imposts, including the poll tax on unbelievers, the tax on pilgrims, ferry dues, and taxes on cattle, trees, trade licenses, and market dues on many articles. |