The Moghul Page 12

  CHAPTER NINE

  The two _chitahs _tensed at the same instant and pulled taut thechains on their jewel-studded collars. They were tawny, dark-spottedIndian hunting leopards, and they rode in carpeted litters, one on eachside of the elephant's back. Each wore a brocade saddlecloth signifyingits rank, and now both began to flick the black-and-white striped tipsof their tails in anticipation.

  Prince Jadar caught their motion and reined in his dun stallion; thebright morning sunshine glanced off his freshly oiled olive skin andhighlighted the crevices of his lean angular face and his tightlytrimmed short beard. He wore a forest-green hunting turban, securedwith a heavy strand of pearls, and a dark green jacket emblazoned withhis own royal crest. His fifty-man Rajput guard had drawn alongside,and their horses tossed their heads and pawed impatiently, rattling thearrows in the brocade quivers by each man's saddle.

  Then Jadar spotted the _nilgai_, large bovine Indian deer, grazing in aherd upwind near the base of a low-lying hill. With a flick of his handhe signaled the keepers who rode alongside the to begin removing theleopards' saddlecloths. He watched as first the male and then thefemale shook themselves and stretched their paws in readiness.

  "Fifty rupees the male will make the first kill." Jadar spoke quietlyto Vasant Rao, the moustachioed young Rajput captain who rodealongside. The commander of the prince's personal guards, he was theonly man in India Jadar trusted fully.

  "Then give me two hundred on the female, Highness."

  "A hundred. And half the hides for your regiment's shield maker." Jadarturned toward the waiting keepers. "Release the female. Then count to ahundred and release the male."

  In moments the _chitahs _were bulleting toward the unsuspecting deer,darting from bush to bush, occasionally kicking up dust with theirforefeet and hind legs to create camouflage. Then, as they approachedthe final clearing, they suddenly parted--the female to the north, themale to the south. Seconds later, as though on some private signal, thefemale sprang. She seemed to cover the remaining twenty yards in lessthan a second, and before the _nilgai _realized she was there, she hadalready pawed down a bleating straggler.

  The striped ears of the other _nilgai _shot erect at the sound, and theherd panicked, sweeping blindly away from her--and directly toward thecover where the male crouched. He waited coolly, and then, as the deerdarted by, pounced.

  What followed was a fearsome devastation, as he brought downone after another of the confused prey with his powerful claws.

  "The female killed first, Highness. I assume our bet was in gold coins,not silver." Vasant Rao laughed lightly and turned to study thebrooding man at his side. Can it be true what many suspect about theprince? he again found himself wondering. That he choses his strategyfor a campaign from the final hunt of his _chitahs_!

  But what strategy is left for us? The Deccanis have already reclaimedthe city of Ahmadnagar, deep in their territory, and once again made ittheir rebel capital. They drove the Moghul garrison north to the fortat Burhanpur, and now they threaten that city as well, the mostimportant station in the vital route between Agra and Surat. We haven'tthe men and horse to turn them back. Not this time.

  This was Prince Jadar's second campaign in the Deccan, India's revolt-torn central plains, which lay far south of Agra and east of the portof Surat, and the second time he had led his army to regain cities lostto Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian adventurer and military genius whoperiodically rose to lead the Deccan against Moghul rule. The Deccanhad never been secure, even under the Moghurs father, Akman, but underArangbar it had become a burial ground of reputation. One of theMoghurs finest generals, whose dispatches from Ahmadnagar, only theprevious year, had boasted that the Deccan was finally subdued, nowcowered in the fortress at Burhanpur. Arangbar had no choice but tosend Jadar again.

  "Did you see how they planned their attack?" Jadar fingered the edgesof his short beard, then pointed. "She drove them toward his trap. Byattacking the weak, she frightened the strong, who flew to their doom."

  "We're not facing _nilgai_, Highness." Vasant Rao shifted in his saddleto face the prince and shielded his eyes against the sun. "And ourposition is much worse than on the last campaign. This time we haveonly eighteen thousand men, all encamped here at Ujjain, all weary totheir bones from our siege at the Kangra, north in the Punjab, and thenthe long march down country. While Malik Ambar waits rested and securein Ahmadnagar, his own capital, a two months' march south."

  "We'll bring Ambar to terms just as before, three years ago. By fear."

  Jadar watched as the keepers began measuring the rations of meat toreward the _chitahs_. And he reflected over the secret envoy receivedearly that morning from the commander of the fortress at Mandu, thenorthern outpost of the Deccan. . . .

  "Your Highness is respectfully advised the situation is worse, muchworse, than told in the reports sent by Ghulam Adl." They were alone inJadar's tent and the envoy was on his knees, prostrate, terrified athis obligation to bring ill tidings to the son of the Moghul. GhulamAdl was the general in charge of the Deccan, who had abandonedAhmadnagar to Malik Ambar and retreated north to Burhanpur. Hisofficial reports still maintained an air of bravado, claiming a fewreinforcements were all that was required to drive the rebels to finalextinction.

  "We have asked Ghulam Adl for troops to help defend Mandu, but hecannot leave Burhanpur," the envoy continued. "The Deccanis havesurrounded the city, but they do not trouble themselves with a siege.They know he cannot move. So they have sent eight thousand lightcavalry, Maratha irregulars, north across the Narbada River to plunderoutlying districts. They are approaching Mandu, and will be at thefortress within the week."

  "Why doesn't Ghulam Adl call up troops from among the _mansabdars_.They've all been granted their annual allowance for maintenance ofcavalry."

  _Mansabdars _were nobles of the Moghul empire who had been given rankby the Moghul and were allowed to collect revenue from a specifiednumber of estates and villages, allotted lands called _jagirs_, as areward for service and loyalty. They collected taxes for the Imperialtreasury in Agra, which allowed them a portion to maintain cavalry andequipage at the ready. Assignment of a _jagir _always carried theresponsibility of maintaining a specified number of troops and cavalry,which they were obliged to muster when requested by the Moghul.

  "The _mansabdars_ have no men to muster, may it please Your Highness."The envoy's face was buried in the carpet, showing to Jadar only thedust-covered back of his turban. "Conditions have been severe over thepast year. Crops have been bad, and many _mansabdars _could not collecttaxes because of the Deccani raids. Many have not paid their cavalryfor over a year. The _mansabdars _still feed the horses that have beenbranded and placed in their care. But they have not fed the men whomust ride. Most of those have returned to their villages. There can beno army without coin to lure them back. The _mansabdars _are fearful ofMalik Ambar now, and many have secretly agreed with him not to mustereven the troops they still have."

  "How many Deccani troops are encamped around Burhanpur?"

  "Our spies report as many as eighty thousand, Highness. Ghulam Adldares not leave the fort in the center of the city. He has no more thanfive thousand men still remaining loyal, and his supplies are short."

  Jadar had ordered immediate solitary confinement for the envoy, lestthe news reach the camp. Now, watching his _chitahs _feed, hecalculated his next move.

  I have to requisition silver coin from the treasury at Agra, and hope asupply caravan can still get through. In the meantime I'll muster theremaining cavalry from the _mansabdars_, on the threat their _jagirs_will be confiscated if they fail to deliver. It won't raise many men,but it will slow defections.

  But if we're to recall the men still loyal, we must have silver. Toraise the thirty thousand men we need, men who've not been paid for ayear, will require at least five million rupees, fifty _lakhs_. I musthave it by the time we reach Burhanpur. If we can hold that city, wecan raise the army from there.

  "Malik Ambar sued for peace three years
ago because his alliance cameapart." Vasant Rao spoke again, watching Jadar carefully, knowing thatthe prince was deeply troubled, had imprisoned a courier that verymorning for which there could only be one reason--then released pigeonsthat flew north.

  "And his alliance will come apart again. If we sow enough fear." Jadarseemed annoyed at the delay as the waiting _chitahs _were re-harnessedand the last carcasses of blue _nilgai _were loaded onto the ox-drawnwagons for return to the camp. "You still haven't learned to think likea _chitah_."

  Jadar signaled the hunt was finished and wheeled his horse back towardthe camp. Vasant Rao rode a few paces behind, asking himself how longthat regal head would remain on those royal shoulders.

  You're threatened now on every side. You cannot be as oblivious as youseem.

  He thought back over Prince Jadar's career. Of the Moghul's four sons,Prince Jadar was the obvious one to succeed. Jadar's elder brotherKhusrav had been blinded by the Moghul years before for attempting apalace revolt. Jadar's brother Parwaz, also older than the prince, wasa notorious drunkard and unacceptably dissolute, even by the laxstandards of the Moghul's court. And Jadar's younger brother, Allaudin,was the handsome but witless son of a concubine, who well deserved hissecret nickname, Nashu-dani, "the good-for-nothing." Since there was nolaw in India that the oldest must automatically succeed, power devolvedto the fittest. Only Jadar, son of a royal Rajput mother, could lead anarmy, or rule India. Among the Moghul's four sons, he was the obvious,deserving heir.

  But ability alone was never enough to ensure success in the mire ofpalace intrigue. One must also have a powerful friend.

  For years Prince Jadar had the most powerful friend of all.

  The grooming of Jadar for office had begun over five years earlier,when he was taken under the protection of Queen Janahara. She had madeherself the guardian of Jadar's interests at court; and two years agoshe had induced the Moghul to elevate Jadar's _mansab_, his honoraryrank, to twelve thousand _zat_. In income and prestige he had soaredfar beyond his brothers.

  As is always the case, Jadar was expected to repay his obligation. Onthe day he ascended to the throne and assumed power from the ailing,opium-sotted Arangbar, he was expected to share that power with QueenJanahara.

  But their unofficial alliance had begun to go wrong. Very wrong. Andwhat had gone wrong was the most obvious problem of all. Jadar hadlived half his life in army camps, fighting the Moghul's wars becausehe was the only son who could fight them, and he no longer saw anyreason to relinquish his battle-earned inheritance to the queen.

  What will the queen do? Vasant Rao asked himself again. I know she hasturned on the prince. I know she tried to marry her Persian daughter toJadar's blinded brother Khusrav, but Jadar discovered this and demandedKhusrav be sent out of Agra, to be kept in confinement by a raja loyalto the prince. But the queen is still in Agra, and sooner or later shewill produce another successor, a creature she can dominate. Her taskwill be easy if Jadar fails in this campaign.

  "I have reports Maratha irregulars may be at the fort at Mandu within aweek." Jadar broke the silence between them as they rode. The noisyRajput horsemen rode discreetly well behind, cursing, laughing,wagering. The flawless blue sky seemed to cloud as Jadar spoke. "Tellme what you would do?"

  "Strike camp and march south. We have no choice."

  "Sometimes you Rajputs show less wit than your monkey god, Hanumanji."Jadar laughed good-naturedly. "You learned nothing from the hunt today.Don't you see that would merely scatter them? They'll never dare meetus if we march in force. They'll only stage small raids. Harass ourbaggage train. No, we must do just the opposite." Jadar reined in hishorse, turned to Vasant Rao, and lowered his voice. "Think like a_chitah _for once, not like an impulsive Rajput. We'll send a smallcavalry force only--five hundred horse, you will help me pick them--whowill disperse, ride separately, never show their numbers. Like a_chitah _stalks. No supply contingent. No elephants. No wagons. And,after the Marathas have set their siege at Mandu, our cavalry willquietly group and attack their flank. As they fall back, which theyalways do when facing a disciplined unit, the cavalry in the fort willride out in force, forming the second arm of a pincer. And that will bethe last we see of Malik Ambar's famous Maratha irregulars. They'llreturn to pillaging baggage trains and helpless villages."

  "And after that?"

  "We'll march directly on Burhanpur. We should reach it in less than amonth."

  "The Marathas will begin to harass our supply trains as soon as wecross the Narbada River. If they don't attack us while we cross."

  "After Mandu, that's the one thing they will not do. Remember the_chitahs_. The Marathas will never know where our Mandu cavalry may bewaiting in ambush."

  "And when we reach Burhanpur?"

  "We'll make our camp there, and muster cavalry from all the_mansabdars_." Jadar passed over how he intended to do this. "That willbe the end of Ambar's many alliances. We'll have the men we need tomarch in force on the south, on to Ahmadnagar, within the week. AndMalik Ambar will sue for peace and return the territory he's seized,just like before."

  Vasant Rao nodded in silent acknowledgment, asking himself what theprince was withholding. The strategy was far too straightforward forJadar.

  The camp was coming into view now. A vast movable city, it was easilyseveral miles in circuit. Even from afar, however, Jadar's massivecentral tent dominated. It was bright red and stationed in the centerof the _gulal bar_, a restricted central zone almost two hundred yardson the side that formed the focal point of the camp. Behind Jadar'stent, separated by a figured satin partition, were the red chintz tentsof the women, where his first wife, Mumtaz, and her attendants stayed.Directly in front of Jadar's tent was a canopied platform with fourmassive corner pillars, called the _sarachah_, where Jadar held privatebriefings.

  The entire _gulal_ _bar _was sealed from common view by a

  high cloth wall. Near the entrance to Jadar's enclosure was the campartillery, including the cannon, and the tents of the lead horses andwar elephants. Its entry was guarded by mounted horsemen, and next tothese were the tents for Jadar's leopards. Around the perimeter werethe striped tents of the nobles and officers, whose respective colorsflew above for easy identification. And spreading out from eachofficer's tent were the tents of his men, their wives, and theirbazaar. The camp itself was laid out with such consistent precisionthat a soldier might easily find his tent in total darkness, regardlessof where the army might be.

  As Jadar dismounted at the entry to the gulal bar and strode toward histent, his mind sorted through the moves that lay ahead. He had notifiedthe Moghul of the envoy's secret report and asked for five millionrupees in silver coin. It was the price for the Deccan. Surely he couldnot refuse. Arangbar's own administrators, who were supposed to monitorthe mansabdars, were to blame.

  There were also other, new and disquieting, complexities. Word had comethrough Surat only the day before that the Portuguese were secretlyplanning to arm Malik Ambar. Why? It was common knowledge they fearedand hated Jadar, because he distrusted all Christians and said so. Andthey certainly were aware that if he should someday unite the rebel-infested province of Gujarat, where their ports of Daimon and Diu weresituated, he would undoubtedly try to regain these ports for India. Butthey would not dare to openly, or even secretly, support rebels withinthe Moghul empire unless they were sure there would be no reprisalsfrom Agra. Which meant they had powerful accomplices in court.Accomplices who would venture to endanger the empire itself to ruinJadar.

  Whose interests in Agra were served if the Deccan remained in turmoil?If Jadar were kept occupied and harried in the south?

  The question virtually answered itself.

  If this were not perplexing enough, news had arrived two days beforetelling of an incredible incident. Two merchant frigates of anotherEuropean nation, calling themselves English, had appeared off the barof Surat. And humiliated four Portuguese warships. Jadar had releasedpigeons for Surat immediately, ordering that the English be protecteduntil h
e could determine their intentions.

  The dispatch received the following morning, yesterday, reported thathis orders had been timely. A Portuguese ambush of the English as theycame up the Tapti River had been averted, by Rajputs using arrowsstolen from the governor's own guard. And this morning there had beenanother message from Surat, with news that the governor had sent theMoghul a dispatch claiming credit for the action--this only after hediscovered the English captain had gifts for Arangbar!

  But who knew the intentions of the captain of this English fleet? Orthe content of a letter he had brought for the Moghul. Reports saidonly that he was "quartered" in the governor's palace. Where he couldno longer be protected. . . .

  His eunuchs bowed and relayed an urgent message from Mumtaz. His wifebegged to receive His Highness the moment he returned.

  Without entering his own tent, Jadar proceeded through the circle ofguards protecting the women's quarters. Mumtaz was waiting, surroundedby two of her women and the now-constant midwife. She was almost toterm with Jadar's third child. The first two had been daughters. Hisfirst thought when he saw her was that this birth must be male.Merciful Allah, make this a son.

  Mumtaz's gleaming black hair had been tightly braided, and she wore ashawl and trousers of gold-threaded silk. She had a pronounced fondnessfor gold and silk: few other luxuries were to be found in the armycamps that had been her home for most of their marriage. Mumtaz'sfeatures were delicate, with high Persian cheeks, and she was well overthirty--the age at which most Muslim women ceased to interest theirmates. But she had found ways to remain the center of Jadar's life, ifnot dominate it.

  The flash of her eyes told Jadar she was in an extreme temper.

  "Pigeons arrived just after you left. The report from Agra

  is astonishing."

  "What 'report' do you mean? Do you and your women receive my dispatchesnow?"

  "Which are rarely worth the bother. No, I receive my own. From Father."Mumtaz was the daughter of Nadir Sharif, prime minister of the Moghulempire and brother of Queen Janahara. "I had the sense to leave himpigeons for here at Ujjain. And also for Burhanpur . . . which mayprove to be vital for you, assuming that city is not overrun byDeccanis by the time you reach it."

  "What message did Nadir Sharif ever send that wasn't dictated by ournoble queen?"

  "You're a fool not to trust him. But you'd do well to begin. And soon."Mumtaz's eyes snapped momentary fire, matching the hard red jewel onher forehead, and she eased herself slowly onto a well-traveled velvetbolster to lighten the weight of the child. "I think you'll discoveryour many friends may be difficult to find if we ever return to thecapital."

  "Come to the point. I want to see into their tent. They killed welltoday." Jadar was always amused by Mumtaz's temper. He had long agodespaired of receiving proper respect from her. She defied him exactlythe way Janahara defied the Moghul. And he delighted in it. Perhaps allPersian wives were incorrigible. Perhaps it was a racial trait.

  "Very well. You should be pleased to know that His Majesty has alreadyforgotten you exist. He has agreed to the queen's outrageous scheme. Anaffront to sense, but it will be the end of you nonetheless."

  "Agreed to what?"

  "The very marriage I warned you about, but you wouldn't listen. Youwere too clever. Yes, you were brilliant. You sent the wrong brotheraway from Agra. You sent Khusrav, the competent one. You should havesent Allaudin."

  "I don't believe it."

  "I do. And I told you it would happen. The queen has foisted herscrawny offspring, the simpering Princess Layla, onto Allaudin. Butit's the perfect match. The Moghul's youngest son, the notorious 'good-for-nothing,' betrothed to that fumbling little sparrow. Both weak anduseless."

  "What could Allaudin possibly do? Even Arangbar realizes he'sincompetent."

  "But Arangbar will soon be dead. So what he knows won't matter. It'sperfect for the queen. She'll rule them both. In the meantime, she'llmake sure you're nowhere near Agra. Your next appointment will probablybe the Punjab, or perhaps the Himalayas. Where you can chase yak withyour leopards." Mumtaz could scarcely contain her anger andfrustration. "The time will come, and soon, when the Moghul will chancehis twenty glasses of wine and his twelve grains of opium one night toomany. And the next day, while you're somewhere sporting with your_chitahs_, she'll summon her lackey general Inayat Latif and his Bengal_mansabdars _to Agra. And declare Allaudin the next Moghul."

  Jadar was stunned. Allaudin was incapable of anything, except bowing tothe queen's orders like a hand puppet. Once Moghul, he certainly couldnot rule. She would rule for him. Or probably eliminate him entirelyafter a few months.

  So Janahara had finally made her move. To challenge Prince Jadar, theson who had earned the throne, for his rightful place. The battle hadbeen joined.

  "So what do you propose to do? She waited just long enough to trap youin the Deccan." Mumtaz's fury was turning to despair. "If you go backnow, you'll be accused of abandoning Burhanpur. If you march on south,you'll be unable to return for months. And by that time Allaudin willbe married. Father said she has convinced the Moghul to give him apersonal mansab rank of eight thousand _zat _and a horse rank of fourthousand _suwar_. Allaudin, who scarcely knows a bow from a wine bowl,will now have his own cavalry."

  Jadar was looking at her, but he no longer heard.

  This changes everything. There'll be no silver. The queen will see tothat.

  And no silver means no troops can be recalled from the Deccan_mansabdars_.

  Which means we lose the Deccan. But she'd gladly give the

  Deccan to destroy me.

  Jadar looked at Mumtaz and smiled. "Yes, I must do something. But rightnow I'll see my _chitahs _fed." And he turned and strode briskly backtoward his tent.

  A dense mantle of evening smoke enveloped the camp as the threegenerals passed through the entry of the gulal bar. They advanced tothe front of the sarachah platform and halted to wait for Jadar. Eachhad brought a silver cup, as Jadar had instructed.

  All three were seasoned military leaders. Abdullah Khan, a young Moghulwarrior, had been promoted to a rank of three thousand _suwar _afterthe successful siege at the northern fortress of Kangra. Under theprince he had risen from the rank of foot soldier to cavalry, and nowhe commanded his own division. The next was Abul Hasan, a cool-headedAfghan strategist with rank of five thousand _suwar_, who had ledPrince Jadar to his first victory in the Deccan three years before.Finally there was Raja Vikrama-jit, a bearded Rajput of royal blood,who led the Hindus. He scorned matchlocks and fought only with hissword, and he was the bravest man in battle that Jadar had ever known.

  Moments later Prince Jadar emerged through the smoke, carrying hisheavy sword and accompanied by Vasant Rao. A servant trailed after thembearing a crystal decanter of wine and two silver goblets on a tray.

  The prince assumed his seat in the center of the platform and orderedthe servant to place the decanter on a small table by his side. Then hemotioned away the servant and all the surrounding guards.

  "I propose we all take a glass of wine to clear our thoughts. It'sPersian, and I had it cooled in the saltpeter tent especially for thisevening."

  Jadar personally poured wine for each of the men, then filled the twogoblets on the tray for Vasant Rao and for himself.

  "I hereby propose a toast to Ahmadnagar, which Malik Ambar now callshis own capital. And to its recapture within a hundred days."

  The men raised their goblets and drank in silence. Skepticism filledtheir eyes.

  Jadar looked at them and smiled. "You do not agree? Then let me tellyou more. The situation is very bad. How bad even you do not yet know.But battles are more than a matter of numbers. They are a test of thewill to win. That's why I called you here tonight." Jadar paused. "Butfirst, is the wine to your liking?"

  The men nodded silent assent.

  "Good. Drink deeply, for none of us will drink again until we drink inAhmadnagar. Now I will take your cups."

  Jadar reached for each man's cup individuall
y and placed them in a rowalongside the tray, together with his own and that of Vasant Rao. Thenhe laid his own cup on its side on the tray and slowly drew his heavysword from its scabbard. With a fierce swing he sliced the cup in half.Then the next cup, and the next, until all were destroyed. The menwatched him spellbound.

  "Assemble your ranks in the bazaar at midnight. In full battle dress. Iwill address them. And at dawn, we march."

  Jadar rose and as quickly as he had come disappeared into the darkness.

  Battle gear--helmets, buckles, pikes, swords, muskets-- glistened in thetorchlight as Jadar rode a fully armored war elephant slowly down thecenter of the main bazaar. The bristling infantry, arrayed in rows oneither side, watched him expectantly. A midnight muster was unheard of.But rumors had already swept the camp telling of the pending marriageof the queen's daughter to Allaudin. All knew Jadar had been betrayed.And with him, all of them as well.

  Then they noticed carts following him, with barrels of wine fromJadar's tent. When the prince reached the center of the bazaar, heraised his arms for silence.

  For a moment all that could be heard was the neigh of horses from thestables, and the cries of infants in the far reaches of the camp.

  He began in Urdu, a hybrid camp tongue of Persian and

  Hindi, his voice ringing toward Abul Hassan's Muslim troops.

  "Tonight we are many." Jadar paused deliberately. "But in battle themany are nothing. In battle there is only the one. Each of you is thatone." Again a pause. Then he shouted in a voice that carried to the farhills. "Is there a Believer among us tonight who would fight to thedeath for our victory?"

  A roar of assent sounded from the men.

  "Will you swear it? On the Holy Quran?"

  This time the roar shook the tent poles of the bazaar.

  "Is there one who would not?"

  Silence.

  Suddenly Jadar turned to the troops of Moghul lineage andswitched his language to exquisite Persian.

  "Some here tonight swear to embrace death itself for ourvictory. But I know not the will of all. Is there among you a man whowould give his life for us?"

  Again a roar of assent.

  "What man will swear it?"

  The roar seemed to envelop the camp.

  Without pausing, Jadar turned to the Rajput contingent,addressing them easily in their native Rajasthani.

  "Does any among you know how to fight?"

  Cheers.

  "Does any know how to die?"

  More cheers. And then the Rajputs began banging their swordson their bucklers. Jadar bellowed above the sudden dim.

  "I know Hindus cannot take an oath. But if you could, would itbe to fight to the death for our victory?"

  Bedlam seized the camp. And the chant "Jadar-o-Akbar," Jadaris Great, swept through the ranks. Jadar let the chant continue for atime, and as he listened, he saw that Mumtaz and her women had appearedat the gateway of the gulal bar, as he had instructed them. Allactivity had ceased in the camp, and even in the far background thewomen had gathered in the shadows of the tents, listening intently.Then Jadar motioned for silence and continued.

  "Tonight we each will make a pledge. I to you. You to me. First mypledge to you."

  Jadar commanded his elephant to kneel, and he dismounted and walkeddirectly to the waiting wagons containing his wine barrels. He washanded a silver-handled battle axe, and with a powerful overhand swinghe shattered the first barrel. Then he signaled his waiting guard, andin moments every barrel had been axed. The center of the bazaar ranred, and the air was filled with the wine's sweet Persian perfume.

  Then he motioned toward the entry of the _gulal bar _and his womenemerged, followed by an elephant whose _howdah_, the livery on itsback, was filled with silver utensils. When the procession reached theclearing where Jadar stood, the elephant's mahout commanded it tokneel.

  Without a word Jadar walked directly to the _howdah_. As though meetingan enemy in ambush, he suddenly drew his long sword and swung itthrough the livery, leaving a wide gash in its embroidered side. Aglittering array of silver and gold plate, goblets, jewelry poured ontothe ground. With a single motion he sheathed the sword and again tookthe axe.

  While the assembled camp watched spellbound, he quickly, methodically,smashed each of the silver and gold objects into small shreds. Then hebroke the silver handle of the axe and again mounted the elephant.

  "My pledge to you." His voice pierced the stunned silence of the campas he repeated each sentence in three languages. "My pledge to you isnot to touch wine, not to lie with women, not to look on silver or golduntil we have taken Ahmadnagar."

  The camp seemed to come apart with the cheer that followed, and againcame the chant "Jadar-o-Akbar," "Jadar-o-Akbar." The sound was as onevoice, and now even the distant hills echoed back the sound. AgainJadar stopped them.

  "Your pledge to me must be the same. And together we will takeAhmadnagar in a hundred days. By the head of the Prophet I swear it toyou."

  Again the chant. And again Jadar stopped them.

  "Tonight I offer to fight for you. You must be ready to fight for me.And each must hold the other to his pledge."

  More cheers.

  "I have spilled my wine. I will stay apart from my women. I havesmashed my gold and silver. I will give it to you. Each tent will havea shard. But my eyes must never see it again."

  The roar of approval was deafening.

  "That is my pledge. You must also give me yours. Leave your women intheir tents and lie beside me under the stars. Empty your wine flasksinto the Narbada River as we cross. As your oath to fight to the death.And all your silver, that of your vessels, that on your saddles, thaton your women, must be brought here tonight. Mark it with your seal,and leave it under guard in my own wagons, away from all eyes, untilthe day we reach Ahmadnagar. Then we will drink wine, we will havewomen, we will wear our finest in victory."

  Jadar paused dramatically. "Tonight we are many. Tomorrow we are one.We march at sunrise!"

  The cheers began again, and immediately the pile of silver started togrow. Muslim nobles began bringing silver-trimmed saddles, plates, evenjewelry. But the most silver came from the Hindu infantry, as theirwomen were stripped of the silver bracelets and massive silver ankletsthat had been their dowries.

  Jadar sat unmoving on his elephant as the men began to come forwardwith items of silver. Soon there was a line stretching into the dark ofthe tents. He watched the pile growing, and his calculations began.

  Will it be enough? The weight must be enough or the Shahbandar,motherless thief that he is, will never agree. But I think we will haveit.

  He thought back over the plan. It had required almost the entireafternoon to refine. But when he had convinced himself that it wouldsucceed, he had posted the pigeons to Surat.

  Where, he had asked himself, can I find fifty lakhs of silver, fivemillion rupees, within a month, and have them at Burhanpur when wearrive? I'll not squeeze a copper _pice_, penny, from Agra.

  If not Agra, where?

  And slowly in his mind a form had taken shape. He had

  examined it, almost touched it, puzzled over it. And then he knew whatit was.

  The mint at Surat. Where foreign coin is melted and recast as rupees.Fifty lakhs of silver rupees would scarcely be missed. Especially ifthe Shahbandar would allow his minters to work a normal day. Thebacklog of foreign coin he holds unmelted, creating an artificialshortage of silver, would easily cover fifty lakhs of rupees. I needonly borrow what I need, and with it buy back into service the cavalryI need to reclaim the Deccan.

  The Shahbandar.

  But will he do it?

  He will. If I can show him collateral.

  I don't have enough collateral. Not in my own funds. Not even in thelocal treasuries.

  But there must be enough silver in eighteen thousand tents to assemblefive million rupees.

  I will hold it, and give him a note of obligation using it ascollateral. If we reach Ahmadnagar, I will squeeze the five millionru
pees many times over from every traitorous _mansabdar _I do not hang.I will confiscate their _jagir_ estates and let them buy them back. Ican easily confiscate enough to return the Shahbandar his loan, andthen my men will have back their silver.

  If we do not reach Ahmadnagar, it will be because we are dead. So whatwill it matter? We will make an oath to reach the city or die.

  Only one problem remains.

  How to move the coin from Surat to Burhanpur. Secretly. No one mustknow where it came from or that it's being transferred. But a trainwith fifty lakhs of rupees must be heavily guarded. And the guards willbetray its value.

  Unless there can be some other reason for a heavily guarded train fromSurat to Burhanpur. A reason that would not automatically evokesuspicion. Possibly a person of importance. Someone whom all Indiaknows cannot be touched. Someone important to the Moghul.

  And then the perfect answer came. The most obvious answer of all. Whowill soon be traveling from Surat to Burhanpur, en route to Agra, undersafe conduct of the Moghul? The Englishman.

  The infidel _feringhi _need never know. That with him will be thesilver that will save Prince Jadar.