CHAPTER VI
AT COURT
Of course, the messenger never returned from King Humayon with thetoken; but Foster-father was a good-natured man and did not boast of hiswisdom to Head-nurse, who, however, remained wonderfully meek and silentuntil at the end of a fortnight's marching they saw, against the blue ofthe distant valley, the white domes of the town of Kandahar with thecitadel rising above them. Then, with the chance of a court before heronce more, she began chattering of ceremonials and titles andetiquettes.
"Praise be!" she shrilled in her high voice. "No more jiggettings andjoggettings on camel back. I shall be on my own feet once more, and itshall not be my fault if His just dues are not given to theGreat-in-Pomp----" etc., etc.
Foster-mother interrupted the string of titles. "So that they harm notthe child," she said, clasping her charge tight. She was always thinkingof his safety, always alarmed for danger; but he, young Turk that hewas, struggled from her arms and pointed to the hills they were leavingbehind them.
"Dadda, Amma 'way 'way mountains," he repeated once more; then addedcheerfully, "Akka 'way, too."
"It is a prophecy!" said Old Faithful, overhearing the remark. "Surehis grand-dad Baber--on whom be peace--had the gift, and this babe mayhave inherited it."
"May have," echoed Head-nurse indignantly. "He has inherited it, and hasmuch of his own besides. Mark my words! if this child live--which Heavengrant--he will be the King of Kings! Not two summers old and he talks asone of three."
"Aye!" assented Foster-mother, "but he does not walk yet."
Head-nurse sniffed. "Thou are a foolish soul, woman! Sure either thefeet or the tongue must come first, and for my part I prefer the tongue.Any babe can walk!"
And Foster-mother was silent; it was true one could not have everything.
Their last camp was pitched just outside the city of Kandahar, so thatPrince Askurry could make a regular triumphal entry the next morning andlet everybody see with their own eyes that he had come back victorious,holding Baby Akbar as prisoner and hostage.
But this did not suit Head-nurse at all. She had no notion that herHeir-to-Empire should be stared at as a captive; so, though she startedfrom camp humbly as ever on the baggage camel, no sooner had they passedthrough the arched gate of the city with Prince Askurry well ahead ofthem in the narrow streets, than out she whipped the Royal Umbrellawhich she had patched up with an old scarlet silk petticoat, and therewas Baby Akbar under its shadow; and, having--young as he was--beentaught to salute to a crowd, he began waving his little fat hand withmuch dignity, until the people who had come out to gape whispered amongthemselves and said:
"He looks every inch a king's son."
"And that is what he is," said a bold voice in the crowd; but thoughfolk turned to see who spoke, there was no sign of the speaker. Forloyal men had to hide their loyalty in those days. Still the populacewere pleased with the little Prince's bearing, and many a hand wasraised to welcome him.
Before they reached the frowning palace, indeed, where Prince Askurrykept a right royal court as Governor of Kandahar, Head-nurse's mind wasfull of the things she intended to insist upon for the honour anddignity of her small charge. Meanwhile she had to obey the order to takehim at once into Princess Sultanam's apartments. Now Princess Sultanamwas Prince Askurry's wife, and she had a boy of her own who was aboutthree years older than Baby Akbar, and a little daughter who had justbeen born about a month before. So, as she lay among cushions at thefarther end of the long room, with Prince Askurry, who had hurried tosee his wife on his return, beside her, she looked suspiciously at thechild which Head-nurse put down on the Persian carpet as soon as shecame into the room; since though others might carry him to the upstartsat the farther end, _she_ was not going to do so, when _they_ wereclearly bound to come humbly to the Heir-to-Empire and prostratethemselves before him!
So there stood Baby Akbar, fair and square, steadying himself byHead-nurse's petticoats, but for all that looking bold and big andbrave.
Now Princess Sultanam was a kindly foolish woman at heart, much given toimpulses, and the sight of the upstanding little boy made her thinkinstantly what a fine man he would make, and that brought anotherthought which made her sit up delightedly and clap her hands.
"I have it, my lord!" she exclaimed, turning to Prince Askurry. "It is agrand idea! We will betroth our little Amina to this young master. Thatwill settle everything and they will be the handsomest couple in thecountry!"
Now, strange as this may sound to my readers, Prince Askurry, who wasaccustomed to the Indian habit of settling that quite little boys andgirls should marry each other when they grew up, could not help at onceseeing that his wife's suggestion was not such a bad one. It would helphim to keep a hold over the little Heir-to-Empire. If King Humayonreturned it would make him more inclined to forgive, and if he did not,why! it would prevent cruel brother Kumran from stepping in and gettingall, since as father-in-law to the young king he, Askurry, would beRegent.
Still, taken aback, he hummed and hawed.
"It would be a long time to wait until they are old enough to marry," hebegan.
"Long!" interrupted the lively Princess gaily. "All the longer formerriment and festivities. Thy daughter, my lord, is already beautiful,and I'll wager the boy will be a grown man ere we have time to turnround. So that is settled. Therefore come hither, oh nephew! JallaluddinMahomed Akbar, since that is thy long name, and kiss thy cousinAmina--Nurse! bring my sweeting hither. Now then, woman," she continuedsharply, addressing Head-nurse, who stood petrified with astonishmentand anger at the very idea of such scant ceremony. "If the boy cannotwalk, carry him!"
Head-nurse could scarcely speak. To be called "Woman" by an upstart--forPrince Askurry had married Princess Sultanam for her beauty--was toomuch!
"The Feet-of-the-Most-Condescending-of-Majesties," she began pompously,"have not yet conferred happiness on the earth by treading it underfoot,neither----"
Here she broke off hurriedly, for at that very instant, as if in denialof her words, Baby Akbar gave a little crow of assent, let go herpetticoats, and with outspread balancing arms, and legs very wide apart,launched himself boldly for his very first steps!
"_Bismillah!_" (Well done!) shrieked Foster-mother in delight.
"_Bismillah! Bismillah!_" echoed every one in the room, while all eyesfull of smiles were on the stalwart young toddler as he lurched forward,his face one broad grin.
Princess Sultanam clapped her hands again. "Thy turban, my lord!" shecried in a flutter of amusement. "Thy turban, quick; as his father isnot here 'tis thy place to prevent him falling of himself--thyturban--quick! quick!"
Prince Askurry, full of laughter, pulled off the soft turban he wore--itwas all wound round and round to fit the head like a cap--and inobedience to the Indian custom, which always prevents a child fromfalling of itself in its first attempt at walking, flung it full at thelittle lad. It caught him between his outspread balancing arms and overhe went on to the thick pile carpet.
Foster-mother was beside him in a second, eager to snatch him up andcover him with kisses; but Baby Akbar wriggled himself from her hold. Hehad set himself a task and he meant to do it.
"Go way!" he said with determination. "Tumbu down. Get up again."
So, calmly reaching round for the turban which lay beside him, which heevidently thought had tumbled down too, he clapped it on his head withboth hands, rose to his feet and recommenced his forward lurch; a yardor two of the fringed turban, which had become unrolled, trailing behindhim like a royal robe.
It was a quainter little figure than before, but nobody laughed now.They looked at each other, then at the child staggering along under thePrince's plumed turban, then at Prince Askurry himself standingbareheaded before his nephew.
It was an ill omen. And yet as Head-nurse said proudly when they gotback to the rooms that had been given them in a frowning bastion of thepalace, Baby Akbar had once more scored off his uncle.
Indeed, she was so cock-a-hoop about
it that she stickled for this, andshe stickled for that until the attendants, who were at first inclinedto be civil, began to look askance, and Foster-father had to bid herhold her tongue.
"Wise folk leave steel traps alone," he said; "fiddling with them letsoff the spring. Then--pouf!"
He shook his head significantly.
"Steel traps?" echoed Head-nurse sniffily, "who is talking of steeltraps?"
"I am, woman!" replied Foster-father sternly. "I tell you this Kandaharis as a steel trap ready to snap on us at any moment."
Head-nurse was silent, even though he also had ventured to call her"woman"; but she was beginning to learn that nine times out of tenFoster-father was right.