Note 161 — The Thirteenth New Year’s Feast

The Thursday entertainment took place on the bank of the Lake of Fatḥpūr. As the time for entering the town (of Fatḥpūr) was fixed for the 28th, I halted eight days in this place. I ordered them to measure the circumference of the lake,161 and it came to 7 koss. At this stage, with the exception of the revered Maryam-zamānī, who had become very weak, all the Begams and inhabitants of the enclosure of chastity and all the palace employés came out to meet me (istiqbāl). The daughter162 of Āṣaf K., deceased, who is in the house of ʿAbdu-llah K. (i.e., is married to ʿAbdu-llah), s. K͟hān Āʿz̤am, told me a strange and wonderful tale, and strongly insisted upon its truth. I write it on account of its strangeness. She said: “One day in the courtyard of the house I saw a mouse rising and falling in a distracted state. It was running about in every direction after the manner of drunkards, and did not know where to go. I said to one of my girls: ‘Take it by the tail and throw it to the cat!’ The cat was delighted, and jumped up from its place and seized it in its mouth, but immediately dropped it and showed disgust. By degrees an expression of pain and trouble showed itself in its face. The next day it was nearly dead, when it entered into my mind to give it a little treacle163 (tiryāq, opium?). When its mouth was opened, the palate and tongue appeared black. It passed three days in a state of misery, and on the fourth day came to its senses. After this the grain (dāna) of the plague (buboes) appeared in the girl, and from excess of temperature and increase of pain she had no rest. Her colour became changed—it was yellow inclining to black—and the fever was high (tap muḥriq gardīd). The next day she vomited164 and had motions, and died. Seven or eight people in that household died in the same way, and so many were ill that I went to the garden from that lodging. Those who were ill died in the garden, but in that place there were no buboes. In brief, in the space of eight or nine days seventeen people became travellers on the road of annihilation.” She also said: “Those in whom the buboes appeared, if they called another person for water to drink or wash in, the latter also caught the infection (sirāyat), and at last it came to such a pass that through excessive apprehension no one would come near them.”