Indian Antiquary Vol 35

SR No.: 032527
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 434
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 195

177
JUNE, 1906.] THE TRAVELS OF RICHARD BELL (AND JOHN CAMPBELL).
The same night they carried my sarvt before the Justice & made him Confesse wt I was and my errand into ye Contrey. He, my sarvt, being a Moore of their Relegion, Confest all. First they butterd or tallowed his feete sooles & tosted them before the fyer, a punishm! vsed in these parts.
Next morninge they sent for me [before] ye Justice, And said, friende, we vnderstande yu are noe spie but a traveller, what we did doe was in suspition. I replied, yu wronged me without cause; I desire yu Justice of yor contrey. Sayd they, get yu gon lest it be worse for yu, And then I was halfe deade wth theire tormts. But they pvided for me a howse wth all nessessarys, in wch staid 4 dayes, & in yt tyme vsed meanes to get a petition to ye Kinge, weh was drawne by ys Justices. Brother in Law, And after psented. I was sent for to ye K: & gave relation of my vsage. He sent fr y Justice & put him out of his place and caused him to haue given 100 Chawbucks [chabuk]-or whips.
The Kinge demanded if I lost ought. I said, noe. Friende, said he, to make yu a mends I give yu a horse and a coate. This Kings name is Mack-Allam-Cawne [Malik Alam Khan] & gaue me a passe & a guide to travell throw his contrey, & order wheere ever I caime not to pay Junct money [juncan, chungam, customs, duties] weh is vsuall for travellers in that Contrey, But I, my boy & 2 horsses went free from yt and horsse meate & mans meate.
Theire was a Lord at ye border of ye pattans [Pathan's] contrey; 200 leagues I had come safe Whout paying ought. This La would not owne my passe, but kept me in pson, And sold me & my Man as A Slave to yo pattans.
I, haueing beane yo Magulls sarv! formerly, had currage by reason this pattan was trebutary to ye Magall. I made way and sent to a La sarvt of ye Magulls, weh knew me. He sent word to Oram Zebb [Aurangzeb], Magull, on weh I was deliverd vp to this Lord whose naime was Abram Caune [Ibrahim Khan], Alla-de-mer Cawns ['Ali Mardan Khan] Sonn.
But they had ham stringd my boy, but my Mistress had mercy for me, & interseded yt I was not, though its ye Custom of those places to doe it, lest theire Slaves run away; I was sent to keepe Sheepe & did for 23 days in a Cammelet Cote, They haueing stript me of my owne Clothes yt sold me.
When I was set free wth my boy, horsses and all other things that I left not a deneer?" or asper,80 I staid 2 mo. wth this La Abram Caune [Ibrahim Khan] & made him 120 Granadoes with other fyer balls, he being to war wth ye Gentues. This service pleased him well, soe as he gaue Me his passe to goe to Candehor [Kandahar], a bordering Citty on y Pertion Cost. When I esime theire, the way was stopt, And I forst to come back 300 Leagues to a Citty calld Cobbull [Kabul], In weh Citty I mett wth the prince Sultan Azam, 2 son to Oram Zebb,81 & 4 of my Contreymen woh was in his army, Gunners. They weere much agreeved heareing ye Relation of my hard travells. The next day I went before yo prinoe, & they wth me, & had liberty to pčeed in my Jurney.
The next Citty I caime to was Lahorr. The Gouerner Mama deme Cawne [Muhammad Amin Khan] toke me vp to serve him, But I refused. He would compell me, wch forst me send to John a badd to my Contreymen theire, who made a petition to ye Mogull, weh got me my liberty. I staid at Lahor 11 Days; ye Minister, Mr Roch, and Mr Robt Smiths did perswaid me give Over my Jurney, it přeing soe Cross to me, But I was resolved to Travell.
TA French money of account, 12 making a sol or sou,
89 A small silver coin, formerly current in Turkey, worth about a halfpenny.
1 Muhammad Mu'aszam was Aurangzeb's second son and A'zam Shah the third. The writer may be referring to either, but, in any case, the reference is an anachronism.
2 As Thomas Roach was Aurangzeb's "chief gunner," he probably used his influence on behalf of Campbell. See ante, p. 140, where Mr. Robert Smith is called "the minister."