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48
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1907..
Intizam-ud-daulah spoke: "Whatever treasure there was, my father caused to be buried. "within his mansion. The widow, Shu'lahpuri Begam knows about it." Forthwith the Shah ordered the Begam to be produced. Unable to resist, the poor Begam came to the Hall: of Public Audience in a woman's libter with a dirty cloth thrown over it. There the Shah screened off an enclosed space, and called the Begam to his own presence. He said to her : "Thou art as a sister to me; nor do I wish to shew any disrespect to the family of the "sovereigns of Taimur's line, or to that of their chief minister; you should give up their treasure."
The Begam was shaking and trembling all over, and quite unable to return any answer.. An order was given that if the woman did not tell where the money was, iron nails were to be driven in underneath the nails of her hand. On hearing these words the poor creature lost her senses and fell down in a fit. Then Intizam-ud-daulah and I were called to the presence. The Shah said: "Carry this woman away and place ber on one side. Find out exactly where the-"store of money is."
To make a long story short. After a short time the Begam recovered her senses and said "I am not able to specify the place where the treasure is.. Only this much I know, that what"ever there is of it is buried within a certain mansion." This statement I reported to the Shah.. He directed that the Begam be carried to that spot. One hundred axe-men and twenty nasaqchis were placed on the duty of seeing the ground explored and recovering the treasures. from it.
Thus, for six hours the earth was excavated, and at the end of that time the treasure was hit upon. When it had been counted, it was found to amount to sixteen lakhs in coin.. A report was made to the Shah that this amount of buried treasure had been disinterred.. Since, according to Persian reckoning, one lakh is 30,000 rupees, while by Indian rules 100,000 rupees are called one lakh, the Shah,. following mentally the Persian mode of account, understood that something about one kror of rupees, more or less, had been seized.20
After the recovery of this money, the Shah pardoned all the transgressions of Intizam-uddaulah and conferred on him robes of honour as Wasir, and uttered many apologies in connection with Shu'lahpuri (Begam), Out of the money found he presented ten thousand rupees to the Begam. A general order was given that not a soul should slay, plunder, or oppress. within the city of Shahjahanabad. The Shah rose and retired. to his sleeping apartments.
On that day the slaves-and camp-followers of the Shah had gone out, by way of foraging,. towards Faridabad to bring in water and grass." It so chanced that Kunwar Jawahir Singh, son of Suraj Mall, Jaf, and Shamsher Bahadur, Marhattah, and Anta Mänkher, Marhaṭṭah,. were about that time at fort Ballamgadh with five to six thousand men. They issued from the Ballamgadh fort and, coming upon the foragers, took them unawares, attacked them, and drove away one hundred and fifty horses, while some fifty to sixty of the men were killed. This event was reported to the Shah the same evening..
That very moment the Shah sent for 'Abd-us-gamad Khan, who was the commander of thirty thousand horsemen, and whispered to him: "Without delay take out your men and. "go against the infidels. During the coming night select a hiding-place and go into ambush
The sum was really 53 (Persian) lakhs, and thus not much more than half a kror: 31. Shamsher Bahadur, son of Baji. Bão, Peshwa, by a Muhammadan dancing-girl..
