Page 132 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

132 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

soil his hands with the business himself, but he was careful
to send in the person of his favourite, Zulfikar Khan, a
competent instrument for the execution of his designs.
In the ordering of this policy Prince Khurrum had at least
the tacit assent of the Emperor. Somewhat earlier Jehangir
had received at Court a representative of the Company
named Edwards, who delivered to him a letter from James
and some new presents, including an English mastiff, which
ji
had distinguished itself on its arrival by “ pinching ” to
death a leopard that was pitted against it. The sporting
Emperor had been greatly impressed with this incident
■ and had received the fierce animal with something like
enthusiasm. But when the novelty of the fighting mastiff
had worn off, and he found that there were no more presents
to be had, he assumed an attitude^of contemptuous indif­
ference towards the Company’s representatives. One
day, when Edwards was a little more importunate than
usual at the durbar, the attendants, with blows and cuffs,
bundled him contumeliously out of the presence, as they
:[]:! might have done some impudent beggar who had trans­
gressed the laws of etiquette.
A circumstance which unquestionably militated against
the English at the Mogul Court was their appearance there
in the character of merchants. India at that period, and,
indeed, still is the most aristocratic country in the world.
Nowhere are social traditions and prejudices more deeply
rooted. Lofty unclimbable walls separate class from class
and race from race. The basis of this rigid system is
Hindu, but its broad essentials—the elevation of the
warrior and priest and the depression of the trader—have
1 been accepted by the Mohammedans, harmonizing as
they do with their own ideals.

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