The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-01
A GREAT MOGUL EMPRESS.

A GREAT MOGUL EMPRESS.
An Indian Bathshcba Whose Husband
Played the Part OF Uriah.
Moor Mahal was the daughter of Ak
bars lord high treasurer. He and his
wife were Usbegs, whose early life had
been passed amid the hardships and per-
lis of central Asia. In the Winter of
1890 the lord treasurer's wife and daugh-
ter visited Akbar's principal wife. Min
rul Nissa, "the sun of womeu," born in
the wilderness during her parents jour.
ney to India, was at that time in the full
bloom of girlish beauty, happiness and
prosperity.
''She was clothed in glistening gaaze
and satin, dancing the dance. of her ma.
tive land, and singing the songs of Balkh
X Poor Mahal's beauty was not the
mere surface beauty of form and color, OF
which men tire in week it was more
ethereal attraction. You hardly knew
in her whether you admired body or spir.
it. She had tall figure, a cypress waist,
awalk more free aud indepent than most
women-a walk acquired from her moth.
er, and rare amoag the shuffling steps OF
women reared in the harem. Her head
was small and proudly carried on her
shoulders, which sloped with pleasing
curves. She had small oval face, with
regular features, Her every movement
was unstudied grace; her every look
thought. She had dark, almond. shaped
eyes-eastern eyes, with their finely-pen-
ciled eye brows. They were hazel eyes,
large and soft as those of a gazelle-eyess
that showed every movement of the soul
within, that lighted up brightly when
she was pleased, that bad iar,away,
misty look when sle thought, and that
flashed and kindled when she was angry,
which was rare"
Moor Mahal was engaged to a young
Persian, Shere Afghan, the richest, most
accomplished, and most powerful noble
at the court of Akbar. The prospect OF
this match ought to have satisfied. one
would have thought, the most ambitious
girl, but it did not satisfy Moor Mahal;
She coveted royal rank, and she loved and
was beloved by Prince Selim, the Empe-
ror's son. He besought his father to an
nul Moor Mahals engagement, but the
Emperor was too just to accede the re.
quest. The girls father also was opposed
to giving his daughter to Prince Sellm,
drunken, debauched, cruel, ferocious,
and given to violent bursts of rage, AS
to Shere Afghan little rocked he OF the
Princes rivalry or of the danger which
might ensue, and he would have been
bold man who dared to propose to him
that he should break off the match. The
marriage accordingly took place when
Shere Afghan was only Is, and his bride a
few years younger. When on the we'd
ding day Moor Mahal was first seen uu'
veiled by her noble hearted hus-
band, her only remark was, "How
hideous is thy black skin, Persian cap.
The sooner thou art attired in q more
courtly and manly attire the better"
"Fie upon thee, child" cried her mother,
scandalized; j. @what an ~ unmanaerly mann my
love is sweeter than raisins," answered
the bridegroom, gallantly.
Years passed away, and SelIm ascend
ded the throne under the tile of Jehang'
ire, A cruel prosecutor he proved to his
successful rival. On one occasion he con-
trived combat between Shere Afghan
unarmed and tiger. The heroic Per
sian, though desperately wounded in the
struggle, slew the tiger. On another &C.
casion, at the instigation of the Emper-
or, an elephant was driven to crush l!lm
as he passed in his litter wounded. With
one stroke of his sword the destined vic
tim cut off the elephants trunk. Once
again forty assassins were sent to MUIR
der him in his bedroom. Half of lis as.
sailants he disabled; the remainder fled.
To avoid further attempts on his life he
returned to his vast estates in Bengal.
Jehangire appointed new governor, with
express orders to slay Shere Afghan, and
this time valor availed not.
"Shere Afghan was paying friendly
visit to the new governor, and he had but
two servants with him when he was sud
denly attacked. He killed six men with
his own hand, the treacherous governor
being the first man who fell to his aveng-
ing sword. Seeing that he must be borne
down by numbers, he invited his assail-
ants severally to single combat but he
begged in vain. Then Returned his face
toward the sun, and taking some dust in
his hands, in lieu of water, thew it, by
way of ablution, over bis head, and stood
seemingly unconcerned. Six bullets en-
tered his body in different parts before he
fell. His enemies had scarcely the cour
age to come near him until they saw him
in the agonies of death"
With Indecent haste Jehangire imme.
diately married the widow of his VIC
tim, still beautiful and attractive in eve.
nv respect. With curious Inconsistency
he, however, refused to see, when she ar:
rived at Agra, the woman whom be had
so ardently loved, and to win whom he
had stained his soul with 50 foul murder.
For four years she remained in the zen.
ana, meanly lodged, and never once visi-
ted by the Emperor, who vas even wont
to turn away with a shudder at the mere
mention of her name. This extraordina-
nv neglect, the authoress declares, "was
not dictated by caprice. The redeeming
features of his character, cruel and drunk
en- as he was, was an occult love of truth
and Justice" The deserted beauty bore
her i'll fortune with apparent equanimity.
She occupied her time in designing and
causing her slaves to execute the most
exquisite embroidery. "She showed her
artistic and inventive genius, not only
in embroidiries, but also in planning new
iewelry and in painting silk. No one in
the seralgia who would be in the fashion
thought of adorning herself
except in the work of Moor Mahal and
her slaves" She also displayed the most
perfect tact and powers of conciliation.
The consequence was that she became ex.
tremely popular, and the palace rang
with "reports of her witty sayings, her
sweetness, her amiability, her extraordi-
nary hnantv and the woudrous hanginps