It Is Thus Easy To Be Seen What Base And Unworthy Men I Have To Deal
With.
For the sordid hope only of buying some toys, Asaph Khan has
become so reconciled to me as to betray his son-in-law, and is
obsequious even to flattery.
The ground of all his friendship is his
desire to purchase the gold taken in the prize, and some other knacks;
for which purpose he desires to send down one of his servants, which I
could not deny without losing him, after having so long laboured to gain
his favour; neither was this any disadvantage to us, as his payment is
secure, and will save us much trouble and charge in selling elsewhere,
especially the wine and other luggage that is apt to spoil in carriage.
For this purpose he obtained an order from the prince under false
pretences, and wrote himself in our favour to the governor of Surat,
doing us all manner of kindness. There is a necessity for his
friendship, as his word is a law in this empire, and therefore I did not
choose to seem to notice his unworthiness. I hope by this procedure to
win him to our advantage, or at least to make our present good use of
him. On this occasion I moved him to procure us a firmaun for trade with
Bengal, which he has promised, though he would never before hearken to
that request. He likewise now prosecutes our debtors as if they were his
own; and in passing the residence of the cutwall on his elephant, he
called upon him to command dispatch, which was a most unusual favour.
Upon this Groo was immediately imprisoned, and Muckshud had only two
days allowed him to pay us. Thus I doubt not that in ten days we shall
recover to the amount of 44,000 rupees, though our debtors are the most
shifting false knaves in all India.
On the 21st, a servant came to me from Asaph Khan, bearing a message
from Noormahal, intimating that she had moved the prince for another
firmaun, which she had obtained, and by which all our goods were taken
under her protection; and that she was ready to send down her servant
with authority to take order for our good establishment, and to see that
we were no way wronged. He said farther, that Asaph Khan had done this,
for fear of the prince's violence, and to guard against his custom of
delays; and that now when the queen his sister had desired to be our
protectress, he was sure the prince would not meddle; and farther
assured me, upon his honour, that I should receive every thing consigned
to me, for which the queen had written the most positive orders, and had
directed her servant to assist our factors, that we might never more
have any cause of complaint at Surat. He desired, therefore, that I
might write a few lines to the captains and factors, directing them to
use the queen's servant kindly, and allow him to buy for her some toys,
such as I could spare.
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