The Adventures of Akbar

The Adventures of Akbar

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Akbar, by Flora
Annie Steel This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost
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Title: The Adventures of Akbar
Author: Flora Annie Steel
Illustrator: Byam Shaw
Release Date: May 4, 2006 [EBook #18307]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ADVENTURES OF AKBAR ***

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[Transcriber's Note: The following variant spellings used by the author
were retained as printed: Babar/Baber, Sultanum/Sultanam, gray/grey,
Allah/Alâh, meaowed/miaowed.]

THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR

Uniform with this Volume
Price 6/-net each
THE SECRET GARDEN, by FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT,
author of "The Shuttle," etc., illustrated by CHARLES ROBINSON.
THE FOUR GARDENS, by "HANDASYDE," illustrated by
CHARLES ROBINSON.
ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by LEWIS
CARROLL, illustrated by ARTHUR RACKHAM.
ÆSOP'S FABLES, translated by V. S. VERNON JONES, with an
introduction by G. K. CHESTERTON, illustrated by ARTHUR
RACKHAM.
LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN 21, BEDFORD STREET, W.C.

[Illustration: _On a shelving bank of dry sand Baby Akbar sitting up
and rubbing his eyes._]

THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR
by
FLORA ANNIE STEEL
ILLUSTRATED BY BYAM SHAW
LONDON · WILLIAM HEINEMANN · 1913

All rights reserved

A DEDICATION
Oft when the house lay silent in the heat My thoughts would be so full
of you, my sweet, That dreaming half--I seemed to hear once more
Your little fingers fluttering at the door, The pitter patter of your
childish feet In joyous rhythm cross the echoing floor.
Then small, soft hands would nestle into mine, And warm soft arms
around my neck would twine, As soft and warm the dream child on my
knees, Cuddling so close in clear young voice would tease And tease
and tease in mimicked glad young whine For "Just one little story if
you please."
So half in jest and half in earnest, too, Mostly I think to dream my
dreaming true, I'd conjure up long tales of lands afar And days gone by
that yet remembered are; Shaping my stories with this end in view To
gain the verdict "Tell some more, Mamma."
For I was happy when I had beguiled Into my life the spirit of a child.
Thus one by one the weary hours flew And page by page a little
volume grew, So--that my dreams with truth be reconciled, Take it, my
darling, it was writ for you.
April, 1875
Long years have sped since that poor book was penned. None read the
pages. Therefore at the end Of this world's life I dedicate to two Small
boys--her sons--whose question'ng eyes of blue Tell me that dreams of
childhood never end This book. So take it boys--'twas writ for you.
1911

PREFACE

This book is written for all little lads and lasses, but especially for the
former, since it is the true--quite true--story of a little lad who lived to
be, perhaps, the greatest king this world has ever seen.
It is a strange, wild tale this of the adventures of Prince Akbar among
the snowy mountains between Kandahâr and Kâbul, and though the
names may be a bit of a puzzle at first, as they will have to be learned
by and bye in geography and history lessons, it might be as well to get
familiar with them in a story-book; though, indeed, as everybody in it
except Roy the Râjput, Meroo the cook boy; Tumbu, the dog; and
Down, the cat (and these four may have been true, you know, though
they have not been remembered) really lived, I don't know whether this
book oughtn't to be considered real history, and therefore
A LESSON BOOK
Anyhow, I hope you won't find it dull.

CONTENTS
PAGE PREFACE

CHAPTER I
FAREWELL 1

CHAPTER II
THE FIRST VICTORY 11

CHAPTER III

THE ROYAL UMBRELLA 20

CHAPTER IV
TUMBU-DOWN 27

CHAPTER V
ON THE ROAD 39

CHAPTER VI
AT COURT 50

CHAPTER VII
WINTER 58

CHAPTER VIII
DOWN'S STRATAGEM 68

CHAPTER IX
SPRING 77

CHAPTER X
THE NIGHT OF RECORD 88

CHAPTER XI
A WINTER MARCH 100

CHAPTER XII
SNOW AND ICE 109

CHAPTER XIII
OVER THE PASS 119

CHAPTER XIV
IN THE VALLEY 128

CHAPTER XV
DEAREST-LADY 138

CHAPTER XVI
CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 147

CHAPTER XVII
IMPRISONMENT 159

CHAPTER XVIII
THE GARDEN OF GAMES 169

CHAPTER XIX
BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 178

CHAPTER XX
ESCAPED 187

CHAPTER XXI
DAWN 196

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ON A SHELVING