and white marble, upon which Akbar and his fair
companions were wont to move from square to
square, playing at “ pachisi,” a game resembling backgammon.
Such are the wonders of this Indian paradise of
three centuries ago. This genius of Agra, this
greatest of Mogul emperors, also was a wise man in
his generation, and he had a ready way of settling
knotty questions of State. Religion in those days
was the apple of discord, as it is to-day, so many new
■sects having sprung up amongst both the Hindus and
the Mohamedans ; and at one time the people became
so importunate that it was deemed necessary to devise
means of reassuring them. Akbar and his minister
the crafy Rajah Beer-Bul, a Hindu, were equal to tlm
occasion ; the latter was despatched to call the chiefs
and the head men of the village to a conference, when
he assured them that, the matter being of the veiy
gravest importance, time would be required to satisfy
all consciences, and that the emperor desired them to
attend him in durbar on that day six months, when
he would be prepared to settle the whole question,
enjoining them in the meantime to hold the peace,
which they all promised. The appointed day at last came
round, and from an early hour in the morning crowds
of people from far and near, accompanied by their
leaders, assembled on the plain, where numerous tents
of different sizes and colours proclaimed the spot the
emperor had chosen to receive the assembly. At the
back of these there was an enclosure with a large
pavilion, the interior of which no man had been
allowed to obtain even a passing glimpse of. Hither
Akbar, his court, and the people proceeded, and
whilst the emperor seated himself on the throne, the
people had time to look round and wonder at the scores
of columns they saw before th em ; each seemed to
have been made of a different description of wood,
stone, or metal, and much to their surprise, at the
opposite side of the enclosure, a large number of blind
men were stationed. Presently the trusty minister
stepped forward, and after an eloquent rehearsal of his
great master’s high qualities and benevolent intentions,
he explained that they would now have an
opportunity of judging of his wisdom by the practical
answer to their question as to which was the only true
religion. You have before you, he continued, now
addressing the blind men, one hundred columns, each
one of a different material. You, my blind friends,
are likewise one hundred in number, and the Emperor,
wishing you well, gives you permission to get hold each
of one of these columns, and the one who has hit upon
the golden column shall be allowed to retain it as