Tales from later Mughals

were adopted to force payment. Once he was thrown off a
roof and was seriously injured. At another time, rebel
soldiers put a turban around his neck and tried to
strangulate him. Another method which was used to
pressurise Khan was to force him to sit on a hot cannon and
hold him there until he promised to pay the soldiers.
Khan tolerated the misbehaviour of his soldiers and
treated them like his children. As soon as he got money he
immediately paid them. One of the reasons behind his
success was that he kept his soldiers on even during the bad
periods the army faced from time to time. Soldiers relied on
his promise and remained loyal to him.
Khan`s character fully reflected the values of his time.
On the one hand, as a result of the political and social
decadence, there was no respect for moral values and
norms. Mercenaries were hired to kill for payment; they
plundered and tortured common people mercilessly. On the
other hand, they honoured their word and remained loyal to
their friends. For example, when Khan became a friend of
Holkar, he stayed loyal to him in spite of all political
vicissitudes and supported him whenever he was in trouble;
even after his death, he cooperated with his successors.
Similarly, he never betrayed his friend Zalim Singh, the ruler
of Kotah.
He needed regular income to pay his soldiers and the
best source was to go on a plunder rampage, however, if the
wealthy people or the ruler requested him to spare their city
he abandoned the siege and left the city in peace. Once,
during his adventures, he demanded the Nawab of Swat to
pay him some money. In response, the begum of the nawab
94