Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/244

 236 RAE madanism was adopted as successor. His son found no difficulty in return- ing to the religion of his forefathers, but the family still fasten their clothes in the Muhammadan fashion. A son of Rahmat Ali Singh acquired the small estate of Udhrera, a great portion of which was almost immediately lost to the Banians of Maurán wán. The rája's house remained in the obscurity into which it had fallen on the death of Amar Singh. Digbijai Singh was, like Tilok Chand, brought up in his mother's house at Patti Saifabad, and on reaching manhood suc- ceeded in regaining some of the villages which had been usurped by his cousins of the Rajkumári branch. Up till annexation he never engaged for more than Rs. 5,000 or 6,000, and the present estates of his son, Rája Shiupál Singh, were mostly confiscated from Bábu Rám Bakhsh and Rána Beni Mádho, and granted to the rája in reward for his saving European lives during the mutiny. A careful look at the genealogical tree of the Bais will show, more clearly than any description could, the ramification of their different fami- lies. Of these only three besides the Ráo of Daundia Khera possess estates in the Unao district. They are the Simbasi family of Páhu, the Naihesta house of Pachhimgaon, and the Chhotbhaiya of Sandana. Of two of these very little mention need be made. The Sandana family are much im- poverished, and now possess only two villages where they once had sixty: The Páhu taluqa is also much fallen away from what it was when Mitarjít first founded it, but Bhúp Singh has still some 20 villages in his estate. Mitarjít is a favourite hero with the bards, who tell many stories of his prowess and of the amusement which his rustic plainness occasioned at the Delhi court. When he first wert to Delhi he attended the darbár, but stood outside the entrance, expecting some one to invite him in. He waited till it was all over, and when the Rájas of Jaipur and Marwar were passing out they noticed his country manner, and thinking to make fun of him asked who he was? They were told " a Rája of Baiswára." One asked "what he wore two swords for ?" "To fight any two men who dare to meet me" said he. The other asked why did he not enter the darbár, but stood without at the door ?" He replied “ that in his country it was customary to invite the stranger, not to leave him to push his way in unin- vited, but that as they had given their daughters and sisters to the king, of course they could not be looked on as strangers; so they were quite right to go in." Incensed at this insult, they challenged him to single combat. Mitarjít came to the field mounted on a mare, who on the first onset became uncontrollable and ran away with him; with great trouble he stopped her and dismounted, pronouncing a curse on any member of his race who should ever cross a mare's hack; and to this day no Bais of the house of Páhu can be induced to mount a mare. Mitarjít returned to the field on foot, and wounded both his antagonists. A more corrected account may now be given of the ráo, or Daundia Khera branch of the family, which up till the cud of the eighteenth century