Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/100

 The Afghans had been crushed and the Portuguese checked, and Bengal knew peace and prosperity under the Raja's wise rule.

But fortune left the Moguls when Raja Man Singh left Bengal in 1598. His son, Jagat Singh, was brave and warlike, but was oftener found in the hall of drinking than in the Council Chamber. The determined Afghans rose once more and recovered Orissa. It was a disastrous day for the Rajputs and the Moguls when they met the Afghans at Bhadrak in 1600. The fiery Osman Khan broke the ranks of the Imperial troops, routed the Mogul army, and slaughtered the retreating foe. It was during this flight that Noren received a bullet which laid him senseless by the side of his leader, Gajapati Singh.

Noren remembered the shameful retreat of the Imperial forces from Bhadrak to Rajmahal. By the kindness of Gajapati Singh he was carried like many other wounded officers in a rude bamboo frame. Brief time there was for rest, for the young Ruler of Bengal decided to appeal to the Emperor for reinforcements, and Gajapati Singh was chosen to carry the message. Noren, now useless in the camp, followed his leader. A long journey by boat up the Ganges was expected to give him needful rest and to restore his health, but had the contrary effect. His wound had not healed, and the cold night winds of Northern India brought on a high fever. This was the last thing that Noren remembered; he then sank into a state of unconsciousness from which he never woke again until he found himself in this strange room and amidst strange surroundings.

The Rajput nurse ceased to attend when Noren