Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/11



evening in 1590—when an English Queen was laying the foundations of a proud Empire in the West, and the great Akbar was building up a rich and prosperous Empire in the East—three Hindu children were playing on the banks of the Ganges. The spot was picturesque and romantic, as it was historic. The broad river, after sweeping eastwards for hundreds of miles, here takes a sharp turn round the Rajmahal Hills and flows to the south. Through this narrow gate the tide of invasion has often rolled from the west into the fertile plains of Bengal, and founders of dynasties have often established themselves at this strategic point. Gaur, Tonda and Rajmahal are poor or deserted towns to-day, but were of old the seats of kings and conquerors, Hindu, Afghan and Mogul. And the wars of the sixteenth century nursed in this locality a race of hardy chiefs and resolute leaders, who joined one side or another in the frequent revolutions which decided the destinies of Bengal.

The children were at play on the sands. Behind them, to the east, lay the rich plains of Malda, waving