The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Akbar, by Flora Annie Steel

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Title: The Adventures of Akbar

Author: Flora Annie Steel

Illustrator: Byam Shaw

Release Date: May 4, 2006 [EBook #18307]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Transcriber's Note: The following variant spellings used by the
author were retained as printed: Babar/Baber, Sultanum/Sultanam,
gray/grey, Allah/Alah, meaowed/miaowed.]

THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR

_Uniform with this Volume_

Price 6/-net each

THE SECRET GARDEN, by FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT, author of "The Shuttle,"
etc., illustrated by CHARLES ROBINSON.

THE FOUR GARDENS, by "HANDASYDE," illustrated by CHARLES ROBINSON.

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by LEWIS CARROLL, illustrated by
ARTHUR RACKHAM.

AESOP'S FABLES, translated by V. S. VERNON JONES, with an introduction by
G. K. CHESTERTON, illustrated by ARTHUR RACKHAM.

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN
21, BEDFORD STREET, W.C.

[Illustration: _On a shelving bank of dry sand Baby Akbar sitting up and
rubbing his eyes._]

THE ADVENTURES OF AKBAR

by

FLORA ANNIE STEEL

ILLUSTRATED BY BYAM SHAW

LONDON . WILLIAM HEINEMANN . 1913

_All rights reserved_

A DEDICATION

Oft when the house lay silent in the heat
My thoughts would be so full of you, my sweet,
That dreaming half--I seemed to hear once more
Your little fingers fluttering at the door,
The pitter patter of your childish feet
In joyous rhythm cross the echoing floor.

Then small, soft hands would nestle into mine,
And warm soft arms around my neck would twine,
As soft and warm the dream child on my knees,
Cuddling so close in clear young voice would tease
And tease and tease in mimicked glad young whine
For "Just one little story if you please."

So half in jest and half in earnest, too,
Mostly I think to dream my dreaming true,
I'd conjure up long tales of lands afar
And days gone by tha