d an ancient plane-tree, and was in the habit of sitting
at the foot of it during the night, lost in meditation. Having arrived
at the house, the prince ordered his servant to wait near the door, and
entered the courtyard alone. Seeing the Sheikh seated at the foot of the
tree, he stopped and remained standing till the master should speak to
him. The latter knew very well who the new-comer was, and that little
persuasion was needed to make him one of his disciples; but he made as
though he did not see him. A long time passed thus, till the Sheikh
broke the silence by asking the Prince "Who art thou?" The Prince did
not speak. Mullah Shah then said again, "Why dost thou not answer?
Speak, and tell thy name."

The Prince, filled with embarrassment, replied, "My name is
Dara-Shikoh." "Who is thy father?" "The Emperor Shah-jehan," "Why hast
thou come to see me?" "Because I feel drawn towards God, and seek for a
spiritual guide." On this Mullah Shah exclaimed sharply, "What are
emperors and princes to me? Know that I am a man devoted to asceticism.
Is this hour of the night the time to come and trouble me? Go, and do
not show thyself here a second time."

Deeply wounded by this reception, the Prince withdrew and re-entered his
palace, where he spent the whole night weeping. But in spite of all his
disappointment, he felt himself drawn the next night by an irresistible
attraction towards the saint's dwelling, but the latter this time did
not even condescend to speak to him. Mujahid, the servant who
accompanied the Prince, became angry, and said to his master, "What
miracles has this crabbed dervish shown you that you should come here
every night and expose yourself to such indignities? Ordinary dervishes
are cheerful folk, not uncivil and morose like this old man. For my own
part, I set no great store by this asceticism, and the only thing that
makes me uneasy is your putting faith in it." The Prince answered, "If
Mullah Shah was an impostor, so far from treating me as he has done, he
would, on the contrary, have prayed God to bring me to him. It is
precisely his independent spirit and irritated manner which proves him
to be an extraordinary man." That same night when Mujahid returned home,
he was seized by fever and carried off in a few hours. Dara-Shikoh, when
informed of this terrible event, was profoundly moved. He reproached
himself bitterly for not having at once punished his servant's
insolence, and considered the dea