PREFACE.
This book is written for all little lads and lasses, but especially for the former, since it is the true--_quite_ true--story of a little lad who lived to be, perhaps, the greatest king this world has ever seen.
It is a strange, wild tale this of the adventures of Prince Akbar among the snowy mountains between Kandahar and Kabul, and though the names may be a bit of a puzzle at first, as they will have to be learned by and bye in geography and history lessons, it might be as well to get familiar with them in a story-book; though, indeed, as everybody in it except Roy the Rajput, Meroo the cook boy; Tumbu, the dog; and Down, the cat (and these four _may_ have been true, you know, though they have not been remembered) really lived, I don't know whether this book oughtn't to be considered real history, and therefore A LESSON BOOK Anyhow, I hope you won't find it dull.
CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE CHAPTER I FAREWELL 1 CHAPTER II THE FIRST VICTORY 11 CHAPTER III THE ROYAL UMBRELLA 20 CHAPTER IV TUMBU-DOWN 27 CHAPTER V ON THE ROAD 39 CHAPTER VI AT COURT 50 CHAPTER VII WINTER 58 CHAPTER VIII DOWN'S STRATAGEM 68 CHAPTER IX SPRING 77 CHAPTER X THE NIGHT OF RECORD 88 CHAPTER XI A WINTER MARCH 100 CHAPTER XII SNOW AND ICE 109 CHAPTER XIII OVER THE PASS 119 CHAPTER XIV IN THE VALLEY 128 CHAPTER XV DEAREST-LADY 138 CHAPTER XVI CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN 147 CHAPTER XVII IMPRISONMENT 159 CHAPTER XVIII THE GARDEN OF GAMES 169 CHAPTER XIX BETWIXT CUP AND LIP 178 CHAPTER XX ESCAPED 187 CHAPTER XXI DAWN 196 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ON A SHELVING BANK OF DRY SAND BABY AKBAR SITTING UP AND RUBBING HIS EYES _Frontispiece_ _To face page_ PRINCE ASKURRY ...

STRODE ...

INTO THE TENT 16 THE CHILD HAD SLIPPED IT ONTO HIS LITTLE FOREFINGER 62 SO THEY BOTH TOUCHED THE COLD MARBLE FLOOR WITH THEIR WARM LITTLE FOREHEADS 98 AHEAD OF THEM, A SHADOW SHOWED, A SHAMBLING SHADOW! TUMBU ...

WITH A BOUND WAS OFF FULL TILT AFTER IT 126 AND ONE DAY THE DOOR DID OPEN....

"MY SON--MY LITTLE SON!" 166 "LADIES! UNVEIL!" 176 "I STAY MY HAND WHILE I COUNT TEN--NO MORE" 198.