The Adventures of Akbar

A royal baby cuts a tooth while his family shelters in a battered tent, pursued by rival princes. Flora Annie Webster Steel begins this historical adventure with the contrast between court ceremony and desperate flight. King Humâyon and Queen Humeeda are trying to reach safety with their small son Akbar, whose Head-nurse insists on preserving royal ceremony even in hardship. The setting stretches from the plains of India towards Afghanistan and the snowy country between Kandahâr and Kâbul.

Written for children, the story makes family care and a young child's stubbornness part of its political danger. At a travellers' lodging in Ghuznee, Akbar draws attention to himself when he demands grass for a hungry pony, despite the need to conceal his identity. Readers can follow a future ruler through small domestic scenes, tense travel and rivalries among his relatives, with the humour of his grand titles keeping the royal stakes within a child's view.