Nawab sahab had a foot-presser Hussaini, also called as Chichinda by name. Now Hussaini whom the Nawab adored, was a gossip. As he continued to press the royal's legs, he chattered and his idle chatter was a continued feed of scandalous tales of the illustrious people of the court. The Nawab being the Nawab, used to rely on him for these various tit-bits of information.
So all was good for Hussaini, even though a lot of the nobles in the court hated him, Until one day the Prime Minister found out, that Husaini was poisoning the king even against him. Naturally this could not be tolerated, so he decided to to get rid of Husaini once and for all.
So one day, he had Husaini secretly arrested, he severely reprimanded him and sent him to a remote corner of the kingdom so that he would be far far away from the Nawab's ears. Along with a guard Hussaini was sent to live in Kanpur.
Now it was the minister's task to explain the to Nawab, the sudden absence of his favorite. The next morning the Prime Minister approached the king with a very sombre face, and said " O Roof of the World, Light of Lights, I am very sad to be the one to tell you. Poor Hussaini got cholera last night, we tried everything that could possibly be done, but he expired this morning. His dead body lies there, should you wish to see it. But with the disease of cholera, there is a great risk of infection, and if anything were to happen to you, our kingdom would be drowned in the river of tears."
The king was very upset, but he decided against risking the disease, and did not go out to see the corpse, instead he retired to his room disconsolate and sad, and order his beloved Hussaini should be given a grand funeral.
The days passed, and the watch over Hussaini in Kanpur became slack, he escaped and wandered back to the Nawab's capital in Lucknow. It was impossible to go back to the palace, he would be recognised and handed over to the Prime Minister. Instead, he remembered that every morning the Nawab went for a boating expedition in the river, and there he also had his bath. So Husaini walked down the course of the river till he caught sight of the King who was alone in the royal boat. Slowly he approached him. Suddenly when the King spotted him, he was shocked - "Hussaini, Hussaini" he cried "Is it you standing in front on me? I thought you were dead long ago" and Husaini fell to the feet of his former master and narrated his tale of woe of how the Prime Minister was annoyed with him and had him banished. On hearing this, shaking with fury the King invited Hussaini on his boat, and headed back.
A spy in the meantime had spotted Husaini, in the King's boat, and alerted the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister at first trembled at the thought of his fate, but he quickly recovered and made a plan, all the household staff was relayed the same.
The King followed by Hussaini, now came up to the steps of the palace, his eyes were red, tinged with rage, his whole frame was shaking with emotion. Unable to contain himself, when he reached the palace gates, he turned to he sentry and pointing to Hussaini said - "Do you recognize this man?". The sentry true to the instructions given by the Prime Minister, looked straight at Hussaini with a black and vacant stare said - " O Roof of the World! O Shadow of Gods! O King of Kings you can see all things above and below heaven, but I am a mere man, dust of dust with only earthly vision to help me, I can see nothing."
The King called him a fool, turned away and ran through the palace gates, into the throne room where still in his bathing costume he took his seat, with Hussaini by his side. He sent for the Prime Minister to appear before him. His command had just gone forth, when the Prime Minister appeared with his head bowed low, in humble homage, before the autocrat, in whose hands lay his life.
The King looked at him and with a cruel curl of his lips demanded - "Do you know this man? Is it not Hussaini?" The Prime Minister was unmoved, he looked vacantly in Hussaini's direction, prepared to play the part, which would save his life. He said with concern in his voice -"Eternal Light, have I not begged you not to go out on your bathing excursions alone? Have I not warned you that some evil spirit will cast its web around you? You have been caught up today by the ghost of the dead Hussaini, you point in that direction and ask me to see Hussaini, and all I see is thin air. Your Majesty I beg you to flee from this vision that you are seeing, what if the spirit lays a hold on you?"
The Prime Minister continued to speak in a slow measured voice, the King's attitude changed, his face fell, and caught up in fear and doubt, he was unable to set his eyes towards Hussaini again, in case the spirit should again cast a spell over him. He turned and fled into his royal chambers for refuge.
Immediately, the Prime Minister took hold of Hussaini and marched him off into his own palace. There he decided to take his life, but later relenting offered him one more chance of going back to Kanpur, conferred on him a small pension, warning him to never return, and the descendants of Hussaini lived on, for a long time they were dependent on the magnanimity of the descendants of Fazl-i-Ali Khan, the one time prime minister of His Majesty Nasir-ud-din Haider, whose quick thinking act, saved his life.
