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During a luncheon more remarkable for heartiness of despatch than delicacy of viand, James Edward Makerstone Agar devoted much thought to the affairs of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of India. After luncheon he lighted a cheroot, threw himself on his bed, and there reflected further. Then he called to him Ben Abdi. "No more promiscuous shooting," he said to him.
"No more volley firing at a single Ghilzai or a stray Bhutari. It seems that they do not know we are here, as we are left undisturbed. I do not want them to know understand? If you see any one going along the valley, send two men after him; no shooting, Ben Abdi." And he pointed with his cheroot towards the evil-looking curved knife which hung at the Goorkha's side. Ben Abdi grinned.
It had always been their intention to halt at Sockna for three or four days, and here they expected to be joined by a party of Megarha Arabs, whom their sheik, Abdi Smud ben Erhoma, had left them for the purpose of collecting together. Hoon and Wadan were also to furnish them with another quota.
It was Abdi's duty to direct the porters in their work of moving camp, distributing loads, pitching camp, getting wood for the big camp-fires, punishing delinquents and, in fact, to see that the work of the safari was done. One night after we had been most successful in a big lion hunt during the day Abdi came to the mess tent, where we were lingering over a particularly good dinner.
Musli had not yet sufficiently recovered to be able to answer articulately, but he shook his head by way of intimating that surrender it he would not. "Give me that banner, Janissary!" cried Abdi once more, sternly regarding Musli straight between the eyes. Instead of answering Musli simply proceeded to wind the banner round its pole.
With these words Abdi gave his horse the spur and galloped through the thickest part of the mob, which dispersed in terror before him, and with proud self-satisfaction the Kapudan Pasha saw how the people hid away from him in their houses and vanished, as if by magic, from the streets and house-tops. He galloped into the town without opposition.
It was not the first time that Agar and the little non-commissioned native officer, Ben Abdi, had stood thus together.
Well, on, this night as we sat talking by the camp-fire, Abdi, our head-man, suddenly appeared and squatted down. Soon after up came Askar, who also squatted down, and we knew that we were in for some unusual sort of a shauri. It was then that Askar told of the strange mystery of the mountain.
At every street corner he blew a long blast in the captured horn, and addressed some well-chosen remarks to the people assembled there, which scattered them in every direction. At last he reached the Bezesztan, where every shop was closed. "Open your shops, ye dogs!" thundered Abdi to the assembled merchants and tradesmen.
A cry of horror arose from the assembled Mussulmans which only after a while died away in an angry murmur like a gradually departing gust of wind. "Who was the accursed one?" exclaimed Mohammed dervish, shaking his clenched fist threateningly. "It was Uzun Abdi, the Aga of the Janissaries," replied Halil, "who said that, and the others only laughed." "Let them all be accursed!"
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