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The people vaguely expect an earthly paradise where every one will do as he pleases, and find to their dismay that you can no longer evade the sheep-tax by tipping the hodja to let you put your flock on "vakuf" land. The Christian loses his privilege and has to serve in the army which he hates.
The master, seeing and appreciating the effect from the window, went to his wife and treated her in precisely the same manner. And this effected what neither doctors, sages, nor holy men could do it cured her. There once lived a Hodja who, it was said, understood the language of birds, but refused to impart his knowledge.
He had never talked with a woman outside of his own family circle. To be admitted to a lady's house was in itself an adventure. Long before the appointed time, the young Hodja impetuous youth gathered together his reeds, ink, and sand. With feverish step he wended his way to the house. Lattices covered the windows, a high wall surrounded the garden, and a ponderous gate barred the entrance.
So, having dismissed his school, he sallied forth, his bag of money in his hand, and began distributing its contents to the needy that he met in the highways. Ere many hours had passed the whole of his savings was gone. The Hodja was very happy; for now he was the creditor in Allah's books for one thousand piasters.
Thrice he raised the massive knocker. "Who is there?" called a voice from within. "The scribe," was the reply. "It is well," said the porter; the gate was unbarred, and the Hodja permitted to enter. Directly he was ushered into the apartment of his fair client. The lady welcomed him cordially. "Ah! Hodja Effendi, I am glad to see you; pray sit down."
He returned to his house and ate his evening meal of bread and olives, and was content. The next day came. The thousand piasters had not yet arrived. He ate his bread, he imagined he had olives, and was content. The third day came. The old Hodja had no bread and he had no olives. He suffered the pangs of hunger.
People thought the sign very clever, customers came, the young Hodja took in many piasters and he was correspondingly happy. Seeing that Abdul was a manly youth, she went to him and said: "Hodja, I have a difficult letter to write. I have heard that thou art very wise, so I have come to thee. To write the letter thou wilt need all thy wit.
The following day the young man again went to the woods, and the chirping of the birds told him that his house would be burned. The young man hurried away, sold his house, again went to the Hodja and told him all that had happened, adding: "See, Hodja Effendi, you would not teach me the language of the birds, but I have saved my horse and my house by listening to them."
Sinan was just one of those blindly valiant fighters from whom the politic Ibrahim had desired to deliver his master when he had urged the appointment of Kheyr-ed-Din: brave as a lion, keen as the edge of his own good scimitar, fanatical, as became a Hodja who had visited the Holy Places, Sinan was a type of the Turkish sea-officer: devoid of strategical instinct and tactical training, his one idea was a headlong attack, then victory or the houris of Paradise.
"What!" said the traveller, becoming angry, "you an Imam, a learned Hodja, and don't know when it will be Bairam, and the pig of the Greek priest knew when it would snow? Shame! Shame!" And becoming much angered, he declined the hospitality of the Imam and went elsewhere.
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