United States or Cuba ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
'And yet, said our preceptor thoughtfully, 'his Excellency is, they say, a charming man; and this would be a golden opportunity for us to get acquainted with him and bespeak his favour. Thus the Sheykh Yûsuf, though himself contemptible, may be of service to us. Already I have told the people here that we have come on an important errand to the Governor.
Now I have been thinking; Allah has bestowed on thee a rare and wondrous gift, which is, to make flat likenesses of all things that thine eyes behold. There lives in El Cuds a sheykh of my acquaintance a righteous man, and steadfast in the faith who earns his living, and a fat one, by no other means. He makes the icons and religious pictures for many of our monasteries and great churches.
Elsewhere Mirza Jani speaks of the 'troubles of Badasht, at which the gallant Riẓa Khan performed 'most valuable services. Nothing is said, however, of the part taken in the quieting of these troubles either by the 'Gate's Gate' or by Ḳuddus. The place of most interest in this exciting episode is the fortified tomb of Sheykh Tabarsi, twelve or fourteen miles south of Barfurush.
The man who stole the belt a Greek has left the city. He gave the Sheykh the belt, but kept the money. The soldiers, disappointed, let him go. 'How dost thou know all that? inquired their leader. 'The Headman of the Thieves informed me of it. 'Ah, then, it is the truth, the soldier nodded. 'He is a man of honour. He would not deceive thee. I do not claim to understand these things.
The tidings of the mystery ran through the village, and every able-bodied person came to view it, and express opinions. 'The dog is well known. He is called Barûd; he was the finest in our village. He used to guard the dwelling of Sheykh Ali till he transferred his pleasure to the house of Sheykh Selîm. It was a sin to kill him, was the general verdict.
Returning to the camp at evening, out of temper, we were met by all the village, headed by the sheykh, who loudly hoped that we had had good sport, and brought home many tigers to provide a feast. When he heard that we had not so much as seen a single one he fell upon the luckless youth who had been told off to conduct us, and would have slain him, I believe, had we not intervened.
"This Christian," shrieked the good sheykh, running as hard as he could, "looks as if he rather wanted to kill me than to be killed himself." "So is it," said 'Ali, "that you are to merit the prophet's favour. Thus it is that Christians are to be sacrificed. Mohammed was a brave, generous man, and never thought it any service done him to slaughter those who were not able to defend themselves.
He had saved a piece of bread, a date or two, on which he broke his fast at noon; and not long after saw the tent shine forth, white in the yellow landscape, beside the flat roofs of a village terracing a steep hillside. He recognised the place as one of those where they had rested happily upon the outward way. The sheykh received him in his house; his horse was cared for.
And I have procured it of the secretary's kindness that he will urge his lord to take some measures to protect that ancient malefactor, the Sheykh Yûsuf. 'If I had tipped the Governor, as you suggest that I ought to have done, I interrupted vehemently, 'do you mean to say he would have taken measures to protect Sheykh Yûsuf?
'Didst seek in all the haunts whereof I told thee? Well I know thou didst not, since they saw no tiger! Behold our faces blackened through thy sloth and folly, O abandoned beast! Restrained by force by two of our adherents, the sheykh spat venomously at the weeping guide, who swore by Allah that he had obeyed instructions to the letter. Our English friend was much too angry to talk Arabic.
Word Of The Day