Driftwood Spars | Page 6

God, by the
Beard of the Prophet, by the hilt and blade of this my knife, and by the
life of my oldest son, I swear to have a vengeance on thee that shall
turn men pale as they whisper it. And may Allah smite me blind if I do
not unto thee a thing of which children yet unborn shall speak with

awe.'
"Thus spake Ibrahim, son of Mahmud, for though a dog, a mangy
pariah cur, he was still a Pathan.
"But my brother laughed in his face and said but 'It would seem that I
too have tortured a slave' whereat Ibrahim repeated again 'Yea--may
Allah smite me blind!'
"And something of this coming to the ears of our father, now heir to the
Jam of Mekran Kot, as his brothers were dead (in the big Border War
they died), he prayed the Jam Saheb to hasten the departure of the
Vizier's cub, and also told the Vizier that he would surely cut out his
tongue if aught befell Mir Jan. So the Vizier sent Ibrahim to Kot Ghazi
on business of investing moneys--wrung by knavery, doubtless, from
litigant suitors, candidates, criminals, and the poor of Mekran Kot. And
shortly after, the Jam Saheb heard of a new kind of gun that fires six of
the fat cartridges such as are used for the shooting of birds, without
reloading; and he bade Mir Jan who understood all things, and the ways
of the European gun-shop at Kot Ghazi, to hasten forthwith and procure
him a couple, and if none were in Kot Ghazi to send a tar[22] to
Bombay for them, or even, if necessary, to Englistan, though at a cost
of two rupees a word. With such a gun the Jam hoped to get better
shikar when sitting on his camel and circling round the foolish
crouching grouse or tuloor, and firing at them as they sat. He thought
he might fire twice or thrice at them sitting, and again twice or thrice at
the remnant flying, and perchance hit some on the wing, after the
wonderful manner of the Sahibs. So he sent my brother, knowing him
to be both clever and honest and understanding the speech and ways of
the English most fully.
[22] Telegram.
"Now it is many days' journey, Sahib, across the desert and the
mountains, from Mekran Kot in Kubristan to Kot Ghazi in India, but at
Kot Ghazi is a fine bungalow, the property of the Jam Saheb, and there
all travellers from his house may sojourn and rest after their long and
perilous travel.

"Taking me and Mir Abdul Haq and Mir Hussein Ali and many men
and servants, among whom was the body-servant, the boy Moussa Isa
Somali, he set forth, a little depressed that we heard not the cry of the
partridge in the fields of Mekran Kot as we started--not exactly a bad
omen, but lacking a good one. And sure enough, ere we won to Kot
Ghazi, his eyes became red and inflamed, very sore and painful to use.
So, he put the tail of his puggri[23] about his face and rode all day from
sun-rise to sun-set in darkness, his camel being driven by Abdulali
Gulamali Bokhari--the same who later rose to fame and honour as an
outlaw and was hanged at Peshawar after a brave and successful career.
And being arrived, in due course, at Kot Ghazi, before entering the
bungalow belonging to the Jam Saheb, he knelt his camel at the door of
the shop of a European hakim--in English a--er--"
[23] Turban.
"Chemist, Mir Saheb," I suggested.
"Doubtless, since your honour says it--of a kimmish, and entering, to
the Eurasian dog therein said in English, of which he knew everything
(and taught me much, as your honour knows), 'Look you. I need lotion
for my eyes, eye medicine, and a bath for them' and the man mixed
various waters and poured them into a blue bottle with red labels, very
beautiful to see, and wrote upon it. Also he gave my brother a small
cup of glass, shaped like the mouth of the pulla fish or the eye-socket
of a man. And my brother, knowing what to do, used the things then
and there, to the wonder of Abdul Haq and Hussein Ali, pouring the
liquor into the glass cup, and holding it to his eyes, and with
back-thrown head washing the eye and soothing it.
"'Shahbas!'[24] quoth he. 'It is good,' and anon we proceeded to the
gun-shop and then to the bungalow belonging to the Jam Saheb. And lo
and behold, here we discovered the dog Ibrahim Mahmud, and my
brother twisted the knife of memory in the wound of insult by ordering
him to quit the room he occupied and