H. A. Lamb

“ The jewels gleamed in the turban of the Rajput and he laughed more than once, but Jani Beg did not laugh.
Nearer they came and nearer. I could see the sweat on the donkeys' shoulders and marked the outline of the powder boxes under the packs:
God has given me keen sight, and all that followed I saw clearly. I saw the Rajput halt the donkey-men and order them off with a contemptuous gesture and Jani Beg and Sir Weyand peer at the packs as if to make sure of what they held. I saw the beasts begin to nuzzle for grass to crop and Raja Man Singh ride up to the waiting two. ”

“ Where is the man who knows what is hidden in the heart of a woman? —Mohammedan proverb. MY MASTER and Jani Beg, the Uzbek, had been at drawn swords. Jani Beg had built a tower of the skulls of my master's retainers that he had slain. On the other hand, Shirzad Mir, who was my master, had taken prisoner the son of Jani Beg, who was called Said Afzel, the dreamer and eater of opium and bhang.
Verily, it is written that the clashing of bright swords delights the soul of a brave man. Yet in this year—early in the seventeenth century of the Christian calendar—Jani Beg put aside the sword. ”

“ Many things were in my mind as I drove the donkeys up to Khanjut, following after Shirzad Mir and Sir Weyand. I thought of the reckless honor of Shirzad Mir that had let Jani Beg depart unharmed, because of his pledge. I wondered whether one of us would live to tell of the Uzbek storm that would be launched upon us because Sir Weyand had guarded the life of Krishna Taya when Jani Beg lusted for vengeance. But among these thoughts one was uppermost. It was a verse from the Koran.
Who knows what is in the heart of a woman? ”

“ As for Said Afzel, he could not lift a weapon.
A CHANGE had come upon Sir Weyand. He fell moody and he seemed to avoid Shirzad Mir and me. Bihor Jan reported that he talked long and quietly with Krishna Taya and at other times walked by himself on the ramparts.
This was not wonted, for, when himself, the ferang was a merry man, although not fond of words. Once I asked him if the devil of illness had gripped him.
“I know not what devil it is, Abdul Dost,” he made reply. “There is a matter lies heavily on my mind. It is not always easy to settle what is right and what is wrong.” ”

“ I have watched Said Afzel. The poet's eyes follow the girl when she walks by and there is a gleam in them. He plays to her on a guitar, lying at her side, and strokes the pearls of the necklace she wears. Sir Weyand likes it not. Why should he waste thought on the woman?”
Perhaps Bihor Jan would have liked the necklace of pearls for himself. For many hours I considered the matter. The ferang had known of the offer of Jani Beg, yet neither Shirzad Mir nor I had spoken of it.
God has strengthened the walls of Khanjut. ”

“ Powder and cannon—even such small pieces of brass—were beyond price in Badakshan, and I judge that the swivels belonged to Raja Man Singh himself. Sir Weyand had said that there were many in the Mogul's army, although the Uzbeks had them not.
But Jani Beg cast him a glance.
“It is well,” the Uzbek said swiftly. “Two days we must have to make ready the things. We will then bring them to this place when the sun is at the same hour.”
“The beasts of burden must be driven by a half-dozen unarmed men on foot,” bargained Shirzad Mir.
“Aye. And Said Afzel must be unharmed.” ”

“ She lifted up her soft eyes at this and plucked at the cap which she wore instead of the veil of her people.
“Yet he is his own man,” continued Jani Beg. “He serves himself. None other. What reward he seeks I know not, save that he has sworn to obtain certain trade concessions from the great Mogul. Jahangir will not see him so long as he fights with the rebels of Shirzad Mir.”
Aye, Jani Beg, who was an Uzbek of low birth, dared to name Shirzad Mir, whose father and father's father ruled in Badakshan, a rebel. ”

“ There she had been a free woman and high born, yet Jahangir was Mogul of India, lord of the Deccan, Kashmir and Sind. She was given as slave to Said Afzel, who was well pleased, for she was fair of face and body. Many thought—so said the eunuch—that Krishna Taya would slay herself, being of the Rajputs, where no women may be slaves. ”

“ And I watched the coming of Krishna Taya and harkened to her soft words, which were as artless as those of a child. Too late I saw what was in her heart.
She was the one Sir Weyand named “Rose Face.” She was no taller than the armpit of my mail shirt and no bigger around than two small shields joined together. She was not a common courtesan, for she was of the Rajputs, who hold honor higher than life. Nevertheless, what is written is true—the face of a fair woman holds a spell.
I saw it all. It could not have happened had we and our men not been idle in Khanjut after many labors. ”

“ So Jani Beg, who was a man of guile, thought that he, also, would play a trick. And for this he chose Krishna Taya. He whispered an evil thing in the tiny ear of the girl, and she listened. Since the memory of our fathers, woman has played the part of treachery and her beauty has made blind the eyes of warriors. ”

“ Sir Weyand and my lord would be alone with Jani Beg and the Rajput. If swords should, by chance, be drawn, the odds would be even and I should not be far distant. Men have said I am an excellent hand with the scimitar. Likewise, there was the honor of Raja Man Singh, who would not draw the first sword, although in a quarrel he would be forced to side with Jani Beg. ”

“ I will send—” he touched the long hair of the girl and Krishna Taya's cheeks grew red—“you.”
The girl was silent, being afraid to speak.
“The ferang,” went on Jani Beg, “has a heart for fighting. But now there is a truce. I have willed it so. The men of Shirzad Mir think I am weak.” He laughed and closed his hand on the girl's arm so her fingers became numb. “As for you, be not so blind. I am master of Badakshan, a frontier of the Mogul. I can ask and receive much, and I seek much.” He broke off to finger his beard again. “Win me the ferang; aye, win me Sir Weyand. ”

“ We had starved and grown lean in the hills. Now we ate and slept. At such a time a warrior grows sluggish and his wits become dull and the sight of a shapely woman is not unwelcome.
This is the tale. There be few to tell it, for many in Khanjut died quickly and went to paradise or to the devil, after the coming of Krishna Taya.
The days had became still and the warmth of the sun tranquil, as Autumn spread. its arms over the hills of Badakshan. The sheep from the hills were pasturing in the valley as Jani Beg, in his camp at Balkh, sought out the tent of Krishna Taya. ”

“ SO THE girl of the Rajputs came to Khanjut.
But I knew that any gift from Jani Beg was not meant for our happiness. I sent the soldier who had drunk from my jar of wine—Bihor Jan, a long-legged Afghan with nimble wits and a quick ear—to Sir Weyand to serve as a guard for the woman. Thus Bihor Jan would tell me what she did.
A day passed and then another. Then I sought out Bihor Jan, who was squatting on the stone of the entrance hall of the castle. I asked him what had passed between the woman and Sir Weyand.
“Eh!” The Afghan spat and looked about him. “The ferang has seen her but once. ”

“ Said Afzel tired of her swiftly. Those who eat much opium are not firm of purpose. He left her in the tents of the Uzbek harem, where she was dressed in the white silk trousers and cap of cloth-of-silver that the Uzbek women wear. Said Afzel's eunuchs kept her from meeting with the Rajputs who sometimes came from the camp of Jahangir, fearing that they might do her harm. By the law of the Marwar, no high-born woman may be a slave tọ an enemy
Krishna Taya had broken this law. ”

“ Then all four of the riders dismounted, watching one another. I leaned upon the peak of my saddle and swallowed, hard, for my throat was dry. The dust settled down. I marked a pigeon wheeling overhead. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1962, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 61 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”