Karl May

“ Presently, Mustafa’s boy was the bearer of this namesake, as well as its legacy. Night and day, he tried as hard as he could to be a credit to his name. The name “Thar” means vengeance, retaliation, retribution, and a blood feud. This is the old, dreadful law which calls for the following: “Blood for blood! An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth!” In ancient times, among certain primitive folk and also nowadays, some have felt that there are reasons to retaliate. Under civilized conditions, it’s not only reprehensible and criminal—it’s just ridiculously laughable. ”

“ On the 15th day of the month of Adar, I dreamed that I was on my knees, praying in the mosque. Opened before me was the First Kiblah of the Holy Koran. My brother appeared to me and led me forth, wanting to help me realize what he wanted to say to me: ‘I’m dead, but I live. You have not pardoned me, but I’ve forgiven you. I’ll send you my forgiveness. She approaches from the East. Daily, keep a look-out for her and restore again what you have perpetrated against me!’ His words resounded. Then, he disappeared. The Koran closed itself, and I awoke from the dream. ”

“ Tomorrow, I’m painting Jericho!” At that moment, the good Mustafa Bustani could no longer control himself. All of his temper burst forth. His voice thundered at them: “Tomorrow, you will learn what you can paint. March! Come away with me into the house!”
His angry voice shocked the African cook. She let loose of the lantern which shattered and extinguished—running away as fast as her feet would carry her. Realizing the impact of his wrath, the merchant immediately tried to take back its harsh impact. He addressed us in an apologetic tone: “Forgive me. Such anger is never the right thing. ”

“ Such intensive, screaming-colors are upsetting to one who is highly sensitive about art. Amid all of this, it is no wonder the boy was not in a good mood. As we came still closer to the garden house, we heard Thar’s angry voice as he shouted to his father: “No! You promised me!” Mustafa Bustani answered: “But as you see, Effendi is here.”
“Where?” As the father pulled me to his side and showed me to his son, I announced myself: “Here.” Thar wondered aloud: “Today already? You were supposed to come tomorrow. Nevertheless, it’s good that you’re here now. ”

“ He returned his notebook to its vest pocket and continued speaking: “You say that my young girl friend is worse than a dog. A true hero would not say such a thing. By contrast, I’m a hero, I’m civil, and I oppose you. I’ll fight with you, but not on your terms—all of you against only me. Instead, we’ll follow the custom we practice in Jerusalem—one on one. You will find yourselves transformed into Lions, Elephants, Hippos, and Whales. From among you, select the boldest Lion, the most powerful Elephant, the strongest Hippo, and the largest Whale. I will fight all four beasts. ”

“ Everyone pressed forward, wanting to be chosen as one of the beasts. In the midst of these would-be-juggernauts who strove for revenge, there sat Schamah, “Forgiveness.” Without any fear of harm, she kept a peaceful smile on her loveable face. Curiously enough, the adult men were just as excited as the boys. They all flocked around. The Hebron men joined their boys in the process of selecting and appointing. ”

“ Almost daily ever since, I am driven to come here as I look towards the East to see whether the dream is being fulfilled.”
“Regularly, I sojourn for a short time in Bethany where I visit the grave of Lazarus. Why? I don’t know. For me, it’s as if this is the only place where I shall somehow meet with the messenger of my brother. Effendi, what do you say about this dream?”
“Listen to what you yourself are saying about your brother. Truly, your own feelings can lead you better than any separate perspective that I could give you.” ”

“ As we now rolled on towards Rachel’s Tomb and to the Prophet Elijah’s memorial, we soon arrived in Jerusalem—at precisely the moment when nightfall tenderly entered the Holy City. Whatever was intended for me to learn in Hebron, I hadn’t yet grasped it. As we would plainly see tomorrow, this here-to-fore unknown would turn out to be quite different and infinitely better. So it seems that life always takes care of things. ”

“ Thar rose from the table, came towards him, and answered that question: “You laugh at me? I will not tolerate that. My name is Thar, and woe to you if I should ever take revenge against you.”
Jew Eppstein kept on joking: “Well, would that be really bad for me?” Thar was irritated: “So, you continue to laugh at me? Mind what you say! In truth, I’m just eleven years old, but in all of Jerusalem there isn’t a single fourteen year old that I haven’t wrestled to the ground!” Still smiling, Eppstein pressed further: “Do you also consider me to be such a fourteen year old?” ”

“ On the contrary, I’m a Muslim from Jerusalem, and that is far greater that your Hebron sect. Who then are you?” He began to read the following lines: “You are all Canaanites: Hittites, Jebusites , Girgashites, Hivites, people of Arka, Amorites, Sidonians, Phenicians, those from Zemar, Arvadians, Hamathians, and all others dwelling in Zidon. In the refining process of Islam, you were found lacking and were passed over—now, you are simply sediment. If your faith were pure and noble, then your people would not find it so necessary to keep others away from your places of worship!” ”

“ I’m a hero, and I want to put up a good fight for your rights. No one can properly perform heroic deeds for a Muslim girl. Unattractive as a frog, she wraps herself in fabrics and limps around with wooden slippers on her feet. By contrast, I can clearly see the Christian girl. That fact is essential whenever heroes like us are inspired to risk our lives for others. Do you know how I will look when I fight for you?”
“Like you are dressed today, right?”
“No. What I have on now is not bold enough. Do you know that certain colors can scare an enemy? ”

“ Thar was pleased with her answer: “Good, I’ll remain who I am. Now that I think more about what you’ve said, you’re right, very right. From now on, whenever I struggle with enemies, they may paint themselves blue, yellow, and green—but not I. I’ll bear that in mind. Our four clubs must have newer and better rules. Foremost, whoever presents himself in war paint will be judged as beatable. To please you, I’m ready to bound away from all rules that are good for nothing!” ”

“ Why are Muslims pliable when it comes to making money, yet harshly inconsiderate whenever it comes to showing love and kind-heartedness to those same foreigners?” Mustafa Bustani pleaded his case: “According to Islam, hospitality belongs to those who are virtuous, and no one is released from this obligation.” She pressed him further: “Also when it comes to other religious faiths?” Unequivocally, he answered her: “Yes, this is true for Christians, Jews, and heathens.” ”

“ I did it as a justified payback, all in order for you to know that my name is Thar.”
“Thar?” responded the bewildered man.
“Yes, Thar! Didn’t you yourself say that a believer may only allow a barber to bare his head? Yet you have uncovered it here, and you even showed it to us! For this offense, I’ve punished you; I poured blue-retaliation upon your head’s uncovered hull.” ”

“ The trip was indeed a blessed one. Mustafa was angry about the fanaticism of his fellow believers; during the entire time, he had no objection to his son’s crush on the small Christian girl. When we reached Bethlehem, he took a deep breath and said: “A lot of love and much goodness has come out of this small city, much more than any other large and famous pilgrimage places. Today, I was rightly and starkly reminded of my own zealot’s mind-set. What have you ever done to the people of Hebron? Not a thing! ”

“ Habakek was the name of Mustafa’s helper, an exceptionally good-natured fellow—a delightful combination of magician, jack-of-all-trades, and Renaissance man who could accomplish anything that your eyes could imagine.
Mustafa Bustani was a big fan of fairy tales. He loved to hear or tell every kind of fairy tale—most of all, one which involved a belief in miracles or a situation wherein the dead and the living played a dynamic role. Yet in no way was he superstitious in the general sense. On the contrary, he was an educated man who spoke Arabic, Turkish, and Persian ”

“ I’m Gideon, the Hero of Manasseh. Good-bye!” In a dignified way, Thar nodded to the man, then proudly strode out of the shop. Still clad in his make-shift suit of armor, he climbed onto the stranger’s donkey that was standing outside. From there, he trotted away on the animal. Everyone knows this: at a very young age, all Arabic boys regard the back of a donkey as the best of all playgrounds. It is rare to find a boy who lacks the courage to ride.
Now, the man from Ain Kahrim really didn’t know what he was supposed to think. ”

“ Mustafa sighed: “Allah have pity on us. And the day after tomorrow?” The boy didn’t hesitate: “The day after tomorrow, we are painting the bedrooms.”
In disbelief, Mustafa asked: “But what?” Thar was quick to answer: “The downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah, complete with smoke and fire, lightening and thunder. I’ve already ordered the colors.” Mustafa was dumbfounded: “Already ordered? This too? Lightening and thunder, smoke and fire in the bedroom? As for your art, it seems that nothing is impossible. I realize that I must set limits. ”

“ Her mother remained sitting. The young girl had the most lovingly sensitive, wholesomely healthy face, with peach-red cheeks and large grey-blue velveteen eyes. Judging from her appearance, it seemed like some deep and undisturbed charming riddle was miraculously working inside of her. Like a fountain, her light brown hair flowed from under her desert-red scarf. ”

“ Following the customary way that the adults had taught him, he gave his pre-battle speech. He struck a pose and called out to Thar, as well as to us: “You are a Christian-dog, and she is a Christian girl, which is even worse than a cur. We will drown her in the deepest part of the well, in a spot where she can not touch bottom. We are true, absolute, and obedient believers of the Prophet. In this celebration of Ishmael’s birthday, we can not endure the sacrilege of a Christian’s feet to touch this ground. So, she must die. But you want to fight for her, because you claim to be a hero. ”

“ The men stopped to talk with our Donkey Driver, asking some questions about us. They learned that we were Christians— be that as it may, that we were not bad people. Schamah’s mother left her seat and came nearer to us. She feared the fanatical people of Hebron, so she begged us to pack up and leave. She was a Christian, a widow from the region called Al Karak, a city in Jordan that contains a famous Crusader castle. It’s located on the other side of the Dead Sea. She and her young daughter were on a pilgrimage to the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. ”

“ No human presence could compare to this feeling of a powerful force that embraced us as it seemed to call out: “Lazarus, come out!” Yes, nothing is so surreal as the physical association with miracles that seems to connect the dead with the living.
From somewhere up above, softly sublime and aerial two-part harmony voices floated down to us—once again, the boys were singing “The Song of Bethany,” recalling how the Savior went to visit His brothers and sisters. Per Thar’s instructions, the boys had climbed behind the ruins and were now repeating the verses they had sung at the Pool of Siloam. ”

“ I have no children. As for Mustafa’s spiritually-reserved harem, he confided in his wife, his eleven year old son, and in the family’s black female cook. The other household servants were not included in this private circle of confidants. His son had the short, yet very meaningful name of Thar, which Bavarians would interpret as a “dashing fellow.” Unlike the stereotypical, mistaken picture of Middle Eastern children, he was not a somber, moody, overly serious, nor slow-moving child. ”

“ All too often, we men make the mistake of treating completely natural things as if they were mystical. In the course of today’s events, the picture of your brother has been shoved into your mind’s consciousness. Until now, you have held all of this tightly inside of you, and it’s become even more deeply embedded. Hence, it’s no wonder, and indeed very understandable, that you would dream about him as you preoccupy yourself with your return home. ”

“ Schamah and her mother are poor, very poor. At times, they don’t have enough to eat. Without asking anyone, I came to this conclusion. In contrast, I’m rich, and I’m her friend. Thus, without their knowing, I took care of their room and board at the Hospice. Today, the Donkey Driver is bringing them to Jerusalem—of course, on better animals than they rode yesterday. They still do not know that it was I who paid for these things. When they arrive here, they won’t go into the city. Instead, they’ll veer to the right, riding into the Valley of Hinnom, then up the Mount of Olives towards Bethany. ”

“ Slowest of them all were the Whales. The very last one to arrive was the guy that was supposed to fight with Thar. With a very embarrassed look on his face, he came to the brink of the well, then looked away as he said: “I don’t want this job anymore!” Abdullah responded: “You’ve already accepted the position, so you must go through with it!” As the boy turned and hurried away, he called out: “Not for any amount of money! I’m leaving!”
“So, we must choose someone else!” said Abdullah. From out of the throats of the remaining Whales, this chorus rang out: “You couldn’t pay me enough money! ”

“ Just as curtly, I stood my ground and answered: “Salam.” Before I could say more, Thar spoke up: “Here is my Effendi, the Supreme Secretary of Germany’s Chancellor. From his briefcase flows the complete control of all tax revenue. He levies a tax on whomever he wants. He has just returned from Hebron where he sought to buy The Oak of Abraham from the Russians, then transport it home. Hail to Effendi!” ”