Marash

“ The fact is that Madras was so frequently troubled by successive Mohammedan enemies—the King of Golconda; Da-ud Khan, Nawab of the Carnatic; Haidar Ali, Sultan of Mysore; his son Tipu, and others—that the Company was disposed to regard all 'Moors' with mistrust, so much so that they discouraged Mohammedan residents; and a measure was passed with the special intention 'to prevent the Moors purchasing too much land in the Black Town.' There are large crowds of Mohammedans in Madras now, grouped especially in Chepauk and the adjoining Triplicane and Royapettah ”

“ If Mersea was a trap, how much more so the Ray! The Sharlands had not even a lock to their door. No one was ever seen on the island after dark save those who dwelt there, for the hill was surrounded on all sides, save where girt by the sea, by a labyrinth of creeks and pools. A robber there would be like a fly in a cobweb, to be caught at once. The sheep were allowed to ramble all over the marsh and saltings, they could thread their way; and it was only when the moon was full or new, and the wind in the south-east, that the shepherd drove them into fold till the waters subsided. ”

“ To my surprise, Marah never hesitated. He did not take the Allington road, but spurred uphill towards the "Snail's Castle," and the road to Kingsbridge. As we galloped, we heard a crash behind us, and the cry of a hurt horse, and the clatter of a sword upon the road. Then more cries sounded; we could hear our pursuers pulling up.
"They're into a tree-trunk," said Marah. "Some friends put a tree across, and one of them's gone into it. We shall probably lose them now," he added. "They will go on for Allington. Still, we mustn't wait yet." ”

“ So they brought great plenty of wood and made a huge fire, which flamed up mightily till the morning, when Muraash mounted an elephant, bearing on its back a throne of gold set with jewels, and the tribes of the Jinn gathered about him, in their various kinds. Then they brought in Gherib and Sehim, who, seeing the flaming of the fire, sought help of the One God, the All-conquering Creator of night and day, Him who is mickle of might, whom no sight comprehendeth, but who comprehendeth all sights, for He is the Subtle, the All-knowing ”

“ Muraash looked at them with wrathful eyes and puffed and snorted and blew sparks from his nostrils, so that all who stood by feared him. Then said he, ‘O dogs of mankind, ye have slain my son and kindled fire in my heart.’ ‘Who is thy son,’ asked Gherib, ‘and who hath seen him?’ Quoth Muraash, ‘Were ye not in the Valley of Springs and did ye not see my son there, in the guise of a bird, and did ye not shoot at him with arrows, that he died?’ ‘I know not who slew him,’ replied Garib ”

“ In the caliphate of abu-Jaʿfar al-Manṣûr, Ṣâliḥ ibn-ʿAli rebuilt Marʿash and fortified it. He invited men to settle in it, promising to increase their stipends. He was succeeded by al-Mahdi who increased its garrison and armed the people.
Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from al-Wâḳidi:—Mikhâʾîl [Michael] set out from Darb al-Ḥadath at the head of 80,000 men and came to ʿAmḳ Marʿash, killing, burning and carrying away the Moslems as captives. Thence he advanced to the gate of the city of Marʿash in which there was ʿÎsa ibn-ʿAli who in that year was on an expedition. ”

“ So Mura’ash bade a thousand Marids carry him to his native land, with his share of the spoil; and he commanded Kaylajan and Kurajan to follow him and obey him; and they answered, “Hearkening and obedience.” Then said Gharib to the Marids, “Do ye carry the treasure and Star o’ Morn;” for he himself thought to ride his flying steed. But Mura’ash said to him, “This horse, O my brother, will live only in our region, and, if it come upon man’s earth, ’twill die: but I have in my stables a sea-horse, whose fellow is not found in Al-Irak, no, nor in all the world is its like.” ”

“ I'll scream."
"Scream away, son," said Marah, calmly. "There's not many to hear you. But you'll not get home after what you have seen to-night. Come on, now."
He took me by the collar, and walked me swiftly to a little cove, where one or two of the Tor Cross fishers kept their boats. I heard a gun or two away in the distance, and then a great clatter of shingle, as the coastguards' horses trotted back towards us, with the led horse between two of them, as the prize of the night. They did not hear us, and could not see us, and Marah took good care not to let me cry out to them. ”

“ She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib asked the slave-women saying, “Who may be yonder maid,” they replied, “This is Star o’ Morn, daughter to the Blue King.” Then Gharib turned to Mura’ash and said to him, “O King of the Jinn, I have a mind to take yonder damsel to wife.” Replied Mura’ash, “The palace and all that therein is, live stock and dead, are the prize of thy right hand; for, hadst thou not devised a stratagem to destroy the Blue King and Barkan, they had cut us off to the last one: wherefore the treasure is thy treasure and the folk thy thralls.” ”

“ So Mura’ash said to Gharib, “How shall we do, O King of Mankind?” He replied, “O King, divide your men into four bodies and encompass with them the camp of the Infidels; then, in the middle of the Night, let them cry out, saying, ‘God is Most Great!’ and withdraw and watch what happeneth among the tribes of the Jinn.” So Mura’ash did as Gharib counselled and the troops waited till midnight, when they encircled the foe and shouted “Allaho Akbar! Ho for the Faith of Abraham the Friend, on whom be the Peace!” ”

“ I've changed my faith for sake of thee, and I * For stress of
love will cleave to secrecy:
So haste to us, an us in heart thou bear, * As noble spirit, nor
as laggard fare."
After this she wrote a letter to Masrur, describing to him all that the Jew had done with her from first to last and enclosed the verses aforesaid. Then she folded the scroll and gave it to her maid Hubub, saying, "Keep this in thy pocket, till we send it to Masrur." Upon these doings lo and behold! in came the Jew and seeing them joyous, said to them, "How cometh it that I find you merry? ”

“ A great many more of the streets and districts of Madras have history in their names; but the few that we have dealt with suffice to exemplify the manner of the expansion of the city of Madras. We can picture the rustic suppliers crowding into the city to sell the produce of their fields; we can picture the humble weavers migrating into the city with their wives and their children, and with their pots and their pans and their quaint machines, in response to the Company's tempting invitation ”

“ I needed a pair of rubber boots to shield my shoes from the muck and mud of many parts of the tunnel floor, where, doubtless, the nearness of the brook outside caused seepage. But Marsh said nothing about this. As I turned to go, he spoke again of Seth.
"Ain't heard tell anything more, have you, Mr. Bates?"
"People hereabouts don't talk much."
"They ain't all Marshes," he replied, with a furtive grin. "There's some that do say Seth was more Marsh than Bishop. The Bishops believed in hexes and such like. But never the Marshes." ”

“ Verily, God the Most High shall give the victory to Islam and I will show them cutting and thrusting.’ ‘O King of men,’ said Muraash, ‘by the virtue of the Mighty Name, I must needs go with thee to thy kingdom and destroy thine enemies and bring thee to thy desire.’ Gherib thanked him and they rested till the morrow, when they set out, intending for the City of Alabaster and the Parti-coloured Palace. ”

“ Then Mura’ash went up to the palace of Japhet son of Noah and sat down on the throne of his kingship, which was of alabaster, ten stages high and latticed with wands of gold wherefrom hung all manner coloured silks. The people of the city stood before him and he said to them, “O seed of Yafis bin Nuh, what did your fathers and grandfathers worship?” They replied, “We found them worshipping Fire and followed their example, as thou well knowest.” “O folk,” rejoined Mura’ash, “we have been shown that the fire is but one of the creatures of Almighty Allah, Creator of all things ”

“ MASRUR THE EUNUCH AND IBN AL-KARIBI. The Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, was exceedingly restless one night; so he said to his Wazir Ja’afar, “I am sleep-less to-night and my breast is straitened and I know not what to do.” Now his castrato Masrúr was standing before him, and he laughed; whereupon the Caliph said “At whom laughest thou? is it to make mock of me or hath madness seized thee?” Answered Masrur, “Nay, by Allah, O Commander of the Faithful,”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. ”

“ Replied Masrur, “As thou wilt,” and hied him home, leaving the Jew pondering his case and knowing not what to do; for his heart was sore troubled and he said in himself, “Even the mocking-bird disowneth me and the slave-girls shut the door in my face and favour another.” And of his exceeding chagrin, he fell to reciting these couplets:—
Masrur joys life made fair by all delight of days, ✿ Fulfilled of boons, while mine the sorest grief displays. ”

“ O [pg 29] worshipful Maruts, you create for man an active king, fashioned by Vibhvan; from you comes the man who can fight with his fist, and is quick with his arm, from you the man with good horses and valiant heroes. Like the spokes of a wheel, no one is last, like the days they are born on and on, not deficient in might. The very high sons of Prisni are full of fury, the Maruts cling firmly to their own will. When you have come forth with your speckled deer as horses on strong-fellied chariots, O Maruts, the waters gush, the forests go asunder;—let Dyu roar down, the bull of the Dawn. ”

“ I do not care how many years may pass, how old you may wax, whether you may become bent and broken with infirmities, I shall always see my Glory with her rich black shining hair, her large brown eyes, and form as elastic and straight as a pine-tree. I shall see the blue jersey and the red cap and scarlet skirt.' He raised his hands and wrung them in the air above his head: 'What do I care for other sights? These long flat marshes have nothing beautiful in them. The sea is not here what it is on other coasts, foaming, colour-shifting like a peacock's neck ”

“ I had the deaths of Marsh and Denis reported during the war, and later said Marceline had entered a convent. Fortunately Marsh was an orphan whose eccentric ways had alienated him from his people in Louisiana. Things might have been patched up a good deal better for me if I had had the sense to burn the picture, sell the plantation, and give up trying to manage things with a shaken and overstrained mind. You see what my folly has brought me to. Failing crops, hands discharged one by one, place falling to ruin, and myself a hermit and a target for dozens of queer countryside stories. ”

“ There were traces of hyenas and gazelles about, and this, I suppose, is where the desert animals come to drink, for it is the only water above ground we have yet seen. This spring is called Maasreh (little by little) —a pleasant spot where we should have liked to camp; but it is always dangerous to stop near water, lest people should come. Awwad says there is some tradition of a town or village having formerly existed here; but no ruins are to be seen. The water is sweet and good, as might be perceived by the insects which were swimming about in it. ”

“ But there is always a turn to the tide. They trapped a kangaroo and did not starve. Marsh reached his district and this time found work, which had to be light, for he was weak, emaciated and troubled day and night with a pain in his chest. And finally the glad word came that he was gazetted for pardon and could go to Hobart. There, on January 27, 1845, after ten months in Canada prisons, four and a half months in a transport ship, and five years in a convict colony, he went on board the American whaler Steiglitz of Sag Harbor, Selah Young, master, a free man. ”

“ Mehalah did not venture on the wall, but crept along in the marsh. He had got a stone, and was beating at his chain with it upon the stone casing of the wall on the sea face. He worked at it patiently for an hour, and at last broke one of the links. He waved the chain above his head with a shout, and flung it behind him into the marsh. He ran on. Mehalah stole after him. He never looked back, always forwards or upwards. Sometimes he danced and shouted and sang snatches to the moon when it flared out from behind a cloud. ”

“ Hereupon said Masrur to him, “O son of my uncle, open to us the door and give us a gugglet of water for that our lord thirsteth.” The chattel went in to his master, the young man, Manjáb hight, who owned the mansion, and said, “O my lord, verily there be at our door three persons who have rapped for us and who ask for a drink of water.” The master asked, “What manner of men may they be?” and the slave answered, “One of them sitteth under the chandelier and another of them standeth by his side and the third is a black slave between their hands ”

“ He has never recrossed the threshold of Alpha Marsh, and when he is at Omega Marsh, neither her mother nor Loïs comes here. He endures the younger ones, but he seldom looks at or speaks with them. He is rarely at home, and has not been to chapel for more than three years. When the minister would have exhorted him, he turned away with a bitter laugh. ”

“ I praise what is the praiseworthy true greatness of those Maruts, that the manly-minded, proud, and strong one drives with them towards the blessed mothers. They protect Mitra and Varuna from the unspeakable, and Aryaman also finds out the infamous. Even what is firm and unshakable is being shaken; but he who dispenses treasures, O Maruts, has grown in strength. No people indeed, whether near to us, or from afar, have ever found the end of your strength, O Maruts! The Maruts, strong in daring strength, have, like the sea, boldly surrounded their haters. ”