Gharry

“ He replied at once: “Animation, colour, and women.”
“Then,” said I, “my task is easy. Come with me.”
So we stepped into a gharry (we were staying at a farm a little off the road to Hortiach) , and bumped down the Lembet Road, past the funny old cemetery on our right, and stopped importantly in the middle of that disastrously sordid square in which the Rue Egnatia and the road from Lembet meet.
“And that’s that,” remarked Twelves as, having stepped from the gharry, we watched it waggle away.
It was May 1913. The afternoon was late, and a cool breeze swept along the sun-strewn street. ”

“ The station beyond Jhelum is reached, I having but one mighty river to pass before I leave the bounds of India proper and tread the outskirts of Central Asia, in the valley of the Peshawar. But it took some two or three days and nights of continuous travel, in a dak gharry, before I reached Attock. The dak gharry is a fairly comfortable mode of conveyance, but one becomes tired of the eternal horizontal position which is the only one which gives any comfort to the weary traveler. ”

“ A gharry should carry four, but by crowding inside and piling one person on top of the other, with the addition of a couple hanging on behind, one on each door-step, and one on each hub of the wheels, a whole family manages to get conveyed to its destination by means of a single conveyance. Omnibuses are similarly crowded and packed, to an extent which is only possible on account, first, of the absence of any law to prevent it, and secondly, of the genial good-temper of the natives themselves. ”

“ After a time three gharries arrived, and Mr. Innes and I went in one, the two other gentlemen in another, and Sultan Abdullah's boys in the third. No amount of world-wide practice in the getting in and out of strange vehicles is any help to the tortuous process necessary for mounting and dismounting from a Larut gharrie. A gharrie is a two- wheeled cart with a seat across it for two people and a board in front on which the driver sits when he is not running by his horse. ”

“ Quoth Gharib, “O King, I am plighted to one of the girls of the Arabs and I desire to go in to her.” Quoth the King, “Whether is the fairer, thy betrothed or Fakhr Taj?” “O King of the age,” replied Gharib, “what is the slave beside the lord?” And Sabur said, “Fakhr Taj is become thy handmaid, for that thou didst rescue her from the pounces of the Ghul, and she shall have none other husband than thyself.” Thereupon Gharib rose and kissed ground, saying, “O King of the age, thou art a sovereign and I am but a poor man, and belike thou wilt ask a heavy dowry.” ”

“ Now, when Gharib returned to his camp, the Princess Fakhr Taj met him, weeping and affrighted for the terror of that which had befallen, and kissed his foot in the stirrup, saying, “May thy hands never wither nor thy foes be blither, O champion of the age! Alhamdolillah—Praise to God—who hath saved thee alive this day! Verily, I am in fear for thee from yonder Arabs.” When Gharib heard this, he smiled in her face and heartened and comforted her, saying, “Fear not, O Princess! Did the enemy fill this wild and wold yet would I scatter them, by the might of Allah Almighty.” ”

“ Then cried the King, “O dog, thou hast destroyed mine army and hast forsaken thy faith and comest now to make me do likewise!” With this Gharib went up to him and dealt him a cuff on the neck which knocked him down; whereupon the Marids bound him fast and all the Harim-women fled. Then Gharib sat down on the throne of kingship and said to Ra’ad Shah, “Do thou justice upon thy father.” So Ra’ad Shah turned to him and said, “O perverse old man, become one of the saved and thou shalt be saved from the fire and the wrath of the All-powerful.” ”

“ Now she was five hundred years old, and every man who entered the city, they brought to her and she made him sleep with her, and when he had done his work, she slew him and so had she slain many men. When she saw Gharib, he pleased her mightily; so she asked him, “What be thy name and Faith and whence comest thou?” and he answered, “My name is Gharib King of Irak, and I am a Moslem.” Said she, “Leave this Creed and enter mine and I will marry thee and make thee King.” But he looked at her with eyes of ire and cried, “Perish thou and thy faith!” ”

“ Murad Shah said, “My sire was Gharib, King of Al-Irak, and my mother Fakhr Taj, daughter of King Sabur of Persia.” When Gharib heard this, he gave a great cry and fell down fainting. They sprinkled rose-water on him, till he came to himself, when he said to Murad Shah, “Art thou indeed Gharib’s son by Fakhr Taj?”; and he replied, “Yes.” Cried Gharib, “Thou art a champion, the son of a champion. Loose my child!” And Sahim and Kaylajan went up to Murad Shah and set him free. Then Gharib embraced his son and, seating him beside himself, said to him, “Where is thy mother?” ”

“ Gharib rejoined, “I will go with thee and make thee king of the country and constrain the folk to obey thee, by the help of Allah the Bountiful, the Beneficent.” And Ra’ad Shah kissed his hands and feet. Then Gharib rewarded the counsellor who had caused the rout of the foe and gave him great wealth; after which he turned to Kaylajan and Kurajan, and said to them, “Harkye, Chiefs of the Jinn, ’tis my will that ye carry me, together with Ra’ad Shah and Jamrkan and Sa’adan to the land of Hind.” “We hear and we obey,” answered they. ”

“ She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Gharib, after giving robes of honour to the citizens of Cufa and commending the Ryots to their care, went out on a day of the days to hunt, with an hundred horse, and fared on till he came to a Wady, abounding in trees and fruits and rich in rills and birds. It was a pasturing-place for roes and gazelles, to the spirit a delight whose scents reposed from the langour of fight. ”

“ But Kaylajan and Kurajan had not left Gharib and, when they beheld what had befallen their lord, they laid hold of the elephant, whilst Gharib strove with the net, till he rent it in sunder. Upon this the two Marids seized Ra’ad Shah and bound him with a cord of palm-fibre. Then the two armies drove each at other and met with a shock like two seas crashing or two mountains together dashing, whilst the dust rose to the confines of the sky and blinded was every eye. ”

“ The first to open the gate of war was Gharib, who drave his steed into the mid-field and bared the enchanted blade, whence issued a glittering light that dazzled the eyes of all the Jinn and struck terror to their hearts. Then he played [38] with the sword till their wits were wildered, and cried out, saying, “Allaho Akbar! I am Gharib, King of Irak. There is no Faith save the Faith of Abraham the Friend!” Now when Barkan heard Gharib’s words, he said, “This is he who seduced my cousin from his religion ”

“ When Gharib entered the city, the figure stationed at the gate blew such a horrible blast that the King was affrighted and going into his idol, found fire and smoke issuing from its mouth, nose and eyes. Now a Satan had entered the belly of the idol and speaking as with its tongue, said, “O King, there is come to thy city one hight Gharib, King of Al-Irak, who biddeth the folk quit their belief and worship his Lord; wherefore, when they bring him before thee, look thou spare him not.” So the King went out and sat down on his throne ”

“ The Habshiabadis took the field at last, in a state that would have made a European commander tear his hair, and Gerrard hustled them on, blooding them by a smart little engagement with a force sent by Sher Singh's nearest governor to dispute their passage. The Rani joined them with every man she could bring as soon as they were ready to cross the Ghara, but left the command of her contingent to Rukn-ud-din, maintaining rigid seclusion on her elephant with one or two faithful attendants. ”

“ The scout went and returned, saying, “O my lord, Gharib and his braves are upon you;” whereupon they unloaded their bât-beasts and drew out in line of battle. When Gharib came up and saw the Persians ranged in row, he cried out to his men, saying, “Charge with the blessing of Allah!” So they waved the flags, and the Arabs and the Ajamis drave one at other and folk were heaped upon folk. Blood ran like water and all souls saw death face to face ”

“ So Gharib and his company and Princess Fakhr Taj and her maidens all rose and went forth, whilst Sa’adan commanded his slaves and slave-girls to slaughter and cook and make ready the morning-meal and bring it to them among the trees. For the Giant had an hundred and fifty handmaids and a thousand chattels to pasture his camels and oxen and sheep. ”

“ They asked, “O our lord, whence haddest thou these words?” And he told them what had befallen him with Gharib, adding, “O folk, know ye not that I am your chief in battle-plain and where men of cut and thrust are fain; and yet a man single-handed me to prisoner hath ta’en and made me the cup of shame and disgrace to drain?” When they heard his speech, they spoke the word of Unity and Jamrkan led them to Gharib, at whose hands they renewed their profession of Al-Islam and wished him glory and victory, after they had kissed the earth before him. ”

“ When Gharib saw this, he lost his wits for rage and cried out to Sahim, saying, “O my brother, O son of an accursed dam, [322] they have plundered our camp and carried off our women and children! Up and at the enemy, that we may deliver the captives!” So Gharib and Sahim and their hundred horse rushed upon the foe, and Gharib’s wrath redoubled, and he reaped a harvest of heads slain, giving the champions death-cup to drain, till he won to Al-Hamal and saw Mahdiyah among the captives. Then he drave at the lord of the Banu Nabhan braves; with his lance lunged him and from his destrier hurled him ”

“ Then came forward Jamrkan and his tribe and kissed the ground before Gharib, who bestowed on him a splendid robe of honour and made him captain of his vanguard, saying, “O Jamrkan, mount with the Chiefs of thy kith and kin and twenty thousand horse and fare on before us to the land of Jaland bin Karkar.” “Hearkening and obedience,” answered Jamrkan and, leaving the women and children of the tribe in Cufa, he set forward. Then Gharib passed in review the Harim of Mardas and his eye lit upon Mahdiyah, who was among the women, wherewith he fell down fainting. ”

“ Avenge me, O Jirad Sahib! avenge me, O soldiers of Partab Singh! avenge me on the man who has left me childless, the slayer of his brother!"
"But when was this? What has happened?" gasped Gerrard.
"Two days ago at this time. I waited only to burn the body of my son, and hastened hither for my vengeance."
"But it is impossible, Maharaj. Kunwar Sher Singh has been ill in bed since he arrived here."
"Has he?" The Rani's laugh rang out shrill and terrible. "It is easy to deceive some men. Let Jirad Sahib send now for Sher Singh, and see if he comes." ”

“ The Sorcerer thanked him and would have put Gharib to death, as he lay senseless under Bhang; but a man of his people withheld him saying, “O Sage, an thou slay him, his friend King Mura’ash will fall on us with all his Ifrits and lay waste our realm.” “How then shall we do with him?” asked Siran, and the other answered, “Cast him into the Jayhun while he is still in Bhang and he shall be drowned and none will know who threw him in.” And Siran bade the Marid take Gharib and cast him into Jayhun river.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. ”

“ Gharian is famed for the excellence of its oil, the richness of its saffron, which is produced in great quantities, and the goodness of its corn. The people are fine, well made men, and have an air of freedom, which their change of circumstances has not been able to conquer. In collecting the tribute for the Bey, each man pays [33] in kind a certain portion of his harvest. The Jews are employed to weigh and prepare the Bey’s share, and are well paid by the Arabs, in order that they may give short measure ”