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I looked within and found a fat honeycomb still fast to a bit of branch.

'No worthy gift, but a new thing and sweeter than sugar. A little creature of my country maketh it with cunning of the sweet of flowers.' He had evidently never seen honey in India, and I made much ado of it. At least the delicate wild flavor was new, and almost as delightful as my memory of Ilyas Khan and his friends. I saw them only a few times after that, for I went soon to Berar, to work in a girls' orphanage. However, they used to inquire after my welfare as long as my father was in Bombay, and I received many gracious messages of salutation and blessing.

Steel they were; and steel is not tempered without fire. Their fires were deep, burning in an ancient pit of hardship and suffering, banked by isolating mountains, fed by reckless fatalism and ruthless laws, fanned by fierce traditions and lifelong companionship with death. In their presence one felt this hot, hidden fire underlying their courtly gravity, their hampered speech, and their charming surface frankness, as one feels the depth of the sea underlying alike its slow swells and its light surface gayety.

Steel they were; but not all steel. And fire may do more than temper. Though imprisoned in an iron code, it may flame out in conflagration - in revolting atrocity.

III

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I met several Pathans after that, including two Christians, but it was only five years ago, on a short journey to Poona, that at last I met a Pathan usurer, an engaging old ruffian, hawknosed and bearded, lounging at his ease in a crowded Third, and regally taking up the room of three ticket holders. He was really superb, with a rugged Semitic beauty, and lovelocks oiled and

curled, for all his fifty years. Two foxes sat in his two eyes, and if he had ever known Pity he had long ago forgotten her. Biblically speaking, he had no bowels.

His dress advertised his prosperity: immense trousers that fell in splendid folds, a sheer muslin tunic of the finest, a new peaked cap, a blue, white, and gold turban, a gold-embroidered crimson velvet waistcoat, fat gold rings, and on his tunic embossed gold studs joined by many little chains. He exuded wellbeing. One knew to look at him that he fared on rich, savory pilaus and curries, kababs broiled with garlic and green ginger, cakes and sweets dripping ghi and syrups. In Paradise he expected to feast limitlessly, with ravishing houris to pleasure him endlessly, and he was overlooking no delight here that he was able to know as delight.

He looked at me with the bland, appraising curiosity with which a surfeited cat might look over a mouse in a cage; and presently he began a harsh rumbling in his beard, which he evidently intended for singing.

Never have I heard such singing. Indian music I know and love, and Afghan music is doubtless musical, but this had neither tune nor time. It was not croaking, it was not barking, it was -sui generis, so preposterous that at first I could have laughed; but soon the rough vibration of the heavy aimless voice became racking, and my Hindu fellow passengers also grew restless. Something had to be done: I asked him politely what he sang.

'I sing of the compassion of Allah, the Compassionate Compassioner,' he said, with a benevolence that seemed to me even more killing than his singing. 'Where live you?' When I said, 'Berar,' his fox eyes lighted as at a marrowbone. 'Ha! Well I know Berar! It is a good country. Akola, Amraoti, Murtizapur, Malkapur - all good

towns, and well I know them!' He laid a loving hand on his paunch.

The gesture brought to life all my knowledge of his kind, and I recklessly gave battle. 'Aye, I doubt not,' I said tartly, 'having in all those towns good fields and gardens filched from our poor Kunbis [farmers]. It is verily a good country for tigers; we have many. In the hills they are striped, and on the plains they are of another stripe them we call Pathans.'

It was a very bad pun really, in our indulgent Berar Hindustani, but he let out a roar of laughter, while the rest made wry faces to conceal their satisfaction. He was used to fawning entreaties, tears, helpless rage, abuse, bitter vituperation even behind his back; but not often was he withstood to the face.

'Yea, by the grace of Allah, I have thriven; but land I sell forthwith, for I am ever going about.'

'Aye, 't were more profitable to win it back for naught than to pay taxes and to serve it day and night.'

He smiled and wagged his head in perfect and affable assent - I was being only obvious. Then with an air of great reasonableness he leaned forward. 'Hearken, Bibi. Allah hath made both tigers and deer; likewise He hath made men, some wise, some fools. The fools perish by their folly, and by that folly are the wise profited. Shall we then quarrel with Allah?'

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who account themselves good Musalmans and greatly wise!'

I ended with a swelling gesture and flicked one hand in his direction. His face had clouded, face had clouded, but the gesture diverted him and he laughed again. Then he reasoned with me persuasively: 'Hearken, Bibi. Verily it is not well to deceive the faithful, but these fools are naught save idolaters, fuel for Jahannam. How shall Allah fend for them whom He will Himself destroy?'

What to say! 'Hearken, Pathan. Allah's judgment of other men concerneth not you; and Allah, said all the Prophets, is a God of Truth and may not be mocked. One Court there is where the Judge needeth not witness, and heedeth not gainsaying; and when deceivers may enter Paradise, then also may you grow a "mulberry tree from a pumpkin seed," as the saying is.'

He stared at me a moment, but refused to be serious. 'Bibi, your words appear sound, but you have not the true learning. You follow Isa, - on Whom be peace! but without understanding. The Truth is only in Islam.'

'And which of all the prophets said other than I have said? Said they not ever that a man may reap only as he soweth? And Isa he soweth? And Isa - Holy is His name! said many times that words. and works may not be divorced: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Is it not open?'

'Nay, nay,' he said stubbornly, 'your Injil is not the true Injil!'

'Say what you will,' I said, stubborn also. 'Shut your eyes and say the sun shineth not, - "Fat shutteth the eye," as the saying is, but I will still say that Allah loveth not such works as yours. Think not that you can deceive

Him as you deceive poor Kunbis.'

He looked at me drolly, as if I were sour fruit that had set his teeth on edge. 'Only a fool thinketh to deceive Allah,' he said piously. 'What so great evil do I? I lend my good rupees that I gather with long labor to wretches who would steal my eyes, an they could. And what is my profit? One little anna [two cents] on one big rupee [thirty-two cents]. Have I only in all the world not a belly? Or doth the world feed me only for naught?'

'One anna every month on every rupee in one year with a little skill a rupee is become two rupees. If you forget to give a receipt, or the simple ton cannot read, it may be three rupees, or five, or ten! If he be hard pressed, the rate is not one anna, but two or even four annas every month on every rupee!'

He pretended great astonishment. 'Repentance, repentance!' He smote his cheeks penitentially. 'What shaitan of a money-lender doeth these things?'

'He sitteth in this train and calleth himself hard names! And he hath many kinsmen. I will tell you a true tale. A Hindu villager new come to Bombay borrowed a rupee of a Pathan neighbor. When, in two or three months, he went to repay it, the Pathan took the rupee and asked a rupee for interest. When the Hindu asked the reckoning the Pathan would have beat him, but he fled. Thereafter every month the Pathan waylaid him and took what he could. In three years he took above fifty rupees, nor gave a shred of paper in return. When the matter came to my ears he was asking five rupees a month- and the Hindu getting but fifteen! I sent that poor honest Pathan word that, asked he but another farthing, I would enter suit, and the fellow became dumb at once!'

During this recital the Pathan's face was a comedy in which played admiration, envy, pretended disapproval, and,

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'Deer ask no dealings with tigers, and why Hindus fear not to borrow money of Pathans I know not.'

'And is a Pathan, then, any worse than a Hindu money-lender - a Marwari for choice? For marvels of accounting, a Marwari is the father of ten Pathans! Many a Pathan cannot read. I tell you, Bibi, Hindus would borrow of demons, false religion stealeth a people's wits, and did an honest man not use his hands, and, yea, sometimes his stick also, he would never get his money again!'

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He looked about him with a show of righteous wrath and met sullen looks and inscrutable indifference. So also the poor tiger, working hard to fill his gnawing belly, may harangue the tricky deer he devours, because they lead him a chase and sometimes even escape him. But before I could fit an arrow to my bow we came to a little station near Poona where was an encampment of Wadars, who had been there for months, road making. One could see their tiny huts, marvels of resourcefulness, beside the track near the station. Whenever a camp moved they would break up these huts into their component sticks and scraps and carry them to their next camp on the unhappy donkeys who carried the stone for the roads.

The train had not stopped before I heard, as I expected, the curious cries and vocalisms of the Wadar children. Hastily getting out all the coppers in my purse, I went to the window, to find a dozen little children busily thumping their ribs, and tapping or pinching their throats to produce all manner of

indescribable noises, quite the oddest human noises I have ever heard. At sight of me, a 'Sahiba' and presumably made of money, they redoubled their efforts. They were either quite or almost naked, burned very dark by the sun, and over their ribs on their right sides the skin was black and dry from their constant drumming.

Many passengers laughed at the antics of the children, some threw out coppers, and some amused themselves by frightening the desperately busy little buffoons. A threatening word or gesture would send them running like hares, but with the persistence of hungry puppies and kittens they would be back at once, warily keeping out of range of teasing hands while they kept up their pitiful entertainment. They were opportunists simply. Several Several groups of them were scattered up and down the short train, and for every copper there would be a swift, snatching scramble. Losers wasted no time in tears, but pinched, thumped, squawked, and hiccoughed the louder. As these were the littlest, I called them to me and put my coppers safely into their eager hands.

When my purpose became manifest the Pathan was all horrified protest: 'Bibi, Bibi, cast not away money to those black crows! Alms to the faithful are not amiss, but to these — Ya Allah!'

'And should they not have farthings for sweets? You and I had a many sweets when we were children.'

'Crows need not sweets, and these are so fat and well-liking, it is a scandal! Cease, I pray you!' The great creature wrung his hands and entreated me as though I were squandering a king's ransom. I thought that I had never seen anything so droll as his distress. The coppers were gone all too soon.

serious, 'you have cast away good
money. Those are ba-ad people!'
'Bad!' I said, really surprised. 'How
bad?'

'Of a surety they are bad. From beggars they will become thieves, and all their lives they will go about taking people's money and never working.'

I was delighted. "Then they cannot be bad! For, look you, they will thus become like many excellent Pathans who all their lives go about taking people's money and never working.'

But he was deadly serious, at last. 'Nay, but the black peoples must work; for that did Allah make them.' It had a familiar sound.

'A prophet verily! I also will prophesy. Allah made all men to work, but if the black carry two burdens the white may go light-bless Allah! Wherefore let them break stone all day in the hot sun to make roads for you and me. Let their children likewise break stone and drive donkeys, and the little ones beat their tender sides black and shriveled to make us sport. But if their bones do not pierce their skin it is a scandal. That they should have sweets to eat is matter for lamentation. Black folk are but beasts. They work with so great ease, being made to that end, that but for the wonder-working of Allah they would not be old and withered when white folk are still young. And when they can no longer work, O Allah, do Thou speed them to Jahannam, lest they cumber the earth! Let him that hath ears hearken unto my prophesying!'

He made a despairing gesture. 'Hearken, Bibi. Allah hath not made all alike. He hath made horses, and He hath made asses. And asses were ever an ill breed. Though you trapped an ass in gold and scarlet housings, he would be no less an ass. Or will you indeed say that an ass and a horse are

'Bibi,' he said, almost tearfully all one?' He spoke with triumph.

'Nay,' I laughed. "If you speak of beasts I will say that an ass is an ass, and a horse a horse. And if you speak of men I will say that a horse is no less a horse for that he is not of Arab [Arabia] or Balkh. And, however you speak, I will say that Allah loveth asses, for "His tender mercies are over all his works," as Daud-on whom be peace! -saith in the Zabur [Psalms]. Indeed, asses have their virtues, as horses have theirs, and the world would lack a thing if asses were not.'

For answer he let out a gusty roar, and indeed the whole compartment laughed. Asses also have virtues Ya Allah! Bibi, in what Qanun found you this learning?' He laughed again.

'It is in the Qanun of him that hath eyes. Even Akbar acknowledged asses as his subjects. Heard you never how he gave judgment for an ass against his master, for that the poor beast was ill fed?'

'Nay, what tale is this?'

Whereupon I told the tale of the grazing donkey who rang by chance the bell of Akbar's hall of audience, of how the emperor had him haled in, since none might ring that bell and depart unheard, and, finding him overlean and dejected, sent his laughing courtiers to find his petitioner's master, whom he then fined and commanded to present the beast monthly for his approval. I cannot certify that the emperor was verily Akbar, for the story is an old favorite, told in several forms of several kings, both Hindu and Mohammedan. However, it served my purpose, and the Pathan listened like a child. As I ended, the train pulled into

Poona station, where everyone got out, bag and much baggage. In the crowd on the platform the big Pathan, with bulky bundles under arm and over shoulder, suddenly confronted me with an outthrust hand.

'Shek-hand karo, Bibi!' Should I? He was such a 'ba-ad' man! Then, seeing the rough friendliness of his smile, and remembering a certain severe parable about a mote and a beam, I held out my hand. He touched it awkwardly.

'Keep me in remembrance, Bibi. My name is Ismail Khan. By the grace of Allah I may meet you again in Berar. There was no sugar on your tongue to-day, Bibi, save for idolaters. In my country they say that even a great spear wound may heal quickly, but not the wound of a tongue.' Very droll he looked, and we both laughed.

"Then give up usury, I pray you, and rob no more our poor Kunbis.'

'Aye, aye! Look you, Bibi, the day you give up almsgiving, and cast no more good coin to idolaters' brats, that very day I will cease to eat what Allah layeth in my mouth! Let Allah be witness!'

I let him keep the last word, and he went away chuckling. At home I looked up Ishmael: 'He will be a wild man, his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him.' But the name means 'he whom God heareth,' and I was pleased. "The Lord is loving unto every man: and his mercy is over all his works.'

'Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures, the Compassionate Compassioner.'

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