But he remained steadfast, although it almost choked him, for all the
brilliant examples of the small Greek army against the enormous hordes
of Persians stood before him, and he had to swallow them all down, for
he knew his father's aversion to such warlike doings and then--on
Organ-Sunday!
Churi had ordered that his whole army should come together on the Friday
before Organ-Sunday in the Middle Lot. So the whole crowd collected on
the evening fixed, and there was an indescribable noise. But big Churi
shouted the loudest and explained to them the arrangements of the day:
first, all would go to church, and during that time, he and his officers
would go to find out the best place for camping and for the battle.
"Ah, so, Churi!" a little fellow in the crowd shouted, "that is why you
voted for church, that you might do outside what you want to!"
Churi cried, much vexed: "That must be on account of discipline; if you
do not want to go, then don't, and the Upper Wooders will pay you for
it." This threat was effective, just as Churi wanted it to be.
The whole army should not come together until after the organ dedication
was over in the morning, and the midday meal which followed at once, was
finished; and in the morning only Churi with his officers should march
out to arrange all places and positions. So he had planned. The officers
whom he had chosen were all his good friends, the toughest Middle
Lotters that could be found.
About this time a year ago, he had, with the very same boys, broken into
the Mayor's vineyard and stolen all his very best, fine Alsatian grapes.
He intended to do this again with his confidential friends, for it had
never been found out who had stolen the grapes, although they had tried
in all the three communities to find the culprits, and this had greatly
encouraged Churi and his allies. But he knew how careful the Mayor had
been this year, and he knew very well of his daily walks and that in the
afternoon his wife also took a walk in the direction of the vineyard,
and in the evening they often took the same walk together; so that the
culprits had not any day been sure of them. But on Organ-Sunday no one
would be outside--of that Churi was convinced; therefore he had
arranged everything in view of that, for although there would be an
investigation, all the many Lower Wooders and Middle Lotters would be in
that region, and the culprits would never be found out from among such a
large crowd.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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