The Hajee was highly diverted with this reply, which he repeated to the
king the same evening; and we learnt that his majesty next day rallied
his relation with great effect, telling him Feiz-Ali had said he was "a
pleasant companion, and a very polite gentleman, when he was drunk!"
The other occurrence occasioned still more mirth to the "king of
kings." A number of the first nobles and ministers solicited, and were
permitted, to give dinners to the Elchee. Amongst these was a near
relation of his majesty, called Mahomed Hoosein Khan. It was expected
that this nobleman would visit the Elchee; but he did not pay this
mark of respect. The consequence was, the Elchee wrote to decline the
honour of waiting upon him. This caused the greatest confusion: Hajee
Ibrahim was sent for several times by the king, and at last brought
a message, intimating, that if the Elchee would give way on this
occasion, his majesty would deem it a personal favour, and would take
care he should never again be placed in such a situation. The Hajee
added his own entreaties, saying, "If you do not go, the indignity put
upon this proud Kajir chief will be exclusively ascribed to my advice."
Consideration for the minister weighed more with the Elchee than all
other motives, and he agreed to recall his excuse, stating, that he did
so at the express desire of the king.
The Elchee, when he entered the dinner apartment, though he must
have known his host by the dignified distance at which he sat from
his guests, nevertheless, choosing to mark the absurdity of going to
dine with a man with whose person he was unacquainted, turned to the
mehmandar, and said, "Which of these Omrâhs is Mahomed Hoosein Khan
Doodâkee?" The poor mehmandar was so confounded that he could only
answer by pointing to the personage inquired after, who now advanced
with an air of offended pride, while the whole assembly looked
astounded.
Notwithstanding this bad beginning, the party went off very well,
chiefly owing to the pleasant manners and information of the minister,
Rizâ Koolee Khan, who exerted himself not a little to promote good
humour.
We were not aware, till we returned home, of one cause of the surprise
which the interrogation, addressed to the mehmandar, had occasioned.
The Elchee, who understood Persian, was wholly ignorant of Turkish, and
consequently did not know that the title of Doodâkee, which he gave to
his host, from having heard him so called, was not one of honour, but
a nick-name, signifying "Thick-lip," which he had received from the
conformation of that feature, and which was useful in distinguishing
him from a hundred other Mahomed Hoosein Khans belonging to the Turkish
tribe of Kajir.
The king, we were informed, was delighted with this story, and used
sometime afterward, when our host was standing amongst other chiefs
near the throne, to exclaim, "Which of all these Omrâhs is Mahomed
Hoosein Khan Doodâkee?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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