The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern KurdistanWigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
History
The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan
Wigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
Kurdistan -- Description and travel; Kurds
So the woman arose in the morning, and donned her fairest raiment, and
perfumed herself with musk, and painted her eyes with kohl; and she took
her veil, and went forth, and came to the street where Haji Kas dwelt.
And as the _Seyyid_ passed by, she drew aside her veil and ogled him,
and said, "O Moslem, canst thou tell me the dwelling-place of Haji Kas?"
And Haji Kas answered, "I am he. What wouldst thou with me?" And she
drew aside her veil further, and smiled, and said, "Thy servant is a
woman of Teheran,[113] and married to a man of Urmi. And my husband hath
gone on a journey, and hath sent me a writing of divorcement. And behold
my neighbours said unto me, 'Seek not advice of any in this matter, save
only of the upright Haji Kas.'"
(The narrator dwelt on the flirtation lovingly, and at great length, but
here we are obliged to curtail it.)
Then Haji Kas lighted down from his horse, and took her by the hand and
said, "O my lady of beauty, verily in this matter thy neighbours
counselled thee well." But the woman drew away from him, and veiled
herself, and answered, "It is not meet that we talk together in the
street at this time. Come to my house at sundown, and I will give thee
welcome; and there shalt thou instruct me in all that it behoves me to
do."
So Haji Kas arose after nightfall, and went secretly to the house that
the woman had appointed to him; and she opened to him, and set meat and
drink before him; and while they made merry together, behold, there was
a knocking at the door. And the woman went softly to hearken; and she
said, "It is my husband. Lo! he is returned from his journey, and I wist
not aught of his coming; and I fear that he will do us a mischief, if he
find us together in the house."
Then said Haji Kas, "I conjure thee, O my lady, that thou show me a way
of escape." But she answered, "There is no other door. Hide thee in this
great chest; I only have the key thereof, and when my husband is
departed then straightway I will set thee free."
So Haji Kas entered the chest, and the woman turned the key upon him.
And she opened the door to her husband, and said, "A greeting to thee!
Behold, I have taken Haji Kas in the snare that I have laid." And the
man said, "Where is he?" And she answered, "He is in that chest. Cord
it tightly, and we will eat and be merry, and thereafter we will take
counsel what we shall do with Haji Kas."
And when the morning morrowed, the man arose, and said, "What shall we
now do with Haji Kas? Come let us open the chest, and I will beat him
and let him go." But the woman said, "Not so. Call thou hither a porter,
and lay the chest upon his shoulders, and bid him bear it to the bazaar;
and let Achmet the salesman cry it for sale to the highest bidder; but
charge him to sell it unopened; no man shall know what is in it, until
that it is sold." Then the man did as the woman had bidden him, and the
porter departed to the bazaar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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