He accompanies the Shah to his camp, and gets some insight into his
profession.
At length the day of departure for Sultanieh was fixed by the
astrologers. The Shah left his palace just half an hour before sunrise,
on the 21st _Rebbi el evel_,[68] and travelled without drawing bridle,
until he reached his palace of Sulimanieh, which is situated on the
banks of the Caraj, at a distance of nine parasangs from Tehran. The
different corps composing the army to be collected at Sultanieh were
ordered to meet there at a given time, whilst the Shahs escort was
to consist only of his body guard, his camel artillery, and a heavy
squadron of cavalry. The great officers of the court, with the viziers,
and those employed in the public offices, departed at about the same
time, and thus the city was bereft, almost in one day, of nearly
two-thirds of its population. Everything and everybody were in motion;
and a stranger would have thought that all the inhabitants, like bees
hiving, by one common consent had broken up housekeeping, and were about
to settle in some other place. Strings of mules and camels, laden with
beds, carpets, cooking utensils, tents, horse furniture and provisions
of all sorts, were soon making their way through each avenue, raising an
impenetrable dust, whilst their conductors mingled their cries with the
various toned bells which decked their beasts.
On the morning of departure, I was stationed at the Casbîn gate to keep
order, and to prevent any impediment to the Shahs passage. The peasants
bringing provisions to the city, who are in waiting every day previously
to opening the gates, were ordered to take another direction. The road
was watered by all the sakas of the town, and every precaution taken
to make the royal exit as propitious as possible. In particular, no old
woman was permitted to be seen, lest the Shah might cast a look upon
her, and thus get a stroke of the evil eye.
I found within myself an energy and a vigour in driving the people
about, that I never thought appertained to my character; for I
recollected well, when one of the mob, how entirely I abominated every
man in office. I made use of my stick so freely upon the heads and backs
of the crowd, that my brother executioners quite stared, and wondered
what demon they had got amongst them. I was anxious to establish a
reputation for courage, which I expected would in time promote me to a
higher situation.
At length the procession began to move forwards. A detachment of camel
artillery had proceeded on the evening before to receive the Shah when
he should alight at Sulimanieh; and now was heard the salute which
announced his leaving the palace at Tehran. All was hushed into anxiety
and expectation. The chief executioner himself, mounted upon a superb
charger, galloped through the streets in haste; and horsemen were seen
running to and fro, all intent upon the one object of preparing the
road. First came the heralds; then the led horses, magnificently
caparisoned in jewellery, shawls, and cloth of gold; after them the
running footmen; then the Shah in person; the princes succeeded,
followed by the viziers; and last of all an immense body of cavalry.
When it is mentioned that every man of any consequence was accompanied
by his train of attendants, most of whom had also their trains; and
when the sum total of mirzas, of servants, of pipe-bearers, of cooks
and scullions, of carpet-spreaders, of running-footmen, of grooms and
horses, of mule drivers and camel drivers, and of ten thousand other
camp followers is reckoned up, the imagination may perhaps conceive what
was the crowd which passed before me in succession, as I stood at the
Casbîn gate. When the Shah approached, his long beard floating to his
girdle, with all the terrors of despotism concentrated in his person,
I could not help feeling an odd sort of sensation about my neck; and I
made my lowest prostration to that power, which by a single nod might
have ordered my head to take leave of my shoulders, even before I could
make an objection.
The whole procession having cleared the city gates, I lingered behind
to smoke with the guards who are there stationed; and at that time the
women of one of the viziers who were permitted to accompany him to
camp passing by, brought Zeenab once again to my recollection. I sighed
profoundly, when I reflected on the probable miserable fate which
awaited her. She had been sent (so I heard from Nûr Jehan the day before
our departure) to a small summer-house belonging to the Shah, situated
at the foot of the high mountains which surround Tehran, where, with
many other of the bazigers, she was to receive her education of dancing,
music, and tumbling. The Shah had ordered that she was to be mistress of
these accomplishments previously to his return in the autumn; when she
would be honoured by the permission of exhibiting before him. As I rode
away, I could not help turning my head towards the spot where she was
now confined, and which I could just discern a speck at the foot of the
mountain. Perhaps at any other time I should have left every duty to
endeavour to obtain a glimpse of her; but I was called up to head the
procession again, and to be in readiness at Sulimanieh when the king
should alight from his horse.
The days march, and the attendance at my post being at an end, I
proceeded to the quarters of the chief executioner, where I found a
small tent prepared for me and five other nasakchies, who were destined
to be my companions for the remainder of the journey. I had already
made their acquaintance in the city; but now we were brought into closer
contact, for our tent was not more than six _ghez_[69] long and four
broad, and we were thus thrown almost one upon the other. I, as the
junior, fared of course the worst; but I determined to put the best
face possible upon any present inconveniences, anticipating many future
advantages, which a certain confidence in my own pretty self whispered
to me I should not fail to secure.
In addition to the chief executioners naib, there was also a
sub-lieutenant, who must have a place in my narrative, because, in
fact, it was through him that I ultimately became noticed by the higher
powers. His name was Shîr Ali, in rank a _Beg_, and a Shirazi by birth.
Although natives of the two rival cities of Persia, yet without any
particular previous cause, and by a combination of those nothings which
give rise to most friendships, we became inseparable companions. He had
given me a piece of watermelon one hot day when I was thirsty; I had
lighted his pipe for him on another occasion: he had bled me with his
penknife when I had overloaded my stomach with too much rice; and I
had cured his horse of the colic by administering an injection of
tobacco-water: in short, one thing led on to another, until a very close
intimacy was established between us. He was three years older than I,
tall, handsome, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, with the prettiest
oval beard possible, just long enough to fringe round his chin, and
with two large curls, twisting beautifully behind his ear, like a vine
curling over the garden wall.
He had been long enough in the service to acquire all the tricks of
his profession; for when we came to converse upon the subject, it was
surprising what a vast field for the exercise of genius he threw open to
my view.
He said, Do not suppose that the salary which the Shah gives his
servants is a matter of much consideration with them: no, the value of
their places depends upon the range of extortion which circumstances
may afford, and upon their ingenuity in taking advantage of it. As, for
instance, take our chief: his salary is 1,000 tomauns per annum, which
may or may not be regularly paid; that signifies little to him. He
spends at least five or six times that sum; and how is he to get it,
if it flows not from the contributions of those who come under his
cognizance? A khan has incurred the Shahs displeasure; he is to be
beaten and fined: the chief executioner beats and mulcts in the inverse
proportion of the present which the sufferer makes him. A rebels
eyes are to be put out; it depends upon what he receives, whether the
punishment is done rudely with a dagger, or neatly with a penknife.
He is sent on an expedition at the head of an army; wherever he goes
presents are sent him from the towns and villages on his road to induce
him not to quarter his troops upon them; and he uses his discretion,
according to the value of what he receives, in choosing his halting
stations. Most of those in high offices, even the viziers, make him
annual gifts, in case the day of the Shahs displeasure should come, And
then they would hope to be dealt with gently by him. In short, wherever
a stick is to be brandished, wherever punishment is to be inflicted,
there the chief executioner levies his dues; and they descend in a
gradual measure from him to the lowest of his officers. Before I was a
naib, and when I was called upon to lay the bastinado on some wretched
culprit, many is the time that my compassion has been moved by a direct
appeal to my purse; and then, instead of beating the sufferers feet, I
struck the felek upon which they rested. It was but last year that the
principal secretary of state incurred the wrath of the Shah. He was
ordered to receive the bastinado, and, by way of distinction, a small
carpet was spread for him to lie upon: I and another were the operators,
whilst two more held the felek. When we were taking the shawl and
cap from his head, his girdle and outer coat (which became our lawful
perquisites), he whispered to us, low enough not to be heard by the Shah
(for this was all done in his presence), By the mothers that bore
you, do not eat me much! Ill give you each ten tomauns if you will not
strike me. His heels were tripped up, his feet placed in the noose,
whilst his back reposed on the carpet; and then we set to work. For our
own sakes, we were obliged to start fair, and we laid on until he roared
sufficiently; and then, having ably made him increase his offer until he
had bid up to any price we wished, we gradually ceased beating his feet,
and only broke our sticks over the felek. Much ingenuity was displayed
on both sides, in order that the Shah might not discover that there
was any understanding between us. His bidding was interwoven with his
groans, something after this manner:--_Ahi amân! amân!_ For pitys
sake, by the soul of the Prophet! twelve tomauns.--By the love of your
fathers and mothers! fifteen tomauns.--By the kings beard! twenty
tomauns.--By all the Imâms! by all the prophets! thirty, forty, fifty,
sixty, hundred, thousand,--anything you want. When it was over, we
soon found that his generosity had diminished quite as rapidly as it had
before increased, and we were satisfied to receive what he first offered
to us, which he was obliged to give, fearing if a similar misfortune
again overtook him, we should then show him no mercy.
Shîr Ali, holding this sort of language, gave me such an insight
into the advantages of my situation that I could dream of nothing but
bastinadoing, and getting money. I went about all day flourishing
a stick over my head, practising upon any object that had the least
resemblance to human feet, and to such perfection did I bring my hand,
that I verily believe I could have hit each toe separately, had I been
so ordered. The first impulse of my nature was not cruelty, that I knew:
I was neither fierce nor brave, that I also knew: I therefore marvelled
greatly how of a sudden I had become such an unsainted lion.[70] The
fact is, the example of others always had the strongest influence over
my mind and actions; and I now lived in such an atmosphere of violence
and cruelty, I heard of nothing but of slitting noses, cutting off ears,
putting out eyes, blowing up in mortars, chopping men in two, and baking
them in ovens, that, in truth, I am persuaded, with a proper example
before me, I could almost have impaled my own father.