Hajji Baba meets with an extraordinary adventure in the bath, which
miraculously saves him from the horrors of despair.
So, said I to my companion, as soon as we were left to ourselves, so
I am indebted to you for this piece of happiness. If I had thought
that this adventure was to have been the result of the mûshteheds
recommendation, you would never have seen Hajji Baba in this trim.
What could it signify to you whether rain fell or no, or whether the
Armenians got drunk or remained sober? This is what we have got by your
officiousness.
The mollah was in too pitiable a condition for me to continue upbraiding
him any longer. We walked in silence by the side of each other in the
saddest manner possible, until we reached the first village on our road.
Here we made a halt, in order to deliberate upon what we should do. My
unfortunate companion was expelled the city, therefore it was impossible
for him to show himself in it until the storm had blown over; but as
we were both very anxious to know what had become of our respective
properties--he of his house and effects, I of my clothes, my money, and
mule,--it was determined that I should return and gain the necessary
intelligence.
I entered Tehran in the evening, and, making myself as little
recognizable as possible, I slunk through the streets to the mollahs
house. At the first glimpse I discovered that we were entirely ruined;
for it was in possession of a swarm of harpies who made free property of
everything that fell under their hands. One of the first persons whom I
met coming from it was the very ferash who had been sent by the Shah to
conduct us to his presence; and he was mounted on my mule, with a bundle
in his lap before him, doubtless containing my wardrobe, or that of the
mollah.
So borne down was I by this sight, and so fearful of being discovered,
that I hurried away from the spot; and, scarcely knowing whither I was
bending my steps, I strolled into a bath, situated not far from the
house of our enemy the chief priest. I went in, undressed myself, and it
being almost dark, I was scarcely perceived by the bathing attendants.
Going from the first heated room into the hottest of all, I there took
my station in a dark recess, unseen by any one, and gave free course to
my thoughts. I considered to what I could now possibly turn my hands for
a livelihood: for fortune seemed to have abandoned me for ever, and it
appeared that I was marked out for the stricken deer, as the choice game
of misfortune.
I no sooner fall in love, said I, musing, than the king himself
becomes my rival, slays my mistress, and degrades me from my employment.
I am the lawful heir to a man of undoubted wealth: he lives just long
enough to acknowledge me; and although everybody tells me that I ought
to be rich, yet I have the mortification to see myself cheated before
my face, and I turn out a greater beggar than ever. The most devout and
powerful man of the law in Persia takes a fancy to me, and secures to
me what I expect will be a happy retreat for life: my master in an evil
hour prays for the blessings of heaven to be poured upon us, instead of
which we are visited with its vengeance, driven as exiles from the
city, and lose all our property. Never did man count up such a sum
of miseries as I did when seated in the corner of the bath. The world
seemed for ever gone from me, and I wished for nothing better than to
die in the very spot in which I had nestled myself.
The bath had now been almost entirely abandoned by the bathers, when of
a sudden a stir ensued, and I perceived a man walk in, with a certain
degree of parade, whom, through the glimmering of light that was still
left, I recognized to be the mollah bashi in person. Neither he nor his
attendants perceived me; and as soon as he was left to himself (for so
he thought) he immediately got into the reservoir of hot water, or the
_hazneh_ (the treasury), as it is called in the baths of Persia.
Here I heard him for some time splashing about and puffing with all his
might; a sort of playfulness which struck me as remarkable for so grave
and sedate a character; and then a most unusual floundering, attended
with a gurgling of the throat, struck my ear.
I conceived that he might be practising some extraordinary bodily
exercise, and curiosity impelled me to rise gently from my corner, and
with all the precaution possible, to steal softly on the tips of my toes
to the aperture of the reservoir, and look in.
To my horror, I perceived the head of the law at his last gasp,
apparently without a struggle left in him. It was evident that he had
been seized with a fit, and had been drowned before he could call for
help.
All the terrible consequences of this unfortunate event stared me full
in the face. What can now hinder me, said I, from being taken up as
his murderer? Everybody knew how ill-disposed against him was my master,
the mollah Nadân, and I shall be called the vile instrument of his
enmity.
Whilst making these reflections, standing upon the step that leads
into the reservoir, the mollah bashis servant, followed by a bathing
attendant, came in, with the warm linen that is used on leaving the
bath; and seeing a man apparently coming out of the water, naturally
took me for the deceased, and without any words proceeded to rub me down
and to put on the bathing linen. This gave me time for thought; and as I
foresaw an adventure that might perhaps lead me safely out of the scrape
into which my destiny had thrown me, I let it take its course, and at
once resolved to personify the chief priest.
A dim lamp, suspended from on high, was the only light that shone in the
large vault of the dressing-room; and as I happened to be about the size
and stature of the deceased, his servants, who were without suspicion,
very naturally took me for their master. I had known and seen a great
deal of him during my stay with the Mollah Nadân, and, therefore, was
sufficiently acquainted with the manners of the man to be able to
copy him for the short time it would take to be attended upon by his
servants, until we reached his house. The most difficult part of the
imposture would be, when I should enter the womens apartments; for I
was quite unacquainted with the locality there, and totally ignorant of
the sort of footing he was upon with the inmates of his anderûn. Indeed,
I once heard that he was a perfect tyrant over the fairer part of the
creation; and as much gossip was carried on at my masters, it came to
my recollection, that it had been said he waged a continual war with his
lawful wife, for certain causes of jealousy which his conduct was said
to promote. He was a man of few words, and when he spoke generally
expressed himself in short broken sentences; and as he affected to use
words of Arabic origin on all occasions, more gutteral sounds obtruded
themselves upon the ear than are generally heard from those who talk
pure Persian.
I did not permit myself to open my lips during the whole time that I
was dressing. I kept my face in shade as much as possible; and when the
waterpipe was offered to me, I smoked it in the manner that I had seen
the chief priest do; that is, taking two or three long whiffs, and then
disgorging a seemingly interminable stream of smoke.
One of the servants appeared to be struck by something unusual, as I
pronounced my _Khoda hafiz!_ to the owner of the bath upon leaving it;
but all suspicion was at an end when they felt the weight which I gave
myself, as they helped me to mount the horse that was in waiting.
I deliberately dismounted at the gate of the house of the deceased; and
although I bungled about the passages, yet, following the man who seemed
to act as the confidential servant, I came to the little door which
leads into the anderûn. I permitted him to do what he no doubt was daily
accustomed to do, and just as he had opened the door, and I had advanced
two or three paces, he shouted out, _Cheragh biar_, bring lights, and
then retired.
A clatter of slippers and womens voices was then immediately heard,
and two young slaves came running towards me with tapers in their hands,
apparently striving who should first reach me.
The largest apartment of the building was lighted up, and I could
perceive in it more women than one. That I took to be the residence of
the principal personage, the now widow of the deceased; and I dreaded
lest the slaves should conduct me thither. But, aided by my good stars,
I must have fallen upon a most propitious moment, when the mollah bashi
and his wife had quarrelled; an event which seemed to be understood
by my conductors, who, seeing me unwilling to proceed to the lighted
apartment, drew me on to a door which led into a small inner court,
where I found a khelwet, or retiring room, into which they introduced
me. How to get rid of them was my next care; for as they had walked
before me, they could not have got a sight of my face, and had they
entered the room with me, perhaps they would have made a discovery fatal
to my safety. I took the light from the hand of one, and dismissed the
other, with a sign of the head. Had I been the same inconsiderate youth
as at the time of my acquaintance with Zeenab, perhaps I should have
committed some act of imprudence that might have led to my discovery;
but now I eyed the two young slaves with apprehension and even with
terror; and certainly one of the most agreeable moments of my existence
was, when I saw them turn their backs upon me and leave me to my own
meditations. The change in my fortune, which had taken place during
the last hour, was so unexpected, that I felt like one treading between
heaven and earth; and my first impulse, upon finding myself in safety,
after having got over the most difficult part of the imposture, was
at one moment to exult and be joyful, and at another to shiver with
apprehension lest my good fortune might abandon me.
[Illustration: Hajji in the mollah bashis house. 32.jpg]