KARIM LEAVES HOME
WHEN the agha went back to the city to become its governor Karim bade
good-bye to his parents and went with him. He was one of the stable
boys for Nasr'ullah the groom.
He now lived on the grounds of the governor's palace. One entered these
grounds through large gates of wood. The gateway was faced with bright
red brick arranged in pretty patterns.
Then came a large court yard, paved with stone, and surrounded with
rooms for Nasr'ullah and those who helped him. In one of these Karim
slept. A large doorway near by led to a long line of stalls, where
twenty riding horses were kept, with their saddles, saddle cloths and
bridles hanging ready for use at a half hour's notice.
From this court yard a small gate way opened into another and larger
yard. Here were broad walks paved with flat stones and bordered with
little plots of green grass, rose bushes and small beds of bright
yellow and red flowers. A few mulberry trees gave a pleasant shade.
There were two great stone rimmed tanks full of water.
Around this court yard were many rooms. The reception room was large,
with white walls and windows of stained glass. Its floor was covered
with richly coloured carpets. The tea room had soft divans along the
walls, with wide windows to catch the breeze. There were also rooms for
the governor's son, Ardashir Khan, and for the mirza (secretary) who
taught him, and for the servants. Beyond were the kitchens, where the
men in charge always kept tea and food ready, because no one could tell
just when a visitor might come with his attendants.
In all about fifty men had work to do about the palace. All of them
were given their meals, and many slept there.
Behind the great court yard was another yard, almost as large, into
which Karim never entered, as it was reserved for the ladies of the
governor's family, and for the women and girls who served them.
The court yard was shaded by tall chenars (a kind of sycamore), and had
in it streams of water, plots of grass, rose bushes, flower beds, and a
grape arbour.
In the branches of the chenars, thirty feet above the ground, were two
nests of the "Hajji Legleg," or stork. This bird was called "hajji,"
or "pilgrim," because storks fly away each fall and always return to
their nests in the spring. They were never disturbed, because they were
said to bring good luck. They reminded Karim of his own village, where
two pairs of storks had made their nests for years. He had heard of one
village where there were twenty or thirty nests, on the trees, walls,
and even on the roofs of the houses.
He had often watched the parent storks, one at a time, brooding over
the blue eggs or feeding their young. Father Stork used to feed the
mother while she was sitting, dropping from his bill into hers such
tidbits as live frogs or snakes captured from the little swamps near
the river, and around the ponds. As soon as the three or four young
storks had hatched the father and mother took turns in their work. One
stayed at home and guarded the children, while the other hunted for
food. When the hunter came in sight of the nest he made a great noise
clapping with his bill, for storks have no call, and his mate answered
him. The young storks made a low sound something like a kitten's mews
as they sat with their long bills wide open, waiting for breakfast to
drop in; they spent much time, too, leaping up and down in their nests
like Jacks-in-the-box, exercising their wings.