A BATTLE AND WHAT CAME OF IT
THE next day Abbas Khan with his company started again for the city,
which they reached after a quiet journey. The mirza read Karim's
reports, and changed them where necessary, so that they would be in
proper form. Then he read them to the governor.
"The agha was very angry," he told Karim afterwards, "when I read how
the village was robbed, and he had me write a letter to Sheikh Tahar
saying that if he did not come to the city within a week he would send
up an army against him."
Eight days later all was astir about the palace, for the agha had
ordered four thousand men with four cannon to the mountains. Karim
did not go with them. However, the major told him afterwards about the
fight.
"When we reached the plain at the foot of the mountains," he said,
"Sheikh Rakhim came to our general. He had four hundred men with him,
and declared that every one of the four hundred had taken an oath to
capture Sheikh Tahar either dead or alive. He also said that he knew
where the sheikh was hiding. Our general gave him a fine horse for a
present.
"Two days later we advanced from the village toward a mountain. We saw
Sheikh Rakhim's Kurds galloping around at the foot of the mountain,
and heard their guns. Between us and them was a large building. Our
general told us to attack it, because Sheikh Tahar was inside it. So
we spread out in a long irregular line, and went slowly ahead, shooting
at the building all the while. They brought up one of the cannon,
too, and boomed away, but somehow the gunners did not seem able to
hit the building. It took us an hour to get close to it, and we kept
shooting at it until its walls were full of bullet marks, and some of
the soldiers had no ammunition left. But not a shot, or any sound or
movement, came in reply. Finally, when we were quite near, the general
ordered us to charge. My heart was in my throat, but I just shut my
eyes and ran forward to the wall, thinking every step would be my last.
But I heard nothing, and so, rushing to the door, I kicked it open, and
looked in. I saw no one inside. Others came up, and we rushed in, and
looked into all the corners, but the house was empty. Not a sign of a
Kurd, not even an empty cartridge shell, could we find. That was all
there was of the battle.
"We waited up there a week longer, but no one could tell us where
Sheikh Tahar was. So we have come home again."
A few months after this Karim bade good-bye to his friends at the
palace, and went back to his home to prepare for his wedding. The agha
sent him a fine piece of Persian shawl, and a handsome present of
money, and the mirza and Nasr'ulla gave him a farewell dinner. He had
an equally pleasant welcome when he reached his father's house the next
evening, for everyone was delighted to see him.
Here soon all were active in preparing for the wedding. Kadija busied
herself with embroidering nearly twenty small caps, and knitting over a
dozen pairs of red and yellow socks, which were to be given to Karim's
friends. Abdullah and Nana made a trip to the city with the parents and
uncle of Kadija to buy her wedding dresses. Since Karim paid for them
Kadija's parents spent just as much money as Abdullah allowed, and of
course he did not like to object at such a time. They bought a skirt
of bright green silk, another of yellow satin, and three of bright
coloured calico, with one jacket made of Persian shawl, and another of
Damascus silk.
Karim accompanied his parents to the city, and went to the palace to
call upon the mirza. He was surprised to find the court yard full of
Kurds. The mirza was very glad to see him, but could not entertain him
long.
"Come again another day," he said, "and I will invite our friends in
to have some tea with you. Just now we are busy entertaining your old
friend Sheikh Tahar."
"How is that?" asked Karim in astonishment. "I thought that the
governor had sworn that he would never rest until the sheikh was
brought to him in chains."
"So he has," replied the mirza, "and you remember how he sent up an
army to capture him, and how the sheikh escaped only by making himself
so small that no one could see him. But what can the agha do? This
Kurdish fox, when he ran away from the agha's cannon, went down to
the city of Kerbella, and there he made so many prayers at the grave
of the holy martyr Husain that the chief mullah of Kerbella gave him
a letter which explained how holy a man he had become, and how wrong
it would be for anyone to injure him. He came back with this letter,
and what can one do? All the mullahs and people would be angry if the
governor did not respect it. The ruler of the province has telegraphed
that the sheikh is pardoned for what he did, and now the agha is
giving him a great dinner, and I must be off to write an order making
him the governor of six villages, including the one he robbed. And a
gold star is being sent to him by the Shah, and a title, 'The Sword of
the Kingdom.' Our agha hopes that this will keep him from giving more
trouble. Gold stars to pin on one's breast are cheaper than fighting.
The ammunition the soldiers wasted on that empty house cost the price
of fifty stars and twenty dinners."