Now there were three well-to-do men standing near; and when they
saw the countryman coming to Haamdaanee they smiled, and said,
"You're taking lots of trouble for nothing, Moohaadeem."
"How's that, gentlemen?" he inquired.
"Why," said they, "that poor fellow has nothing at all. Not a cent."
"Oh, I don't know that," said the countryman; "he may have plenty,
for all I know."
"Not he," said they.
"Don't you see for yourself," continued one of them, "that he is on
the dust heap? Every day he scratches there like a hen, trying to get
enough grains of millet to keep himself alive. If he had any money,
wouldn't he buy a square meal, for once in his life? Do you think he
would want to buy a gazelle? What would he do with it? He can't find
enough food for himself, without looking for any for a gazelle."
But Moohaadeem said: "Gentlemen, I have brought some goods here to
sell. I answer all who call me, and if any one says 'Come,' I go to
him. I don't favor one and slight another; therefore, as this man
called me, I'm going to him."
"All right," said the first man; "you don't believe us. Well, we
know where he lives, and all about him, and we know that he can't
buy anything."
"That's so," said the second man. "Perhaps, however, you will see
that we were right, after you have a talk with him."
To which the third man added, "Clouds are a sign of rain, but we have
seen no signs of his being about to spend any money."
"All right, gentlemen," said Moohaadeem; "many better-looking people
than he call me, and when I show them my gazelles they say, 'Oh, yes,
they're very beautiful, but awfully dear; take them away.' So I shall
not be disappointed if this man says the same thing. I shall go to
him, anyhow."
Then one of the three men said, "Let us go with this man, and see
what the beggar will buy."
"Pshaw!" said another; "buy! You talk foolishly. He has not had a
good meal in three years, to my knowledge; and a man in his condition
doesn't have money to buy gazelles. However, let's go; and if he
makes this poor countryman carry his load over there just for the
fun of looking at the gazelles, let each of us give him a good hard
whack with our walking-sticks, to teach him how to behave toward
honest merchants."
So, when they came near him, one of those three men said: "Well,
here are the gazelles; now buy one. Here they are, you old hypocrite;
you'll feast your eyes on them, but you can't buy them."
But Haamdaanee, paying no attention to the men, said to Moohaadeem,
"How much for one of your gazelles?"
Then another of those men broke in: "You're very innocent, aren't
you? You know, as well as I do, that gazelles are sold every day at
two for a quarter."
Still taking no notice of these outsiders, Haamdaanee continued,
"I'd like to buy one for a dime."
"One for a dime!" laughed the men; "of course you'd like to buy one
for a dime. Perhaps you'd also like to have the dime to buy with."
Then one of them gave him a push on the cheek.
At this Haamdaanee turned and said: "Why do you push me on the cheek,
when I've done nothing to you? I do not know you. I call this man,
to transact some business with him, and you, who are strangers,
step in to spoil our trade."
He then untied the knot in the corner of his ragged coat, produced
the dime, and, handing it to Moohaadeem, said, "Please, good man,
let me have a gazelle for that."
At this, the countryman took a small gazelle out of the cage and
handed it to him, saying, "Here, master, take this one. I call it
Keejee'paa." Then turning to those three men, he laughed, and said:
"Ehe! How's this? You, with your white robes, and turbans, and swords,
and daggers, and sandals on your feet--you gentlemen of property,
and no mistake--you told me this man was too poor to buy anything;
yet he has bought a gazelle for a dime, while you fine fellows,
I think, haven't enough money among you to buy half a gazelle, if
they were five cents each."
Then Moohaadeem and the three men went their several ways.
As for Haamdaanee, he stayed at the dust heap until he found a few
grains of millet for himself and a few for Keejeepaa, the gazelle,
and then went to his hut, spread his sleeping mat, and he and the
gazelle slept together.
This going to the dust heap for a few grains of millet and then going
home to bed continued for about a week.
Then one night Haamdaanee was awakened by some one calling,
"Master!" Sitting up, he answered: "Here I am. Who calls?" The gazelle
answered, "I do!"
Upon this, the beggar man became so scared that he did not know
whether he should faint or get up and run away.
Seeing him so overcome, Keejeepaa asked, "Why, master, what's the
matter?"
"Oh, gracious!" he gasped; "what a wonder I see!"
"A wonder?" said the gazelle, looking all around; "why, what is this
wonder, that makes you act as if you were all broken up?"
"Why, it's so wonderful, I can hardly believe I'm awake!" said his
master. "Who in the world ever before knew of a gazelle that could
speak?"
"Oho!" laughed Keejeepaa; "is that all? There are many more wonderful
things than that. But now, listen, while I tell you why I called you."
"Certainly; I'll listen to every word," said the man. "I can't help
listening!"
"Well, you see, it's just this way," said Keejeepaa; "I've allowed you
to become my master, and I can not run away from you; so I want you to
make an agreement with me, and I will make you a promise, and keep it."
"Say on," said his master.
"Now," continued the gazelle, "one doesn't have to be acquainted
with you long, in order to discover that you are very poor. This
scratching a few grains of millet from the dust heap every day,
and managing to subsist upon them, is all very well for you--you're
used to it, because it's a matter of necessity with you; but if I
keep it up much longer, you won't have any gazelle--Keejeepaa will
die of starvation. Therefore, I want to go away every day and feed
on my own kind of food; and I promise you I will return every evening."
"Well, I guess I'll have to give my consent," said the man, in no
very cheerful tone.
As it was now dawn, Keejeepaa jumped up and ran out of the door,
Haamdaanee following him. The gazelle ran very fast, and his master
stood watching him until he disappeared. Then tears started in the
man's eyes, and, raising his hands, he cried, "Oh, my mother!" Then
he cried, "Oh, my father!" Then he cried, "Oh, my gazelle! It has
run away!"
Some of his neighbors, who heard him carrying on in this manner,
took the opportunity to inform him that he was a fool, an idiot,
and a dissipated fellow.
Said one of them: "You hung around that dust heap, goodness knows
how long, scratching like a hen, till fortune gave you a dime. You
hadn't sense enough to go and buy some decent food; you had to buy
a gazelle. Now you've let the creature run away. What are you crying
about? You brought all your trouble on yourself."
All this, of course, was very comforting to Haamdaanee, who slunk
off to the dust heap, got a few grains of millet, and came back to
his hut, which now seemed meaner and more desolate than ever.
At sunset, however, Keejeepaa came trotting in; and the beggar was
happy again, and said, "Ah, my friend, you have returned to me."
"Of course," said the gazelle; "didn't I promise you? You see, I feel
that when you bought me you gave all the money you had in the world,
even though it was only a dime. Why, then, should I grieve you? I
couldn't do it. If I go and get myself some food, I'll always come
back evenings."
When the neighbors saw the gazelle come home every evening and run
off every morning, they were greatly surprised, and began to suspect
that Haamdaanee was a wizard.
Well, this coming and going continued for five days, the gazelle
telling its master each night what fine places it had been to, and
what lots of food it had eaten.
On the sixth day it was feeding among some thorn bushes in a thick
wood, when, scratching away some bitter grass at the foot of a big
tree, it saw an immense diamond of intense brightness.
"Oho!" said Keejeepaa, in great astonishment; "here's property, and no
mistake! This is worth a kingdom! If I take it to my master he will
be killed; for, being a poor man, if they say to him, 'Where did you
get it?' and he answers, 'I picked it up,' they will not believe him;
if he says, 'It was given to me,' they will not believe him either. It
will not do for me to get my master into difficulties. I know what
I'll do. I'll seek some powerful person; he will use it properly."
So Keejeepaa started off through the forest, holding the diamond in
his mouth, and ran, and ran, but saw no town that day; so he slept
in the forest, and arose at dawn and pursued his way. And the second
day passed like the first.
On the third day the gazelle had traveled from dawn until between
eight and nine o'clock, when he began to see scattered houses, getting
larger in size, and knew he was approaching a town. In due time he
found himself in the main street of a large city, leading direct
to the sultan's palace, and began to run as fast as he could. People
passing along stopped to look at the strange sight of a gazelle running
swiftly along the main street with something wrapped in green leaves
between its teeth.
The sultan was sitting at the door of his palace, when Keejeepaa,
stopping a little way off, dropped the diamond from its mouth,
and, lying down beside it, panting, called out: "Ho, there! Ho,
there!" which is a cry every one makes in that part of the world when
wishing to enter a house, remaining outside until the cry is answered.
After the cry had been repeated several times, the sultan said to
his attendants, "Who is doing all that calling?"