The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan — Part 182

It was before these two worshipful personages that I was introduced, followed by two or three of my principal attendants. I stood at the end of the compartment until I was spoken to.

‘You are welcome,’ said the chief executioner. ‘Hajji, by my soul, tell me, how many Russians have you killed? have you brought a head--let me see?’

Here the serdar took him up, and said, ‘What have you done? What Russians are on the frontier? and when shall we get at them?’

To all of which I answered, after making the usual prefatory speech, ‘Yes, Agas, I have done all that was in my power to do. It was a lucky hour when we set off, for everything that you wish to know I can explain; and it is evident that the destinies of the serdar and of my master are much on the rise, since so insignificant a slave as I can be of use to them.’

‘Good luck is no bad thing, that’s true,’ said the serdar, ‘but we trust a great deal to our swords, too,’--rolling his eyes about at the same time, and smiling in the face of the chief executioner.

‘Yes, yes,’ said his companion, ‘swords and gunpowder, spears and pistols--those are our astrologers. It will always be a fortunate hour that will bring me within slice of an infidel’s neck. As for me, I am a _kizzel bash_ (a red head), and pretend to nothing else. A good horse, a sharp sword, a spear in my hand, and a large _maidan_ (an open space) before me, with plenty of Muscovites in it: that is all I want.’

‘And what do you say to good wine too?’ said the serdar. ‘I think that is as good a thing as any you have mentioned. We’ll have the caliph in, and make him give Hajji a cup of his best. But tell us first,’ addressing himself to me, ‘what have you seen and done? where are the Russians posted? how many of them are there? have they any guns? who commands them? where are their Cossacks? have you heard anything of the Georgians? where is the Russian commander-in-chief? what are the Lesgî about? where is the renegade Ismael Khan?--Come, tell us all: and you, Mirza,’ addressing himself to his scribe, ‘write down all he says.’

Upon this I drew myself up, and, putting on a face of wisdom, I made the following speech:--

‘By the soul of the serdar! by the salt of the chief executioner! the Muscovites are nothing. In comparison to the Persians, they are mere dogs. I, who have seen with my own eyes, can tell you, that one Persian, with a spear in his hand, would kill ten of those miserable, beardless creatures.’