claimed Praise be to Allah, the world is turning upside down; Azbeaz in going to married. » « And why should he not?» said Azbeaz; «is he not a man like the rest of God's creation? are maidens and wives made for others, and is he not to have one also? » I am not aware he is counted amongst men, answered Sakalchok with renewed contempt. Has he not a hump? Has he not the face of a monkey? Has he not the soul of an inferior animal ? Is he then to be placed among men? » « And you are a brother who say all this!» retorted Azbeaz with a mortified and dejected countenance; « we came from the same mother, and were nourished by the same breasts, and, if so, are you to be counted among men? » my « Man! exclaimed Sakalchok, "come you here to insult beard? » "I am come here," said Azbeaz with more spirit than he was wont to speak to his brother, I am come here to seek my own-pay me what you owe me-if you refuse to help me in securing my happiness in a wife, I pray you give me that which you cannot withhold I am in want of my money and must have it. » " « Must! must, indeed!» exclaimed the arrogant Sakalchok ; « a miserable cobbler use such a word to the King's jeweller; we shall see where must is! Get you gone-say nothing more -get you gone-must, indeed ! » «I demand my money," said Azbeaz with still more spirit; I am a poor cobbler and you a rich jeweller, still greater is the necessity that you should pay me-let alone the claims. of a brother. " "I have no money for such as you," said Sakalchok, «if you have made shoes for me, great has been the honour conferred upon you." Azbeaz could not look grave if he wished it; his laughing mouth prevented that; but on this occasion, hurt as he was by his brother's conduct, particularly as it checked his love, he gathered himself up into an attitude, which would have been one of dignity had it been adopted by a well-made person, and lifting up his hand said: " Whatever I am, God made me, and deformity is no fault of mine, and you can no more prevent yourself being my brother than I can being yours-but from this hour I dissolve the bonds of our relationship, and I treat you as one possessing no tie upon me. If there be justice to be had at the foot of the throne, Azbeaz will seek it. » Upon which he flung himself out of the room, whilst his ears caught the sound of his brother's laugh of contempt, followed up by a shout of defiance. It was some days after this disappointment before Azbeaz could hold up his head, but the ardour of his love was so great that he could not restrain himself from doing something. Accordingly he got acquainted with an old confidential slave belonging to the family of the maiden he adored; and, in consequence of the questions which he put to her, having learned some particulars favourable to his passion, he determined to take some steps towards furthering his suit. The slave informed him that the mother was anxious for her daughter's marriage-that her father being dead, she was under the guardianship of her uncles that the girl herself was not disinclined to marry, and that she did not know of her being promised to any one. With these facts before him, the enslaved Azbeaz determined to press his suit with the mother; he became acquainted with her, invited her to his shop, softened her heart by presenting her with shoes, offered fruit and sweetmeats; in short, he played his cards so well, that he at length was emboldened to state his pretensions. The mother heard his proposals with delight-for what mother was ever displeased on such an occasion?- and recommended him to see the elder uncle, with a request that he would call a meeting of the family, before whom he would lay his case. To all this Azbeaz with joy readily assented. In the mean while, the mother instigated her brother-in-law to go to Sakalchok, with whom he was well acquainted, to enquire what might be the circumstances of Azbeaz, with a view to furthering the marriage of her daughter. When Sakalchok received this application, the whole malig VOL. I. 39 nity of his humour burst forth; he branded his brother with unjust appellations, laughed aloud at his pretensions as a swain, asserted that he had not ready cash enough to settle even the smallest dower upon a wife, and strongly urged the mother of the maiden and her uncles, of whom she had several, not to give their consent to Azbeaz's proposals. The words of Sakalchok were words of no mean personage, for he was now the King's principal jeweller and goldsmith, and consequently they were heeded with considerable respect. The uncles avowed themselves disgusted at Azbeaz's impertinence in venturing to make a proposal, and, espousing the opinion expressed by his brother, they determined to give him a piece of their minds on the subject. Azbeaz waited with impatience for the meeting. At length the morning came, and he proceeded to the house of the eldest uncle with a beating heart. The father of the maiden had been the youngest of six brothers, and died an oldish man, consequently there were five old men collected to receive Azbeaz. When they were all seated, he opened his case by stating his desire to possess the daughter of his former neighbour as a wife, honestly avowed that he was not rich, but pleaded that he enjoyed the confidence of a good set of customers, and appealed to all those who knew him, whether he was not capable of maintaining a wife in comfort, by the industry of his hands, and the temperance of his habits. " The youngest uncle answered this speech by a sneer; « and so," said he, you, a poor shoemaker, ugly, with the face of a monkey, with a curved back, without goods and chattels, or property of any kind, you venture to seek our niece in marriage, she who has beauty enough to wed a khan-a bey or even a king's jeweller. Are you mad enough to come laughing at our beards in this manner? » "Mad indeed!» exclaimed the next youngest uncle; in what part of your understanding did you find that men were such fools as to be taken in by a deformed cobbler ? » ་་ «A deformed cobbler, did you say,» continued the third uncle, if that were all, there is no harm done; but what did the king's jeweller, your own brother, say? why, that you were as insolent as you were ugly, and went about insisting for money as if you were the King." Money, did you say?» exclaimed the oldest uncle but one, "what money can a cobbler ever make, sufficient to support a comely creature like our niece, who might aspire to marry a vizier's son. » "A vizier's son! what say you?" said the eldest uncle; is she not fit to be placed in the King's harem? then, wherefore are we wasting our time in talking to a poor shoemaker, and listening to his insane proposals; let him think himself well off if we do not take him by the waistband, and throw him into the street for his impertinence. » Azbeaz, during the five speeches with which he had been regaled, sat boiling with rage and indignation, although his face was true to its old laugh. When he had heard them out, he slowly arose, and as he walked out of the room he said, the day will come, old gentlemen, when you will cry out-amán-amán. » The five old men lifted up their voices and hooted him out of the house, and when they had sufficiently applauded each other for their spirited conduct, dispersed to their respective homes. Azbeaz, dispirited, abashed, and enraged, returned to his stall, and endeavoured to dispel the gloom of his mind by occupying himself with his work. He determined to make more shoes than ever he had made before; for as the history of his unfortunate love had got abroad, he proposed, by assiduity to business, to keep himself out of the way of the scorners and deriders, who would not fail to assail him. It has been said at the beginning of this history, that the city of which Azbeaz was an inhabitant, not only was governed by a tyrannical King, but also was subject to certain agen cies which, not being accounted for by natural means, were looked upon as supernatural. The state of the case is as follows; in the centre of the royal palace a tall and ancient tower reared its head, one side of which was contemplated with pleasure, the other with awe and apprehension. On the side towards the plain was suspended a large gong, made of a metal so musical and sonorous, that whenever it was struck the sounds were harmonious. That event took place upon all occasions of joy and festivity; when a prince was born, it was struck; when the royal arms had gained a victory, it resounded far and wide; when the Shah was in good humour, it made itself heard; when good news of any sort were reported, the same was announced by the sounding of this exhilarating instrument, and thus the public joy was decreed and graduated in the most convenient manner. But on the side looking towards the mountains there existed another larger gong, with one immense knocker suspended over it by an iron chain. This instrument, if ever sounded, was the certain harbinger of some dreadful public calamity; when a King died it was heard, or when he had put on his bloody red robe, as a signal for cutting off heads, it was heard, and then it was struck by the hand of man; but never in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant had it ever been sounded by the great knocker suspended by the chain. Whenever this happened, according to the current tradition, it was supposed to be done by some supernatural agency, and the sound which the instrument then emitted, was said to be so loud and terrible, that, vibrating through the city, making houses shake and men's hearts to quake, it was heard far and wide throughout all the surrounding region, and caused a universal tremor and apprehension. The sound alluded to was sure to be followed up by some dire calamity of rebellion, war, and bloodshed, was supposed to be directed against the King's safety, and was always expected to occur when his cruelties and extortions became too great for the people to bear. Whenever its ominous sound was heard, there existed a standing order from the King to all the generals and officers commanding troops throughout the kingdom, immediately to call out their detachments, and withont delay march to the seat of government. In the city itself, every inhabitant capable of bearing arms, in addition to the troops in garrison, was ordered to arm and be in readiness to act. This great gong, in many cases, acted as a salutary check upon the King, and kept his turbulent passions in order; but the actual monarch |