The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-15 00:00:00

THE JAGGERY POT.

" May it please the Sahibs," said the Jaggery man,
sidling up towards the revellers, " may it please thpir
Lordships to grant the humblest of their slaves, a mo-
ment's audience?"

" Ho! ho!" cried one of the matchlock-men, in a tone
of derision, " who, in the Prophet's name, have we got
here?"

" 'Tis ft Ghoul of the desert," said another, " willing
to partake of our festivity, or Eblees himself, come to act
as master of the revels."

" Alas ! Sahib," said the stranger, " I know not the
persons you mention, and who are, doubtless, your Lord-
snips' particular friends and acquaintances."
" So they are, forester," said Hafix 13ahauder, laugh-
ing. " There the infidel had the true believer on the hip,
and merits a cup of Sendi for his mi,ggery."
" May it please the Burro, Sahib," said the woodman,
" wine is forbidden to the poor Hindoo ; hut nature has
given him instead a draught more pure than Pouban
water, which Kartikeia * himself often sips when arm-
ing for the crash- of battle."
" By the honour of my five wives I" exclaimed Hafiz
Bahauder, "I should like to taste that boasted beverage
of thine, though, in general, I am not in the habit of
mixing my liquor."
" Your wishes shall be gratified, Sahib," said the
stranger, " and for that purpose have I ventured to in-
trude on your Lordships. I'm an humble dweller of the
forest, and it has seldom fallen to my lot to listen to
such minstrelsy as I have this morning heard in this
solitary place, compared to which the flute of Crishna
himself is rude and discordant."

" 3lashallah ! praise to the prophet !" exclaimed one
of the Affghans, " the savage really seems to have an
ear for music."

" It was delightful," cried the forester, with enthusi-
asm, " and, in gratitude for the treat. I humbly beg your
Lordships' acceptance of the only recompense in my
power—the contents of my Jaggery Pot, fresh and de-
licious from the tree." .

Beshrew your hospitality," said another of the
Affghans, " I like it not : neither can I brook with any
patience the squinting of your single eye, which throws
a damp upon my spirits as a cloud overshadows the sun.
So, prithee, abscond, and leave us to enjoy our meal in
peace."
" Nay, nas'," cried Bahauder Hafiz, interposing his
voice potential, "you wrong him, Ali Khan, you wrong
the hapless infidel, and belie your own manhood by
dreading the influence of his evil eye.—What, though he
may be wicked himself, the proverb cannot touch his
Jaggery Pot, which 1 dare swear contains some right
delectable tipple."
" Meddle not with it," exclaimed several voices at
once. " Touch it not, Hafiz, but send the cooly back to
his wilderness, lest his wicked eye should lead us into
peril and misadventure."
" Now by that ancient sage," cried Hafiz, piqued into
obstinacy, "By that ancient sage who first expressed the
nectar juice from the ruby grape, and showed us a short
cut to happiness, I'll taste the beverage of this woodman,
undaunted by his evil eye. He comes so like those
jovial souls who hang their wine-kegs round their necks
in laughter-loving Kaferisthaun,f that, may I go an in-
fidel out of the world, but I'll hug his Jaggery Pot, even
though he were the Ghoulce Beeabau,t or guardian
demon, of this infernal wilderness."
Then filling a crystal cup with the sparkling beverage,
he drained it to the dregs, and swore, by his father's soul,
that the wine ordained to kiss the lips of the faithful in
paradise was nothing to be compared to the celestial
liquor he had just quaffed.—From " Savindroog," in the
Metropolitan Magazine.
' God of War..

t In Kaferisthann the use of wine is so prevalent thatevery
Kafer has a khig, or leathern bottle of wine about his neck :
they drink wine instead of water.—Memoirs of Baber.
t The Affghans believe each of the numerous solitudes and
deserts of their country to be inhabited by a lonely demon,
whom they call the " Ghoulee Beeabau," or spirit of the waste.
—Elphinstone's Caubul.