The Osceola times., 1886-07-03
At HYDERABAp.
A Peculiar INDIAN city whose Population
Goes Armed to the Teeth.

A Peculiar indian city whose Population
Goes Armed to the Teeth.
Hyderabad is unquestionably one Of
the most peculiar and interesting cities
of India, although of no ancient foun-
dation and possessing no very remarka-
Die buildings. Koolub Shah, who cre-
ated this capital, having migrated from
Golcondah for want of good water.
called it after his favorite Bhdgmatj,
and beautitied the place with a stately
mosque and the picturesque edifco
called Chahdr NiRar, or the flour MIN
arets," through the srchways of which
the main traffic OF the bazars still passes.
Outside the gray and white walls
OF the city runs the river Musah. in
stony channels which are filled with
turbid flood during the rains, but at
other Seasons trickle feebly with chain
of shallow pools, where elephants bathe
and the town washing is clamorously
done. This rocky stream is spanned
by three broad bridges, separating the
Hindoo suburbs from the town
proper, wherein all-or almost all-is
Mohammedan in character The long
whitewashed streets of the capital, with
their shop fronts formed by Saracenic
arches; the mosques occurring at fire.
quent intervals; the tall sculptured
minarets seen constantly rising above
the city roofs; the sign boards bearing
Persian, Arabic or Hindi inscriptions;
the names Of the sbop-keepers, and the
multiplicity of beggars on the mosque
steps and at the gateways, give the gem
eral impression OF q sort OF Indian Da-
masous or Cairo. This is intensified by
the busy thronS blocking up the main
streets with perpetual tide of life; for
here one sees perpetually the snow-whits
turban Of the ''true believer" mngling
with the red tarbosh of the Mohamme-
dan negro and the green caftan worn
by the Syed, or the Hadji, who has made
his pilgrimage to Mecca.
This population goes armed, as has
been said, to the teeth-to the stomach,
TO the back and legs, the neck and head.
in truth, it is hardly less the fashion 10
wear pistols, sabers, daggers, guns and
spears in Hyderabad than to carry UNI
brellas in Piccadilly. At the guard
house sit the Arab troopers, with long
matchlocks held sprarwise between the
knees, and cotton fuses smoking. The
Moslem ''masher," as he caracoles down
the bazar, strokes his mustaches with
the blade of his sword the noble on
his elephant lays his crooked tulwar
across his knees; the messenger goes
down the street with the letter which he
is TO deliver stuck into the sheath
of his silvec-hafted knife; the dealer
squats at the shoe-mart with lapful Of
poignards rattling against his rupees;
and every fifth or sixth shop sells lethal
weapons. The whole capital gives the
idea of being, as il were, ''on half
cock" and ready to 90 off at touch
into turmoil and revolution. 1t is, how
ever, only an idea; and, though the
populace has decidedly an independent,
free and ecsy manner not witnessed
elsewhere, and although European
might be somewhat carelessly jostled
here and there if he walked through
the more crowded of the bazars, there
is no sign of turbulence or want of
civility that | could notice. and broils
are SAID to be of singular infrequency.
But the word, ''the spirit of the Steel"
is certainly worshiped in way which
would have vexed Thucyddes, who
writes in his First Book that no civil
lied citizens should "carry iron" The
armorers will show you johurddrs, or
watered blades, worth five thousand
rupees serohiS, with edges carved; Gb-
baSSis, sort of Persian rapier; dSt}S,
nimchas. tegahS, kirichis, dhopeS and
ndUdg khdniS, these last being murder
ous-looking scimitars, which have the
outer edge of the lunette sharpened.
Their blunderbusses bear fancy names
also. such as sher buchd, tigers
child" and sdf shtkaH, "line-sweeper,
and then there are jambGis, with hand
les made of the csmers sinews; StkkiHS,
carried by Arabs; kdtarS, affected by
Pathans; the peSh-khats, worn by Rohil-
las, with little villanous knives named
bichScdS. or scorpions and kdroitS,
tiny implements of anger and hatred
which You can hide in the palm of the
hand, maraS, wrought of black bucks
horn; and the savage pointed chura and
crooked Sdtddrd. In fact volume
might be written upon the varieties of
deadly elegancies to be seen in the Hy-
derabad bazars.- Cor. London Telegraph.