The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-05-22
TIRED AJEEB.
The Hindoo Legend of Asia's
Champion Chess Player. q

In the city of Tchina-Patnam lived
savant named Ajeeb, who had a great rep
utation as virtuous man. 1t is true that
sometimes he forgot to count the beads of
his poitah (Brahmanic rosary, but he never
failed to help the unfortunate. On his
death bed he had weakness of mind, he
regretted life, although he was certain to
get good place in the Garden Mendana,
which is visited daily by Indra, the god of
armament. He invoked the goddess Sur
sutee, the second wife Of Wishnu and she
appeared to him. mounted on her pet tiger
and holding branch of mango tree in her
hand. "Divine wife of the blue god!" ex-
claimed Ajeeb, grant favor to the most
fervent adorer of the ten incarnations."
What do you want from met" asked
Sursutee.
add ten years to my life," answered
Ajeeb.
impossible My son. your days are
when the first ray of sun will shine on the
pagoda of Villa Karmia, and already the
dawn of day whitens the horizon"
Grant me ten days!' replied Ajeeb.
II can not give YOU more than a day."
said the goddess, ''this present day, because
the order of this world will not be dis
turbed by granting this favor to YOU and
also because you have been a good and
wise man. At the end of this day, remem-
Der to come here and die" and Sursutee
disappeared.
Ajeeb rose, dressed himself made his
additions and went out saying, "There is a
new life commencing for me; let me be
careful not to waste itn
He met Brahmin, who said to him:
"Ajeeb, if you are willing to write the his
tory of Aureng-Zeb, the glorious founder
of the Mahratta's empire, l will give you a
field of betel, a castle with a forest of palm
trees and six ounces of gold"
Life is too short,' answered Ajeeb 81
have not the leisure to write histories; l
must live; let me pass"
A Captain who recruited men for the
army said to him "Ajeeb our victorious
Emperor wants to fight the King of Ele-
phanta; will you take the bow and ar
rows"
what foolishness9n replied Ajeeb ''to
kill people that must die. / will not be the
valet of Death"
A father of family who had nine daugh-
tiers, the n1cestgirls that one could see, said
to him: "Ajeeb will give you my young
est daughter with two elephants"
II have not time to marry" replied
Ajeeb. II must pray to the blue god In
regard to your elephants they would EN-
barrass me great deal the burden of my
life is heavy enough to carry, without ad-
ding two elephants to it."
The father of family, angered by his re-
fusal, put his right thumb to his nose,
which is in Hindostan very serious insult
Ajeeb thought: Life is. too short, l have
not time to.avenge MYSELF
A savant said to him. ''My learned
friend, you, who know every thing, are
invited by the Brahmins of Tchina Patnam
TO pass fifteen days with them in their
dark room to discover the causes of the
eclipses and to write a book on the discov-
cry once made.
Ajeeb answered. 'grhe eclipses shall
have the causes they like the best that is
very Indifferent to me. l do not want to
be locked up. Once dead, shall have time
enough to be sequestered between four
walls. Let me respire the pure air coming
from the mountains and see the indigo
heaven or the celestial India"
'rhen, replied the Brahmin, ''you want
to be an ignoramus your whole lfeP
ooh and that will not be very long, ne-
Their, as | shall die tomorrow; you and the
others after tomorrow
Ajeeb had lost quarter of an hour an
swering these people. "How precious is
ment is priceless pearl falling from my
hand into the bottom of the river Tripli-
can, and have so few pearls left" And
he walked briskly over the plain of Tchul-
try, which begins at the American bridge
and ends at the suburbs of the Tchina-Pat-
nam, near the subterranean temples of
Flora.
Aieeb ran as a man who had either bust
ness or pleasure to attend to, although he
had no idea whatever of doing any thing
be tried to find a means to spend the pearls
of his short life, but he did not know to
whom and how to give them away. He
sat down to mediate between two bushes
of yellow tulip flowers He was not long
lamenting the time he had passed in medi-
tation. 80, great Sival" cried he, striking
his forehead on the white mark worn by
the followers of this god; "Great silva
who hast known humanity by thy incarna-
tion into dwarf, give me good inspira-
ton on the best way to employ my last
hours"
Aieeb se~ on the opposite bank of the