Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-06-28

There were BOD or thomI Ono FOR every
day I'm tho year.
Nevertheless Barak was not sultan.
He was hageb--that is, upper chamberlain
ID me court Of tho Sultan Mohammed.
He had come TO tho country IA ambassador
OF tho great Mongollan kingdom, and the
widow Of tho late sultan, yet young and
pretty, had given him the management of
her household. her son Mohammed beng
still q child. g.
Barak's administration was good. The
army owed to him, among other reforms,
the raising of tho pay Of the soldiers from
three TO four aspers. The number three,
tho hageb claimed, was holy, because there
were three prophets.
One day tho grand vizicr, Darfur All,
visited the upright hageb, and while tho
two drank coffee tho guest began:
"Truly Barak Hageb, IL Is folly un-
worthy OF you to keep ~ many wives. IL
It was with us rs the Franks, the custom
to give wives, you might then DO as rich
az King Sapor, but here you must nSt only
buy your wife, but must pay cash for her.
Now you have squandered great deal of
gold for this purpose and when your
money Is spent, what have your For the
cost of one wife you could keep 100 sol
diors.'
Barak stroked his beard. "No doubt,
but hundred soldiers would not give mo
as much pleasure AS one pretty wife"
To this All inwardly agreed. "But the
number"
lone should pick as many flowers as he
can from the worlds garden" returned
Barak.
"Truo enough, you have blond and
brunette, white and black, blue eyed and
gray eyed women, yellow Chinese and
brown Malay-yos, and even those women
that color their hair red and their teeth
black. Now, think that one Of each sort
should DO enough. BY Allah! You have so
many that you cannot remember either
their names or their special good qualities.
"Dont you believe 1t, said the hagcb.
"I will show you. First, then, there is
.Jedibah, who can prophesy-we need her
to tell the fate OF the nation; then Half
TEN, the medium, who calls up tho spirits
of the dead Nourmahal, who understands
the language Of the birds better than do
yours; Alpaide tells stories that would put
a sultan to sleep; Mahadevi and Assainte
are famous for pas do deuS1 the great
thing about Mangora Is that she makes
sultan's bread that Is exquisite; Sandabad
concocts wonderful sherbet, after which
you wash your beard with regret; of Bia-
Hia, my Chinese better half, / will only
say that she translates the expressions of
cockscombs, which makes cock fighting
much more amusing; the Indian, Kacka,
subdues wild ..nimals and even bitches
lions to her carriage; Roxana Is a star
reader and can foretell to you tho day Of
your death; Ayesha understands the cul-
'turo of flowers; Kaika Is ugly, but she
rubs the rheumatism out Of my joints; my
Tartar. YarkO Is an admirable equestrienne
and teaches my other wives to ride, while
the learned Abuzaide writes my letters
from dictation; Josa reads to me from the
Koran; Rachel sings psalms and Is accom-
panied by Kadagival and Samuza for one
must have trio; Yakima Is rope dancer,
while Zibella throws knife so skillfully
that she can split hair at IL PAGES; Bo-
rassa knows all about the healing art; ALI
ben embroiders In gold Aliciel arranges
my turban most beoomingly; Bagdad
Chatum interprets dreams; Mavola plays
the harp, Zebia the tam tam and kia the
tambourine, and altogether they make
heavenly music; Zul'-
"Good, good" interrupted the grand
vizier. He had kept count, first on his
fingers, and when these gave out on his
toes. When the number exceeded 80, he
grew alarmed. He feared his friend would
keep on all night.
81 have heard enough; you need every
one of them-each has evidently her ia
nous side. Take care lest some day you
discover an infamous one.''
Whether the grand vizier was right or
not the following story will show.
The sultan of Kermau, Sidi Achmed,
hearing Mohammed's people were discon.
tented, decided to liberate them from their
oppression. To alleviate the sufferings Of
their neighbors has always been labor Of
love to orient rulers.
Sidi Achmed commanded an immense
army. Some Persian historians say he had
10, 900 soldiers; others insist that he had
100000. The truth probably lay some
where between tho two Certain it is that
he had 800 ca -alrymen.
Before declaring war he raised the pay
of the troops from to aspers. This nat
urally caused universal enthusiasm.
Sidi Achmed was at the head Of the
army, himself and his horse loaded with
precious stones. The sight of them caused
glow of righteous pride In every bare
footed warrior who turned out. The sui
tan took with him the most costly deli
cacies, and the thought that the sultan
Jared sumptuously went far to cheer the
hungry soldiers.
Mohammed also had an enormous stand
Ing army. AS to It's exact number history
Is silent, but 1t Is always given rs twice rs
many as the enemys force. The Grand
'Vizier Darfur Ali was appointed COM
mander.
The night before the first battle one of
Rarak's wives, the Jedibah Of whom we
have already heard, prophesied that the
neighboring kingdom would be destroyed,
and Roxana, who also dabbled in fortune
telling, predicted that on the next day Sidi
AchIhed woul1 die.
These projections were made public in
fhe principal city, and there was In conse-
quence universal enthusiasm.
Barak himself was firmly convinced that
both would 10 fulfilled, and he and his
entire following of women occupied the