Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-10-08
NiMROp NOT A MYTH,
Prof. saycs finds rroof OF the Exist
enss Of the Mighty Hunter.

Prof. saycs Finds rroof OF the Exist
enss Of the Mighty Hunter
Everything comes to him who waits
and II Prof. Sayce be we'll justified In
what he has written from Assouan, in
Egypt. historical Justice is about to be
done TO everybody's old friend, Nimrod,
says the London Telegraph. Hitherto
II has always been doubtful whether
this ancient sportsman was or was not
a veritable parsonage. but the learned
professor Is now OF opinion that he
has found the name Of the Mighty Hun
ter surely and safely registered in the
cuneiform inscriptions. II it be as stat
ed the full name Of Nimrod was Nazi
Muruda the Kassu and he lived at Bah
ylon about fifty years before the date
OF the Exodus, a contemporary of the
father OF that Assyrian king who re-
stored Ninevah and founded Calah.
Nazi Muruda is near enough to MIN
rod to have been quite possibly the
true appellation Of this famous person
when he was. to use an American
phrase, "tu hum" Arabic scholars
can never have failed to notice the
similarity between the Mighty Hunters
title and the word 'Nimr." which
means a tiger Any further particu-
lars from the same erudite quarters will
OF course be very welcome to us In
the west, particularly when new club
has lately been started In London bear
ing Nimrod's name. At the same time
we are bound by faithful scholarship to
point out that, like many another
sporting man, the intimate character
OF Nimrod may not be able to bear too
fierce light. The particulars which
are given Of him in the koran are OF
perfectly distressing kind. In chap
ter H., entitled THE Cow" Nimrod Ia
represented as disputing with Abra-
ham; and to show himself equal to the
Almighty in power as to life and
death he has two innocent men brought
before him, one Of whom the hunter
dispatches. while the other he fiays
alive. In Sura XVI. OF the koran,
entitled The Bee" allusion is made tc
the tower which Nimrod built in Ba-
bel and carried to the height OF 5000
cubits. intending to ascend to heaven
and wage war with the angels but
Allah frustrated his attempt, over
throwing the presumptuous structure
by an earthquake. In Sura XXI, en-
titled The Prophets" another legend
is told rejecting very badly upon
Nimrod's private life. He Is said tc
have filled vast space full OF wood
at Cutha and after setting II on fire
to have cast Abraham upon 1t, bound
hand and foot: but the angel Gabriel
came to the assistance OF the Friend
OF God, SO that nothing about him
was burned except the cords. 1t Is
added that the fierce flames became
an odOriferOus air and the burning
faggots pleasant meadow. though for
other people 1t was SO hot that 1000
unbel!evers were consumed. From
the same source we gather that MINI
rod in his last days was destroyed by
special messenger from the AL
mighty In the shape OF gnat, which
penetrated to his brain and caused his
death with intolerable pa!n-"Heav-
en-" as D'Herbelot remarks, "desir-
ing to punish by one OF the smallest OF
lie creatures the tyrant who had called
himself lord of all" We gr.cve to re-
call these legendary particulars at
moment when history appears inclined
to furnish us with unexpected reve-
lations as regards this prototype OF the
sporting world. Most sportsmen are
sportsmanlike and we mus. not too
readily believe. at least until Prof.
Sayce has concluded his researches,
that the earliest NJ. F. II. in the world
and keenest pursuer OF big gamo
could lightly do anything derogatOry
to the conduct OF a true lover of the
chase"