Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-10-04
THE KOL-IRA.

The blazing sun trem bled on the rim Of
into the sand with a sudden drop, sharp
and distinct as the click of Martini
Henry.
The fear of desolation was in the air.
For three weeks the sun baked streets had
echoed with the "Ahi, ahiP' of the hired
mourners as they hurried the swollen and
purple corpses out of the city gate and into
three feet of earth just beyond.
"The Christian dogs will not believe my
word, but swear to the presence that
saw it with my own eyes, and, by Allah,
talk true talk"
The abu puffed cloud of blue smoke
against the lantern that flickered among
the sickly trailing vines about the lattice
of the veranda and shook his head slowly
from side to side.
"The Ingeleez Is fighting with Allah.
The kol-ira, the black death, came straight
from the hand of Allah, and these eyes saw
1T when it came. Let the presence have
it we'll in his mind that it will not depart
until the word of Allah calls it taway. The
presence has frowned? Let my master be
not vexed at the word Of the worm, his
servant. My eyes have seen what they
have seen, and my soul knows what it
knows, and it will not be otherwise for all
the frowns on the high and serene brow of
the Ingeleez bey."
"You say that you saw it, abu? And
what did you seer"
"My eyes saw the kol-ira coming into
Alden, and I know what know. Allah is
praisedP'
For several minutes the eyes of the abu
stared into the hookah bowl as the ember
glowed and Redeemed with each puff
Then he took the mouthpiece from be-
tween his teeth, rested one hand upon his
knee and smoothed his beard wearily with
the other
The presence wishes to know? What
good will that be if his soul does not be-
lievep Am to turn liar in my old age?
Besides the Ingeleez has been gracious to
me. 1 have basked in the light of his eyes
and have smoked many hookah pipes at
his expense. So that l have dwelt in gar
dens of pleasure. But that is the way with
the unbelievers They come here and they
tear up the streets and throw much lime
about and build fires in the market place
to burn the refuse of the earth, and then
they rub their hands and say to them
selves, 'Mashallah, masiIallah, in an hour,
or day, or week the kol-ira shall be no
more and we will laugh in the beard of
Allah. As for me, the presence knows
that shall not turn liar at the end Of my
days. Another hookahp May the merces
of the presence be rendered! All un-
believers are not dogs, and the Ingeleez
hey Is better than some Moslems."
Then came another period of silence,
broken only by the gurgling Of the hookah
and the wheeling of the abu's BREATH
Presently the muezzin walled out the even
ing prayer from tho platform of the
mosque that stands in the market place
over against the fountain that Is now dry
The abu looked up at me and said mus
ingly: "Abu Ibn Hamish has heard the
muezzin call the faithful to prayer from
childhood to old age, ninety and three
years. shall hear him only short time
more"
He laid down the hookah mouthpiece on
the mat and counted thoughtfully on his
fingers, II shall hear him only six-seyen
eight times more, and them
The sentence was left unfinished, and
the abu replaced the mouthpiece compla-
Gently between his teeth, purring to HIM
self: "Ishallah, ishallah, as it is written,
SO shall 1t be. / have dwelt in paradise
because the presence has thrown the light
OF his eyes upon me, and has caused my
hookah bowl to be filed with free and
plentiful hand. And now will tell him
word Of wisdom that he may be guided
by 1t and sleep the sleep of the fearless
The black death is going away. How
does my soul know ita Did not tell the
ing into Adenp 1t came as an old woman
who rode In the rear of caravan. Your
servant, the worm, was sitting where he
is sitting now, smoking his hookah pipe
and thinking Of many things that he had
seen in the desert and upon the sea. The
kahvedji-may the evil eye strike him be-
cause Of the many half filed hookah bowls
that he has given me for just and full
measure-the kahvedji lay on his bench
sleeping the sleep of donkey, and the
place was empty save for that thief and
liar and unbeliever at heart and myself
who am now basking In the radiance Of
the presence.
I" It was just before the first growing Of
the cocks and the moon was pouring down
white upon the desert, even az 1t is now.
The presence may think that my eyes had
closed In slumber or that had partaken
of the heavenly drug. Let not the Ingeleez
hey sooff at the words Of his servant when
he tells him that he was watchful and that
his eyes looked out upon the desert as they
do now. My ears heard the tinkling Of
camels bells, and In breath there passed
l,ce ov,I d hot ho
hey Is looking upon now caravan COW
cred with the dust Of the desert and clothed
in the rags of many days. Each hadji sat
In his saddle muffled to the ears In his
burnoose, looking neither to the right nor to
the left. There was no sound Of treading,
but only the tinkle Of the bells, and the
caravan passed strai yht into the market
place, although the gates Of the oity had
long been closed upon Its sleeping happi-
ness.
1.-THE presence smiles9 Let him not be
in haste to take my true talk lightly.
In the rear Of the caravan there rode
an old hanum on camel that had nothing
hut bones within Its skin and holes where
the eyes should be- Your servant was
about to wake that sleeping hound Of .
kahvedji-on whom may the prophet send
q thousand and one ourses--when the old
hanum raised her arm and beokoned him
to her Side The camel that bore her stop.
ped in the middle Of the road, just where
the presence sees that white stone. The
hanum's face was covered with ragged
veil, and there was nothing but rags upon
her-nothing but the rags Of many days,
as your servant lives and breathes and
smokaa the hookah which the hey has c0m-