The times., 1899-08-10
A VOICE TN THE DESERT
Picturesque Scenes of Persian Life
and Character.
Tales Told by Wandering Dervish
Story TeIler-ThriIling Events Re-
cited to an Emotional Audience
Attached to an Arabian Caraxan-
serai--An Incident of the Orient,
(From the London Post.)

While we were drinking the steaming
beverage We became aware of voice cry
ing in the desert below. That the naib OF
tho earavanserai was venting his spleen
on his underiings was our first guess at
the strident din, and we stuck fast 10 the
conjecture until the names of Zal, Rus
tum, Sohrab, and Ruksh left room for no
other thought than that We were listening
to recitation by some wandering Dervish
story teller of the tragic fate OF Sohrab,
whom his mighty father Rustum slew in
ignorance. Now the reciter spoke in the
voice of the valiant son; now he thundered
in the terrific tones of the terrible sire;
but when he fell on sudden TO neighing
in the likeness of Ruksh, the immortal
war horse of the Persian Hercules. there
were two persons, but only two. who burst
out laughing-my friend and l.
Leaping to our feet, we bestrode the
parapet of the roof and watched what
proved to be picturesque scene of Per-
sian life and character. The coming of
the Dervish story teller to Agha Baba had
attracted to the caraYanserai every soul in
the neighborhood save only the women
folk. The arched inches, crowded With the
elite, might be described as the dress cir
Gle of the rustic theatre. There sat, in the
most conspicuous niche of all, the court
ly figure of the naib of the carayanseral
in whose kolah of black lambskin g.lsten-
ed the emblem of the Lion and the Sun.
Around him were grouped the grooms and
postboys in their yellow jenkins and brim-
less felt hats. In the other inches couple
of muleteers were lingering their money
bags meditatively; and camel driver,
bronzed and weather beaten, was cram
ming his mouth full of stale bread in thin
sheets, using each hand in turn by way OF
a ramrod. And out in the plain row of
peasants, fresh from the fields, of a critical
cast Of countenance and an economical
turn of mind were leaning gracefully on
their tall spades in their long blue smocks
and baggy blue trousers. Every eye was
turned on the Dervish in the centre, who
addressed his thrilling story now to the
men in the inches and anon to the critics
in the plain.
Save the blue turban on his head and the
green sash about his waist, he was dressed
ali in flowing white to the givahs on MS
feet. In q voice toned TO wiring pishkesh
from an Armenian or a Greek, the bearded
Dervish rose to the height of its argument
when he fell to reciting Rustums anguish
OF soul what time that terrible man came TO
recognize his only son by the seal in guise
of a griffin pricked on Sohrab's arm. The
effect on the audience OF this histrionic dis
play was an eloquent commentary ON Per-
sian character in the raw. The naib OF the
earayanserai, wrought to loosen the strings
of his purse, relented slowly OF his noE-
official generosity and gave the bag shake
by way of round of applause ere he shed
sympathetic tear in tribute to Sohrab's un-
timely death. A muleteer, scarce less moy-
ed, putting his hand into his money bag,
drew out copper coin, turned it over slow
ly, eyed the Dervish with moist eyes, then,
restoring the coin to its place of safety,
thrust the bag into his pocket. The other
muleteer followed suit. Then sigh OF re-
lief arose over the luminous plain. Only the
peasants remained calm, greeting the mar
rative of Rustum's despair with derisiye
cries of "Ajabi,' (wonderfuD. Pondering as
to how many signs and tears in Persian
would go to spell copper shahi, my friend
and l threw the Dervish a couple of tu-
mans in silver coins He did not pick up
the money at once. He rather stayed to re-
late how Rustum, having mourned mis- sons
death. laid him in the fruitful earth and
"heaped a stately mound above his bones,
and planted over all far-seeing pillar.
Then, stopping to the silver coins in the
dust, he rose again in his wrath and fell
on those Persians with the whips Of a
righteous indignation that they should
learn a lesson in generosity from the un-
clean Feringhis, whose fathers had been
burned in the lowest hell. The men in
the inches, scattering like chan N the
breath of the wind, came back laden with
sheets of bread which they laid at the
| feet OF the Deryish. But the peasants
murnured and said: do we SOW the seed
that thou shouldst reap the grain?' And
| the Dervish, not whit appeased by the
Offering, asked for more. Bread is good,
he said. ''but what is bread without eggs,
and what are eggs without tea?' When
these things had been brought to him he
opened his mouth and said: Here. indeed,
| is food for one person, but would We that
| father should eat his fill while his son
| went hungry to bed? What ye have given
| to me give We in like measure to my son,
who is even now in the caravanserai, and
| then he shall sing to, you in voice so
sweet and so alluring that the very night
ingales will come and settle on his head.
! And the men in the inches obeyed; after
which the son, a mere stripping, came out
and sang his plaintiye song in voice so
| shrill and so strident that the very BIRDS
| of the air sought refuge in flight. Then
night fell slowly over the solemn waste,
| and the Persians. turning their backs on
| the sun whom their ancestors had Wor-
| shiped. fell on their knees in prayer ana
| bowed their foreheads to the dust.