Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-01-04

. way OF tNcI soaring, PASSIONATE uAAG
They hated one another as only Tar
original cause had been petty; no more
than, IN the days Of their childhood
! a larger slice Of cake their mother had
: given to Mansur-or, belize, 70 II
8 muir 1901
Such petty cause. A cause almost
forgotten Yet, for six decades, their
. fate had been a byword in Samar-
kand; had been scarlet brand across
their souls. And tonight it had peaked
up murderously and-so they, at least,
believed-for fair and sufficient reason.
For listen to them shouting between
blows:
Your son-yours-tc make love 70
my fine daughterl Like q beetle-wah
Il making love TO a butterfly"
Il And your son-yolus- desiring my
fine daughter; Like a pig-wah, wah--
desiring the full moon"
i Behind the garden wall ali put an
arm around slim waist.
Beetle or not" he said, sit is you
love, o zuleika, o butterfly"
/ Pig or not declared Mehnet. 1T
Is you desire, o Fatima, o fun
They laughed. Their laughter was
drowned by the sounds on the square
where their fathers were at 1t as vio-
Il
backward and sideways; beating time,
weapon upon weapon, so that It seemed
Ike hailStones on roof; getting out
OF breath and aching in every muscle,
they being so old and fat and wheezy;
ready, presently, TO drop with fatigue,
TO give up, and hating each other the
more because their pride would not
let them.
Take thisl"-as Mansur twisted,
stopped, slashed up at his brothers
neck with q wicked stroke
Not tonightl"-as Timur parted
Lunge. Thrust. Counter thrust
Hate against hate Sword against
sword Then. suddenly, a third sword /
kissing through the air, flashing swiftly
right and left, knocking their blades /
aside-and there, backed by red tur- /
baned soldiers Of the palace guard. |
stood Rashid Ibrahim, the grand khan
OF High Tartary and their sovereign
He stared at them, his Ieathery face
curled In smile half morose and half
ironic.
Here you are again at the brawl-
ing" he began, "and-tell me-did I II
not order you only last week to keep
the peace?" His voice rose, "By the
Book Revealed-it is peace I wanti
Peace for my people, and happiness
and the full larder-for is there finer
u h3eJ W Tit AOEOS CIedJulBf
he paused.
q, too, have my hates" he con-
tinued, against the emperor OF China
and the amir of the Afghans, to mem I
ton no more than two when I might {
mention half a dozen. But I keep my
passions in leash, whereas you-ah-l
you must aye be swapping at each other
IKE ours. Swapping and yelping and s
quarreling for cause-I have no doubt 7
most NEGLIGIBLE /"
Negligible was Prince Mansurs :
angry demand, This son making love 2
TO my daughter?" /
Negligible" exclaimed Prince IT,
muir even more angrily, This son de-
string my daughter2"
let them marry" suggested the T
grand khan. "It is an old custom in 3
Islam for cousin to mate with cousin"
mol" shrieked Prince Mansur.
mol" echoed Prince Timur; and di- a
rectly to his brother: "Hyena!"
Butchers meat!"
Almost noSeless onel"
ALeperp b
"Abuser Of the saItl'
Their curses shrilled. Once more they II
we're about to have at each other with
l black clatter of iron, when the grand a
Khan roared: Gods namel But I'll 81
rush you like ants on an ant heapl" q
md, quiet restored, he went on: Il
Swollen with pride you are-the both 2
u y0u-l1ke drunkard'S nose. NANCY q
With stuhbornness like q yearling dron-
diary. And by the honor OF my 81
oeard-I will not have 1t. Hereafter 9,
his is the last warning-it win be peace u
,etween you. Peace-you win give oath s.
lpon the Koran-and brotherly affec- q
ion and the hearts good wishes to
he innermoSt chamber" o.
Affection" sneered Prince Mansur, Ct
for a enOat9 Npverf0 IS
Never" agreed Prince Timur, while a
am alivel"
May it not be for longl" was the d.
theirs fond hope
Long enough-Allah grant-for me %
0 be present at your funeral, o wearer ~
I a verminous turbanl" 81
Then the grand khan lost his pa Y,
fence. He motioned to the captain Of ~
be palace guard. az
"Off to jail with theml" he or w
cred. let them rot there, and let Is
1em be shorn of titles and honors el'
nd emolument-untl they come to
Ne and kiss my hand IN sign Of re- !,
enhance and obedience" ~
With drums rolling and halberds at so
ne carry they led off the brothers; sl1
nd at the last, falling back 8 step, ~ ~
setng the broad target and unable to y ~
esist the temptation, Prince Timur ~
lined a kick at Prince Mansur. A ns
earty and painful kick-and 1t took ne
4 the soldiers armed strength 10 keep iol
rince Manstr from retaliating In
Ind. A kick that, behind the garden
all, caused Zulefka, Prince Thurs gy
aughter, TO g1ggle; caused Fatima, the -
hers daughter, to make irate COM
ent:
"Ah-the treacherous houndl" la'
'Treacherous2" was Zuleilka's spirited WI
sjoiner. Not at all. Your father de- =,
rived It. 1t was he who started the III
larrel."
"a liel" bluntly. ~
who says SOP" ~
IT do" rol
Blue eyes stared defiantly at brown, WI
Id brown eyes st blue
Liar yourselfl" declared Zuleika. 81
card your father-bless him not the
1rd Allah Heard him with these ears me
heaping abuse on my fathers head. ,
ah-yOur father has always been the -
arse man. Coarse at the hide. Coarse We
the soul All Safnarkand knows it." %