1 a vizier's daughter - Hazara.net

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186 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER – A TALE OF THE HAZARA WAR and she had no reasonable hope of ever getting her freedom, and so being able to wear them elsewhere; but common sense and power of reasoning formed no part of Gulsum’s character, or of that of most Afghan slaves; she only felt she would like to have pearl earrings. The consequences to others of her efforts to get them, the trouble she would herself get into if it were ever discovered that she had bribed the porter to let her slip out just for a minute to see a friend in the next house, and had instead spoken with a man for ten minutes, in the lane round the corner, had never crossed her mind. Hers was a limited horizon, nor had she reckoned that her companion, during her four years of slavery, had learnt something of harem intrigue too, and was prepared to meet her on her own ground. “Have you heard that Agha’s sais (groom), has been put in prison by the Ameer’s orders?” Gulsum asked one day, after co nsidering how much of her information in would be prudent for her to divulge in order to gain more. “Khuda - a - a!” exclaimed Gul Begum, in well-affected surprise, having heard all about it from her master, “and what is that for?” “I tell you Agha is in serious trouble. His enemies are pressing round him. So, to get some information as to their movements, he sent Abdul Raoof to see how the land lay, and gather what information he could from the servants at the police office. They, however, were too smart for him, and reported his being there, spying into their affairs, to the Ameer. The Ameer sent for Abdul Raoof, who swore he had not been at the office five minutes, and had asked no questio ns. Of course, fift y witnesses were produced, who all swore to his having been there for hours, and of all he said and did there. Have you heard nothing about it? I should have thought Agha would have told you all about it.” “There is where you make such mistakes, Gulsum,” the elder girl had remarked quietly. “I tell you I only seem to you to hold a position of confidence. I know nothing, how should I? Where do you get your information? I should like to know those things too. The y may effect my chances of a change as well as yours.” Sardaro and her companions were surprised at the sudden intimac y that had sprung up between the proud Hazara girl, who hardly held the position of slave in the household, and the untidy little drudge whose chief work consisted in cleaning the kitchen utensils, and looking after the hens, and at the amount of gossip she now brought into the harem. “Gul Begum is teaching me to write,” she had said to Sardaro when she had been questioned on the subject. “Agha says ever y woman ought to be able to write, and I am going to marry some day – a Mirza (writer), perhaps, so I want to be able to write.”
187 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER – A TALE OF THE HAZARA WAR “Learn to comb your hair and to keep your nails tidy,” Sardaro had answered peevishly. She could not write herself and saw no sense in women in learning men’s accomplishments. Some one else outside the harem was surprised too. Mohamed Jan learnt for the first time that Gul Begum had no chance of ever becoming anything more to her master than she then was. That she was, indeed, unhapp y in her present position, and was merely waiting for the Ameer to commence his promised concessions to the Hazaras to place an appeal before him. She had had enough of slaver y and was read y to return to her duties and her husband. It certainly struck Mohamed Jan as odd, knowing the Vizier’s daughter as he did, but Gulsum was no friend of Gul Begum’s, and had found these things out by pretend ing to sympathise with her. She had thought quite differently until the day she had caught her weeping, and had succeeded in surprising her into betraying her secret. No doubt the beauty’s pride had got broken at last; nothing like slavery for humiliating and subduing a high-spirited, haught y woman! And no fear of her forgetting her lesson when he got hold of her again, as he most assuredly would do, now she was determined on appealing to the Ameer. He would show her her place and keep her there. He would marry another and a younger wife, and Gul Begum should be her servant and do her bidding, and if she would not, he would know how to punish her. That was a final idea! How the Vizier’s daughter would resent it. Mohamed Jan rubbed his hands together and grinned, as only a Hazara can. CHAPTER XXXV THE PLOT SHE was sitting b y the window looking at the blank wall opposite. Gul Begum was idle, at least her hands were lying listlessly in her lap, only
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