1 a vizier's daughter - Hazara.net

More documents

Recommendations

Info

216 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER – A TALE OF THE HAZARA WAR They turned the corner, and by so doing lost sight of those whom the y believed to be their pursuers; but five minutes later a shot rang through the air, and then a cry – a woman’s cr y of pain. A horseman darted out from among the boulders, and stood confronting them on the road. It was Mohamed Jan! both recognised him at once, though neither spoke, and both instinctively put their hands into the breasts of their coats and drew out their pisto ls, then fired simultaneously. A bullet buzzed past the Chief Secretary’s head, just grazing his ear. Mohamed Jan had discharged his second barrel, had then thrown up his arms wildly above his head, and in so doing, his rifle lead flown from his head, far off among the boulders; then he had reeled in his saddle, and had fallen heavily on to the ground. It had all happened in a moment. There had been no time for words, hardly for thought. “Agha, leave me,” the girl said faintly, “I cannot ride with you. I feel sick,” and she dismounted hurriedly. “Fly, fly, to India, take the direction I pointed out to you. I will rest here a little, then make m y way to the village. It is not far from here. Now Mohamed Jan is dead, I have nothing further to fear. The soldiers will never discover my whereabouts, they would never have discovered us now but for him, he must have guessed I would take this turn when I found we were pursued, and have made a cut over here, leaving the soldiers to go straight on. You have only to ride, but ride as for your life. Your horse is good and fresh, he will carr y you safely home, and I too will go home,” she sighed. “I am not far from my grandmother’s old home now, I can easily get there, where I am well known. I have a woman’s tunic under my coat, I can take off these men’s clothes and leave them here among the stones. Even were I to meet the Afghan soldiers, I should excite no suspicion in their minds, the y would pass me by. I would merely be to them a <strong>Hazara</strong> woman attracted to this spot b y the shots, and if they were even to ask me if I had seen you, I would say yes, and that you have ridden to the village to get food.” Then, seeing her master hesitate, and looked dissatisfied, “The y will never come this wa y though,” she added, “it is off t he direct route; but hasten, hasten, Agha, or you will be too late. Fly! Fly! I am not much hurt. I am hardly in any pain, only faint. I felt at first as if I had been hit here in the chest, with the end of a rifle or something heavy; but now I think it can only have been the start and fright. I feel nothing of it, only faint. I am at home. It is you who are in danger.” She seized his hand and covered it with kisses. “Master, dear master, my beloved, fly,” she whispered. But he remained where he was, kneeling beside her, realising, but too well what had happened. So eager was she in her entreaties, so absorbed was he in his distress at parting with her thus, that neither had paid the slightest heed to the man who had lain so still and lifeless on the ground. Noiselessly, almost imperceptibly, he had crawled
217 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER – A TALE OF THE HAZARA WAR forward on his stomach. Suddenly the official caught a sound, heard a movement; it was the drawing of steel along a scabbard. Instantly he fired again, but not before the wounded man had flung his heavy knife, and flung it true. It found its resting place deep in the throat of the girl, as she lay propped up against a stone. “Gul Begum, Gul Begum.” An exceeding bitter cry rent the air. “He has killed you,” and the Chief Secretar y forgot his pride, and knelt and wept over the girl he had too late learnt to appreciate. One wave of her great tender hand, that had so often soothed him in his pain, one loving glance that told him what he had known or could have known for years, and she was gone, free, free at last! – free, even from the new pain that had come to her in her last hour, and which would have turned her freedom to nothing but wormwood and gall. He turned to see if this time her murderer were really dead. There was no mistaking it now. Ah, why had he not made sure before? The last bullet had gone straight through the back of his neck. Then the Chief Secretar y rose, mounted his horse, and was off at full gallop on the road to India.
Page 1 and 2:
1 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER - A TALE OF
Page 3 and 4:
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
11 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER - A TALE O
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
101 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER - A TALE
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166: 165 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER - A TALE
Page 215: 215 A VIZIER’S DAUGHTER - A TALE
show all

1 a vizier's daughter - Hazara.net

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?