FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>  
ter, and at the right hand of Allah-u-Din was set the great crystal Cup inlaid with gold by a craft that is now perished; and he filled and refilled it--may his own Prophet curse the swine! But because the sons of Kings eat not with the outcasts, the Rana entered after, clothed in chain armor of blue steel, and having greeted him, bid him to the sight of that Treasure. And Allah-u-Din, his eyes swimming with wine, and yet not drunken, followed, and the two went alone. Purdahs [curtains] of great splendour were hung in the great Hall that is called the Raja's Hall, exceeding rich with gold, and in front of the opening was a kneeling-cushion, and an a gold stool before it a polished mirror. (Ahi! for gold and beauty, the scourges of the world!) And the Rana was pale to the lips. Now as the Princes stood by the purdah, a veiled woman, shrouded in white so that no shape could be seen in her, came forth from within, and kneeling upon the cushion, she unveiled her face bending until the mirror, like a pool of water, held it, and that only. And the King motioned his guest to look, and he looked over her veiled shoulder and saw. Very great was the bowed beauty that the mirror held, but Allah-u-Din turned to the Rana. "By the Bread and the Salt, by the Guest-Right, by the Honour of thy House, I ask--is this the Treasure of Chitor?" And since the Sun-Descended cannot lie, no, not though they perish, the Rana answered, flushing darkly,--"This is not the Treasure. Wilt thou spare?" But he would not, and the woman slipped like a shadow behind the purdah and no word said. Then was heard the tinkling of chooris, and the little noise fell upon the silence like a fear, and, parting the curtains, came a woman veiled like the other. She did not kneel, but took the mirror in her hand, and Allah-u-Din drew up behind her back. From her face she raised the veil of gold Dakka webs, and gazed into the mirror, holding it high, and that Accursed stumbled back, blinded with beauty, saying this only,--"I have seen the Treasure of Chitor." So the purdah fell about her. The next day, after the Imaum of the Accursed had called them to prayer, they departed, and Allah-u-Din, paying thanks to the Rana for honours given and taken, and swearing friendship, besought him to ride to his camp, to see the marvels of gold and steel armor brought down from the passes, swearing also safe-conduct. And because the Rajputs trust the word ev
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143  
144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>  



Top keywords:

mirror

 
Treasure
 

veiled

 

beauty

 

purdah

 

kneeling

 
cushion
 
curtains
 

called

 

swearing


Accursed

 

Chitor

 

silence

 

tinkling

 

chooris

 
parting
 

perish

 
answered
 

inlaid

 

Descended


flushing

 

darkly

 

slipped

 
shadow
 

crystal

 

raised

 

friendship

 

besought

 
honours
 

marvels


conduct

 

Rajputs

 
brought
 

passes

 

paying

 

departed

 
stumbled
 
blinded
 

holding

 

prayer


polished
 

clothed

 

entered

 

opening

 

scourges

 

outcasts

 

Princes

 
drunken
 

swimming

 
greeted