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Article HASSAN AND ZOOLMA; ← Page 16 of 18 →
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Hassan And Zoolma;
for slaughter at which you were received ; he sometimes went out on expeditions for the purpose of alluring unwary travellers like you to their destruction . No one soul who once ' entered that gateway , excepting yourself , ever found his way out of it . The bodies of the murdered were disposed of by burial in the place through which we passed ; and though all this was well known to the head men of the place , and the watchmen and police themselves , they winked at the deeds and particiin the
pated plunder . Oftentimes was it the case , that harrowed by the horrid scenes which met my view , I revolved in my mind the chances of flight ; but what could an unprotected female do ? Or should I not have been followed up and slain ? I might , indeed , have given information of all these horrid barbarities to the government , who would have effectually protected me , but I could not make up my mind to betray the author of my being to a certain death .
" Within a short time also of your arrival my circumstances were much changed for the worse . My father , who had hitherto allowed me to have much my own way , insisted on my marrying : the thought of this was distraction . Independent of my abhorrence to a union with any one for whom I could care nothing , a horrid prospect arose before my eyes . As the unmarried daughter of a Thug leader I was left at home , nor was I required to take a part in the nefarious deeds in which father was a
my prominent actor . As a wife such a forbearance would no longer be allowed ; I should be compelled to go forth with the gangs , and take my share in the bloodless , yet deadly catastrophe . I had but one resource left ; I feigned foolishness , and no one then sought my hand . I was permitted to wander about unmolested from nlace to place , and no one
looked after my actions . I sometimes assisted a little in the household work , and at others strolled about the village . My principal place of resortwas the large mosque by which we passed , and here I first became acquainted with the holy man by whose assistance we escaped through the subterraneous passage . Kind to all who used to resort to him for advice for soul or body , and by whose scanty offerings alone he existed , to me , as a being bereft of sense , he was doubly so . By degrees I began to let him know
that I was not what I appeared to be , and at last made known to him the truth . He , indeed , was not at all unaware of the horrid trade which my father practised , but it was not his affair to meddle in other persons' business , nor could he remonstrate without compromising his own safety . He fully commiserated my situation , and consoled me with the counsel of 2 ) rudence and patience . Shortly after the full establishment of our confidence we first became accidentallrevealed
y to one another , as being nearly related by religious ties . He and our respected peer and moorshid , Moolvee Ahmudy , had belonged to the same association , and were themselves disciples of one master . This discovery changed the old man ' s regard for a feeling of paternal affection , and he vowed to afford me whatever assistance I should require at any time ; he also made me acquainted with the existence of the secret passage by which we escaped from the fort . It had been used in former when the
days , mosque was in its glory , and the establishment of moollahs and priests extensive , for the purpose of clandestinely introducing into the monastery some articles of consumption , such as opium and spirits , which were forbidden to , and not openly used by , those holy men , who nevertheless in secret indulged in them . The existence of this passage , the old man told me , was known but to himself and two or three wandering beggars , who seldom came near the spot , aud they had pro-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Hassan And Zoolma;
for slaughter at which you were received ; he sometimes went out on expeditions for the purpose of alluring unwary travellers like you to their destruction . No one soul who once ' entered that gateway , excepting yourself , ever found his way out of it . The bodies of the murdered were disposed of by burial in the place through which we passed ; and though all this was well known to the head men of the place , and the watchmen and police themselves , they winked at the deeds and particiin the
pated plunder . Oftentimes was it the case , that harrowed by the horrid scenes which met my view , I revolved in my mind the chances of flight ; but what could an unprotected female do ? Or should I not have been followed up and slain ? I might , indeed , have given information of all these horrid barbarities to the government , who would have effectually protected me , but I could not make up my mind to betray the author of my being to a certain death .
" Within a short time also of your arrival my circumstances were much changed for the worse . My father , who had hitherto allowed me to have much my own way , insisted on my marrying : the thought of this was distraction . Independent of my abhorrence to a union with any one for whom I could care nothing , a horrid prospect arose before my eyes . As the unmarried daughter of a Thug leader I was left at home , nor was I required to take a part in the nefarious deeds in which father was a
my prominent actor . As a wife such a forbearance would no longer be allowed ; I should be compelled to go forth with the gangs , and take my share in the bloodless , yet deadly catastrophe . I had but one resource left ; I feigned foolishness , and no one then sought my hand . I was permitted to wander about unmolested from nlace to place , and no one
looked after my actions . I sometimes assisted a little in the household work , and at others strolled about the village . My principal place of resortwas the large mosque by which we passed , and here I first became acquainted with the holy man by whose assistance we escaped through the subterraneous passage . Kind to all who used to resort to him for advice for soul or body , and by whose scanty offerings alone he existed , to me , as a being bereft of sense , he was doubly so . By degrees I began to let him know
that I was not what I appeared to be , and at last made known to him the truth . He , indeed , was not at all unaware of the horrid trade which my father practised , but it was not his affair to meddle in other persons' business , nor could he remonstrate without compromising his own safety . He fully commiserated my situation , and consoled me with the counsel of 2 ) rudence and patience . Shortly after the full establishment of our confidence we first became accidentallrevealed
y to one another , as being nearly related by religious ties . He and our respected peer and moorshid , Moolvee Ahmudy , had belonged to the same association , and were themselves disciples of one master . This discovery changed the old man ' s regard for a feeling of paternal affection , and he vowed to afford me whatever assistance I should require at any time ; he also made me acquainted with the existence of the secret passage by which we escaped from the fort . It had been used in former when the
days , mosque was in its glory , and the establishment of moollahs and priests extensive , for the purpose of clandestinely introducing into the monastery some articles of consumption , such as opium and spirits , which were forbidden to , and not openly used by , those holy men , who nevertheless in secret indulged in them . The existence of this passage , the old man told me , was known but to himself and two or three wandering beggars , who seldom came near the spot , aud they had pro-