登陆注册
15295900000008

第8章

THE CHILDHOOD OF NAOMI

Throughout Tetuan and the country round about Israel was now an object of contempt.God had declared against him, God had brought him low, God Himself had filled him with confusion.Then why should man show him mercy?

But if he was despised he was still powerful.None dare openly insult him.And, between their fear and their scorn of him, the shifts of the rabble to give vent to their contempt were often ludicrous enough.Thus, they would call their dogs and their asses by his name, and the dogs would be the scabbiest in the streets, and the asses the laziest in the market.

He would be caught in the crush of the traffic at the town gate or at the gate of the Mellah, and while he stood aside to allow a line of pack-mules to pass he would hear a voice from behind him crying huskily, "Accursed old Israel! Get on home to your mother!" Then, turning quickly round, he would find that close at his heels a negro of most innocent countenance was cudgelling his donkey by that title.

He would go past the Saints' Houses in the public ways, and at the sound of his footsteps the bleached and eyeless lepers who sat under the white walls crying "Allah! Allah! Allah!" would suddenly change their cry to "Arrah! Arrah! Arrah!" "Go on! Go on! Go on!"He would walk across the Sok on Fridays, and hear shrieks and peals of laughter, and see grinning faces with gleaming white teeth turned in his direction, and he would know that the story-tellers were mimicking his voice and the jugglers imitating his gestures.

His prosperity counted for nothing against the open brand of God's displeasure.The veriest muck-worm in the market-place spat out at sight of him.Moor and Jew, Arab and Berber--they all despised him!

Nevertheless, the disaster which had befallen his house had not crushed him.It had brought out every fibre of his being, every muscle of his soul.He had quarrelled with God by reason of it, and his quarrel with God had made his quarrel with his fellow-man the fiercer.

There was just one man in the town who found no offence in either form of warfare.The more wicked the one and the more outrageous the other, the better for his person.

It was the Governor of Tetuan.His name was El Arby, but he was known as Ben Aboo, the son of his father.That father had been none other than the late Sultan.Therefore Ben Aboo was a brother of Abd er-Rahman, though by another mother, a negro slave.

To be a Sultan's brother in Morocco is not to be a Sultan's favourite, but a possible aspirant to his throne.Nevertheless Ben Aboo had been made a Kaid, a chief, in the Sultan's army, and eventually a commander-in-chief of his cavalry.In that capacity he had led a raid for arrears of tribute on the Beni Hasan, the Beni Idar, and the Wad Ras These rebellious tribes inhabit the country near to Tetuan, and hence Ben Aboo's attention had been first directed to that town.

When he had returned from his expedition he offered the Sultan fifteen thousand dollars for the place of its Basha or Governor, and promised him thirty thousand dollars a year as tribute.

The Sultan took his money, and accepted his promise.There was a Basha at Tetuan already, but that was a trifling difficulty.

The good man was summoned to the Sultan's presence, accused of appropriating the Shereefian tributes, stripped of all he had, and cast into prison.

That was how Ben Aboo had become Governor of Tetuan, and the story of how Israel had become his informal Administrator of Affairs is no less curious.At first Ben Aboo seemed likely to lose by his dubious transaction.His new function was partly military and partly civil.He was a valiant soldier--the black blood of his slave-mother had counted for so much; but he was a bad administrator--he could neither read nor write nor reckon figures.

In this dilemma his natural colleague would have been his Khaleefa, his deputy, Ali bin Jillool, but because this man had been the deputy of his predecessor also, he could not trust him.

He had two other immediate subordinates, his Commander of Artillery and his Commander of Infantry, but neither of them could spell the letters of his name.Then there was his Taleb the Adel, his scribe the notary, Hosain ben Hashem, styled Haj, because he had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, but he was also the Imam, or head of the Mosque, and the wily Ben Aboo foresaw the danger of some day coming into collision with the religious sentiment of his people.Finally, there was the Kadi, Mohammed ben Arby, but the judge was an official outside his jurisdiction, and he wanted a man who should be under his hand.That was the combination of circumstances whereby Israel came to Tetuan.

Israel's first years in his strange office had satisfied his master entirely.He had carried the Basha's seal and acted for him in all affairs of money.The revenues had risen to fifty thousand dollars, so that the Basha had twenty thousand to the good.Then Ben Aboo's ambition began to override itself.He started an oil-mill, and wanted Israel to select a hundred houses owned by rich men, that he might compel each house to take ten kollahs of oil--an extravagant quantity, at seven dollars for each kollah--an exorbitant price.

Israel had refused."It is not just," he had said.

Other expedients for enlarging his revenue Ben Aboo had suggested, but Israel had steadfastly resisted all of them.Sometimes the Governor had pretended that he had received an order from the Sultan to impose a gross and wicked tax, but Israel's answer had been the same.

"There is no evil in the world but injustice," he had said."Do justice, and you do all that God can ask or man expect."For such opposition to the will of the Basha any other person would have been cast into a damp dungeon at night, and chained in the hot sun by day.Israel was still necessary.So Ben Aboo merely longed for the dawn of that day whereon he should need him no more.

同类推荐
  • 九畹史论

    九畹史论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 筠廊二笔

    筠廊二笔

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 巧联珠

    巧联珠

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 受十善戒经

    受十善戒经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Warsons

    The Warsons

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 管理者每天读点《韩非子》(韩非子管理日志)

    管理者每天读点《韩非子》(韩非子管理日志)

    韩非子凭借“天地不仁,以万物为刍狗”的纯粹冷静、“敢为天下先”的果敢、“国之利器不可以示人”的政治谋略,对于我们为人处世,乃至管理工作都有很大的启发。《管理者每天读点<韩非子>》的每节分为韩非子箴言、案例引导、管理智慧、行动指导四个板块,除了对韩非子的管理思想进行深入剖析外,还收罗了古今中外众多典型的管理故事,既有理论又有实例。
  • 太上救苦天尊说拔度血湖宝忏

    太上救苦天尊说拔度血湖宝忏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 穿越之名媛贵族

    穿越之名媛贵族

    无穷宇宙中一个全新的现代世界。宋朝没有亡国,几经曲折发展成全球宗主国,称霸宇内,主盟地球。世家没有没落,成为世界上隐藏的古老贵族,顾盼尊荣,矞矞皇皇。整个世界是以东方华夏文明为基础构建。女主穿成了宗室女,遇到一群事儿逼。爽的方向很奇葩,没有玛丽苏,但是国家苏,我大宋天凉王破,全世界跺跺脚“不服的站起来!”没有一个敢喘气的。请自由地感受一下……
  • 后秦传

    后秦传

    当代大学生穿越回唐朝末期五代十国,建立一个超级帝国--后秦。生当作人杰,死亦为鬼雄。收猛将,纳娇妻,伐晋梁,略蜀,平定江南。契丹你很牛?在逍遥哥哥面前卧着吧;越南你很狂?逍遥哥哥虐哭你;高丽你很拽?逍遥哥哥打服你;日本你不服?逍遥哥哥说了大秦朝北京西京南京都有了,就差一个东京了。南征北战,建功立业,谁说皇图霸业一场空?改革政体,君主立宪,三权分立,源远流长。
  • 易经密码

    易经密码

    《易经密码》的读者对象不分年龄、不分职业、不分文化层次、更不分性别与地位高低,只要是初学者都可以轻松自如地学习《易经》这门古老而神秘的智慧经典,从中获得的智慧必将终生受益!
  • 穿越之后我做了些什么

    穿越之后我做了些什么

    就那么穿了,安安稳稳的过了十几年,身边有老狐狸也有大老虎,只想做一个顺心的胖子。可生活中总有惊喜,再懒的人也有愿意为之付出辛苦的事。不巧,老尹遇上了。
  • 我是大魔王陛下

    我是大魔王陛下

    曾经的社会主义三好青年已经穿越消失现在的魔界小王子黑龙也因叛乱陷入绝地再次醒来,却化为金手指,一个又一个好吧,写了这么多,其实我想说,就算是金手指,我也是最无敌的那一根而无敌,又是多么寂寞
  • 科学除草

    科学除草

    《科学除草》一书提醒您,除草剂的使用,犹如一把双刃剑,合理使用,可以提高了除草效率,大幅度降低除草成本,如果不合理使用,则容易产生药害。为避免危害现象发生。
  • 时间刻印

    时间刻印

    备注:本人系月下吹紫萧·本人仅出没于创世+起点+长江。其余网站使用该笔名的除本人承认,否则不是本人。另,因起点与创世合并。本人的两个作者号无法兼并,为避免有人说我假冒自己,现公布本人笔名。起点中文网:月下吹紫萧*创世中文网:千代紫萧*长江中文网:月下吹紫萧——本书作者原名:德古拉巨炮
  • 赤甲

    赤甲

    世上之人,体内皆生有一根异骨。此骨名为根骨,又称命骨。命骨乃是天生神授,若坦然接受,命途坦荡;若逆天而为,命途多舛。然,承天命者,万中无一。天生“王骨”的龙族少主龙城,因一场阴谋算计,被人拔除武命灵骨。自此,武道受阻、大运崩摧;然其刚毅不屈,一朝奋起,赤龙再现。步仙途、争天命、搅弄风云;夺造化、窃阴阳、风凌九天;缔命赤甲,霸绝天地,杀神屠魔逆苍天!