bear even more sinister stains. And the
bottomless black eyes peering out from under the white turban lent
surprising credibility to such rumors. But there was no lack of
graciousness in the gestures with which those famous hands saluted the
visitor and pointed him to a seat of honor on the rug beside the Father
of Swords. The Father of Swords furthermore pronounced his heart
uplifted to receive a friend of Ganz Sahib, that prince among the
merchants of Shuster. Yet he did not hesitate to express a certain
surprise at discovering in the friend of the prince among the merchants
of Shuster one still in the flower of youth, who at the same time
exhibited the features of good fortune and the lineaments of prudence.
And he inquired as to what sorrow had led one so young to fold the
carpet of enjoyment and wander so far from his parents.

Matthews, disdaining the promptings of Abbas--who stood apart like a
statue of obsequiousness, each hand stuck into the sleeve of the
other--responded as best he might. In the meantime tea and candies were
served by a black hat on bended knee, who also produced a pair of ornate
pipes. The Father of Swords marvelled that Matthews should have
abandoned the delights of Shuster in order to witness his poor
celebrations of the morrow, in honor of the coronation. And had he felt
no fear of robbers, during his long night ride from Dizful? But what
robbers were there to fear, protested Matthews, in the very shadow of
Bala Bala? At that the Father of Swords began to make bitter complaint
of the afflictions Allah had laid upon him, taking his text from these
lines of Sadi: "If thou tellest the sorrows of thy heart, let it be to
him in whose countenance thou mayst be assured of prompt consolation."
The world, he declared, was fallen into disorder, like the hair of an
Ethiopian. Within the city wall was a people well disposed as angels;
without, a band of tigers. After which he asked if the young _Firengi_
were of the company of those who dug for the poisoned water of Bakhtiari
Land, or whether perchance he were of the People of the Chain.

These figures of speech would have been incomprehensible to Matthews, if
Abbas had not hinted something about oil rigs. He accordingly confessed
that he had nothing to do with either of the two enterprises. The Father
of Swords then expatiated on those who caused the Lurs to seize the hand
of amazement with the teeth of chagrin, by dragging through their
valleys a l