He looked up amazed, and surveyed Giulia, Andy, and myself in turn. Torgut too was impressed and said, “Truly Allah is Allah and I made no error in bringing this girl to your house.”
I cannot say whether Sinan the Jew was really pleased with the Koran’s decree, but he said, “I take back all I said in my foolishness. Who am I to doubt the judgment of Allah? Yet I cannot tell what to do with these slaves. I’ll take them, Torgut, but only at a fair price. In the presence of witnesses I will give you thirty-six ducats which, with the horse you’ve already had from me, is a good sum for these useless, ignorant creatures.”
But Torgut was incensed, and cried, “Cursed be you, Sinan the Jew, for seeking to swindle me! The girl is almost a virgin, the gray-eyed Frank is a powerful fellow, and the third has the same name as the angel who rules the night and the day. Furthermore he is a skilled physician and a learned man, speaking all the Frankish languages, and Latin, too. Ten times that sum would leave me the poorer, and I should never even consider so bad a bargain were you not my father and my friend.”
Sinan the Jew became annoyed in his turn, and said, “The sun has dried your brains. A moment ago you were ready to kill the girl, or at least to put out one of her eyes; now you exaggerate her nonexistent charms in order to rob me. If you reject a fair offer, sell these slaves in the open market, and I’m ready to make the highest bid, so long as you swear by the Koran not to bribe anyone to force up the price.”
Torgut scowled.
“As if anyone in the bazaar would dare to outbid you! And you would certainly spread slander about these wretched slaves and so lower their price. The Koran has revealed their true value to you, and I submit to its ruling, though I lose by it. Was it not the seventy-first verse of the sixth sura? Together that amounts to seventy-seven gold ducats-an auspicious number which in itself emphasizes Allah’s intention. Or would you prefer us to add the numerical values of the letters?”
By this time Sinan was tearing his beard, and now he cried out, “No, no-perish the thought! It would be waste of time, as not even scholars are agreed on those values. In any case there was no mention of gold in the sura.”
“It is unbecoming in you to struggle against the will of Allah. Were I a more learned man I could point out plenty of characters signifying gold; but it is enough for me that the Koran is more precious than gold and that each letter contains ten benedictions. Therefore let us dispute no longer. I will be content with seventy-seven gold ducats.”
The end of it was that Sinan the Jew counted out the ducats, sent Giulia to the harem, and ordered Andy and me out of his sight. We returned to the outer court, where huge dishes of mutton and rice cooked in fat had been brought out for Torgut’s men. These had squatted down in order of rank round the dishes, and were picking morsels of meat from them, and pressing the rice into neat balls which they put in their mouths. But the slaves and prisoners had gathered behind them, and with famished looks followed every mouthful as it disappeared. The sight depressed me very much, but as we drew near Mussuf at once made room for us beside him, and offered Andy a fine piece of meat, dripping with fat. I urged Andy to accept this as a peace offering.
The food in the dish now began to dwindle rapidly, and I had difficulty in keeping up. The others, seeing Andy’s prowess, looked askance at us and called on Allah, and when the dish was empty one of the renegades remarked, “He’s no true Moslem. See what manners-to sit on his bottom and stuff his mouth with both hands!”
Andy was offended by these words, but I said to the speaker, “We have but now found the right road, and stumble along it like blind men, having no one to lead us. Explain to us the points of good behavior.”
Sinan the Jew must after all have been well disposed toward us; I cannot otherwise account for the fact that the wrinkled eunuch appeared in the courtyard in response to Andy’s roars for more to eat, and ordered the servants to refill our dishes. I bade Andy hold his tongue while the Moslems taught us proper table manners and good behavior. Delightedly and all talking at once they began their instruction. We must always wash our hands before eating, they said, and bless the food in the name of Allah. We must sit cross legged before the dish, on the left haunch, using only three fingers of the right hand to take food. No knife was to be used, as all was cut beforehand into pieces of suitable size, and no more was to be put in the mouth than it would comfortably hold. The rice was to be kneaded together in small lumps, and not shoveled into the mouth like porridge. A well- bred man did not stare at his companions but looked straight before him and was content with what he had. Finally they recited a phrase or two from the Koran and said, “Ye who believe, eat the good things which God hath given you, and offer your thanks to Him.”
When the food was nearly all gone, they pointed out that no believer quite finished what was on the dish, but charitably left some to be distributed among the poor. Now also they left many good pieces of meat and some rice, and handed it to the slaves and prisoners, who fought savagely over it, for although they were Christians they displayed little of the Christian spirit.
The Moslems’ explanation gave me much to think about. They went on to tell me of the fast of Ramadan and of the pilgrimage to Mecca that every believer ought to make at least once in his life. But if prevented by poverty or some other cause his omission was not accounted to him for sin. I asked them their views on wine drinking, at which they all sighed deeply and answered, “It is written: ‘Ye who believe: wine, games of chance, worshiping of stones, and dicing are abominations of the devil. Shun them, that ye may be blessed.’“
But others among them said, “It is also written: ‘Wine drinking is a great sin, albeit man may have some good of it. But the sin is greater than the good.’“
The eunuch, who had stood behind us listening, could contain himself no longer. “There’s much to be said for wine, and many poets-especially the Persians-have celebrated its best qualities. Persian is the language of poets, as Arabic is the Prophet’s, whereas Turkish is spoken only by the dogs of the big cities. And in praising wine the poets have used it as a symbol of the true faith. Yet even apart from its symbolic aspect, wine is beneficial to health. It stimulates the kidneys, strengthens the bowels, eases care, and renders a man magnanimous and noble. Truly, had not Allah in his inscrutable wisdom forbidden the faithful to drink it, it would have no equal on earth.”
Hearing this song of praise Andy regarded the eunuch with displeasure, and said, “Gelding! Are you trying to annoy me? I have taken the turban with the sole purpose of avoiding the curse of wine. Wine runs away with good sense and good money, infects a man with diseases, and causes him to see creatures that are not there. Allah preserve me from allowing the filth to pass my lips.”
But the eunuch squatted down beside me and said, “Your questions are sincere, and you show willingness to learn first what is forbidden. But Allah is not minded to enslave his faithful or make life hard for them. Repeat the prescribed prayers, and give what alms you can afford; for the rest put your trust in Allah the ever compassionate. You may spend your life studying the Koran and the interpretations of scholars, and be no wiser at the end of it.”
I listened to what he said, understanding that there was something he wished to tell me. But Andy broke in, “If this is true, I confess that the teaching of the Prophet, blessed be his name, is as it were a flowing cloak that nowhere chafes the wearer. Yet I cannot believe what you say, for all the priests, monks, and teachers I’ve met or heard of have always been the first to forbid pleasant things, such as the lusts of eye and flesh; they insist that the way to heaven is narrow and stony, while all broad, smooth roads lead straight to hell.”
Mardshan the eunuch smiled all over his wrinkled face and said, “Though much is pleasing to God-more than I can remember-yet all is not necessary. There is a tradition that the Prophet, blessed be his name, once said, ‘If, upon the last day, there comes before Allah a soul to whom can be credited not a single good action, and he is judged worthy of the fires of hell, this soul may appeal and say,
Andy was greatly astonished at this, and said, “Allah’s teaching is plainly a good and merciful teaching, and if I had not seen salted heads stuffed into a sack in his name I should even be misled into believing it to be the best of all religions. But a doctrine which commands a man to slay innocent people because of their beliefs is anything but merciful; for who can be converted by having his head struck off?”
But I wondered why this Mardshan was so eager to make his faith acceptable to us, and I said to him, “That was a pious and beautiful story. But what is in your mind? What is it you want of us?”
He raised his hand as if in wonder and exclaimed, “I? I am only a poor eunuch. But the task has been laid upon me to teach you Arabic, if you’re quick at learning. Your brother shall be trained as a
