In the great throne room of the palace at Mekran were assembled all the dignitaries of the nation—sirdars, captains, kaids; muftis and mueddens from the mosques¹; civil officers and judges from the towns; high and lowly officials of the royal household. Even the obstinate² and unbridled Zirag had yielded to Kasam’s demand and, doubtless more through curiosity than obedience³, had left his camp to enter the city and witness the day’s event.  
Of the nature or character of this event all were alike ignorant. They merely knew they were commanded to assemble, and the authority of the khan, backed by that of the Grand Mufti Salaman, ranking next to him, was sufficient to bring them to a man at the appointed hour.
 
The press was truly great, even in this spacious⁴ hall of audience. Upon a raised dais sat Ahmed Khan, arrayed in his most magnificent robe of state. At one side, but upon a lower platform, sat Prince Kasam, and at the Khan’s right hand stood the Grand Mufti, wearing his decoration of the jewelled star.
 
A silence bred of intense curiosity pervaded⁵ the assemblage. Even Zarig, who, clad in his well-worn riding dress, had pressed close to the platform, was awed⁶ by the dignity of the proceedings⁷ and glanced nervously⁸ from Kasam to Ahmed and then upon the stately form of the priest.
 
Presently the great Salaman stepped forward, offering a brief prayer imploring⁹ the guidance of Moses, of Jesus, of Mahomet and of Allah the All-Wise upon their deliberations. Then, drawing himself erect¹⁰, he addressed the people in these words:
 
“My friends and brothers, it is my duty to declare to you, as representatives of all the people, that a great wrong has been done you. It was not an intentional¹¹ wrong, nor one which, having been discovered, may not be fully¹² redressed¹³; nevertheless, you must hear the truth and act upon it as you deem just and right.”
 
He paused, and a thrill of excitement swept over the throng¹⁴. In all their history no such thing as this had been known before.
 
“The man who sits before you as Ahmed Khan,” resumed the priest, in a cold voice, “came to you purporting¹⁵ to be the grandson of Keedar Khan and the son of Burah Khan, and thus entitled to rule over you. He is, indeed, the legitimate¹⁶ grandson of the great Keedar; but he is no son of Burah, being the offspring of Keedar’s younger brother Merad, who fled to Persia an exile in his youth.”
 
Notwithstanding the astonishing nature of this intelligence the assemblage maintained its silent, curious attitude. Many eyes were turned upon the calm and dignified¹⁷ countenance¹⁸ of Ahmed Khan, but no mark or token of unfriendliness was manifested in these glances.
 
The priest continued:
 
“Those among you who heard the dying Burah acknowledge this man to be his son,before all the sirdars, will marvel¹⁹ that my statement can be true. You must now know that at that time Burah had really been dead for two days, and that another falsely took his place. It was this lawless one who, masquerading as the khan, made the formal acknowledgment. For this reason Ahmed has never legally been your khan. He is not your khan now.”
 
At last a murmur²⁰ burst from the throng; but to the listening ears of the priest it seemed more a sound of amazement²¹ than of protest or indignation. Ahmed arose from the throne, drew off his splendid robe of office and laid it over the arm of the chair, disclosing to all eyes the simple inner garb²² of a tribesman of Ugg. With dignified mien²³ he stepped from the dais to the lower platform and held up a hand to command silence. Instantly every voice was hushed as if by magic.
 
“Brothers,” said he, “if I have wronged you I beg your forgiveness. Most willingly I now resign the throne to which I am not entitled, and ask you to choose for yourselves one more worthy²⁴ than I to rule over you.”
 
As he paused a cry arose that quickly swelled²⁵ to a clamorous²⁶ shout:
 
“Ahmed! Give us Ahmed for our Khan! None shall rule us but Ahmed, the grandson of Keedar Khan!”
 
Salaman turned pale at this unexpected denouement27

Join or Log In! You need to log in to continue reading

Create a new account   I have a account already

	Create an New Account
Email:  (User Name)
Password:	Letters and numbers only. 6-20 characters.
Retype Password:
Screen Name:	Letters and numbers only. 6-50 Characters.
Confirmation Code:	(Please type in the characters in the green image.)

	Login into Your Account
Email:
Password:
	Remember me on this computer.

(Left Keyword <-) Previous: CHAPTER XXIV THE SPIRIT OF UNREST Back Next: CHAPTER XXVI HER SERENE HIGHNESS THE KHANUM (Right Keyword:->)