THE BEGGAR'S BOWL

By RANJEE G. SHAHANI

AN old peasant stood in front of a stable, a soiled red cloth folded like a turban about his bullet head. His face was like that of a penguin, in which two small eyes glittered like grey glass. For some reason he interested me.

I gave him a polite greeting.

" How many heads of cattle have you in the stable ? "

I said to begin the conversation.

" Fifteen, huzoor."

I looked through the door of the stable, and the smell of fresh dung assailed my nostrils. The air was misty, and cobwebs and fodder were silvered with dew.

" But only one of them is now in the stable," the old peasant explained.

I received this remark with indifference.

" Are you from these parts ? "

" No, huzoor. I come from Rohiri."

" Near Sukkur, isn't it ? "

" Huzoor is right."

" How did you happen to come here ? "

" Not by shu-shu, (train), huzoor—too costly. On camel-back--three rupee distance."

" No, no," I said, laughing " that's not what I mean. What made you come here ? "

The man stirred a little. Up to now he had been standing as though he were carved in stone.

" Kismet brought me here, huzoor. Wages were low at home, 2 annas a day, just enough to keep body and soul together. We did all the work, and the banias took all the money. I have often marvelled at their cleverness. Allah seems to have made them differently from us. But however tight-fisted they arc, I have to admit they are honest. Anyhow, huzoor, there was no getting any increase of wages from them. To our demands, they just said : ' We pay what we always have paid. Are you better men, than your fathers that you want more ? ' Of course, nobody could answer that. There they had us. We certainly are not better men than our fathers. The very thought is impious. My own feeling is that we are decidedly worse. So I said nothing. I was content to let the matter drop. But sonic of the younger folk, who had heard city people preach same for all (how this is to be, I can't make out ; for there must always be masters and servants), well, some of the younger folk wanted to try their luck at the mills in Sukkur. ' Come along, Uncle,' they coaxed, we'll get, may be, a rupee a day.' I had my doubts, but something made me join them. So we set out in a batch, singing all the way. It was a jute factory where we got a job—not a rupee a day, but eight annas. In a day or two my companions had had enough of the noise and whirr of the engines, and, as there was nothing else to be had, enrolled in disgust as policemen. was too old to gain a ` red turban.'* I had no choice but to remain where I was. But the noise began to upset my stomach. Just as I was wondering what to do, the Respected Gopaldas, your Honourable father's neighbour here, happened to be looking for harvesters there, and so I came to these parts. I worked for him for two summen. He paid 4 rupees a month, and that was not enough even for dal and chapati. Your Honourable father, Allah bless him; offered me 8 rupees a year and full board. This is much better."

I looked at him in surprise. The old peasant appeared to be in excellent health. His cheeks were firm and he held himself stiff as a ramrod.

" Do you .get anything else ? "

" No, huzoor. Only 8 rupees and board . ; " Do you find it enough ? "

" I paid 9 rupees for this thing here . . . " He bared his hairy breast and displayed a charm in silver dangling from his neck by a, dirty yellow thread. " May be," he said with a sigh, " this will fix my present luck."

" Have you any relatives ? "

" No, huzoor."

" You arc utterly alone ? "

"That's the best state a man can be in," he said., as though speaking from superior knowledge.

" Did you ever have a wife ?

" I had three, huzoor, but they all died. What they brought in dowry they took away in funeral charges. I might have married again, but Allah seemed to be against it."

" How Allah seemed to be against it ? "

" It was this way, huzoor. I was thinking whether I ought to take a wife or not when an angel appeared to inc in a dream, saying, Yusuf, be sensible. It is no use for an old man to have a young wife. She is bound to have lovers. As for an elderly woman, she will sooner or later involve you in funeral expenses. If you want to pass the remainder of your days in peace, have nothing to do with women. When you are fit for paradise, Allah will provide you with houris. On earth your days of wed- .,

* Insignia of a policeman.

lock are over.' That proved the matter for me, huzoor. Allah disapproved of my marriage."" " How old are you ? "

" Allah be praised, seventy next harvest-day," and the old-man blinked contentedly.

" SeVenty ? " I cried. I had taken the fellow to be no more than sixty. " A long life to you I " I said.

You: arc gracious, huzoor." The old man. blinked, looked-at me, and blinked again.

"Have you any children ? "

had three. One died of snake-bite ; the other tell into a welt and was drowned ; the third was killed 1)3.' the " By the police ? Why ? "

" He was a shikaree*—they called him thiefand the ' red turbans ' shot him in the head one -night. A very sharp lad he was, slippery as an eel. He' could stalk • swiftly and' silently as a 'tiger: He fed us with nothing but game ; and he always had plenty to spend. He Was a son to have . . . " Here the man paused, and sighed heavily. " Kismet " he said at last. Then, after a while, he added : " Had•he been alive today, I wouldn't have had to leave my home in old age. He was not married, although the girls of the district wanted to own him ; so when he died, I had no daughter-in-law to attend to me." He paused again, and drew a deep sigh. At last he let drop pathetically : " My son was good, but not, foreseeing. He ought to have married . . . I3ut" what can poor man do ? Everything is in the hands of Allah."

I Idoked, at him in silence. Not a word of bitterness or complaint came from the old peasant. He was merely chronicling the events of his life. It seemed a sad record. I could not understand his strange passivity. As I gazed at him it seemed to me that I was looking at the corpSe of India.

Iluzoor, huzoor," called a voice ; " breakfast is ready."

I turned round absent-mindedly, leaving the old man at the door of his stable. Was he waiting there to water his animal—his only possession in the world-Lor was ,4c awaiting the end of the world ?