Part 89 (1/2)
”The brown was clearly winning before he was frightened by the d.a.m.ned fireworks.”
”Did I neglect to tell the Sahib that the black elephant is a _khasa_, from His Majesty's private stable? His Majesty does not like to see his elephants lose.”
”You conniving b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
”His Majesty makes the rules. Sahib. It is permitted to use the _charkhi _fireworks once during a contest, if His Majesty judges that the elephants need to be disciplined. May Allah grant you better luck next week.” The man stood waiting, hand outstretched.
”You're a d.a.m.ned thief.”
”That is a harsh judgment. Sahib. I am merely a poor man who must live.
If you wait, you will see what happens to criminals here.”
With a sigh of resignation Hawksworth began to count out the twenty silver rupees, trying to look as sporting as he could muster. He found himself in grudging admiration of the swindler's style. Then he suddenly realized what the man had said.
The rumors must have been right.
”You mean there'll be an execution?”
”This is the day. His Majesty always has executions on Tuesday, after the elephant fights.”
Hawksworth looked up to see another bull elephant being ridden into the plaza. He had sharpened tusks, each decorated with a single heavy bra.s.s ring, and was guided by a single rider, a fierce-looking, unshaven mahout. The elephant was festooned with bells, but there were no chains about any of its legs.
At the other end of the square a balding man, with a short black beard and a ragged green cloak, was being dragged forward by Imperial guards.
Hawksworth noticed that his arms had been bound behind him, by a heavy cord circled just above the elbows. His eyes brimmed with fear.
The guards shoved him struggling toward the middle of the plaza. When they reached the central clearing, the officer of the guard knocked him to his knees with the b.u.t.t end of a lance. The stunned prisoner turned to watch in terror as the elephant lumbered toward him, flapping its ears in antic.i.p.ation.
”He was sentenced yesterday, Sahib.”
”What did he do? Steal some n.o.bleman's sheep? In England that's a hanging offense.”
”Oh no, Sahib, Islamic law does not give the death penalty for theft, unless a thief is notorious. And even then he must be caught in the act. If it is proved you have stolen something worth more than a certain amount, then the sentence is to have your right hand cut off.
But for that to happen there must either be two witnesses or the thief must himself confess. Islamic law is not cruel; it is just.”
”What's this man accused of then?”
”He was tried and found guilty under Islamic law of _qatlul-'amd_, a willful murder. His name is Kaliyan, and he is a Hindu and the son of Bijai Ganga Ram. He is accused of having kept a common Muslim woman as his concubine, and when the woman's father discovered this and went to reclaim her to restore his family's honor, this man murdered him and buried him behind his house. He confessed the act yesterday morning before His Majesty.”
The elephant moved with calm deliberation toward the kneeling prisoner, guided by the mahout, until it towered directly over the quivering man.
Suddenly it whipped its trunk about the man's torso and lifted him squirming into the air, holding him firmly against its banded tusks. It swung the screaming man back and forth in delight for a long moment, seeming to relish the torment, then dashed him violently to the ground.
The prisoner hit on his back, gasping, and weakly tried to roll to his feet. Before he could gain his footing, the elephant was there again, seizing him once more with its leathery trunk and again slamming him to the ground.
”The elephant will torment him for a time. Sahib. Before the moment of death.” The small brown man's eyes shone in antic.i.p.ation.
Again the prisoner was lifted and again dashed to the ground. Now he no longer attempted to struggle; he merely lay moaning in a broken voice.
Then the mahout shouted something to the elephant and the animal suddenly reared above the man, crus.h.i.+ng down on him with both front feet. There was a final, rending scream and then silence, as blood sprayed over the dust. The elephant reared again, and again mashed the lifeless body. Then again. Finally the animal placed one foot on the man's lower torso and seized his crushed chest with its trunk, wrenching upward and rending the body in two. Maddened by the smell of blood, he whipped the torn half upward and slammed it once more against the hard earth. Finally the mahout tapped the blood-spattered elephant with his _ankus_ and began guiding it toward the back of the square.
The crowd, which had held a spellbound silence, erupted into cheers.