He
was a man of great intelligence, but of uncommon ferocity. And
Faruskiar told us an anecdote giving us an idea of these pitiless
Orientals.
"There was at Kachgar," he said, "an armorer of repute, who, wishing to
secure the favors of Ouali-Khan-Toulla, made a costly sword. When he
had finished his work he sent his son, a boy of ten, to present the
sword, hoping to receive some recompense from the royal hand. He
received it. The Khan admired the sword, and asked if the blade was of
the first quality. 'Yes,' said the boy. 'Then approach!' said the Khan,
and at one blow he smote off the head, which he sent back to the father
with the price of the blade he had thus proved to be of excellent
quality."
This story he told really well. Had Caterna heard it, he would have
asked for a Turkestan opera on the subject.
The day passed without incident. The train kept on at its moderate
speed of forty kilometres an hour, an average that would have been
raised to eighty had they listened to Baron Weissschnitzerdoerfer. The
truth is that the Chinese driver had no notion of making up the time
lost between Tchertchen and Tcharkalyk.
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