第46章

ISRAEL AT SHAWAN

AFTER Israel's return from his journey he had followed the precepts of the young Mahdi of Mequinez.Taking a view of his situation, that by his hardness of heart in the early days, and by base submission to the will of Katrina, the Kaid's Christian wife, in the later ones, he had filled the land with miseries, he now spared no cost to restore what he had unjustly extorted.So to him that had paid double in the taxings he had returned double--once for the tax and once for the excess; and if any man, having been unjustly taxed for the Kaid's tribute, had given bond on his lands for his debt and been cast into the Kasbah and died, without ransoming them, then to his children he had returned fourfold--double for the lands and double for the death.Israel had done this continually, and said nothing to Ben Aboo, but paid all charges out of his own purse, so that from being a rich man he had fallen within a month to the condition of a poor one, for what was one man's wealth among so many? Yet no goodwill had he won thereby, but only pity and contempt, for the people that had taken his money had thanked the Kaid for it, who, according to their supposals, had called on him to correct what he had done amiss.And with Ben Aboo himself he had fared no better, for the Basha was provoked to anger with him when he heard from Katrina of the good money that he had been casting away in pity for the poor.

"What have I told you a score of times?" said the woman.

"That man has mints of money."

"My money, burn his grandfather," said Ben Aboo.

Thus, on every side Israel had fallen in the world's reckoning.

When he lifted his hand from off that plough wherewith he had done the devil's work, he had made many enemies, and such as he had before he had made more powerful.People who had showed him lip-service when he was thought to be rich did not conceal the joy they had that he was brought down so near to be a beggar.Upstarts, who owed their promotion to his intercession, found in his charities an easy handle given them to be insolent, for, by carrying to Katrina their secret messages of his mercy to the people, they brought things at length to such a pass between him and the Kaid that Ben Aboo openly upbraided Israel for his weakness, not once or twice but many times.

"And pray what is this I hear of your fine charities, master Israel?"said Ben Aboo."Ah, do not look surprised.There are little birds enough to twitter of such follies.So you are throwing away silver like bones to the dogs! Pity you've got too much of it, Israel ben Oliel;pity you've got too much of it, I say."

"The people are poor, Lord Basha," said Israel; "they are famishing, and they have no refuge save with God and with us.""Tut!" cried Ben Aboo."A famine in my bashalic! Let no man dare to say so.The whining dogs are preying upon your simpleness, mistress Israel.You poor old grandmother! I always suspected,"he added, facing about upon his attendants, "I always suspected that I was served by a woman.Now I am sure of it."Israel felt the indignity.He had given good proof of his manhood in the past by standing five-and-twenty years scapegoat for Ben Aboo between him and his people, making him rich by his extortions, keeping him safe in his seat, and thereby saving him from the wooden jellab which Abd er-Rahman, the Sultan, kept for Kaids that could not pay.But Israel mastered his anger and held his peace.

Word went through the town that Israel had fallen from the favour of the Basha, and then some of the more bold and free laughed at him in the streets when they saw him relieve the miseries of the poor, thinking himself accountable to God for their sufferings.

He could have crushed the better part of his insulters to death in his brawny arms, but he was slow to anger and long-suffering.

All the heed he paid to their insults was to do his good work with more secrecy.

Remembering his Moorish jellab, and how effectually it had disguised him on the night of his return home, he had recourse to it in this difficulty.

When darkness fell he donned it again, drawing the hood well down over his black Jewish skull-cap and as far as might be over his face.

In this innocent disguise he went out night after night for many nights among the poorer Moors that lived in the dismal quarters of the grain markets near the Bab Ramooz.How he bore himself being there, with what harmless deceptions he unburdened his soul by stealth, what guileless pretences he made that he might restore to the poor the money that had been stolen from them, would be a long story to tell.

"Who are you?" he was asked a hundred times.

"A friend," he answered"Who told you of our trouble?""Allah has angels," he would reply.

Often, on his nightly rambles, he heard himself reviled, and saw the very children of the streets spit over their fingers at the mention of his name.And sometimes as he passed he heard blind people whisper together and say, "He is a saint.He comes from the Kabar at nightfall.Allah sends him to help poor men who have been in the clutches of Israel the Jew."Nevertheless, Israel kept his secret.What did the word of man avail for good or evil? It would count for nothing at the last.

Do justice and ask nought; neither praise, for it was a wayward wind, nor gratitude, for it was the breath of angels.

One day, about a month after his return from his journey, when he was near to the end of his substance, a message came to him that the followers of Absalam were perishing of hunger in their prison at Shawan.Their relatives in Tetuan had found them in food until now, but the plague of the locust had fallen on the bread-winners, and they had no more bread to send.Israel concluded that it was his duty to succour them.From a just view of his responsibilities he had gone on to a morbid one.If in the Judgment the blood of the people of Absalam cried to God against him, he himself, and not Ben Aboo, would be cast out into hell.