The Equinox (Volume I, Number IV)

THE EQUINOX his three head bell-wethers who were sitting at a separate table he sneered: “X——’ (my friend present at the previous revelation of his divinity) “send this pig-one.. . eh?” “T don’t know why .. .” I began. “Grutch, butch!” he roared, “you speak to me, you cow- eater! . . . get intellect,” he yelled, “ get English,” he bellowed, and up he sprang from the table. As I did not wish to be murdered, for he had now become a dangerous maniac, I rose, keeping my eyes on him, and taking up my hat and stick, which I had purposely placed just behind me, I quietly passed round the large table at which his terror- stricken fold sat gaping, and moved towards the door. The whole assembly seemed petrified with fear. At first the Blesséd One appeared not to realize what had happened, so taken aback was he by any one having the audacity to leave the room without his permission: then he recovered himself, and at the top of his tiger-roar poured out his curses in choicest Hindustani. On reaching the door I opened it, and then facing him I exclaimed in a loud voice in his native tongue: “Chup vaho! tum suar ke bachcha ho!” With gleaming eyes, and foaming lips, and arms flung wildly into the air,—there stood the Indian God, the 666th incarnation of Haram Zada, stung to the very marrow of his bones by this bitterest insult. Beside himself with fury he sprang up, murder written on every line of his face; tried to leap across the table—and fell in an epileptic fit. As he did so, I shut the door in his face. Aum. Sam Harpy. 290