What 'Isa ibn Hisham Told Us. Muhammad al-Muwaylihi

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ المدعي نفسه الذي كان يكنس لأخذ صاحبي فأفاق من دهشته تحت خشبة المقاس وعنف العسكري وإيذائه والتفت إليّ يقول:

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: The Policeman dragged my companion along by the arm. The Pāshā almost collapsed in astonishment; he had no clue about what he was doing. The Policeman handed the fruit and other things he was holding to the man whom the Donkeyman had asked to take care of his donkey. My companion was dragged along to the police station on the Policeman’s arm. The Donkeyman followed behind them and the crowd came along at their heels.

      They all reached the station and climbed the steps. At this point, the Donkeyman started yelling and screaming again. One of the policemen on duty came up and hit him; he had to quiet him down because the Precinct Adjutant was sound asleep. He went into the Sergeant-Major’s room to enter the charge, but found him there with his pen in his ear, eating; he had taken off his tarboosh, removed his shoes, and undone the buttons on his uniform. At his side were two peasants whom I presumed to be relatives of his; they were seeing for themselves the enjoyable way he could exercise his influence in the country’s capital city and seat of government, the extensive authority which he had over people whether important or of little significance, and the power he had to imprison anyone, whoever he might be, and to use whatever testimony took his fancy as evidence against accused people.

      At this point we were all ejected from the room until he had finished eating, so we went outside in the hall to wait. The Pāshā was so distressed that he needed somewhere to lean against. He propped himself up against the wall, but unfortunately his hand gave way and he fell right on top of a policeman out of uniform who was sweeping the floor. This policeman started cursing and swearing, then rushed into the Sergeant-Major’s office and told him that the accused person against whom the Donkeyman was bringing a charge had assaulted him “during the course of the execution of his duties” and had kicked him. The Sergeant-Major ordered the Pāshā to be brought in, called for his police clerk, and told him to take a statement for an infraction charge and another for a misdemeanor. He dictated some technical jargon to him, but I didn’t understand a single word of it.

      The Policeman whom we had accompanied to the station gave his evidence on the infraction which helped the Donkeyman substantiate his charge, and then the Sergeant-Major himself testified on the misdemeanor charge that he had seen the accused assault one of the station personnel during the course of his duties. The two charges were thus completed. The Sergeant-Major then gave orders for the accused to be taken to the measuring-beam and his identification dossier to be drawn up. The Policeman who had brought the charge against the Pāshā came up, took my companion by the right arm and carried out the order himself, subjecting the Pāshā to all manner of pain in the process of measuring him. While all this was going on, the Pāshā looked like someone who has just fainted from sheer bafflement and distress. But eventually, when he had roused himself a little from his stupefaction, he turned to me and said:

      ٧،٢2.7

      الباشا أنا لا أتصور فيما أنا فيه من هذه الحالة إلا أن يكون اليوم يوم الحشر أو أكون حالما في المنام أو أنّ الداوري الأفخم غضب عليّ فأمر بإهانتي على هذه الصورة العجيبة.

      عيسى بن هشام لا بد من التسليم والصبر على أي حالة حتى نخلص من هذه الورطة.

      العسكري (لعيسى بن هشام بعد أن وضع الخشبة على رأس المتهم) انظر يا شيخ في المقاس فاقرأ لي الرقم.

      Pāshā I can only imagine from the situation I’m in that today is Judgment Day itself, that I’m dreaming, or else that His Mighty Excellency is so furious with me that he has given orders that I be humiliated in this dire fashion.

      ʿĪsā The only thing you can do is to resign yourself and be patient till we can escape safely from this misfortune.

      Policeman (to ʿĪsā ibn Hishām, after he has placed the measuring beam on the accused’s head) Look at the scale, Sir, and read off the number.

      ٨،٢2.8

      قال عيسى بن هشام: وبعد أن قلت له عنه توجه بصاحبي إلى الكاتب لتحرير ورقة التشبيه فسأله هل له ضامن فتعرضت لضمانته فلم يقبلوا مني إلا بتصديق شيخ الحارة فحرت في أمري ومن أين أجده فغمزني بعض العساكر وقال لي اخرج فإنك تجد شيخ حارة بالباب فاعطه عشرة قروش للتصديق على الضمانة فخرجت فوجدت العساكر يضربون أصحاب القضايا لإسكاتهم عن الصياح والضوضاء حتى لا ينزعج المعاون من منامه. وقد لحقني العسكري الذي نبهني فدلني على شيخ الحارة وطلب لي منه التصديق على الضمانة وتوسط في مناولته الدراهم. وعند دخولي مع شيخ الحارة في حجرة الكاتب وجدت أشد العساكر حرصا على راحة المعاون ونومه وأقساهم ضربا للناس قد هجم على باب حجرة المعاون يدفعه بكل قواه حتى فتحه وأخذ يهز السرير بعنف فاستيقظ المعاون فزعا فعلم أنّ المفتش قد دخل من باب القسم فأسرع إلى ملابسه فلبسها في لحظة وهرول إلى استقباله فلما قدم عليه المفتش وقف المعاون وقفة النظام بعلامة التعظيم ولكن من سوء حظه أنه ذهل عند لبس الطربوش فلم يجعل زره جهة اليمين بل كان فوق الجبهة وأنّ الشعر كان قد تجدد في ذقنه لأنه لم يتمكن من حلقه في يومه، وبعد أن نظر إليه المفتش شزراً دخل في الحجرة وأخذ يشتغل في كتابة تقرير لمحاكمة المعاون على مخالفته في زيه للأوامر المستديمة.

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: Once I had done that, he took my friend to the office secretary to put together СКАЧАТЬ