The Tail of the Idol

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22371, 7 April 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

The Tail of the Idol

Old Suliman ben Hassan looked up shrewdly at his friend, the tall Inspector of Police, who, as usual on his visits into the native quarter of Tangier, was dressed in Arab cbstume. Suliman’s mouth was full of brads that he was hammering into the heel of a shoe, so his speech was a trifle indistinct *”Oo are 'is’ur’ed, Ex’ency?” “Are you crooning or something. Suliman?” asked the inspector. Suliman let his little hammer rest and dropped the half-dozen brads that he had been holding between his teeth into the palm of his hand. , “Your Excellency is disturbed? he asked sympathetically. “Yes,” sighed the inspector, "my Excellency is disturbed all right. Drug dealers again, Suliman. Somebody in Tangier is distributing hashish again.” “In the native quarter, Excellency?” „ ... “Half and half, I think. In that part of the native quarter that the guides bring tourists—” The peaceful calm of the Street of the Cobblers was suddenly shattered. A yelling maniac appeared, careering down the narrow street towards them; a man, stripped to . the waist, foaming at the mouth, his eyes turned up so far in his head that only the whites showed, a ’ -.rge, bloodstained knife in his hand, and a trail of blood and panic behind. him. He struck indiscriminately at anybody in his path. Men and women fled before him. and only three or four limp or writhing figures on the ground were left behind him. The inspector caught his breath with a whistling sound, and his eyes narrowed as he waited, motionless and tense. As the madman reached him, he dived suddenly beneath the flailing knife and brought the man flown with a perfect football tackle. Then he applied ju-jitsu, and after a few wild struggles the stranger went limp. The inspector rose to hxs feet and looked down at the now quiet figure. „ . “Give me a hand, Suliman, he ordered. “Take him inside your shop.” ... - xv.They carried him in, and tne inspector laid one hand on his “Poor devil!” he said softly. "He won’t get over this.” “He is not one of us, said Suliman. “No, he’s a European. That, Suuman, is what happens to a white man in a hot sun after hashish. A European—now you see why im so worried. We’ve got to get this man to the hospital. And there are others outside.” The inspector went to the door and blew his whistle. Two native policemen appeared in answer, and the inspector dispatched them on various errands. While they waited he talked to Suliman. “That’s the fifth in a month, Suliman. And this business .started with the new religion—have you heard of the new religion?” Old Suliman said he had not. “There are three men, Suliman, said the inspector slowly. “They have a chapel or a meeting-house, or whatever you like to call it in the tourist-native quarter. And they have an idol. I know, because I’ve been there. All sorts of people go there, Arabs and Europeans. These three men call, themselves the prophets of the new religion. Two stay in the main room, and one disappears behind a curtain into a little room in which is the

(By Norman Borrow)

idoL Queer looking thing. Subman; made of brass, or something, tall as a man, but squatting on its haunches with its legs tucked under it—and it has a tail—” “A tail?”

“Yes, a real long tail, like a cow or a monkey. Well, these two other men hold a sort of service. Then they say, ‘Hah Allah nl Akbar— * you know, Suliman —” “I know. Excellency. Blessed be Allah, the Great, the Compassionate, the All-Powerful!” “Er—yes. Something like that. Then they say, ‘But there is One Greater, in the Image of the IdoL* And the congregation responds, ‘Blessed be the Idol.’ Then the prophets say, ‘Let the believers come out by 1 one and worship the Idol.* And one by one they go into the little room where the third man and the idol is. but they don’t come back again; they are let out by a secret door. As I say. I’ve

been myself. It’s all quite open and apparently genuine. You kneel down in front of this wretched thing, and the prophet says, ‘Blessed be the Eye of the Idol,’ to which you -answer, ‘For it can see Paradise.’ Then he says, ‘Blessed be the Foot of the Idol,’ and you say again, ‘For it can tread Paradise.’ , , x “Now, that’s all I know, but there’s a third verse to this pretty litany. The man says, ‘Blessed be the Tail of the Idol,’ and what comes next I don’t know. The man waits for a moment to see if you can give the right answer, and then he says, ‘Persist, my son, and some day the wisdom of the heart shall be given unto you.’ And you drop money into the hand of the idol, and the prophet gives you a little package and wafts you out through this secret door. I’m absolutely certain, Suliman,” said the inspector, emphatically, “that that is the place where this hashish is being distributed. You say the right thing, and droo enough money/ into the hand of the idol, and you get a package of hashish. And the trouble is that Europeans are getting it.” Suliman ben Hassan fondled his beard and smiled gravely. _

“It is no religion. Excellency- To the believer there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his Prophet ' The package?” he inquired gently. “I took mine straight round to the Police Station and had it analysed.. It was a dirty grey colour. Do you ' now what was in tt? ; Powdered charcoal and baking soda!” he growled disgustedly. “You’re supposed to wear it as a sort of poultice, I believe. A charm against eviL I’ve sent men there and it has always been the same. One man made a wild guess at ihe right response. He said, about the tail, ‘Because it wags in Paradise,* and only escaped-by the skin of his teeth. They called him an unbeliever and a scoffer. . . If I can get that third response, Suliman, I believe I’ll have those hashish distributors in the palm of my hand/’ The inspector went away with the madman strapped $o a stretcher, and'the old cobbler went thoughtfully on with his work. But even a hashish eater has to have his shoes repaired, and one day a man went into Suliman s

shop to have his shoes repaired. Two days later he called for them. “They are ready, my friend,” said the old man, who was the soul of honesty, “but I cannot say how long they will last They are old shoes and the leather is badly worn."

The man shrugged his shoulders. “It is as Allah wills,” he said. “Blessed be Allah!” he added, automatically. Suliman stared at him. He was a thin man with a twitching mouth and restless body. He seemed tense and highly strung. “But there is One Greater, in the Image of the Idol,” said Suliman at a venture. "Blessed be the Eye of the Idol.” This time the man stared at Suliman; then he said, more slowly and as if it were forced out of him, "For it can see Paradise.” "Blessed be the Foot of the Idol,” continued Suliman. "For it.can tread Paradise,” answered the man, still in that same automatic tone. “Blessed be the Tail of the Idol,” said Suliman in a very low tone, fighting to keep his excitement from showing. “For it can give Paradise,” responded the man. He leant con-

fidentially over the little counter. “I see you are a brother, shoemender. To-night at the same time."

Then he caught up his shoes and went quickly out of the shop.

Now, Suliman had a very small friend, whom he sent on errands now and again. He went just as quickly to a curtain at the back of his shop and called this mall friend, and gave him a message to takto to the inspector. "Say to him, "To-night at -toe same time and at the same place.* He will understand.”

Suliman left his shop to look after itself and hastened after toe man to the cfaapeL The two prophets began their service.

‘Tllah Allah nl Akbarf* chanted one.

"But there is One Greater, in the Image of the Idol.** chanted the other after a little pause. "Blessed be the Idol. 1 * groaned the congregation. Then the first man said, in a load tone, “Let the believers come one by one and worship the Idol." . At last Suliman's turn came.

The room was very tiny, and the idol, a great brass thing, seemed enormous. It squatted on its haunches with one hand over its heart and the other outstretched. A great tail curved up over its back. Sulim an looked at the outstretched hand, but there was no money in it. What his predecessor had left there had gone—-pie* sumably into the “prophet's’* pocket. He knelt at the feet of the image. “Blessed be the Eye of the IdoU* said the man softly, and invitingly. “For it can see Paradise." mastered Sulim an, with his heart thumping against his ribs- ■ “Blessed be the Foot of the Idol. “For it can tread Paradise." A little pause, and then, even more softly. “Blessed be the Thu or the IdoL” “For it can give Paradise." jay Suliman, and offered up a lattl* silent prayer to the true God. He dropped three coins into the idol’s hand. The man seemed to be waiting for something. Soocaa. conscious of his scrutiny, dropped , two more into the outstretches ■„ palm. .. Then the man seized hold of the tail and used it as a leven **• swung it down, and the hand tag was lying flat against die breast swung open, revealing a - cavity. From this the prophet too* a small package. As be did so too other two men burst into tberpoan“That man!" they cried. He no believer —he is a spy!" . They became very quiet and a®* vanced stealthily and menaringty on Suliman. Suliman clutched mpackage tightly to him. and offlaw* up another little prayer. And taen the inspector and half a dozen m*** came rushing into the little. toqnu filling it so that there was haroty room to move. The inspectors attended to the prophets, while w himself took the package from : man and opened it - «£.■ i “Got It!” he cried. “ThM * hashish!" . Then he saw the open ore*g . ; the idol, and pulled out more v mk ~‘ % ag At last returned | grinned at him in friendly P"* 1 ; “Once again, eh. SulisaaPr don’t know what wed do i you. But don’t do this sort cf ? again—it’s daneercus. and w« em • , spare you yctT ... .. | "Blessed be the Idou s«d »»»• - man. with his eyes iwinkUPfr m f ‘‘Blessed be Sulimanl the inspector. “YoaVe | saved the sanity of a tot « . , + J guided men.” r i