Perseverance — Page 137
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 137 There was a need for someone to go and stop the ambiguous telegram and reissue a message with greater clarity. One missionary from Sierra Leone, Maul aw i Naz i r Al i , who was present said that he would go to the telegraph office to straighten things out. Huzoor ra asked him how he would get there because it was raining at the time (Huzoor ra was standing outside in the rain with a shalw a r kam ī z without a turban or coat). Maul aw i Naz i r Al i said he would get there by horse and he was holding the horse’s reins. Huzoor ra asked which horse will you use, and Maul aw i Naz i r Al i responded that it would be this horse (i. e. , the one he was holding). Huzoor ra then asked whose horse it was and Naz i r Al i told the owner’s name. Huzoor ra said that he would never get there on this horse because it was only two years old and when its hooves would sink in the mud, it would buck and throw you off its back. Maul aw i Naz i r Al i assured him that he would get there on this horse. Huzoor ra said, “Then go ahead if you can. ” After 10 to 15 minutes, Maul aw i Naz i r Al i returned holding the reins of the horse, and he was covered in mud. What Huzoor ra had said came true. Because the horse was young, its inexperience would cause it to buck when its hooves would sink into the mud, whereas a more experienced horse would react with greater composure. Then Maul aw i Naz i r Al i took an ox cart and went to the station. The ox hooves were separated and allowed the mud to pass through with ease. MOSQUITOS, RATS AND SNAKES IN SINDH There were so many mosquitoes in Sindh that we had to build fires and use the smoke to prevent them from cutting up the legs of the