Šammary

A sequel to the novel Under Nuri's Protection. Orientalist Alois Musil describes more of his unusual experiences from his travels in Arabia.

. A merchant named Salem brought cartridges and weapons on 42 camels from the port of Kuwait near Basra to Prince Nuri's camp. Muhammad bought a nice revolver and was testing it in his tent. His neighbour, Mchejrit, was sitting with him. He fired all the cartridges and handed it to his neighbour:
“Try it, brother, see how easily the hammer falls!”
“Is there a cartridge in the revolver, Muhammad?”
“No, Mchejrit, I fired them all.”
Mchejrit squeezed the trigger for the first time, the hammer fell, but no shot was fired; he squeezed it a second time, tilted the revolver slightly sideways towards Muhammad, squeezed it a third time, and Muhammad cried out, writhing with his intestines shot through.
“Haua, oh woe, vengeance, a blood feud!” his slaves cried and threw themselves upon Mchejrit. ”