I remarked to Otaspes: "I suppose I ought to consider those fellows as enemies, since they are fighting my fellow-Hellenes in the North."
"Be your age, old boy," replied the Persian. "After all, the Sakas pay tribute to Mithradates of Parthia. So does King Tigraios of Karmania, which makes me and the Sakas fellow-subjects of Mithradates. But Oramazdes forbid that you and I should quarrel on that account!"
Everybody seemed to be waiting for something. Minister Udayan drummed on the floor of the terrace with his fingers, while the Sakas spoke among themselves. I found I could understand the Sakan dialect of Scythian quite well—better, in fact, than the local Indian, which differed from that of Barygaza. At last I approached the nearest Saka and asked: "What causes the delay, friend?"
The man smiled at the sound of the Scythian speech. "Men are searching for somebody who speaks Sakan, to interpret" He called to the leader: "Ho, Tymnes!"
"What?"
"Here is our interpreter! He speaks our tongue, and I suppose he speaks this Indian chitter."
"Well, that is a mercy!" Tymnes approached me with a lordly nod. Despite his finery, I was forcibly reminded of the Scythian abhorrence of bathing. "Know, stranger, that I am Tymnes the son of Skopasis, the son of Ariantas, the son of Oktamazdas, of the noble Saulian clan. We trace our ancestry back for thirty-six generations, to the supreme god Papaios. This makes us the noblest clan among the Sakas, who are the noblest folk of the Scythian race, who are the noblest race on earth. Hence the Saulian clan, as is generally known, consists of the world's bravest men and fairest women. And who, may I ask, are you, sir?"
I could have replied to the Saka's haughty courtesy in kind but could not be bothered; I wanted to get our audience over with. "I am Eudoxos, a Hellene," I said, "and I shall be glad to help you as far as I can. Your Majesties!"
I turned to the rulers and explained. With me translating, the Saka began his speech. After repeating his boasts of Ids noble ancestry, Tymnes got down to business.
"A feud arose amongst the Sakas," he said, "and our clan became embroiled on the losing side. Having been vanquished in battle by overwhelming numbers, we must needs flee. We passed through the lands of the Ionians—" (in the East they call all Hellenes Ionians) "—who were hostile to us, and came to the Great Desert. Here were no rich kings who might hire us, but only scattered robber clans, which attacked us. But we drove them in rout by our archery, which, as is well known, is the world's deadliest. Skirting the desert, we came at last to this fair land to offer our services. This is no trivial offer, for we are, as everyone knows, brave and fierce beyond the imagining of any sedentary folk.
"The rest of our clan, under the leadership of my noble father, Skopasis son of Ariantas, is camped two days' ride north of here on the fringes of the desert, near the boundaries of Avanti, with their women, children, and flocks. When Your Majesties give the word, we will fetch them hither. I have spoken."
The sour-looking minister, Udayan, spoke: "I am sorry, but we already have all the mercenary horse we can afford."
"Mean you those Arjunayanas who escorted us hither? It is rascally jackals of that sort whom we scattered in the Great Desert, with a mere whiff of our deadly arrows. You, sir, err if you consider these thieving poltroons in the same breath with us ..."
The argument raged back and forth, with me interpreting as best I could and Otaspes helping out with the Indian end when I got stuck. Tymnes said:
"It need cost you nought. We do but ask the right to plunder certain of your towns each year."
Udayan looked shocked. "Licensed robbery? Kali smite you! We are a civilized folk, who do things decently and in order."
The argument dragged on, but Udayan and Indrani did not mean to hire the Sakas. At last the latter were made to accept this fact.
"There are kingdoms to the east, west, and south," said Udayan, "where your peerless courage will be appreciated. I suggest the kingdom of Vidisha, southeast of here."
"If we succeed in this Vidisha," said Tymnes, "will you grant a passage through Avanti for our clan?"
"So long as they behave themselves and rob or molest not our folk. We will send an escort to make sure."
The Saka began another argument but was interrupted by the metallic thud of the timekeeper's cup's striking the bottom of its bowl as it sank. The timekeeper pounded his drum four times and blew two blasts on his conch. Udayan said:
"And now, Master Tymnes, your audience is over. Your interpreter and his companion, I believe, have the next turn."
We presented our gifts and were proffered a trayful of trinkets in return. Udayan said:
"From King Girixis, eh? We like not Girixis, for that he is a lewd, sensual pleasure-seeker. But I suppose it were unjust to blame you gentlemen for his lapses. Here in Avanti we hold to the highest moral standards. There is only one way to deal with evil, and that is to scotch it at the source. Hence we allow no winebibbing or meat-eating—"
"And no fornication or adultery!" put in Queen Indrani. "Here, for the first time in the history of this wicked human race, we have utterly abolished sin!"
I was tempted to ask about poppy juice, to which the young king was evidently addicted and which must have furnished Avanti with most of its revenue. It seemed, however, more tactful to say nothing about it, albeit it surprised me to learn that any government would dare to meddle to such a degree in the private lives of its subjects. People who complain about the tyrannical rule of the Ptolemies and the Seleucids, I thought, should visit Avanti to learn what real tyranny is. I asked if we might engage in normal trading.
"Buy and sell what you please," said the queen, "so long as you deal not in goods that lead men into sin, such as intoxicating liquors, or the flesh of beasts, or pretty young slave girls. You are, I trust, persons of good morals—not liars, thieves, drunkards, meat-eaters, or lechers?"
"Surely, madam," I said. "We are as pure as a mountain spring."
"You have not come hither to stir up the superstitious Brachmanists?"
"Nothing is further from our minds than to mix in local religious quarrels."
"Very well; you are welcome to Avanti. But bear in mind what we have told you. How did you ever get to Bharata from your distant land?"
"I sailed across the ocean."
"The Black Water?" exclaimed Udayan with a shudder. "Are you a man or a demon?"
"A man, as far as I know. Why, sir?"
"To cross the Black Water—how ghastly! Pray go about your business; the mere sight of you makes us quail."
"One more thing, may it please Your Majesties," I said. "Know you of a philosopher named Gupta hereabouts?"
Udayan scowled. "That vile materialist! Any contact with him will only besmirch your karma and lead you astray from the Eightfold Way to the bliss of nonexistence. I will not take upon myself the responsibility for telling you where he lives; you will have to seek him out yourself."
As we took our leave, I asked Otaspes if the minister was crazy, to carry on so about the ocean.
"No," he said. "These people have never been out of Avanti and have heard only dim, dreadful rumors of the sea. They are full of such fancies, and it is useless to try. to disabuse them."
We saw to it that Prasada was housed in the royal elephant stables and, ignoring the stares of the townspeople, returned to our quarters. On the way, we learnt a curious thing about Ozenê. Besides the usual beggars, people kept sidling up to murmur offers of forbidden goods. One would whisper of a supply of palm wine; another, of a repast of roast mutton; still another, of his nice, clean sister who would be delighted to entertain us. Had I been so minded, I could have spent my entire stay in Ozenê in enjoyment of these pleasures.