“I was about sixteen when murids began to visit the aouls.
They beat the stones with wooden scimitars and cried
‘Mussulmans, Ghazavat!’
The Chechens all went over to Muridism and the Avars began to go over too.
I was then living in the palace like a brother of the Khans. I could do as I liked, and I became rich.
I had horses and weapons and money.
I lived for pleasure and had no care, and went on like that till the time when Kazi-Mulla, the Imam, was killed and Hamzad succeeded him.
Hamzad sent envoys to the Khans to say that if they did not join the Ghazavat he would destroy Khunzakh.
“This needed consideration.
The Khans feared the Russians, but were also afraid to join in the Holy War. The old Khansha sent me with her second son, Umma Khan, to Tiflis to ask the Russian Commander-in-Chief for help against Hamzad.
The Commander-in-Chief at Tiflis was Baron Rosen.
He did not receive either me or Umma Khan.
He sent word that he would help us, but did nothing.
Only his officers came riding to us and played cards with Umma Khan.
They made him drunk with wine and took him to bad places, and he lost all he had to them at cards.
His body was as strong as a bull’s and he was as brave as a lion, but his soul was weak as water.
He would have gambled away his last horses and weapons if I had not made him come away.
“After visiting Tiflis my ideas changed and I advised the old Khansha and the Khans to join the Ghazavat. . . . ”
What made you change your mind?” asked Loris-Melikov. “Were you not pleased with the Russians?”
Hadji Murad paused.
“No, I was not pleased,” he answered decidedly, closing his eyes. “and there was also another reason why I wished to join the Ghazavat.”
“What was that?”
“Why, near Tselmess the Khan and I encountered three murids, two of whom escaped but the third one I shot with my pistol.
“He was still alive when I approached to take his weapons.
He looked up at me, and said, ‘Thou has killed me . . .
I am happy; but thou are a Mussulman, young and strong. Join the Ghazavat!
God wills it!’”
“And did you join it?”
“I did not, but it made me think,” said Hadji Murad, and he went on with his tale.
“When Hamzad approached Kunzakh we sent our Elders to him to say that we would agree to join the Ghazavat if the Imam would sent a learned man to explain it to us.
Hamzad had our Elders’ mustaches shaved off, their nostrils pierced, and cakes hung to their noses, and in that condition he sent them back to us.
“The Elders brought word that Hamzad was ready to send a sheik to teach us the Ghazavat, but only if the Khansha sent him her youngest son as a hostage.
She took him at his word and sent her youngest son, Bulach Khan.
Hamzad received him well and sent to invite the two elder brothers also.
He sent word that he wished to serve the Khans as his father had served their father. . . .
The Khansha was a weak, stupid, and conceited woman, as all women are when they are not under control.
She was afraid to send away both sons and sent only Umma Khan.
I went with him.
We were met by murids about a mile before we arrived and they sang and shot and caracoled around us, and when we drew near, Hamzad came out of his tent and went up to Umma Khan’s stirrup and received him as a Khan.
He said,
‘I have not done any harm to thy family and do not wish to do any.
Only do not kill me and do not prevent my bringing the people over to the Ghazavat, and I will serve you with my whole army as my father served your father!
Let me live in your house and I will help you with my advice, and you shall do as you like!’
“Umma Khan was slow of speech.
He did not know how to reply and remained silent.
Then I said that if this was so, Let Hamzad come to Khunzakh and the Khansha and the Khans would receive him with honor. . . . but I was not allowed to finish — and here I first encountered Shamil, who was beside the Imam.
He said to me, ‘Thou has not been asked. . . . It was the Khan!’
“I was silent, and Hamzad led Umma Khan into his tent.
Afterwards Hamzad called me and ordered me to go to Kunzakh with his envoys.
I went.