But he was a man of prominence in the country, and when the story got known he became rather ridiculous." He turned with a smile to Violet Oliver.
"My people don't like being made ridiculous--least of all Mullahs." But there was no answering smile on Violet's face.

Rather she was troubled and alarmed.
"But surely that was unwise ?" Shere Ali shrugged his shoulders.
"What does it matter ?" he said.

He did not tell her all of that story.
There was an episode which had occurred two days later when Shere Ali was stalking an ibex on the hillside.

A bullet had whistled close by his ear, and it had been fired from behind him.

He was never quite sure whether his father or the Mullah was responsible for that bullet, but he inclined to attribute it to the Mullah.
"Yes, I have the priests against me," he said.