Hussein, An Entertainment
First edition
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| Author | Patrick O'Brian |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
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Publication date
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1938 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 300 pp |
| Preceded by | Beasts Royal |
| Followed by | The Last Pool and Other Stories |
Hussein, an Entertainment is an early work written by Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000) and published in 1938 under his birth name, Patrick Russ. The story takes place in India of the British Raj period and concerns the adventures of a young man named Hussein. The novel, called an Entertainment by O'Brian, follows Hussein's life from birth to his late teens. Though out of print for many years, Hussein was reprinted in the late 1990s under Patrick O'Brian's name. Kirkus UK stated at that time, this is a book "to read for the fun of the 'entertainment' and the light that it throws on the development of one of the great writers of historical fiction."
Born and bred a mahout, Hussein's adventures often concern elephants. After working as a mahout, teller of tales, snake charmer, leopard handler and spy, he acquires a fortune and marries the woman of his dreams while still in his late teens.
Hussein's mother dies in childbirth, and he is reared in the mahout trade by his father and grandfather. He learns the hathi-tongue, which is the private language mahouts use to bid their elephants, and grows up among a group of mahouts employed by the Indian Government's Public Works Department. A cholera epidemic strikes down his father and grandfather, and Hussein goes to live with his uncle Mustapha, his wife and three sons. Also in the mahout trade, Hussein's uncle is devoted to Islamic scriptures. He teaches Hussein to read, which places him in a select few among his class. Having travelled with his uncle and family to Rajkot, Hussein is recommended as a mahout to carry Gill, the "Stant Sahib," on the back of his uncle's elephant for a hunting expedition. The three are attacked and chased by a ferocious pack of wild dogs in what the Times Literary Supplement called the best adventure in the book. In finally escaping, they burst into a thieves' village. Gill, who is the chief of police, captures and returns to justice a notorious band of thieves with Hussein's help. That evening Gill overhears Hussein bragging of the feat to his family and friends, changing details to bring himself credit, and kindly allows the youth his moments of glory.
Hussein's aunt and uncle die young, and Hussein must survive on his own. About 16 years old and still in the mahout trade, he inherits his uncle's responsibility for the elephant named Jehangir Bahadur in the town of Haiderabad. At this time in his life Hussein falls in love with a well-off young woman named Sashiya, which embroils him with a rival, Kadir Baksh. Hussein pays a fakir to place a curse upon Kadir Baksh, which causes the young man to die; and his family swears vengeance upon Hussein. This danger forces the young man to flee. After promising the elephant Jehangir he will return, Hussein sets out to live by his wits. Eased in this direction by the fakir he becomes an assistant to Feroze Khan, a man who practices the arts of snake charming and storytelling. Feroze Khan earns a living by following regiments and entertaining them. His tour de force involves display of a white cobra. Unknown to Hussein, he also gathers secret intelligence. Eventually the young man becomes suspicious of his movements when it becomes apparent that Feroze Khan has friends wherever they travel. Spying leads to Feroze Khan's murder in Peshawar, and Hussein resolves to put into practice the lessons he has learned about storytelling and snake charming.
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