Halil the Pedlar

y, the result was, that more people came to smoke their chibooks and buy tobacco at his shop than ever. Everybody was desirous of making the acquaintance of the Mussulman who would not so m

down within a couple of paces of her, remain there in a brown study for hours at a time, often till midnight, nay, sometimes till daybreak. With his chin resting in the palm of his hand there he would stay, gazing intently at her charming figure and her pale but beautiful face.

ace was somewhat paler than it used to be, but if anyone ventured to jest with him on the subject, fa

m, and staring abstractedly with wide and wandering eyes into space, as if his gaze was fixed upon something above his head,

r Chorbadshi,

ice, and saw in front of him his mysterio

ve you back the five thousand piastres which you were fool enough to make me a present of. It was just as well,

ey has done you a good turn. Are you willing to

g for what I give you gratis; and the second is, that you will not expect to stay the night with me, but will wander across the street and pitch y

I not sleep a

there are now two of us in t

ll sleep on the roof, and you take the s

so, Janaki!

an it

her sleep in a canoe guarded by alligators and crocodiles, I would rather spend a night in a cellar full of scorpions and scolopendra

annot be that you are that Mussulman of whom all Pera is talking?-

ave ruined me out and out. My mind is going backwards I think. When people come to my shop to buy wares of me, I give them such answers t

Janaki's tu

everywhere, and now

d you l

racted a Turkish pirate to the spot, and in the midst of a peaceful empire he stole all the girls, and contrived to dispose of them so s

r get her out

sighed

never get at her if she is ther

ejis, or the Bostanjis lay their heads

re to think of suc

anaki. You have never shed any blood but the blood of sheep and oxen, but let me tell you this, Janaki: if I were as rich a man a

nd am always afraid of being robbed of it. In front of the bazaar a slave is awaiting me with a mule. On the back of that mule are strung two jars seemingly filled with dried dates. Let me te

tell her not to look at them she will clo

r, the well-mannered Janissary, who mended slippers. Musli willingly offered Halil's guest a night's lodging. In return Patrona invited him to share

crossed Halil

eady Halil's supper when the guests entered, and he

s knees before her fell a-kissing, again and again, her hands and arms, and at last her pale face also, while the girl flung herself upon his shoulder and emb

ly gaze at the

ised his hands to Heaven, and gave thanks to

er whom you have so long sought after you find in my house, eh? Allah preordained it. And you m

main yours for ever. For if I were thrice to traverse the whole earth and go in a different direction each time, I certainly should not come acr

rned the business was settled already. He cast but a single look on Gül-Bejáze's

ter's hand and placed i

hen his lips should touch hers, the girl would suddenly die away, become pale and cold. Only when his lips at last came into contact with her burning lips and her bosom throbbed against his bosom, and he felt his kiss returned and the warm pulsat

beside herself with delight. She kept receiving kisses and caresses, first on the right hand and then on the left, and her face was pale no longer, but of a burning red like the transfigured rose whereon a drop of

ch covered the window the Berber-Bashi

f Halil, worthy Musli, thrust his head inside the door, and witnessing the scene would discreetly have withdra

ghbour, don't stand on any ceremony with us

s to a degree. Wash and scrub them as he might, the resin would persist in cleaving to them. His awl, too, was still sticking in the folds of his turban-sticking forth aloft right gal

alil's face beaming all over with joy, he sm

great changes going

m, and after kissing Gül-Bejáze again-apparent

husband, and I shall no longer be the slave of my slave. And this worthy man here is

áze, he touched with his hand first the earth and next his forehead, sat down beside Janaki

ith him a tambourine of chased silver, which he could beat right cunningly and also accompany it with a voice not with

elf from giving expression to his astonishment when he perceived that Gül-Bejáze no longer collapsed like a dead thing at the contact o

him, and turning the handle of the door

lently to the disguise. Nobody in the world could have taken him for anything but what h

l not put you out I should be delighted to remain here, as long as you will let me, that I may listen to the music this worthy Mussulman here understands s

of them had any exception to take to the stranger's words. Janaki was the only sober man among the

his stranger may be

t he is only an honest baltaji.[1] Sit down, oh, worthy Mussulman," he

days, he was enchanted with the tambourine of Musli, listened with open mouth to his story of the m

is eyes as he turned towards the damsel, and then Gül-Bejáze, after first kissing her husb

his name, but that has nothing to do with the story. This merchant had an only daughter whom he loved most dearly. She had ne'er a wish th

name of the maiden was?"

led her Irene, for s

story, for Irene was the very name she had received at her baptism. It wa

g their songs and made merry, to their hearts' content. Suddenly the sail of a corsair appeared on the smooth mirror of the ocean, pounced

ing for her now-and would wait in vain! Her father, she knew it, was standing outside his door and asking every passer-by if he had not seen his little daughter coming. A banquet had been prepared for her at home, and all the invited guests were alr

er and the husband involu

demanded, and forthwith handed Irene over to the slave-women of the Seraglio, who immediately conducted her to a bath fragrant with perfumes. Her face, her figure, her charms, amazed them exceedingly, and they lifted up their voices and praised her loudly. But when Irene heard their praises she shuddered, and her heart died away within her. Surely God never gave her beauty in order tha

arms and feet with rings of gold, and so led her into the secret apartment where the damsels of the Padishah were all gathered tog

ver, cunning artificers had wrought upon this mother-o'-pearl floor flowers and birds and other most wondrous fantastical figures, so that it was a joy to look thereon, for no carpet, however precious, was suffered to cover all this splendour. Yet lest t

feel frightened. If a man listened long enough to such a tale he might easily get to feel as guilty as i

pillars which supported the room-lamps of manifold colours-which gave to the vast chamber the magic hues of a fairy palace, and in the midst thereof seemed to float a transparent blue cloud-it was the light smoke of ambergris and spices which the damsels blew forth from their long narghilis. But what impressed Irene far more than all this magnificence, was the figure of the Sultana Asseki, to whom she was now conducted. A tall,

I am half afraid of sitting down here and listening to you. You migh

They were singing and dancing all around her and swinging censers. Above her head was a large fruit-tree made entirely of sugar, and covered with sugar-fruit of every shape and hue, and from time to time the Sultana would pluck off one of these fr

cried Musli laughing, "I fancy I c

Bairam, and the favourite Sultana has chosen thee from among the other odalisks as a gift for the Padishah. Rejoice, therefore, I say.' But Irene at these words would fain have died. And in the meantime the Sultana had placed a large fan in her hand made entirely of pea-cocks' feathers, and permitted her to sit down by her side and hold the little dwarf in her lap. At a later day Irene discovered that this was a mark of supreme condescension. During the next six days the damsel lived amidst mortal terrors. Her companions envied her. The damsels of the harem do not love each other, they can only hate. Every day she beheld the Sultan, whose gentle face inspired involuntary respect, but the very idea of loving him filled her soul with horror. The Sultan spent the greater part of his time with his favourite wife, but it happened sometimes that he cast a handkerchief towards this or that odalisk, which was a great piece of good fortune fo

hivered

this is all a t

e only contin

me running up to her, rubbed her body with fragrant unguents, applied penetrating essences to her face, let icy-cold water trickle down upon her bosom-and all was useless! The damsel did not awaken, and lay there like a corpse till the following morning-in fact, she never stirred from the spot where they laid her down. Next day the Padishah again summoned her to his presence. He spoke to her in the most tender manner. He gave her all manner of beautiful gifts, glittering raiment, necklaces, bracelets, and diamond aigrettes. The slave-girls, too, censed her all around with stupefying perfumes, bathed her in warm baths fragrant with ambergris and spikenard, and gave her fiery potions to drink. But it was all in vain. At the name of the Blessed Virgin, the blood ceased to flow to her heart, she fell down, died away, and every resource of ingenuity failed to arouse her. The same thing happened on the third day likewise. Then the

ist at this point of the narration, "that Sultana deserves

sumed her story. "The Sultan commanded that Irene should be expelled from the harem, for he had no desire to see this li

strange damsel. The pale prince was charmed with the looks of the girl. He coaxed and flattered. He begged and implored her not to die away beneath his kisses and embraces. In vain. The girl swooned at the very first touch, and he who touched her lips might just as well have touched the lips of a corpse. The prince knelt down beside her, and implored her with tears to come to herself again. She heard not and she answered not. At last the fair Sul

ashi to himself, "this is a

t vats full of gold and precious stones, and told her that all these things should be hers if only she would love him. Then he took and showed her the multitude of precious ornaments that he had conceale

palaces to the ground!"

. He himself now began to feel that there wa

grew terribly attentive when mention was made

er failed to invoke the name of the Blessed Virgin whenever the face of a man drew

at all in the matter; but that the girl had so strong a wil

nd so Irene fell to a poor hawker who gave his all for her. For a whole month this man left his slave-girl untouched, and the girl who could not be subdued by torture, nor the blandishm

and and kissed him again and again, and sm

ved Musli, smacking his lips; "wha

Ali Kermesh, his trusty Berber-Bashi, make inquiries and see what happened to the damsel after the sale. Now the Berber-Bashi knew that the girl had only pretended to faint, and the Berber-Bashi brought the

down on his knees before the Berber-Bashi, embraced his knees, and imp

ejáze. The intoxication of joy and wine had

He held his wife tightly embraced in his arms and he thought within h

sh if only he would hold his tongue, say nothing of what

er-Bashi was

ng the breath of life in this house, for to have heard the secret that this slave-girl has blabbed out is sufficient to kill anyone thrice over.

, approached the damsel and seized her h

with

Blessed Mary!"

to help you now, for your husband's

so deep, gruff, and stern, that those w

wife, Ali Kerm

er hour thou wilt be hangin

ou-leave go of my

bosom while he clutched hold of Halil with the other, whereupon Halil brought down his fist so he

aki in terror. "You have killed

ncy I have," repl

esh, felt him all over very carefully, and then tur

rs I must say. By the Prophet! one does not see a blow like that every day. With your bare hand too! To kill a

or. "The Sultan is sure to send and make inquiries about his lost Berber-Bashi.

fetch us if they dare, for we shall be in a perfectly safe place anyhow. Why, don't you remember that only last year the rebel, Esref Khan, whom the Padishah had been pursuing to the death, even in foreign lands, hit, at last, upon the ide

vigorously again

pe to the Isle of Tenedos and there await tidings of you. One jar of dates I will take with me, the other you

aking. The Debedjis who had accompanied the Berber-Bashi were beginning to grow impatient a

is hugging and kissing," whispered Musli, l

e long, long kiss on Gül-

shall not be long before

ways parted r

ean cellar, whilst Halil fled away across the house-tops, and wit

TNO

oodcu