Halil the Pedlar

nthusiasm. They stand together at the corners of the streets in tens and twenties, and tell each other of the great event that has happened. On the Etmeidan, in front of the Seraglio, in the doors

against Tamasip

ith enthusiasm, everywhere

ast, at any rate, the Padishah is surfeited with so many feasts and illuminations, and after having postponed the raising of the banner of the Prophet, under all sorts of frivolous excuses, from the 18th day of Safer (2nd of September) to the 1st day of Rebusler, and from that day again to the Prophet's birthd

ze. The huge line of battle-ships, with their triple decks and their long rows of oars, looked like hundred-eyed sea-monsters swimming with hundreds of legs on the

ers, scarlet tents for the kiayaks, dark blue tents for the great officers of state, the Emirs, the Mecca, Medina, and Stambul justiciaries, the Defterdars, and the Nishandji; lilac-coloured tents for the Ulemas, bright blue tents for the Müderesseks, azure-blue tents for the Ciaus

night long this city of tents was a-building, and at dawn of day

rows of cannons. Other detachments of these gunners are distributed among the various hillocks. On the wings of the host are placed the Albanian cavalr

e it was not lawful for any other division of the army to draw near them, much less mingle with them, u

erous murmurings arise from this or that battalion, that only means that they are rejoicing at

his morning devotions, day by day he p

ivan, which is roofed over with a golden cupola. Grave were their deliberations, but nobody, except the viziers, knows the result ther

Sultana Asseki sends thee her greeting, and wishes thee good luck in this war of thine. 'Hail to thee!' she says, 'may thy guardian angels watch over all thy steps!' The Sultana meanwhile h

all at once bec

uble me with these

art off to the wars, that thou wilt return no more, and that she will not be t

ouble me with these wor

te out my tongue because of the words I have

and tell her t

r, will be her death. She wil

reflected, then he ask

oved was inside, wouldst thou put out the flames, or woul

the flames is not so pressing, an

aneth the firing of cannons

from th

heard in th

of the singing-girls

if there be no sun in it? What is the whole world to thee if thou

thdrew. Achmed mu

ut another hour, but another night-a night full of blissful dreams-and it will be quite time e

ning weeds. Before her, on a table, stood a small goblet filled with a bluish transparent fluid. That fluid was poison-not a doubt of it. Her sl

d her and tenderly enf

die out of my life, oh

vered her face

ime? Do not its leaves fall when

must wither thee is

? wert thou beautiful? didst thou enjoy life? Mashallah! such a one is dead already. My sta

that I had turned

then I am near to thee; but thou art far away even when thou art sitting close beside me. It is not Achmed who is talking to me. It is only Achmed's body. Achmed's soul is wandering elsewhere; it

w of cannons was heard

e to compete with them. What indeed is my voice?-what but a gentle, feeble sound! Go! there also I will be with thee. And when the long manes of thy horse-tail standards flutter before thee on

his gentle darling to his bosom and closing her lips with his own as if, by

r trumpets, the camp of a whole nation may wait and wait on the plains of Scutari, but Sultan Achmed is far too happy in the embraces of Adsalis

e the light dance around the happy imperial couple, singing sweet songs of enchantment, while outside through the streets of Stambul gun

e the Janissaries when any question of war or plunder arises, or when they demand the head of a detested pasha, or when they wish to see the banner of the Prophet unfurled; and so terrible we

ee. There was very little of the huckster of the day before yesterday in Halil's appearance now. His bold and gallant bearing, his resolute mode of speech, and the bountiful way in which he scattered the piastres which he had received from Janaki, had made him a prime favourite among his new comrades. Musli, on the other hand, was still drunk. With desperate self-forgetfulness he had been drinking the healt

he also could hear the Janissary guard in front of the tent lau

first Janissary regiment in whose leader we recognise Halil Pelivan. Al

e Janissaries and inquir

issary fellows goes by t

steppe

"it does not require much brain-spli

your comra

an I tell you. So long as you were a Janissary, you were a gentleman too. But now you are on

air of you, bound tightly

upon his feet. How dare you say," continued he, turning towards Pelivan-"how dare you say that two Janissaries, t

the Kapu-Kiaja to b

I not right in saying that the Kapu-Kiaja, if he did his duty, ought to be here with us, in the camp and on the

as greeted with

Janissary!" cried many voices. "Who ever heard

Pelivan could do t

aid he, "you have killed t

all sorts of variations. He had described to them how Halil had slain Ali Kermesh with a single blow of his fist, and how the

eaking together, began to heck

Stambul that you make such a f

lives of a couple of Janissaries for

no other pastime in Paradise than

and begged his comrades to let

ermesh, killed him single-handed. Nobody helped me to do the deed. And now I have thrown in my lot with the Janissaries, and here I stand where it has pleased Allah to place me, that I may pay with my own life for the life I have taken if it seem good to Him so to ordain. I am quite ready to die and glorify His name thereby. His Will be done! Let the honourable Kiaja therefore

applause from the whole regiment, and during this tumult Musli endeavoured to add

is, that if they do not bring the Sultan and the banner of the Prophet into camp this very day, not a single on

eyes. There was such a malicious scorn in his gaze t

lieving Greek cattle-dealer has been thrown into the dungeon set apart for evil-doers. As for that woman whom you call your wife, she has been put into the prison assigned to those shamele

as, his mere size could not have saved him. But the leader of the ciauses straightway put spurs to his horse, and laughing loudly galloped away with his ciauses, almost brushing the enraged Halil as h

elve-pounder whistled about their heads and then fell far away in the midst of a bivouac where a number of worthy Bosniaks were cooking their suppers, scattering the hot ashes into their eyes, ricochetting thence very prettily into the pavilion of the Bostanji Bashi, two of whose windows

essage of the Janissaries, together with the twelve-pound cannon-ball, at the same time reminding him

t the very least; but the Kiaja, instead of being angry, seemed very much afraid. He saw in this presumptuous message a declaration

box nicely lined with velvet took it to the Seraglio, and when he got there sent for t

ecomes precious when we pay our debts with it, but it is downright damaging if we let others pay their debts to us therewith. Say to the most puissant of Sultan

, took it forthwith into the Hall of Delight, and th

e Sultana Asseki, and on perceiving therein the hea

hard to avoid injuring anybody, and yet everybody seemed to combine to make him miserable! It seemed as though they

Sultana again and again, and s

before my very eyes! Die if thou canst that a

cling Achmed's knees with her white arms she besought him, sobbing loudly, not to go to the camp, at any rate,

e moment the thought did occur to him: Am I a mere tool in the hands of my army, and why do I wear a sword at all if I do not decapitate therewith those who rise in rebellion against me? But he very so

, who, sobbing and moaning, accompanied him to the very door of the Seraglio, and th

by the secret staircase to the apartments of t

to his bosom, "he is off to the camp. If only I could hold him back for a single day the rebe

Remind him through the Kizlar-Aga that h

lied Adsalis, and she immediately sent

heik of the Aja Sophia, Ispirizade, were assembled in council with the Sul

Asseki would have me remind thee that thou do not neglect to ask counsel from Allah by the pricking of the Koran, before thou has

were wont to appeal to and consult by plunging a needle through its pages, and then turning to the last leaf in which the marks of the

one of these copies was covered with diamonds. This copy the Chief Mufti brought to the Sult

room, one beside the other. They all pointed to a quarter to twelve. It was already

st page, pricked through by the need

s enemy, and better a rust-eaten sword in the

ing his head and kissing the words of the Alkora

with the news to Adsal

the Koran had gone co

the wars without the surem of victory;" and for the second tim

he chief Imam to recite in the mosques before the Padishah goes perso

t. Sophia. Ispirizade accordingly began to intone the surem, but he spun it out so long and made such a business of it, that it se

at the foot of the staircase, in the outer court of the Seraglio where stood the Sultan's chargers which were to take him through the garden kiosk to the sea-

ternoon are unlucky hours for any undertaking. The true Mussulman puts his hand to nothing on which the blessing of Allah can rest when no

ith, hope, and love, which make others strong, had in him degenerated into

n which he had dreamily placed it with the help of the kneeling Rikia

l go to

zmail Aga, whereupon the latter scarce waiting till the Sultan had remounted the ste

ief Mufti continued to detain the Sul

a returned and presented himself before t

been on their feet awaiting thy arrival. If by evening thou dost not show thyself in the cam

to Stambul!-that wa

t his harem at Adrianople to come to Stambul: "Even if thou wert dead thou couldst come here in a couple of days!" And he also remembered what had followed. The Sultan had been made to abdi

word of Muhammad, and a quarter of an hour later he went on board the

one as four-and-twenty salvoes announced that the Sultan

t the blessing of Allah does not rest