Halil the Pedlar

s already the ma

ether in the central mosque, and fr

ing) the ship arrived bearing the Sultan, the princes, the magnates, and the

All through the city a great commotion prevailed with the blowing o

them from the sea?" sighed the Kapudan Pasha,

the Prophet was jealously guarded, he rubbed his hands together with an enigmatical smile which ill became his coarse, bruta

thumbs by the savage cruelty of a former master for some piece of villainy

or fourteen years, during which time he ha

e demands of the reb

Sulali Hassan, a former cadi of Stambul, whose name he had hea

red in the Seraglio. He declared that the rebels had been playing fast a

bostanjis, and go in search of Halil Patrona, an

up on the walls. They demand the delivery of four of the great officers of state-myself, the Chief Mufti, the Grand Vizier, and the Kiaja. Surrender us then, O Sultan! yet surrend

r these words. He did not even

to the Chaszeki Aga, "and greet

he master of many empires, in the name of the Prince of Princes, Shahs, Khans, and Deys, the domi

tell him that I will satisfy all his just demands, if he

ch thronged the streets till they reached the central mosque. Only nine of the twenty bostanjis were beaten

der, like a second Dzhengis Khan, dictating his orders and nominations

that the Sultan's Chaszeki Aga had arrived

ttend to worthier men

, were these

ed by force from his house where he had been hiding under the floor. Halil now ord

eaving the calves bare. The only difference was that he now wore a white heron's feather in his hat instead of a black one, and b

this sword that Halil was now sealing

turdy, muscular fellow, who could have held his own again

lmaster, who went by the name of "the Fool," he made chief Cadi of Stambul, and then

he Governor-Gene

nd by way of acknowledgm

am in very great doubt whether it be thou or Sultan Achmed who is now Lord of all the Moslems. Tell me, therefore, what thou dost require of

e the Sulali, and with a severe a

four arch-traitors who have brought disaster upon the realm. They are

l to shaki

k much,

my terms, to-morrow there shall be peace. But if you come again to me to

n and his ministers who were

they awaited the

at once. Only gradually did

nsurgents," said he. "They demand that

ly grew paler th

me too," sighed Achmed. "Well, well, hand him

eps the Kiaja stepped

yet more,"

t! m

nd the Kap

liant seaman!" exclai

dishah! A brave man is always ready to die a heroic death in the place of danger, and shall I not, moreover, be dying in your defence? Hale us away, bostanjis; do not tremble

leading the bostanjis than being led by

the Grand Vizier and the

of horror, rose

which I myself have committed-faults against which they wished to warn me? Why, their blood would cry to Heaven against me. Go back, Sulali, and say to Halil that I beg, I implore him not to insist that these two grey heads shall r

ho had seized upon Halil's wife when she was attempting to escape by sea, and that it was the Kiaja who had had her shut up in

nd. He bethought him how Damad Ibrahim had forced his embraces upon Gül-Bejáze, and compelled her to resort t

dullah, he may remain alive, but he must be banished

urned to t

to live, but he demands death

rom the divan like a lion brou

r them ye shall see that the sword of Mohammed has still an edge upon it. Unfurl the banner of the Prophet in front of the gate of the Seraglio. Let all true believers cleave to me. Send criers into all the s

rst of emotion had only come a little earlier, the page of his

t in the central gate of the Seraglio, and t

een able to get beyond the mosque of St. Sophia, and that th

raglio. Nobody assembled beneath it, even the wind disd

s that the time has come for every true Mussulman to quit hearth and home, his shop and his plough, snatch up his weapons, and hasten to the assistance of Allah an

banner. The criers promised a gratuity of thirty piastres to every soldier who hastened to range himself beneath the banner, and two piastres a day over and above the usual pay

t wandered about from room to room, impatiently inquiring after news outside. He asked whether anyone had come from the host to his assistance? whether the people were assembling beneath the Sacred Green Banner? and the cold sweat stood out upon his forehead when, in reply to all his questions, he only received one crushing answer after another. The wat

king to see whether the Kiaja, the Kapudan, and the Grand Vizier were asleep or awake. Only the Kapudan Pasha was able to sleep at all. The Kiaja was all of an ague with apprehe

em and trouble not thy soul about us any more, it is only the rebels who have to do with us now. Allah Kerim! Look upon us

n of day vanished from amongst them. When they sought him i

es knew very well

lali Effendi and Ispirizade came for the Chief Mufti,

t the sight of them Abdullah burst into tears and sob

hite in all pure and upright dealing, take it now and wash it in my blood; and if ye think

tood up and, raising

e thee from th

kiosk of Erivan in the inner garden where the Grand Vizier already awaited them. Not long afterwards arrived the Kiaja a

t. We are the four victims. The Chief Mufti perhaps may save his life, but we three others shall not see the dawn o

he rebels yesterday, I fear it is already too late, I fear me that the Sultan is lost anyhow. The Ban

zier to his colleagues, "but wait for me till the Kizlar-Aga arrives to dema

mad Ibrahim, embraced each other, and wer

mas, first of all, chose Damadzadi, but he declining the dignity on the plea of illness, they cho

mmed and Damadzadi, to receive the secret message of the

e of this secret message, and thanked All

th the beautiful Adsalis by his side, and in front of him were th

ps were now i

ssing his forehead as if she would charm away from his soul the

t or cherish sufficiently. He scarce noticed that Elhaj Beshir, the Kizlar-Aga

ch the Ulemas are sending to Halil Patrona, and if it be acco

a tiny knife from his girdle, with the point of which he began picking aw

they will not be persecuted in the futu

it

at the Kiaja Aga be

e tulips with his knife and

take it!

but presently he under

want the Ka

ff the handsomes

u have it

nd the banishment

third tulip by the root

re i

nd Vizier th

lently to the ground, pot and a

seest I have surr

engraved, and the Kizlar-Aga stamped the document there

re in search of him, and with him were the envoys of Halil Patrona, Suleiman, whom he had made Reis-Effendi, Orli, and

after carefully reading it through, handed it back again, and taking

the Sultan from me once more. And as for you, tell Halil Patrona that you have se

rt him thither, when suddenly a kajkji leaped to his side and begged tha

such a long grey beard as

know me?" inquired Dama

eneath Belgrade, when both of u

is thy

nol

mber th

t release me from captivity, and di

t lead me to the execution

gh the garden on their way to the fatal chamber i

Manoli came forth again. He came out, covering his face with his

he Kizlar-Aga to the new Reis-Effendi, and with

said the ex-ciaus, so suddenly become o

ck Sulali with the message that

and day had scarce dawned when he was summoned

Achmed with the saying of the Reis-Eff

r of the people to torture and tear them to pieces. Rather let them die in my palace, an easy, in

d sir, lest the morning come and t

ight! At night the gates of Heaven are shut. At night the phantoms of darkness are l

eared on the horizon when the Kizlar-

he day is

r the mufti

em speedil

o those who are

mufti fell down

" cried the aged mufti, bitterly we

s wish them to be

of corroboration, "the whole space in front

most collapse

est they fall into

n with the Imam of the Aja Sophia to see whether

gnified that

he kiosk, but not a living soul did they find there. Not satisfied with merely looking about them, they wished to

moments and growing impatient at the

" remarked the Kizlar-Aga. "No doubt they have fallen into the hands of the rebels

an was i

the Kizlar-Aga, and with that he f

announced that there was not a soul to be seen any

top of it was covered with a mat of rushes. He drew aside a corner of this mat, and by the uncertain

rms. Through the windows of the splendid palace penetrate the shouts of triumph which h

she would prefer to dwell in a simple, lonely little h

l tale of all those revolting incidents which befell her in the Seraglio, in the captivity of the Kapudan

and's feet, right in front of them, stood three baskets f

the baskets were stil

d sweeps away the flowers. A bloody

e is

ddering, lisped the

rom the second basket, the

hose i

a Beg's," sobbed

it the fresh flowers, revealed to the eyes of Gül-Bejáze a grey head wi

that?" inq

who held her, as he compelled her to gaze at the bloody heads. An

t know t

chance Death has changed the expression of the f

with eyes wide-open with astonis

se, of course. Death hath disfigure

e sport with the heads of those who made sp

d of these also. I am afraid t

s, and thou wilt believe thou dos

ouldst have me go on loving thee, wouldst thou not? If only thou would

cause of me, and men cannot sleep because of the sound of my nam

he palm grows into greatness while the rose remains quite tiny. Suffer me but gentl

ried the three baskets as she desired in the palace

ed upon their leader, and begged him to accompany them to the mosque of

he crowd that thronged the streets, Halil hastened to the water side, got into the first sk

of the sailor who was sitting opposit

, worthy old man?

Manoli, your

not perceive from my raiment that I

that. Thou art Halil Patrona,

Thou hast just such a white beard as had

eard people say

ght the skiff ashore. Halil pressed a golden denarius int

e Halil gazed into

nol

ommand, m

n rising up yonder

my m

hills take care to be well behind them, and

rms folded across his breast, t

ona hastened i

were awaiting him. Shei

hree dead men I have given to the peop

ey?" asked H

ja Beg, his body was cast upon the c

the s

was flung down in front of

the t

into the piazza in front of the Seraglio, at the foot of

ching look at the Sheik's

r. It was the body of a sailor named Manoli, who greatly resembled him, and sacrificed himself in Damad's behalf. B