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 A Y E S H A, 
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 AUTHOR OF " ZOHRAB," « HAJJI BABA,'' &c. 
 
 II y a plaisir d'etre dans un vaisseau battu de l'orage lorsqu'on est sur 
 qu'il ne perira point. — Pensees de Blaise Pascal. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET 
 
 (successor to henry colburn.) 
 
 1834.
 
 LONDON : 
 PRINTED BY SAMUEL EENTLEY, 
 
 Dorset Street, Fleet Street. 

 
 ' 
 
 
 DEDICATION 
 
 TO THE TRAVELLERS IN THE EAST. 
 
 It has frequently occurred to me, who hum- 
 bly presume to class myself among your num- 
 ber, that a tale of no common interest might be 
 woven from the adventures of those who have 
 ventured to explore the countries, in a portion 
 of which the scene of the following narrative 
 ,is laid. 
 
 It is with much diffidence that I offer the 
 fruits of my labours to your notice, for I feel 
 that you, who are best able to judge of their 
 merits, are likewise most capable of detecting 
 any failure. The presumption that there is 
 any merit, I acknowledge to be great ; but 
 whatever may be your verdict, to your tri- 
 
 4.87C0.1 
 
 ENGLISH
 
 IV DEDICATION. 
 
 bunal I appeal, and by you I am desirous that 
 sentence may be pronounced. 
 
 You have come from the East, and there- 
 fore I may be allowed to call you " Wise 
 Men ;" but although you are such, yet I 
 conclude that, adopting an Eastern custom, 
 you must occasionally have mounted on a 
 house-top to take the evening air, and conse- 
 quently have very probably seen an Ayesha 
 on your neighbour's terrace. You have also, 
 no doubt, been attended by your Mustafa and 
 your Stasso, to warn you of your danger ; and 
 may yourselves have been placed in some awk* 
 ward predicament, Giaours as you are, with 
 the Turkish authorities. 
 
 I imagine also that you may have felt much 
 of the enthusiasm and ardour with which I have 
 endowed my hero, in the pursuit of the investi- 
 gations which led him to adopt the imprudent 
 conduct of which I have made him culpable ; 
 and should you have been involved in one of 
 the hair-breadth scrapes which befell him, I
 
 DEDICATION. V 
 
 sincerely hope that the same kismet, or fate, 
 which befriended him, was equally your por- 
 tion. 
 
 You have, I dare say, heard of many such a 
 character as Cara Bey. Let me refer you on 
 that subject to Monsieur Amedee Jauberfs 
 " Voyages en Armenie et en Perse," for certain 
 adventures in a well, which he encountered 
 during his sojourn with a Kurdish chief; and 
 should you be interested in the history of 
 the Yezidies, or worshippers of Satan, I beg 
 leave to refer you to the account given of 
 them by the Pere Maurice Garzoni, an Italian 
 missionary, published by the Abbate Sestini, 
 from whom I have extracted the short history 
 of them which appears in the second volume. 
 
 When on the spot, I was assured that the 
 stories characteristic of the Turks, related in 
 chap. xi. vol. 3, were true. Of the truth of one 
 which I have taken the liberty to insert so 
 much in consonance with the ignorance of 
 Turks in naval matters, I can fully vouch,
 
 VI DEDICATION. 
 
 because I heard it from one of your own body, 
 to whom I beg leave particularly to dedicate it. 
 
 To those who have visited Athens, from a 
 page out of the history of one of whom I have 
 taken the circumstance which forms part of 
 the groundwork of my story, I venture to ask, 
 whether probabilities have been sacrificed ? I 
 feel satisfied that such events as I have ven- 
 tured to introduce might have occurred ; and 
 in a novel, we are told, what is not utterly 
 impossible, may be liberally adopted. 
 
 Trusting to the neglect with which dedica- 
 tions and prefaces are commonly treated by the 
 generality of readers, I would have disclosed 
 more concerning the materials which I have 
 adopted in the composition of my story ; but 
 fearful of saying a word which might fore- 
 stall in the smallest tittle any of the interest 
 which it may possess, I think it right to stop 
 short, merely adding, that the events therein 
 recorded, are supposed to have taken place 
 some twenty years ago.
 
 DEDICATION. Vll 
 
 Thus abruptly taking my leave, and throw- 
 ing myself upon your indulgence, I have the 
 honour to subscribe myself, 
 
 Your very obedient and devoted servant, 
 
 The Author. 
 
 London, 20th May 1834.
 
 AYES HA, 
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 But natheles while I have time and space, 
 
 Or that I forther in this tale pace, 
 
 Me thinketh it accordant to reson, 
 
 To tellen you alle the condition 
 
 Of eche of hem, so as it seemed to me, 
 
 And whiche they weien, and of what degre. 
 
 Chaucer. 
 
 It was about an hour before sunrise, on a 
 fine spring morning, that the great gates of 
 the celebrated Armenian monastery of Etch 
 Miazin, or the Three Churches, situated at 
 the foot of Mount Ararat, on the confines of 
 Persia and Turkey, were thrown open, pre- 
 paratory to the departure of a company of 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 AYESHA, 
 
 travellers, who had enjoyed the hospitality 
 of its venerable patriarch for the preceding 
 night. A waning moon still shed sufficient 
 lio-ht to exhibit the sublime form of the moun- 
 tain, with its snow-capped summit, its unde- 
 fined protuberance of crags and rocks, its mys- 
 terious and shadowy declivities of landscape, 
 to those who stood within the court-yard ; the 
 arch of the gate forming, as it were, the frame 
 of the picture. A covering of snow extended 
 not only over all its great cone, but spread 
 itself, although in lighter tints, even to the 
 limits of the plain, subduing its inequalities, 
 and apparently increasing, its dimensions. At 
 this solemn and still hour, it reared its head 
 into the skies like the apparition of some 
 giant mountain, increasing in the mind of the 
 beholder, the natural awe which would be in- 
 spired by the sacred character of its history, 
 by the fabulous traditions attached to it, and 
 by the lawless and dangerous character of its 
 present possessors. 
 
 In a short time after the opening of the 
 gates, the procession of the departing travel-
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 3 
 
 lers, marshalled according to Turkish eti- 
 quette, was seen to wind slowly through the 
 portal, the noise of the rattling hoofs rever- 
 berating under the arch, whilst the words 
 "Ogtioitr ola — a prosperous road betide you! 1 ' 
 and " AUaha es marladek — may Allah take 
 you under his holy keeping P were freely ban- 
 died between those who were taking their leave 
 and those who remained behind. The gates 
 being again closed, the travellers could just 
 distinguish, amidst the clatter of their horses' 1 
 hoofs, the solemn chant of the good monks, 
 who at this early hour were wont to break 
 the stillness of the morning by their appoint- 
 ed orisons. 
 
 The Surugi, or guide, leading two baggage- 
 horses, opened the procession ; the Tatar, or 
 Turkish courier, followed ; whilst the mas- 
 ter, the traveller in person, with his servant 
 and such others as might choose to join the 
 cavalcade, closed the line of march. 
 
 The master here was a young English no- 
 bleman, one of those spirited and enterprising 
 youths whom it has occasionally been our 
 
 B 2
 
 4 AYESHA, 
 
 good fortune to know, who, although born 
 to every luxury and every advantage which 
 the highest civilization can bestow, have volun- 
 tarily submitted to severe privations, regard- 
 less of danger, amongst an ignorant, barbar- 
 ous, and fanatic people, in order to unshackle 
 their minds from those prejudices which may 
 be acquired by only a partial view of man- 
 kind. The individual, in this instance, was 
 the youthful Lord Osmond, the heir of a 
 noble house. After an absence of several 
 years, he was now on his return, anxiously 
 expected by parents who doated upon him, 
 of whom he was the pride and the consolation. 
 Distinguished among the youths of the day by 
 every sort of excellence, it is not surprising 
 that they looked for his return with impatience 
 and anxiety. 
 
 Lord Osmond was eminently distinguished 
 in his person : he was of rather a delicate 
 complexion, which was shaded by rich dark 
 brown hair, growing crisp and short, round 
 a beautifully modelled head ; his nose was 
 strongly arched ; his eyes, which were situ-
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 5 
 
 ated deep in their sockets, were almost dark 
 blue, and full of softness, as well as bril- 
 liancy ; his mouth was at once the seat of 
 seriousness and smiles, and, when not com- 
 pressed, exhibited the whitest and most sym- 
 metrical teeth. He had a broad, open fore- 
 head, which at times would exhibit thought- 
 fulness, but always frankness and candour. In 
 his person he was rather tall ; his limbs were 
 fitted with perfect symmetry to his body, and 
 in his shoulders and general frame he displayed 
 a more than common appearance of strength. 
 His manners were rather more grave and im- 
 posing than is usual to men of his age ; 
 and, so far, they were adapted to the habits 
 of Asiatics. He displayed great natural dig- 
 nity in every word and action ; at the same 
 time, he was not deficient in a certain joyful- 
 ness and buoyancy of address, which went far 
 in engaging the goodwill of those with whom 
 he conversed. 
 
 He had quitted the university with honour; 
 and great were the expectations raised of his 
 future fame by his early conduct and ac-
 
 6 AYESHA, 
 
 quirements. But not satisfied with what he 
 had merely read, he was determined to fol- 
 low up, by actual investigation, such parts of 
 his studies as had most engaged his atten- 
 tion, and he had chalked out for himself an 
 extensive journey through those countries 
 and nations which had created most interest 
 in his mind. Consequently, with the consent 
 of his parents, plentifully supplied with let- 
 ters of introduction and of credit, he first 
 made the tour of the southern countries of 
 Europe, and in the course of time found him- 
 self an inmate in the palace of the English 
 Embassy at Constantinople. Here he laid 
 the plan of his Asiatic tour, but previously 
 applied himself most assiduously to acquire 
 the Turkish language, which he found would 
 be of general use as long as he travelled in 
 the Sultan's dominions, as well as in the 
 northern parts of Persia. 
 
 During his stay with the Embassy, he form- 
 ed a friendship with one of its attaches, Ed- 
 ward Wortley by name, a youth of great 
 worth and amiability, who promised to cor-
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. < 
 
 respond with him upon all occasions. He 
 was the eldest son of Sir Edward Wortley, 
 an old Yorkshire baronet, celebrated for his 
 classical learning, and his enthusiasm for 
 every thing that related to ancient Greece. 
 
 Lord Osmond having, in succession, visited 
 Athens and most parts of the Morea, the Islands 
 of the Archipelago, Egypt, Syria, and Pales- 
 tine, traversed the desert to Bagdad and 
 Bussorah, whence crossing the Persian Gulf to 
 Bushire, he turned his steps northward to Shi- 
 raz, Persepolis, and Ispahan. He visited the 
 Shah's Court at Tehran, and was now on his 
 return to England, by Constantinople. Dur- 
 ing this long journey, he had principally 
 adopted the Turkish costume, which gave him 
 an appearance so truly Eastern, that even 
 Turks themselves were deceived, and, before 
 he was known to be a Christian, generally re- 
 ceived him as a true believer. In Persia, where 
 a Turk meets with but a sorry reception, he 
 did not adhere to this dress ; but once again 
 about entering Turkey, our narrative finds 
 him clothed partly as a Tatar, his head cover-
 
 8 AYESHA, 
 
 ed with a snow-white muslin turban instead 
 of the usual cap, and his girdle ornamented 
 with a pair of brilliantly-mounted pistols, whilst 
 a broad Mameluke sword swung by his side. 
 A short pelisse trimmed with sable hung over 
 his shoulder, and he looked so entirely like 
 a Turk, which, we will say, with his great 
 admiration of the picturesque appearance of 
 that nation, he was ambitious of doing, that 
 wherever he went, he received the attention 
 and salutations due to a man of consequence. 
 Great advantages attended this, at the same 
 time that it was the cause of much incon- 
 venience, and even of danger. The advan- 
 tages were, that he was enabled to travel un- 
 molested by observation and impertinent curi- 
 osity, and to make his remarks upon men and 
 places with more security than if he had 
 appeared in his own character. The incon- 
 veniences were, that he was open to all the 
 exactions and vexations by which the natives 
 are frequently visited by their despotic go- 
 vernors; and that he lost the protection of 
 those governors, when once he abandoned the
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 9 
 
 dress and characteristics of his nation. Of 
 this perhaps he was not sufficiently aware ; for 
 he had been bitten by the turcomania to such 
 a degree, that he had determined to forsake 
 all appearance of an Englishman, fearing in 
 that character that he would be deprived of 
 opportunities of investigating the peculiarities 
 of the natives, and acquiring a more accurate 
 knowledge of their manners. 
 
 Before he left Constantinople, he had dis- 
 carded his European servants, who he found 
 would thwart the object he had in view during 
 his Asiatic travels ; and had taken into his 
 service a Greek, as his own valet, and a Turk, 
 who was to serve him as his Tatar and pur- 
 veyor on the road. The Greek was a native 
 of the village of Sedikieu, near Smyrna, who, 
 in appearance, might have passed for one of 
 the ancient heroes of his race. He was tall 
 and erect, of the finest proportions, of great 
 strength and agility, and dexterous in all 
 manly exercises. His face was peculiarly 
 handsome, his nose aquiline, his eyes full of 
 intelligence, and, when fully dressed and armed, 
 
 b5
 
 10 AYESHA, 
 
 he was a most imposing personage. His name 
 was Anastassio, which had been abbreviated 
 into Stasso ; and so he was usually called. 
 He possessed all the acuteness of his nation, 
 was brave as a lion, and, although he had 
 that veneration and awe for his Turkish supe- 
 riors, which are inherent in the Asiatic Greeks, 
 aping them in dress and manner upon all 
 occasions, yet he never allowed such feelings 
 to stand in the way of his duty towards his 
 master, to whom he was devotedly attached. 
 
 To the Turk, if such he might be called, 
 was attached a curious and interesting story. 
 He was a native of one of the German pro- 
 vinces of Switzerland. When quite a lad, he 
 had been taken prisoner by the Algerines, and 
 sold as a slave to an Egyptian merchant, who 
 had made a Mussulman of him, called him 
 Mustafa, and, in the course of time, set him 
 free. He became a Tatar, or courier, of whom 
 several are always attached to Pashas and 
 men of power, and, finding his way to Con- 
 stantinople, entered the service of the Eng- 
 lish Embassy in that capacity, where, with
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 11 
 
 several others, he had performed the duties 
 of his office with zeal and fidelity. He still 
 talked his own language, and had sufficiently 
 retained his European habits to form a strange 
 mixture of Frank and Turk, both in language 
 and appearance. He was short and fair : he 
 willingly would have cherished a beard to in- 
 crease his dignity, but nothing would coax 
 the ungrateful hairs to appear. A scanty mus- 
 tache graced his upper lip, which, however, 
 was too sandy in its hue to stand out in 
 proper relief upon his pale complexion ; and 
 although he had adopted the ponderous step, 
 slow gesture, and phlegmatic bearing of an 
 Osmanli, smoking the never-failing chibouk, 
 and preluding every speech with the ever 
 ready Allah, and Lishallah, and Mashallah, 
 still, all would not do ; the European leaven 
 would appear, and render that caricature 
 in him, which in a Turk is impressive and 
 dignified. Although the good Mustafa was 
 always working himself up to be a Turk, yet 
 he generally fell short of his mark ; as one 
 may sometimes have seen a turnspit place him-
 
 12 AYESHA, 
 
 self on the same rank as a mastiff. And al- 
 though he would willingly have made the 
 world believe that he was a thorough Osmanli 
 in courage and assurance, yet it was evident 
 that nature had kneaded as much cowardice 
 in his earthly dough, as was necessary to make 
 his perceptions peculiarly keen upon the most 
 distant approaches of danger. Lord Osmond 
 had, upon his Asiatic journey, begged the 
 loan of Mustafa from the Ambassador, having 
 taken a great liking to him during the ne- 
 cessary excursions made to explore the won- 
 ders of Constantinople and the Bosphorus, in 
 which Mustafa had accompanied him both as 
 cicerone and protector ; and as he promised to 
 pay him well, and to return him to his post 
 in safety, the request was easily granted. But 
 we must return to our story. 
 
 During the early part of the morning, when 
 the plain was overspread with a grey mist 
 and the mountains were undefined in outline, 
 our travellers paced onward in silence, each 
 apparently absorbed in thought, or in the 
 less intellectual operation of inhaling and emit-
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 13 
 
 ting smoke from their pipes. The Surugi 
 pushed on with the indifference of one who 
 has a specific portion of country to travel over, 
 with which he is well acquaintd, Osmond had 
 already turned his thoughts, as he had his 
 horse's head, towards England, and was an- 
 ticipating a joyful meeting with his parents 
 and friends, discussing in his own mind 
 what might be his future destiny, whilst he 
 pondered over the many events which might 
 have occurred during his absence. Stasso was 
 endeavouring to recollect whether he had left 
 anything behind him, among the venerable 
 monks of Etch Miazin, which might be missed 
 by his master at their next stage; and Mustafa 
 was constantly looking about him, sometimes 
 towards the verge of the horizon, sometimes 
 in the direction of the dark mountain shades, 
 and, again, behind every rock, apprehensive of 
 some lurking danger, of some prowling robber, 
 or .some supernatural ghol. As the day be- 
 gan to dawn, two mysterious-looking objects 
 appeared at a distance, in the direction of the 
 road upon which they were travelling, which
 
 14 AYESHA, 
 
 first called forth all Mustafa's attention. They 
 looked like horsemen. He had eyed them for 
 some time without uttering a word ; at length 
 in a low tone, and applying his shoveled stir- 
 rup to his horse's side, as he advanced some 
 paces towards the Surugi, he said to him, 
 " Bana bak ! — Look at me ! What devilry 
 is that coming this wav ?" 
 
 " What do I know ?" said the guide ; " they 
 may be stones, or trees, or men. 1 ' 
 
 Mustafa, who suspected everything and 
 everybody, when danger was in the wind, 
 said, " What say you, man ! a stone is one 
 thing, a tree is another, and a man is another ! 
 I think it is more than one man." 
 
 " Perhaps yes, and perhaps no," said the 
 unconcerned guide ; " Bakalum — we shall see." 
 By this time Osmond's attention was roused, 
 and he exclaimed to Mustafa, " What are you 
 pointing at r What is the matter?" He gene- 
 rally spoke to him in English, a language 
 which Mustafa had acquired during his ser- 
 vice in the Embassy, and which he talked
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 15 
 
 with an amusing admixture of Oriental idiom 
 and German accent. 
 
 Mustafa willingly answered in English when 
 Turks were not in company, but otherwise, 
 nothing could cheat him out of any word or 
 look that did not denote the true believer. 
 On this occasion he answered Lord Osmond, 
 saying, "This is a bad place: we are near 
 Cara Bey's country, and we must look well 
 with our eyes ; don't you see those things 
 yonder?" pointing to the objects under con- 
 templation. 
 
 Osmond turned his head in the direction 
 pointed out, and perceiving what he meant, 
 said, " They are probably travellers like 
 ourselves : suppose they be men, what then ?" 
 
 Mustafa replied, " Ah ! you don't know ; 
 this country is not an English country ! Here 
 are Kurds, Yezidies, Armenians, Lesgies, all 
 big rogues together. The Sultan of 1'urkey, 
 and the Shah of Persia, are both of them as 
 one bit of dung in their eyes ; and when they 
 cutthroats, they say ' Bismillah! — In the
 
 16 AYESHA, 
 
 name of the Prophet !' as if they were slaying 
 a lamb."" 
 
 By this time, the first streaks of day began 
 to shine in the East, and gradually brought 
 into light the different objects which 'had 
 hitherto remained concealed. Still the sup- 
 posed horsemen continued to look as such, 
 although they had not changed their position, 
 when the sharp-eyed Greek all at once ex- 
 claimed, " Ti diavolo ! — What the devil ! men 
 do you call them ? why, they are trees ! Mus- 
 tafa Aga, you ! what say you P 11 
 
 Upon this discovery, Mustafa's face cleared 
 up, his apprehension for the present subsided, 
 and, in token of his satisfaction, he filled his 
 pipe afresh ; and now, seeing his way before 
 him, he* flogged on the baggage-horse3 with 
 all the authority of his office, leaving at the 
 same time a long train of newly-emitted smoke 
 behind him. 
 
 The whole party passed the harmless trees, 
 two stunted willows growing near an ancient 
 watercourse, at a trot, the Surugi breaking the 
 clear atmosphere with a song, which sounded
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 17 
 
 more like the howl of a jackal than anything 
 like melody ; whilst Mustafa exclaimed, as he 
 held the tip of his mustache between his finger 
 and thumb, " That this should have grown 
 thus long, and that I should not have distin- 
 guished between a man and a tree V 
 
 " Who is the Cara Bey whom you men- 
 tioned just now?" said Osmond to Mustafa; 
 " I have heard of him before, but I did not 
 know that we were near his territory.'' 1 
 
 Upon this question, Mustafa turned his 
 horse's head round, and joined his master, 
 riding by his side, stirrup to stirrup : for such 
 sort of apparent familiarity between master 
 and man is common in the East, although 
 be it known, a real Turkish Tatar never allows 
 himself to be any man's menial. Mustafa, I 
 say, fearful lest the Surugi should hear any 
 allusion made to Cara Bey, although he spoke 
 in English, lowered his voice, and said, appa- 
 rently in a shudder, 
 
 " Cara Bey ! Aman ! aman ! — pity ! pity !*" at 
 the same time taking hold of the lappel of his 
 jacket, and shaking it as if he would throw
 
 18 AYESHA, 
 
 off an impurity : " Cara Bey ! oof! he is a 
 Sheitan, he is Satan, he is a black Yezidi, a 
 worshipper of the devil ! he is without com- 
 miseration, without law ; cares neither for Sul- 
 tan nor Shah ; if he catches you, he leaves 
 you clean naked," at the same time showing 
 the palm of his hand, " that is, if he does not 
 murder you first. He is a thief; his father 
 was a thief; his grandfather was a thief; all 
 his children will be thieves, and all his grand- 
 children the same ! What more can I say ?" 
 
 " Where does this fellow dwell ?" said Os- 
 mond, smiling at the hereditary honours, up 
 and down, which Mustafa had conferred upon 
 the devoted Cara Bey : " shall we travel any 
 way through his country ?" 
 
 " He lives," said Mustafa, " in a castle," 
 as he pointed his hand in a northerly slant, 
 " close to the Russian border, in a castle which 
 is like my cap." 
 
 The simile was excellent, inasmuch as he 
 intended to say that the castle was situated 
 on an almost perpendicular cone ; because a 
 Tatar's cap, which is a cylinder emanating
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 19 
 
 from the head, terminates at the top by a 
 round yellow knob, which may well stand for 
 a castle, and which did so in Mustafa's mind 
 when he made the simile. 
 
 " Nobody has ever taken the castle, nobody 
 can take it," continued Mustafa. " The Turk 
 has tried — the Kizzilbash has tried — the Mos- 
 cove has tried — all have come to nothing — all 
 bosh ! There he sits, like the black eagle, on 
 his rock, looking for prey. 1 ' 
 
 " And what have we to fear from him ?" 
 said Osmond ; " he lives far from our road ; 
 and I suppose that the Turkish government 
 keep a look-out upon him ?" 
 
 " Fear P said Mustafa, shrugging up his 
 shoulders, apparently in contempt ; " fear ! 
 there is no fear ; but one must cross the 
 Savanlu mountain always with the beard upon 
 the shoulder, because it is there he sends his 
 thieves, and he is often with them himself; — 
 there he robs caravans, there he kills, there 
 he impales. Mustafa continued his list of 
 Cara Bey's different modes of disposing of his 
 victims, until his mustaches dropped two per-
 
 20 AYESHA, 
 
 pendiculars on each side of his mouth through 
 apprehension, and his face turned into a most 
 suspicious paleness. 
 
 " But, as I said before, the Turkish o-o- 
 vernment, I suppose, keep a guard on the 
 road to clear the mountain passes ?"" said Os- 
 mond. 
 
 " Ey vahT exclaimed the Tatar, in a length- 
 ened squeak ; " Turkish government indeed ! 
 The Turks are all jackasses. Their mothers 
 and fathers, from the beginning of the world 
 to this day, have all been jackasses, and they 
 will always be asses. Turkish government in- 
 deed ! What do ye say ! Cara Bey laughs, 
 and does thus to the Turkish government.'" 
 Upon which, Mustafa struck his left hand on 
 his right elbow, which is the most approved 
 mode amongst the Turks of showing the great- 
 est contempt from one man to another. 
 
 Osmond was highly amused by his com- 
 panion's description ; and the more he heard, 
 the more his desire was excited to become 
 acquainted with this celebrated robber chief- 
 tain, particularly as it had often been his
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. 21 
 
 wish to gain an insight into the modes of life, 
 the religious rites, the frame of community 
 of those extraordinary and mysterious people 
 the Yezidies, of which he had heard so many 
 contradictory accounts. 
 
 " What do you know of the Yezidies ?" 
 said he to Mustafa ; " is it true they worship 
 the devil ?" 
 
 " This people," said Mustafa, " are a tribe of 
 Kurds; they live mostly in the Kurdish moun- 
 tains ; they dress like them, and speak their lan- 
 guage. It is known that if you say ' Lahnet 
 be sheitan! — Curse on the devil P to a Yezidi, 
 he will jump and kill you if he can. They do 
 not pray to Allah ; but their only desire is to 
 make friends with the devil, and they will fight 
 for him sword in hand. They never mention 
 the word sheitan, or any word approaching 
 to it in sound. Instead of using the word 
 shat, which means a river in their language, 
 they call it ' a great water.' Instead of the 
 word nah which is ' curse' in their language, 
 and which also means a ' horse-shoe,' they say 
 ' sole of the foot;' and they call a nalbend, —
 
 22 AYESHA, 
 
 ' farrier,' ' a soler of shoes.' That 's what I 
 have picked up on the road, when carrying 
 despatches between Constantinople and Persia. 
 But if the Turks hate one people more than 
 another, it is these fellows." 
 
 During this explanation, Stasso had lent an 
 attentive ear to such words as he could distin- 
 guish, and finding that his master was making 
 inquiries about the Yezidies, with the charac- 
 teristic officiousness of a Greek he said to 
 him, " I once tried a trick upon a man 
 who I was told was a Yezidi, and that was 
 by drawing a circle round him, and saying 
 ' Lahnet be sheitan P As I kiss your eyes, 
 you ought to have seen his rage. He would 
 not cross the line of the circle for the world, 
 but his eyes flashed fire, he plucked his hair, 
 and he would have torn me to pieces, had he 
 got at me. This I know," said Stasso ; 
 " what else can I say ?" 
 
 " And have they no religious observances, 
 no festivals ?" said Osmond. 
 
 " Allah send them misfortunes !" cried Mus- 
 tafa, at the same time lowering his voice lest
 
 THE MAID OF KARS. %3 
 
 the Surugi should hear him: "there is only 
 one of which I have heard, but perhaps the 
 story is false. On a certain day in the au- 
 tumn, they meet from all parts of the Kur- 
 distan, men and women together ; they pass 
 the night first in eating and drinking in one 
 room, and then all at once they put out the 
 lights, and nothing more is spoken till the 
 morning, when they all return whence they 
 came, — may Allah speed curses on their road ! 
 This I have heard," said Mustafa; "Heaven 
 only knows whether it be true, because they 
 are very secret, and allow no stranger to par- 
 take of either their evil or their good. ,, 
 
 Thus did our travellers beguile the tedious- 
 ness of the long and dreary road, which winds 
 through the bleak tract of country at the 
 base of the chain of Ararat, until they reached 
 the miserable village of Hajjibiramlu, which 
 is situated upon the frontiers of Persia and 
 Turkey. Here the party took up their quar- 
 ters for the night. Stasso, after having spread 
 the carpets, and prepared his master's bed, 
 performed the office of cook, serving him
 
 24 AYESHA, 
 
 up for his dinner a smoking hot pillau, ac- 
 companied by a pair of tough fowls; whilst 
 Mustafa took himself to the post-house, to 
 prepare the horses and secure a guide for the 
 ensuing day's journey.
 
 AYESHA. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 S'il est possible de marquer aujourd'hui l'endroit ou 
 Adam et Eve ont pris naissance, c'est certainement le pays 
 ou nous sommes. — Tournefort, Lettre XIX. 
 
 The Arpachai is a rapid river flowing close 
 to the village of Hajjibairamlu, which, after 
 winding round the base of an abrupt rock, 
 adds its waters to the A raxes, and ultimately, 
 with the Cyrus, falls into the Caspian Sea. At 
 all times of the year it is a difficult river to 
 ford, (and there is no other mode of passage,) 
 on account of its rapidity, and the large loose 
 stones which line its bottom, and which afford no 
 steady footing to the horses and mules of tra- 
 vellers. At this time it was particularly tur- 
 bulent ; for in the spring the snows begin 
 
 VOL. I. C
 
 26 AYESHA. 
 
 to melt in the mountains, and add consider- 
 ably to the volume of water, as well as to 
 the force by which it is impelled. Os- 
 mond was obliged to wait until the day had 
 broke, before the Tatar and Surugi, and the 
 people of the village, would venture on the pas- 
 sage. They had secured the aid of peasants 
 to help them to keep the horses on their legs, 
 and when all was ready they set off, with 
 more than usual exclamatory prayers from 
 Mustafa for a safe journey. 
 
 It was still dusk when the congregated party 
 reached the bank of the torrent. Mustafa at 
 that moment sidled up to his master, and with 
 a most mysterious air and in a suppressed tone 
 of voice said to him, indicating the new Surugi 
 by the action of his hand, " That is one bad 
 man ! that is a devil ! You must not leave 
 yom-self behind to-day ; we must all travel 
 close ; that fellow is bad I" 
 
 " How do you know that, Mustafa ?" said 
 Osmond, with difficulty suppressing a smile. 
 
 " You have no such fellows in England," 
 said Mustafa; " we know them : he is a Yezidi
 
 Al'ESHA. 27 
 
 — I see his black cap — I know him by his 
 hair ! — All I say is, do not leave yourself be- 
 hind !" 
 
 Upon this hint, Osmond took a long sur- 
 vey of his new guide; and indeed, he was 
 a very remarkable-looking person. There was 
 something mysterious in his whole appearance, 
 difficult to define. For an Asiatic, his coun- 
 tenance was rather prepossessing ; but his looks 
 displayed great caution : he was of fair com- 
 plexion, though considerably tanned by the 
 sun ; his figure was slight, full of bustle and 
 activity ; he said but little, but was ob- 
 servant of everything that passed, and his ever 
 active eye, though much shaded by the fringes 
 and tassels of a Kurdish head-dress, was con- 
 stantly peering at every man and every action. 
 When about to pass the baggage-horses, he 
 pointed out the fittest spot where to make the 
 attempt, and although the water was running 
 fearfully swift, and foaming with violence, he 
 mounted his own horse, a sorry jade to look 
 at, and plunged at once into the stream. With 
 great activity and dexterity he urged on the 
 
 C 2
 
 28 AYESHA. 
 
 cattle in their dangerous enterprise, whilst the 
 peasants on each side, stripped to their trow- 
 sers, upheld the loads. Osmond and his attend- 
 ants had remained behind to witness the safe 
 landing .of the baggage on the opposite bank : 
 the operation was going on prosperously, amidst 
 the shouts, the blows, the efforts of the sur- 
 rounding people, when all at once, as if through 
 a trap-door, the Surugi, horse and all, disap- 
 peared. The poor beast had got into a deep 
 hole, lost its footing, fell, and was carried away 
 by the torrent ; destruction appeared inevi- 
 table : the unfortunate man was seen for a mo- 
 ment buffeted by the waves, and then carried 
 away by the overwhelming surge. Upon ob- 
 serving this, Osmond, without losing a mo- 
 ment's time, turned his horse's head down the 
 stream, clapped the stirrups to his sides, and 
 galloped off with the rapidity of lightning. 
 He could occasionally distinguish the strug- 
 gling Surugi in his rapid descent. He remarked 
 a turn in the river formed by a large rock and 
 tree combined, near to which he felt sure the 
 sinking man must pass; he flew thither, dis-
 
 AYESHA. 29 
 
 mounted, and, just as the poor wretch, bruised 
 and exhausted, was about to disappear, he threw 
 himself forward, plunging almost wholly into 
 the water, and with an arm and grasp of iron 
 seized and drew him forcibly to the bank ; with 
 another vigorous effort he landed him in safety 
 upon dry ground. After having disgorged the 
 water which he had swallowed, being in some 
 measure restored to his senses, the guide dis- 
 covered to whom he was indebted for life ; 
 and whatever he might be, imp or man, it is 
 true that no living creature could ever have 
 shown himself more grateful than he did to his 
 deliverer. He fell at his feet, kissed his hands, 
 embraced his knees, in short, made more de- 
 monstrations of gratitude than ever could be 
 desired from one of God's creatures to another. 
 Osmond begged that he might remain at home 
 and that another guide might be appointed : 
 but to this he peremptorily refused to accede. 
 There was evidently something more than a 
 common refusal in his manner: he insisted 
 upon immediate departure, and urged that if 
 haste were not made to cross the river now,
 
 30 AYESHA. 
 
 it might be impossible to do so later in the day. 
 The whole party therefore determined to pro- 
 ceed in their present trim, the two wet men 
 merely wringing the water from their soaked 
 garments. 
 
 Having crossed the river in safety, they re- 
 sumed their journey. They entered upon an ab- 
 rupt ascent of the mountain, along which they 
 wound their way for a considerable distance. 
 During their progress Mustafa did not cease 
 deploring the help which Osmond had afforded 
 the drowning Surugi ; for he felt sure that he 
 was nothing more nor less than one of Cara Bey's 
 spies, of whom he was supposed to keep 
 many in pay, in order to inform him where 
 he might best lie in wait to surprise and 
 rob a traveller worth the enterprise. Osmond 
 endeavoured to make his Tatar understand the 
 Christian doctrine of " Do unto others as you 
 would that others should do unto you," but 
 in vain ; for Mustafa argued thus. " I know 
 that man intends to take away my life ; why, 
 then, shall I not take his when I can ?" — 
 " But," said his master, " we are taught ano-
 
 AYESHA. 31 
 
 ther rule, ' Do not evil, that good may come !' 
 Am I to let a fellow-creature perish, because 
 I suspect he is plotting my death ? You will 
 see, Mustafa, that some good will accrue to 
 us from my mode of acting." — " Allah best 
 knows !" answered the unbelieving Tatar ; 
 " kismet — fate, after all, is what we must look 
 to!" 
 
 Osmond never lost an opportunity of en- 
 lightening poor Mustafa's mind when he was 
 able; but the Turkish doctrine of predesti- 
 nation, which settles everything so easily to 
 the Mahomedan's satisfaction, had taken such 
 possession of him, that he delivered himself 
 over to it with the most unbounded trust, and 
 did not care to have his mind unsettled by any 
 other. " Bakalum — we shall see !" the last 
 refuge of every Turk's argument, was Mus- 
 tafa's exclamation as Lord Osmond stopped his 
 horse to enjoy a view of the junction of the 
 Arpachai and the Araxes, which takes place at 
 the base of a high projecting summit which 
 they had just reached. The Surugi was push- 
 ing on, when Mustafa repeated his morning's
 
 32 AYESHA. 
 
 admonition to his master, not to leave himself 
 behind ; adding, " This is a bad place — this is 
 full of bad men." 
 
 They were now journeying over the highest 
 part of Armenia, as the snow, which still lay on 
 the ground, proved ; and this was one of the 
 spots most celebrated for robberies, and parti- 
 cularly for the depredations of Cara Bey's gang. 
 Mustafa here began to look very full of appre- 
 hension ; he cast his eyes about him in all di- 
 rections, every distant black spot appearing to 
 him a man, every noise, as he thought, denoting 
 some approaching attack. The Surugi, Hassan 
 by name, whose face had relaxed into great 
 humility, and who did not cease evincing his 
 desire to show his gratitude, seeing Mustafa 
 thus full of anxiety, exclaimed to him, " Kork- 
 ma — fear not; bir c/iey yok — there is nothing." 
 
 " What do you mean by korkma ?'" said 
 Mustafa to him ; " we are not children to fear. 
 Praise be to Allah ! we are always ready ; 
 whatever fate ordains, in the name of the Pro- 
 phet we shall be found ready. Be the Bey* 
 * Cara Bey, in Turkish, means the ' Black Lord.'
 
 AYESHA. 33 
 
 who robs on this mountain black or white, we 
 are always ready to meet him with a white 
 face." 
 
 Hassan looked at Mustafa with a scowl which 
 stopped his garrulity, as if he would have said, 
 " You are beneath my notice ;" but, turning to- 
 wards Stasso, he made signs for him to come 
 near him, and then said, " By your head ! by 
 the soul of your master ! I who am Hassan, 
 a poor cattle-driver, I am nothing ; but, praise 
 be to Allah ! I can this day render your master 
 a service. Do not allow that foolish Osmanli to 
 interfere ; but should the Beyzadeh* see horse- 
 men approach, let him not be alarmed. By this 
 poor head which he has saved ! I swear that 
 nothing shall harm him. Upon my head ! I 
 will take him to Kars. If Cara Bey were to 
 appear in person, he would only say, ' Salam 
 aleikum-pea.ee be unto you, 1 and allow us to 
 proceed. Let him therefore show no resistance, 
 let him not even take a pistol in hand, for, if he 
 does, it may be the worse for him : if he re- 
 
 * So English travellers are usually called in Turkey, 
 Beyzadeh meaning the son of a lord. 
 
 C O
 
 34 AYESHA. 
 
 mains passive, I will answer with my life that 
 he passes unmolested." 
 
 Stasso immediately made this ren^w to his 
 master, who, having paid dne Attention to it, 
 called Mustafa to him, and afflced his opinion 
 upon what it would be best to do, for it was 
 now plain that they would meet those whom 
 Mustafa feared. 
 
 " Did not I say that there is some devilry in 
 this ?" said the Tatar, whilst his cheek became 
 pale with apprehension. " Let us turn back. 
 Oh ! why did not you let him be drowned ? If 
 fate had only been left to itself, it would have 
 saved us in drowning him." 
 
 Osmond now immediately made up his mind 
 how to act. He plainly perceived that he was 
 in a pass where individual courage could be of 
 little avail, that some plan of attack had been 
 concerted against him, and that his guide was a 
 party concerned. He judged that it would be 
 wiser to trust in Hassan's words, than to pre- 
 pare for defence. And it was very fortunate 
 for him and his party that he made this de- 
 cision ; for, very shortly after, turning an elbow
 
 AYESHA. 35 
 
 of the mountain, they came full upon two 
 well-mounted horsemen in Kurdish dresses, 
 men of the fiercest aspect, whom Hassan no 
 sooner perceived than, leaving the baggage- 
 horses to themselves, he urged on his horse 
 directly towards them. Mustafa upon this be- 
 gan to look in great dismay ; Osmond put the 
 boldest face upon it and pushed forward; whilst 
 Stasso, by a motion natural to him, thrust his 
 hand by his side to seek the blunderbuss which 
 always hung there in readiness. Osmond care- 
 fully observed what was taking place between 
 the Surugi and the horsemen : they seemed im- 
 patient at being stopped, whilst he, by his ges- 
 tures, was evidently relating some story full of 
 interest and importance ; they then all at once 
 turned their horses' heads in the direction 
 whence they came, whilst Hassan resumed his 
 place of guide to the party. 
 
 " What has happened ?" said Mustafa, 
 placing himself square in his saddle, now that 
 the danger appeared over : " What did those 
 dojjs want ?" 
 
 Hassan, little heeding what he said, rode up
 
 3G AYESHA. 
 
 to Osmond, and seizing the hem of his cloak 
 kissed it, and then explained that the men to 
 whom he had spoken were in fact two of Cara 
 Bey's horsemen ; that their chief was close at 
 hand ; and that they had returned to give 
 him a full account of what they had heard, 
 particularly of what had happened in the morn- 
 ing, on account of which he would forfeit his 
 head if they were molested. 
 
 Osmond appeared to put the fullest trust 
 in Hassan's words, but at the same time he 
 thought they might as well take advantage 
 of the present moment to push on in all Tatar 
 diligence, lest Cara Bey's magnanimity and for- 
 bearance might not second Hassan's gratitude 
 to the full extent which the poor man really 
 intended ; and thus they proceeded at a quick 
 pace, whilst Mustafa, whose, fears increased 
 faster than they galloped, did not cease exert- 
 ing his heavy-thonged whip to the utmost of his 
 power. They passed through the Armenian 
 village of Ekrek, where its unprotected inhabi- 
 tants, like a flock of sparrows who espy a hawk 
 at a distance, were awaiting with fear and
 
 AYESHA. 57 
 
 apprehension a visit from the awful black lord. 
 These people anxiously inquired what news 
 they had concerning him, and at the same time 
 seemed astonished that they should have passed 
 apparently so unmolested. 
 
 Mustafa did not cease looking behind him as 
 they rode on, and, upon scaling the heights 
 which rise above Ekrek, he perceived a body 
 of horse descending towards that village from 
 the opposite side, evidently the so much 
 dreaded chieftain and his party. Urging on 
 the Surugi and the baggage-horses to their ut- 
 most speed, he had reached the extreme summit 
 of the mountain, and was beginning to descend 
 it at a gallop, when, on casting his eyes behind 
 him, to his dismay he perceived that Osmond 
 had come to a full stop, had taken out his 
 sketch-book, and was looking about him with 
 the greatest unconcern, as if neither danger 
 nor Cara Bey were at hand. 
 
 In fact the view over which his eye wan- 
 dered was perhaps one of the sublimest in 
 Asia in point of extent, and one of the most 
 interesting in point of locality. It encom-
 
 38 AYESHA. 
 
 passed a region which might be called the 
 scene of man's first appearance upon earth ; and 
 brought to his mind that portion of Scriptural 
 geography which has been traced by no less 
 a geographer than Moses. Whilst his eves 
 wandered towards the magnificent and verdant 
 Georgia, watered by the Gihon, the second 
 river, and the Euphrates, the fourth,* he asked 
 himself, Could this have been the chosen 
 garden of Eden ? He saw the sublime Ararat 
 towering before him in unrivalled grandeur ; 
 whilst the misty plains of Erivan, and the three 
 churches, vanished in the distance: he could 
 distinguish the green and swelling pasturages 
 of Aberan, the heights of Aligez (the rival of 
 Ararat), and could trace the windings of the 
 flowing Araxes and its junction with the Ar- 
 pachai. What eye could behold such a scene 
 and remain unmoved ! and, contemplated by 
 Osmond, whose mind was awake to the most 
 solemn impressions both by reflection and in- 
 struction, it caused the most lively and unmix- 
 ed delight. But as the first impression began 
 
 * Gen. chap. ii. v. 13 and 14.
 
 AYESHA. 39 
 
 to fade, another succeeded : he recollected that 
 over the region which was then spread at his 
 feet like a map, had wandered the ten thou- 
 sand Greeks on their return to their own coun- 
 try ; and he now learned the full value of that 
 portion of his education which in his schoolboy 
 days had stored his memory with the interest- 
 ing narrative of Xenophon. He had begun to 
 trace the principal features of the great view in 
 his book, in order to carry away the impres- 
 sion, when his ears caught the voice of Mus- 
 tafa, who was quickly exclaiming, half in en- 
 treaty, half in anger, " Why do you leave 
 yourself behind ? This is a bad country : Al- 
 lah ! Allah ! are you mad ? Cara Bey is here, 
 and you stop !" 
 
 Stasso had remained with his master, his 
 blunderbuss on the cock, and with his eyes 
 sharply turned in the direction whence the 
 robbers would most likely approach, and, to 
 speak truly, shaking in his saddle with impa- 
 tience at this untimely fit of mental absorption 
 and admiration which had seized his master. 
 
 Neither Mustafa's exclamation nor Stasso's
 
 40 AYESHA. 
 
 impatience could hasten Osmond's operation, 
 or unrivet his eyes from the fascinating view ; 
 but, in truth, there was no cause for appre- 
 hending an attack from Cara Bey, for that re- 
 doubted personage, satisfied with the report 
 made by his spies, had settled himself for the 
 day in the village of Ekrek, and thought of 
 nothing but making merry at the expense of 
 its wretched inhabitants. It was his custom 
 to prowl about the country when he could 
 do so with impunity, (for he was at enmity 
 with all the surrounding authorities, Turks, 
 Persians, and Russians,) and, attended by 
 his dancers and buffoons, to pass whole days 
 and nights in drunkenness and debauchery. 
 
 Osmond at length ceded to the impa- 
 tience of his followers, and slowly began the 
 descent from the heights on which they stood, 
 his eyes still wandering over the immense ex- 
 panse which was spread before him. Mustafa 
 would again have put the whole party on the 
 full gallop in spite of the dangerous inequali- 
 ties of the road, but was prevented by his 
 master's curiosity to ascertain more precisely
 
 AYESHA. 41 
 
 the names and position of the many places of 
 interest which he knew existed on the surface 
 of the landscape. The Tatar pointed out to 
 him the city of Kars, the frontier fortress of 
 Turkey, where they were to rest that night, 
 and which was conspicuous even at this dis- 
 tance, owing to the darkness of its walls, and 
 the towers of its castle overhanging the town. 
 Hassan's eyes, however, were constantly turned 
 in a more northerly direction, a circumstance 
 which attracted Osmond's attention, who ear- 
 nestly inquired at what he gazed. The guide 
 at first, with a sort of mysterious look of igno- 
 rance, said " Bir chey yok — there is nothing," 
 when Mustafa, approaching his master, said, 
 " He is looking at his own house, the devil's 
 house." " How ?"' said Osmond.—" There is 
 Cara Bey's castle,'" said Mustafa, pointing with 
 his hand to a distant spot in the direction of 
 the chain of Aligez. 
 
 Upon this, Osmond called Hassan to him, 
 and said, " I hear, my friend, that one can 
 perceive Cara Bey's residence from this spot: 
 is it so ?"
 
 42 AYESHA. 
 
 " What do I know ?" said the Surugi ; " per- 
 haps yes." 
 
 " In what direction is it ? ,, said Osmond. 
 
 " Bak — see," said Hassan, with some little 
 hesitation, holding his hand over his eyes ; " do 
 you see this hill with a rock on its summit ?" 
 
 " I do," said Osmond. 
 
 " Well," said the other, " that 's not it : do 
 you see the little rise beyond the river ?" 
 
 " Yes," answered Osmond. 
 
 " Well, that's not it ; but look a little far- 
 ther, and you will see some ruins under the 
 hill." 
 
 " I see them," said Osmond. 
 
 " Well, that's not it; but carry your eyes 
 immediately beyond over the crest of the high 
 land, and you will discover a black spot, — 
 that is it." 
 
 " I see it not," said Osmond, straining all 
 his e} 7 es at the same time. 
 
 " Deh /" exclaimed his guide, with a very 
 lengthened accent on the word, finishing with 
 a falsetto squeak, and throwing his hand for- 
 ward as if he would reach it — " look as if you
 
 AYESHA. 43 
 
 were looking to the end of the world, and you 
 will see it. 11 
 
 " I do ! I do !" exclaimed Osmond, at length. 
 
 " Na to ne — there, there it is!' 1 cried out 
 Stasso. 
 
 " Allah bela versin — may Heaven send it 
 misfortunes !" mumbled Mustafa in an under- 
 toned growl : " I see it but too well." 
 
 " So, that is Cara Bey's castle, is it ?" said 
 Osmond. " Is it in the Shah's territories, or 
 does it belong to the Sultan ?" 
 
 " What do I know ?" said Hassan ; " it is a 
 castle — it is God's work." 
 
 " What name does it go by ?" said Osmond. 
 
 " What do I know ?" said Hassan ; " it is 
 the kasr — the castle." 
 
 " As Allah is great," said Mustafa, " it is 
 called Tepeh dive — the Devil's-hill." 
 
 Upon this, the Yezidi turned his horse's 
 head down the declivity, throwing a fierce look 
 at the true believer, and continued his road. 
 
 But Osmond turning his head a little to the 
 left, inquired again, " Tell me, is that a toAvn 
 which I see yonder ? it appears to be a large 
 place."
 
 44 AYESHA. 
 
 " That is a Giaour city in ruins,"" said 
 Mustafa ; " it is called Anni ; bosh der — it is 
 nothing. 1 ' 
 
 " Anni !" exclaimed Osmond, with the great- 
 est interest ; " is that the famous Anni ? we 
 must see it. Cannot we go now ?" 
 
 " Heaven forbid !" exclaimed Mustafa with 
 horror. " What do you say ? It is the head- 
 quarters of all the thieves and rogues in the 
 country. A man's head would not be worth a 
 para who would venture to go there. I won't 
 go," said he doggedly. 
 
 Osmond did not urge his wish at present, 
 seeing that the sorry animals which they be- 
 strode could scarcely carry them to the end of 
 their stage; but he mentally promised him- 
 self not to leave this part of the country with- 
 out visiting the remains of a city almost un- 
 known to European travellers, and which in 
 its prosperity is described as having been the 
 seat of a people more civilized and prosperous 
 than any of those which now occupy the soil. 
 
 They now pushed on for Kars. The day 
 was beginning to draw to a close when they
 
 AYESHA. 45 
 
 reached the plain upon which that place is situ- 
 ated. Mustafa by this time had entirely for- 
 gotten his fears, and having again resumed the 
 airs and dignity of the Tatar, placed himself well 
 upon his perpendicular on the saddle, squared 
 his elbows, and belaboured the rumps of the 
 baggage-horses before him with as much zeal as 
 if the devoted Cara Bey in person were there in- 
 stead. The vigour of his whip was occasionally 
 arrested by a scowling look which the mysteri- 
 ous Hassan threw behind him ; but even that 
 did not stay his hand, when he contemplated 
 the comforts awaiting him at Kars, for he al- 
 ready enjoyed in imagination, the bath, the 
 shave, the plentiful pillau, and the consequential 
 strut into the coffee-house — all delights of the 
 first importance to a Turk. 
 
 At length the Surugi set up the long 
 howl announcing the arrival of travellers to 
 the Menzil khaneh, or post-house. Osmond, 
 tired and jaded with his long day's journey, 
 joyfully greeted this sound as the harbinger 
 of approaching rest; and Stasso began to twist 
 his mustaches, to look at the pistols in his
 
 46 AYESHA. 
 
 girdle, and to consider how he might best pass 
 off as an Osmanli among the new people he 
 was so shortly to visit. 
 
 The sun was about to set as the party 
 crossed the bridge which is thrown over the 
 Kars river, and its last rays lighted up the 
 dark castellated walls of the city, which rose 
 in sombre and picturesque forms before them. 
 The wearied horses had scarcely strength 
 enough left to scramble over the narrow and 
 ill-paved streets, slipping at every step, and 
 were only kept on their feet by the never-ceasing 
 application of Mustafa's whip, and the shovel 
 stirrups of their riders. The Surugi was di- 
 recting his steps to the post-house, when 
 Stasso, after communicating with his master, 
 ordered Mustafa to conduct them to some good 
 private house, where they might enjoy more 
 cleanliness and comfort than are usually to be 
 found at the Menzil khaneh. In consequence, 
 he bade the unwilling Hassan proceed straight 
 to a house which belonged to an Armenian 
 of consideration in the city, -a dyer, who he 
 knew was always happy to receive a Frank
 
 AYESHA. 4 
 
 / 
 
 guest. After threading some of the bazaars 
 and bezestens, they struck into a narrow street, 
 bordered by houses of considerable height, 
 as strong as castles, paved with such broad 
 flagged stones that the horses could scarely 
 find a footing. 
 
 The Surugi with the baggage-horses, followed 
 by Mustafa, had just turned the sharp angle of 
 a street, previously to entering into the court- 
 yard of the Armenian's house, when Osmond, 
 followed close by Stasso, drew in his horse's 
 rein almost instinctively at the apparition of 
 two females standing at a doorway into which 
 they were about to enter, but who had turned 
 to steal a look at the passing strangers. One 
 of them was rather tall and of a commanding 
 figure. Her veil escaped from her hand as Os- 
 mond stopped to gaze, and exhibited to his eyes 
 beauty of such astonishing perfection that at 
 first he thought a being of superhuman excel- 
 lence stood before him. There was a radiancy 
 in the brilliant cast of her features, complex- 
 ion, and countenance, that struck into his heart 
 at once, whilst the most angelic and maidenlike
 
 48 AYESHA. 
 
 modesty beamed over her whole manner and 
 appearance. He gazed with all his eyes ; his 
 heart expanded into a feeling which hitherto he 
 had never known ; and but for the impossibility 
 of making his enjoyment permanent, his journey 
 would have finished there. This lovely crea- 
 ture was accompanied by a black slave, whose 
 good-humoured face seemed to testify all the 
 pleasure she took in the arrival of strangers. 
 A row of the whitest ivory teeth grinned 
 through the coral of her lips, backed by the 
 ebony of her face, and produced the strongest 
 contrast to the dazzling whiteness and rising 
 blushes of her youthful mistress. As they 
 began to withdraw more into the house, Os- 
 mond put his horse again into motion, but, 
 in so doing, the jaded beast made a false step, 
 and attempting to retrieve il on the slippery 
 stones, he fell, and threw his rider upon the 
 angle of the very step which led into the 
 house of the fair object of his admiration. 
 Thjs abrupt action produced a half shriek of 
 fear and alarm from the maiden, who, instead 
 of running off, as most Turkish maidens would
 
 AYESHA. 49 
 
 have done, rushed forward to his assistance. 
 The tone of her voice, the most silvery and 
 harmonious which ever issued from under a 
 veil, completed the fascination into which he 
 had been thrown, and as he slowly raised the 
 fallen brute, he made a profound obeisance, 
 indicating his feeling of admiration ; an ac- 
 tion so unusual to one of her own country- 
 men, that she, on her side, was sensibly im- 
 pressed by it. She immediately retired when 
 she saw him again seated on his horse; but 
 not till then did he feel the intenseness of the 
 pain caused by the bruise which he had received 
 on his knee. 
 
 Having reached his resting-place, he with 
 difficulty dismounted, and, with the help of 
 Stasso and Mustafa, clambered up a flight of 
 high steps which led to the room destined for 
 his reception. And here he began to discover, 
 for the first time, certain slight shiverings, and 
 other indications of fever, which, but for 
 the excitement of the day's journey, he might 
 have felt before, and which were not long 
 in making themselves manifest ; showing that 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 AYESHA, 
 
 it is seldom even the strongest and most 
 healthy can travel a whole day with wet 
 clothes on their back, without sooner or later 
 feeling the dire effects of such imprudence.
 
 AYESHA. 51 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Non seulement Kars est une ville dangereuse pour les 
 voleurs, mais les officiers Turcs y font ordinairement de 
 grandes avanies aux etrangers, et en tirent tout ce qu'ils 
 peuvent. — Tournefort, Letlre XVIII. 
 
 Little had Lord Osmond anticipated, 
 after once having passed the Turkish and 
 Persian frontier in the manner we have de- 
 scribed, when every difficulty and danger was 
 apparently cleared away between him and 
 his own home, that his kismet — his destiny, 
 as the Turks would immediately pronounce 
 it, should lead him into adventures upon 
 which were to hang his future lot in life, 
 and stop him where he was least inclined 
 to be detained, however ready he might be 
 to meet and even to seek any event which 
 
 D 2
 
 52 AYESHA. 
 
 would give him an insight into the manners 
 and polity of the people among whom he 
 sojourned. 
 
 Such, however, was the case ; and we arrest 
 the course of our narrative for a short time, 
 in order to make our readers acquainted with 
 the state of affairs at and about the place 
 of his detention. 
 
 Kars, although its origin be of remote an- 
 tiquity, is at the present day a place of com- 
 paratively little importance, and is principally 
 remarkable for being the extreme frontier town 
 belonging to Turkey on the north-east Per- 
 sian border. It is built upon a rocky bank, 
 exposed to the south-east. A castle upon 
 a steep rock, in a picturesque and com- 
 manding position, overlooks it ; and its dark 
 towers, which are now ruinous and running 
 into decay, give it an appearance at a dis- 
 tance of more strength than it really possesses. 
 The ground by which it is surrounded forms 
 itself into a sort of amphitheatre, behind which 
 runs a deep valley, precipitous on all sides, 
 through which winds the river. A stone wall,
 
 AYESHA. 53 
 
 with square turrets at stated intervals, encom- 
 passes it on every side, and it is furnished 
 with gates, which, according to Asiatic custom, 
 are closed at sun-set and opened at sun-rise. 
 
 Its inhabitants are a race of bigoted Mus- 
 sulmans, intermixed with Armenians, and it 
 enjoys the reputation of being a place of call 
 for the many thieves and marauders, Kurds, 
 Yezidies, and others, who at various times and 
 seasons infest the highways, and who are and 
 have been from time immemorial the dread of 
 caravans and travellers. The exactions made 
 upon passengers, and the petty despotism to 
 which they are exposed from the authorities, 
 render a visit to Kars disagreeable and even 
 dangerous ; the men in power, in proportion 
 to their distance from the seat of government, 
 feeling secure in their villany ; whilst the unpro- 
 tected sufferers feel, in the same proportion, 
 how unavailing would be their resistance. 
 
 A pasha is the chief officer, and his appoint- 
 ment to this distant and dreary post is gene- 
 rally looked upon as a sort of honourable exile. 
 He is nominated at the Porte, and is independent
 
 54 AYESHA. 
 
 in his jurisdiction, although he is enjoined to 
 look up to the Pasha of Erzeroum as his su- 
 perior, inasmuch as he is the appointed chief 
 and protector of the frontier, as opposed to the 
 Shah of Persia, the sultan's neighbour ; as well 
 as to the Russian authority, which trenches 
 close upon the limits of his pashalik. 
 
 At the time of Osmond's sojourn, the Pasha 
 was a man of low origin and coarse habits : he 
 had once been a pehlivan, or prize-wrestler, and 
 was consequently called Pehlivan Pasha ; there- 
 by recording his ignoble origin, — an act of hu- 
 mility from which no Turk ever shrinks, how- 
 ever exalted may be his subsequent rank. He 
 was a man of immense personal strength, and 
 his chief enjoyment consisted in witnessing the 
 combats of pehlivans, by whom he was con- 
 stantly surrounded, and with whom, as occa- 
 sion offered, he would not refrain from trying 
 a fall himself. He was not accused of wield- 
 ing his power with undue severity as a go- 
 vernor, being good-natured, weak, and addicted 
 to sensuality, for he willingly turned over the
 
 AYESHA. 55 
 
 affairs of legislation to the Mufti,* the civil and 
 religious officer of authority; a crafty, bigot- 
 ed, and unrelenting Mahomedan, who might be 
 said to hold the principal sway in the city, and 
 who, in proportion to his blind devotion to the 
 laws of his Prophet, bore a corresponding ha- 
 tred to all infidels. There was, besides, an Aga 
 of the janissaries, and the usual Ayans, or 
 elders, who were called upon to attend in coun- 
 cil on questions connected with the well-being 
 of the place and its inhabitants. 
 
 The neighbourhood of the Kurdistan was 
 one of the principal causes of the want of safety 
 on the road leading from Turkey into Persia. 
 Its inhabitants, the Kurds, an ancient race, 
 whose marauding practices are coeval with 
 their origin, are not to be kept under control 
 by either the Sultan or the Shah, and indeed 
 are scarcely amenable to the rude government 
 
 * The chief man of the law in a Turkish city is generally 
 called Mollah,but this personage chose to take upon him- 
 self the higher title of Mufti, which, in fact, only belongs 
 to the great chief of the Turkish law, residing at Constan- 
 tinople.
 
 56 AYESHA. 
 
 of their own chiefs, who, although nominally 
 dependant upon the two great states, Turkey 
 and Persia, according to the districts which 
 they inhabit, are in fact each independent in 
 their own town or fort, and can be styled little 
 better than chiefs of banditti, although they 
 take to themselves the titles of Pashas. Thus 
 in the city of Bayajid there is a pasha, but he 
 is a pasha only to pillage and destroy. At a 
 more distant town, Topra Caleh, existed a beg, 
 who was at open war both with Persian and 
 Turk ; but at the time in which our history 
 exists, the most notorious offender was Cara 
 Bey, of whom we have already given a hasty 
 sketch, and as he will again be brought to the 
 reader's notice during the course of our narra- 
 tive, we will withhold any further digression, 
 and return to our travellers. 
 
 Lord Osmond, on the very first night of his 
 rest at the Armenian dyer's, found himself as- 
 sailed by all the symptoms of fever. Mus- 
 tafa, who had not failed to assert the Tatar 
 and the true believer the moment he entered 
 the walls of the infidel's dwelling, stepping
 
 AYESHA. 57 
 
 heavily at every tread of his iron-shod boots, 
 throwing a curve of importance into his back 
 and shoulders, and making frequent and inde- 
 corous allusions to the Armenian's father and 
 mother in order to quicken his operations, 
 had collected as many comforts for his mas- 
 ter as the house afforded. All the softest 
 cushions were brought from the women's 
 apartments, mountains of quilts were piled 
 upon the bed, and a brazier of red-hot char- 
 coal with an apple in it, was placed in the 
 centre of the floor. 
 
 Very soon after these preliminaries, a most 
 plentiful dinner was served up, which, while it 
 did credit to the goodwill and hospitality of 
 the host, almost killed his guest, whose increas- 
 ing disorder made him loathe the sight of food, 
 and who, from being the most valiant to encoun- 
 ter the thousand ills which travelling in Asia 
 is heir to, all at once sickened and sought his 
 bed. He implored Mustafa to cease his perse- 
 cutions of the Armenians, to diminish, if possi- 
 ble, the rigour of his authority, to sweep the 
 lamb stuffed with plums and its accompany- 
 
 u 5
 
 58 AYESHA. 
 
 ing pillau from the room, and to leave him 
 alone to his rest. When this was done, he 
 called Stasso, and ordered him to deal kindly 
 and liberally towards Hassan the guide, who, 
 whatever might have been his original inten- 
 tion, had shown by his subsequent conduct an 
 uncommon degree of gratitude for the service 
 which had been rendered to him. He then 
 had recourse to a small medicine-chest which 
 always accompanied him, put a proper ban- 
 dage about his wounded knee, and endea- 
 voured to compose himself to sleep. But this 
 was not so easy to effect, for the image of 
 the beautiful apparition which had recently 
 crossed his path, had so entirely taken posses- 
 sion of his thoughts, that it produced a third 
 disorder, more dangerous to his repose than 
 either his fever or his broken limb. 
 
 " What can she be ? who is she ? I have 
 seen a face like her's, she strongly puts me in 
 mind of some one whom I have met before. But 
 no, nothing was ever so beautiful and bewitch- 
 ing ! She cannot belong to these Turkish bar- 
 barians ; she ought to take place among the great
 
 AYESHA. 59 
 
 of the world ! There is a soul in her eye which 
 is not to be mistaken. 1 ' In these and such-like 
 thoughts and exclamations did Osmond in- 
 dulge as he arrested the vision of the beautiful 
 maiden in his mind, and dwelt with unceasing 
 perseverance over the scene which bad taken 
 place in the morning. But when he recollected 
 where he was, in an obscure city of Turkey, 
 among thieves and barbarians, he exclaimed, 
 " What else can she be but a poor benighted 
 Turkish girl, some child of ignorance and fana- 
 ticism, whose beauty may administer to the will 
 and pleasure of some coarse barbarian, and his 
 barbarous usages? Would that I had never seen 
 her !" he repeated frequently, until he wound 
 himself up into an uncontrollable desire again 
 to behold her exquisite charms, to be acquaint- 
 ed with her history, and to acquire a know- 
 ledge of the circumstances which had thrown 
 her away among a people apparently so little 
 likely to appreciate her worth. 
 
 We will now leave the sick man, and turn 
 to his attendants, who were in full enjoyment 
 of the plentiful fare which he had rejected.
 
 60 AYESHA. 
 
 Mustafa had taken into his own hands the whole 
 arrangement of the evening's entertainment. 
 Among the Armenians he reigned without a 
 rival. A true believer on his own soil, among 
 Christians, may be compared to a game-cock 
 in a farm-yard, or a mastiff in a kennel ; he 
 swells with arrogance, struts with importance, 
 and exerts his powers of speech with insolence. 
 Our Tatar, preparatory to his meal, had duly 
 tucked up his sleeves, had called to Bogos (for 
 such was the dyer's name) for water where- 
 with to wash, and squatting himself down 
 over a pewter basin, which was held to him 
 by the Armenian in person, water was poured 
 over his hands, and he thus performed his 
 ablutions with great satisfaction. Having re- 
 freshed his weather-beaten face by passing his 
 wet hands over it, he coaxed his small mus- 
 taches into as good a spread as they would 
 admit of: and then wiping his hands with 
 the towel which he took from off his host's 
 shoulder, he proceeded with an important step 
 to seat himself heavily upon a cushion which had
 
 AYESHA. 61 
 
 been laid for him in the corner of a lower 
 room, and there he awaited the coming meal. 
 
 Stasso, having disposed of his master for the 
 night, followed on the same intent, and tuck- 
 ing his legs up seated himself near his com- 
 panion, the action of his hands denoting his 
 impatience to begin, the quick turn of his eye 
 towards the avenues of the kitchen evincing 
 whither his thoughts were directed, and a cer- 
 tain restlessness of his jaws showing that roast 
 lamb and pillau were not unknown to them. 
 He interceded for the company of Hassan the 
 guide, to which Mustafa assented, rather as 
 giving him an opportunity to exhibit the muni- 
 ficent master, than as showing him any good 
 will. At length the chorba, soup, smoked upon 
 the board ; a dead silence ensued, and nothing 
 but the noise of hot in-draughts, produced by 
 the junction of spoons and mouths, was heard : 
 then came dolmas, rice and meat-balls, wrapped 
 up in vine-leaves ; then keftas, force-meat ; 
 hahvah, sweetmeat ; and last, the lamb and 
 the mountain of boiled rice. All disappeared
 
 62 AYESHA. 
 
 like magic through the medium of powerful 
 fingers and capacious jaws, as one may often- 
 times see sacks of coal thrown with precision 
 from the cart into the orifice of the cellar 
 below. So ate the three travellers ; long were 
 their labours and portentous was their diges- 
 tion. But let us not omit the wine, the for- 
 bidden Armenian's wine, which Bogos ever and 
 anon poured for his guests into a basin, in Eng- 
 land called a slop-basin, but which in Turkey 
 is looked upon as the only proper medium to 
 drink with. Many were the cheerings of agam, 
 my lord ! — guznm, my eyes ! — -janum, my soul ! 
 with which Bogos enticed on the too willing 
 Mustafa to empty bowl after bowl of his purple 
 resinous wine, until the eyes of his guest, which 
 never were large, almost totally disappeared 
 under the gradual swelling of the cheeks and 
 forehead. 
 
 Stasso, a more ruthless and hardy drinker, 
 scarcely acknowledged the passage of wine 
 as it flowed over his gullet ; whilst the disciple 
 of Satan, wary and on his guard, hardly ad- 
 mitted it to his lips. Never before had three
 
 AYESHA. 63 
 
 hungry travellers fulfilled a more agreeable 
 duty than that of emptying the dishes of their 
 host, and attending to their own repletion. 
 Mustafa, like most other Turks who think it 
 part of their religion to bully a Christian, had 
 not ceased to lard the tenor of his speech to 
 Bosos with certain allusions, all as a mat- 
 ter of course, although offensive, touching his 
 relations and friends. At length, gradually 
 softened by the wine, he glided into expres- 
 sions such as these : 
 
 " By Allah ! you are a good man you ! 
 by your father, I love you ! Among swine, 
 Armenians are the best. Bogos, my brother, 
 you are a man ; Mashallah ! you are my father, 
 my uncle. Ah ! ah ! give me sweet wine, and 
 I want nothing more." As fast as the skin fell 
 in its circumference, so fast did Mustafa's heart 
 soften, until sleep gradually overtook him, and 
 rolling himself in his cloak he fell like a trunk 
 consumed by fire on the very spot where he had 
 eaten, and remained immoveable for the night. 
 Stasso was not unmindful of his master's 
 orders, and, previously to the meal just de-
 
 64 AYESHA. 
 
 scribed, had been in close and confidential 
 communication with Hassan ; for experience 
 had taught him in his travels never to 
 lose an opportunity of making a friend, 
 however unprofitable that friendship might at 
 the moment appear. When he counted out 
 to the guide, little expectant of such a gift, 
 the sum of money which his master had or- 
 dered, Hassan's eyes sparkled with pleasure, 
 and he could not find words sufficiently ex- 
 pressive of his gratitude. " If ever your 
 Aga," said he, " should require aid during 
 his stay here ; if ever misfortunes should fall 
 upon his head, let him send for his slave. 
 Do not despise Hassan because he is a surugi ; 
 believe me, he knows more than you can sup- 
 pose. No fox can creep out of its hole — no 
 jackal can gnaw a carcase — no thief can lay 
 a plan, without its being known to Hassan. 
 Above all, trust not the people of Kars ; they 
 are bad, ill-begotten, extortioners, men with- 
 out souls ; keep clear of that bash pezevenk — 
 that head procurer, the Mufti ; he is a dog 
 without a liver; he is without compassion
 
 AYESHA. 65 
 
 Your Aga saved my life ! here is my neck," 
 said he, at the same time bending down his 
 head, ** let him strike ; we are not animals, 
 we are men !" Many more were the protes- 
 tations which Hassan made to evince his gra- 
 titude ; and although there was no likelihood 
 that his services could ever be of the least 
 avail to Osmond, or that he would have an 
 opportunity of showing the extent of his 
 thankfulness, still there was that sincerity 
 and hearty good-will in his manner, which 
 made Stasso confident he was a man to ad- 
 here to his word ; and he ever kept him in 
 mind as one who might possibly be of use to 
 him in some future journey. 
 
 On the following morning, Stasso crept 
 quietly into his master's room, but, finding that 
 there was no symptom of his stirring, he took 
 himself below, where the Armenian and his 
 family had long been on foot, in the hope 
 of securing the never-failing cup of hot coffee 
 and the chibouk, without which no Asiatic is 
 ever put into tolerable humour to encounter 
 the events of the day. The first object he
 
 60 AYESHA. 
 
 saw on entering the room was Mustafa, who 
 had just risen from his heavy sleep, seated 
 in an attitude of hopeless inactivity, in the 
 very self-same clothes in which he had laid 
 himself down, his eyes unopened, his mouth 
 pregnant with yawns, and an apparent torpor 
 in his whole person, which spoke emphatically 
 of the woful evils attendant upon much wine 
 and much roasted lamb. At length a low 
 moan issued from the torpid man. "Bogos, 
 you Armenian you ! bring coffee : " — and 
 such a desire will be found at the bottom of 
 every Turk's throat, be he in the last throes 
 of despair, or in the height of the greatest 
 joy. The exhilarating drug was soon brought, 
 when Mustafa opened first one eye, and then 
 the other, and straightway began to fill his 
 pipe. With such preliminaries the day's 
 labours commenced ; and soon after, he 
 was wide awake. He then began to dis- 
 cuss with Stasso and the dyer, what was 
 necessary to be done in their lord's sick 
 state. Bogos immediately advised that they 
 should call in an old Armenian woman, who
 
 AYESHA. 67 
 
 was famous for curing all sorts of disorders, 
 and particularly expert in reducing wounds 
 and relieving bruised limbs. " What do 
 you say, pig ?" said Mustafa ; " what filth 
 are you eating ? These Ingliz, Mashallah ! 
 praise be to the Prophet ! are as stubborn 
 as camels ; and they would as soon take an 
 Armenian's physic as they would eat a horse. 
 They are men who carry all the world in 
 the corner of their eye. After that, can you 
 venture to bring an Armenian cow of Kars 
 before an Englishman ?" 
 
 " But, my pasha, my aga," said the un- 
 obtruding Bogos, with all humility, " I sup- 
 pose an Englishman's leg is like an Armeni- 
 an's ? and I know the old woman has cured 
 many a leg in Kars. Did not she cure Su- 
 leiman Aga's broken shin, he who is your next- 
 door neighbour, after every other effort had 
 failed ? Talismans had been placed upon it, 
 he was turned towards Mecca, still all would 
 not do, until the old Caterina, with her herbs 
 and her fomentations, put him on his legs 
 again. After all, that is something."
 
 68 AYESHA. 
 
 " What are you chattering there with your 
 Caterinas and your Paterinas ?" said Mus- 
 tafa, swelling with importance and evolving 
 smoke. " Allah ! Allah ! I should like to 
 see my BeyzadelVs leg in the hands of your 
 Caterina. Eh, Stasso ! " addressing himself 
 to the Greek, " what do you say ?" 
 
 " What can I say, Mustafa Aga," answered 
 Stasso ; " our Aga knows best what is to be 
 done; we must leave it to him to decide; I 
 will go and see." 
 
 Upon this he returned to his master's room, 
 who by this time had awoke from a restless 
 sleep, which only towards the morning had 
 closed his eyes. Upon seeing Stasso, he ex- 
 claimed, " My leg is extremely painful. Is 
 there anything like a surgeon in this place ? 
 I shall be detained here for ever, if some- 
 thing be not done ; to travel in this state is 
 out of the question. 1 ' 
 
 " What do I know, Effendimou — oh my 
 master?" said his affectionate valet. " I have 
 heard of an old woman who cures bruises and 
 wounds ; what else can I propose ? she is an
 
 AYESHA. 69 
 
 Armenian, and a she ass." Then drawing a deep 
 sigh, he exclaimed, " Where is this miserable 
 and destitute place ? and where the comforts 
 and surgeons known to Franks ?" 
 
 " But perhaps she is better than nothing," 
 said Osmond, writhing with pain, and restless 
 with fever. " Can I have broken a bone ?" 
 
 " God preserve you from it !" exclaimed 
 Stasso ; " that Arabisa — that negress must 
 have had an evil eye, when she turned round 
 to look at us — may the diavolo take her ! — and 
 made your post-horse fall to the ground ! 
 May anathemas fall upon her eyes !" 
 
 " Don't say so, Stasso," said Osmond, " for if 
 the negress had an evil eye, her companion had 
 an eye that could not fail to bring good luck : 
 tell me, did you ever see such beauty before ?" 
 
 " As I cherish my faith," said the animated 
 Greek, his eye brightening up into a flame, " I 
 never did before, nor ever shall again. Such 
 beauty ! — Oh these Turks ! — may their faces be 
 broken up ! — animals as they are, yet it must 
 be owned they possess women who have no 
 equals. Did you see, oh Effendimou, did you
 
 70 AYESHA. 
 
 remark her eyes, her hair, her complexion ? 
 These women have a pureness of blood in their 
 veins which is not to be found elsewhere. 1 ' 
 
 " But what can she be, Stasso ? n said Os- 
 mond, warmed with the subject, and thus for- 
 getting his pain. " Have you heard ?" 
 
 " She is a Turkisa — a Turkish girl, that is 
 certain. What else can she be? Her dress 
 was Turkish, the house she entered was a 
 Turk's — that was evident by the painting of 
 it ; and none but a Turkish woman can pos- 
 sess a black slave." 
 
 " You must find out who she is, Stasso," 
 said Osmond ; ' ; I should like amazingly to 
 see her again." 
 
 " May heaven prevent you !" exclaimed his 
 servant ; " these devils of Turks without en- 
 trails, cut off a Christian's head without com- 
 punction, and then place it between his legs, 
 if they find him even speaking to one of their 
 women. May the diavolo take them !" 
 
 " But there can be no harm in inquiring 
 who and what she is," persisted Lord Osmond ; 
 " I am curious to know."
 
 AYESHA. 71 
 
 " There is no harm in asking," said Stasso, 
 ' that 's true. She is probably a neighbour, 
 and it is easy to know from the people of this 
 house who she is ; but as for seeing or speaking 
 to her, may God preserve us !" added he, whilst 
 he made a sign of the cross. 
 
 " But about this old woman," said Osmond ; 
 "inquire where she lives; perhaps she may 
 afford me some relief. Go, Stasso, inquire; 
 and moreover, do not forget the Turkisa." 
 
 Stasso left the room to perform his master's 
 bidding, at the same time that Mustafa enter- 
 ed. The Tatar had lost no time in going to a 
 barber, who had so trimmed up his head and 
 face that he looked like a new man, and hav- 
 ing readjusted his whole dress, inserting his 
 pistols and yatagan in their prescribed places, 
 he stalked on with all the pride and superiority 
 of a true believer. 
 
 " Mustafa, sit down," said Osmond, as soon 
 as he saw his Tatar, to whom he did not fail 
 to pay all the attentions due to one of his sta- 
 tion, although he discoursed with him as if 
 he were an European, as he in truth was.
 
 2 AYESHA. 
 
 t£ 
 
 " This sickness and bruise of mine," conti- 
 nued he, " is a grievance ; but as you Turks 
 say, my kismet — my fate must be borne with 
 patience- I fear we must stay where we are at 
 present.' 1 
 
 " Bakalum — we will see! 11 said Mustafa; 
 never sorry at any delay in a town, where he 
 would be left at liberty to smoke in a coffee- 
 house, and enjoy the luxury of a good shave, 
 and also of a hot-bath. " I must go to the 
 Pasha. 11 
 
 " True, 11 said Osmond ; " make him my re- 
 spects; tell him I am sick and dying, and then 
 I shall possibly be free from the torment of his 
 chaoushes and chokhadars (officers) begging 
 for backshish, or presents. 11 
 
 " Bakalum — we will see I 11 said Mustafa 
 again ; " backshishes are nothing ; leave the 
 rogues to me. Be you well, and all will be 
 well. 11 
 
 " Inshallah !" said Osmond, " I shall soon 
 get the better of my fever, but this leg of mine, 
 I feel, will keep me here some time. I cannot 
 stir, Mustafa V
 
 AYESHA. 73 
 
 " It will be nothing," said the Tatar ; " God 
 is great ! One of our Tatars once broke his 
 leg as he was leaving Arzeroum ; he tied it up. 
 put it into a basket, rode night and day until 
 he got to Constantinople, where the bone was 
 set, and he is as well now as ever he was. Legs 
 break and are mended — such is the world I 11 
 
 " That is true," said Osmond, smiling at his 
 Tatar's philosophy ; " but I want something 
 more than a basket. I am told that there is 
 an old woman here, who understands bruises." 
 
 " What do I know ?" said Mustafa. " An 
 old woman is often a greater evil than a broken 
 leg : however, you know best ; if you do not 
 mind her, I have no objection ; but only take 
 care whenever she goes out of the room to burn 
 a bit of paper and blow over each shoulder." 
 
 "And wherefore?" said Osmond. 
 
 " You will thus destroy the effects of her 
 evil eye," answered the Tatar. " Many is the 
 time that I have lost my way, and got into all 
 sorts of mischief, after meeting an old woman. 
 Aman ! Amanl — pity ! pity !" said he, shaking 
 
 VOL. I. e
 
 74 AYESHA. 
 
 the lapel of his jacket ; " preserve me from an 
 old woman !" 
 
 Upon this he left his master, and lighting a 
 fresh pipe, proceeded to the residence of the 
 Pasha, swinging his long robes, and strutting 
 through the streets, with an air of dignity rarely 
 seen among the rustics of Kars.
 
 AYESHA. 15 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 All suddenly abash'd she changed her hue, 
 And with stern horror backward 'gan to start ; 
 But when she better him beheld, she grew 
 Full of soft passion and unwonted smart ; 
 The point of pity pierced through her tender heart. 
 
 Spenser's Faery Queen. 
 
 Osmond had not waited long after the depar- 
 ture of Mustafa before Stasso appeared, accom- 
 panied by Bogos the dyer, introducing Cate- 
 rina, the old Armenian woman, whose curved 
 back and withered hands denoted an advanced 
 age. She religiously retained her veil, particu- 
 larly that part of it peculiar to Armenian wo- 
 men, the nose-band, which goes tightly over 
 the middle of the face, and keeps their noses 
 flat. She approached her patient with a certain 
 degree of awe ; for during her long career she 
 
 e 2
 
 76 AYESHA. 
 
 had never before been so near to a Frank, and 
 that Frank an Ingliz, about whom she and her 
 countrywomen had very vague and undefined 
 notions. He might have " a fish's head and a 
 serpent's tongue," for aught she knew, or he 
 might, as his daily avocation, manufacture 
 penknives, or broad-cloth and chintz, as silk- 
 worms spin silk. But when Osmond addressed 
 her in very good Turkish, all her imaginations 
 fled, and turning up herwithered eye, with which 
 she took a good survey of him, she exclaimed 
 to Bogos, making a sign of the cross, " Mash- 
 allah ! he talks Turkish as well as either you or 
 I ;" and having said this, she was restored to 
 full confidence in herself, and forthwith broke 
 into an unceasing flow of words. " We are 
 poor folks," said she, " but we have not lived 
 to eighty years and upwards without having 
 handled many a bruised leg, ay and broken 
 heads too. 11 
 
 " So you are an Ingliz, are you ?" she con- 
 tinued, looking at Osmond : " well well ! God 
 is great ! that I should have lived to dress an 
 English leg I 11 She then examined the limb,
 
 AYESHA. 77 
 
 which was indeed frightfully swollen, and soon 
 began her operations, by fomentations and an 
 application made of cooling herbs and sour 
 milk. " Ah," said she, " I attended your neigh- 
 bour, Suleiman Aga, for a good month ere his 
 shattered leg began to give way to my skill, 
 and when it did heal, everybody cried, Aferin, 
 Caterina ! — Well done, Caterina !" 
 
 " And who is our neighbour ?" said Osmond, 
 thinking it possible that he might receive some 
 information concerning the beautiful maiden, 
 whose image did not for a moment leave his 
 thoughts. 
 
 " He is one of the principal Ayans, or elders 
 of this citv," said Bos;os. 
 
 ' He is a wonderful man," said the old 
 woman. 
 
 " How do you mean wonderful ?" inquired 
 Osmond. 
 
 " He is a strict and severe Mussulman," said 
 Bogos, explaining the meaning of his country- 
 woman : " he treats us Christians like do^s ; 
 we drink wine with fear and trembling in his 
 neighbourhood. 1 '
 
 78 AYESHA. 
 
 " Akh !" exclaimed Caterina, " were it not 
 for his daughter, we Armenians should have to 
 contend with more difficulties than we do ; but 
 she keeps his heart soft." 
 
 " What sort of a person is his daughter ?" 
 inquired Osmond, with great animation. 
 
 " Ey vah !" exclaimed the old woman, turn- 
 ing up her eye and looking into her patient's 
 face whilst she fumbled over the knee before 
 her, " where have you been living all this 
 while, O my soul ! that you have never heard 
 of Suleiman Aga"s daughter ? I myself, I was 
 once something, when I was young, but, as I 
 kiss the cross ! she is a creature that has never 
 been heard of out of Paradise. Pity, thousand 
 pities that she belongs to the Turk ! Mash- 
 allah ! she ought to have belonged to Franks 
 — to Christians. Akh ! she is as white as you, 
 a great deal taller than I am, and as for teeth, 
 and hair, and eyes, I had mine once, but, bah ! 
 she has enough of them for the whole town of 
 Kars ! What do I say ? the whole world might 
 come to her for beauty, and she would still 
 have enough left to remain without an equal."
 
 AYESHA. 79 
 
 This was a subject upon which Caterina 
 would have talked for ever, and one indeed 
 of which Osmond was not soon tired, but he 
 knew the dangers and difficulties attendant 
 upon any communication with Mahomedan 
 women. Although he felt that to see and speak 
 to her was hopeless, still he could not help 
 weaving in his mind a thread of romance, 
 which led him on to conceive that he might in 
 time be blessed with the possession of this 
 gem of human perfection, improve its lustre, 
 efface any flaws which it might contain, and 
 polish it so effectually that he might pro- 
 duce it as something unequalled in the esti- 
 mation of his own countrymen. Accordingly 
 he stopped the old woman in her panegyric, 
 but could not refrain inquiring more particu- 
 lars concerning the maiden's former life. 
 
 " Has she a mother ? What is her name ? 
 Is she about to be married ?" asked Osmond, 
 all in a breath. 
 
 " O my soul r exclaimed Caterina, " how 
 you go on. I am old, and cannot answer so 
 many questions at once. You asked, has she a
 
 80 AYESHA. 
 
 mother ? Well may you ask ; she has indeed 
 a mother, and we call her a misfortune. How 
 such a daughter sprang from such a mother is 
 not my business to ask, I am silent. She once 
 made the sign of the cross, that 's certain, but 
 now she is a kadun — a khanum, a head of a 
 harem, although she preserves her Greek name, 
 Zabetta, Zabetta Khanum. But the daughter, 
 dear little heart ! she is called Ayesha ; she 
 has a Turkish name, but the soul of a Chris- 
 tian : to do good is her whole delight ; to do 
 evil is her mother's only thought. Out upon 
 the she imp ! But life is full of good and 
 evil. If you want them both in perfection, go 
 to the next door." 
 
 " And is she engaged ?" inquired Osmond. 
 
 " Engaged !" exclaimed the old woman : " and 
 who is to marry her, in this land of thieves and 
 rogues ? there is not a man here fit to hold her 
 slippers. She is only fit for the Sultan's se- 
 raglio. Her father cherishes her as he does his 
 own soul : he has taught her everything, and 
 there is not a scribe throughout the whole of 
 Kars who could stand before her. She is
 
 AYESHA. 81 
 
 famous here, my Aga ! — where have you been 
 living that you have not heard of Ayesha, 
 the daughter of Suleiman ?" 
 
 In this manner did the old Caterina enter- 
 tain her patient, as he lay on his bed, whilst 
 she performed her operations on his knee. 
 He allowed her to attend him daily, and to 
 exert her ingenuity in the composition of re- 
 medies, which, although they did not much 
 hasten his recovery, did not retard it, whilst 
 he was amused with her conversation, and in- 
 terested by making her descant on that never- 
 ending subject the perfections of Ayesha= His 
 fever had yielded to his own remedies ; and 
 but for the contusion, which required the 
 greatest quiet, he might again have resumed 
 his journey. Mustafa began to show symptoms 
 of impatience, for he found the remote town 
 of Kars but a poor theatre for the exhibition 
 of his airs of importance, and, as the season 
 began now to be favourable for travelling, he 
 longed once more to be on the saddle. 
 
 Weeks had elapsed, and Osmond was still 
 confined to his room, when, tired with breath- 
 
 e 5
 
 82 AYESHA. 
 
 ing the same atmosphere, and feeling that the 
 open air would perhaps do him more good 
 than all Caterina , s remedies, he inquired if 
 there was no terrace to the dyer's house, whi- 
 ther he might be conveyed, that he might 
 enjoy a few hours of the breath of heaven. 
 Stasso, having proceeded to take a survey of 
 the premises, soon returned to say that nothing 
 could be more easy, that the steps were wide, 
 the terrace sheltered, and that it was in fact 
 used as a frequent resort of the family. 
 
 With some difficulty, with the help of 
 Bogos and Mustafa, the faithful Stasso suc- 
 ceeded in conveying his master to the terrace, 
 where, having spread a carpet, a mattress, and 
 cushions, he deposited him, without any more 
 inconvenience than a groan or two, and a few 
 wry faces. No sooner was Osmond restored 
 to the open air, to the sight of the distant 
 mountains, and all the various beauties of 
 nature, than he seemed to be a new man, and 
 his spirits rose with the change. 
 
 Caterina, who found that by her applications 
 of herbs and sour milk she had not made
 
 AYESHA. 83 
 
 the progress she expected in his cure, had 
 at length given birth to a profound thought : 
 no less than to sew up his leg in a sheep's 
 skin, the woolly side innermost. Often had 
 she observed this remedy applied to horses 
 and asses, and the bright question, " Why 
 should it not succeed with man too ?" flashed 
 across her, as she saw a sheep led to the 
 slaughterhouse; and straightway she deter- 
 mined to propose the scheme to her patient. 
 When she reached his room at the usual 
 hour of visiting him, to her surprise she found 
 him gone, but she was soon informed of his 
 pilgrimage to the terrace, and thither she fol- 
 lowed, dragging with her as much of a sheep- 
 skin as would be necessary for her pur- 
 pose. 
 
 As soon as she made her appearance, Osmond 
 "•reeted her with his usual good-nature, whilst 
 Mustafa, who had long thought her labour 
 was in vain, and who looked upon her as one 
 of the causes of their detention, could scarcely 
 refrain from indulging in the invectives which 
 Mahomedans so often use towards Christians.
 
 84 AYESHA. 
 
 " What are you about, old mother ?" said 
 the Tatar ; " what filth are you bringing here ? 
 I said your eye foreboded no good, from the 
 first time I saw you." 
 
 "Eh, guzum ! — Eh, my eyes!" said she 
 in answer, " what can I do ? I bring relief 
 to the Aga : this is for his leg," showing her 
 bit of sheepskin. 
 
 " Do you take the Beyzadeh for a horse 
 that you treat him as one ? Allah ! Allah ! 
 are you mad ? Evil was the day when we 
 came to Kars !" 
 
 " Do not frighten the old woman," said 
 Osmond to the Tatar ; " she is at liberty to 
 do with my leg whatever she pleases." Then 
 turning to Caterina, he continued, " Say, 
 what is to be done now ? Am I to eat your 
 sheepskin ?" 
 
 Upon this question the old empiric broke 
 out into an involuntary fit of laughter, which 
 rang through the range of terraces on the 
 adjoining houses, and which, to the asto- 
 nishment of those present, was echoed by a 
 corresponding peal at a short distance, pro-
 
 AYESHA. 85 
 
 ceeding, however, from a youthful and merry 
 voice, and denoting thoughtlessness and high 
 spirits. 
 
 " That is the voice of the little ne^ress 
 Nourzadeh,"" exclaimed Caterina, as she turned 
 her ear towards the sound ; " what does she 
 laugh at ?" Upon which she looked over the 
 adjoining wall, and, having caught sight of 
 her, she cried out at the top of her cracked 
 voice, " Gel! gel ! ai gidi mascara! — Come, 
 come ! oh you young scaramouch !' 1 
 
 The terraces of the respective houses were 
 separated by a low parapet, part of which was 
 so entirely broken down that scarcely any 
 division was preserved, and thus the houses of 
 Suleiman Aga and the Armenian, who were 
 next-door neighbours, were under almost one 
 and the same roof. An abrupt wall, behind 
 which rose an arch, skreened the entrance of 
 the Turk's house to the roof from those who 
 stood on the Armenian's terrace ; and thus, 
 when Nourzadeh ran to Caterina's call, no one 
 could see who stood behind the wall. 
 
 When the young negress, with her merry
 
 86 AYESHA. 
 
 face and broad-grinning teeth, appeared be- 
 fore the assembled group, she stopped short, 
 and would have run back, had not the old 
 woman said, " Where is your mistress ?" 
 
 The girl, without saying a word, pointed 
 archly towards the wall. Caterina, who after 
 the panegyric, the never-ending praises, she 
 had so frequently bestowed upon the daughter 
 of Suleiman Aga, had longed above every- 
 thing to bring to the eyes of her patient this 
 flower of her city, in order that he might 
 be satisfied of her veracity, at once cried out, 
 " As you love your eyes, ai khanum doudou — 
 oh my young mistress ! come, we have guests ; 
 come, enlighten our countenances, there is here 
 nothing to fear !" 
 
 Upon this all at once appeared, before Os- 
 mond was in the least prepared for such a 
 vision, the enchanting Ayesha in all her love- 
 liness. She stood before him the personifi- 
 cation of virgin modesty ; lowly in her bear- 
 ing, though dignified in look and manner, 
 blushing, though still unembarrassed, she seem- 
 ed to throw an atmosphere of purity and en-
 
 AYESHA. 87 
 
 chantment around her. To see her thus, none 
 could do otherwise than gaze in admiration, 
 and remain silent for fear of offending. Os- 
 mond had never beheld such unrivalled beauty. 
 Travelling where women never appear without 
 being so closely veiled that their faces are 
 almost expunged from the catalogue of na- 
 ture's excellencies, accustomed to deal only with 
 rough and bearded men, and particularly after 
 his long confinement in a sick room, he felt 
 his heart expand at the sight of this piece of 
 human perfection, in the same manner as if 
 an angel had appeared. The thrill of asto- 
 nishment, admiration, and sudden love, which 
 came over the sick youth as the flash of Aye- 
 sha's beauty beamed upon him, produced so 
 lasting an effect that it influenced every action 
 of his future life. Ayesha had obeyed the 
 call of a voice well known to her, little think- 
 ing before whom she was about to appear; and 
 such was the suddenness of her feeling at the 
 novelty of her situation, that for a moment 
 she was bewildered to a degree that made her 
 forget her exposure, and thus allowed herself to
 
 88 AYESHA. 
 
 be fully gazed at before she retreated to her veil, 
 which she had left where she had been seated. 
 
 Ayesha had a great partiality for the old 
 Caterina, who was a constant attendant at 
 Suleiman Aga's house, and thus she had not 
 hesitated to attend her call ; but when she 
 perceived how she was surrounded, all she 
 could say was, in a tone of surprise and mor- 
 tification, " Caterina ! this is a crime P 1 She 
 then retreated whence she came ; but, at the 
 same time, not without having remarked the 
 graceful and interesting form of Osmond, 
 stretched on his sick bed, whose ardent and 
 impassioned expression of countenance helped 
 to renew the impression which he had made 
 upon her at their first meeting. The whole 
 action of this incident was almost instantaneous, 
 and took place in nearly as short a time as 
 it has taken to narrate. 
 
 The impression which the appearance of 
 Ayesha had made upon Mustafa and Stasso 
 was nearly as great as upon Osmond, although 
 the fascination had worked in a different man- 
 ner. Upon Mustafa, who was a complete Turk
 
 AYESHA. 89 
 
 in his ideas and prejudices about women, it 
 produced a sensation of jealousy that so much 
 beauty and charm should have met any man's 
 eyes but his own ; and although he was like one 
 bewildered by some sudden flash as he sat in 
 darkness, overpowered with a feeling very much 
 like love, and overjoyed at a sight so rare 
 and unexpected, yet he became angry at what 
 he esteemed a dereliction of the respect due to 
 his own countrywomen. His first impulse was 
 to make an angry exclamation against the old 
 woman. 
 
 " What are you about," said he, " you 
 old filth-carrier? Are you turned mad? do 
 you not see that men are present ? Fine 
 doings indeed ! In the name of Allah ! would 
 you bring the Beyzadeh into trouble, and this 
 daughter of Islam into disgrace?" 
 
 " There is no harm done, light of my eyes !" 
 answered Caterina. " It is only Suleiman Aga's 
 daughter. Franks are of no consequence; their 
 women have no veils ; their eyes are accustom- 
 ed to the sight of woman's face. Did not I say 
 true ?" she continued, turning towards Lord
 
 90 AYESHA. 
 
 Osmond ; " have I said more than I ought, when 
 I talked to you of the beauty of the maiden ?" 
 
 " You said too little," answered Osmond, in 
 a serious and musing tone. 
 
 " Ah !" continued Caterina, " but she is even 
 better than she looks. You ought to have seen 
 how she attended upon her sick father. As you 
 love your eyes, she knew better how to nurse 
 him than I." 
 
 Stasso, who had also been witness to the 
 whole scene, was thrown into a fever of admi- 
 ration ; but the effect it produced upon him 
 was to engender an explosion of maledictions in 
 his mind upon the whole Mahomedan race, for 
 possessing such a treasure of perfection. " May 
 the devil take them all !" said he, in a low and 
 indistinct tone, as he helped his master to de- 
 scend into his room. " We also have our beau- 
 ties; go to the Fanari, go to Tino; but, in 
 truth, this maiden is unlike anything I have 
 ever seen before. She can't be either Greek or 
 Turk ; she must be a Frank!*" 
 
 When Osmond was left alone with his 
 Greek, he said with great earnestness, " Stasso,
 
 AYESHA. 91 
 
 did you see the maiden ? Can she really be a 
 Turkish girl ?" 
 
 " What do I know, and what can I say ?" 
 said Stasso : " how can she be anything but 
 Turkish, unless she be an angel sent to us by 
 the Holy Virgin," crossing himself the while, 
 " by way of compassion, for having detained us 
 so long among these barbarians?" 
 
 " Have you seen her mother?" asked Os- 
 mond ; " they say she was originally a Greek, 
 or an Armenian. Caterina tells me she is a 
 bad woman." 
 
 " We will learn how that is," said Stasso : 
 " if she be a Greek, I will find out the she- 
 devil, and cut off my mustaches if I do not 
 make her tell me why and wherefore she has 
 thus damned herself by forsaking her faith." 
 
 " Can the maiden really have been angry," 
 inquired his master, "at having been seen by 
 us ? Women are not naturally given to hide 
 their charms." 
 
 " What can I say, sir ?" said Stasso : " these 
 are Turkish women — they will show their 
 faces when there is no one by to witness their
 
 92 AYESHA. 
 
 so doing; but, otherwise, they will rave and 
 rant when any one ventures to look at them. 
 In truth, this maiden is not like other Turk- 
 ish maidens. Whence she comes, who can 
 say ?" 
 
 Stasso left his master with the determination 
 of making acquaintance, if possible, with Aye- 
 sha's mother, and conceiving it likely, after 
 what had just taken place on the terrace, that 
 she might have proceeded thither in person, he 
 returned there in the hope of meeting her. 
 The day was drawing to a close when he ap- 
 peared, and, true enough, the first object which 
 caught his eye as he looked towards Suleiman 
 Aga's house, was a woman with a veil care- 
 lessly thrown over her head, whom he immedi- 
 ately conjectured to be the Lady Zabetta. 
 
 " Kale espera, keramou, — good evening, my 
 madam," said Stasso, trying her in his own 
 language. 
 
 " What I 11 said she in a tone of surprise at 
 hearing this address, for Stasso was dressed 
 like a Turk, and gave himself out as a Bosh- 
 nak, a native of Bosnia, " What ! are you a
 
 AYESHA. 93 
 
 Greek ? How came you here ? How do you 
 know that I am a Greek ?" 
 
 She said this with some little asperity and 
 embarrassment, although there was evident 
 pleasure in her manner at having met with a 
 countryman ; for modern Greeks very much 
 hang together, whatever may be their places of 
 birth. When she perceived how very handsome 
 the person was who had addressed her, and 
 that he was in every way an object fitted to 
 attract a woman's attention, she was not slow 
 in dropping her shawl and exhibiting to Stasso 
 a face of uncommon attraction. Her nose 
 was aquiline, her eyes were jet black, sha- 
 dowed by strongly-arched brows, and a profu- 
 sion of dark hair, tressed and braided and 
 turned up in the manner peculiar to Turkish 
 married women, was arranged about her face 
 and shoulders. She was tall, her person had 
 been finely shaped but was now coarse and 
 inclining to corpulency, there was a bad 
 and immodest expression in her countenance, 
 and it was evident that she endeavoured to 
 enhance the power of her charms by paint, and
 
 94 AYESHA. 
 
 by the many patches and ornaments much 
 used in the East. 
 
 ~On approaching her, Stasso thought it right 
 to treat her with all the respect which he 
 would have done had he been addressing; a 
 Mahomedan woman. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " I am a Greek, and your 
 countryman ; I am at your service, and I kiss 
 your hands." 
 
 At these words her face relaxed into a 
 coquettish smile, and she answered, " You are 
 welcome ; from whence are you ?" 
 
 " I am a Sedikieuli, near Smyrna," said he ; 
 " what can I do ?" 
 
 " And what are you come to do here ?" she 
 inquired. 
 
 " I am servant to an English Beyzadeh ; we 
 come from Persia, and are travelling onward 
 to Constantinople. 1 ' 
 
 " An English nobleman !" she exclaimed, 
 with an inquiring accent. " And he — where- 
 fore does he travel ? Is he an Elchi — ambas- 
 sador, or what ?" 
 
 " He travels for his pleasure, 1 ' said Stasso ;
 
 AYESHA. 95 
 
 " he is a rich man, and a great personage in 
 his own country." 
 
 " What is his name ?" she eagerly inquired. 
 
 " His name," said Stasso, " is Osmond ; his 
 father is a great Bey among the English. 
 We are detained here by his illness, and if it 
 pleases God, when he is well, we shall proceed 
 on our journey. But you, Kadun ! how does 
 it happen, that one so handsome, so superior 
 to Turks, is found living in this wretched 
 place ?" 
 
 Without heeding his question, although evi- 
 dently delighted by his flattery, she inquired, 
 " Has he ever been at Athens ?" 
 
 " At Athens !" said Stasso ; " yes, we have 
 been at Athens. Eh ! where have we not been ? 
 there is neither a hole nor a corner, a stick nor 
 a stone, that we have not seen, in Greece, in 
 Egypt, in Syria, or in Persia. But, Kadun, 
 as you love your eyes, can you be from Athens, 
 for it appears to me by your accent that you 
 must be from the Islands ?" 
 
 At this question she seemed perplexed and 
 embarrassed, and after a long pause said,
 
 96 AYESHA. 
 
 "I am a Tiniote — from Tino," and then 
 laughingly added, " I am a Touchan." * 
 
 " What do you say ?"" exclaimed Stasso ; 
 " are you really from Tino ? I am ac- 
 quainted with almost all the Tiniotes, both at 
 Smyrna and Pera. Of what family are you 
 in Tino ?" 
 
 With a sigh she answered, " Why should 
 I tell you my name ? What can it be to you ? 
 I am now a Turkish woman, and the wife of a 
 Mussulman. 1 ' 
 
 " This is strange !" said Stasso, still pressing 
 her to tell her name ; " perhaps I may be ac- 
 quainted with some of your relations, and may 
 be able to give you some account of them."" 
 
 She persisted in withholding her name, al- 
 though there was a hesitation in her manner 
 which showed that she had much to say, if 
 she could allow herself to speak. She turned 
 the conversation from herself, as if she feared to 
 have already said too much ; and with all the 
 
 * The Turks have given the nickname of Touchan, or 
 hare, to the natives of Tino, owing, we suppose, to their 
 timidity. The Tiniotes furnish servants to the Christians of 
 the East, particularly to Europeans.
 
 AYESHA. 97 
 
 inquisitiven ess of a Greek, she plied Stasso 
 with every sort of question relating to Lord 
 Osmond: "Was he handsome? Was he young? 
 Was he rich ? How long since had he left Eng- 
 land? When would he return ? Was he fond 
 of the Greeks ? Did he like the Turks better ? 
 Who were his friends at Constantinople ? Who 
 at Athens ? How long did he remain there ?"" 
 
 Stasso gave her every information, but could 
 not help being surprised, and even put on his 
 guard, by her manner, which, in a person 
 who seemed to have devoted herself to Turk- 
 ish life, was strange and mysterious. 
 
 At length she asked him a question which 
 still more astonished him — "Tell me," said 
 she, "has he seen my daughter? I know he 
 has — how did he like her ?" 
 
 Stasso launched out in her praises in a man- 
 ner that showed what had been the effect pro- 
 duced by her charms, but, again considering 
 that the person who addressed him was a 
 Turkish woman, his astonishment increased. 
 
 Their conversation had now lasted until the 
 day had entirely closed ; and he who was 
 
 vol. I. F
 
 $8 AYESIIA. 
 
 never backward in his devotion to female 
 charms, fearful of the consequences of further 
 delay, thought it more prudent to take his 
 leave, still with the strongest desire to see 
 her again, for her brilliant eyes and her co- 
 quettish manner had gone far in subduing his 
 heart. 
 
 " We will meet again, 11 said he, as she was 
 about quitting the terrace. " As you love 
 your daughter, let me see you to-morrow 
 evening." 
 
 " Do you forget, brother, 1 ' said she, " that 
 I am a Mussulman's wife, and that it is un- 
 lawful for me to speak to any man, saving to 
 my husband ?" This she spoke with a satirical 
 smile on her lips, as if she would say * I laugh 
 at such nonsense. 1 
 
 " What !" exclaimed Stasso, " you a Greek's 
 daughter, and care for these bearded Turks ! 
 go, go, we will see each other again." 
 
 Upon this they parted company ; she re- 
 turned to her harem, whilst he proceeded to 
 give an account of his meeting to his master.
 
 AYESHA. 99 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Man is fire and woman tow ; the devil comes and sets 
 them in a blaze. — Fielding. 
 
 Before we proceed farther in our narrative, 
 it is necessary that the reader should be in- 
 formed of part of Zabetta's history ; the re- 
 mainder, for the present, must be left in mys- 
 terious uncertainty. She was a native of Tino, 
 as she had truly informed Stasso ; and, accord- 
 ing to the practice of her countrywomen, 
 quitted that island at an early age, when in 
 the full splendour of her beauty, to enter 
 into service. She began her career at Athens, 
 where her extraordinary charms attracted the 
 attention of the youth of the place, who suc- 
 ceeded, by their flattery and devotion, in en- 
 tirely turning a head which was naturally full 
 
 f 2
 
 100 AYESIIA. 
 
 of levity. Like most Greeks, she was ambi- 
 tious of distinction, and, finding that those 
 of her own nation who admired her, were 
 not likely to give her that position in life to 
 which she aspired, she listened to the vows 
 of love whispered by a young Turk, whose 
 manly beauty and commanding manners en- 
 tirely won her heart. He was in the service 
 of the Governor of Athens, and one of his 
 most distinguished officers ; but as it would 
 be impossible for him to marry Zabetta, 
 situated as they both were — she being a ser- 
 vant to a rich and powerful foreign family, 
 and he a dependant upon a despotic Governor 
 — they determined to elope from Athens and 
 take refuge in Asia Minor. Their scheme was 
 most successful ; unknown to any one, they 
 embarked in a boat bound to Samos, and soon 
 after landed at Scala Nuova, whence they pro- 
 ceeded to Guzzelhissar, where he had an uncle 
 established, rich in lands, and a man of influ- 
 ence in the country. Here she acceded to her 
 husband's wishes to forsake her faith and em- 
 brace Mahomedanism, to which, as she was
 
 AYESHA. 101 
 
 prevented by no principle, she made no re- 
 sistance. 
 
 Suleiman, for that was his name, was ori- 
 ginally from Kars; he became successful in 
 trade, having been noticed and assisted by 
 his uncle at Guzzelhissar ; and as soon as he 
 had amassed a sufficient fortune, he deter- 
 mined to settle in his native place. This he 
 did, and became a man of consequence and 
 consideration there. From his youth he had 
 ever been a rigid observer of his faith, and 
 as he advanced in years he encreased in repu- 
 tation for sanctity and severity of discipline. 
 At the time of our history he was esteemed 
 one of the strictest Mussulmans of Kars. 
 
 The mysterious part of Zabetta's history 
 was that which related to Ayesha. Neither 
 she nor her husband could claim her as their 
 daughter, although they had brought her up 
 as such from an infant. As she grew up, her 
 mind and person expanded to a degree of per- 
 fection so superior to the natives of the Levant 
 in general, that she became an object of sur- 
 prise and of admiration to all who knew her.
 
 102 AYESHA. 
 
 Her person was a model of perfect symmetry, 
 full of grace in every movement, for she 
 never gave way to that slouching gait which 
 so frequently indicates the indolent Asiatic. 
 Her face was full of the best expression, beam- 
 ing with benevolence, and softened by a veil 
 of such modesty, that even the rudest of the 
 Mahomedan tribe could not approach her 
 without a feeling of respect. We have already 
 spoken of her beauty, which would have been 
 but a secondary consideration to the perfec- 
 tions of her mind, were it not of that uncom- 
 mon kind which made it remarkable as a spe- 
 cial caprice or interference of Nature in her 
 favour. The beauty of a Turkish woman when 
 discovered peeping from behind the veil with 
 which it is usually covered, cannot fail to 
 strike the beholder who sees it by chance or 
 by stealth, as something infinitely greater than 
 perhaps it really is : but Ayesha would have 
 been considered a first-rate beauty either behind 
 a veil, or in the fullest exposure in any coun- 
 try in the world ; and when she first was seen
 
 AYESHA. 103 
 
 by Osmond, she appeared fairer than anything 
 he had ever beheld perhaps in Europe or in 
 Asia. 
 
 Suleiman Aga, whose nature was kind in the 
 main, although his bigotry was of the fiercest 
 order, adored his adopted daughter, and 
 caused her to be taught everything that be- 
 longed to her station. The accomplishments 
 of Turkish women are summed up in a very 
 short list. If they can read and write, they 
 are esteemed as prodigies. Music and dan- 
 cing being looked upon as the province of pro- 
 fessional performers, who are synonymous with 
 people of loose character, the children of re- 
 spectable parents are not taught these arts, 
 although by way of amusement many sing and 
 play on the tambourine. They spin and em- 
 broider ; are instructed in forms of speech and 
 politeness; are taught to say their prayers, 
 and read the koran ; but every accomplishment 
 soon falls a victim to the idleness and indo- 
 lence incidental to their mode of life ; for 
 scarcely any other method of passing away
 
 104 AYESHA. 
 
 time is known except gossiping with a neigh- 
 bouring harem, going to the hot bath, smok- 
 ing, and taking a walk to the burying-grounds. 
 Ayesha soon overcame the difficulties of writ- 
 ing, and she rivalled the first Mollahs in the 
 niceties of their art. She read too with facility 
 every different sort of character, from the 
 crabbed Skekesteh to the clear Nustalik; and, 
 after she had duly digested her koran, the 
 history of the Prophet, his sayings, and every 
 subject relating to her faith, she read poetry 
 and history in a manner that astonished every 
 one. After this it will not be thought extra- 
 ordinary that old Caterina should have been 
 surprised at Osmond's ignorance of the fame 
 of Suleiman Aga's daughter. 
 
 Her reputed father had himself taken great 
 pains to make her a faithful disciple of Islam, 
 and although he was frequently at a loss how 
 to answer her inquiries, and to satisfy her 
 doubts concerning those points in the Mahome- 
 dan faith which can never stand before right 
 reason, si ill he had succeeded in bringing her 
 to observe all the forms of his religion, its
 
 AYESHA. 105 
 
 ablutions, and its stated hours of prayer, with 
 scrupulous precision. 
 
 On the other hand, her mother, who, as she 
 grew older, would often revert to her conver- 
 sion to Mahomedanism with shame and confu- 
 sion, and who was acquainted with the rudi- 
 ments of her own faith sufficiently to enable 
 her to make them a subject of thought, would 
 frequently give vent to her feelings on that 
 subject to her supposed daughter, and instil 
 into her mind all that she knew concerning 
 the Christian religion. She secretly wished 
 that the child might be saved through the 
 intercession of Jesus, rather than trust to the 
 promises of happiness made by Mahomet ; and 
 so much did she dwell upon this in her con- 
 versations with Ayesha, that the poor maiden's 
 mind at length became bewildered, and in 
 fact she was left without any fixed principle, 
 for, whilst she performed the genuflections 
 of the Mahomedans, she would frequently ad- 
 dress herself mentally to the Virgin and the 
 Saints. Her hatred to unbelievers, prescribed 
 by the Koran, would often be checked by the 
 
 F 5
 
 106 AYESHA. 
 
 reflections raised by what she heard from her 
 mother ; and when she was told that it was law- 
 ful to kill those who disclaimed her Prophet, 
 her own benevolent nature, aided by her good 
 sense, would tell her that such could not be 
 the intention of an all-wise Creator. 
 
 Zabetta's character had been truly defined 
 by the old Caterina — she might be called a 
 misfortune. Her liveliness, and the spirit of 
 intrigue common to her nation, shone conspicu- 
 ous in her actions ; the dullness and sameness of 
 the existence which she led as a Mahomedan"s 
 wife had produced so much impatience and 
 irritability in her whole being, that she be- 
 came the torment of those around her — her 
 violence was uncontrollable. From abhorring 
 her mode of life, she was soon led to detest 
 her husband, and to abominate his sect ; and 
 so much discontent pervaded every thought 
 and feeling of her mind, that she did nothing 
 but revolve schemes for emancipating herself 
 from her present miseries. At one time she 
 determined upon leaving her husband and re- 
 turning to her own faith and country, but then
 
 AYESHA. 107 
 
 she was stopped by fear of the awful conse- 
 quences of such a step. At another, she would 
 insist upon Suleiman Aga's quitting the exile 
 of Kars, in order to seek the pleasures of 
 Stamboul; but this he always strenuously 
 resisted. She had no one to whom she 
 could open her mind except Ayesha, who, far 
 from encouraging her views, endeavoured only 
 to soften her irritability and to make her 
 contented with her lot. It will not then be 
 thought extraordinary that she should have 
 joyfully seized the opportunity of becoming 
 acquainted with Stasso, and of entering into 
 the conversation with him which we have 
 already repeated. 
 
 Upon hearing of Osmond, and finding him 
 so near a neighbour, an undefined hope of being 
 able, through his agency, to leave her present 
 miseries and return once again to the joys of 
 a life of pleasure, rose in her breast. She had 
 in her early youth known and lived among 
 Europeans : — his presence awoke all her recol- 
 lections of those days, so much happier than 
 the present ; and as fast as she allowed her
 
 108 AYESHA. 
 
 imagination to devise modes of future enjoy- 
 ment, so fast did she lose sight of the danger 
 likely to threaten her were her scheme ever 
 to be put into execution. 
 
 She was fully sensible of the extent of Aye- 
 sha's beauty, and upon its power she laid the 
 principal foundation of her hopes. Could she 
 but lead on the young Englishman to fall 
 in love with her daughter, she conceived 
 that, with the help of his servant Stasso, 
 whose heart she easily saw might become her 
 own, her evasion from Kars, its horrors, and 
 her husband, might easily be effected ; and to 
 the furtherance of that object she now deter- 
 mined to bend every effort. 
 
 When Zabetta had quitted Stasso after their 
 conversation on the terrace, she retreated to 
 the harem, her imagination all alive upon the 
 views to which that conversation had given 
 rise. Her apartment was a large handsome 
 room, fitted up on three sides with ranges of 
 low ottomans, backed by silken cushions, the 
 windows of which looked upon a small garden 
 filled with flowers, and also enjoyed an exten-
 
 AYESHA. 109 
 
 sive view over the adjacent plain and its sur- 
 rounding mountains. The severity of the 
 winter had now passed away, and had given 
 place to the softness of the opening spring. 
 The shades of the evening were succeeded by 
 the soothing influence of a full moon, which 
 shed its sober light over every object far and 
 wide, and gleamed into the room through the 
 open casements. 
 
 Zabetta found Ayesha seated in a corner 
 of the apartment, in a musing attitude ; her 
 cheek resting upon her hand, whilst her eyes 
 wandered over the expanse before her. Her 
 thoughts, however, were occupied with the oc- 
 currence of the morning, and sensations to 
 which she had hitherto been a stranger filled 
 her breast. Since her first meeting with Os- 
 mond, whom she had then taken for one of 
 her own countrymen, she had never ceased to 
 dwell in idea upon his expressive countenance, 
 his commanding person, and, more than all, 
 upon the courtesy and deference of his man- 
 ner : a proceeding so totally different from 
 that of Turks in general to one of her sex,
 
 110 AYESHA. 
 
 that she could not help drawing a comparison 
 very much in his favour. Still, whenever she 
 caught her thoughts stealing towards the con- 
 templation of his superior excellence, she would 
 check them ; for her innate modesty would re- 
 mind her that they were enemies to a maiden's 
 purity, and her good sense would tell her that 
 it was folly to waste her time upon the recollec- 
 tion of one whom she might never see again. 
 But the event of the morning had completely 
 destroyed all her equanimity, and, passing 
 from that quiet of mind which had hitherto 
 marked the even tenor of her life, she found 
 herself all at once entangled in a labyrinth 
 of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she 
 had been taught that it was a crime to hold 
 intercourse with unbelievers, and she knew 
 that Osmond was a Christian ; moreover, she 
 had been brought up in the idea that no Ma- 
 homedan woman could ever show her face to 
 a man. On the other hand, from her mother's 
 counteracting interference, particularly in fa- 
 vour of Christians, many of the prejudices 
 which are so strong with Turkish women in
 
 AYESHA. 1 1 1 
 
 general, had been much softened, and she felt 
 herself allowed to look upon Osmond with a 
 more favourable eye than she otherwise would 
 have done. Besides, she had to contend with 
 that propensity to romance which lurks at the 
 bottom of every maiden's heart, and which 
 softens her feelings towards every thing in the 
 shape of man, particularly towards one, what- 
 ever might be his faith, having beauty and 
 amiability to recommend him. From what 
 she had already seen of Osmond, a net of 
 such close texture had been worked round her 
 heart, that it was enslaved ere she knew how. 
 When Zabetta entered the room, Ayesha's 
 mind was absorbed in the minutest investio-a- 
 tion of everything which had taken place at 
 her first interview with Osmond in the street ; 
 and then at the second on the terrace. She 
 had begun to persuade herself that kismet, or 
 fate, that expounder of every Mahomedan's 
 difficulty, had much to do with both these 
 events; and having nearly settled that point to 
 her satisfaction, she was far gone in the specu- 
 lation whether that same kismet would again
 
 112 AYESHA. 
 
 operate in her favour, and procure her a third 
 interview. 
 
 " Ayesha my lamb/" said her mother, in a 
 softened and cheering tone of voice, " do you 
 know what has happened ? I, too, have seen 
 one of the strangers who lives with Bogos the 
 dyer. Is it not most extraordinary ? There 
 must be something in it. 11 
 
 " It is strange, - " answered the maiden, co- 
 louring at the same time. " We are taught that 
 it is a crime to talk to heretics ; but what can 
 oppose destiny ? Was it the sick stranger ?"" 
 she inquired in a tremulous voice. 
 
 " No," said Zabetta, " it was his servant : 
 and do you know he is one of my own country- 
 men ; he is a Greek, and a kalo paidi — a good 
 youth. Oh what did I not feel when I spoke 
 to him in my own tongue ! my heart beat at 
 my breast as if I had heard the sound of my 
 brother's or my father's voice calling to me 
 from Tino. But what can we do ? Here we 
 are in this odious place, living day after day 
 and year after year, like owls in a deserted 
 tower, unseen and unknown, except by a few
 
 AYESHA. 113 
 
 faces that are grown as common and as familiar 
 to us as chains are to a prisoner. Aijanum, 
 Stamboul — oh my soul, Constantinople !" she 
 exclaimed with fervour : " could we but once 
 get theie, then Zabetta would have nothing 
 more to wish for." 
 
 "Allah kerim — God is great! 1 ' exclaimed 
 Ayesha, with a profound sigh : " oh, mother, 
 let us be resigned to whatever it may please 
 Allah to dispense to his unworthy creatures." 
 
 " Allah kerim is all very well," said Za- 
 betta with impatience, " but in the mean while 
 here we are at Kars. We must leave it, hap- 
 pen what will. I will no longer be a captive — 
 I will no more waste my life in this odious 
 bondage." 
 
 Ayesha became alarmed at the violent, im- 
 passioned manner with which Zabetta uttered 
 these words, and in the most soothing tone 
 said, "Times will alter — nothing is stable in 
 this life: see, the winter is gone and spring 
 is come — God directs all for the best. I 
 am young, and ought not to offer advice ; but 
 let me intreat my mother to have patience,
 
 1 14 AYESHA. 
 
 and, as we may hope for blessing, let us wait 
 with resignation the decrees of unchangeable 
 destiny. 11 
 
 "Ayesha! 11 exclaimed her mother, making 
 an effort to suppress the violence of her feel- 
 ing, " did you speak to the Englishman to- 
 day when you saw him upon the terrace P 11 
 
 " Heaven forbid ! " said she ; " speak ? no : 
 I saw him for a moment — but speak to him ? 
 no. Am I not a maiden of Islam ? Are we 
 not taught to shun heretics P 11 
 
 " My heart Ayesha ! " said Zabetta, " Mus- 
 sulmans teach such things, and assert that they 
 are proper ; but they are but a few compared 
 to the rest of the world. The greatest part of 
 mankind see and converse with women — and 
 they are God's creatures too — they cannot all 
 be wrong. There can be no sin in convers- 
 ing with our fellow- creatures. 1 ' 
 
 " Ahi !" exclaimed Ayesha, after a pause, 
 " one should think that what you say is true; 
 but my father insists otherwise, and he has 
 the Prophet on his side. 1 ' 
 
 " Let us leave the Prophet to himself
 
 AYESHA. 115 
 
 awhile, 11 said Zabetta, with a peevish voice and 
 in evident agitation ; " let me tell you one 
 thing, Ayesha, which you have never yet been 
 told — you were not born a child of Islam — you 
 have more to do with Franks than you can 
 suppose. 11 
 
 " How ?" said Ayesha, with the greatest 
 earnestness, and apparently roused from her 
 resigned and passive state, " as you love your 
 child, as you cherish your faith, tell me more 
 — I know nothing about myself. Am I not 
 your child ? — have I not a father ? — tell me 
 how I am then related to Franks !" 
 
 Zabetta felt that she had struck upon the 
 right chord, in thus attempting to draw the 
 maiden's mind from her devotedness to her 
 Mahomedan duties. Who she really was, was 
 a profound secret only known to herself, and 
 partially to Suleiman Aga, and she had never 
 said so much on that head before to Ayesha ; 
 but she felt it necessary, in order to create a 
 great interest in her heart towards Christians, 
 to make this disclosure. " The time is not yet 
 come, my daughter, 11 she said, " when I can
 
 116 AYESHA. 
 
 explain to you all that fate has ordained — you 
 are young — -there is a time for all things; — 
 but be this known to you, that you must 
 not look upon Franks with the eye of hatred, 
 but, on the contrary, open the heart of friend- 
 ship to them — they are your brothers. As 
 your mother I tell you this — as a Mahome- 
 dan's wife I order you to keep it secret — it 
 is a secret of the greatest importance to us 
 both. If you can speak to the Englishman 
 our neighbour, do so with caution, but without 
 fear. 1 ' 
 
 Ayesha at these words became mute with 
 astonishment ; such a permission, although it 
 infused a secret and subtle pleasure throughout 
 her whole frame, affected her in the same man- 
 ner as the prescription of a new physician 
 acts upon a desponding patient who has ever 
 been taught to look upon wine as prohibited 
 and is all at once allowed to drink it. She dis- 
 trusted her mother's words, and still she clung 
 to them with ecstasy. Whilst the imprecations 
 of the Koran against unbelievers rang in her 
 ears, the knowledge of having been born one
 
 AYESHA. 117 
 
 herself, perhaps of having European blood in 
 her veins, acted as an antidote does to poison. 
 It was plain that, had Osmond at that mo- 
 ment stood before her, she would neither have 
 hid her face from him, nor refused to speak 
 to him. 
 
 But, instead of Osmond, the silken curtain 
 over the door was thrown up, and in walked 
 Suleiman Aga in person. He was a grave and 
 dignified Turk, of noble appearance, clothed 
 in long robes furnished with light furs adapt- 
 ed to the season, and wearing on his head a 
 caouk, that is, a stiff cloth cap, around which 
 was wound a band of white muslin. At the 
 sight of his wife his features assumed an ap- 
 pearance of humility : he had expected only to 
 see Ayesha, and had come with an open and 
 unreserved face and manner, but so afraid was 
 he of exciting Zabetta's violence, that when- 
 ever she appeared he adopted the least offensive 
 and most submissive attitude. Turks in gene- 
 ral esteem quiet as the greatest of blessings — 
 they hate noise : — a seat in the corner of their 
 couch, listening to the plashing of the never-
 
 118 AYESHA. 
 
 ceasing fountain, smoking their soothing chi- 
 bouk and watching the smoke which they emit 
 into the air until it dissolves into nothing, or 
 listening to the conversation of a friend which 
 may afford some little excitement, is the sort of 
 recreation they most relish ; and to obtain this 
 they will show powers of endurance to be sur- 
 passed by no stoic. Once put them in a fury, 
 they instantly go to extremes — they kill or are 
 killed ; to cut a matter short, they order exe- 
 cution right or wrong, and then return to 
 their pipe or their fountain, as if nothing had 
 happened. 
 
 When Zabetta saw her husband enter, the 
 humility of his aspect, instead of softening her 
 feelings towards him, immediately impelled 
 her to place herself in an attitude of open 
 hostility ; her brow lowered, her eye became 
 fixed, her head swerved neither to the right nor 
 the left ; the recollection of every evil, real or 
 imaginary, which she suffered at his hands, 
 arose uncontrolled in her breast ; whatever she 
 might have been the moment before he entered, 
 all at once it occurred to her that she now 

 
 AYESHA. 119 
 
 was an injured woman ; she felt that all her 
 griefs were owing to her husband alone — that 
 he had been unjust in loving her — in seducing 
 her to marry him — in dragging her from her 
 own country — in becoming rich — in settling 
 himself in his native city. This was her usual 
 conduct, whenever the unfortunate Suleiman 
 happened to cross the path of the most sus- 
 ceptible Zabetta. 
 
 " What do you want ?" said she to him, as 
 soon as he had taken his seat quietly before her 
 on the ottoman; "whenever we least desire 
 your company, you are sure to appear. 11 
 
 " I came to see Ayesha," answered Sulei- 
 man with great deference; " had I known you 
 were here, I would have stayed away, since you 
 abhor my presence. 11 
 
 " That is so like you !" exclaimed his wife, in 
 a burst of rage ; " you will go any distance 
 to see Ayesha, but wherever I am, you shun 
 me — you love any thing but your wife. 11 
 
 " You said you did not wish to see me, 11 
 said Suleiman, still in a softer tone ; " what 
 can I do ?"
 
 120 AYESHA. 
 
 " I did — and do," said his wife ; " but what 
 has that to do with your neglect of me ? Am 
 I not the worst-used woman in Kars? — In Kars 
 did I say ?— in all Turkey ?" 
 
 " I am always ready, Zabetta," answered 
 the husband, " to act as you desire. Is there 
 anything in reason which you require, which 
 I do not immediately grant ?" 
 
 " That is good ! that is true indeed ! 
 Allah, Allah P said Zabetta, " do not I ask 
 you to take me from this horrid place to which 
 you have brought me — where I am shut up 
 like a wild beast in a cage — where I see nothing 
 but Kurds, devil- worshippers, and savages, 
 and do you not refuse me ? Answer me that, 
 O man P 
 
 " Light of my eyes P replied the impassive 
 Suleiman, " how can we leave this place without 
 ruining ourselves ? All I have is here. You 
 would have me go -to Constantinople, where I 
 know no one ; here I am known and respected.'" 
 
 " You, you ! all is for you" said his wife, 
 " and nothing for me. Mashallah ! — praise be 
 to Allah ! you are to be thought of before
 
 AYESHA. 121 
 
 everything ; that long beard of yours must be 
 worshipped and adored, whilst I am left in a 
 corner like a pair of old slippers ! Go, go, I 
 spit upon such a beard."" 
 
 " You are unjust, Zabetta," said Suleiman; 
 " I say again, is there any thing in reason 
 that you require which I ever refuse ? What- 
 ever clothes, whatever food, whatever servants, 
 whatever amusements you wish for, do I not 
 give you ? After all, there is such a thing as 
 justice in the world." 
 
 "Nonsense — dirt — filth — all you say is 
 such," exclaimed the angry woman. " Was it 
 for this that I forsook my country, my friends, 
 my faith, my all, and then am to be told that 
 like a child I may dress myself in fine clothes, 
 that I may eat sweetmeats to keep me from 
 crying, or may walk in the burying-ground, 
 and sit upon a tombstone by way of cheering 
 my spirits ? You are an ass, you are a fool. 
 I was not born a Greek woman for nothing ; 
 I know the difference between black and 
 white. 1 '' 
 
 Upon hearing these odious epithets, the 
 
 VOL. i. G
 
 122 AYESHA. 
 
 colour of the patient man rose a little in his 
 cheeks, there was a slight distension of his 
 beard and mustaches, and there broke out a 
 slender wrinkle on his brow, but still he re- 
 mained passive. " You say a great deal too 
 much," said he ; " if I had beaten you, you 
 could not complain more." 
 
 " Beaten me indeed ! beaten me, do you 
 say ?" roared out the now furious Zabetta, " I 
 should like to see that ! Are you become mad ? 
 Will you beat me ? Am I to be treated as your 
 slave ? You wretch — you vile Osmanli, I will 
 show you that I am a Greek woman. Go, I 
 abhor you, I detest you. There, take that," 
 upon which she pulled off both her slippers, 
 and, one after the other, threw them with all 
 her strength at her husband. She then rushed 
 out of the room, slamming the doors behind 
 her, and knocking and beating about every 
 thing which came in her way, her passage 
 through the house being traced by the stamp 
 of her feet, which at length was heard on the 
 terrace overhead. 
 
 One slipper had hit Suleiman on the face,
 
 AYESHA. 123 
 
 the other on the head,— still he said nothing ; 
 he took them up from the ottoman where they 
 had fallen, laid them quietly on the floor, 
 and then turning to Ayesha, who was suffer- 
 ing the deepest anguish at beholding this scene, 
 said with a sigh, as he slowly shook his 
 head, " Chok chay— -that is much/ 1 and then 
 mumbled within his breath his profession of 
 faith, " There is but one Allah, and Mahomed 
 is his prophet." 
 
 Ayesha rose from her seat, and with the 
 tenderest expression of interest in her face, 
 approached her father, and said, " Be not 
 angry, O my father! — my poor mother is 
 sick in her mind ; forgive her, as you love 
 Allah, forgive her." 
 
 " It is nothing/' said Suleiman calmly; "be 
 you but well and happy, Ayesha, and all will 
 be well : God is great — God is merciful !" 
 
 Ayesha said nothing more, but sat in si- 
 lence near the oppressed man, who had before 
 but too frequently been obliged to stifle his 
 feelings at these ebullitions of his wife's ill 
 temper ; and as she drew off his mind to other 
 
 g 2
 
 124 AYESHA. 
 
 subjects, he gradually resumed his usual calm 
 deportment, and with the help of his never-fail- 
 ing pipe and his resignation to kismet, was 
 soon restored to that torpid and indolent state 
 which it was his ambition never to lose.
 
 AYESHA. 125 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Stand, and deceive me not ! Oh, noble young man, 
 I love thee with my soul, but dare not say it ! 
 
 Beaumont and Fletcher. 
 
 The account which Stasso gave to Lord 
 Osmond of his interview with Zabetta, had 
 excited all his curiosity. There was something 
 so strange in the circumstance of a Mahome- 
 dan woman taking so much apparent interest 
 in an infidel and a Frank, about whom it 
 appeared to him impossible she could know 
 anything, that he became quite uneasy until 
 he had cleared up the mystery. But what most 
 struck him was her anxiety to know whether 
 he had seen her daughter. He could scarcely 
 believe his servant as he dwelt much upon 
 this part of the conversation ; the length of time 
 which had elapsed since Zabetta had been at
 
 126 AYESHA. 
 
 Athens, made it quite improbable that they 
 could have met, or that any part of his conduct 
 there could directly or indirectly have any 
 influence upon her or her daughter at Kars. 
 There was evidently a mystery, of the exist- 
 ence of which Stasso was also convinced ; 
 " Ekhi kateti, Ejfendi ! — there is something, 
 my master — there is something," repeatedly 
 exclaimed Stasso, as he talked the matter over. 
 
 " You must discover more this evening," said 
 Osmond ; " ask the mother what she means, 
 whether I can do anything for either her or her 
 daughter. 11 
 
 " What do you say, EfPendi ? she is as cun- 
 ning as a fox, the she-devil ! She will say no- 
 thing but what she pleases; but, in truth, 
 there is something, of that I am certain. 11 
 
 Stasso concluded every phrase upon the sub- 
 ject of his interview with Zabetta, with the 
 words " there is something, 11 accompanied by a 
 shake of the head ; and he promised to himself 
 in succeeding conversations to do his best to dis- 
 cover what that " something" might be. His 
 master ascended the terrace with less difficulty
 
 AYESHA. 127 
 
 than he had done on the preceding day, and 
 sat there until the dews of the evening drove 
 him below, but he was not fortunate enough 
 to obtain a glimpse of Ayesha. Upon his re- 
 turn to his chamber he waited with impatience 
 for his servant, in order that he might be in- 
 formed of anything new which he might have 
 discovered, but all he could learn was a repe- 
 tition of what he had before heard, and nothing 
 which could throw light upon the real his- 
 tory of the maiden. 
 
 Zabetta had evidently been exerting herself 
 to make Stasso her admirer, but not a word 
 more did she say touching her own history. 
 The only difference between this interview and 
 the last was, that she brought her daughter 
 with her, who did not open her lips, but 
 remained closely veiled whilst it lasted. 
 
 This circumstance set Osmond's imagination 
 on fire; he saw that he too might have the 
 pleasure of her conversation if his health per- 
 mitted it, and he was delighted to find, upon 
 waking the next morning, how much the swell- 
 ing in his knee had abated, and how essentially
 
 128 AYESHA. 
 
 better he felt. He then dismissed the old Ca- 
 terina, to whom he behaved with a liberality 
 which brought forth all her gratitude ; and sent 
 for Mustafa, in order that they might devise 
 plans for leaving Kars. To his surprise, in- 
 stead of finding that worthy all impatience to 
 depart, he found him full of Bakalum — we 
 shall see ! Inshallah — if it pleases God, and 
 all those little procrastinating phrases behind 
 which a Turk is sure to entrench himself when 
 he wishes to remain in statu quo. The fact is, 
 that one glimpse which the too susceptible 
 Mustafa had enjoyed of Ayesha's unrivalled 
 beauty, had so enthralled his heart, that, omit- 
 ting even to cast a thought upon a certain 
 existing wife and small family whom he had 
 left behind at Constantinople, he had in his 
 idleness fairly set about inquiring how he 
 might secure to himself, as a second helpmate 
 through life, this precious gem, and had per- 
 suaded himself into an assurance, that a Tatar 
 Aga, residing at the Fortunate Gate of Royal 
 Splendour, the confidential messenger of an 
 ambassador of Stamboul, the owner of a com-
 
 AYESHA. 129 
 
 fortable monthly stipend, and one much re» 
 spected at post-houses, was quite a personage 
 of suitable respectability to solicit in marriage 
 the daughter of an Ayan of Kars. He had 
 in consequence, as a preliminary to further 
 operations, furbished up his weather-beaten 
 face by frequent attendance at the hot-bath. 
 Vainly did he ponder over the scanty allow- 
 ance of mustache which Nature had doled 
 out to him, and every method which he de- 
 vised of increasing the store seemed to baffle 
 his ingenuity. If he dyed his few hairs black, 
 he found that, like radishes on a miser's board, 
 they became individuated, and were easily 
 counted ; if he abandoned them to their original 
 sandy-coloured insignificancy, his face could 
 scarcely assert the man, and he was left that 
 most despised of all creatures in a Turk^ estima- 
 tion, a sakal-siz — a no-beard. Then he was 
 short of stature, but that could not be helped ; 
 he was also thin, but then he found, by heap- 
 ing on more garments to his original stock, he 
 might increase in size to any extent he chose. 
 Accordingly, he bought a new furred jacket, 
 
 g5
 
 ISO AYESHA. 
 
 duly trimmed and braided ; he spread out the 
 circumference of his shalwars, or trowsers, to 
 such a size, that his small legs lay hidden 
 within their folds in somewhat the same pro- 
 portions that a pitchfork has to a haystack, 
 whilst their bulk almost prevented him from 
 walking. A small muslin embroidered hand- 
 kerchief, which he threw over his shoulder, and 
 an amber-headed pipe in his hand, made him 
 up all together, so he flattered himself, a 
 person of irresistible attraction to the object 
 of his wishes. 
 
 Thus equipped, his pistols protruding from 
 his girdle, and his steps measured with more 
 than usual dignity, he betook himself to pro- 
 menading near the house of Suleiman Aga, 
 hoping that his beautiful daughter might, as 
 she gazed through her latticed window, be 
 smitten with his appearance; or that, if she 
 issued forth to walk, he might meet her and 
 attract her notice. Alas ! he laboured in vain ; 
 he spread his plumage to no purpose ; he might 
 as well have bought neither jacket nor trowsers ; 
 nobody came, no one looked from the lattice.
 
 AYESHA. 131 
 
 At length he bethought himself of enlisting 
 the old Caterina in his service, for he knew 
 that such things were often done, marriages 
 were often brought about by intervening old 
 women, and he knew that this aged indivi- 
 dual was a constant inmate in Suleiman Aga's 
 harem. 
 
 The first time she appeared at the dyer's, 
 he accosted her with" more courtesy than he 
 had done on the last occasion when he had 
 seen her as an operator upon his master's knee, 
 and said to her, " Bana bak ai guzum ! — look 
 at me, oh my eyes ! Gel ! — come hither, I 
 have words to say to you !" 
 
 The crone, cheered at being thus addressed 
 by a true believer, lent a willing ear to his 
 invitation, and she squatted herself down be- 
 fore him. " What may there be at your ser- 
 vice ?" said she. 
 
 " You are a person of sense, 11 said he ; " you 
 understand at a word. That daughter of Su- 
 leiman Aga, whom we saw the other day on 
 the terrace, is no indifferent person ; — do you 
 understand me P 11
 
 132 AYESHA. 
 
 " Yes yes, 1 ' said the old Caterina, with a 
 dogged sort of nod, " I understand ; there is 
 not such another thing in the world — What 
 of her ?" 
 
 " What of her !" said Mustafa, in surprise ; 
 " do not you understand me ? I thought you 
 were no fool ! When a man inquires after 
 a maiden, what thought can he have but of 
 marriage ?" 
 
 " Do you want Ayesha in marriage?" ex- 
 claimed the old woman in a tone of the great- 
 est surprise, as if Mustafa had proposed to 
 herself : — " ~Ey vah ! — look ! see ! where are 
 you, and where is Ayesha? Are \ou mad?" 
 Upon which she burst out into a fit of laugh- 
 ter, which put the poor Tatar into a strange 
 embarrassment. 
 
 " You are mad," said Mustafa. " A girl, 
 after all, is nothing but a girl ; and when she 
 acquires a husband, what can she want more ? 
 I am a man — I am a Tatar Aga — find such 
 another in Kars ! If you are an ass, I have 
 nothing to say to you ; if you are not, speak 
 to Suleiman Aga and his daughter for me,
 
 AYESHA. 133 
 
 and let me hear what they will answer. I have 
 money, Mashallah ! and want for nothing." 
 
 " Suleiman Aga, do you say ?" said Cate- 
 rina : " where have you lived, when you count 
 Suleiman Aga among men? Bosh der ! — he is 
 nothing ! his wife, the khanum Zabetta, if you 
 please ! But, deh ! she looks for a Pasha at 
 least for her daughter, if not for a Vizir, or 
 a Capudan Pasha. What are you thinking of, 
 O man ?" 
 
 Mustafa pulled up his mustache, applied 
 his hand to his chin, looked foolish, looked 
 grand, humble, and indignant, by turns, and 
 broke up his conference with the old woman 
 without saying a word more than " Bakalum ! 
 — we shall see !" But still, as he walked away 
 from her, he did not relinquish his hope of 
 making himself agreeable to the maiden, and 
 treasured up in his mind the knowledge which 
 he had acquired of her transcendant beauty, 
 which cheered his thoughts through the pro- 
 gress of each intervening pipe. 
 
 Osmond, finding that he was increasing ra- 
 pidly in health, began seriously to turn his
 
 134 AYESHA. 
 
 thoughts towards the prosecution of his jour- 
 ney ; but still he felt himself, as it were, spell- 
 bound by the neighbourhood of the beautiful 
 Ayesha, and he determined to gratify his ar- 
 dent curiosity to know something more of her 
 history, by getting, if possible, acquainted with 
 her. On that very night he resolved to ac- 
 company Stasso to the terrace, in the hope 
 that she would again make her appearance 
 with her mother ; and moreover, he took every 
 precaution that this step should be kept secret, 
 both from Mustafa, and the inmates of the 
 house. 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as the last cries of the 
 muezzins from the minarets, calling the faithful 
 to prayers, had died away upon the ear, Stasso, 
 preceding his master, first set foot on the ter- 
 race, and to his joy perceived that Zabetta and 
 Ayesha were at their post. Upon this he made a 
 sign to Lord Osmond, who immediately joined 
 him. 
 
 Ayesha had evidently not been prepared for 
 this encounter ; and when she saw Osmond 
 appear, she shrank behind her mother, cover-
 
 AYESHA. 135 
 
 ing herself with her veil, and feeling at his 
 approach an emotion which those who have 
 been assailed with the tender passion for 
 the first time alone can define. But she was 
 perplexed how to act. Her Mahomedan edu- 
 cation would have taught her to fly from the 
 presence of an infidel, whilst the presence of 
 her mother seemed to secure for her every pro- 
 tection that she could require. 
 
 Osmond received from Zabetta every encou- 
 ragement which flattery and a gracious manner 
 could afford. She laid aside the haughty de- 
 meanour of a Mahomedan, and became at once 
 the fawning and cringing Greek. Renegades, 
 he had always heard, were infinitely more into- 
 lerant and intemperate in their religious zeal 
 than original Mussulmans, but here he found 
 the contrary ; everything he heard from Zabetta 
 tended to show how discontented she was in 
 her present situation, and how much she de- 
 spised those by whom she was surrounded. 
 
 " See," said she, " what a miserable destiny 
 is mine, to have been thrown among such a 
 people, and to be an inhabitant of so ill-con-
 
 136 AYESHA. 
 
 ditioned a place as this ! You, Effendi, who 
 have seen Constantinople and the world, you 
 will have pity upon us poor castaways, who 
 are cooped up here in hopeless exile ;" and 
 then she added, as if in joke, although meant 
 in earnest, " Will you not take us with you ?" 
 
 Osmond was by her manner and language 
 forcibly impressed with the idea that she was 
 acting a part, and that she had some latent 
 design upon him. There was evidently some 
 mystery attached to her, and he felt that it was 
 principally connected with the history of her 
 supposed daughter. He answered Zabetta with 
 great frankness and courtesy, and whilst he 
 encouraged her confidence, he endeavoured to 
 draw from her such an account of herself as 
 might clear up what he wished to ascertain 
 concerning Ayesha. But she studiously kept 
 from him such parts of her history as were 
 connected with that of the maiden, although 
 she evidently said and did everything which 
 might create in his breast an interest in her 
 favour. 
 
 Ayesha, in the mean while, had been so struck
 
 AYESHA. 137 
 
 by the voice, the manner, and the refinement of 
 Osmond, so unlike to anything which she had 
 met with amongst her own countrymen, that 
 her eyes were riveted on his face as he spoke, 
 and her ears open to catch with avidity the 
 words he uttered. Some men have more than 
 others the power of engendering confidence in 
 the breast of woman, and of these Osmond was 
 one. He listened with deference to what Za- 
 betta said ; he appeared to take interest in her 
 words, and the answers he gave had reference 
 only to her feelings, and not to his own. His 
 quickness of observation soon enabled him to 
 judge what might be passing in Ayesha's mind 
 as he addressed her mother, and, fearful of 
 alarming her timidity by too abruptly address- 
 ing her, he did not allow r himself to speak to her 
 until he perceived that he had made some pro- 
 gress in breaking down her Mahomedan preju- 
 dices. He could not prevent himself from oc- 
 casionally casting a glance upon her beautiful 
 countenance, and she seemed grateful for this 
 tacit respect to her situation. At length, when, 
 in answer to Zabetta's repeated wish of ac-
 
 138 AYESHA. 
 
 companying him to Constantinople, he said, 
 " Would that it were possible for me to put 
 such a scheme into execution ! how happy 
 should I be could I but rescue so much beauty 
 and worth from neglect, and exhibit them to 
 my own nation I" Ayesha smiled and shook 
 her head sorrowfully : upon which, Osmond, 
 venturing to speak to her, said with great 
 interest in his manner, " But I fear that our 
 destinies have been cast in a different mould V 
 
 " Allah bilir — God alone knows I" said Aye- 
 sha, with an averted head and a suppressed 
 sigh. 
 
 These words caused a thrill to run through 
 the very being of Osmond ; he had never be- 
 fore heard so bewitching a voice, whose tones 
 implied so much feeling. 
 
 " Could those destinies be changed,'' 1 said 
 Osmond, " and would one so charming con- 
 descend to receive me as her friend and pro- 
 tector, I would bless the hour which led me to 
 Kars r 
 
 " But not the hour, 1,1 said Ayesha, " which 
 led to that fatal accident."
 
 AYESHA. 139 
 
 " What do you say ?" exclaimed Osmond ; 
 " that accident has been my only joy ; without 
 it I should never have seen you ; without it 
 I should never have imagined that you could 
 take any interest in my fate. The recollection 
 of that one moment has imprinted your image 
 in my mind for ever. 1 ' 
 
 " What do you say P 11 said Ayesha, her 
 breast heaving with confusion, whilst crimson 
 blushes overspread her cheeks, at the same 
 time partially drawing her veil across her face ; 
 " I surely can never be of so much value to 
 you as you seem to think. You do not, cannot 
 know me. 11 
 
 " Of no value to me," said Osmond, " who 
 have never before seen anything like you ! 
 What do you say ? my imagination has never 
 been able to conceive such excellence ! No, I 
 do not, and cannot know you, you say true ; 
 my weak mind will never be able to appreciate 
 your worth. 11 
 
 " Sir, desist, 11 said Ayesha ; " I am a poor 
 weak girl, and am not accustomed to hear such 
 flattering words. We have not been bred in
 
 140 AYESHA. 
 
 cities, and we are the children of sincerity. 
 Besides, 1 ' she slowly said with a deep-drawn 
 sigh, " it is improper for me to speak to you — 
 I am a child of Islam ! You despise our Pro- 
 phet and contemn our religion." 
 
 Osmond could have caught her in his arms 
 as she uttered these words, there was such 
 thorough humility in her whole manner. Far 
 from that arrogance of the Mahomedan who 
 holds the Christian in contempt, she, on the 
 contrary, seemed to esteem herself as nothing, 
 and tacitly to imply her inferiority before one 
 whom she felt so much her superior. 
 
 " Heaven forbid," said he with animation, 
 " that I should despise any one, or that 1 
 should ever venture to contemn a thing so sa- 
 cred as religion ! Are we not all creatures of 
 one God ? — Do not think so ill of me." 
 
 " I cannot think ill of you," said Ayesha ; 
 " but still we have different duties to perform, 
 and I have been taught that it is sinful to talk 
 to a giaour — an unbeliever." 
 
 " Ah ! say not so — do not refuse to talk to 
 me ; you would not harm any one, every word
 
 AYESHA. 141 
 
 and every look of yours tells me that : you 
 cannot refuse to talk to me; you would not 
 make me miserable F" 
 
 This argument had a strong effect, for it 
 had never entered the head of Ayesha that 
 she could ever make any one miserable, and 
 she looked up into the face of Osmond as 
 if she would have said — " What am I then to 
 do between my duty and my inclination ?" 
 He saw her perplexity and pressed her no 
 more, but, glancing from the subject, drew 
 her on to talk upon other matters, for he was 
 anxious to ascertain what might be the powers 
 of her mind upon such points as were likely 
 to have made up the education of a Turkish 
 girl. He was surprised and delighted to find 
 how true were her observations, what a sense 
 she had of justice, and, notwithstanding the 
 warp which she had received from her religi- 
 ous instruction, how liberal and unprejudiced 
 was the general cast of her mind. She ap- 
 peared so alive to any words of instruction 
 which casually fell from Osmond, that she ques- 
 tioned him over and over again, and seemed
 
 142 AYESHA. 
 
 to cling to him as an oracle, as one who would 
 dissipate that mist of ignorance in which she 
 seemed aware that she had hitherto lived. 
 There was something so endearing in her man- 
 ner, as with great simplicity she asked ques- 
 tions relating to Europe and Europeans, that 
 Osmond's interest was most sensibly awakened 
 in the desire of administering to her improve- 
 ment, putting aside his admiration for her 
 unrivalled beauty ; and he would willingly 
 have passed away the whole night in giving 
 instruction to such a pupil, but Zabetta, an- 
 nounced that it was time to retire. 
 
 During the conversation of Osmond with her 
 daughter, Zabetta had been taken up with 
 Stasso, who had again endeavoured to learn 
 more particulars of her history, but to no pur- 
 pose. She betrayed much alarm when she heard 
 that preparations were making for his master's 
 departure, for that event would destroy the 
 scheme which she had been planning for eman- 
 cipating herself from her present situation ; and 
 she immediately began to revolve in her mind 
 how she could cast impediments in his way.
 
 AYESHA. 143 
 
 She had heard from the old Caterina the effect 
 which the beauty of her daughter had pro- 
 duced upon Mustafa, and as she knew that 
 Tatars held the issues of departure in their 
 hands, from their influence at post-houses, 
 she soon determined to play him off in fur- 
 therance of her scheme. 
 
 Upon quitting the terrace that night, she 
 made an appointment for meeting on the en- 
 suing evening, to which Osmond, excited as 
 he had been by his interview with Ayesha, 
 eagerly assented ; and as soon as she had re- 
 turned to her own apartment, she sent a mes- 
 sage to Mustafa, that, if he would call at the 
 door of Suleiman Aga's harem early in the 
 morning, she would see and converse with him. 
 Osmond retired from the terrace perfectly 
 entranced by a feeling of love, pity, and es- 
 teem, for the enchanting person with whom 
 he had conversed. He had made acquaint- 
 ance with a character as novel as it was in- 
 teresting ; he had found a mind capable of 
 the most enlarged and exalted ideas, shackled 
 by prejudice and enveloped in ignorance, it is
 
 144 AYESHA. 
 
 true, but seemingly bent upon overcoming the 
 obstacles by which it was beset, and even in 
 its present state able almost intuitively to 
 form conclusions that would overturn all the 
 errors and fallacies which it had been taught. 
 Osmond could not refrain from deploring that 
 so much beauty and excellence should be bu- 
 ried among infidels and barbarians; and with 
 that tincture of adventure and romance which 
 was mixed up in his character, he had already 
 begun to devise some mode by which he might 
 rescue Ayesha from her degradation, and, hav- 
 ing rescued her, so renovate her being as to 
 make her the ornament and the admiration 
 of civilized life. Never were the raw mate- 
 rials of a romantic, disinterested, and devoted 
 passion, so suddenly got together as upon 
 this occasion. On both sides the passion, 
 if indulged, was encompassed by dangers and 
 difficulty. The maiden's faith taught her to 
 hold a giaour in abhorrence ; she was threat- 
 ened with every indignity, even with death, 
 if she held intercourse with him. On the 
 other side Osmond would have to encounter the
 
 AYESHA. 145 
 
 ridicule of his friends, the disadvantages of 
 a different religion, the danger attendant upon 
 the enterprise, and, after all, the improbability 
 of ever bringing it to a happy issue. Still, 
 every impediment only the more increased the 
 desire; and we need not inform the gentle 
 reader that both parties left the terrace, to 
 use a common expression on so auspicious an 
 occasion, over head and ears in love with each 
 other. 
 
 When Mustafa received, through Caterina, 
 Zabetta"s message to attend her call, and at 
 the same time an intimation that it had refer- 
 ence to the object of his desires, the usual 
 torpor of his thoughts received a sudden ex- 
 citement, and, although he had just filled a 
 fresh pipe, and was enjoying the first whiff, 
 he suddenly stopped, knocked the tobacco from 
 the bowl, and starting upon his legs, exclaim- 
 ed, " Gidelim — let us go f 1 
 
 " Mashallah !" exclaimed Caterina, " you 
 are all at once grown young !" 
 
 " What say you, old one F" said Mustafa ; 
 " grown young ! How much younger would 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 AYESHA. 
 
 you have me be ?" Upon which he pulled 
 his mustache up towards his eye, and, put- 
 ting himself into one of his quickest walks, 
 followed his conductress to the door of Su- 
 leiman Aga's harem. When they had arrived 
 there, Zabetta soon appeared, and under pre- 
 tence of having some commission to give to 
 the Tatar, who was to perform it for her 
 at Arzeroum, or Stamboul, she invited him 
 to sit, and, crouching down opposite to each 
 other, they began to converse. 
 
 " You are welcome, Sir Aga," said she ; 
 " may you live many years!" 
 
 " Well found,"' 1 answered Mustafa. 
 
 " Is your humour good ?" said Zabetta. 
 
 " Good, thank Allah I 11 answered Mustafa. 
 " You, what do you do ?" 
 
 " What can we do ? we sit," said Zabetta. 
 " What news have you ?" 
 
 " There is nothing," answered Mustafa. 
 
 " There is one business, however," said Za- 
 betta, who, having thus much beat about the 
 bush, thought it high time to begin — " there is 
 one business of which you are aware, of which 

 
 AYESHA. 147 
 
 the old Armenian woman has informed me, — 
 is there not ?" 
 
 " What can I say?" said Mustafa in some 
 embarrassment, " there is — how shall it be ?" 
 
 " How can it be, do you ask, 1 ' replied the 
 artful woman, " when you are about setting off 
 immediately ? You can not marry on the full 
 gallop ; such a business requires time : you 
 must delay. You are no ass, Mashallah! and 
 can put off going as long as you please." 
 
 My Bei/zadeh — my master," said Mustafa, 
 ct is like fire when once he determines to 
 set off." 
 
 " He has not been before the Pasha yet," 
 said Zabetta ; " he must go, he cannot start 
 without that ceremony — that will take up 
 time : you must look to that, upon your head 
 be it !" 
 
 " Upon my head be it !" answered Mustafa, 
 " and, Inshallah ! I will raise delays. But let 
 us speak a little about your daughter." 
 
 " Go first upon this business : put off your 
 departure — tell lies — say this thing and that 
 thing — say every thing, provided you make 
 
 h 2
 
 148 AYESHA. 
 
 the Beyzadeh stay his departure. Have you 
 understood me ?" 
 
 Mustafa .slowly assented that he had under- 
 stood ; he could not, however, quite make out 
 why, in the arrangement of a marriage, not a 
 word on the subject should have been spoken, 
 and why he, being one of the principal par- 
 ties concerned, should have been treated as if 
 he had nothing to do with it. He went off 
 consoling himself with the ejaculation " A T e 
 apalum — what can I do ? arret der — it is a 
 woman ;" then shaking the lapel of his jacket, 
 he mumbled to himself, " O save me from a 
 woman !"'
 
 AYESHA. 149 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Hallo el buey, y dixo mu. The ox spoke, and said moo. 
 
 CejudOj Refranes Castelianos. 
 
 OSiMOND willingly assented to the propriety 
 of Mustafa's proposal of a visit to the Pasha, 
 for he himself was not sorry to frame any excuse 
 which might delay his departure. Accordingly, 
 the etiquette of the visit having been settled, a 
 horse handsomely caparisoned, escorted by two 
 chokhadars (literally cloak-bearers), and con- 
 ducted by a groom, was sent to the gate of the 
 dyer's house, and Osmond was invited to pro- 
 ceed thereupon to the government house. It 
 was a large and unconnected mansion, entered 
 by a pair of folding gates ; an open space or
 
 150 AYESHA. 
 
 court extended itself to a considerable distance 
 within, in which several fine horses were seen 
 at their pickets, whilst groups of attendants 
 and persons upon business were collected here 
 and there, some seated with their never-failing 
 pipes in hand, others lounging about, waiting 
 for admission to the presence. 
 
 Osmond alighted at the foot of a long 
 flight of stone steps situated on the outside 
 of the chief body of the building, at the 
 summit of which were the hall of audience 
 and the rooms of attendance. Below, on the 
 ground-floor, Osmond remarked a small iron- 
 grated window, through which he saw some 
 imploring faces, and which he discovered gave 
 light to a cell for prisoners. No sooner had 
 he reached the top of the staircase than 
 he was introduced into the Pasha's recep- 
 tion-room, followed closely by Mustafa and 
 Stasso, by way of swelling the number of his 
 retinue. 
 
 In the further corner of the ottoman which 
 surrounded the apartment, he perceived a 
 mountain of shawls, furs, and tufted beard,
 
 AYESHA. 151 
 
 through which peered a pair of eyes and a 
 nose. He could scarcely make out what it 
 could be until he saw it move, when he ascer- 
 tained that it contained a man, and that man 
 the Pasha. Opposite to him sat a reverend 
 Turk, of respectable and handsome presence, 
 who he afterwards learned was Suleiman Aga, 
 Ayesha's reputed father ; and lower down was 
 squatted a little sour-faced man, dressed like a 
 priest, the Imam of an adjacent mosque. The 
 end of the room was crowded with chiboukchies 
 or pipe-men, shoe-bearers, cloak-bearers, and 
 other attendants, among whom also stood 
 Mustafa and Stasso. 
 
 As soon as Osmond had taken his seat, 
 which he did on a place pointed out to him, 
 the Pasha said, " Khosh geldin— you are wel- 
 come V 
 
 " Khosh bulduk — well found," answered Os- 
 mond, nothing abashed. 
 
 After about a minute's pause, during which 
 Suleiman Aga looked neither to the right nor 
 left, and the priest had cast a scrutinising eye 
 over Osmond, the Pasha again opened his lips
 
 152 AYESHA. 
 
 and said, " Kiefiniz ayi me — is your humour 
 good ?" 
 
 " Good, 11 said Osmond, with a severe gra- 
 vity. 
 
 After another long interval, the Pasha said 
 again, " Khosh geldin;" to which Osmond said, 
 " I am your servant." 
 
 Upon which, slowly turning up his eyes to 
 his attendants, he said, " Chibouk, cahveh getir 
 — bring pipes and coffee," when several long- 
 robed, handsomely dressed men left the room 
 to perform his bidding, the whole being done 
 without the least noise, and as solemnly as if 
 the party assembled were met at a funeral. In 
 a short time after the same men rushed in, 
 armed with pipes, some six feet in length, and 
 made a direct charge at each of the persons 
 present, placing the amber-mouthed tips in 
 their mouths, and resting the lighted bowls on 
 small round tinned platters on the carpeted 
 "floor. Coffee was then served to each, by a 
 servant of superior dress and authority, in 
 small thimble-like cups, which was duly sipped 
 smoking hot.
 
 AYESHA. 153 
 
 When the coffee had been disposed of, the 
 voice of the priest was heard in the smoke ad- 
 dressing the Pasha : alluding to Osmond, he 
 said, " Kim boo — who is that ?" 
 
 " This is our friend, 11 said the Pasha in a 
 good-natured voice ; " this is an English Bej/- 
 zadeh, or lord's son. Is it not so ?" said he, 
 turning to Mustafa. 
 
 " Yes, O Effendi P said Mustafa. 
 
 " Who are you ?"" said the priest, turning 
 round to Mustafa. 
 
 " I am the Tatar Aga, 11 answered Mustafa. 
 
 " Hai ! hair sighed the priest with a sort 
 of recondite sigh, and then stroking down his 
 face he mumbled his profession of faith, and 
 finished it by ejaculating, " Shukiur allah ! — 
 praise be to God P as if he would have said, 
 " Thank heaven I am what I am P 
 
 After another long interval, the Pasha turned 
 to Osmond and inquired, " Have you pipes in 
 your country ? have you tobacco ?"" 
 
 " No, 11 said Osmond ; " like these, none ; 
 we do not generally smoke. 11 
 
 Upon which, the Pasha slowly turning him 
 
 h5
 
 154 AYESHA. 
 
 self towards Suleiman Aga, dropping his fea- 
 tures into a look of pity and contempt, said 
 in an under tone, " Haivan der — they are ani- 
 mals r 
 
 Suleiman Aga dropped his features into a 
 similar look, shook his head, and said, " What 
 is to be done ?" 
 
 Several minutes now elapsed, when the Pasha 
 again inquired, " Have you horses in your 
 country ?" 
 
 " We have horses, 11 answered Osmond. 
 
 " Pek ayi — very well,"" said the Pasha. 
 
 The Mir akhor — the chief of the stable, who 
 was standing among the attendants, a well- 
 dressed man, in a tone of humility said, — "May 
 the Pasha live many years! they have horses, 
 but they make them all beguirs — geldings, and 
 they cut their tails off, as Allah is great !" 
 
 " Is it so ?" said the Pasha, without the least 
 emotion, although he slowly ejaculated, " Al- 
 lah ! Allah !" 
 
 Suleiman Aga and the priest also said, " Al- 
 lah ! Allah!'' 
 
 The Pasha again turning his eyes towards
 
 AYESHA. 155 
 
 Suleiman Aga, said, "Delia der — they are 
 madmen !"" 
 
 " Ne apalum — what can we do ?"" said Sulei- 
 man Aga in a tone of resignation. 
 
 All at once appeared among the crowd of 
 attendants a man of enormous size, a negro, 
 sufficiently meanly dressed, who was the Pa- 
 sha's pehlivan bashi, or chief wrestler. At the 
 sight of him the Pasha became animated, he sat 
 up, his eye glanced at him with exultation, and 
 looking towards Osmond he said, " Have you 
 anything like that in your country ?" 
 
 " What can I say ?" answered Osmond ; 
 " we have great as well as little men in my 
 country. 1 ' 
 
 " We shall see !" said the Pasha ; upon 
 which he made a sign to the negro to be gone, 
 and, soon after, he was seen in the court below, 
 stripped to the skin, with the exception of a 
 pair of wrestling-trowsers well greased, await- 
 ing the signal from his master to exhibit his 
 strength as opposed to another wrestler, who 
 stood prepared for the encounter, dressed in 
 a similar costume.
 
 156 AYESHA. 
 
 The signal having been made, the negro 
 clapped his hands, and so did his opponent, 
 and then went through the ceremonial common 
 to wrestlers before they set to, which consists 
 in a certain mummery of attitudes and prostra- 
 tions, accompanied by invocations of " Bismil- 
 lah ! — in the name of Allah. 11 They then tried 
 to grapple, which was difficult, inasmuch as both 
 their bodies were covered with oil, and they 
 slipped away, sometimes on, sometimes oft' 
 each other, like agitated eels. The negro was 
 indeed a powerful man ; his muscles displayed 
 themselves in as strong relief as those of the 
 Farnesian Hercules ; but he was slow and slug- 
 gish, and could scarcely withstand the more 
 active exertions of his antagonist; at length, 
 however, he managed to seize him under the 
 legs, and having, as the sailors say, got a good 
 purchase, threw him over his head, and laid 
 him prone on his back, which is all that is re- 
 quired, and is the signal of victory. After this 
 feat, all out of breath, he ran to a convenient 
 spot underneath the Pasha's window, exclaim- 
 ing, " May the Pasha live for ever!" upon which
 
 AYESHA. 157 
 
 the delighted chief threw him out a small piece 
 of gold for his pains, and said, " Mashallah! — 
 praise be to Allah !" He then ordered one of the 
 servants to call him up into his presence, for he 
 was anxious to exhibit him to Osmond, and he 
 soon after appeared in the very state in which 
 he had wrestled. 
 
 Again the Pasha said exultingly, " Have you 
 anything like him in your country?" to which 
 Osmond made a reply complimentary to the 
 powers of the negro, and at the same time con- 
 ferred upon him a suitable gift, which was very 
 gratifying to the individual, and also went a 
 great way in enlisting his master among his 
 friends. 
 
 " Wallah !" said the Pasha, turning to Su- 
 leiman Aga, " the Ingliz are good men."" 
 
 To which Suleiman Aga answered by ad- 
 dressing himself to Osmond, and said these 
 words, " You are a giaour — an infidel, are 
 you not ?" 
 
 " If by giaour you mean a disbeliever in 
 the Mussulman's faith," said Osmond, " I am ; 
 but let me say that I am not more a giaour
 
 158 AYESHA. 
 
 than you are, since you do not acknowledge 
 the Christian's faith. 1 ' 
 
 The word giaour, in a Turk's estimation, is 
 never used except in an offensive sense, and 
 consequently when those present heard an infi- 
 del like Osmond apply it in this manner, and to 
 one of the most respected of their community, 
 they appeared to be struck with astonishment 
 and horror. 
 
 The Pasha, who was secretly no friend to 
 holy men, and led a life of pleasure and sensu- 
 ality, having heard what was said, and fearful 
 of more being elicited, immediately called again 
 for pipes and coffee, which served as a signal 
 for the breaking up of the visit. Osmond then 
 arose and took his departure, but the words 
 which he had uttered made Suleiman Aga his 
 enemy, and excited the wrath of the sour priest, 
 who went home more incensed against Chris- 
 tians than ever, and more pleased with himself 
 for being what he was. 
 
 After having satisfied the numerous appli- 
 cations for backshish — vails, which are usually 
 made by the officers and attendants of a pasha
 
 AYESHA. 159 
 
 upon the occasion of a visit such as we have 
 described, Osmond returned home. He felt 
 that he had no longer any excuse for delay- 
 ing his departure, but still he could not tear 
 himself away from the fascination which was 
 spread over him, like a net, by the charms 
 of Ayesha. He was perplexed how to act in 
 giving his orders to Mustafa, whom he still 
 supposed to be anxious to proceed. 
 
 Mustafa, on the other hand, was plotting in 
 his head how he could create further delays, 
 and having on former occasions experienced 
 the difficulty of counteracting his master's 
 wishes when bent upon departure, he sat 
 down perplexed, and, as a Persian would say, 
 inhaled the pipe of thought, and emitted the 
 smoke of uncertainty. After various schemes, 
 which proved the one more abortive than 
 the other, he determined to have recourse to 
 the ingenuity of Zabetta; for he was wise 
 enough to know that men are but babes com- 
 pared to women, when a bit of deception is to 
 be invented and put into execution. Accord- 
 ingly, he applied at the gate of Suleiman
 
 160 AYESHA. 
 
 Aga's harem, and was soon admitted to an 
 audience. 
 
 " What has happened, Sir Tatar P 11 said Za- 
 betta, as soon as she saw him ; " how does our 
 affair advance ?" 
 
 " What do I know ?" answered Mustafa ; 
 " we have been to the Pasha — all went oft' 
 well ; but if the Beyzadeh wishes to depart to- 
 morrow morning, what can I say ? I am no 
 liar to my master." 
 
 " How is this ? M exclaimed Zabetta ; " you 
 a man, and no liar! This can never be. 
 Where have you lived all this while ? This is 
 the Kurdistan, we are amongst thieves and 
 rogues, this is the very country of lies." 
 
 " What can I do then ?" asked Mustafa. 
 
 " Do ? go tell your Aga that all the post-horses 
 were stolen from the menzil khaneh last night by 
 the Kurds — that occurrence is frequent here; 
 tell him that the Savanlu mountain is impassable 
 on account of Cara Bey's gang ; tell him that 
 the Pasha of Arzerouirfs troops kill all Franks. 
 — Do you come to me, man, when any child in 
 the street here will help you to half a score of
 
 AYESHA. 161 
 
 good lies, better than any which I can invent ? 
 Go, tell him that he cannot think of leaving 
 Kars for a week at least." 
 
 "Bakalum — we shall see!" said Mustafa, 
 thoughtfully shaking his head. 
 
 " Bakalum ! bakalum !"" exclaimed the irri- 
 table woman with impatience, " you Osmanlis 
 have never any thing else but Bakalum at the 
 bottom of your throats, when you ought to be 
 up and acting." 
 
 " But, Khadun V said Mustafa with humi- 
 lity, " when shall we have conversation upon 
 my little affair ?" 
 
 " Ah, your affair ! true, 1 ' said Zabetta, who 
 had almost forgotten the circumstance of his 
 being a suitor for her daughter, so much was 
 she wrapped up in her own schemes: "leave all 
 to me ; Suleiman Aga, my husband, is a difficult 
 man, but, Inshallah ! the business will go to 
 your satisfaction. Go, make your Aga delay 
 his departure, and then we will converse; go, 
 you have been welcome." 
 
 Upon which Mustafa slowly rose, and as 
 slowly putting one foot before the other, he
 
 162 AYESHA. 
 
 began to perform an operation in his mind, 
 which the honesty of his nature seldom encou- 
 raged towards his master, whatever he might 
 do towards Turks, that is, the fabrication of a 
 falsehood. In order to this he stopped at a 
 coffee-house by the road-side, the resort of 
 Tatars and travellers, to refresh his invention 
 by a cup of coffee and to soothe his nerves by 
 a fresh pipe. There he met with a friend, a 
 Tatar, just arrived, who was on his road from 
 Constantinople to Persia, who, discussing his 
 journey, informed him, in fact, that he had 
 met with a detachment of Cara Bey's gang, pre- 
 cisely in the defiles of the Savanlu mountain, 
 and that he had escaped from them with the 
 greatest difficulty ; but that the day before they 
 had pillaged a caravan proceeding toArzeroum, 
 and had killed one Armenian merchant. This 
 intelligence cheered Mustafa's heart, and he 
 exclaimed "Praises be to the Prophet!" to 
 the astonishment of the narrator, as well as 
 several others sitting by, who had opened all 
 their ears to hear the history of his escape.
 
 AYESHA. 163 
 
 But Mustafa, in making this ejaculation, as 
 may be conceived, was far from rejoicing in the 
 act of murder which had been related to him ; 
 he only felt relieved inasmuch as he might now 
 boldly face his master without the skreen of 
 a lie, and was sufficiently armed with an 
 excuse for not immediately proceeding on his 
 journey. 
 
 Accordingly, having finished his refresh- 
 ments, and taken leave of his friend, he pro- 
 ceeded to the Armenian dyer's house to seek 
 Lord Osmond. He thought it proper to clothe 
 his face with an appropriate look of sorrow 
 as he entered the room, and squatted himself 
 on the carpet as if he were oppressed with 
 some heavy woe. 
 
 " What 's the matter, Mustafa ?" said Os- 
 mond ; " has anything happened ?" 
 
 " Bad news, bad news has just arrived, ,, 
 said Mustafa, shaking his head. * 
 
 " Has there indeed ?" said Osmond, smiling 
 in his sleeve, for he had studied the characters 
 of Orientals so well that he was always amused
 
 IGi AYESHA. 
 
 by what their ideas of good or bad news 
 might be. " Has coffee risen in price ? or is 
 rice scarce ?" 
 
 " No, 11 answered Mustafa, sorrowfully ; 
 " other miseries are abroad." 
 
 " Then perhaps tobacco is scarce ; is that 
 it? 11 
 
 " No, Effendi, no," sighed out the Tatar ; 
 " we have plenty of coffee, rice, and tobacco, 
 Alhemdullilah ! — praises be to Allah ! But 
 that head rogue, Cara Bey — I have done the 
 needful to his father and mother — he is now 
 on the Savanlu mountain, and no one can pass. 
 The post-master will not give post-horses, and 
 here we are sitting idle until the fates please 
 to set the road free. Omar Aga, the Tatar, 
 has just arrived, and he left ten Armenian 
 merchants dead on the road. What can we 
 do ?" 
 
 " That is bad news indeed," said Osmond, 
 seriously ; but he would never have allowed 
 himself to be stopped by such a circumstance, 
 knowing, as he did, how much such sort of 
 stories were exaggerated, had he not himself
 
 AYESHA. 165 
 
 been inclined to delay his departure. " Cara 
 Bey is a scourge : we must wait a day or 
 two, Mustafa, until we hear that the road 
 is clear — there is no harm in that ! — My knee 
 will be quite well by that time ; and then, 
 please heaven, whip in hand, we will make 
 up for lost time. 1 ' 
 
 " Inshallah V said Mustafa, greatly charmed 
 with the success of his scheme, and totally 
 without suspicion how much he had pleased 
 his master by affording him a plausible ex- 
 cuse for remaining where he was. 
 
 Osmond felt as if he had received a reprieve 
 from punishment. His passion for Ayesha 
 had made great progress in his breast since 
 his last interview, and he only dreamed of the 
 moment when his eyes might again be blessed 
 with her presence. The more he dwelt upon 
 her image and brought to his recollection the 
 conversations that had passed between them, 
 the more he became convinced that hers had 
 not been the common destiny of every Turk- 
 ish girl. He felt assured that her story was 
 involved in some mystery ; but, whatever that
 
 166 AYESHA. 
 
 might be, this he knew, that her nature was 
 so much more refined than that of any other 
 Asiatic whom he had ever seen — her mind 
 so pure, and her intellect so superior, that he 
 felt every inclination, amounting almost to a 
 fixed resolution, to leave nothing untried in 
 order to ascertain the truth, and to place 
 her, if possible, out of the pale of her present 
 degradation. But the more he turned such 
 a scheme over in his mind, the more difficul- 
 ties seemed to stand in his way. Could he 
 by any means transplant her to Constanti- 
 nople, there he made no doubt he might 
 easily evade the Turkish authorities, and bear 
 her off to his own country ; but from such 
 a place as Kars, "far in the bowels of the 
 land, 1 ' unassisted and powerless, a stranger 
 and a Christian withal, he felt it would be 
 next to impossible. He rather clung to the 
 wish of evasion expressed by Zabetta, al- 
 though it had only been uttered in joke ; and 
 he was anxious to hear the same wish repeated, 
 in order that he might discover whether, with 
 her knowledge of the country, aided by wo-
 
 AYESHA. 167 
 
 man's ingenuity, she might have devised some 
 practicable mode of effecting it. Accordingly, 
 when the hour for meeting on the terrace 
 came, he proceeded thither, determined to 
 make every investigation in his power, and 
 to ascertain whether it were possible, consist- 
 ently with prudence and rectitude, to enter 
 into some negotiation which might ultimately 
 draw her from her present situation. 
 
 Ayesha met Osmond on this occasion with 
 every appearance of confidence. His words, 
 in their previous conversation, had sunk deep 
 in her mind. She longed to receive further 
 instruction from him, to have her difficulties 
 solved, and to be put into the way of gain- 
 ing knowledge. Ingenuousness and candour 
 beamed in her countenance as she approached 
 him, whilst the real incentive of her actions, 
 which to this moment had not been revealed 
 to her, that love which creeps so insidiously 
 into the heart, threw an indescribable charm 
 of retiring modesty and bashfulness over her 
 whole person and demeanour. Osmond was 
 more enslaved by her beauty and manner than
 
 168 AYESHA. 
 
 he had been at the first interview, but, dis- 
 trustful of his natural ardour and impetuosity, 
 he determined to check his feelings. He was 
 apprehensive lest the beauty, the grace, and 
 the singleness of heart, of one who was in truth 
 a child of nature, might throw him off his 
 guard, and make him avow sentiments de- 
 structive to her peace of mind. Her mother, 
 who was present, scarcely acted as a restraint 
 upon him, for both her words and actions 
 were encouraging; and he probably would at 
 this interview have made a full disclosure of 
 his passion, and given utterance to his feelings, 
 had he not been, perhaps happily been, taken 
 up by Zabetta, who stepped in and engaged 
 him in conversation, with the view of propos- 
 ing her scheme for escaping from Kars. That 
 artful woman had watched the progress of 
 Osmond's love for her daughter ; she saw how 
 much he had been struck by her beauty, and 
 she now thought she had no time to lose in 
 making use of his agency. She accordingly 
 in set terms, preluding what she had to say 
 with those flattering words and abject speeches
 
 AYESHA. 169 
 
 so common in the mouths of Greeks, proposed 
 that he should leave Kars, but, instead of pro- 
 ceeding to Constantinople, take the shortest 
 road to the frontiers of Georgia, where he 
 would at once come under the protection of 
 Russia ; that he should there wait until she 
 and Ayesha joined him, which she asserted 
 they might easily do, by means which she 
 felt confident they could command. She ob- 
 served, and truly, that should they attempt 
 to proceed to Constantinople direct, either by 
 Trebizond and the Black Sea, or by the post- 
 road, they would inevitably be overtaken, 
 seized, and probably be delivered over to re- 
 ceive the punishment so severely adjudged on 
 such occasions by the Mahomedan law ; and she 
 finished her proposal by saying, — " Once pro- 
 tected by the Moscoves, it will then be time 
 to settle whether you will take us to Constan- 
 tinople, or proceed to your own country 
 through the different states of Frangistan.^ 
 
 The boldness of this scheme, apparently so 
 feasible, concerted by a woman, the wife of a 
 Mahomedan, astonished Osmond; for he had 
 
 VOL. I. i
 
 170 AYESHA. 
 
 ever been accustomed to look upon Asiatic wo- 
 men as so helpless, and so much creatures of 
 routine, that he could not but esteem Zabetta 
 a miracle of enterprise. Before, however, he 
 gave his consent, he desired time to reflect, for 
 however great might be his love for Ayesha, he 
 felt that he ought not to rush headlong into an 
 adventure which might involve others as well 
 as himself in, perhaps, fatal and inextricable 
 difficulties. He wished, moreover, to ascertain 
 what might be the sentiments of Ayesha herself 
 upon the subject; for in Zabetta he saw an 
 ardent and reckless woman, whose schemes evi- 
 dently had reference more to herself than to the 
 well-being of her daughter, and whose vehe- 
 ment character, blinding her judgment, might 
 carry her away into the perpetration of violence 
 and of every species of imprudence. But to do 
 this it was necessary that he should speak to 
 Ayesha without the constraint of her mother's 
 presence, whose wishes it was evident she 
 did not allow herself to oppose, and to whose 
 guidance she ever submitted with meekness. 
 He made an effort to engage her in conver-
 
 AYESHA. 171 
 
 sat ion by herself, but Zabetta, whose hopes 
 of emancipation from her present situation had 
 absorbed every other feeling, had so excited 
 both her powers of speech and her imagina- 
 tion, that she did not cease to importune Os- 
 mond with her projects and schemes, until the 
 night had so far advanced as to oblige them 
 to retire. 
 
 However, before they parted, he found an 
 opportunity to request Ayesha to meet him by 
 herself on the terrace earlier than usual on the 
 following evening; and although she said no- 
 thing, it was evident by her manner that she 
 did not reject his proposal. It need not be 
 said, that in this meeting he made no pro- 
 gress in ascertaining the mystery by which she 
 was encompassed. 
 
 i 2
 
 172 AYESHA. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Jul. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, 
 My love as deep ; the more I give to thee 
 The more I have, for both are infinite, (a noise is heard.) 
 I hear some noise within ; dear love, adieu ! 
 
 Romeo and Juliet. 
 
 Osmond passed the succeeding day in a state 
 of feverish anxiety. He longed for the evening ; 
 he felt as if his future doom was about to be 
 sealed. Ayesha had created in his breast an 
 interest of so intense a nature, that, notwith- 
 standing all his previous resolutions, it over- 
 came every consideration of prudence or ex- 
 pediency. His imagination had taken fire at 
 the mystery in which her history was involved, 
 and he was strengthened in his suspicions that 
 such excellence could never be the offspring 
 of barbarians; for in her conversation, there 
 beamed through her ignorance a refinement
 
 AYESHA. 173 
 
 which belonged only to the highest breeding ; 
 and in her manners she might vie with those of 
 the most polished nations. 
 
 The muezzins had not yet called the faithful 
 to evening prayer from the minarets, when Os- 
 mond appeared on the terrace in search of 
 Ayesha. There was a balmy stillness in the air ; 
 the sun was about to disappear behind the 
 western hills, and the repose of nature was 
 such as happy lovers prize for being in unison 
 with their own feeling's. But the lovers who 
 were about to meet were far from enjoying such 
 a state of tranquillity; doubts, apprehensions, 
 and fears, disturbed their breasts too much to 
 leave them in security, and they were agitated 
 by the tremors of disquietude which will creep 
 into the minds of those who are about to un- 
 dertake a dangerous and uncertain enterprise. 
 Osmond waited for some time alone ; his 
 eyes in vain sought the object of his desire ; 
 she did not appear, and he began to doubt 
 whether she would ever have the courage so 
 far to overstep the prejudices of her sect as 
 to meet him alone and unprotected. Long sha-
 
 174 AYESHA. 
 
 dows began to cast themselves over the scenery 
 which surrounded him ; the sun's lower limb 
 was fast approaching the tips of the mountain 
 behind which it set, and the shades of even- 
 ing were gradually drawing towards twilight, 
 when he heard a slight rustling behind the 
 wall which stood before the opening of the ad- 
 joining terrace. To his delight he perceived 
 the graceful form of Ayesha approaching him 
 with a slow and uncertain step, her heart im- 
 pelling her onward to her lover, whilst her 
 Mahomedan fears shackled her motions with 
 more than the weight of fetters on the feet 
 of a prisoner. He flew to receive her with an 
 eagerness that almost alarmed her ; but when 
 she heard his soothing voice, and was quieted 
 by the respectful tone of his manner, she was 
 restored to all the confidence with which he 
 had inspired her, and, in the pleasure of being 
 at his side, forgot the dangers which im- 
 pended over their heads. 
 
 " This is really kind," said Osmond, as he 
 took her hand into his ; " how can I show you 
 my gratitude for thus trusting in me ?"
 
 AYESHA. 17o 
 
 " Allah only knows," said Ayesha, timidly 
 withdrawing her hand, " whether what I am 
 now doing be right. My heart tells me you 
 are good, and that I should be wicked to 
 doubt you ; — but pity me ! I have been taught 
 to think you are one of those whom a Mussul- 
 man must in duty reject. Oh, what shall I 
 do ?" 
 
 " Ayesha," said Osmond, " the day will 
 come when vou will more clearly see the errors 
 in which you have been brought up. I appeal 
 to your own heart, whether the God whom we 
 both worship, by whom we have both been 
 fashioned, and in whom we both live — whether 
 the works of his hands be objects of pollu- 
 tion such as Mahomedans esteem Christians 
 to be r 
 
 " I cannot think," said Ayesha, " that there 
 can be pollution in anything you tell me. 1 
 feel myself better and happier since I have put 
 into practice what you advised me to do. But 
 when you are gone, who will direct me? must 
 I live without a law V 
 
 " But what if we were never to be sepa-
 
 176 AYESHA. 
 
 rated ?" said Osmond, with a tone of the 
 deepest feeling, whilst he fixed his expressive 
 eyes upon her. 
 
 " How can that ever be ?" exclaimed Aye- 
 sha, her face beaming with sudden animation. 
 " Who am I that could venture to hope for 
 so much happiness ? Will you become a true 
 believer, and abandon all for me ? No ; that 
 can never be : do not play with my feelings." 
 
 " Ayesha," said Osmond with emotion, " let 
 me not deceive you. I should be unworthy of 
 you if I ever could abandon my faith. You 
 say truly — No; that can never be. But if you 
 trust me in one thing, trust me in all. If you 
 believe that I love you, believe too that I 
 would never urge you to wrong : — I do love, I 
 adore you. You are as necessary to my hap- 
 piness as the air I breathe. Say, too, that you 
 love me, that you will be mine, and then we will 
 live for each other through life until death, 
 through good and evil, and, as we shall be of 
 one mind and one heart, so we will partake of 
 each other's fortunes, and belong to one coun- 
 try. You must follow me whither I will lead
 
 AYESHA. 177 
 
 you; — trust in me. As God is in heaven, as I am 
 a true man, trust in my word and my honour, 
 and I swear to live only to make you happy.' 1 
 
 This passionate avowal, which was spoken 
 with an honesty of purpose that brought on 
 involuntary conviction, made Ayesha's bosom 
 heave with the agitation of a thousand contend- 
 ing feelings, whilst her cheeks burned with 
 blushes. She could not utter a word ; her heart 
 was full to suffocation. She would have shel- 
 tered herself under the protection of some ten- 
 der parent in whom she could confide, had she 
 not felt that Osmond was superior to every 
 being whom she had ever known, and that his 
 protection and his love was of more worth to 
 her than all the world besides. 
 
 " Speak ! speak !" said Osmond, with in- 
 creasing tenderness ; " let me hear one word of 
 love from your lips ; let me know that 1 am 
 not indifferent to you. - " 
 
 " Allah knows how much I love you," said 
 
 the drooping girl, and she would have sunk 
 
 to the ground in making the avowal, had she 
 
 not been sustained by her lover, who bent over 
 
 i 5
 
 178 AYESHA. 
 
 her with the ecstasy of one who had received 
 a new existence. As they stood thus in silent 
 rapture, their minds heedless of anything but 
 the possession of each other's secret, the eyes 
 of Osmond casually fell upon a necklace which 
 hung at the neck of Ayesha. It was composed 
 of many gold coins, such as are frequently worn 
 in the East, in the centre of which was sus- 
 pended a sort of locket curiously wrought in 
 gold, upon which, strange to say, he disco- 
 vered engraved a coat of arms ; the whole 
 evidently of English workmanship. On look- 
 ing more closely at the necklace, he found that 
 it was principally composed of English gold 
 coins, mixed up and strung with zequins and 
 ducats, the common gold coin in circulation 
 throughout Turkey. At the sight of this ob- 
 ject, the current of his emotions received a 
 new impulse, and all at once, as if seized by 
 sudden madness, he took it into his hand, in- 
 spected it with wild astonishment, and exclaim- 
 ed, — " Ayesha, in the name of Allah ! what is 
 this ? How came you by this ?" 
 
 The bewildered maiden, who but the mo-
 
 AYESHA. 179 
 
 ment before was on the point of dissolving into 
 tears of joy, or fainting with excess of agita- 
 tion, was struck with fear at his stranjre 
 action, and, shrinking from him, answered, 
 " Why do you ask ? My mother gave it to 
 me ; is it sinful to possess it V 
 
 " Sinful, my Ayesha — no !" exclaimed Os- 
 mond, still gazing at the locket, and endea- 
 vouring to make out the coat of arms ; " but, 
 as I live, this came from my country ; this has 
 once belonged to my nation ; how came your 
 mother to possess it ?" 
 
 " I know not indeed," said Ayesha ; " I 
 have worn it ever since I was a child, and was 
 told it was to preserve me from the evil eye : 
 more I cannot say. But why are you so asto- 
 nished ?" 
 
 " My life !" exclaimed Osmond, " how can 
 I be otherwise than astonished ? There is 
 mystery in this. Are you indeed a Turkish 
 maiden ? Are you Suleiman Aga's daughter ? 
 Zabetta's daughter? — it cannot be: reflect a 
 while. Have you never heard more of this 
 trinket, or of these coins ? they are from my
 
 180 AYESHA. 
 
 country. Ayesha, you must belong to us. 
 You have been born a Christian ; you cannot 
 have been born a Mahomedan. 11 
 
 Avesha's feelings received a new turn as she 
 heard this from her lover. She knew not what to 
 say ; her head became confused : she felt as if her 
 whole existence was identified with Osmond's, 
 and that those whom she had ever looked 
 upon as her father and mother, were no longer 
 such. The words of Zabetta, ' You are not 
 born a child of Islam,' which had been en- 
 graved on her mind ever since they had been 
 uttered, now flashed across her thoughts, and 
 she was on the point of communicating them to 
 her lover when she recollected the solemn in- 
 junction which she had received not to dis- 
 close them, and, making an effort, she sup- 
 pressed any allusion to their meaning, and 
 merely satisfied herself by saying — "I once 
 heard that my mother had brought these things 
 from Athens. I think I have heard that they 
 belonged to Christians. 1 ' 
 
 Osmond's imagination was fired at this dis- 
 covery, and although he could not make out
 
 AYESHA. 181 
 
 to what family the coat of arms on the locket 
 belonged, yet there was enough to establish 
 the fact, that Ayesha or Zabetta were in 
 some manner or other identified with English 
 people. It is true, the trinket might have 
 been purchased, and the English gold have 
 found its way into the currency of Turkey ; 
 but it was not likely so to be, since the one 
 never could have been an article of trade, and 
 had evidently belonged to a person of some 
 consequence, and the others were unknown 
 among the bankers and merchants of the coun- 
 try as a coin in use. But how could he dis- 
 cover any trace of the person to whom those 
 things belonged except through Zabetta ? and 
 she evidently had no inclination to give any 
 account of herself or of her daughter, for, 
 as we have seen, she always avoided returning 
 answers to the many questions which both 
 Osmond and his servant had put- to her. 
 However, he was so much elated by this 
 discovery, that all the hopes, and schemes 
 and expectations, of making Ayesha his own, 
 which had so constantly occupied his thoughts,
 
 182 AYESHA. 
 
 now appeared to him upon the point of being 
 realized. His scruples, if he had any, of draw- 
 ing- her from her parents, so called, were now 
 at rest ; his resolutions of exerting himself to 
 release her from her present situation were 
 strengthened, and he gave way to his feelings, 
 heedless of the consequences, and almost for- 
 getful of the difficulties which stood in his way. 
 The lovers had been so much wrapped up in 
 each other, that they had not noticed the call 
 to evening prayer that was now chanting from 
 most of the minarets in the city. There was 
 a mosque situated at a small distance from 
 Suleiman Aga's house : the minaret attached 
 to it arose in a conspicuous manner on the 
 side of the terrace upon which Osmond and 
 Ayesha were standing. Presently the well- 
 known chant of La illaha illallah! rang through 
 the air from its circular gallery ; still they 
 heeded it not. When the Imam or priest who 
 was chanting it, with his hand behind his ear, 
 giving to its wild cadence the whole force of 
 his lungs, came round to the side of Suleiman 
 Aga's house, all of a sudden, with the half-
 
 AYESHA. 183 
 
 finished verse of Allahu Akbar on his lips, he 
 stopped, for his eye was arrested by the sight 
 of the lovers, whose attitudes of confiding en- 
 dearment told him at once the object of their 
 interview, and awoke in his breast all his 
 Mahomedan jealousy. He watched thern ear- 
 nestly for a while, stroked down his face, ejacu- 
 lated within himself, There is but one Allah ! 
 and straight went on again with his chant. 
 The sudden outbreak of the priest's voice, to 
 which was added a more than usual violence, 
 mixed with no little acrimony, startled both 
 Osmond and Ayesha, who, looking up, at once 
 discovered the priest, and then the danger of 
 their situation as quickly flashed across their 
 minds. The frightened Ayesha timidly ex- 
 claimed, "Allah! Allah! let me go — we are 
 seen," and with precipitation covered herself 
 entirely with her veil. Osmond, who per- 
 haps did not feel the full extent of their 
 danger, would have detained her, but she was 
 too much scared, and knew too well how fatal 
 might be the consequences to him, whatever 
 they might be to herself, should he be con-
 
 184 AYESHA. 
 
 victed of communicating with a Mussulman's 
 harem. « God protect thee !" exclaimed Aye- 
 sha, as she cast a tender look at her lover, 
 and with precipitation retreated into her own 
 house. Osmond, after looking about him for 
 some time, his mind absorbed in thought, and 
 a vague apprehension of what might be the 
 consequences of this incident passing through 
 it, slowly retreated also, and descended to his 
 own apartment. 
 
 It so happened that the Imam of the minaret 
 was the identical sour-looking priest whom 
 Osmond had met at the Pasha's during his 
 visit there. This true son of the faith, a most 
 bigoted and unrelenting champion of Islam, 
 had recognised Osmond at once by his dress 
 and appearance to be the Giaour whom he had 
 met at the Pasha's. The words of his evening 
 call had almost stuck in his throat after he had 
 remarked the lovers, so quick and sudden was 
 the anger which arose in his breast. " Curses 
 be on the Christian dog !" he exclaimed, and he 
 spat upon the ground as he said this, whilst 
 he slowly groped his way down the winding 
 steps of his minaret.
 
 AYESHA. 185 
 
 " See," said he, " what pollution these un- 
 clean beasts have brought into our city. If 
 Suleiman Aga does not defile that infidel's 
 father and mother, by the soul of the Prophet 
 I will." Upon which, exploding with exclama- 
 tions of rage, of jealousy, of hatred at Chris- 
 tians in general, and at Osmond in particular, 
 he bent his steps towards Suleiman's house. 
 
 He found that personage quietly smoking 
 his pipe and looking out of the window, hav- 
 ing just refreshed himself by his evening"^ 
 prayers and lustration. He was in the most 
 placid of moods. The Imam scarcely allowed 
 himself time to say his " Peace be with you, 
 and may your evening be prosperous !" ere he 
 broke out into the following form of words : — 
 
 " Suleiman Aga ! here you sit, Mashallah ! 
 as if there was nothing else in the world except 
 you and your pipe. You live without news of 
 what is going on, Suleiman Aga." 
 
 "What can I do?" said the placid Turk: 
 " I sit." 
 
 " You are not a fool, you, Mashallah ! your 
 beard has grown white ; you are a man, and in
 
 18G AYESHA. 
 
 fine a Mussulman, and here you sit without 
 news, Suleiman Aga." 
 
 " That 's true, 11 quietly responded the phleg- 
 matic man. 
 
 " La illaha Mall ah /" exclaimed the priest ; 
 
 " you are much — you ! Shall I say then 
 
 what with these two eyes I have seen, and 
 with this one head I have understood ?" 
 
 " Speak, let us see, 11 said Suleiman Aga, 
 
 " By your head ! by Omar ! by the blessed 
 Prophet ! I have seen one of your house in 
 company with the Frank infidel who lives at 
 Bogos the dyer's." 
 
 " What do you say, man ?" exclaimed Sulei- 
 man Aga, taking the pipe from his lips, and 
 roused up into unusual animation. " Do you 
 lie, or speak the truth ?" 
 
 " By that beard of yours I 1 ' answered the 
 priest, " I speak the truth. 11 
 
 " Who was the woman ?" inquired Sulei- 
 man, with increasing anxiety. 
 
 " What can I say ? who can tell one woman 
 from another under the veil ? All I posi- 
 tively know is, that the Frank Giaour was 
 the man. 11
 
 AYESHA. 187 
 
 " So, is it ?" said Suleiman after some cogi- 
 tation : " together you saw them ?" 
 
 " Yes," answered the other, " and it is plain 
 they love each other. Why should I keep the 
 truth from you ?" 
 
 " How and where did you see them ?" said 
 Suleiman, his agitation and perplexity increas- 
 ing as he spoke. 
 
 " I was chanting the Azan at the usual 
 time," replied the Imam ; " I had half gone 
 through it, when, from the minaret which looks 
 upon your terrace, I saw a woman with a man. 
 Curses be on all infidels! May heaven pour 
 misfortunes on their heads ! — The man was the 
 Giaour we saw at the Pasha's the other day 
 — of that I will take my oath upon the blessed 
 Koran. The woman, Allah best knows who it 
 was ! I have said it, what more can I do ?" 
 
 Suleiman Aga during this speech was gra- 
 dually expanding into rage ; his naturally 
 placid face became sullen, and occasionally 
 flashed with looks of revenge ; low-spoken sen- 
 tences broke from his lips, he cursed in whis- 
 pers, he clenched his hands, put them by turns
 
 188 AYESHA. 
 
 on the head of his dagger, and his whole ap- 
 pearance might be compared to a pent-up vol- 
 cano. He said nothing more to his informer, 
 but seemed to be nailed to the spot upon which 
 he sat, as if he were there ready to receive the 
 announcement of any more misfortunes which 
 might be preparing for him. A long silence 
 ensued, when the priest said in a low voice, 
 " Suleiman Aga, what shall we do P 11 
 
 The onlv answer he got was, " I will send 
 ruin to his father and mother," whilst his eyes 
 looked upon vacant space, and his head re- 
 mained fixed in one position. 
 
 " Speak, O man !" continued the priest : 
 " what is to be done ?" 
 
 " Pezevenk ! — rogue ! wretch !" softly 
 breathed the jealous Turk. 
 
 " AiGardach, — brother, are you turned mad? 
 — speak V said the Imam louder than before. 
 
 " Kiupek ! — Giaour! — dog! infidel!" whis- 
 pered the other. 
 
 At length all of a sudden, as if he had been 
 bitten by a snake, he bounded off the sofa upon 
 which he sat, and without looking either to the
 
 AYESHA. 189 
 
 right or left, flung out of the room, leaving 
 the man of the minaret in utter amazement 
 at this unexampled feat. All he could say 
 was, " He is mad V then straightway quitting 
 the house he proceeded to the Mufti, open- 
 mouthed, with the intelligence. 
 
 The wretched Suleiman had sprung through 
 the corridors in his way to the women's 
 apartments, when he discovered that he had 
 left his slippers behind him : this little cir- 
 cumstance most providentially broke the vio- 
 lence of his determination. A Turk never 
 loses sight of his dignity ; seeing his feet with- 
 out their papouches, he slowly turned back to 
 seek them, and by the time he had put them 
 on, his mind had in some measure turned also. 
 First, he released the head of his dagger from 
 his fast-clenched hand ; then the fury of his 
 wife's temper came to his thoughts, and acted 
 as a check upon his own ; and last of all, the 
 charms of the unoffending Ayesha became pre- 
 sent to his imagination, and very materially put 
 to the rout that host of satanic impulses which 
 were goading him on to crime and bloodshed.
 
 190 AYESHA. 
 
 With less precipitation and more uncer- 
 tainty of purpose, he now proceeded to the 
 harehi. Raising the heavy curtain which hung 
 over the door, the first objects he perceived 
 were his wife and Ayesha talking together 
 with great earnestness. Upon seeing him 
 they retreated into the room before described, 
 whither he followed them, In a manner totally 
 unusual to him and never before witnessed by 
 his wife, he said, — " Woman ! stand up and 
 speak for yourself; you are a sinner, and if a 
 sinner, God protect you !" 
 
 " What do you say, Suleiman Aga P 11 ex- 
 claimed Zabetta ; " are you run out of your 
 senses ? I a sinner indeed ? What abomination 
 are you eating ? If I am a sinner, what are 
 you r 11 
 
 " This is no child's play, woman !" said the 
 angry man ; " tell me, as you value your life, 
 as you value that child whom you see there, 
 what devilry has got into your head, that you 
 should leave your husband and seek infidels 
 for your company ?" 
 
 Zabetta was not quite prepared for this, and
 
 AYESHA. 191 
 
 as guilt is ever a coward, her usual prowess in 
 an encounter with her husband forsook her, and 
 she turned pale. " I do not understand you," 
 said she : " you are not a man if you come here 
 with a lie in your mouth to oppress a woman." 
 
 " A lie, do you say ?" exclaimed Suleiman ; 
 " men do not dream when with their eyes wide 
 open they see a Mussulman woman and an 
 infidel together : that has been seen this very 
 evening ; you are that woman, the Giaour at the 
 next door is the man, do you call that a lie ?" 
 
 " Be hey — what's this ?" exclaimed Zabetta, 
 regaining her assurance. " A lie ! I do call it a 
 lie ; whoever said it, is as great an oaf as you 
 are, and that's much. Why do you bring 
 your beard here to be laughed at ? Go to the 
 ass that sent you here, and tell him ' I send 
 him a bigger ass back in return.' " 
 
 " Woman !" said Suleiman sternly, his 
 wrath rising with her impertinence, " your 
 words are of no avail against proof. You have 
 been seen this very evening before the Azan 
 in company with the Frank infidel: tell me 
 plainly what happened, or, by Allah ! the
 
 192 AYESHA. 
 
 consequences will be fatal to you. Suleiman 
 is not easily excited, but when he is, let me 
 tell you, it is time to place your trust in 
 God— speak F 
 
 Zabetta, seeing that the subject was too 
 grave to be treated lightly, did not answer 
 this question otherwise than by calling out 
 to the black slave. " Nourzadeh, ri said she, 
 " come hither ; say where have I been all 
 this evening until the Azan ?" The girl's 
 face, bearing marks of recent tears, and not 
 in the least aware of the importance of the 
 question, answered — " You were asleep the first 
 part, you were flogging me the next, and then 
 you said your prayers. What more can I say ?" 
 
 " There," said the wife, turning round with 
 exultation towards her husband, " tell me 
 after this that I was on the terrace with an 
 infidel. Half ! haif! — shame ! shame !" 
 
 So fully was Suleiman impressed with the 
 certainty that it was his wife who had been 
 seen with Osmond, that nothing which she 
 could say could destroy it. Like an enraged 
 ox in a pen, when he is baulked in breaking it
 
 AYESHA. 193 
 
 down in one place, rushes headlong at another, 
 so did the angry man persist in accusing his 
 wife. All this while, Ayesha, who was witness 
 to the whole scene, sat almost motionless with 
 fear. She was frequently on the point of de- 
 livering herself up to her father's fury, and 
 confessing that she alone was to blame, but 
 she was checked by the apprehension of 
 bringing on the destruction of her lover. The 
 perplexing contest between duty and love 
 threw her into such a state of feverish excite- 
 ment, that at length, seeing that Suleiman's 
 anger was not in the least abated, but rather 
 increased by Zabetta's conduct and explana- 
 tion, and fearing that he might break out into 
 some act of unrestrained violence, she sum- 
 moned up all her courage, and determined that, 
 if the quarrel did not cease, she would make 
 herself the victim, and throw herself upon her 
 father's mercy. 
 
 " Zabetta, this is too much," roared out 
 the furious man, overpowered by his feelings 
 and her opposition. " After all, I am a Mus- 
 sulman — the law protects me — if you have 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194- AYESHA. 
 
 betrayed me, and sought an infidel lover, you 
 must suffer for it !" Rising from his seat, 
 his hand on his dagger, he proceeded towards 
 her — he would have seized her by the hair 
 — his hand was uplifted — the wretched woman 
 shrieked, when Ayesha threw herself forward 
 between them — " Aman! aman ! — pity ! pity !" 
 she cried out with a voice of supplication ; 
 " If you want blood, take mine ! I alone am 
 guilty ! She is innocent ! I met the Frank I 1 ' 
 Upon hearing these words, and seeing the 
 attitude of his daughter, the violence of the 
 enraged Turk all at once subsided : he turned 
 away with a slow and sorrowful action, and 
 to his previous vigour succeeded such a pro- 
 stration of strength that a child might have 
 mastered him. 
 
 " Ayesha," said he, " what have you done ?" 
 " Done !"" said Zabetta, whose spirit rose 
 with her triumph, — " Can you talk thus to 
 an innocent child ? Go — you have been struck 
 by the evil eye of that unsainted Imam, who, 
 for our misfortune, has come here in a per- 
 verse hour, and who watches over your house
 
 AYESHA. 195 
 
 as a bird of prey does over a sheepcot. Curses 
 be on his white face and deluding eye ! What 
 harm can a child do ?" 
 
 " She is a child and knows no better," 1 ' 1 said 
 Suleiman in a low voice, happy to skreen his 
 beloved Ayesha from farther imputation — 
 " that is true — I have been in fault i 11 
 
 " To be sure you have !" screamed Zabetta, 
 with the accent of victory : " And pray when 
 are you ever right? Mashallah! — Praise be 
 to Allah ! You see an Imam, you come here, 
 you tell me I lie, you would kill me, and then 
 you say you are in fault. Behey ! — fine in- 
 deed ! And after this you are called the wise 
 Suleiman ! You are an ayan of the city too, 
 — an elder ! one who can judge between right 
 and wrong! Pouff! pouff 7" throwing her 
 five fingers opened into his face, " I laugh at 
 such wisdom. And then your daughter, a 
 child scarcely out of swaddling-clothes, she is 
 to be called a woman, forsooth ! and then, 
 because an Imam, like an owl peeping out of 
 his hole, tells you he has seen her speaking 
 to a crazy infidel, you are to kill your wife !" 
 
 K 2
 
 196 AYESHA. 
 
 " Amdn ! aman ! — pity ! pity !" roared out 
 Suleiman Aga in his turn ; " hold your peace. 
 What can I say more ?" 
 
 " Peace indeed ! No, you shall never have 
 peace again," said Zabetta, " as long as I live, 
 — never shall you hear the end of this ! I 
 am not to be killed for nothing ; I will slay 
 in my turn, after the fashion of women. I am 
 a true woman ; nobody shall say nay to that. 
 If I can't brandish a dagger, I can wield my 
 tongue ; and so I will, and so you shall learn 
 to your cost. I'll talk from this time to the 
 day of judgment, and stop me who can, — not 
 a cow like you V 
 
 " Aman ! aman /" again exclaimed Suleiman, 
 who, seeing how matters were going with 
 him, made one decided plunge at the door, 
 darted away, and regained his own part of 
 the house, shaking the collar of his robe, and 
 exclaiming " Aman! aman!"
 
 AYESHA. 197 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Brabanlio above at a window. 
 What is the reason of this terrible summons ? 
 What is the matter there ? 
 
 Othello. 
 
 The day had scarcely begun to dawn, on 
 the morning after the scene which has been 
 recorded in the last chapter, when the inmates 
 of the house of Bogos, the Armenian dyer, 
 were awakened by certain hard knocks at the 
 door given by means of a heavy stick, which 
 resounded not only throughout the house, but 
 also along the narrow and then deserted street. 
 
 The Armenian, who was still in bed with his 
 wife and children, heard this noise with alarm, 
 for, by experience, he was aware that, it portend- 
 ed evil (either exactions of the government, or 
 perhaps personal violence). He arose in haste,
 
 198 AYESHA. 
 
 and before he ventured to open his door, thrust 
 his head through a small latticed window, and 
 looked below into the street. There, to his dis- 
 may, he perceived two well-dressed Turks, offi- 
 cers of the Pasha, with their long canes of 
 office in hand, accompanied by a small band 
 of armed men. 
 
 " What is there ? What has happened ? " 
 he inquired in a voice which betrayed at 
 once his fear and respect. 
 
 "AtoIi, bakallum — open, let us see!" said 
 one of the officers in a tone of authority. 
 
 " What means this taka tooka V (for so this 
 sort of noise is called in Turkish) said the 
 Armenian's wife, who had thrust her head out 
 of another window. 
 
 " Atch, pezeveiik — open, wretch I 11 again was 
 said in the same tone, whilst the blows on the 
 door were repeated with redoubled violence. 
 
 Upon this Mustafa, the Tatar, who was 
 sleeping in another room, also groped his way 
 out of his warm bed, and muttering appro- 
 priate curses upon those who were the causes of 
 the disturbance, put his head out of a third
 
 AYESHA. 199 
 
 window, and looking downwards said, " Ay 
 gardash — softly, brother ! — what do you 
 want ? The sun is not risen, and you are run 
 mad already — how is this ?" 
 
 The officer seeing it was a Mussulman who 
 addressed him this time, varied his speech on 
 the third summons by saying, " Atch* adam — 
 open, O man ! Our lord the Pasha has sent us 
 — Open!"" and then continued such a volley of 
 blows as would have awakened the dead. 
 
 Stasso next, who slept in a closet near his 
 master, hearing the commotion, ran to the ter- 
 race top, for there was no window in his room, 
 and looking over the parapet exclaimed, " Ti 
 diavolo ! — what the deuce !" as he rubbed his 
 eyes and looked at the posse in the street ; and 
 then, struck with alarm that some danger threat- 
 ened his master, he hastened to Lord Osmond, 
 and informed him of the circumstance. 
 
 Osmond, who was not slow in his conjectures 
 upon what might be the real cause of this 
 visit, communicated the same to his servant, 
 and then dressing himself in haste, with great 
 presence of mind, and in foresight of future
 
 200 AYESHA. 
 
 contingencies, secreted about his own person, 
 and that of Stasso, as many articles as he ima- 
 gined might be of use to him (among others a 
 pair of pocket-pistols, which he concealed in 
 his breast), hid others in the by-corners of the 
 apartment, and thus awaited the event. 
 
 Bogos by this time, with fear and trem- 
 bling, had opened the door of his house to the 
 Pasha's officers. The first salutation which he 
 received was a blow over the head for having 
 detained them so long, and then he heard the 
 question, " Where is the Frank infidel who 
 lives here ?" 
 
 " Effendi — Sir," said the poor man, slow in 
 betraying his guest, yet secretly charmed that 
 the visit was not intended for himself — " he 
 sleeps up-stairs. But what is there at your 
 service ? — be pleased to sit :" at the same time 
 he roared out to his wife to bring coffee and 
 pipes. " You have done me honour ; my 
 house is exalted by your presence." 
 
 The Turks, who can never withstand the 
 temptation of a cup of coffee, on this occasion 
 proved themselves true men ; and the two
 
 AYESHA. 201 
 
 chokhadars, heedless of their commission, sal 
 themselves down on the Armenian's cushions, 
 awaiting the promised treat, thus giving time 
 to the whole household to secrete such things 
 as were likely to be seized if seen by their 
 visitors, and which on such occasions they felt 
 themselves justified in doing. The guard re- 
 mained stationed at the street-door. 
 
 Mustafa, who had the sharpest nose for the 
 smell of coffee of any one of the sons of Islam, 
 no sooner heard the well-known sound of the 
 mortar in which the roasted bean was braying 
 than he dressed himself in all haste, and 
 making the wonted Selam aleikum to the 
 unexpected guests, sat himself down in all 
 dignity by their side, and, lighting his first 
 morning's pipe (ever a great luxury to the 
 true smoker), awaited the coming stimulant 
 with as much unconcern as if that was the 
 first object of consideration, whilst the rea- 
 son of their visit was apparently quite of 
 secondary importance. 
 
 They all sipped in solemn silence, after the 
 coffee had been handed about by the obsequious 
 
 K 5
 
 202 AYESHA. 
 
 Bogos, and smoked between whiles. When it 
 was over, Mustafa duly said, " Ajjiet ollah — 
 much good may it do you !" to which the 
 others responded the same, and stroked their 
 whiskers. 
 
 After a long interval, in which nothing was 
 said, and little else done than inhaling and 
 emitting smoke, Mustafa bethought himself 
 that it might be as well if he inquired the 
 object of this their early intrusion, so far as 
 it concerned his master. 
 
 " Sir," said the head officer with gravity, 
 " I am the head chokhadar of the Pasha, I am 
 come to invite the Frank to take himself to the 
 Pasha's presence. 11 
 
 " I, 11 said the other officer, " I am the de- 
 puty chokhadar, I am come to help to invite 
 the Frank to come to the Pasha.". 
 
 " Pek ayi — very well," said Mustafa, " upon 
 our heads be it : Yavash, yavash, — slowly, 
 slow, we will proceed. The Beyzadeh at pre- 
 sent sleeps; when he wakes, upon our heads 
 be it, we will go." This, Mustafa said in the 
 full persuasion that these persons were sent on
 
 AYESHA. 203 
 
 the part of the Pasha to do his master honour, 
 for he was not in the least aware that anything 
 had occurred which could give rise to a dif- 
 ferent treatment. 
 
 The officers, who had an eye to an imme- 
 diate backshish or present, and who had also 
 calculated how much the reversion of future 
 donations or extortions might be worth to 
 them, appeared to agree with Mustafa in tak- 
 ing a conciliatory view of the case; and al- 
 though the chief, who was also the spokesman, 
 said " Very well," and " by and by," and 
 " slowly slow," at first ; yet, as the day began 
 to show forth, he gradually threw haste into 
 the composition of his speeches, and said 
 " Haide, chabouk, gidelim ! — Come along, 
 quick, let us go !" until Mustafa was obliged 
 to proceed to his master, and to inform him of 
 the Pasha's message, and of his wish to see 
 him without loss of time. However, before he 
 went, he thought it right to inquire what might 
 be the real object of the Pasha's wish to see 
 Lord Osmond, since the armed men and the 
 violence of the intrusion produced a doubt
 
 204 AYESHA. 
 
 in his mind whether it might be honour, or the 
 contrary, which was in preparation. 
 
 " Bak ! — see!" said he to the officer, in a 
 mysterious whisper : " is there any thing 
 wrong ?" at the same time winking his eye 
 and shaking his head. 
 
 '• What do I know ?" said the other as 
 mysteriously : then putting his two forefingers 
 together in a parallel line, he said, " The 
 Frank has been seen with a woman." 
 
 " Is it so?" said Mustafa, in astonishment; 
 " that is bad," shaking his head at the same 
 time. 
 
 " Truly it is bad," answered the officer ; 
 " our Mufti is much of a devil, and visits 
 a zamparalik — a piece of scandal, with great 
 severity ; but, if you will put the affair into 
 my hands, I can do many things." 
 
 Mustafa, who easily understood the hint, 
 and who had taken fright at this disclosure, 
 was not backward in putting a gold piece into 
 the hand of his informer, as a retainer for his 
 good offices. He then, with an accelerated 
 step, sought his master, cogitating how the
 
 AYESHA. 205 
 
 circumstance might have happened, and full 
 of anger at his master's imprudence. 
 
 When he entered the room, without waiting 
 to sit, he exclaimed, " Allah ! Allah ! what 
 have you done ? You do not know these men ! 
 They are bad men ; this is not your country ; 
 these are Mussulmans ! If you speak to a 
 Mussulman girl, they will kill you without 
 mercy ! Why then did you speak ?" 
 
 " What has happened, Mustafa," said Os- 
 mond, coolly ; " it is very early to be dis- 
 turbed in this manner.'" 
 
 " What signifies early, what signifies late ? 
 Here are chokhadars with long sticks, here 
 are rogues with swords and pistols, come from 
 the Pasha to seek you, because you have 
 talked with a Mussulman woman. What for 
 did you talk ? This is not like your country ; 
 if you even look through a hole at a woman, 
 they will thrust your eye out : — this is very 
 bad/ 1 
 
 " What is to be done, Mustafa?" said Os- 
 mond ; " Women are made to be talked to. 
 I am sorry to have displeased the Turks ; but
 
 206 AYESHA. 
 
 there can be no offence where none was in- 
 tended. 11 
 
 " Allah ! offence !" said Mustafa ; " offence 
 or no offence, these fellows kill Franks with- 
 out fear, and say i thanks to God !' when they 
 have done so. Something must be done, or 
 else ashes will fall upon our heads." 
 
 " I am ready to do what is right,' 1 '' said 
 Osmond. 
 
 " Then you must tell lies," answered Mus- 
 tafa : " with lies and money we may escape ; 
 if not, there is nothing between us and the 
 stick — The stick, do I say! — Allah! Allah! 
 what is there to prevent the sword from 
 striking our necks ?"" 
 
 " I will tell no lies to please any one, not 
 even the Sultan himself,"" said Osmond, "much 
 less to please the Pasha. I am an English- 
 man; let him hurt an Englishman at his peril." 
 
 " Eh vah r exclaimed the Tatar in amaze- 
 ment, " Englishman indeed ! what do these 
 fellows know about Englishmen ? They can't 
 tell one Frank from another ; all are Giaours 
 in their sight. They know Kurds, Franks,
 
 AYESHA. 207 
 
 Moscoves — these they know; but all they have 
 ever heard of the Ingliz is, that they make 
 watches, and penknives, and cloth. You must 
 lie, — not a little, — but you must lie much. 
 Say you never saw the woman ; give money 
 to the Pasha ; mount your horse, and run 
 away : — that is all that you can do." 
 
 " We will see what is to be done," said 
 Osmond coolly, " when we have visited the 
 Pasha. Let us go ; I am ready. 11 
 
 Mustafa looked up at Stasso, who was 
 standing by, and sorrowfully shook his head, 
 as much as to say, — " We, who know what 
 Turks are, know the misfortune which this 
 event is likely to bring upon our heads ; but 
 he is ignorant and cannot see his danger. 11 
 
 Osmond, accompanied by Mustafa and Stasso, 
 met the chokhadars at the door of the dyer's 
 house, and straightway they proceeded in a 
 body to the Pasha's residence. He was treated 
 with sufficient civility by the officers, in conse- 
 quence of the present already given, and in 
 expectation of what was to come ; but when 
 he entered the great court of the mansion,
 
 208 AYESHA. 
 
 he found the attendants there, taking their cue 
 from their chief, evidently disposed to be inso- 
 lent. Among others he observed the negro 
 wrestler, who by his size towered above the 
 rest, and was swinging himself to and fro 
 with every appearance of arrogance and exulta- 
 tion in his superior strength. The Pasha was 
 seated in a kiosk, or pleasure-house, situated 
 in an adjoining garden, near an open window, 
 from which he could perceive all that passed, 
 and observed the arrival of Osmond and his 
 attendants. Osmond also perceived him : he 
 walked on without dismay, although there was 
 quite enough to dishearten one less brave, 
 surrounded as he was by barbarians, bigots 
 in religion, plunderers and assassins almost 
 by profession, and far away from protection 
 of any kind, excepting that which he might 
 derive from his own personal character. He 
 was as dauntless as he was self-possessed ; but 
 he felt that, unless events favoured him, it 
 would not be easy to extricate himself from 
 the present difficulty, in which his personal 
 safety was so alarmingly involved.
 
 AYESHA. 209 
 
 At the time of Osmond's appearance, there 
 were three other persons seated with the Pa- 
 sha : the Mufti, the Imam who had seen the 
 act for which he was summoned, and Sulei- 
 man Aga. When Osmond had sufficiently 
 approached the kiosk to be within speaking- 
 distance, he perceived the Pasha making a 
 sign to one in the crowd, and presently the 
 negro, his chief wrestler, made his way towards 
 him, with a swagger of insolence, and an air as 
 if he would say, I will try what you are made 
 of. The crowd, who were accustomed to such 
 exhibitions, made way for him, and allowed 
 him to approach his intended victim. Os- 
 mond, seeing that some violence was preparing 
 against him, put himself upon the defensive 
 and as he had ever been celebrated for his 
 prowess and dexterity in all kinds of exercises, 
 particularly in every thing that related to 
 attack and defence, he felt that, so long as 
 no weapons but those which nature had given 
 to man were directed against him, he was a 
 match for any Turk, however great might be 
 his size or strength. The negro still advan-
 
 210 AYESHA. 
 
 cing upon him, Osmond exclaimed with a com- 
 manding voice, and in a threatening attitude, 
 " What do you want, wretch ? stand off !" 
 The negro, receiving a nod of encouragement 
 from the Pasha, would have seized Osmond un- 
 der the legs with a view of throwing him down, 
 when he received a blow, such only as a. skilful 
 and practised boxer knows how to bestow, that 
 felled the monster to the ground with a power 
 which seemed the work of magic. It was driven 
 so instantaneously that the action was scarcely 
 perceived, and the astonishment which it created 
 in the bystanders was proportionably great. 
 " Allah ! Allah f issued from almost every tur- 
 baned head ; every one retreated from Osmond 
 as if he were something supernatural. Nobody 
 could conceive that one small hand simply pro- 
 truded in a straight line, could produce the 
 effect of casting down a mass of flesh and blood 
 so large and disproportionate as the pehlivan 
 bashi's. As for the Pasha, he, as an amateur 
 of every sort of violence, was entranced with 
 pleasure at this spectacle, and, instead of re- 
 garding Osmond with any ill-will for the ex-
 
 AYESHA. 211 
 
 hibition of his prowess, his estimation of him 
 rose on the contrary a thousand per cent., and 
 Mashallah ! and Aferin ! broke from his lips 
 with unceasing vociferation. 
 
 The ponderous negro rose from his fall com- 
 pletely cowed, and evinced no disposition to 
 renew the contest. He looked upon his anta- 
 gonist with a mixture of fear and surprise, and 
 his feelings were participated by every one 
 present ; and thus Osmond, who had at first 
 been despised and derided, now stood forward 
 in their estimation as a creature of a peculiar 
 species, as one whom nobody could venture to 
 molest with impunity. 
 
 Osmond after this went into the kiosk. The 
 Pasha, who had almost forgotten the reason of 
 his appearance, eyed him with looks of com- 
 placency, scrutinized his person with the know- 
 ledge of a connoisseur in wrestlers, and was con- 
 sidering in his mind how he might best secure in 
 his service one who had proved himself superior 
 to any pehlivan he had ever known. To con- 
 quer his own negro, the pride of Asia Minor, 
 who had never been yet thrown on his back
 
 212 AYESHA. 
 
 by man, and whose feats of strength were as 
 celebrated in Turkey as those of Rustam were 
 in Persia, was in his eyes a feat of such import- 
 ance, that he paid him the same sort of homage, 
 to use the language of the North, which the 
 ' fancy 1 are apt to pay to the ' champion." He 
 invited him to sit near him, gave him the 
 proper refreshments, and flattered him with 
 unusual compliments. The Mufti, however, 
 did not view Osmond in the same light. This 
 personage was a severe and ominous-looking 
 man of the law. His features were stern, his 
 eye keen, and his beard scanty. He never re- 
 laxed into compassion, excepting under the 
 pressure of temptation, and that temptation 
 his nature had long determined to be gold and 
 silver. Instead of scanning his person as his 
 compeer had done, he speculated what might be 
 the dimensions of his purse. He surveyed him 
 as the tiger does the hind before he springs, 
 and, with all the virulence of a bigoted Mus- 
 sulman, he felt much satisfaction at having 
 secured a Christian within his toils. Suleiman 
 Aga's naturally impassive face became ani-
 
 AYESHA. 213 
 
 mated with an angry expression, as he looked 
 upon the cause of the confusion which had 
 taken place in his house ; and the Imam felt 
 that he was elevated into a man of consequence, 
 by having been the means of bringing an 
 offender to justice. 
 
 After Osmond had been seated a short time, 
 Mustafa and Stasso standing at the end of the 
 room, the Mufti addressed himself to Mustafa, 
 and having ascertained that he was an Osmanli 
 and Osmond's attendant, inquired whether he 
 understood Turkish, to which Mustafa answer- 
 ed in the affirmative. The Mufti then turn- 
 ing to Osmond, without making use of any of 
 those common-place phrases of welcome and 
 compliment so usual among Orientals, said, — 
 
 " What is your name ?" 
 
 " My name is Osmond, at your service." 
 
 " Osman ?" said the Turk, in an inquiring 
 tone, " how can that be ? — you a Frank, and 
 called Osman, that can never be. 11 
 
 " My name is Osmond," he answered : " what 
 more can I say r" 
 
 " Allah V said the Mufti, " either your name
 
 214 AYESHA. 
 
 is Osman, and you are a true believer, or it is 
 not Osman, and you are a Giaour ?" 
 
 " I am neither a Mahomedan nor a Giaour," 
 said Osmond ; " notwithstanding that, my name 
 is Osmond.'" 
 
 Turning round to the Pasha and to the other 
 Turks present, he coolly said, " He lies."" He 
 then continued to Osmond, 
 
 " If you are a Frank, wherefore do you 
 wear our clothes ? wherefore that unpermitted 
 turban on your head? wherefore those yellow 
 slippers ? We are not to be cheated, Mash- 
 allah ! we have wit in our brain, and eyes in 
 our head." 
 
 " I do not deny that you have wit in your 
 brain, and eyes in your head," answered Os- 
 mond ; " I do wear a turban, I do wear yellow 
 slippers, and still I am a Frank. If you were 
 to go into my country, and chose to wear a 
 hat and a pair of black boots, nobody would 
 object to that. 11 
 
 The Pasha could not forbear laughing' in 
 his sleeve at Osmond's answer. Suleiman Aga, 
 who had not forgotten that he had been called
 
 AYESHA. 215 
 
 a Giaour, put on an angry countenance, the 
 Imam looked full of malice, and the Mufti be- 
 came furious. 
 
 " Man !" said the latter, " we have not sent 
 for you that you should make play under our 
 beards. We are Mussulmans ; this is a Mus- 
 sulman country. Whoever comes here is sub- 
 ject to its laws. You have seen and spoken to 
 one of our women ; deny that if you can P 
 
 " I have," said Osmond boldly — <• I have 
 both seen and spoken to one of your women. If 
 you were in my country, you might see and 
 speak to all our women and welcome. What 
 more can I say ?" 
 
 " Allah ! Allah P exclaimed the Mufti, 
 " what more need be said ?" 
 
 " What more ?"" exclaimed the Imam : " this 
 infidel is worthy of death. Is he to come into 
 our city, and laugh at our mothers and daugh- 
 ters ? Suleiman Aga, what do you say to 
 this ?' said he, addressing that personao-e ; 
 " this can never be P 
 
 Suleiman Aga stroked his beard, and said, 
 " This man is a misfortune. By the prophet !
 
 216 AYESHA. 
 
 we are not men, if we allow our religion, our 
 laws, and our harems, to be insulted by an 
 infidel. It is not possible that a maiden so 
 timid, and so true to her belief, can have been 
 induced to break through her faith without 
 some potent spell ! O Mufti ! to you we look 
 for justice ; to you,"" addressing himself to the 
 Pasha — " to you, our Aga and chief, we look 
 for protection. " 
 
 These words, spoken with an earnestness and 
 an animation uncommon to him, produced con- 
 siderable sensation upon the assembly. The 
 Pasha was aware how much it behoved him to 
 second the decisions of the Mufti, who, in fact, 
 possessed the principal share of power in the 
 city; and felt that he could not openly oppose 
 himself to the wishes of Suleiman Aga, who, 
 from the respectability of his character and his 
 wealth, had acquired considerable influence. 
 He therefore was obliged to assent to what- 
 ever sentence might be pronounced against his 
 prisoner, and he was about ordering him into 
 confinement, when Osmond, who had perceived 
 how ill matters were going with him, deemed
 
 AYESHA. 217 
 
 it high time to do his utmost to protect 
 himself. Therefore, addressing himself to the 
 Pasha, he spoke as follows : — 
 
 " You have power in your hands to act 
 towards me as you please, You have already 
 insulted me ; you may detain my person, you 
 may perhaps offer me violence, and there is 
 nothing to hinder you from putting me to 
 death. But I warn you that you cannot do 
 this with impunity. I am the subject of a 
 King who has the power to demand satisfaction, 
 not only from your Sultan, but from the most 
 powerful of states ; and I shall not die una- 
 venged. Upon your heads the blow will ulti- 
 mately fall. It will be at your peril if you touch 
 a hair of my head. I am an Englishman ; and 
 although the power of England may not be 
 known here, and although, barbarians as you 
 are, you may infringe every law of that hospi- 
 tality which you profess to exercise towards the 
 stranger, yet your ignorance will not protect 
 you. The arm of justice will overtake you ; for 
 whatever act of cruelty you inflict upon me, 
 will, sooner or later, be visited upon each of 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 213 AYESHA. 
 
 your heads. 11 Upon which, taking from his 
 breast the firman which he had received from 
 the Sultan on his departure from Constantino- 
 ple, in which all pashas, governors, and men in 
 authority, were enjoined to protect and help 
 him, he unfolded it, and presenting it, to the 
 Pasha said, " This is your own Emperor's 
 order, disobey it at your peril V 
 
 This speech, spoken in the best Turkish, and 
 accompanied with an independence of manner 
 quite unknown to the despots to whom it was 
 addressed, produced almost as great an effect 
 as the blow which had been inflicted on the 
 negro wrestler. 
 
 The Pasha opened his heavy eyes with asto- 
 nishment ; the Mufti looked confused, yet still 
 full of wicked intent ; the Imam curled up his 
 lip with disdain ; whilst Suleiman Aga looked 
 straightforward, and seemed thrown into a 
 sudden train of thought and perplexity. 
 
 After a considerable pause, the Pasha 
 handed the firman over to the Mufti, who 
 began its perusal with intense interest, throw- 
 ing incredulity into the cast of his features,
 
 AYESHA. 219 
 
 and reading with the air of a man seeking for 
 a plea of accusation. He stopped on a sudden, 
 whilst a malicious smile broke out upon his 
 sallow face, and said, "This firman is bosh — 
 nothing. It is not addressed to us ; the city of 
 Kars is not mentioned therein. You have made 
 an account without figures !" 
 
 " May you prosper !" said Mustafa, who had 
 been deeply intent upon all that had taken 
 place ; " but, as I love my child, I swear that 
 that firman has been read and respected 
 throughout Asia. Kars, after all, is but a 
 small place compared to the whole of Roum. vl 
 
 " Whose dog are you that dare to speak ?" 
 exclaimed the Mufti : " keep your tongue 
 quiet ; take care, lest the offences of your mouth 
 be visited upon the soles of your unblessed feet. 
 I say this firman is nothing to us." Then turn- 
 ing towards the Pasha he said : " This man is 
 no Frank ; he may be a Mussulman, or an 
 Armenian, or an Arab, but he is no Frank. 
 He talks Turkish better than we ; he dresses 
 as a Turk ; and his name is Osman. What 
 more would you have ?" 
 
 L2
 
 220 AYESHA. 
 
 " What is he then ?"" inquired the Pasha ; 
 " he must be something."" 
 
 " Who knows what he is r" said the Mufti 
 with indignation. " Let us see whether he be 
 not a spy ; he may be a Russian spy ; we will 
 see. We will not allow the cap to be pulled 
 from off our heads. We will not suffer the fin- 
 ger of shame to be pointed at our women, nor 
 the word of the blessed Koran to be insulted 
 and reviled for want of protection." 
 
 " Can you make the profession of our faith, 
 O man P 11 said the Imam to Osmond. 
 
 " I can make the profession of one faith," 
 said Osmond, with much spirit, who had now 
 been worked up into a feeling of indignation 
 by the insults heaped upon him, — '' and that 
 is, that I believe you all to be a set of rogues 
 and miscreants, who have no other aim than 
 to rob and oppress a defenceless man." 
 
 This speech acted like a lighted match to a 
 train of gunpowder, and they one and all ex- 
 ploded into invectives and exclamations, which 
 exhibited every variety of passion. " Kiupek! 
 —Dog !" said one. " Giaour /—Infidel !" said
 
 AYESHA. 221 
 
 another. " Ill-born !" cried a third ; — and they 
 all agreed in one sentiment, which was that his 
 mother and sisters were vile, and that his fa- 
 ther and grandfather were only fit for the 
 dunghill. Mustafa would have stopped the 
 raging of the storm, but his voice was lost in 
 the universal uproar ; Stasso, with his hands 
 clenched, appeared prepared for the worst, and 
 waited for what would happen next ; whilst 
 Osmond stood like a lion at bay, and seemed 
 to defy the united efforts of the assembled bar- 
 barians. 
 
 When the rage of the company had in some 
 measure subsided, and they began to consider 
 upon the best means of securing Osmond's 
 person, their blustering began to droop. His 
 conduct had produced so great an effect 
 upon them — of present fear of his valour, of 
 apprehension for the future, that there was 
 a pause. The Pasha then began to use sooth- 
 ing words and flattering speeches, in order 
 to lull his suspicions of what might be in 
 preparation for him ; but, in so doing, he 
 made a sign to one of the attendants, who
 
 222 AYESHA. 
 
 soon returned with a body of armed men, and 
 into their charge he delivered him as a prisoner. 
 Osmond, without farther expostulation, rose 
 with dignity from his seat, and merely saying, 
 " Upon your heads be it that an English 
 subject is thus detained," he followed the 
 officer, and left the room, accompanied by 
 Mustafa and Stasso.
 
 AYESHA. 223 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Bra. A maiden never bold ; 
 
 Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion 
 Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature, 
 Of years, of country, credit, everything — 
 To fall in love with what she feared to look on ? 
 
 Othello. 
 
 Osmond was conducted to a small room in 
 the Pasha's palace, situated within an apart- 
 ment allotted to the Kiaya, or deputy governor, 
 and there he was confined, a guard being 
 placed over him. His first determination 
 was to despatch Mustafa in all haste to 
 Constantinople, in order that he might make 
 known his situation to the King's ambassador 
 there, and obtain a speedy release. He ac- 
 cordingly wrote to his friend Wortley, giving
 
 224 AYESHA. 
 
 him a full account of his adventures, and in- 
 treating him to use his best endeavours to 
 send him assistance. He did not withhold 
 the circumstance of his acquaintance with 
 Ayesha, but described to him, with all the 
 enthusiasm of a lover, her charms and perfec- 
 tions : he did not, however, permit himself to 
 state what were his ulterior views with respect 
 to drawing her from her seclusion ; for he 
 felt that the scheme of future happiness which 
 he had so recently planned, was likely to eva- 
 porate as a vision or a dream. When he had 
 finished his letter, he called Mustafa to him, 
 and ordered him to depart forthwith. Instead 
 of showing any joy or alacrity at this, the de- 
 jected courier shook his head and sat down. 
 
 " You tell me to depart," said Mustafa, 
 with a sigh; " where are the post-horses, where 
 the Surugi ? You do not know these people. 
 It will be easier for me to get into paradise 
 than to reach Constantinople; — we are pri- 
 soners !" 
 
 " How ?" said Osmond ; " you have done
 
 AYESHA. 225 
 
 nothing against their laws ! Why should you 
 be punished, when I alone am to blame ?" 
 
 " In this country if the master be in fault,"' 
 said the Tatar, " the servants are the same. 
 When the master eats stick, the servants eat 
 also. Ah ! why did you speak to that woman ?" 
 
 u It has been an unfortunate event," said 
 Osmond, thoughtfully, " and we must get out 
 of our difficulties as well as we can : however, 
 you can lose nothing by making an effort to 
 depart. You must tell the Pasha that I wish 
 to procure proofs that I am what I profess 
 myself to be, and then surely he cannot refuse 
 to set me free ?" 
 
 " And stand a chance of getting his own 
 neck twisted off for his pains,"" said Mustafa. 
 " No no ! neither he nor the Mufti are such 
 fools as that. — Animals, yes ; but asses, no." 1 
 
 " What then is to be done ?" said Osmond. 
 
 " You must give money," said Mustafa ; 
 " if you will not tell lies, you must give 
 money." 
 
 " I will give nothing," answered his master, 
 
 L.5
 
 226 AYESHA. 
 
 with indignation : " they may rob me if they 
 choose ; but I will never bribe a tyrant to 
 be just, or encourage a rogue in his roguery.'''' 
 
 " That may be very well in your country," 
 said Mustafa ; " but you do not know these 
 fellows. A man here robs, beats, and murders, 
 then says his prayers, and thanks the holy 
 Prophet for all favours." 
 
 Stasso was present whilst this conversation 
 took place. During the progress of his mas- 
 ter's passion for Ayesha, he had always had 
 forebodings that it would lead to misfortune, 
 for he never divested himself of the idea that 
 they had been struck by the evil eye of the 
 negress Nourzadeh, on the day of their entry 
 into Kars, — and what, thought he, could with- 
 stand the kativochio ? His energies, by this 
 conviction, were paralyzed ; and the utmost 
 that he could do was to pour out that volley 
 of anathemas, ever so ready for use at the bot- 
 tom of every Greek's throat, and which he 
 principally directed against Zabetta, who had 
 been one of the leading causes of their present 
 misery. " Diavolissa — the she-devil," was con-
 
 AYESHA. 227 
 
 tiiiually playing upon the surface of his lips, as 
 he dwelt upon her attractions, as well as upon 
 her pernicious influence over him. " I will 
 cut off my whiskers," he would exclaim, " if I 
 do not insult every Tiniote I meet, her father, 
 mother, and sisters, the first and also the last." 
 
 Osmond at length, after making many reso- 
 lutions, desired that Mustafa and Stasso toge- 
 ther should ask permission of their keepers to 
 conduct them to the Pasha, in order that they 
 might demand on the part of their master, 
 either that he would allow of his immediate de- 
 parture, or permit Mustafa to proceed to Con- 
 stantinople with letters addressed to the Eng- 
 lish ambassador, and thus also afford the Pasha 
 an opportunity to state the reasons of his con- 
 duct to his own court. 
 
 The assembled Turks, after the departure 
 of Osmond to prison, began to deliberate seri- 
 ously what punishment they ought to inflict, 
 or what they were to do with him. The Pasha 
 was anxious to secure him for one of his 
 prize-fighters ; the Mufti, in league with the 
 Imam, were for proceeding to extremities, and
 
 228 AYESHA. 
 
 dividing his goods among them ; whilst Su- 
 leiman Aga smoked, paused, and said no- 
 thing. 
 
 When Mustafa and Stasso appeared before 
 them to make known their master's request, 
 it soon became apparent that they were all 
 of one mind upon that subject. They would 
 neither allow of his departure nor of Mus- 
 tafa's. The Mufti swore that all that he or 
 they could assert would never convince him 
 that Osmond was a Frank ; he particularly 
 dwelt upon his language, his dress and appear- 
 ance, and insisted that Osman was a name be- 
 longing only to a true believer. " Such being 
 the case," said he, " he must bear the penalties 
 of transgressing the law." The Pasha, fearing 
 that he might lose all chances of possessing the 
 services of so wonderful a pehlivan, strongly 
 opposed his departure ; whilst Suleiman Aga 
 smoked and pondered still. Mustafa and Stasso 
 were ordered to return to their confinement, to 
 communicate the refusal of the authorities to 
 accede to their master's wishes ; and after com- 
 ing to no resolution upon the punishment to be
 
 AYESHA. 229 
 
 awarded, the assembly broke up, with an agree- 
 ment that they should meet again on the fol- 
 lowing morning. 
 
 Suleiman Aga returned with an unwilling 
 step to his house. He foresaw the storm that 
 was preparing for him ; he anticipated the 
 angry looks and the unceasing wrangle of his 
 wife ; but more than all, he feared to meet the 
 sorrowful looks of Ayesha. He was not mis- 
 taken in his anticipations. The account of 
 what had taken place at the dyer's house was 
 soon rumoured abroad, and the whole story, 
 down to the imprisonment of Osmond and his 
 servants, was conveyed, with all the usual ex- 
 aggerations, to Zabetta and Ayesha, by the old 
 and officious Caterina. Here then was an end 
 to all Zabetta's schemes of emancipation, and 
 a cloud cast over Ayesha's early dawn of love. 
 The one was thrown into a fever of anger, 
 whilst the other bowed her head with meekness 
 to the decrees of fate, but promised to herself 
 to treasure up in her mind the recollection of 
 that vision of bliss, which had visited her in 
 the shape of one whom she was never more des-
 
 230 AYESHA. 
 
 tined to behold, and to endeavour to imitate 
 those perfections, of which she might be said 
 only to have caught a casual glimpse. When 
 she heard of the manner in which her lover was 
 treated, and, moreover, of the fate which await- 
 ed him, her heart sank within her, and her 
 senses almost forsook her. The attack of the 
 negro upon him had already been magnified 
 into an attempt to take away his life ; and hav- 
 ing escaped that, his confinement was reported 
 to be only preparatory to the death which he 
 was doomed to suffer. The position of Ayesha 
 was in every way most painful. What could a 
 Mahomedan maiden do ? Secluded from man- 
 kind by custom, as well as by the prohibitions 
 of her faith, how could she come forward to 
 assist and protect one who was an enemy to 
 her religion, without implicating his safety as 
 well as her own ? From the moment she had 
 heard of his seizure, she was lost in thought ; 
 the colour forsook her cheeks, her whole appear- 
 ance bespoke anguish and despair. She knew 
 her father to be a rigid Mussulman ; and al- 
 though he was naturally passive, and disposed
 
 AYESHA. 231 
 
 to take the reverses of life with more than the 
 philosophy of a predestinarian, yet in every 
 thing that regarded women, their purity and 
 seclusion, he was jealous and vindictive to the 
 highest degree. At one moment, relying upon 
 her influence upon him, she determined to 
 avow her love for Osmond, and to implore his 
 interference to save him. At another, she re- 
 collected to what a pitch his anger had been 
 excited by his suspicions of her mother, and 
 she feared that he would not be more lenient to- 
 wards herself. She had frequently heard of the 
 cruelties committed by her countrymen upon 
 Christians ; and in the violence of her love, she 
 could see nothing but the dear object of her 
 affections exposed to the brutalities and the 
 outrage of the Pasha and the Mufti. Again, 
 she reflected how effectually her father could 
 stay their hand, could she but enlist him in her 
 cause : and again she despaired, for what is 
 there so inexorable as religious persecution 
 upon principle ? Pondering deeply upon Os- 
 mond's situation as well as upon her own, she 
 at length determined, happen what might, to
 
 232 AYESHA. 
 
 make one vigorous effort to save him, even 
 were her father to proceed to the utmost ex- 
 tremities with her. 
 
 Suleiman Aga, upon reaching his house, stole 
 quietly to his own apartment to smoke and 
 think : this he did for some time before he 
 proceeded to the harem, when, finding upon 
 inquiry that his wife had gone out, and that 
 Ayesha was alone, he arose and sought her. 
 He found her, as he had anticipated, sorrowful 
 and dejected. She was seated in a corner, appa- 
 rently mindful of nothing, with an abstracted 
 look, and was not conscious of the presence 
 of her father until he actually stood before 
 her ; she then stood up, as children in the East 
 are wont to do before their parents, and waited 
 his pleasure. 
 
 " Ayesha," said he, " look at me, why are 
 you so sorrowful ? Am I not your father ? 
 Speak but a little — wherefore so ?" 
 
 At these words, which were spoken with 
 as great an expression of tenderness as the 
 phlegmatic man could command, the grief- 
 stricken maiden burst into an agonizing flood
 
 AYESHA. 233 
 
 of tears. She had in vain sought for consola- 
 tion in her distress ; she had found none in 
 her mother, and none in her own thoughts ; 
 and when the kind words of her father struck 
 her ear, every fibre of her heart was softened, 
 and her whole nature melted into tenderness. 
 
 Suleiman, whilst he allowed her tears to 
 flow, was himself affected ; and although he 
 was no great adept in the art of endearments, 
 he managed by his words and manner to soothe 
 this ebullition of Ayesha's grief, and to inspire 
 her with corresponding confidence. She first 
 expressed her sorrow for having been the cause 
 of giving him so much displeasure and uneasi- 
 ness ; bewailed that she should have brought 
 so much misery upon Osmond, and finished 
 by intreating her father to exert all his in- 
 fluence to skreen the youth from harm. 
 
 " God knows," said she, " what grief I have 
 devoured, — I am weak, — whatever I did to 
 resist my feelings was of no use, fate struck 
 me, and made me act. I never intended to 
 displease you." 
 
 " But in the name of Allah !" said Sulei-
 
 234 AYESHA. 
 
 man, " wherefore not speak to me ? have I not 
 always been your friend ?" 
 
 " True you say, O my father !" returned 
 Ayesha ; " but who could ever think that so 
 much distress would fall upon me, from an 
 accident which happened to another I" 1 Upon 
 which she described every circumstance relating 
 to her first acquaintance with Osmond — his 
 fall — her alarm — his respectful behaviour — 
 her running to his assistance. 
 
 " Allah ! Allah I 11 exclaimed Suleiman, " did 
 he see your face ?" 
 
 " What can I say P 11 answered the maiden, 
 " perhaps yes, perhaps no; I did not know what 
 I did : I fear that we looked at each other, 
 and during that time fate struck us ; from that 
 moment a change was worked in my mind, and, 
 from being happy and in peace, ever since then 
 I have been full of anxiety and strange hopes. 
 
 Suleiman, upon hearing this, shook his head 
 and pondered. " But then," said he, " he fell 
 sick, — we heard that from Caterina, — what did 
 you do then ? you saw him no more for some 
 time ?"
 
 AYESHA. 235 
 
 "Ahir said Ayesha, sighing, "'lis true 
 I saw him no more then, but Allah ! Allah ! 
 what a thing is memory ! how treacherous is 
 thought Idid nothing but think of him." 
 
 " You thought of him, Ayesha ?" said her 
 father, " that was Avrong." 
 
 " But what could a poor maiden do against 
 fate ?" she returned : — " besides was there a 
 day in which Caterina did not come to me 
 and sing his praises ? n ' m 
 
 " The praises of an infidel — of a Giaour !" 
 exclaimed Suleiman Aga, as if he were horror- 
 struck ; "I am astonished. That Caterina is an 
 old bit of misfortune. This must not be. We 
 are Mussulmans. Let the infidel perish. Shall 
 we be polluted in our very harems ? Ayesha, 
 this must not be. You have committed sin." 
 
 "Babam ! — O my father I 11 exclaimed Ayesha 
 in alarm, " are we not all God's creatures ? 
 Why should an innocent man perish, though 
 he be not of our faith ? Oh, think better of this, 
 and save him." 
 
 " Allah, Allah !" exclaimed Suleiman, " you 
 a Mahomedan maiden, and speak thus? To
 
 236 AYESHA. 
 
 what end have my instructions served, if you 
 are ignorant of what is decreed against infidels ? 
 You have read our book of faith, and are you 
 now to plead in favour of a Giaour? Ayesha, 
 do you love this Frank ?" 
 
 Ayesha was overpowered with contending 
 emotions ; her father's stern intolerance was so 
 directly opposed to the spirit of Osmond's 
 benevolence, that she could not but feel how 
 amiable was the one, and how reprehensible 
 the other. Still she saw that all was lost if she 
 did not control her feelings ; and she remained 
 silent for a while, until, fearing that the most 
 dreadful fate was about to befall her lover, she 
 fell on her knees before her father, and said, — 
 
 " If any one is in fault, it is I. I alone 
 am guilty — do what you please with me, I 
 will not repine ; but save the innocent youth. 
 If he dies, Ayesha dies also."" 
 
 The grave Turk had never contemplated 
 such a misfortune as the loss of his daughter ; 
 little did he suspect how deeply her affections 
 were engaged, and now his eyes were opened. 
 He would have exploded with anger but for
 
 AYESHA. 237 
 
 the beautiful form and imploring attitude be- 
 fore him ; his own sense of what was risrht im- 
 pelled one way, whilst his affection led him the 
 other. He was perplexed how to act, and 
 would have left his daughter without a reply, 
 had not a thought struck him that a compromise 
 might be made, by which her happiness would 
 be secured, and his own rectitude remain un- 
 sullied. 
 
 " Ayesha, my lamb," said he, as he made 
 her rise, " the decrees of fate are indeed un- 
 alterable. We will make a thought for your 
 happiness." 
 
 " Heaven bless my father for those words !" 
 exclaimed the distressed maiden ; " Think not 
 of the happiness of Ayesha ; she will be con- 
 tent happen whatever may ; but let him 
 protect the innocent. What have you de- 
 vised ?" 
 
 " Let the Giaour become a true believer ; 
 let him forsake his faith, and adopt that of 
 the blessed Prophet and his followers, and as 
 there is but one Allah, Ayesha shall become 
 his wife. Suleiman has spoken the word."
 
 238 AYESHA. 
 
 Ayesha's bosom heaved with new sensations, 
 and although she felt a sad foreboding, from 
 the knowledge which she had already acquired 
 of Osmond's sentiments, that this could never 
 be, yet her eyes beamed with delight upon 
 hearing this proposal of her father. She kissed 
 his hand, and made her acknowledgments of 
 gratitude ; and although she could not control 
 that look of despondency which marked her 
 real feelings, still in his eyes she appeared 
 comforted and at ease. 
 
 At this juncture Zabetta entered the apart- 
 ment. She had bestirred herself most actively 
 to acquire information in the city concerning 
 the seizure of Osmond, and was just returned. 
 Her passions were roused at what she had 
 heard. At one place it was said that an in- 
 fidel had arrived, and, aided by a worshipper 
 of Satan, had carried off Suleiman Aga's daugh- 
 ter into the Kurdistan mountains. At ano- 
 ther, she was told that, Suleiman Aga hav- 
 ing found his wife with the Giaour, he had 
 thrust her into a sack, and drowned her in the
 
 AYESHA. 239 
 
 river. Then those who resided near the Pa- 
 sha's palace affirmed that the Pasha's Ethi- 
 opian had broken the infidel's back, and that 
 he was lying dead in the court. At length 
 she ascertained to a certainty what had really 
 taken place, and she returned home in full 
 venom against her husband. As soon as she 
 perceived him, she exclaimed, " And so, you 
 have become the destroyer of your own house ? 
 Mashallah ! you have brought your beard 
 to a good market ! All the world, men, wo- 
 men, and children, are passing their whole 
 time in spitting at it, and for what ? because 
 a dog of an Imam chooses to come and tell 
 you lies !" 
 
 " Zabetta," said Suleiman, unmoved, " are 
 you become mad ? Am I to blame because 
 I have done nothing ?" 
 
 " How ! done nothing ?" screamed the angry 
 woman : " Is dishonouring your wife and op- 
 pressing your child, nothing ? Is making us 
 the talk and derision of the whole city, no- 
 thing ? Is the oppression of an innocent man,
 
 240 AYESHA. 
 
 nothing ? Is putting him in danger of his 
 life, nothing ? Eh vah ! by what aecount do 
 you reckon ?" 
 
 " As Allah is great," said Suleiman, " I 
 have done nothing ! If the hind chooses to 
 squat before the lion, is it the lion's fault 
 that he eats him up ? When a Giaour, of his 
 own accord, leaves his own country, and comes 
 hither to insult our laws, is it the Mussulman's 
 fault that he defends them, and punishes the 
 guilty ? Women talk with their hearts, and 
 not with their heads."' 1 
 
 " What have you to say against women ?" 
 said Zabetta, in a voice of anger. "Without 
 women what would you be ? What but a 
 dried-up old stump, with nothing to refresh 
 you ? What but a dirty heap in a corner, 
 without a helping hand to purify you ? Go, go, 
 you talk as if your tongue belonged to your 
 hands instead of your head. You straight 
 come to your stick and your strength, when 
 the little wit which you possess has left your 
 brain. You may uphold your men when 
 women are not here to guide you ; but as
 
 AYESHA. 241 
 
 long as you have a Zabetta in your house, 
 you shall hear her and her only, even had you 
 but one ear to help you to hear her words. 
 I say you must not allow that ill-fated in- 
 fidel to perish ; he must be saved ; and as 
 you have caused the evil, so must you bring 
 back the good." 
 
 " Are you mad, O woman !" exclaimed Su- 
 leiman, " to speak thus ? Wherefore do you 
 coin useless words ? Who but the Imam is 
 the accuser of the Frank? — he saw the deed 
 — he bears witness to the crime. What can 
 I say against facts ?" 
 
 " Imam ! Imam !"" exclaimed Zabetta mock- 
 ingly, as she rested her hands upon her hips, 
 looking straight into her husband's face ; 
 " one would think from your words that 
 that old scarecrow, who croaks out his pro- 
 fession of faith from the minaret top, was 
 as sacred a personage as the Prophet himself ! 
 But what is he but an old dotard? a tooth- 
 less, beardless churl, who, instead of mind- 
 ing his azan and the affairs of his mosque, 
 chooses, like a bird of ill-omen as he is, to 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 AYESHA. 
 
 soar over and pry into our harems; to look 
 where he should not ; to imagine evil where 
 none is meant ; to destroy men's houses by 
 his vile falsehoods ; to set father against 
 daughter, and husband against wife; and to 
 spread such false rumours as may produce 
 misfortunes, and none but Allah knows where 
 they may stop. Go, go ! let us hear no more 
 of your Imam, except when you may have 
 secured for him a sound bastinado upon the 
 soles of his feet. Suleiman Aga ! you must 
 put an end to this thraldom. Go to the 
 mekemeh, and insist that the infidel Ingliz 
 be set at liberty. Wallah billah ! — I will 
 not rest until he is." 
 
 Suleiman allowed this burst of his wife's 
 volubility and rage to subside, and then look- 
 ing at Ayesha, replied, " What I have said, 
 I have said. If the infidel will consent to 
 abandon his faith, and adopt that of Islam, 
 she shall become his wife ; and then all will 
 be well." 
 
 " What words are these ?" exclaimed Za- 
 betta. " She shall become his wife, do you
 
 AYESHA. 243 
 
 say ? she shall become no man's wife unless I 
 choose it. Am I nothing, that I am not to be 
 consulted ? What man in the world is there 
 who knows anything about marriages ? men 
 can no more select a husband for their dauo-h- 
 ters, than they can choose the colour of their 
 wives' vest. Let them keep to their pipes, 
 their horses, and their camels ; let them sit 
 in the bazaar, buy, sell, fight, and steal, but 
 let them not meddle in what concerns them 
 not. Allah ! Allah ! what is the world to be- 
 come if a mother cannot do what she pleases 
 with her own daughter ? Go, man ! go smoke, 
 go pray, but leave marriages to women." 
 
 " There is no harm in what you say, 1 ' re- 
 turned Suleiman, with a most placid mien, " be 
 it so. But if you wish to save the infidel's 
 life, he must first abjure his faith ; and if it 
 be your desire that your daughter remain 
 unhurt, she must marry him after his abjura- 
 tion of his own faith, and when he has adopted 
 ours." 
 
 These words in some measure stopped the 
 current of Zabetta's rage, and she was so far 
 
 m 2
 
 244 AYESHA. 
 
 cooled as to perceive that, if something were 
 not done, all her own hopes of emancipation 
 from Kars must fall to the ground, and thus 
 this opportunity, so favourable to her views, 
 would be lost. She therefore gradually de- 
 sisted from that fierce opposition which she 
 was in the habit of making to every proposal 
 emanating from her husband, and, like the 
 gradual cessation of artillery which marks the 
 close of a battle, she withdrew from the con- 
 test by slowly diminishing the power of her 
 angry words, and at length quitted the room 
 under cover of a low growl. 
 
 When left in full possession of her harem 
 by the absence of Suleiman, she closeted 
 herself with Ayesha, and there she gave 
 full vent to her feelings at the untoward 
 turn which their acquaintance with Osmond 
 had taken. She disclosed to her the various 
 schemes which had passed through her mind 
 for effecting his release. She first thought of 
 despatching a messenger to the nearest Rus- 
 sian post on the frontier, in order to invite the 
 officer in command there to an attack on the
 
 AYESHA. 245 
 
 town. She next turned her thoughts to a 
 chieftain in the Kurdistan, a friend of hers, who 
 might be useful in destroying the Mufti, or 
 carrying him and the Imam prisoners into the 
 mountains. She afterwards thought how bribes 
 might best be administered, in order to open 
 the gates of Osmond's prison ; but, the more 
 she devised schemes, the more one after the 
 other they appeared impracticable. At length 
 she was obliged to sit down in the conviction 
 that, for once in his life, her husband's 
 scheme was the most feasible, and that, after 
 all, Osmond Turk would serve her purpose 
 j ust as well as Osmond Christian ; for she 
 thought to herself, let him but once rid me 
 cf this horrid place, and then I care not what 
 happens to him. 
 
 Ayesha was for the moment relieved by the 
 hope that her lover's life was not in danger ; 
 but, after due reflection, she could not con- 
 ceal from herself that the blow, although it 
 might, be averted by her father's interference, 
 would only fall the more heavily, from the line 
 of conduct which she felt sure Osmond would
 
 246 AYESHA. 
 
 pursue. She could not entirely open her heart 
 to her mother, for experience had taught 
 her that she was ever too much impelled by 
 passion and sudden impulse to act with the 
 prudence and circumspection so necessary in 
 the present posture of her affairs; and more- 
 over she felt, that as the scheme which filled 
 her mother's mind had reference entirely to 
 her own well-being, it would be wise not to 
 intrude her own, and thus produce a collision 
 which might be fatal to all parties. The 
 maiden, called upon to act upon an occasion of 
 difficulty, exhibited all at once a sagacity far 
 beyond her years ; and she now first learned 
 the elements of that fortitude which accom- 
 panied her through the series of adventures 
 which it will be our task to bring to light in 
 the forthcoming narrative.
 
 AYESHA. 247 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Mahometans are neither involved in the impiety of 
 atheism, nor the darkness of idolatry ; and their reli°-ion, 
 false as it is, has many articles of belief in common with 
 our own : which will facilitate our labours in diffusing the 
 true faith, and dispose them to receive it. — Forster's 
 Mahometanism Unveiled. 
 
 On the following morning the authorities 
 met to deliberate upon the best course to pur- 
 sue in regard to their prisoner. Each party 
 put forward their opinion; lenity was urged 
 on the part of the Pasha, severity on that of 
 the Mufti and Imam. Suleiman Aga, having 
 been called upon for his decision, oft'ered the 
 alternative which he had proposed to his wife 
 and daughter. " If," said he, " the infidel will 
 embrace the Mahomedan faith, nothing more 
 need be said ; he shall marry my daughter."
 
 248 AYESHA. 
 
 This proposal was unexpected, and produced 
 a pause in the deliberations. As good Mus- 
 sulmans, neither of them could object to it, 
 for they were bound to make proselytes in the 
 best manner they could, and here was too 
 favourable an opportunity to be missed; but 
 this stroke of Suleiman Aga's magnanimity 
 did not hit precisely in the right place the 
 intentions of either the Pasha or the Mufti. 
 The Pasha wanted to secure a good pehlivan, 
 and was ready to have paid a price for Os- 
 mond, should death have been decreed to 
 him ; whilst the Mufti was expecting to 
 make a good harvest of gain by the youth's 
 delinquency ; but with this compromising pro- 
 posal both were likely to lose their object, 
 although their faith would gain a true believer, 
 and Suleiman a son-in-law. However, as Su- 
 leiman Aga strenuously persisted in his scheme, 
 nothing more could be said, and it was deter- 
 mined forthwith that their prisoner should be 
 ordered to appear before them, and the decision 
 to which they had come be duly announced to 
 him.
 
 AYESHA. 249 
 
 Osmond, in the mean time, had enjoyed full 
 leisure to reflect upon the situation in which he 
 was placed. Notwithstanding all the buoyancy 
 and spirit of his youth, notwithstanding the 
 natural force and manliness which formed a 
 principal feature of his character, yet, when he 
 looked around him and found himself destitute 
 of help, far away from friends and protectors, a 
 prisoner in the hands of barbarians, and guilty 
 of what in their estimation was a crime only 
 to be expiated by death, his fortitude was 
 shaken, and he began to despair of his safety. 
 
 The tender passion which had been awak- 
 ened in his breast by Ayesha, interfered not to 
 soothe, but to add more bitterness to his feel- 
 ings. Whatever schemes he had conceived in 
 her favour were now blasted, and he dreaded 
 to think to what horrors and brutalities she 
 might be exposed on his account. He dwelt 
 upon her perfections, recalled the conversations 
 they had held together, repeated to himself the 
 endearing expressions of love with which she 
 had charmed his ears, only to feel more intensely 
 the misery of his situation. His imagination 
 
 M 5
 
 250 AYESHA. 
 
 would then wander to his own country — his 
 own home ; he would picture to himself what 
 dread desolation would strike the hearts of his 
 parents when they heard of his fate, and was 
 moved to tears in the remembrance of all the 
 dear friends of his youth, with whom he, per- 
 haps, had parted for ever ! Nor was the pre- 
 sence of his fellow -prisoners, Mustafa and 
 Stasso, of any real comfort to him ; for they 
 too moaned over this check to their prosperity, 
 and added, by their anticipations of what might 
 probably be their destiny, to the gloom and 
 horror which surrounded them. 
 
 Mustafa did nothing but con over the bar- 
 barities which were peculiar to the region in 
 which they then were. He affirmed that the 
 Turks put their prisoners to death by impale- 
 ment ; the Persians, by cutting the body into 
 equal parts, or by explosion from a bomb ; the 
 Kurds, by strangling, or burying alive ; and, by 
 way of being learned on these matters, he dis- 
 cussed whether, if their heads were cut off, 
 the Mufti would have the courtesy to allow 
 his head, as being that of a true believer, 
 to be placed under his arm, or whether he
 
 AYESHA. 251 
 
 would be condemned, along with his master 
 and Stasso, as an infidel, to be degraded and 
 abused. 
 
 "Allah send them misfortunes!" he would 
 exclaim ; " may their houses be ruined ! we 
 may die here like dogs, and no one will be 
 near us to cover our faces or turn our feet to- 
 wards the blessed Mecca !" 
 
 " Allah kerim der — God is merciful !" said 
 Osmond, endeavouring to keep up the spirits 
 of the dejected man ; " let us hope for the best." 
 
 " Allah kerim is very well in its way," sighed 
 Mustafa, " but what good will that do me 
 when my head is off?" 
 
 " Why do you think of your head," exclaimed 
 the faithful Stasso, " when our master's life is 
 in jeopardy ? May the wicked one take her to 
 himself — that black devil !" alluding to Nour- 
 zadeh, " for she it is who has brought us into 
 this scrape." 
 
 In the middle of these their discussions, the 
 door of the prison was opened, and, with the 
 usual salutation in his mouth, the Pasha's 
 chokhadar made his appearance, stating the 
 orders of his master, that Osmond should
 
 252 AYESHA. 
 
 immediately repair to the presence. He would 
 answer nothing to the questions put to him 
 both by Osmond and Mustafa, excepting the 
 indefinite ' Bakalum — we shall see V the refuge 
 of every Turk in ignorance or indolence ; and 
 straightway marshalling himself at their head, 
 he led them into the room where the Pasha, the 
 Mufti, the Imam, and Suleiman Aga, were 
 assembled, besides a khoja or scribe, in readi- 
 ness to make any notes that might be necessary. 
 
 As soon as Osmond appeared, it was evi- 
 dent that they did not intend to extend to him 
 the courtesy of allowing him to sit; but this 
 question he soon settled himself, by at once 
 placing himself next to the Pasha, — an action 
 in the eyes of all present so extraordinary, 
 and so imposing by the resoluteness which it 
 proclaimed, that, instead of militating against 
 him, it acted in his favour ; for Orientals are 
 ever awed by an assertion of dignity. 
 
 The priza-fighting Pasha, enveloped in furs 
 and shawls, was excited into something like 
 nervous agitation at the neighbourhood of one 
 whom he lookegl upon as an eater of lions,
 
 AYESHA. 253 
 
 which he evinced by moving his seat about a 
 span, at the same time coaxing his lips into 
 flattering and conciliatory expressions. The 
 Mufti, too, was startled, but he was not to be 
 cheated out of his inflexibility ; the Imam was 
 passive, and Suleiman Aga appeared as usual, 
 torpid and indifferent. At length, when it was 
 plain that Osmond intended no overt act of 
 assault, and sat quietly in his place, the Mufti 
 opened his lips and said, " "We have sent for 
 you, O Frank ! in consequence of complaints 
 made against you : here is the man," pointing to 
 Suleiman Aga, " who sues you for an outrage 
 done to his harem — Speak, Suleiman Aga, 
 what accusation have you against this Frank ?" 
 
 " My accusation is this," said the Turk : 
 " that this man, infidel to our faith and 
 stranger in our land, did seduce and hold 
 converse with one of our harem ; and this man 
 here," pointing to the Imam, " is my witness." 
 
 " If you are the witness," said the Mufti to 
 the Imam, " state what you saw." 
 
 " May you live many years!" said the Imam, 
 with an hypocritical tone of voice, " I am wit-
 
 254 AYESHA. 
 
 ness to the fact — I, with my own eyes, saw 
 this Frank with a woman of our faith upon 
 the terrace of the house of Bogos, the Arme- 
 nian dyer — What more can I say ?" 
 
 " Frank ! speak," said the Mufti to Osmond, 
 " what have you to say to this accusation ?" 
 
 " I have before acknowledged that I did 
 meet with and speak to a woman on the Ar- 
 menian's terrace," said Osmond with firmness, 
 " and I acknowledge it again. It was not my 
 intention to infringe your laws, for in my 
 own country men speak freely to women, and 
 do not controvert the laws of God in so doing." 
 
 " What says the law on this occasion," said 
 the Mufti, addressing the scribe, who had 
 hitherto taken note of the proceedings. The 
 scribe turned to a copy of the Koran, and, 
 taking it up with much reverence, opened 
 the leaves, and after some search stopped at a 
 passage, to which he pointed with his finger, 
 and then read aloud, " As for the unbelievers, 
 it will be equal to them whether thou ad- 
 monish them, or do not admonish them, they 
 will not believe — God hath sealed up their
 
 AYESHA. 255 
 
 hearts and their hearing, a dimness covereth 
 their sight, and they shall suffer a grievous 
 punishment." 
 
 The assembled company looked at Osmond 
 as these words were read, when the Mufti said, 
 " Have you heard, O Frank ? what can you say 
 against receiving your merited punishment ? 
 You, who wear our dress and adopt our man- 
 ners, must know that you have transgressed 
 against our laws, invaded the sacred pri- 
 vacy of our harem, and thus, admonished or 
 not admonished, you have persisted in your sin 
 — wherefore should you not be punished ?" 
 
 " The passage which has just been read, 1 ' 
 said Osmond with great self-possession, " has 
 nothing to do with my holding conversation 
 with one of your women — show me a law 
 against it, and I will answer you." 
 
 The Mufti, who knew that there was no spe- 
 cial injunction in the Koran against an unbe- 
 liever holding communication with women of 
 the true faith, and who had twisted a gene- 
 ral denunciation into a special one, as the cus- 
 tom frequently is among Mahomedan law-
 
 256 AYESHA. 
 
 yers when their sacred book is at fault, grew 
 angry at Osmond's answer, and made a long 
 and confused exposition of the law against un- 
 believers in general, which it is unnecessary to 
 repeat, but which only left him more open 
 than before to the criticism and exposition of 
 his prisoner. Suleiman Aga, who was a sound 
 Mahomedan, and who had paid great atten- 
 tion to the discussion, seeing how ill the ar- 
 gument was conducted on the part of his coun- 
 tryman, thus briefly broke silence and said, 
 " All infidels are worthy of death, of that there 
 is no doubt — throw no more words into the air 
 upon that head, but hearken to these words ;" 
 and taking the Koran from the hands of the 
 scribe, and turning over a few pages he stopped 
 at this passage, which he read aloud, "'Give 
 not in marriage women who believe, to the 
 idolaters, until they believe.' This is positive, 
 and it is also positive that unbelievers are wor- 
 thy of death. Let the Frank embrace our faith, 
 and I will give him my daughter in marriage. 
 Should he refuse — let him die. I have said." 
 Upon this the Mufti, who was pleased at 

 
 AYESHA. 257 
 
 being delivered from his embarrassment, ex- 
 pressed his approbation, and was seconded 
 by that of the Pasha and the Imam. He then 
 said to Osmond, " Have you heard ? This 
 is our ordinance : instantly make the profession 
 of our faith, accept Suleiman Aga's daughter 
 for a wife, and live ; — refuse, and you die." 11 
 
 Osmond, who had not anticipated this result, 
 was struck with perplexity. He would have 
 at once rejected with indignation the invitation 
 to become an apostate to his own faith, but 
 he recollected that the fate of his enchanting 
 mistress might be involved in his own; there- 
 fore, to gain time, he appeared to listen to the 
 proposal, if not with approbation, still not 
 with disgust and anger. With as much calm- 
 ness as he could command, he said, " As for 
 embracing your faith, prove to me that it is 
 better than mine and I agree, with this proviso, 
 that, if I can prove to you that my faith is bet- 
 ter than yours, you will adopt it in preference 
 to your own." Then turning to Suleiman Aga 
 he said, " And with respect to receiving your 
 daughter for my wife, with this hand and heart
 
 258 AYESHA. 
 
 I accept her under all circumstances, and offer 
 you my gratitude for the gift."" 
 
 Upon hearing Osmond's words, the assembly 
 sat mute for some time, reflecting upon their 
 import, and full of wonder at what might be 
 the result. The Mufti, however, who soon 
 perceived what an advantage his prisoner had 
 ceded to them by his proposal, said with great 
 gravity, " There is no harm in what the Frank 
 proposes. We accept. Let him prove that our 
 sacred religion is false (which Allah forbid !) 
 then we will become Christians ; but, as Allah is 
 in heaven, as the holy Mahomet is his Prophet, 
 we swear, should he not cede to conviction, 
 although convinced, and should he be obstinate 
 in refusing to be convinced, then, by the beard 
 of the Prophet I swear that he dies i - " To 
 which his compeers gravely and emphatically 
 answered " Evalla — truly yes." 
 
 During his early studies, Osmond had paid 
 great attention to everything which had re- 
 ference to the East, and in particular to the 
 religion of Mahomet, and to the extraordinary 
 fact, that so large a portion of the human race
 
 AYESHA. 259 
 
 should be living under the delusion of a false 
 faith, subjecting themselves to its laws, and 
 influencing their hopes of futurity by its false 
 promises. His mind, accustomed to embrace 
 large and extensive views of the schemes of 
 Providence, did not view Mahomet merely in 
 the light of a designing adventurer, an artful 
 fanatic, or an ambitious chieftain ; but he re- 
 ferred to the unalterable truths of prophecy 
 recorded in the sacred scriptures, to expound 
 the difficulties which existed in his mind con- 
 cerning the sway which his doctrines had 
 acquired throughout Asia. Adopting the opi- 
 nions of one of our learned modern divines, he 
 had taught himself to look upon the Arabs, 
 amongst whom he had travelled, as the de- 
 scendants of Ishmael, and upon the Turks, who 
 had so taken up the spirit of the Prophet's 
 views, as the most powerful upholders of the 
 false faith, both working out the truths of pro- 
 phecy. He had always held the opinion that 
 the false faith was so nearly imitative of the 
 true, that in time it was preparing the way for 
 the conversion of those who now professed it ;
 
 260 AYESHA. 
 
 and that those doctrines which they found in- 
 terspersed throughout the Koran, which had 
 been taken from the book of truth and incor- 
 porated into the book of falsehood, would, as it 
 were, be the virus which in time would bring 
 out the baleful disease, and produce a renewed 
 and wholesome state of being. When, there- 
 fore, the proposal was made to him by the 
 Mufti to abandon his own faith and to adopt 
 the Mahomedan, he was immediately struck by 
 the idea that an opportunity was now afforded 
 him of exposing the falsity of the Prophet's 
 doctrine, and that, however weak and superfi- 
 cial such an exposition might be, still he might 
 perhaps be the means of shaking some one 
 mind, and adding his mite to the contributions 
 which were now making in furtherance of the 
 great object of converting the heathen to 
 Christianity. 
 
 Having been reconducted to his prison, he 
 turned his mind to the serious task which he had 
 imposed upon himself. He repeated to himself 
 all the arguments which he thought would be 
 most likely to produce conviction upon his anta-
 
 AYESHA. 261 
 
 gonists — arguments, on the one hand, to subvert 
 the false basis upon which Mahomedanism was 
 founded, and on the other to uphold that which 
 formed the groundwork of Christianity. His 
 ardent mind lost sight, in this exercise, of the 
 imminent danger to which he was about to 
 be exposed, and, looking upon himself as a 
 champion of his religion, he felt prepared to 
 encounter every species of martyrdom in the 
 struggle which he was about to undergo. 
 
 Not so, however, did his companions meet 
 the forthcoming controversy. They began to 
 esteem their master as one but a degree re- 
 moved from a madman. They had been 
 accustomed to hear Englishmen called ' delhi 
 Ingliz? the mad English, and now they were 
 about to learn the truth of that appellation, as 
 illustrated in their master; for though hitherto 
 they had admired his wisdom and respected 
 his high personal qualities, yet, in this in- 
 stance, they feared that the nerve of insanity 
 had been touched, and that he would be truly 
 entitled to the epithet often applied to his 
 countrymen.
 
 262 AYESHA. 
 
 " By Allah ! he is mad," said Mustafa 
 to Stasso. " He does not know these Turks. 
 What do they care for what he may say ! 
 All they want is his property — they do not 
 care an asper for his doctrine. Let an infidel 
 wear a green turban, or even put on yellow 
 slippers, without permission ; let him go into 
 a mosque, or even into a bath, unprotected, 
 and they will tear him to pieces. What then 
 will they not do when they hear him announce 
 in full assembly that their religion is false, and 
 that the blessed Mahomed is an impostor? 
 Allah ! Allah ! they will fall upon him like 
 lions and wolves, and drink his blood. And 
 what will happen to us ? They will drink our 
 blood also." 
 
 " What can I do ?" said Stasso, looking the 
 picture of woe ; " he is a Frank, and, what is 
 more, an Englishman. Englishmen are very 
 devils — they neither go to the right nor left — 
 but straight on — on they go — they never will 
 believe that danger is before them, they never 
 do things like other people — they never will 
 run away. Don't you remember, Mustafa, some
 
 AYESHA. 263 
 
 years ago at Constantinople, when a Jew 
 was hung opposite to the gate of the bazaar, 
 and everybody ran away fearing he might be 
 obliged to perform the operation, that an Eng- 
 lish sailor, walking along with the greatest 
 indifference, was seized upon and ordered to 
 do it ? and that, instead of running off, he 
 willingly lent himself to the task, threw the 
 rope over the first beam, and having hauled 
 up the wretch as if he had been a cask, 
 quietly turned about and inquired if there were 
 any more? — As you love your mother, this 
 is true ! they are all mad from first to last."" 
 
 They then determined to expostulate with 
 their master, in order to divert him from his in- 
 tention ; and to propose a schem e for bribing 
 their keeper, escaping from the walls of the 
 city, and making the best of their way to the 
 Russian frontier. But when they did so, they 
 found him inexorable ; he was determined not 
 to flinch from the proposal which he himself 
 had made, and informed his servants that, if 
 they would not stand by him, they were at 
 perfect liberty to depart, assuring them that,
 
 264 AYESHA. 
 
 by letters which he would give them to his 
 agent at Constantinople, he would secure to 
 them a full and ample remuneration for their 
 services. Stasso's fidelity remained unchanged ; 
 Mustafa's very probably would not have proved 
 so firm had he possessed the means of taking 
 advantage of his master's offer, but r as he would 
 have found the post-houses shut to him, and 
 probably would have lost his situation at 
 the British embassy had he returned to Con- 
 stantinople without his charge, he thought it 
 best to remain where he was, and to take the 
 chance of whatever kismet, fate, might throw 
 in his way. 
 
 Whilst that which we have just related was 
 passing in Osmond's prison, the Turkish digni- 
 taries remained together in council. Some time 
 before, a circumstance of a nearly similar na- 
 ture had taken place in Persia : a pious Frank 
 had appeared there, and had advanced such 
 arguments in favour of the religion of Christ 
 that none of the Persian doctors could answer 
 him. The Turks on this occasion were deter- 
 mined to do better, and to put forth so much
 
 AYESHA. 2G5 
 
 learning, and advance such arguments as would 
 at once rival their neighbours and annihilate 
 the Frank. Accordingly they collected all 
 that the city possessed of wisdom and learning, 
 — Khodjas, Mollahs, Hakims, Imams, all were 
 assembled ; but that which they most depended 
 upon was the sagacity of a celebrated Dervish, 
 who lived a recluse in a mountain cell, where 
 he practised austerities and prayed without 
 ceasing. He was said to have the Koran by 
 heart, and was so well versed in the say- 
 ings of the blessed Mahomet, that no one 
 could compete with him. He seldom appear- 
 ed in the city, and, when he did, was so be^- 
 set by applicants for talismans, charms, and 
 medicinal nostrums, that he could scarcely 
 move for the crowd which beset him. The very 
 hairs of his beard were preserved as relics, 
 and even the parings of his nails had a price. 
 To him the Mufti sent a deputation, request- 
 ing his attendance upon the appointed day, 
 announcing to him that the Mahomedan faith 
 was in danger, and that an unbelieving Frank 
 had undertaken to dispute its authenticity. 
 
 VOI,. £. N
 
 266 AYESHA. 
 
 Nothing was spoken of in Kars but the ap- 
 proaching controversy ; and the zeal of each 
 true believer was heightened to such a pitch, 
 that it was looked upon as certain, if Os- 
 mond should venture to walk the streets un- 
 protected, he would be torn to pieces by the 
 populace. The news soon reached the ears 
 of Zabetta and Ayesha, who were affected 
 by the report in a very different manner. The 
 one was fully aware of the danger of the un- 
 dertaking in which Osmond had engaged, and, 
 little caring about his motives, which she would 
 have derided had she known them, looked 
 upon him in a worse light than Mustafa and 
 Stasso had done — for they only thought him 
 a madman, she a fool : the other, wrapped up 
 in the object of her admiration with an in- 
 tensity of the most ardent love, was smitten 
 with fear and apprehension at the dangers 
 which awaited him. To oppose himself sin- 
 gle-handed to a multitude of fanatics in re- 
 ligion, to attempt by argument to convince 
 them of their errors, and to attack their preju- 
 dices, one of which was hatred and abhorrence
 
 AYESHA. 267 
 
 of infidels, and contempt of Europeans in 
 general, was altogether so wild a scheme, that 
 even to Ayesha, who admired Osmond as much 
 for his wisdom as she adored him as a lover, it 
 appeared downright madness. All she could do 
 was to pray for his safety. She passed her time 
 solely and entirely in thinking of him, in re- 
 peating to herself all that he had ever said to 
 her, in bringing before her mind's eye every 
 feature of his face, and in devising means for 
 his escape. 
 
 Such was the state of things in Kars ; and 
 those who are at all acquainted with Turks, 
 with their jealousy at any interference in mat- 
 ters of their faith, with the quickness of their 
 revenge, and contempt of life when their 
 passions are roused, will be able to judge of 
 the dangerous predicament in which Osmond 
 was placed. Perhaps, had he been himself 
 fully aware of it, he would not have risked his 
 life in so unequal a contest ; but, impelled by a 
 spirit of enterprise, actuated by an ardent desire 
 to do good, and feeling himself called upon to 
 uphold his religion, even at the risk of his 
 
 n2
 
 268 AYESHA. 
 
 life, he was blind to danger, and determined, 
 happen what might, to proceed with vigour 
 in what he had undertaken. The result he 
 left to the disposition of Providence.
 
 AYESHA. 269 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 War is enjoined you against the infidels. 
 
 Koran, ch. 2. 
 
 The day being appointed for the contro- 
 versy, the medresseh, or school, which adjoined 
 the principal mosque, was selected for the 
 place of assembly. On the morning of that 
 day, every one who had any pretension to 
 sanctity was seen making his way to the spot : 
 men with large turbans and scanty beards ; 
 Imams with wan faces ; scribes, young and 
 old ; those connected with the schools, der- 
 vishes, the attendants upon the Mufti, and 
 indeed, it may be said, all who hated Franks 
 and upheld the Mahomedan faith. By the 
 time they had taken their places, the medresseh
 
 270 AYESHA. 
 
 was nearly filled, so that dense rows of tur- 
 bans, faces, and beards, appeared rising one 
 above the other in a compact mass, as one 
 may have seen in an Eastern market piles of 
 water-melons in a stall. A vacant space in 
 front had been prepared for the Pasha, the 
 Mufti, the Ayans, and others of the chief 
 men of Kars, duly cushioned and carpeted ; 
 whilst those who from their learning or su- 
 perior wisdom were entitled to consideration, 
 were placed in a conspicuous position, for the 
 better confronting the adverse party. When 
 the Pasha had taken his seat, the Mufti, Su- 
 leiman Aga, and others in authority also ar- 
 rived, and took theirs : but the person to whom 
 the greatest respect was paid, was the recluse, 
 the old man of God from the mountains. He 
 had arrived, pursuant to the call, and his 
 appearance had given a fresh impetus to the 
 zeal and fanaticism which more or less per- 
 vaded all ranks and classes. He was a short 
 man, shrivelled, wan, and haggard ; his eye 
 deeply sunk in his head ; his lips always in 
 motion, reciting passages of the Koran ; and
 
 AYESHA. 271 
 
 his person was always fixed in one position, 
 which never deviated from the perpendicular. 
 A very scanty rag of green was wound round 
 a brown felt cap, by way of head-dress ; an 
 old w r eather-beaten cloak covered his shoul- 
 ders, whilst a leathern girdle kept together a 
 vest that would have fallen to pieces had it 
 not been so compressed. In the assembly he 
 was placed in the seat of honour, a distinc- 
 tion to which he appeared totally indifferent ; 
 and if human weakness could have been de- 
 tected, perhaps it would have been found to 
 consist in the vanity of being poor, when com- 
 pared with the riches which were so conspicu- 
 ous in the dress and equipages of the Pasha. 
 
 The Mahomedans were now duly seated. 
 The eyes of the crowd having feasted upon 
 the poor Saint, upon the gorgeous Pasha, and 
 upon the high officers of the city, now became 
 impatient for the appearance of the Frank, 
 whom, beforehand, each had in their minds 
 devoted to perdition. After a sufficient lapse 
 of time Osmond at length appeared, followed 
 by Mustafa and Stasso, and conducted by the
 
 272 AYESHA. 
 
 Pasha"^ guard, headed by a principal officer. 
 In his passage from the place of his confine- 
 ment, he had been struck by the extraor- 
 dinary agitation which prevailed among the 
 people, for the Turks are proverbially pas- 
 sive and indifferent ; and this circumstance 
 tended greatly to impress him with the dif- 
 ficulty and danger of the enterprise in which 
 he was engaged. The women in particular, 
 who are but seldom seen, were now collected 
 in flocks, and although they were not ad- 
 mitted into the place of congregation, yet in 
 the streets through which he passed, on the 
 walls, at the windows, on the tops of the 
 baths, and on the terraces, he saw them in 
 dense masses, enveloped in their white veils 
 so closely that their faces were not to be re- 
 cognised. The sight of them brought Ayesha 
 to his mind more vividly than ever ; and 
 he endeavoured to persuade himself that one 
 figure, possessing grace and dignity above 
 the rest, was herself — but perhaps it was 
 only a passing dream. He felt that none but 
 her faithful heart could beat with interest
 
 AYESHA. 273 
 
 for his fate ; and he could cheer himself 
 with no reflection that, if he were surrounded 
 by enemies, he still had friends ready to receive 
 and cherish him should the others prevail. 
 However, the instant he came in sight of 
 the assembled Turks in the medresseh, his 
 spirit rose, and he was himself again. Inde- 
 pendent and dignified in manner, serious in 
 his demeanour, with grace and modesty in his 
 actions, his whole appearance would have in- 
 spired the unprejudiced with love and respect; 
 but the moment he entered the assembly was 
 the signal for a general manifestation of looks 
 of contempt and indications of contumely 
 among; those before whom he stood. He re- 
 ceived no encouraging smile, no friendly hand 
 was held out to greet him ; every face which 
 met his eye wore the look of enmity. A 
 place had been set apart for him, to which 
 the Pasha pointed, saying, " Otour — sit ;" 
 which Osmond without further difficulty did. 
 Amidst the whisperings and suppresed ex- 
 pressions of contempt which were heard to 
 issue from the assembled Turks, the Mufti's 
 
 n5
 
 274 AYESHA. 
 
 voice at length, addressing Osmond, broke 
 silence, as follows : 
 
 " Frank ! Osman Aga ! you are come nere 
 in consequence of your own proposal. You 
 have said that, if we can convince you that 
 the religion of the blessed Mahomed is the 
 true one, you will reject your own, and 
 adopt it ; and that if you can convince us 
 that your faith is the truth, then we must 
 reject ours and adopt yours — Is it so ?" 
 
 " You have said right," answered Osmond; 
 " it is so. At the same time," continued he, 
 as he pointed to the assembled mass before 
 him, " I must claim protection for my person 
 before we proceed, otherwise the contest will 
 be unequal. What can an unprotected man 
 do against so many ?" 
 
 " Man !" said the Mufti, " you forget that 
 you have transgressed against our laws ! This 
 is a trial of life or death. The penalty of 
 not embracing our faith is death ! — embrace it, 
 and you become the husband of the daughter 
 of Suleiman Aga." 
 
 Osmond at this announcement felt more
 
 AYESHA. 275 
 
 strongly than ever the fearful odds which were 
 against him, and for a moment his courage for- 
 sook him ; but, rousing his energies by reflect- 
 ing that his fate was in the hands of that 
 Being in whose will are the issues of life and 
 death, and that he might be an instrument in 
 furthering the great scheme for the propaga- 
 tion of Christianity, he said no more, but al- 
 lowed the affair to proceed. He felt of how 
 much consequence it was that he should en- 
 deavour to dispel the prejudice which he too 
 plainly perceived existed against him in the 
 assembly, and therefore lost no time in ob- 
 taining the first hearing. Instead of attempt- 
 ing at the outset to oppose their creed or 
 hurt their prejudices, he began his address 
 by expatiating in high and sounding words 
 upon the success which Mahomedanism had 
 met with in the world ; stating the length of 
 its duration, and enumerating the vast por- 
 tion of the inhabitants of the globe which 
 acknowledged its obligations. His wish was 
 at first to fix the attention of his auditors 
 by interesting and amusing them with his-
 
 276 AYESHA. 
 
 torical references and details. He alluded to 
 the origin of the Arabians, gave a short ac- 
 count of the history of Abraham their patriarch 
 and ancestor, and then exhibited the different 
 promises which had been made to his two sons, 
 Isaac and Ishmael ; " how Isaac had, through 
 Judaism and Christianity, given laws and reli- 
 gion to a great portion of the inhabited world ; 
 whilst Ishmael, through the primitive Arabians 
 and the variously incorporated Moslems, had 
 given laws and religion to a still larger portion 
 of mankind. How Isaac new-modelled the faith 
 and morals of men, first, through his literal 
 descendants the Jews, and secondly, through 
 his spiritual descendants the Christians ; and 
 how Ishmael effected a corresponding revolu- 
 tion in the world, first, through his literal de- 
 scendants the Arabs, and secondly, his spiritual 
 descendants the Turks and Tartars. He show- 
 ed that, in the case of Isaac, the change was 
 wrought by the advent of Jesus Christ, a per- 
 son uniting in himself by divine appointment 
 the offices of prophet and apostle, of priest, 
 lawgiver, and king, and whose character and
 
 AYESHA. 277 
 
 claims are equally unprecedented ; and in that 
 of Ishmael the change was effected by the ap- 
 pearance of Mahomet, a person professing to 
 unite in himself the same offices as by the di- 
 vine appointment, and presenting in this union 
 the only known parallel to Jesus Christ and his 
 typical forerunners in the annals of the world.' 1 * 
 
 By the time he had proceeded thus far in his 
 discourse, he saw that the angry disposition of 
 the assembly had been materially allayed ; that 
 his soft and persuasive manner, set off by his 
 intimate knowledge of the language in which 
 he addressed them, had produced a change in 
 his favour ; and that the doctrine which he ex- 
 pounded, so new and unheard of to them, had 
 fixed all their attention. Having established a 
 parallel between Jesus Christ and Mahomet, 
 showing the divine appointment of the one 
 and the self-appointment of the other, without 
 having materially disturbed the sensation in 
 his favour, he again diverged into the history 
 of their celebrated lawgiver. He remarked 
 that the propagation of his religion, whether 
 
 * Forster's Mahometanism Unveiled, vol. i. pp. 71 7 72.
 
 278 AYESHA. 
 
 considered in its rapidity or in its extent, pre- 
 sented a signal and singular contrast. He 
 showed that, encountering simultaneously the 
 rival empires of Rome, and Persia in the East, 
 the immediate successors of Mahomet establish- 
 ed, at the same moment, their dominion over 
 the fairest provinces of both powers, and their 
 creed upon the ruins of Christianity and the 
 Magian superstition. He then raised his voice, 
 and, carrying the attention and evident admira- 
 tion of his audience with him, adroitly apos- 
 trophized them, saying, " You then, O Mus- 
 sulmans, achieved the conquests of Syria, of 
 Persia, of Egypt, of Sham, or Palestine, which 
 succeeded each other with a celerity that out- 
 runs description. You then led the storm on- 
 wards without check or pause, eastward to the 
 frontiers of India and China, westward to the 
 utmost confines of Africa, and to the shores of 
 the Atlantic, and on the north to the banks of 
 Oxus and Jaxartes, and the uttermost borders 
 of the Caspian. In the twenty-first year of the 
 Hejra, the Mahomedan crescent shed its influ- 
 ence upon as large and considerable dominions 

 
 AYESHA. 279 
 
 as had been flown over by the Roman eagle. 
 In eighty years, your empire, O sons of 
 Islam, extended its power over more king- 
 doms and countries than the Romans in eight 
 hundred ; and in less than a century from the 
 period of its rise in the barren wilds of Arabia, 
 your faith extended and bore sway over the 
 greater part of Asia and Africa, and threatened 
 to seat itself in the heart of Catholic Europe. 1 ' * 
 
 This address to their vanity so entirely suc- 
 ceeded in securing for him a breathless atten- 
 tion to his words, that he would have found no 
 further difficulty in making good his discourse, 
 had not the wary and jealous Mufti, who had 
 been an anxious observer of the temper of the 
 assembly, begun to apprehend that he might 
 lose his victim. " What has this to do, 1 ' he 
 exclaimed, " with the object of our meeting ? 
 Did not I say that he was a true believer ? Has 
 he come hither to laugh at our beards ?" 
 
 Osmond extended his hand as if to impose 
 silence, and then continued, " Grant me your 
 patience as well as your attention, and I will 
 * Mahometanism Unveiled, vol. i. p. 11.
 
 280 AYESHA. 
 
 explain myself with those words which God 
 has granted to his servant." 
 
 " Speak on, speak on," was heard to come 
 from different parts of the crowd, whilst the 
 old man of the mountain merely looked up and 
 shook his head. Mustafa and Stasso scarcely 
 could draw breath, so utterly were they asto- 
 nished at the success which had hitherto at- 
 tended their master, although they neither of 
 them could well comprehend to what result he 
 was directing his speech. 
 
 He then proceeded to draw a parallel be- 
 tween Christianity and Mahomedanism — to 
 show the evidences which existed for the former 
 being vouchsafed to mankind by God for the 
 remission of their sins, that it was ushered in by 
 prophecy, and established by miracles perform- 
 ed in the person of our Saviour, and remarked 
 that no such evidences existed in favour of 
 Mahomedanism. Christianity, he asserted, was 
 a religion of peace, whereas Mahomedanism, on 
 the other hand, was a religion of the sword ; 
 and in enumerating the various facts in Eastern 
 history illustrative of the violence which marked
 
 AYESHA. 281 
 
 its propagation, he dwelt much upon that pre- 
 diction which related to Ishmael — "his hand 
 will be against every man, and every man's 
 hand against him,' 11 strongly exemplifying the 
 state of the Arabs at that very time. They 
 were called " a people armed against mankind." 
 With much eloquence he spoke of the ex- 
 traordinary qualities of Mahomet, of his inge- 
 nuity in drawing his nation out of their barba- 
 rism and superstition, in leading them to adopt 
 a higher tone of morality, and giving them 
 truer notions of the greatness of the Creator. 
 " He led them to believe in one God, creator 
 and lord of all, to whom they attribute infinite 
 power, justice, and mercy — he taught them to 
 hold to the immortality of the soul, to expect 
 a future judgment, a heaven and hell — to 
 honour the patriarch Abraham as the first 
 author of their religion — to acknowledge Moses 
 and Christ to have been great prophets, and to 
 allow the Pentateuch and the Gospel to be 
 sacred books.* But then it must be plain to 
 every one," continued Osmond, " that all that 
 * Mahometanism Unveiled, vol.i. p. 102.
 
 282 AYESHA. 
 
 is good in the Koran is drawn from the Chris- 
 dan's Bible." 
 
 " The Koran itself is a miracle,'' 1 exclaimed 
 a voice from the crowd ; " deny that if you 
 can ?" 
 
 This was a signal to the whole assembly to 
 pour out their hitherto suppressed retorts, and 
 it would have been difficult to make out anv 
 definite answer, or any succession of argument, 
 to what Osmond had advanced, or any thing but 
 a general tone of hostility against him. " Let 
 him answer that," said one. "What words has 
 the infidel been throwing into the air P 11 cried 
 another. " We have phrases which will disperse 
 all his," said a third. " Let him disappear from 
 among us," roared out others. " We are Mus- 
 sulmans !" cried out those who listened only to 
 passion and cared not for argument. Again 
 was vociferated, " The Koran is in itself a stand- 
 ing miracle, let him but accede to that and we 
 want no more.' 1 
 
 Silence having been obtained, Osmond, un- 
 dismayed by the rising tumult, although dis- 
 appointed at what he had at first hoped had
 
 AYESHA. 283 
 
 been a promise of success, answered: "The 
 Koran might indeed have been called a miracle 
 in the dark and barbarous times in which it was 
 first published, but then it must have been so 
 called as an extraordinary effort of human in- 
 genuity, not as a supernatural interposition. 
 The parts which are taken from the Christian 
 Bible are divine; those which are the works of 
 a mortal are not divine. They are spurious. 
 They are bosh — nothing. 1 ' 
 
 At these words a general and violent out- 
 cry of anger and execration was raised in the 
 assembly against Osmond. In vain had he 
 hoped that he had shaken the belief of some of 
 his hearers and arrayed them on his side ; the 
 burst of violent expressions which exploded at 
 his last assertion showed him how much he was 
 mistaken, and how impossible it would be for 
 him to make a lasting impression on so short a 
 notice. Answers to his argument were no longer 
 sought for ; abuse of himself, his creed, and his 
 nation, alone met his ear — Kiupek — dog, kelb — 
 cur, giaour — infidel, haremzadeh — iYl-born, and 
 a thousand other abusive terms, rose from the
 
 284 AYESHA. 
 
 bottom of each angry throat, and were confirm- 
 ed by the most violent gestures and indications 
 of aversion. The faces of the mass opposed to 
 Osmond assumed the character of a compact 
 living mosaic of demons, their eyes flashing 
 fury, and their mouths distorted into every 
 figure which that feature can take. 
 
 The Mufti at length, commanding silence, 
 solemnly addressed Osmond in these words ; 
 " As you are a man, and as you fear to die, say, 
 do you acknowledge the Mahomedan faith to 
 be the only true one, and the blessed Mahomet 
 to be the prophet of God, or do you deny it ? 
 Speak, and Allah direct your speech !" At these 
 words the whole assembly roared out, " Speak, 
 speak V and by the fierceness of their looks and 
 gestures seemed to be preparing for violence. 
 
 Osmond was still undismayed. His object 
 had been gradually to lead on his audience to 
 this fact, that Mahomet and his empire had 
 been predicted from the first ages, and that 
 from the days of Ishmael to the present his 
 career and that of his adherents might be traced 
 in our prophetic books, and that, although his 

 
 AYESHA. 285 
 
 religion was false, yet still it was, from the 
 large portions which had been drawn from the 
 Christian Bible, so far good that it was prepa- 
 ratory to the adoption of the faith in Jesus 
 Christ. He made several attempts to resume 
 the thread of his argument, but in vain ; the 
 more he endeavoured to obtain a hearing, the 
 more violent were the cries for an answer to 
 the Mufti's question. Mustafa, who sat behind 
 him, peering into his face with a most beseeching 
 look, said to him in English, " In the name of 
 Allah ! tell lies. If you do not say you are a 
 Mussulman, we die — then what will be the use of 
 your truth ?" Stasso, too, who saw the impend- 
 ing storm, said, " Master, as you love your eyes, 
 let the devil take them, but save us — these 
 demons will cut our throats." 
 
 Osmond felt that he must decide what course 
 to pursue in this awful crisis of his fate, and 
 that decision was not for a moment doubtful. 
 He extended his hand and arm in the midst of 
 the uproar in order to obtain silence ; and the 
 instant he had done so, although every tongue 
 was quiet, it might have been supposed that
 
 286 AYESHA. 
 
 every face had been also fixed, as if oy magic, 
 into the ferocious cast of its features, so in- 
 tense was the attention. The Mufti's features 
 bore the stamp of great excitement, the Pasha 
 alone surveyed Osmond with admiration, whilst 
 the old man of the mountain, who hitherto had 
 been principally concerned in mumbling out 
 portions of the Koran, stopped the action of his 
 lips, and cast his old withered eye towards the 
 object of the tumult. 
 
 When silence was restored, so that even a 
 suppressed sigh might have been heard, Os- 
 mond, in a firm and audible voice, said : 
 
 " You ask me whether I acknowledge the 
 Mahomedan faith to be the true one : I answer 
 that I do not, and that it is false." 
 
 No sooner had these words escaped from his 
 lips, than a scene ensued which words cannot 
 describe : the agitation of the sea in a storm, 
 the rocking to and fro of a forest, or any 
 other usual simile, are but poor figures to illus- 
 trate what took place. The otherwise calm and 
 placid Turks here at once became the represen- 
 tatives of infernal beings ; their eyes flashed
 
 AYESHA. 287 
 
 forth every hateful passion, whilst their ex- 
 tended hands showed to what extent their vio- 
 lence would impel them. Even the spirit of a 
 Turk arose in Mustafa ; and he too almost 
 partook of the universal rage against his mas- 
 ter, so angry was he at finding himself thus 
 implicated in what in his heart he called his 
 folly and English pertinacity. 
 
 Osmond stood boldly forward, his right-hand 
 thrust within the folds of his breast, whilst 
 his left hung by his side. The Mufti had no 
 sooner heard the prisoner's declaration, than he 
 exclaimed to the assembly, at the utmost ex- 
 tent of his voice : " Mussulmans, do you 
 hear this ? Mussulmans, our faith is in dan- 
 ger ! the infidel is among us — slay V The 
 old man of the mountain then for the first 
 time opened his lips, and cried out in a cracked 
 though distinct enunciation, " My children, in 
 the name of Allah, kill the Giaour P 1 Upon 
 which a general rush towards Osmond took 
 place, and a confusion ensued which, although 
 awful in its import, might well be called lu- 
 dicrous in its incidents. Turk rolled over
 
 288 AYESHA. 
 
 Turk, turbans fell and discovered naked sconces, 
 and instruments of all descriptions, from a slip- 
 per to an inkstand, were thrown in the direc- 
 tion of the prisoner. He coolly watched the 
 danger as it approached, and his faithful Stasso 
 would have skreened him with his person ; but 
 when Osmond found himself seized by seve- 
 ral of the foremost of the crowd, with a sudden 
 bound he shook off his immediate assailants, 
 and, making at once to the spot where the 
 Mufti was seated, with his left hand he seized 
 him by the breast, and with the other drew 
 forth a pistol from his vest and presented it at 
 once to the head of the appalled and astonished 
 chief of the law. Osmond vociferated in a 
 voice of thunder, " Advance but a step fur- 
 ther, and I fire !" This decisive act produced 
 an instantaneous effect, for the Mufti imme- 
 diately roared out, " Stay, be quiet ! in the 
 name of Allah, peace I 11 and although, like wild 
 animals deprived of their prey, who lash their 
 tails and show their teeth with impotent fury, 
 the maddened Turks could scarcely refrain 
 from violence ; still they only paused for the
 
 AYESHA. 289 
 
 moment, in the hope that treachery would effect 
 that which open force at present could not. 
 Osmond was, however, too much aware of his 
 danger to quit his hold without having some 
 assurance of security ; and accordingly kept 
 the struggling and half- fainting Mufti under 
 the muzzle of his pistol, until the Pasha, rous- 
 ing himself from a half state of repose, ordered 
 his guard, which was in attendance, to take 
 charge of the prisoner, and reconduct him, to- 
 gether with Mustafa and Stasso, to a place of 
 confinement : thus favouring their retreat, and 
 securing them from immediate danger. 
 
 The Pasha, whose admiration of Osmond 
 had greatly increased since he had witnessed 
 the power of his oratory, had already deter- 
 mined in his own mind that the wiles of 
 the Mufti and the religious set with whom 
 he was leagued should not succeed, and 
 consequently he remained passive until the 
 proper moment for action arrived ; but then, 
 having preserved him from present destruc- 
 tion, he still felt that he could not so much 
 oppose the popular feeling as to openly e»- 
 
 VOL. I. O
 
 290 AYESHA. 
 
 pouse his cause, and therefore ordered that 
 he and his suite should be confined in the 
 prison which has already been noticed as 
 looking upon the court-yard of the Pasha's 
 palace, and thither they were conducted amid 
 the howling, the hooting, and execrations of 
 the crowd. 
 
 When they had reached that place, and 
 .vere left to themselves, the first impulse of 
 Osmond was to put up a hearty prayer of 
 thanks for his respite from death, whilst that 
 of Mustafa was to pour forth the vial of his 
 wrath against his master. " Am I an ass," said 
 he, " that you will not listen to what I say ? 
 Did I not tell you that these fellows were not 
 men, but devils ? What do they care for your 
 fine speeches, for your Ishmaels and Abrahams, 
 for China and the Roman eagles, and I know 
 not what ! May the mothers and fathers of Ro- 
 man eagles be defiled ! Before you speak, they 
 already think you fit for Jehanum ; do you 
 suppose they will think you a bit less so after 
 you have spoken ? No ! were a Giaour to speak 
 with the tongue of an angel, he still would
 
 AYESHA. 291 
 
 be a Giaour." Then taking up the lapel of 
 his cloak, and shaking it, whilst his head vi- 
 brated in unison, he exclaimed, " Allah ! 
 Allah ! heaven preserve us from such another 
 misfortune ! we have escaped this time, but 
 see, if you are mad again, shall we escape a 
 second ?" 
 
 Thus did he go on, whilst Osmond took a 
 survey of his prison. It was considerably 
 more like a stable than a room ; low, unfloored 
 and unpaved, and festooned with cobwebs. On 
 one side a small iron-grating afforded a view 
 of the Pasha's court-yard, so that every one 
 entering or strolling about might be seen ; on 
 the other was the door, fastened by a lock of 
 no great strength, and opening into a small 
 narrow lane, which terminated in one of the 
 streets of the city. Here they were exposed to 
 the gaze of every one who chose to look through 
 the grating, and many were the expressions of 
 contempt and execration which they occasion- 
 ally heard addressed to them. It would have 
 been no difficult matter to break open the door 
 and force their way ; but whither could they 
 
 o 2
 
 '292 AYESHA. 
 
 fly, totally destitute of help, and surrounded 
 by guards ? It was plain that their best 
 plan was to remain quiet, to allow the storm 
 which had been raised to abate, and then, 
 either by stratagem or negotiation, to seize 
 upon some fitting opportunity to effect their 
 escape. 

 
 AYESHA. 29i 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 I drive back the horses on their haunches from the 
 lofty seat of my thin-flanked Abjer. — The sword is my 
 father, and the spear in my hand is my father's brother. — 
 
 Hamilton's Antar. 
 
 As soon as the prisoners had left the medres- 
 seh, the assembly broke up, and every one re- 
 turned home. The result was the same as that 
 of a still swelling and unsatisfied passion in 
 the human breast : every man who had been 
 present resolved in his mind that the Giaour 
 should not leave Kars alive, and the whole 
 population might be said to be impelled by 
 that resolution. The Pasha returned to his 
 palace, the Mufti to his house, the tattered 
 saint to his mountain, and Suleiman Aga to his 
 harem.
 
 294- AYESHA. 
 
 Zabetta had made herself very busy among 
 the women of the city, mounting first on a ter- 
 race, then on the roof of a mosque, then on the 
 nearest projection which overlooked the place 
 of meeting, in order that she might ascertain 
 the truth of the proceedings against Osmond, 
 upon which depended her own future schemes ; 
 and when she had seen him return to prison, 
 she bent her steps homeward. The deject- 
 ed Ayesha had not ventured to leave the 
 walls of her home, great as was her anx- 
 iety concerning the fate of her lover. She 
 dreaded the results of the morning's contro- 
 versy ; for she well knew the inflexible na- 
 ture of his mind, and was convinced that one 
 so guided by principle would never swerve 
 from it under the most severe visitation of 
 danger. She also knew the uncompromising 
 nature of the fanaticism of her own country- 
 men, and how totally useless even the most con- 
 vincing arguments would be in turning them 
 from the path of their religious faith. She 
 had therefore made up her mind to the worst ; 
 and as she sat at her window, listening with
 
 AYESHA. 295 
 
 breathless attention to the least noise which 
 arose in the city, she expected every moment 
 to be called upon to hear of her lover's destruc- 
 tion. In her distress she could not long remain 
 fixed on one spot, but wandered to and fro from 
 her apartment to the house-top, and from the 
 house-top to her apartment, in restless agita- 
 tion. At one moment her cheek became pale 
 with fear ; at another her whole frame was dis- 
 solved in tears of the deepest grief — then she 
 would pause and endeavour to gain relief from 
 prayer, burying her face in her hands, and sob- 
 bing out her supplications to the foot of the 
 heavenly throne for the safety of her lover. 
 
 In this state, she heard the door of the 
 house open and close again, and recognised the 
 footsteps of her mother, followed by her slave. 
 She could scarcely refrain from rushing out to 
 meet her, forgetful of veil and every precau- 
 tion which a Mahomedan woman always takes 
 before she issues forth ; and at last when she 
 saw her enter, she trembled so violently that 
 her limbs refused to do their office, and she al- 
 most fell headlong on the floor. She had suffi-
 
 296 AYESHA. 
 
 cient strength to exclaim, " Does he live ?" and 
 would perhaps have lost all sensation, had she 
 not been instantly revived by hearing her mo- 
 ther answer, " He lives — the dogs have not 
 killed him yet !" This quick revulsion was 
 succeeded by its concomitant evils — violent 
 hysterics — an almost total extinction of life, 
 and then a flow of overwhelming tears, which 
 brought on the usual exhaustion and relief. 
 Any one but so heartless a creature as Zabetta 
 would have devoted herself to the care of this 
 most interesting maiden, who throughout her 
 distress had exhibited feminine loveliness in 
 its most bewitching character ; but, leaving her 
 to the care of the kind-hearted Nourzadeh, she 
 merely thought of planning her own schemes 
 and pursuing her own inventions. By the 
 time Suleiman Aga had returned, his daughter 
 had in a great measure recovered her self-corn- 
 posure, and although her recent violent emo- 
 tions had left her a prey to languor and de- 
 jection, still she was well enough to receive 
 and converse with him. 
 
 Suleiman Aga, as before stated, was a
 
 AYESHA. 297 
 
 bigoted Mabomedan ; he had heard all that 
 Osmond advanced with dogged obstinacy, little 
 understanding the drift of his speech, and pre- 
 determined not to assent to a single argument ; 
 but still he was pleased at first to find that he 
 had obtained a hearing from the assembly, and 
 that it had evinced a disposition to be tolerant, 
 for he hoped that this augured well for the 
 conversion of his future son-in-law. Whilst 
 his mind was firm in his own faith, his thoughts 
 would wander to Ayesha, to whom he hoped to 
 bring a good account of the result of the meet- 
 ing ; but when the tumult broke out, and he 
 found that all his hopes were dispelled, his 
 naturally tacit nature was roused into more 
 than usual violence, and, catching the madden- 
 ing infection, he was soon the foremost in the 
 crowd, forgetful of Ayesha and of every softer 
 emotion, exciting its violence towards the de- 
 struction of Osmond. 
 
 By the time he had reached his home, his fury 
 had in a great measure abated ; and he was 
 hastening to complete his composure through 
 the medium of his favourite pipe, when he was 
 
 o5
 
 298 AYESHA. 
 
 startled by the wan and dejected appearance of 
 his daughter. She soon read in his looks that 
 there was no hope left, and would have quitted 
 him; but with all his intolerance he was kind- 
 hearted, and calling her to him said, "Aye- 
 sha, my soul, what has happened ?" 
 
 " You know what has happened, - " answered 
 the broken-spirited girl : " Let the decrees of 
 Allah prevail — What can we poor creatures 
 do ?" 
 
 " Allah kerim — God is merciful !" returned 
 her father with a deep-drawn sigh ; " What 
 can we do ? the Giaour is mad ! what can 
 we do ?" 
 
 " You must save his life !" exclaimed Aye- 
 sha with the greatest earnestness. " Set him 
 free ; let. him depart. As you love Allah ! 
 as you bend to his holy decrees ! as you are 
 a servant of his Prophet ! you must not allow 
 the blood of the innocent man to be upon your 
 house ! After all, you are the person to 
 speak ! Go to the tribunal of justice : say 
 you insist upon his being set free — let him 
 depart in peace !"
 
 AYESHA. 299 
 
 Suleiman, who had been so active in excit- 
 ing his townsmen to destroy the unbeliever, 
 sat sullen and silent at this appeal ; and as 
 one between two roads, uncertain which to 
 take, stands stock still, he remained fixed to 
 his seat, unmoved and undetermined. At last, 
 full of the same uncertainty of purpose, but 
 anxious to be relieved from the immediate in- 
 fluence of his daughter, he suddenly rose, and 
 uttering the never-failing " Bakalum! — we 
 shall see !" retreated with haste to his own 
 apartment. 
 
 In the mean while, the Pasha, who occasion- 
 ally would have visitations of wisdom, par- 
 ticularly when it was to oppose the designs 
 of the Mufti and the priests, issued his orders 
 throughout the city, that on the following 
 day he would exhibit to the people feats of 
 wrestling, to be succeeded by a camel-fight, 
 and to finish by a grand game of jei "id. No- 
 thing could be better calculated to extinguish 
 one excitement by producing another than 
 this order, for nothing was more relished by 
 all ranks than such sports. The whole scene
 
 300 AYESHA. 
 
 was to take place in the great court of his 
 palace, under his immediate direction ; and as 
 he himself was devotedly fond of the excite- 
 ment which it produced, preparations were 
 made with all the splendour which Turkish 
 grandees generally put forth on such occasions. 
 We have already shown that he was a great 
 patron of wrestlers ; he possessed the first of 
 his species in that line : his camels were also 
 some of the finest in Asia; and his horses, 
 as well as their riders, were said to be equal 
 to any in the Kurdistan. Thus provided, he 
 always took the field with superior advantage ; 
 and as soon as it was known that Pehlivan 
 Pasha was about to give a jerid party, all 
 the neighbouring agas, or chiefs, immediately 
 flocked to the city, mounted upon their 
 favourite horses, and accompanied by their 
 adherents, to partake of the sport. 
 
 On the following morning the whole city 
 was on foot in anticipation of the pleasure in 
 waiting for them. Parties of horsemen were 
 seen entering the gates by five or six at a 
 time, and, proceeding to the different coffee-
 
 AYESHA. 301 
 
 houses, they alighted to drink coffee and 
 smoke, in order to await the hour of meet- 
 ing, whilst their steeds were picketed about in 
 various places, rending the air by their shrill 
 neighing. The women, too, in readiness, had 
 already taken post on the walls and the tops 
 of the houses which surrounded the scene 
 of action, all clad in their white veils, looking 
 more like spectres than those whom we are 
 wont to call Nature's fairest half. Though 
 unseen, they were not unheard ; and al- 
 though their charms were concealed, their 
 tongues, loud and unceasing, showed, even 
 among Turks, that they had a great deal 
 to say for themselves. A conspicuous and 
 elevated place had been swept, carpeted, and 
 cushioned, for the reception of the princi- 
 pal agas and visiters ; whilst the kiosk, which 
 looked immediately on the court, was pre- 
 pared for the Pasha, the Mufti, and the prin- 
 cipal men of the city. As soon after the 
 noonday prayer as was convenient, the world 
 began to assemble, and it was not long be- 
 fore the greatest portion of the inhabitants
 
 302 AYESHA. 
 
 had managed to collect themselves into com- 
 pact masses, covering every wall, crowning 
 every heap, and overwhelming every spot ; 
 in short, doing that which other mobs do, 
 excepting, perhaps, that the mob now in ques- 
 tion might vie with all others in quiet, so- 
 briety, and dignity of deportment. At length 
 the Pasha, and the other dignitaries, having 
 taken post, and having smoked and said 
 " Khosh geldin" and retorted " Khosh bul- 
 douk" a signal was given, and the Pasha's 
 chaoush led forth two wrestlers into the 
 arena. Indifferent performers at first began, 
 and were followed in quick succession by 
 others, until the Pasha's celebrated negro came 
 rushing on to the scene, like a lion longing 
 for his prey. He threw every one that was 
 opposed to him with uninteresting facility ; 
 and the Pasha would willingly have sent for 
 Osmond to oppose him, and indeed was about 
 to lend himself to the cry of " Giaour! haniah 
 Giaour! — Where is the Giaour?" which some 
 of the negro's enemies tauntingly set up, when 
 he was checked by the fear that his appear-
 
 AYESHA. 303 
 
 ance might give rise to a religious tumult, 
 which probably would put an end to the day's 
 sport. 
 
 The wrestling was succeeded by a set-to of 
 camels. These otherwise passive creatures, 
 at certain irritating seasons are apt to be 
 very furious. When male is brought face to 
 face to male, all their evil passions are awak- 
 ened, and the moment they are at liberty they 
 fly at each other with corresponding violence. 
 At a given order from the Pasha, a magnifi- 
 cent camel, his mouth white with foam, his 
 tongue performing curious convolutions, emit- 
 ting loud and hoarse cries, was led forth by 
 two men, who were scarcely strong enough to 
 restrain his impetuosity. He was gaily capari- 
 soned with a saddle of crimson, green, and 
 yellow cloth, his head being decked with a 
 bridle glittering with inlaid shells and worsted 
 tassels ; he was, moreover, ornamented about 
 the upper arm of the leg with armlets, also 
 inlaid with shells. This fine animal now no 
 longer wore the usual calm and patient aspect 
 of his race; for his nature appeared quite
 
 801 AYESHA. 
 
 changed ; his neck and head were erect, his eye 
 flashed fire, and, the moment he perceived his 
 opponent approaching from an opposite quar- 
 ter, it was almost impossible to restrain him. 
 
 At the word " Gitsiri" from the Pasha, both 
 the animals were slipt from their rein, and they 
 rushed upon each other with astonishing agility. 
 Their mode of attack is very much that of 
 wrestlers ; their bite is terrible, but, being both 
 muzzled, they were harmless. They made the 
 most dexterous use of their necks as well as of 
 their legs in trying to throw each other down, 
 twisting and writhing, giving way, then advan- 
 cing with contortions the most singular, which, 
 although graceless, were nevertheless not defi- 
 cient in picturesque effect. The Turks appeared 
 much interested in the result of the fight : from 
 anxiety they could scarcely smoke — bets were 
 laid — their own calm nature, so like that of 
 the animal itself, was roused, and more words 
 were heard among the crowd at that moment 
 than perhaps are ever spoken throughout the 
 year at Kars. At length the result was declared 
 to be in favour of the Pasha's camel, who, by
 
 AYESHA. 305 
 
 certain able combinations between his neck and 
 legs, had managed to pin his adversary to the 
 ground, where he lay motionless and unresist- 
 ing, until he was at length dragged away, 
 amidst the exclamations of Mashallah ! and 
 Evallah ! of the surrounding audience. 
 
 The camel-fights continued, in varied suc- 
 cession, to take up the time until the day 
 began to decline, when the court was cleared 
 to admit the horsemen for the exhibition of 
 the jerid. Whoever has witnessed this exer- 
 cise in perfection among the Turks will, I am 
 sure, own that it is the most manly that can 
 be devised, requiring more courage, agility, 
 and skill, than any other, and developing in 
 the finest manner the energies both of the 
 rider and his beast. Two parties of horse- 
 men arrange themselves on opposite sides, and 
 gradually engage in a general skirmish, armed 
 with a staff or javelin about five feet long, and 
 as thick as one's middle finger, which they lance 
 at each other, in the fullest speed of their horses, 
 with the straightness and strength almost of 
 an arrow from a bow. It is usually a contest
 
 306 AYESHA. 
 
 between man and man; for, either by ani- 
 mating shouts or by gestures, the parties in- 
 dividually select each other, and proceed to 
 dart the fiercest blows which their strength 
 and dexterity can command, alternately the 
 one in flight, the other in pursuit, thus some- 
 times inflicting very serious if not mortal 
 wounds. 
 
 Osmond, Mustafa, and Stasso, had, by way 
 of beguiling the tedium of their confinement, 
 by turns taken post at the iron-grated window 
 which looked upon the court, to see the sport, 
 when a little old woman, whom Stasso recog- 
 nized to be the old Caterina, stepped close up 
 to it, and, watching her opportunity, threw 
 in a small folded slip of paper and straightway 
 disappeared. Osmond immediately took it up, 
 opened, and found within it these words written 
 — ' Fly for your life — your death otherwise is 
 certain — Allah preserve you !' His whole frame 
 shook with secret transport as he viewed this 
 note, for he well knew whence it came — - it could 
 have been dictated by none other than that 
 faithful heart which beat in response to his
 
 AYESHA. 307 
 
 own ; but, in looking hopelessly around his 
 prison, he asked how he could fly — where were 
 the means ? He paced his miserable room, 
 deeply reflecting what he could do to save him- 
 self, for he knew but too well how true were 
 the words which he had just read. 
 
 The jerid party had now begun its move- 
 ments. A dense body of the pasha's officers and 
 guards, mounted on the finest horses, richly 
 caparisoned, their mouths foaming and fretting 
 under the heavy bit, curveting and uprearing, 
 were arranged in due order on the one side, 
 whilst a corresponding body of Kurds, men of 
 the plain, and agas from the villages and hill 
 country, were placed on the other, the whole 
 dressed in cloths, velvets, and silks of every 
 hue, their various ornamental arms and accou- 
 trements glittering in the sun : forming the 
 most brilliant combination of men, horses, rich 
 drapery, and fine colouring, that can be con- 
 ceived, and, perhaps, exceeding in picturesque 
 beauty any similar combination in any other part 
 of the world. After a pause, previously to the 
 first onset, a sensation was observed among the
 
 308 AYESHA. 
 
 assembled horsemen, which was caused by the 
 appearance of the Pasha in person among them. 
 He had stripped himself of his heavy furred 
 pelisse and had put on a light silken wadded 
 jacket, which, fitting tight to his shape, set off 
 his herculean shoulders. Mounted on a power- 
 ful Turcoman horse, whose sleek and shining 
 coat showed at once the excellence of his breed 
 and the superior care with which he was tended, 
 and whose magnificent trappings, glittering with 
 gold and embroidery, shone conspicuous above 
 all others, he was altogether a striking person- 
 age. He wore a shawl on his head ; his legs 
 were clothed with an immense pair of cloth 
 shalwars, that hung in folds to his ankles ; and 
 the vigour with which he bestrode his saddle, 
 and wielded his jerid, showed that of all the 
 combatants present he was the most formi- 
 dable. He threw the first javelin, and this 
 became the signal for engaging in the sport. 
 The whole mass was soon in motion. At first, 
 those who engaged proceeded with wariness 
 and caution. One cavalier was detached from 
 the Pasha's party towards that of the Kurds :
 
 AYESHA. 309 
 
 advancing at a slight trot, he gradually ap- 
 proached, discharged his jerid at the foremost 
 man, and immediately turning sharply round, 
 fled at full speed, followed by the antagonist 
 whom he had selected, who in return threw 
 his javelin with all the force and dexterity 
 which he could muster. The retreating horse- 
 man, with head looking behind, and with an 
 eye accustomed to watch the direction of the 
 coming weapon, was readv either to catch it as 
 it glanced by him, or to throw himself entirely 
 under his horse's belly if he saw it about to 
 take effect, and then, with unparalleled dex- 
 terity, when discharged, to stop his horse at 
 once with a sudden jerk, turn and pursue 
 again, until, his javelins being expended, he 
 was obliged to seek for more, either picking 
 them off the ground with a crooked cane, which 
 he had for the purpose, or receiving them from 
 the hand of some valet whose business it was 
 to collect and distribute them. This took place 
 in succession with every cavalier present, until 
 the whole were engaged ; and as the fray in- 
 creased, in the same proportion increased the
 
 310 AYESHA. 
 
 animation and vigour of both the horses and 
 their riders. The noble animals, enjoying the 
 sport as much as the men, were soon bathed 
 in a white foam; and, their eyes flashing fire, 
 their nostrils expanded, every muscle stretched 
 to the utmost, and their whole being changed, 
 exhibited themselves in attitudes and forms 
 which perhaps are never seen excepting in 
 this sport, or in actual warfare. Their 
 riders, too, whose usual dull and phlegmatic 
 humours make them look more like automa- 
 tons than living beings, were now not to be 
 recognized — every look was animation, every 
 gesture agility ; and as the engagement con- 
 tinued, their cheerings increased into shouts, 
 which, mingled with the trampling of their 
 horses and the clatter of their trappings and 
 accoutrements, afforded as true a picture of a 
 real battle as can well be imagined. The Pa- 
 sha kept aloof, and did not engage in the heat 
 of the fray, but every now and then, when he 
 found his opportunity, he selected some more 
 aspiring or more successful horseman above 
 the rest, and did him the honour of throwing
 
 AYESHA. 311 
 
 his jerid at him, seldom failing at the same 
 time to confer the distinction of a broken head. 
 There was one among the rest who was more 
 distinguished by the Pasha than the others. 
 This was a Kurdish cavalier, magnificently 
 dressed : his varied-coloured silken head-dress 
 hung low over his face, and in combination with 
 his immense mustaches, which curled up to the 
 corners of his eyes, it was with difficulty that 
 his features could be distinguished. Then the 
 large crimson bag or pouch peculiar to the 
 Kurdish head-dress, terminated by an immense 
 blue tassel, was larger than those appendages 
 usually are, and seemed to be turned over his 
 head on purpose to throw as much shade upon 
 his countenance as possible, which, to say the 
 truth, was sufficiently remarkable. He rode a 
 horse which might have vied with the Pasha's 
 in beauty, but which certainly excelled his in 
 activity ; it was coal-black, a rare colour in 
 those countries, and not generally in high esti- 
 mation, but in this instance gave the lie to 
 the received opinion among Asiatics, that it 
 denotes a vicious and bad temper, for nothing
 
 312 AYESHA. 
 
 was ever more docile or sagacious than it ap- 
 peared to be during this day's sport. It was 
 seen carrying its master into the thickest of the 
 fray, now advancing, then retreating, with the 
 rapidity of lightning. He was rather of a slight 
 figure, but full of muscle and nerve ; and the 
 astonishing feats of horsemanship which he 
 exhibited were the remark and admiration of 
 the whole field. The Pasha had twice selected 
 him as one of his victims, had given him chase, 
 and had launched his jerid at him without 
 effect. It was in retreating before the Pasha 
 the second time, that he had dashed his horse 
 immediately under the small grated window of 
 Osmond's prison, and had stopped there in order 
 to pick up one of his own favourite jerids. 
 
 Stasso had been posted there some time 
 before, admiring the feats of this man, long- 
 ing himself to be one of the party, and criti- 
 cising in his mind the action of every horse- 
 man. His eye had, however, been riveted by 
 the distinguished Kurd more than by any other 
 — he thought he had seen him before ; there 
 was a certain turn of his back and shoulders
 
 AYESHA. S\S 
 
 which was familiar to him. Still he argued 
 within himself that he never could have known 
 so magnificent a personage ; his acquaintance 
 ran more among grooms, guides, and mule- 
 teers — no, he never could have known a Kurd- 
 ish pasha, for such he esteemed him to be, of 
 such high pretensions. However, looking with 
 all his eyes at the man, who was then standing 
 close to him and stooping down to pick up 
 his javelin, to his astonishment, under the flow 
 of silken tassels that skreened his eyes and 
 brow, he discovered his old friend Hassan the 
 Surugi, whose life on a former occasion his 
 master had saved. His heart rose into his 
 mouth at this important discovery — without 
 one moment's delay and consideration, he ex- 
 claimed loudly, " Hassan Aga, Hassan Aga, 
 bak — look." The Kurd, apparently annoyed 
 at being recognised, was about leaving his 
 jerid and turning away his horse, when, on 
 raising his head, his eye caught Stasso's. His 
 surprise was great at seeing one whom he had 
 long thought gone ; he immediately recognised 
 the man whom he had known as the Boshnak, 
 VOL. I. P
 
 314 AYESHA. 
 
 and quickly said, " Ne oldou — What has 
 happened ? 11 Upon which Stasso in a low and 
 mysterious manner said to him, " When last 
 we parted, you told me, should we ever be in 
 want of your services, to apply to you. If you 
 are a man, Hassan Aga, be faithful to your 
 word ; release my master from this prison, 
 and depend upon his gratitude.' 1 The Kurd 
 heard these words with attention, put up his 
 finger before his mouth to enjoin secrecy, 
 and straightway dashed his horse again into 
 the thickest of the fray. Stasso of course con- 
 tinued to watch his movements, but, to his 
 utter disappointment, the Kurd proceeded in 
 his career of sport, apparently totally unmind- 
 ful of him or his master. 
 
 The fray had now risen to its highest pitch. 
 The Pasha, whose anger had been excited at 
 being foiled in his two attempts to plant a 
 blow upon the gallant Kurd, had determined 
 to make a third, and launched out his horse 
 at him with all the vigour which a pair of 
 sharp stirrups to his side could give him 
 He approached him jerid in hand, roaring
 
 AYESHA. 315 
 
 out at the top of his voice, " Vallah, Y^allah, 
 Agam ! — In the name of Allah my lord !'• 
 when Hassan turned his horse sharply round 
 and retreated on the fullest speed, throwing 
 himself entirely under his body, merely hang- 
 ing by the mane and by his leg, which he 
 hooked on to his saddle, thus giving the Pasha 
 no one good spot upon which to deliver his 
 javelin ; which he did, however, on the under 
 part of his large brass stirrup, so that the 
 only result was the ringing noise which an- 
 nounced his ill-success. Immediately upon 
 this, Hassan was on his saddle again, and, 
 turning with the greatest agility upon his 
 ponderous adversary, who, according to the 
 laws of the game, was obliged to retreat in his 
 turn, he lashed up his horse to the highest 
 pitch of his mettle, and this time, heedless 
 of the respect due to the Pasha's rank, which 
 as a point of courtesy always pi'evented a re- 
 turn of the attack, he delivered his well-poised, 
 his unerring jerid, immediately between his 
 highness's shoulders, which indeed presented a 
 noble target, and so nicely between, that the
 
 316 AYESHA. 
 
 weapon, meeting the back-bone, bounded up 
 high into the air like a rocket. Seeing this, 
 Hassan, to complete his triumph in the eyes of 
 all the field, (for a pause had taken place to 
 witness this feat,) dashed his horse forward in 
 the direction of his javelin, and with head erect 
 and arm extended, succeeded in catching it 
 firmly in his hand, ere it fell to the ground. 
 Such an exhibition of dexterity was hitherto 
 unknown to the Turks ; and although at the 
 expense of the Pasha, all those who had seen 
 it, could not refrain from exclaiming aloud, 
 " Aferiti ! Aferin l—Mashallah ! Mashallah r 
 
 This applause, added to the mortification of 
 having received so palpable a blow, aroused 
 all the Pasha's passions. He felt himself in- 
 sulted, and, what was still more galling to him, 
 he felt that he had found his superior in skill, 
 and, moreover, that that superior was a Kurd, 
 one of a people whom it is the fashion in 
 Turkey to despise. Immediately, in his fury, 
 he turned again upon Hassan ; and his own 
 officers and adherents, who were never sorry to 
 insult the Kurds, seeing how it had fared with
 
 AYESHA. 317 
 
 their master, were not slow in catching his 
 rage, and, one and all, made a most formi- 
 dable charge against the adverse party. The 
 game, from being a sport, became a fight — 
 their cries of mutual cheering and excitement 
 were turned into cries of insult and invective 
 — " Kurdish hogs ! Sons of the devil !" were 
 roared out by the Turks ; " Long-bearded 
 asses! Filth of Omar P were returned by the 
 Kurds. Jerids flew as thick as hail — horse 
 was impelled against horse, and the air rang 
 with the shock of breastplates and stirrups. 
 The Pasha was seen urging on his men — Has- 
 san bounded on his furious steed from one side 
 of the frav to the other. At length a Kurd 
 was brought to the ground by a Turk, the dis- 
 mounted man, in falling, fired his pistol, and 
 killed the Turk; then a general cry of " hand 
 to the sword" issued from both sides, and a 
 scene of life and death took place, which not 
 unfrequently terminates this sort of tourna- 
 ments. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
 
 London: 
 
 Printed by Samuel Bentley, 
 
 Dorset Street, Fleet Street.
 
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