Part 25 (1/2)
The unfortunate sufferer on this occasion had been accused of stealing and putting to death a Mahoion, which they have been known to practice both in Turkey and Persia), and which created such an extraordinary tu the mob of Constantinople, that, in order to appease it, he had been decapitated
His execution had taken place purposely before the door of a wealthy Greek, and the body was ordered to remain there three days before it was permitted to be carried away for interment The expectation that the Greek would be induced to pay down a handsoht be removed from his door, and save hienerally supposed to bring, made the officer entrusted with the execution prefer this spot to every other But, careless of the consequences, the Greek shut up the s of his house, determined to deprive his oppressors of their expected perquisite; and so the dead Jew re those of the true faith ventured to approach the spot, fearful that the Mohamedan authorities would, in their wanton propensities to heap insults upon the Giaours, oblige some one of them to carry the carcass to the place of burial; and thus the horrid and disgusting object was left abandoned to itself, and this had given an opportunity to the kabobchi, Yanaki, to dispose of the head in the manner above related, unseen and unmolested But when, as the day advanced, and as the stir of the streets became more active, this additional head was discovered, the crohich gathered about it, became immense It was immediately rumoured that a miracle had been performed; for a dead Jeas to be seen with two heads The extraordinary intelligence flew from mouth to mouth, until the whole city was in an uproar, and all were running to see the miracle The Sanhedri extraordinary was about to happen to their persecuted race
Rabbins were to be seen running to and fro, and their whole community was now poured around the dead body, in expectation that he would perhaps arise, put on his heads, and deliver therip of their oppressors
But as ill luck would have it for them, a Janissary, who had mixed in the crowd and had taken a close survey of the supernumerary head, exclaimed in a mixture of doubt and amazement, ”Allah, Allah, il Allah!
these are no infidel's heads One is the head of our lord andknown his discovery, they becaence to their Orta
The news spread like wildfire throughout the whole of the corps of the Janissaries, and atumult was immediately excited: for it seems that it was unknown in the capital that their chief, to whom they were devotedly attached, and one of their own selection, had been put to death
”What!” said they, ”is it not enough to deal thus treacherously with us, and deprive us of a chief to e are attached; but we reatest contempt that it is possible for a of the Janissaries to be placed upon the noble part of a Jehat are we come to?
We alone are not insulted; the whole of Islaraded, debased! No: this is unheard-of insolence, a stain never to be wiped off, without the exter has done this deed? How did the head get there? Is it that dog of a Vizier's work, or has the Reis Effendi and those traitors of Frank ambassadors been at work? _Wallah, Billah, Tallah!_ by the holy Caaba, by the beard of Osed!”
We e for a short tiine a scene, in which the Jews are flying in all directions, hiding theed Turks, ith expressions like those just roups, areance upon everything which caine a city of narrow streets and low houses, thronged with a numerous population, dresses the most various in shape and theas if so extraordinary was to happen; in the midst of whom I will leave hilio, and to inquire in what his eed since we last noticed hiht of the tailor's attendance, the sultan had given a secret order for taking off the head of the Aga of the Janissaries (the fomenter of all the disturbances which had lately taken place a his corps, and consequently their idol); and so anxious was he about its execution, that he had ordered it to be brought to him the moment it was off Thethe roo some one seated, naturally took hi to look up, immediately placed the burden at his feet, with the prostrations which we have ready described as having been performed before the tailor The sultan, who not athe dervish's dress, had done so in the intention of deceiving his slave Mansouri hiuise even to him; and intended to have substituted another in its stead; but not calculating either upon the reception of the head, or upon Mansouri's immediate return to the tailor, he was himself coone, led off by his slave To have sent after them would have disconcerted his scheed to wait Mansouri's return, before he could get an explanation of what had happened; for he knew that they would not have gone aithout the dress, and that dress he had then in his possession In the meanwhile, anxious and impatient to knohat had become of the expected head, he sent for the officer as entrusted with the execution; and the astonishined when an explanation took place
”By ht awhile within hiot the head!”
His impatience for Mansouri's return then became extreme In vain he fretted, fumed, and cried ”Allah! Allah!” It did not ood one quietly to rest had he not been called upon to appear before the sultan
As soon as he ithin hearing, he called out, ”Ahi! Mansouri, run ia of the Janissaries instead of the dervish's dress--run, fetch it without loss of ti unfortunate will happen!” He then explained how this untoward event had occurred Mansouri now, in his turn, felt hireatly embarrassed; for he only knew the road to the tailor's stall, but was totally unacquainted with his dwelling-house However, rather than excite his ree, he set off in quest of the tailor, and went straight to his stall, in the hopes of hearing frohbours where his house was It was too early in the day for the opening of the Bezesten, and except a coffee-house that had just prepared for the reception of custoence, he found hiood luck, he recollected Babadul had told him that he was the muezzin to the little mosque in the fish-market, and thither he i invitation to prayers, was now chanting forth froht catch the purloiner of his head in the very act of inviting the faithful to prayers
As he approached the spot, he heard an old broken and tre the stillness of the s; and he was not mistaken, for as he stood under the allery which encircles it, with his hand applied to the back of his ear, and with hisout his whole throat in the execution of his office As soon as the tailor saw Mansouri ns to him, the profession of faith stuck in his throat; and between the fright of being brought to account for the head, and the words which he had to pronounce, it is said that he e a juhbours, ere paying attention to the call, professed themselves quite scandalized at his perfor the door after hi staircase, he met Mansouri in the street He did not wait to be questioned respecting the fate of the horrid object, but at once attacked the slave concerning the trick, as he called it, which had been put upon him
”Are you a man,” said he, ”to treat a poor Emir like me in the manner you have done, as if my house was a charnel-house? I suppose you will ask me the price of blood next!”
”Friend,” said Mansouri, ”what are you talking about? do not you see that it has been a mistake?”
”A mistake, indeed!” cried the tailor, ”aa poor hs at my stupid beard, and makes me believe that I am to make a suit of clothes for him--another takes away the pattern--and a third substitutes a dead ot into the hands of a pretty nest of rogues, a set of ill-begotten knaves!”
Upon which Mansouri placed his hand upon the tailor'sdeeper into the dirt Do you knoho”
”I know not, nor care not,” answered Babadul; ”all I know is that whoever gives me a dead ”
”Do you call God's viceregent upon earth, you old de?” exclaiet the precaution he had hithertohis employer ”Are your vile lips to defile the nae of the world? What dirt are you eating, what ashes are you heaping on your head? Come, no more words; tell me where the dead man's head is, or I will take yours of in his stead”
Upon hearing this, the tailor stood with hishad just been unlocked
”_Aa!” cried Babadul to Mansouri, ”I was ignorant of what I was saying Who would have thought it? ass, fool, dolt, that I am, not to have known better _Bismillah!_ in the name or the Prophet, pray come to my house; your steps will be fortunate, and your slave's head will touch the stars”
”I areat hurry,” said Mansouri ”Where is the head, the head of the Aga of the Janissaries?”
When the tailor heard whose head it had been, and recollected what he and his wife had done with it, his knees knocked under hian to exude from every pore
”Where is it, indeed?” said he ”Oh! what has come upon us! Oh! what cursed _kismet_ (fate) is this?”
”Where is it?” exclaiain, ”where is it? speak quick!”