Part 37 (1/2)

?At length the old duenna taking courage, looked boldly into the reservoir, and to her surprise she there found a dead ht the chief priest?s wife to her senses, caused her to join the inspecting party Little could be recognized of a floating corpse inflated ater, presenting various odd surfaces to the eye, and giving but little clue to discovery At length the head and face appeared to view; and, as soon as the old duenna had applied her lamp to it, one and all cried out, ?O Ali! it is the mollah bashi+; it is the ain fell into a trance; the slaves st theht they had heard the ?blast of consternation from the tru, which by this ti, one of the slaves cried out, ?But it cannot be our Aga, for I saw him return from the bath, I made his bed, and I am sure he was soon asleep It is impossible he can be in bed and asleep, and in the bath, drowned, at one and the same time It must be soreater consternation than ever, because they immediately felt that what the slave had seen host ?See,? said the wife,--who had again co to the face of the corpse, ?I aave him but yesterday? ?And there,?

said one of her servants, ?that is the place in his beard from which you plucked a handful of hairs?

?These tender recollections threw the poorinto a violent flood of tears, which were only stopped by her slaves assuring her that the mollah bashi+ was still alive ?How else could he have taken the lamp from my hand?? said the slave--?how could he have shut the door? how dismissed me? how snored?? So persuaded was she of the truth of what she said, that she forthwith dressed herself, and volunteered to go to her master?s bed-room, where no doubt she would find him asleep

??But if he is there,? said one of the wo to the corpse)

??Why, this host,? said another; ?for surely no man can possess two bodies,--one in which he lives, and the other by way of a change?

??No,? said a third in a waggish tone, ?that would be quite new He ht then make the same use of them as he would of a town and country house?

?All this ti poured in) whilst those ere indifferent were speculating after this fashi+on, the chief priest?s wo shrieks, particularly when the slave returned and informed them that no mollah bashi+ had she found, and that he had left no trace behind except the print of his body in the bed

?The story had now got abroad, the bath was surrounded by a croho pressed to gain admittance; and ere the women had had time to dress themselves, the place was full of men Such a scene of confusion as then ensued had never before been witnessed in a public bath at Tehran What with the wailing and lamentations of the women of the chief priest--ith the noise and cries of those who inveighed against the intrusion of the th the friends and relations of the deceased appeared, and, with them, the washers of the dead, who immediately bore the corpse to the place of ablution, where it was embalmed, and prepared for its journey to Kerbelah, for thither it was judged expedient to send it for burial

?Hisat once avowed her intention of acco the body; and my mules,? added my informant, ?were hired on the occasion The tent you see yonder is occupied by her and her slaves; and there,? pointing to the packages, ?lies the carcass of her husband The acco dead bodies are the remains of those who, both at Tehran and on our road hither, died about the time that this event took place, and are now sent to Kerbelah to be buried in the suite and under the protection of one who at the day of resurrection, it is hoped,hand into paradise?

Here the conductor stopped, whilst I, who had been struck by the latter part of his speech, beca endeavoured to escape danger, I had fallen into its very nized by the chief priest?s servants, soe of my person would lead to my discovery

?But what happened after the corpse was carried out of the bath?? said I, anxious to knohether the clothes which I had left in one of its corners had been noticed

?By the head of Ali!? said the man, ?I do not very well recollect This I know, that many stories were in circulation; and every person had a different one So drowned, was seen in his anderun and went to bed Others that he appeared the nextat the chief executioner?s, and rode aith one of his best horses The chief executioner hi him permission to drink wine In short, so many and so contradictory were the reports, that no one knehat to believe All were puzzled to find out how he et alive out of the bath (for that is attested by his servants, and by the master of the bath), and still remain in the reservoir Difficulties continued to increase as fast as people argued, until a discovery took place which threw a ht upon the subject Some clothes were found in a dark corner of the bath They were torn and in bad case; but without ed to one Hajji Baba, a drivelling priest, and an attendant upon that famous breeder of disturbance, the mollah Nadan, the open and avowed enemy of the head of the law Then everybody exclaimed, ?Hajji Baba is the murderer! without doubt he is the murderer of the holy man, he must pay the price of blood!? and all the city was in full search for Hajji Baba Many said, that Nadan was the culprit; in short, ers have been sent all over the country to seize them both, and carry them dead or alive to Tehran

I only wish that my fate may be sufficiently on the ascent, to throw either of them into my hands; such a prize would be worth uess e; I as never fae, and ould always rather as a preliminary to safety make use of the swiftness ofany other erous than to proceed; for in a very short tiovernment, until when I promised faithfully to wrap myself up in the folds of my own counsel; and to continue my road with all the wariness of one who is surrounded by ier

CHAPTER LXIII

He is discovered and seized, but his good stars again befriend and set him free

The caravan pursued itsthe ers on (many of whom are always at hand), in order to screen myself from notice The litter with the chief priest?s , and her attendants, preceded the line of march, the camels with the bodies followed, and the re principally of loadedline over the road

I envied every felloho had a ed coat than h to be noticed More particularly I dreaded the approach of the ?s servants, for although I was dying to know if any of them were of my acquaintance, yet I carefully turned my head on one side, as soon as there was the s towards me

The first day?s march had passed over in safety; and I laid e, where I slept sound through the night I was equally fortunate on the second day, and with so an to be a better than a common mule-driver