CHAPTER NINETEEN.
DESCRIBES AN IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE PIRATE CITY.
"Madman!" exclaimed the elder chaouse, after Omar and Hassan had left,"you have put the bow-string round our necks as well as your own."
"True," answered Baba, with a bland smile, "and if we would not have itdrawn tight, we must e'en obey the commands of Omar the Dey."
"I suppose we must," returned the chaouse gloomily; "but it is hardenough to be compelled to spend our days in strangling, thrashing,burning, beheading, flaying, and tormenting other men, without theaddition of having our own necks put in jeopardy."
The injustice attaching to themselves and their office seemed to weighheavily for some time on the minds of both the executioners,notwithstanding the sallies and remonstrances of Hadji Baba, but beforereaching the palace they had gone through the not difficult process--toa Turk--of setting the whole matter down to the decrees of Fate, andwashing their hands of all guilt.
That evening, as the hour for action drew nigh, Hadji Baba and hiscolleagues began to grow rather uneasy--all the more so that the Dey wasin a particularly bad humour.
Being an ignorant and uneducated man, he had found the work of gatheringup the reins of government a very difficult task, notwithstanding theboldness of his heart and the determination of his will. True, he hadsimplified several knotty matters by bastinadoing and cutting off theheads of all concerned, but this left a multitude of matters which couldnot be disposed of in that summary fashion.
Among other things, he had been thwarted in his resolution to getpossession of Angela Diego, whom he intended to have made a slave of thepalace. Finding that she had taken refuge with the British consul athis country house, he sent a peremptory order to have the girl returnedimmediately, and, pending the result of that order, had locked Bacri upin a dungeon, with threats of the bastinado, and even death, in theevent of any difficulty being thrown in the way.
After this he called for his coffee and pipe, his tame gazelle, chiefexecutioners, and story-teller, resolving to throw the cares of stateaside for the night and enjoy himself.
It was nearly eight o'clock when this order was given, to theconsternation of Hadji Baba and his confederates, who were thus deprivedof the power of rendering, in the guard-room, any assistance to theinsurrectionists. There was, however, no alternative,--obedience wasimperative.
"Sit down," said the Dey to the unfortunate jester, when he entered thepresence, limping with much apparent difficulty. "We will extendclemency to thee, in the hope that thou wilt redeem thy character. I amfond of marvellous stories. Thou mayest sit on that carpet. Now, lookbehind thee."
Hadji Baba obeyed, and observed his two friends standing mute andmotionless, like statues, ready at a moment's notice to do theirmaster's bidding.
"Knowest thou these men?" asked the Dey.
"Your highness's slave knows them but too well," replied Baba, with awell-feigned shudder, which changed into a real one on his observingthat a gorgeous time-piece opposite pointed to the hour of eight.
"Proceed, then, and acquit thee well, else thou shalt come to know themstill better ere long."
Thus admonished, the story-teller cleared his throat, wished intenselyfor a draught of water, and taxed his fertile brain to the uttermost.At last under a feeling of absolute desperation, he began--
"Once upon a time--"
The Dey nodded, as though he thought that not a bad beginning.
"Once upon a time," continued Baba, and then, checking himself--"Yourhighness wishes a _very_ marvellous story, I believe?"
"Yes, _very_ marvellous," said the Dey, not quite pleased with theinterruption.
"Your highness shall have it--a very marvellous story, and, what ismore, it shall be a true story."
Hadji Baba said this with so much energy and fire that the Dey againnodded his approval, and sent two thin clouds of tobacco-smoke throughhis nostrils, as he patted the gazelle which crouched at his feet,resting its head on his knee, and gazing affectionately at the tyrantwith its magnificent eyes.
"Once upon a time," resumed the story-teller with sustained vigour andfluency, as he glanced at the clock, "there was a poor shoemaker whodwelt in a certain town, and was noted among his friends for his powersof song. One day the Sultan of the country chanced to hear of thisman's talent, and sent for him to the palace. He was so pleased withhim that he made him his chief musician. This shoemaker possessedmagical gifts."
"Villain!" exclaimed the Dey, "didst thou not say that the story shouldbe a true one? How can that be, when thou speakest of gifts which donot and never did exist?"
"Your highness's slave," replied Baba, "refers to those powers of_legerdemain_, or pretended magic, with which some men are gifted."
"Go on," returned the Dey.
"Well, one day the shoemaker offered to amuse the Sultan by mesmerisinghis guards."
"Mesmerising!" interrupted the Dey, "what is that?"
"Throwing them into a sleep, your highness, against their will."
"Well?"
"Well, the Sultan did not believe him, so he said, `If thou shalt putthese guards into sleep against their wills, I will give thee mydaughter in marriage.' The shoemaker was well pleased to hear this, forthe Sultan's daughter was virtuous and very beautiful. So he begged theSultan to order in his guards, which he did. Drawing them up in a line,the man began at the first, and made the passes or signs which arenecessary to throw men into the mesmeric state. The first man winkedvery much, and smiled a little, but did not fall asleep.
"`Ha!' cried the Sultan, on seeing this, `thou art deceiving me, itseems!'
"`Not so, your highness,' replied the shoemaker; `it is not every manwho can be thus subdued. Permit me to go on, and I will find one who issusceptible.'
"So the shoemaker went on and made the passes and signs which werenecessary, until at last he found one who at once fell asleep, and then,one after another, they all fell asleep, and no one could awake themexcept the shoemaker! I could not have believed this, your highness,"said Hadji Baba, "if I had not been told it by the shoemaker himself,who also taught me the mysterious power of thus throwing men in tosleep, which in some languages is signified by the term `throwing dustinto their eyes.'"
"How!" exclaimed the Dey, "dost mean to tell me that thou couldst reallydo as that shoemaker did, and put my guards to sleep before mine eyes?"
"Your highness's slave presumes to answer emphatically--yes."
"By the beard of the Prophet, thou shalt prove it," said the Dey, whosecuriosity was aroused.--"Ho, there! order the guard into my presence."
"Hold!" exclaimed Hadji Baba; "they must appear absolutely unarmed. Inorder that men should be brought under the influence of this power, itis necessary that they should divest themselves not only of all ordinaryweapons, but also of the defensive armour of common-sense. That is thereason why the exercise of the power is so difficult. But, onceaccomplished, the effect is unquestionable and very amazing."
"Let them leave their arms behind them, then," said the Dey; "only seethat two are left to keep the gates."
"Would it not be well," suggested Baba humbly, "that, considering therecent riots, more than two should be left to guard the palace gates?It is true, the more men that are brought under my influence the morelikely is my influence to be effectual, but these chaouses might for afew minutes supply their place."
"Be it so!--Thou hearest?" said the Dey, turning to his executioners.
The chaouses went out as the men of the guard entered unarmed, and drewup in a line before the Dey.
"Now, show thy power, Hadji Baba."
"Your highness will, I trust, have patience for a few minutes," saidBaba, observing that the clock still indicated ten minutes short of theappointed hour, "while I perform the curious, but necessary, motionswhich are essential to a happy result."
Saying this he advanced to the first guard in the line, and, throwinghimself into a vigorously picturesque attitude, pointed with two fingersof the rig
ht hand at his eyes, trembling violently the while, as thoughhe was exerting some tremendous but subtle energy.
The first guardsman gazed at him in mute amazement, but would as soonhave cut off his own head as have objected to the operation in suchpresence. He opened his eyes very wide with surprise, then looked atthe points of Baba's fingers, which caused him to squint horribly, andfinally smiled in spite of himself; whereupon the thought of having beenguilty of such undignified conduct caused him to turn deadly pale withterror, all of which symptoms being regarded by the Dey as indicationsof coming success, were highly satisfactory.
Suddenly sweeping his hands in front of the man's face, and making anoise with his feet to distract attention, Baba whispered, "Shut youreyes if you would escape death!" and terminated the whole operation witha low growl.
The terrified man instantly shut his eyes, and Baba proceeded to operateon the next.
He had operated thus on about six of the men when there was heard asudden crash and shouting in the guard-room. The disarmed guard at oncemade a rush towards the door, but were driven back by the chaouses, whosprang in and cut down two of the foremost with yataghans which werealready blood-stained.
"Traitor!" shouted the Dey, drawing his scimitar and leaping furiouslyon Hadji Baba, but that worthy, being as active with his body as hisbrain, parried the cut with a cushion, and running in on the Dey seizedhim round the waist. It would soon have gone hard with him, however,Hamet being a much more powerful man, had not Sidi Omar, with a band ofhis janissaries, dashed in and secured him.
"But for enemies within thou hadst not overcome me thus easily," saidthe Dey bitterly, as two of the soldiers held him fast, while othersbound his arms behind his back.
"Very true, Hamet," returned Omar, with quiet indifference of manner;"and now it remains with thee to choose thy death, for that must bespeedily accomplished.--Ho! there, fetch the cup!"
A silver cup, filled with poison, was brought and presented to theunhappy Hamet by his former friend, Sidi Hassan.
"My undoing has been caused by leniency to dogs like thee," said theDey, with a dark scowl; then, clearing his brow, and drawing himself upwith dignity, he turned to Omar, and added, "I decline to take part inmine own death. If I must die, let me be led forth to the place ofpublic execution. I would die as I have lived: with my face to my foes,and in the sight of my comrades."
"Be it so, we are ready," returned Omar; "let the torch-men lead theway."
As Omar truly said, they were indeed ready, for in a few seconds thefront of the palace was lighted up with blazing torches, a processionwas formed, and Hamet was led forth to the Bab-Azoun gate, and therestrangled in the midst of an overawed and silent populace, who probablycared very little as to which of the unruly Turkish pirates who heldthem in subjection should misrule the unfortunate city.
Whether it was a touch of pity on the part of Omar, or the lateness ofthe hour, we know not, but from some cause or other Hamet was spared thetoo common cruelty of being twice revived with a glass of water duringthe process, before the final deed of strangulation was accomplished.
Thus was the undesirable throne of Algiers again emptied, andimmediately afterwards Sidi Omar ascended it,--the third Dey withinforty-eight hours!