"
"The Giaour is on the waters, your highness. He is a very _rustam_ on
board of a ship, and brings wealth to the _hazneh_ of your sublime
highness. He consulted the astrologers, and the stars were propitious.
To-morrow I expect he will return."
"Well, then, we must content ourselves with what is offered. Let the
slave approach, and we will listen to his story, since we cannot have
the wonderful tales of Huckaback."
"Whose dog was Lokman, to be compared to your sublime highness in
wisdom?" replied Mustapha. "What are the words of Hafiz--'Every moment
that you enjoy, count it gain. Who shall say what will be the event of
any thing?'"
The slave, who had been detained by the orders of Mustapha, was ordered
to appear. During his confinement, Mustapha had been informed by his
people that he was "visited by Allah;" or in other words, that he was a
madman. Nevertheless, Mustapha--who was afraid to release a man (or
rather, a story) without the consent of the pacha, and could not send
for the renegade to supply any defalcation--considered that, upon the
whole, it was better that he should be admitted to the presence of the
pacha.
"You asked me to hear your story," observed the pacha, "and I have
consented,--not to please you, but to please myself, because I am fond
of a good story: which I take it for granted yours will be, or you would
not have presumed to make the request. Now you may go on."
"Pacha," replied the slave, who had seated himself in a corner, working
his body backward and forward, "it is the misfortune of those who not
aware--of the excitement which--as I before stated to your
highness--exceeds in altitude the lofty and snow-covered peak of
Hebrus--and, nevertheless, cannot be worth more than four or five
paras--"
"Holy prophet! what is all this?" interrupted the pacha; "I cannot
understand a word that you say.
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