CHAPTER I
It is well known that the grand seignior amuses himself by going at
night, in disguise, through streets of Constantinople; as the caliph
Haroun Alraschid used formerly to do in Bagdad.
One moonlight night, accompanied by his grand vizier, he traversed
several of the principal streets of the city without seeing anything
remarkable. At length, as they were passing a rope-maker's, the sultan
recollected the Arabian story of Cogia-Hassan Alhabal, the rope-maker,
and his two friends, Saad and Saadi, who differed so much in their
opinion concerning the influence of fortune over human affairs.
"What is your opinion on this subject?" said the grand seignior to his
vizier.
"I am inclined, please your majesty," replied the vizier, "to think that
success in the world depends more upon prudence than upon what is called
luck, or fortune."
"And I," said the sultan, "am persuaded that fortune does more for men
than prudence. Do you not every day hear of persons who are said to be
fortunate or unfortunate? How comes it that this opinion should prevail
amongst men, if it be not justified by experience?"
"It is not for me to dispute with your majesty," replied the prudent
vizier.
"Speak your mind freely; I desire and command it," said the sultan.
"Then I am of opinion," answered the vizier, "that people are often led
to believe others fortunate, or unfortunate, merely because they only
know the general outline of their histories; and are ignorant of the
incidents and events in which they have shown prudence or imprudence. I
have heard, for instance, that there are at present, in this city, two
men, who are remarkable for their good and bad fortune: one is called
Murad the Unlucky, and the other Saladin the Lucky. Now, I am inclined
to think, if we could hear their stories, we should find that one is a
prudent and the other an imprudent character."
"Where do these men live?" interrupted the sultan. "I will hear their
histories from their own lips before I sleep."
"Murad the Unlucky lives in the next square," said the vizier.
The sultan desired to go thither immediately. Scarcely had they entered
the square, when they heard the cry of loud lamentations. They followed
the sound till they came to a house of which the door was open, and where
there was a man tearing his turban, and weeping bitterly. They asked the
cause of his distress, and he pointed to the fragments of a china vase,
which lay on the pavement at his door.
"This seems undoubtedly to be beautiful china," said the sultan, taking
up one of the broken pieces; "but can the loss of a china vase be the
cause of such violent grief and despair?"
"Ah, gentlemen," said the owner of the vase, suspending his lamentations,
and looking at the dress of the pretended merchants, "I see that you are
strangers: you do not know how much cause I have for grief and despair!
You do not know that you are speaking to Murad the Unlucky! Were you to
hear all the unfortunate accidents that have happened to me, from the
time I was born till this instant, you would perhaps pity me, and
acknowledge I have just cause for despair."
Curiosity was strongly expressed by the sultan; and the hope of obtaining
sympathy inclined Murad to gratify it by the recital of his adventures.
"Gentlemen," said he, "I scarcely dare invite you into the house of such
an unlucky being as I am; but if you will venture to take a night's
lodging under my roof, you shall hear at your leisure the story of my
misfortunes."
The sultan and the vizier excused themselves from spending the night with
Murad, saying that they were obliged to proceed to their khan, where they
should be expected by their companions; but they begged permission to
repose themselves for half an hour in his house, and besought him to
relate the history of his life, if it would not renew his grief too much
to recollect his misfortunes.
Few men are so miserable as not to like to talk of their misfortunes,
where they have, or where they think they have, any chance of obtaining
compassion. As soon as the pretended merchants were seated, Murad began
his story in the following manner:--
"My father was a merchant of this city. The night before I was born he
dreamed that I came into the world with the head of a dog and the tail of
a dragon; and that, in haste to conceal my deformity, he rolled me up in
a piece of linen, which unluckily proved to be the grind seignior's
turban; who, enraged at his insolence in touching his turban, commanded
that his head should be struck off.
"My father awaked before he lost his head, but not before he had lost
half his wits from the terror of his dream. He considered it as a
warning sent from above, and consequently determined to avoid the sight
of me. He would not stay to see whether I should really be born with the
head of a dog and the tail of a dragon; but he set out, the next morning,
on a voyage to Aleppo.
"He was absent for upwards of seven years; and during that time my
education was totally neglected. One day I inquired from my mother why I
had been named Murad the Unlucky. She told me that this name was given
to me in consequence of my father's dream; but she added that perhaps it
might be forgotten, if I proved fortunate in my future life. My nurse, a
very old woman, who was present, shook her head, with a look which I
shall never forget, and whispered to my mother loud enough for me to
hear, 'Unlucky he was, and is, and ever will be. Those that are born to
ill luck cannot help themselves; nor can any, but the great prophet,
Mahomet himself, do anything for them. It is a folly for an unlucky
person to strive with their fate: it is better to yield to it at once.'
"This speech made a terrible impression upon me, young as I then was; and
every accident that happened to me afterwards confirmed my belief in my
nurse's prognostic. I was in my eighth year when my father returned from
abroad. The year after he came home my brother Saladin was born, who was
named Saladin the Lucky, because the day he was born a vessel freighted
with rich merchandise for my father arrived safely in port.
"I will not weary you with a relation of all the little instances of good
fortune by which my brother Saladin was distinguished, even during his
childhood. As he grew up, his success in everything he undertook was as
remarkable as my ill luck in all that I attempted. From the time the
rich vessel arrived, we lived in splendour; and the supposed prosperous
state of my father's affairs was of course attributed to the influence of
my brother Saladin's happy destiny.
"When Saladin was about twenty, my father was taken dangerously ill; and
as he felt that he should not recover, he sent for my brother to the side
of his bed, and, to his great surprise, informed him that the
magnificence in which we had lived had exhausted all his wealth; that his
affairs were in the greatest disorder; for, having trusted to the hope of
continual success, he had embarked in projects beyond his powers.
"The sequel was, he had nothing remaining to leave to his children but
two large china vases, remarkable for their beauty, but still more
valuable on account of certain verses inscribed upon them in an unknown
character, which were supposed to operate as a talisman or charm in
favour of their possessors.
"Both these vases my father bequeathed to my brother Saladin; declaring
he could not venture to leave either of them to me, because I was so
unlucky that I should inevitably break it. After his death, however, my
brother Saladin, who was blessed with a generous temper, gave me my
choice of the two vases; and endeavoured to raise my spirits by repeating
frequently that he had no faith either in good fortune or ill fortune.
"I could not be of his opinion, though I felt and acknowledged his
kindness in trying to persuade me out of my settled melancholy. I knew
it was in vain for me to exert myself, because I was sure that, do what I
would, I should still be Murad the Unlucky. My brother, on the contrary,
was nowise cast down, even by the poverty in which my father left us: he
said he was sure he should find some means of maintaining himself; and so
he did.
"On examining our china vases, he found in them a powder of a bright
scarlet colour; and it occurred to him that it would make a fine dye. He
tried it, and after some trouble, it succeeded to admiration.
"During my father's lifetime, my mother had been supplied with rich
dresses by one of the merchants who was employed by the ladies of the
grand seignior's seraglio. My brother had done this merchant some
trifling favours, and, upon application to him, he readily engaged to
recommend the new scarlet dye. Indeed, it was so beautiful, that, the
moment it was seen, it was preferred to every other colour. Saladin's
shop was soon crowded with customers; and his winning manners and
pleasant conversation were almost as advantageous to him as his scarlet
dye. On the contrary, I observed that the first glance at my melancholy
countenance was sufficient to disgust every one who saw me. I perceived
this plainly; and it only confirmed me the more in my belief in my own
evil destiny.
"It happened one day that a lady, richly apparelled and attended by two
female slaves, came to my brother's house to make some purchases. He was
out, and I alone was left to attend to the shop. After she had looked
over some goods, she chanced to see my china vase, which was in the room.
She took a prodigious fancy to it, and offered me any price if I would
part with it; but this I declined doing, because I believed that I should
draw down upon my head some dreadful calamity if I voluntarily
relinquished the talisman. Irritated by my refusal, the lady, according
to the custom of her sex, became more resolute in her purpose; but
neither entreaties nor money could change my determination. Provoked
beyond measure at my obstinacy, as she called it, she left the house.
"On my brother's return, I related to him what had happened, and expected
that he would have praised me for my prudence; but, on the contrary, he
blamed me for the superstitious value I set upon the verses on my vase;
and observed that it would be the height of folly to lose a certain means
of advancing my fortune for the uncertain hope of magical protection. I
could not bring myself to be of his opinion; I had not the courage to
follow the advice he gave. The next day the lady returned, and my
brother sold his vase to her for ten thousand pieces of gold. This money
he laid out in the most advantageous manner, by purchasing a new stock of
merchandise. I repented when it was too late; but I believe it is part
of the fatality attending certain persons, that they cannot decide
rightly at the proper moment. When the opportunity has been lost, I have
always regretted that I did not do exactly the contrary to what I had
previously determined upon. Often, whilst I was hesitating, the
favourable moment passed. {1} Now this is what I call being unlucky. But
to proceed with my story.
"The lady who bought my brother Saladin's vase was the favourite of the
Sultan, and all-powerful in the seraglio. Her dislike to me, in
consequence of my opposition to her wishes, was so violent, that she
refused to return to my brother's house while I remained there. He was
unwilling to part with me; but I could not bear to be the ruin of so good
a brother. Without telling him my design, I left his house careless of
what should become of me. Hunger, however, soon compelled me to think of
some immediate mode of obtaining relief. I sat down upon a stone, before
the door of a baker's shop: the smell of hot bread tempted me in, and
with a feeble voice I demanded charity.
"The master baker gave me as much bread as I could eat, upon condition
that I should change dresses with him and carry the rolls for him through
the city this day. To this I readily consented; but I had soon reason to
repent of my compliance. Indeed, if my ill-luck had not, as usual,
deprived me at this critical moment of memory and judgment, I should
never have complied with the baker's treacherous proposal. For some time
before, the people of Constantinople had been much dissatisfied with the
weight and quality of the bread furnished by the bakers. This species of
discontent has often been the sure forerunner of an insurrection; and, in
these disturbances, the master bakers frequently lose their lives. All
these circumstances I knew, but they did not occur to my memory when they
might have been useful.
"I changed dresses with the baker; but scarcely had I proceeded through
the adjoining streets with my rolls before the mob began to gather round
me with reproaches and execrations. The crowd pursued me even to the
gates of the grand seignior's palace, and the grand vizier, alarmed at
their violence, sent out an order to have my head struck off; the usual
remedy, in such cases, being to strike off the baker's head.
"I now fell upon my knees, and protested I was not the baker for whom
they took me; that I had no connection with him; and that I had never
furnished the people of Constantinople with bread that was not weight. I
declared I had merely changed clothes with a master baker for this day,
and that I should not have done so but for the evil destiny which governs
all my actions. Some of the mob exclaimed that I deserved to lose my
head for my folly; but others took pity on me, and whilst the officer,
who was sent to execute the vizier's order, turned to speak to some of
the noisy rioters, those who were touched by my misfortune opened a
passage for me through the crowd, and thus favoured, I effected my
escape.
"I quitted Constantinople; my vase I had left in the care of my brother.
At some miles' distance from the city I overtook a party of soldiers. I
joined them, and learning that they were going to embark with the rest of
the grand seignior's army for Egypt, I resolved to accompany them. 'If
it be,' thought I, 'the will of Mahomet that I should perish, the sooner
I meet my fate the better.' The despondency into which I was sunk was
attended by so great a degree of indolence, that I scarcely would take
the necessary means to preserve my existence. During our passage to
Egypt I sat all day long upon the deck of the vessel, smoking my pipe,
and I am convinced that if a storm had risen, as I expected, I should not
have taken my pipe from my mouth, nor should I have handled a rope to
save myself from destruction. Such is the effect of that species of
resignation, or torpor, whichever you please to call it, to which my
strong belief in fatality had reduced my mind.
"We landed, however, safely, contrary to my melancholy forebodings. By a
trifling accident, not worth relating, I was detained longer than any of
my companions in the vessel when we disembarked, and I did not arrive at
the camp till late at night. It was moonlight, and I could see the whole
scene distinctly. There was a vast number of small tents scattered over
a desert of white sand; a few date-trees were visible at a distance; all
was gloomy, and all still; no sound was to be heard but that of the
camels feeding near the tents, and, as I walked on, I met with no human
creature.
"My pipe was now out, and I quickened my pace a little towards a fire
which I saw near one of the tents. As I proceeded, my eye was caught by
something sparkling in the sand: it was a ring. I picked it up and put
it on my finger, resolving to give it to the public crier the next
morning, who might find out its rightful owner; but, by ill-luck, I put
it on my little finger, for which it was much too large, and as I
hastened towards the fire to light my pipe, I dropped the ring. I
stooped to search for it amongst the provender on which a mule was
feeding, and the cursed animal gave me so violent a kick on the head that
I could not help roaring aloud.
"My cries awakened those who slept in the tent near which the mule was
feeding. Provoked at being disturbed, the soldiers were ready enough to
think ill of me, and they took it for granted that I was a thief, who had
stolen the ring I pretended to have just found. The ring was taken from
me by force, and the next day I was bastinadoed for having found it; the
officer persisting in the belief that stripes would make me confess where
I had concealed certain other articles of value which had lately been
missed in the camp. All this was the consequence of my being in a hurry
to light my pipe and of my having put the ring on a finger that was too
little for it, which no one but Murad the Unlucky would have done.
"When I was able to walk again, after my wounds were healed, I went into
one of the tents distinguished by a red flag, having been told that these
were coffee-houses. Whilst I was drinking coffee I heard a stranger near
me complaining that he had not been able to recover a valuable ring he
had lost, although he had caused his loss to be published for three days
by the public crier, offering a reward of two hundred sequins to whoever
should restore it. I guessed that this was the very ring which I had
unfortunately found. I addressed myself to the stranger, and promised to
point out to him the person who had forced it from me. The stranger
recovered his ring, and, being convinced that I had acted honestly, he
made me a present of two hundred sequins, as some amends for the
punishment which I had unjustly suffered on his account.
"Now you would imagine that this purse of gold was advantageous to me.
Far the contrary; it was the cause of new misfortunes.
"One night, when I thought that the soldiers who were in the same tent
with me were all fast asleep, I indulged myself in the pleasure of
counting my treasure. The next day I was invited by my companions to
drink sherbet with them. What they mixed with the sherbet which I drank
I know not, but I could not resist the drowsiness it brought on. I fell
into a profound slumber, and when I awoke, I found myself lying under a
date-tree, at some distance from the camp.
"The first thing I thought of when I came to my recollection was my purse
of sequins. The purse I found still safe in my girdle; but on opening
it, I perceived that it was filled with pebbles, and not a single sequin
was left. I had no doubt that I had been robbed by the soldiers with
whom I had drunk sherbet, and I am certain that some of them must have
been awake the night I counted my money; otherwise, as I had never
trusted the secret of my riches to any one, they could not have suspected
me of possessing any property; for ever since I kept company with them I
had appeared to be in great indigence.
"I applied in vain to the superior officers for redress: the soldiers
protested they were innocent; no positive proof appeared against them,
and I gained nothing by my complaint but ridicule and ill-will. I called
myself, in the first transport of my grief, by that name which, since my
arrival in Egypt, I had avoided to pronounce: I called myself Murad the
Unlucky. The name and the story ran through the camp, and I was
accosted, afterwards, very frequently, by this appellation. Some,
indeed, varied their wit by calling me Murad with the purse of pebbles.
"All that I had yet suffered is nothing compared to my succeeding
misfortunes.
"It was the custom at this time, in the Turkish camp, for the soldiers to
amuse themselves with firing at a mark. The superior officers
remonstrated against this dangerous practice, but ineffectually.
Sometimes a party of soldiers would stop firing for a few minutes, after
a message was brought them from their commanders, and then they would
begin again, in defiance of all orders. Such was the want of discipline
in our army, that this disobedience went unpunished. In the meantime,
the frequency of the danger made most men totally regardless of it. I
have seen tents pierced with bullets, in which parties were quietly
seated smoking their pipes, whilst those without were preparing to take
fresh aim at the red flag on the top.
"This apathy proceeded, in some, from unconquerable indolence of body; in
others, from the intoxication produced by the fumes of tobacco and of
opium; but in most of my brother Turks it arose from the confidence which
the belief in predestination inspired. When a bullet killed one of their
companions, they only observed, scarcely taking the pipes from their
mouths, 'Our hour is not yet come: it is not the will of Mahomet that we
should fall.'
"I own that this rash security appeared to me, at first, surprising, but
it soon ceased to strike me with wonder, and it even tended to confirm my
favourite opinion, that some were born to good and some to evil fortune.
I became almost as careless as my companions, from following the same
course of reasoning. 'It is not,' thought I, 'in the power of human
prudence to avert the stroke of destiny. I shall perhaps die to-morrow;
let me therefore enjoy to-day.'
"I now made it my study every day to procure as much amusement as
possible. My poverty, as you will imagine, restricted me from indulgence
and excess, but I soon found means to spend what did not actually belong
to me. There were certain Jews who were followers of the camp, and who,
calculating on the probability of victory for our troops, advanced money
to the soldiers, for which they engaged to pay these usurers exorbitant
interest. The Jew to whom I applied traded with me also, upon the belief
that my brother Saladin, with whose character and circumstances he was
acquainted, would pay my debts if I should fall. With the money I raised
from the Jew I continually bought coffee and opium, of which I grew
immoderately fond. In the delirium it created I forgot all my
misfortunes, all fear of the future.
"One day, when I had raised my spirits by an unusual quantity of opium, I
was strolling through the camp, sometimes singing, sometimes dancing,
like a madman, and repeating that I was not now Murad the Unlucky. Whilst
these words were on my lips, a friendly spectator, who was in possession
of his sober senses, caught me by the arm, and attempted to drag me from
the place where I was exposing myself. 'Do you not see,' said he, 'those
soldiers, who are firing at a mark? I saw one of them, just now,
deliberately taking aim at your turban; and observe, he is now reloading
his piece.' My ill luck prevailed even at this instant--the only instant
in my life when I defied its power. I struggled with my adviser,
repeating, 'I am not the wretch you take me for; I am not Murad the
Unlucky.' He fled from the danger himself; I remained, and in a few
seconds afterwards a ball reached me, and I fell senseless on the sand.
"The ball was cut out of my body by an awkward surgeon, who gave me ten
times more pain than was necessary. He was particularly hurried at this
time, because the army had just received orders to march in a few hours,
and all was confusion in the camp. My wound was excessively painful, and
the fear of being left behind with those who were deemed incurable added
to my torments. Perhaps, if I had kept myself quiet, I might have
escaped some of the evils I afterwards endured; but, as I have repeatedly
told you, gentlemen, it was my ill fortune never to be able to judge what
was best to be done till the time for prudence was past.
"During the day, when my fever was at the height, and when my orders were
to keep my bed, contrary to my natural habits of indolence, I rose a
hundred times, and went out of my tent in the very heat of the day, to
satisfy my curiosity as to the number of the tests which had not been
struck, and of the soldiers who had not yet marched. The orders to march
were tardily obeyed, and many hours elapsed before our encampment was
raised. Had I submitted to my surgeon's orders, I might have been in a
state to accompany the most dilatory of the stragglers; I could have
borne, perhaps, the slow motion of a litter, on which some of the sick
were transported; but in the evening, when the surgeon came to dress my
wounds, he found me in such a situation that it was scarcely possible to
remove me.
"He desired a party of soldiers, who were left to bring up the rear, to
call for me the next morning. They did so; but they wanted to put me
upon the mule which I recollected, by a white streak on its back, to be
the cursed animal that had kicked me whilst I was looking for the ring. I
could not be prevailed upon to go upon this unlucky animal. I tried to
persuade the soldiers to carry me, and they took me a little way; but,
soon growing weary of their burden, they laid me down on the sand,
pretending that they were going to fill a skin with water at a spring
they had discovered, and bade me lie still, and wait for their return.
"I waited and waited, longing for the water to moisten my parched lips;
but no water came--no soldiers returned; and there I lay, for several
hours, expecting every moment to breathe my last. I made no effort to
move, for I was now convinced my hour was come, and that it was the will
of Mahomet that I should perish in this miserable manner, and lie
unburied like a dog: 'a death,' thought I, 'worthy of Murad the Unlucky.'
"My forebodings were not this time just; a detachment of English soldiers
passed near the place where I lay: my groans were heard by them, and they
humanely came to my assistance. They carried me with them, dressed my
wound, and treated me with the utmost tenderness. Christians though they
were, I must acknowledge that I had reason to love them better than any
of the followers of Mahomet, my good brother only excepted.
"Under their care I recovered; but scarcely had I regained my strength
before I fell into new disasters. It was hot weather, and my thirst was
excessive. I went out with a party, in hopes of finding a spring of
water. The English soldiers began to dig for a well, in a place pointed
out to them by one of their men of science. I was not inclined to such
hard labour, but preferred sauntering on in search of a spring. I saw at
a distance something that looked like a pool of water; and I pointed it
out to my companions. Their man of science warned me by his interpreter
not to trust to this deceitful appearance; for that such were common in
this country, and that, when I came close to the spot, I should find no
water there. He added, that it was at a greater distance than I
imagined; and that I should, in all probability, be lost in the desert if
I attempted to follow this phantom.
"I was so unfortunate as not to attend to his advice: I set out in
pursuit of this accursed delusion, which assuredly was the work of evil
spirits, who clouded my reason, and allured me into their dominion. I
went on, hour after hour, in expectation continually of reaching the
object of my wishes; but it fled faster than I pursued, and I discovered
at last that the Englishman, who had doubtless gained his information
from the people of the country, was right; and that the shining
appearance which I had taken for water was a mere deception.
"I was now exhausted with fatigue: I looked back in vain after the
companions I had left; I could see neither men, animals, nor any trace of
vegetation in the sandy desert. I had no resource but, weary as I was,
to measure back my footsteps, which were imprinted in the sand.
"I slowly and sorrowfully traced them as my guides in this unknown land.
Instead of yielding to my indolent inclinations, I ought, however, to
have made the best of my way back, before the evening breeze sprang up. I
felt the breeze rising, and, unconscious of my danger, I rejoiced, and
opened my bosom to meet it; but what was my dismay when I saw that the
wind swept before it all trace of my footsteps in the sand. I knew not
which way to proceed; I was struck with despair, tore my garments, threw
off my turban, and cried aloud; but neither human voice nor echo answered
me. The silence was dreadful. I had tasted no food for many hours, and
I now became sick and faint. I recollected that I had put a supply of
opium into the folds of my turban; but, alas! when I took my turban up, I
found that the opium had fallen out. I searched for it in vain on the
sand, where I had thrown the turban.
"I stretched myself out upon the ground, and yielded without further
struggle to my evil destiny. What I suffered from thirst, hunger, and
heat cannot be described. At last I fell into a sort of trance, during
which images of various kinds seemed to flit before my eyes. How long I
remained in this state I know not: but I remember that I was brought to
my senses by a loud shout, which came from persons belonging to a caravan
returning from Mecca. This was a shout of joy for their safe arrival at
a certain spring, well known to them in this part of the desert.
"The spring was not a hundred yards from the spot where I lay; yet, such
had been the fate of Murad the Unlucky, that he missed the reality,
whilst he had been hours in pursuit of the phantom. Feeble and
spiritless as I was, I sent forth as loud a cry as I could, in hopes of
obtaining assistance; and I endeavoured to crawl to the place from which
the voices appeared to come. The caravan rested for a considerable time
whilst the slaves filled the skins with water, and whilst the camels took
in their supply. I worked myself on towards them; yet, notwithstanding
my efforts, I was persuaded that, according to my usual ill-fortune, I
should never be able to make them hear my voice. I saw them mount their
camels! I took off my turban, unrolled it, and waved it in the air. My
signal was seen! The caravan came towards me!
"I had scarcely strength to speak; a slave gave me some water, and, after
I had drunk, I explained to them who I was, and how I came into this
situation.
"Whilst I was speaking, one of the travellers observed the purse which
hung to my girdle: it was the same the merchant for whom I recovered the
ring had given to me; I had carefully preserved it, because the initials
of my benefactor's name and a passage from the Koran were worked upon it.
When he give it to me, he said that perhaps we should meet again in some
other part of the world, and he should recognise me by this token. The
person who now took notice of the purse was his brother; and when I
related to him how I had obtained it, he had the goodness to take me
under his protection. He was a merchant, who was now going with the
caravan to Grand Cairo: he offered to take me with him, and I willingly
accepted the proposal, promising to serve him as faithfully as any of his
slaves. The caravan proceeded, and I was carried with it."
CHAPTER II
"The merchant, who was become my master, treated me with great kindness;
but on hearing me relate the whole series of my unfortunate adventures,
he exacted a promise from me that I would do nothing without first
consulting him. 'Since you are so unlucky, Murad,' said he, 'that you
always choose for the worst when you choose for yourself, you should
trust entirely to the judgment of a wiser or a more fortunate friend.'
"I fared well in the service of this merchant, who was a man of a mild
disposition, and who was so rich that he could afford to be generous to
all his dependants. It was my business to see his camels loaded and
unloaded at proper places, to count his bales of merchandise, and to take
care that they were not mixed with those of his companions. This I
carefully did till the day we arrived at Alexandria; when, unluckily, I
neglected to count the bales, taking it for granted that they were all
right, as I had found them so the preceding day. However, when we were
to go on board the vessel that was to take us to Cairo, I perceived that
three bales of cotton were missing.
"I ran to inform my master, who, though a good deal provoked at my
negligence, did not reproach me as I deserved. The public crier was
immediately sent round the city, to offer a reward for the recovery of
the merchandise; and it was restored by one of the merchants' slaves with
whom we had travelled. The vessel was now under sail; my master and I
and the bales of cotton were obliged to follow in a boat; and when we
were taken on board, the captain declared he was so loaded, that he could
not tell where to stow the bales of cotton. After much difficulty, he
consented to let them remain upon deck; and I promised my master to watch
them night and day.
"We had a prosperous voyage, and were actually in sight of shore, which
the captain said we could not fail to reach early the next morning. I
stayed, as usual, this night upon deck, and solaced myself by smoking my
pipe. Ever since I had indulged in this practice at the camp at El
Arish, I could not exist without opium and tobacco. I suppose that my
reason was this night a little clouded with the dose I took; but towards
midnight I was sobered by terror. I started up from the deck on which I
had stretched myself; my turban was in flames--the bale of cotton on
which I had rested was all on fire. I awakened two sailors, who were
fast asleep on deck. The consternation became general, and the confusion
increased the danger. The captain and my master were the most active,
and suffered the most, in extinguishing the flames--my master was
terribly scorched.
"For my part, I was not suffered to do anything; the captain ordered that
I should be bound to the mast; and when at last the flames were
extinguished, the passengers, with one accord, besought him to keep me
bound hand and foot, lest I should be the cause of some new disaster. All
that had happened was, indeed, occasioned by my ill-luck. I had laid my
pipe down, when I was falling asleep, upon the bale of cotton that was
beside me. The fire from my pipe fell out and set the cotton in flames.
Such was the mixture of rage and terror with which I had inspired the
whole crew, that I am sure they would have set me ashore on a desert
island rather than have had me on board for a week longer. Even my
humane master, I could perceive, was secretly impatient to get rid of
Murad the Unlucky and his evil fortune.
"You may believe that I was heartily glad when we landed, and when I was
unbound. My master put a purse containing fifty sequins into my hand,
and bade me farewell. 'Use this money prudently, Murad, if you can,'
said he, 'and perhaps your fortune may change.' Of this I had little
hopes, but determined to lay out my money as prudently as possible.
"As I was walking through the streets of Grand Cairo, considering how I
should lay out my fifty sequins to the greatest advantage, I was stopped
by one who called me by my name, and asked me if I could pretend to have
forgotten his face. I looked steadily at him, and recollected to my
sorrow that he was the Jew Rachub, from whom I had borrowed certain sums
of money at the camp at El Arish. What brought him to Grand Cairo,
except it was my evil destiny, I cannot tell. He would not quit me; he
would take no excuses; he said he knew that I had deserted twice, once
from the Turkish and once from the English army; that I was not entitled
to any pay; and that he could not imagine it possible that my brother
Saladin would own me or pay my debts.
"I replied, for I was vexed by the insolence of this Jewish dog, that I
was not, as he imagined, a beggar: that I had the means of paying him my
just debt, but that I hoped he would not extort from me all that
exorbitant interest which none but a Jew could exact. He smiled, and
answered that if a Turk loved opium better than money this was no fault
of his; that he had supplied me with what I loved best in the world, and
that I ought not to complain when he expected I should return the favour.
"I will not weary you, gentlemen, with all the arguments that passed
between me and Rachub. At last we compromised matters; he would take
nothing less than the whole debt: but he let me have at a very cheap rate
a chest of second-hand clothes, by which he assured me I might make my
fortune. He brought them to Grand Cairo, he said, for the purpose of
selling them to slave merchants, who, at this time of the year, were in
want of them to supply their slaves; but he was in haste to get home to
his wife and family at Constantinople, and, therefore, he was willing to
make over to a friend the profits of this speculation. I should have
distrusted Rachub's professions of friendship, and especially of
disinterestedness, but he took me with him to the khan where his goods
were, and unlocked the chest of clothes to show them to me. They were of
the richest and finest materials, and had been but little worn. I could
not doubt the evidence of my senses; the bargain was concluded, and the
Jew sent porters to my inn with the chest.
"The next day I repaired to the public market-place; and, when my
business was known, I had choice of customers before night--my chest was
empty, and my purse was full. The profit I made upon the sale of these
clothes was so considerable, that I could not help feeling astonishment
at Rachub's having brought himself so readily to relinquish them.
"A few days after I had disposed of the contents of my chest, a Damascene
merchant, who had bought two suits of apparel from me, told me, with a
very melancholy face, that both the female slaves who had put on these
clothes were sick. I could not conceive that the clothes were the cause
of their sickness; but soon afterwards, as I was crossing the market, I
was attacked by at least a dozen merchants, who made similar complaints.
They insisted upon knowing how I came by the garments, and demanded
whether I had worn any of them myself. This day I had, for the first
time, indulged myself with wearing a pair of yellow slippers, the only
finery I had reserved for myself out of all the tempting goods. Convinced
by my wearing these slippers that I could have had no insidious designs,
since I shared the danger, whatever it might be, the merchants were a
little pacified; but what was my terror and remorse the next day, when
one of them came to inform me that plague-boils had broken out under the
arms of all the slaves who had worn this pestilential apparel! On
looking carefully into the chest, we found the word 'Smyrna' written, and
half effaced, upon the lid. Now, the plague had for some time raged at
Smyrna; and, as the merchants suspected, these clothes had certainly
belonged to persons who had died of that distemper. This was the reason
why the Jew was willing to sell them to me so cheap; and it was for this
reason that he would not stay at Grand Cairo himself to reap the profits
of his speculation. Indeed, if I had paid attention to it at the proper
time, a slight circumstance might have revealed the truth to me. Whilst
I was bargaining with the Jew, before he opened the chest, he swallowed a
large dram of brandy, and stuffed his nostrils with sponge dipped in
vinegar; he told me, he did to prevent his perceiving the smell of musk,
which always threw him into convulsions.
"The horror I felt when I discovered that I had spread the infection of
the plague, and that I had probably caught it myself, overpowered my
senses--a cold dew spread over all my limbs, and I fell upon the lid of
the fatal chest in a swoon. It is said that fear disposes people to take
the infection; however this may be, I sickened that evening, and soon was
in a raging fever. It was worse for me whenever the delirium left me,
and I could reflect upon the miseries my ill-fortune had occasioned. In
my first lucid interval I looked round, and saw that I had been removed
from the khan to a wretched hut. An old woman, who was smoking her pipe
in the farthest corner of my room, informed me that I had been sent out
of the town of Grand Cairo by order of the cadi, to whom the merchants
had made their complaint. The fatal chest was burnt, and the house in
which I had lodged razed to the ground. 'And if it had not been for me,'
continued the old woman, 'you would have been dead probably at this
instant; but I have made a vow to our great Prophet that I would never
neglect an opportunity of doing a good action; therefore, when you were
deserted by all the world, I took care of you. Here, too, is your purse,
which I saved from the rabble--and, what is more difficult, from the
officers of justice. I will account to you for every part that I have
expended; and will, moreover, tell you the reason of my making such an
extraordinary vow.'
"As I believed that this benevolent old woman took great pleasure in
talking, I made an inclination of my head to thank her for her promised
history, and she proceeded; but I must confess I did not listen with all
the attention her narrative doubtless deserved. Even curiosity, the
strongest passion of us Turks, was dead within me. I have no
recollection of the old woman's story. It is as much as I can do to
finish my own.
"The weather became excessively hot; it was affirmed by some of the
physicians that this heat would prove fatal to their patients; but,
contrary to the prognostics of the physicians, it stopped the progress of
the plague. I recovered, and found my purse much lightened by my
illness. I divided the remainder of my money with my humane nurse, and
sent her out into the city to inquire how matters were going on.
"She brought me word that the fury of the plague had much abated, but
that she had met several funerals, and that she had heard many of the
merchants cursing the folly of Murad the Unlucky, who, as they said, had
brought all this calamity upon the inhabitants of Cairo. Even fools,
they say, learn by experience. I took care to burn the bed on which I
had lain and the clothes I had worn; I concealed my real name, which I
knew would inspire detestation, and gained admittance, with a crowd of
other poor wretches, into a lazaretto, where I performed quarantine and
offered up prayers daily for the sick.
"When I thought it was impossible I could spread the infection, I took my
passage home. I was eager to get away from Grand Cairo, where I knew I
was an object of execration. I had a strange fancy haunting my mind; I
imagined that all my misfortunes, since I left Constantinople, had arisen
from my neglect of the talisman upon the beautiful china vase. I dreamed
three times, when I was recovering from the plague, that a genius
appeared to me, and said, in a reproachful tone, 'Murad, where is the
vase that was entrusted to thy care?'
"This dream operated strongly upon my imagination. As soon as we arrived
at Constantinople, which we did, to my great surprise, without meeting
with any untoward accidents, I went in search of my brother Saladin to
inquire for my vase. He no longer lived in the house in which I left
him, and I began to be apprehensive that he was dead, but a porter,
hearing my inquiries, exclaimed, 'Who is there in Constantinople that is
ignorant of the dwelling of Saladin the Lucky? Come with me, and I will
show it to you.'
"The mansion to which he conducted me looked so magnificent that I was
almost afraid to enter lest there should be some mistake. But whilst I
was hesitating the doors opened, and I heard my brother Saladin's voice.
He saw me almost at the same instant that I fixed my eyes upon him, and
immediately sprang forward to embrace me. He was the same good brother
as ever, and I rejoiced in his prosperity with all my heart. 'Brother
Saladin,' said I, 'can you now doubt that some men are born to be
fortunate and others to be unfortunate? How often you used to dispute
this point with me!'
"'Let us not dispute it now in the public street,' said he, smiling; 'but
come in and refresh yourself, and we will consider the question
afterwards at leisure.'
"'No, my dear brother,' said I, drawing back, 'you are too good: Murad
the Unlucky shall not enter your house, lest he should draw down
misfortunes upon you and yours. I come only to ask for my vase.'
"'It is safe,' cried he; 'come in, and you shall see it: but I will not
give it up till I have you in my house. I have none of these
superstitious fears: pardon me the expression, but I have none of these
superstitious fears.'
"I yielded, entered his house, and was astonished at all I saw. My
brother did not triumph in his prosperity; but, on the contrary, seemed
intent only upon making me forget my misfortunes: he listened to the
account of them with kindness, and obliged me by the recital of his
history: which was, I must acknowledge, far less wonderful than my own.
He seemed, by his own account, to have grown rich in the common course of
things; or rather, by his own prudence. I allowed for his prejudices,
and, unwilling to dispute farther with him, said, 'You must remain of
your opinion, brother, and I of mine; you are Saladin the Lucky, and I
Murad the Unlucky; and so we shall remain to the end of our lives.'
"I had not been in his house four days when an accident happened, which
showed how much I was in the right. The favourite of the sultan, to whom
he had formerly sold his china vase, though her charms were now somewhat
faded by time, still retained her power and her taste for magnificence.
She commissioned my brother to bespeak for her, at Venice, the most
splendid looking-glass that money could purchase. The mirror, after many
delays and disappointments, at length arrived at my brother's house. He
unpacked it, and sent to let the lady know it was in perfect safety. It
was late in the evening, and she ordered it should remain where it was
that night, and that it should be brought to the seraglio the next
morning. It stood in a sort of ante-chamber to the room in which I
slept; and with it were left some packages, containing glass chandeliers
for an unfinished saloon in my brother's house. Saladin charged all his
domestics to be vigilant this night, because he had money to a great
amount by him, and there had been frequent robberies in our
neighbourhood. Hearing these orders, I resolved to be in readiness at a
moment's warning. I laid my scimitar beside me upon a cushion, and left
my door half open, that I might hear the slightest noise in the
ante-chamber or the great staircase. About midnight I was suddenly
awakened by a noise in the ante-chamber. I started up, seized my
scimitar, and the instant I got to the door, saw, by the light of the
lamp which was burning in the room, a man standing opposite to me, with a
drawn sword in his hand. I rushed forward, demanding what he wanted, and
received no answer; but seeing him aim at me with his scimitar, I gave
him, as I thought, a deadly blow. At this instant I heard a great crash;
and the fragments of the looking-glass, which I had shivered, fell at my
feet. At the same moment something black brushed by my shoulder: I
pursued it, stumbled over the packages of glass, and rolled over them
down the stairs.
"My brother came out of his room to inquire the cause of all this
disturbance; and when he saw the fine mirror broken, and me lying amongst
the glass chandeliers at the bottom of the stairs, he could not forbear
exclaiming, 'Well, brother! you are indeed Murad the Unlucky.'
"When the first emotion was over, he could not, however, forbear laughing
at my situation. With a degree of goodness, which made me a thousand
times more sorry for the accident, he came downstairs to help me up, gave
me his hand, and said, 'Forgive me if I was angry with you at first. I
am sure you did not mean to do me any injury; but tell me how all this
has happened?'
"Whilst Saladin was speaking, I heard the same kind of noise which had
alarmed me in the ante-chamber; but, on looking back, I saw only a black
pigeon, which flew swiftly by me, unconscious of the mischief he had
occasioned. This pigeon I had unluckily brought into the house the
preceding day; and had been feeding and trying to tame it for my young
nephews. I little thought it would be the cause of such disasters. My
brother, though he endeavoured to conceal his anxiety from me, was much
disturbed at the idea of meeting the favourite's displeasure, who would
certainly be grievously disappointed by the loss of her splendid looking-
glass. I saw that I should inevitably be his ruin if I continued in his
house; and no persuasions could prevail upon me to prolong my stay. My
generous brother, seeing me determined to go, said to me, 'A factor, whom
I have employed for some years to sell merchandise for me, died a few
days ago. Will you take his place? I am rich enough to bear any little
mistakes you may fall into from ignorance of business; and you will have
a partner who is able and willing to assist you.'
"I was touched to the heart by this kindness, especially at such a time
as this. He sent one of his slaves with me to the shop in which you now
see me, gentlemen. The slave, by my brother's directions, brought with
us my china vase, and delivered it safely to me, with this message: 'The
scarlet dye that was found in this vase, and in its fellow, was the first
cause of Saladin's making the fortune he now enjoys: he therefore does no
more than justice in sharing that fortune with his brother Murad.'
"I was now placed in as advantageous a situation as possible; but my mind
was ill at ease when I reflected that the broken mirror might be my
brother's ruin. The lady by whom it had been bespoken was, I well knew,
of a violent temper; and this disappointment was sufficient to provoke
her to vengeance. My brother sent me word this morning, however, that
though her displeasure was excessive, it was in my power to prevent any
ill consequences that might ensue. 'In my power!' I exclaimed; 'then,
indeed, I am happy! Tell my brother there is nothing I will not do to
show him my gratitude and to save him from the consequences of my folly.'
"The slave who was sent by my brother seemed unwilling to name what was
required of me, saying that his master was afraid I should not like to
grant the request. I urged him to speak freely, and he then told me the
favourite declared nothing would make her amends for the loss of the
mirror but the fellow-vase to that which she had bought from Saladin. It
was impossible for me to hesitate; gratitude for my brother's generous
kindness overcame my superstitious obstinacy, and I sent him word I would
carry the vase to him myself.
"I took it down this evening from the shelf on which it stood; it was
covered with dust, and I washed it, but, unluckily, in endeavouring to
clean the inside from the remains of the scarlet powder, I poured hot
water into it, and immediately I heard a simmering noise, and my vase, in
a few instants, burst asunder with a loud explosion. These fragments,
alas! are all that remain. The measure of my misfortunes is now
completed! Can you wonder, gentlemen, that I bewail my evil destiny? Am
I not justly called Murad the Unlucky? Here end all my hopes in this
world! Better would it have been if I had died long ago! Better that I
had never been born! Nothing I ever have done or attempted has
prospered. Murad the Unlucky is my name, and ill-fate has marked me for
her own."
CHAPTER III
The lamentations of Murad were interrupted by the entrance of Saladin.
Having waited in vain for some hours, he now came to see if any disaster
had happened to his brother Murad. He was surprised at the sight of the
two pretended merchants, and could not refrain from exclamations on
beholding the broken vase. However, with his usual equanimity and good-
nature, he began to console Murad; and, taking up the fragments, examined
them carefully, one by one joined them together again, found that none of
the edges of the china were damaged, and declared he could have it mended
so as to look as well as ever.
Murad recovered his spirits upon this. "Brother," said he, "I comfort
myself for being Murad the Unlucky when I reflect that you are Saladin
the Lucky. See, gentlemen," continued he, turning to the pretended
merchants, "scarcely has this most fortunate of men been five minutes in
company before he gives a happy turn to affairs. His presence inspires
joy: I observe your countenances, which had been saddened by my dismal
history, have brightened up since he has made his appearance. Brother, I
wish you would make these gentlemen some amends for the time they have
wasted in listening to my catalogue of misfortunes by relating your
history, which, I am sure, they will find rather more exhilarating."
Saladin consented, on condition that the strangers would accompany him
home and partake of a social banquet. They at first repeated the former
excuse of their being obliged to return to their inn; but at length the
sultan's curiosity prevailed, and he and his vizier went home with
Saladin the Lucky, who, after supper, related his history in the
following manner:--
"My being called Saladin the Lucky first inspired me with confidence in
myself; though I own that I cannot remember any extraordinary instances
of good luck in my childhood. An old nurse of my mother's, indeed,
repeated to me twenty times a day that nothing I undertook could fail to
succeed, because I was Saladin the Lucky. I became presumptuous and
rash; and my nurse's prognostics might have effectually prevented their
accomplishment had I not, when I was about fifteen, been roused to
reflection during a long confinement, which was the consequence of my
youthful conceit and imprudence.
"At this time there was at the Porte a Frenchman, an ingenious engineer,
who was employed and favoured by the sultan, to the great astonishment of
many of my prejudiced countrymen. On the grand seignior's birthday he
exhibited some extraordinarily fine fireworks; and I, with numbers of the
inhabitants of Constantinople, crowded to see them. I happened to stand
near the place where the Frenchman was stationed; the crowd pressed upon
him, and I amongst the rest; he begged we would, for our own sakes, keep
at a greater distance, and warned us that we might be much hurt by the
combustibles which he was using. I, relying upon my mood fortune,
disregarded all these cautions; and the consequence was that, as I
touched some of the materials prepared for the fireworks, they exploded,
dashed me upon the ground with great violence, and I was terribly burnt.
"This accident, gentlemen, I consider as one of the most fortunate
circumstances of my life; for it checked and corrected the presumption of
my temper. During the time I was confined to my bed the French gentleman
came frequently to see me. He was a very sensible man; and the
conversations he had with me enlarged my mind and cured me of many
foolish prejudices, especially of that which I had been taught to
entertain concerning the predominance of what is called luck or fortune
in human affairs. 'Though you are called Saladin the Lucky,' said he,
'you find that your neglect of prudence has nearly brought you to the
grave even in the bloom of youth. Take my advice, and henceforward trust
more to prudence than to fortune. Let the multitude, if they will, call
you Saladin the Lucky; but call yourself, and make yourself, Saladin the
Prudent.'
"These words left an indelible impression on my mind, and gave a new turn
to my thoughts and character. My brother, Murad, his doubtless told you
our difference of opinion on the subject of predestination produced
between us frequent arguments; but we could never convince one another,
and we each have acted, through life, in consequence of our different
beliefs. To this I attribute my success and his misfortunes.
"The first rise of my fortune, as you have probably heard from Murad, was
owing to the scarlet dye, which I brought to perfection with infinite
difficulty. The powder, it is true, was accidentally found by me in our
china vases; but there it might have remained to this instant, useless,
if I had not taken the pains to make it useful. I grant that we can only
partially foresee and command events; yet on the use we make of our own
powers, I think, depends our destiny. But, gentlemen, you would rather
hear my adventures, perhaps, than my reflections; and I am truly
concerned, for your sakes, that I have no wonderful events to relate. I
am sorry I cannot tell you of my having been lost in a sandy desert. I
have never had the plague, nor even been shipwrecked: I have been all my
life an inhabitant of Constantinople, and have passed my time in a very
quiet and uniform manner.
"The money I received from the sultan's favourite for my china vase, as
my brother may have told you, enabled me to trade on a more extensive
scale. I went on steadily with my business, and made it my whole study
to please my employers by all fair and honourable means. This industry
and civility succeeded beyond my expectations: in a few years I was rich
for a man in my way of business.
"I will not proceed to trouble you with the journal of a petty merchant's
life; I pass on to the incident which made a considerable change in my
affairs.
"A terrible fire broke out near the walls of the grand seignior's
seraglio. As you are strangers, gentlemen, you may not have heard of
this event, though it produced so great a sensation in Constantinople.
The vizier's superb palace was utterly consumed, and the melted lead
poured down from the roof of the mosque of St. Sophia. Various were the
opinions formed by my neighbours respecting the cause of the
conflagration. Some supposed it to be a punishment for the sultan's
having neglected one Friday to appear it the mosque of St. Sophia; others
considered it as a warning sent by Mahomet to dissuade the Porte from
persisting in a war in which we were just engaged. The generality,
however, of the coffee-house politicians contented themselves with
observing that it was the will of Mahomet that the palace should be
consumed. Satisfied by this supposition, they took no precaution to
prevent similar accidents in their own houses. Never were fires so
common in the city as at this period; scarcely a night passed without our
being wakened by the cry of fire.
"These frequent fires were rendered still more dreadful by villains, who
were continually on the watch to increase the confusion by which they
profited, and to pillage the houses of the sufferers. It was discovered
that these incendiaries frequently skulked, towards evening, in the
neighbourhood of the bezestein, where the richest merchants store their
goods. Some of these wretches were detected in throwing _coundaks_, or
matches, into the windows; and if these combustibles remained a
sufficient time, they could not fail to set the house on fire.
"Notwithstanding all these circumstances, many even of those who had
property to preserve continued to repeat, 'It is the will of Mahomet,'
and consequently to neglect all means of preservation. I, on the
contrary, recollecting the lesson I had learned from the sensible
foreigner, neither suffered my spirits to sink with superstitious fears
of ill-luck, nor did I trust presumptuously to my good fortune. I took
every possible means to secure myself. I never went to bed without
having seen that all the lights and fires in the house were extinguished,
and that I had a supply of water in the cistern. I had likewise learned
from my Frenchman that wet mortar was the most effectual thing for
stopping the progress of flames. I, therefore, had a quantity of mortar
made up in one of my outhouses, which I could use at a moment's warning.
These precautions were all useful to me. My own house, indeed, was never
actually on fire; but the houses of my next-door neighbours were no less
than five times in flames in the course of one winter. By my exertions,
or rather by my precautions, they suffered but little damage, and all my
neighbours looked upon me as their deliverer and friend; they loaded me
with presents, and offered more, indeed, than I would accept. All
repeated that I was Saladin the Lucky. This compliment I disclaimed,
feeling more ambitious of being called Saladin the Prudent. It is thus
that what we call modesty is often only a more refined species of pride.
But to proceed with my story.
"One night I had been later than usual at supper at a friend's house;
none but the watch were in the streets, and even they, I believe, were
asleep.
"As I passed one of the conduits which convey water to the city, I heard
a trickling noise; and, upon examination, I found that the cook of the
water-spout was half turned, so that the water was running out. I turned
it back to its proper place, thought it had been left unturned by
accident, and walked on; but I had not proceeded far before I came to
another spout, and another, which were in the same condition. I was
convinced that this could not be the effect merely of accident, and
suspected that some ill-intentioned persons designed to let out and waste
the water of the city, that there might be none to extinguish any fire
that should break out in the course of the night.
"I stood still for a few moments, to consider how it would be most
prudent to act. It would be impossible for me to run to all parts of the
city, that I might stop the pipes that were running to waste. I first
thought of wakening the watch and the firemen, who were most of them
slumbering at their stations; but I reflected that they were perhaps not
to be trusted, and that they were in a confederacy with the incendiaries,
otherwise they would certainly before this hour have observed and stopped
the running of the sewers in their neighbourhood. I determined to waken
a rich merchant, called Damat Zade, who lived near me, and who had a
number of slaves whom he could send to different parts of the city, to
prevent mischief and give notice to the inhabitants of their danger.
"He was a very sensible, active man, and one that could easily be
wakened; he was not like some Turks, an hour in recovering their
lethargic senses. He was quick in decision and action; and his slaves
resembled their master. He despatched a messenger immediately to the
grand vizier, that the sultan's safety might be secured, and sent others
to the magistrates in each quarter of Constantinople. The large drums in
the janissary aga's tower beat to rouse the inhabitants; and scarcely had
they been heard to beat half an hour before the fire broke out in the
lower apartments of Damat Zade's house, owing to a _coundak_ which had
been left behind one of the doors.
"The wretches who had prepared the mischief came to enjoy it, and to
pillage; but they were disappointed. Astonished to find themselves taken
into custody, they could not comprehend how their designs had been
frustrated. By timely exertions, the fire in my friend's house was
extinguished; and though fires broke out during the night in many parts
of the city, but little damage was sustained, because there was time for
precautions, and, by the stopping of the spouts, sufficient water was
preserved. People were awakened and warned of the danger, and they
consequently escaped unhurt.
"The next day, as soon as I made my appearance at the bezestein, the
merchants crowded round, called me their benefactor, and the preserver of
their lives and fortunes. Damat Zade, the merchant whom I had awakened
the preceding night, presented to me a heavy purse of gold, and put upon
my finger a diamond ring of considerable value; each of the merchants
followed his example in making me rich presents; the magistrates also
sent me tokens of their approbation; and the grand vizier sent me a
diamond of the first water, with a line written by his own hand, 'To the
man who has saved Constantinople.' Excuse me, gentlemen, for the vanity
I seem to show in mentioning these circumstances. You desired to hear my
history, and I cannot, therefore, omit the principal circumstance of my
life. In the course of four-and-twenty hours I found myself raised, by
the munificent gratitude of the inhabitants of this city, to a state of
affluence far beyond what I had ever dreamed of attaining.
"I now took a house suited to my circumstances, and bought a few slaves.
As I was carrying my slaves home, I was met by a Jew, who stopped me,
saying, in his language, 'My lord, I see, has been purchasing slaves; I
could clothe them cheaply.' There was something mysterious in the manner
of this Jew, and I did not like his countenance; but I considered that I
ought not to be governed by caprice in my dealings, and that, if this man
could really clothe my slaves more cheaply than another, I ought not to
neglect his offer merely because I took a dislike to the cut of his
beard, the turn of his eye, or the tone of his voice. I, therefore, bade
the Jew follow me home, saying that I would consider of his proposal.
"When we came to talk over the matter, I was surprised to find him so
reasonable in his demands. On one point, indeed, he appeared unwilling
to comply. I required not only to see the clothes I was offered, but
also to know how they came into his possession. On this subject he
equivocated; I, therefore, suspected there must be something wrong. I
reflected what it could be, and judged that the goods had been stolen, or
that they had been the apparel of persons who had died of some contagious
distemper. The Jew showed me a chest, from which he said I might choose
whatever suited me best. I observed that, as he was going to unlock the
chest, he stuffed his nose with some aromatic herbs. He told me that he
did so to prevent his smelling the musk with which the chest was
perfumed; musk, he said, had an extraordinary effect upon his nerves. I
begged to have some of the herbs which he used himself, declaring that
musk was likewise offensive to me.
"The Jew, either struck by his own conscience or observing my suspicions,
turned as pale as death. He pretended he had not the right key, and
could not unlock the chest; said he must go in search of it, and that he
would call on me again.
"After he had left me, I examined some writing upon the lid of the chest
that had been nearly effaced. I made out the word 'Smyrna,' and this was
sufficient to confirm all my suspicions. The Jew returned no more; he
sent some porters to carry away the chest, and I heard nothing of him for
some time, till one day, when I was at the house of Damat Zade, I saw a
glimpse of the Jew passing hastily through one of the courts, as if he
wished to avoid me. 'My friend,' said I to Damat Zade, 'do not attribute
my question to impertinent curiosity, or to a desire to intermeddle with
your affairs, if I venture to ask the nature of your business with the
Jew who has just now crossed your court?'
"'He has engaged to supply me with clothing for my slaves,' replied my
friend, 'cheaper than I can purchase it elsewhere. I have a design to
surprise my daughter Fatima, on her birthday, with an entertainment in
the pavilion in the garden, and all her female slaves shall appear in new
dresses on the occasion.'
"I interrupted my friend, to tell him what I suspected relative to this
Jew and his chest of clothes. It is certain that the infection of the
plague can be communicated by clothes, not only after months, but after
years have elapsed. The merchant resolved to have nothing more to do
with this wretch, who could thus hazard the lives of thousands of his
follow-creatures for a few pieces of gold. We sent notice of the
circumstance to the cadi, but the cadi was slow in his operations; and
before he could take the Jew into custody the cunning fellow had effected
his escape. When his house was searched, he and his chest had
disappeared. We discovered that he sailed for Egypt, and rejoiced that
we had driven him from Constantinople.
"My friend, Damat Zade, expressed the warmest gratitude to me. 'You
formerly saved my fortune; you have now saved my life, and a life yet
dearer than my own: that of my daughter Fatima.'
"At the sound of that name I could not, I believe, avoid showing some
emotion. I had accidentally seen this lady, and I had been captivated by
her beauty and by the sweetness of her countenance; but as I knew she was
destined to be the wife of another, I suppressed my feeling, and
determined to banish the recollection of the fair Fatima for ever from my
imagination. Her father, however, at this instant threw into my way a
temptation which it required all my fortitude to resist. 'Saladin,'
continued he, 'it is but just that you, who have saved our lives, should
share our festivity. Come here on the birthday of my Fatima; I will
place you in a balcony which overlooks the garden, and you shall see the
whole spectacle. We shall have a _feast of tulips_, in imitation of that
which, as you know, is held in the grand seignior's gardens. I assure
you the sight will be worth seeing; and besides, you will have a chance
of beholding my Fatima, for a moment, without her veil.'
"'That,' interrupted I, 'is the thing I most wish to avoid. I dare not
indulge myself in a pleasure which might cost me the happiness of my
life. I will conceal nothing from you, who treat me with so much
confidence. I have already beheld the charming countenance of your
Fatima, but I know that she is destined to be the wife of a happier man.'
"Damat Zade seemed much pleased by the frankness with which I explained
myself; but he would not give up the idea of my sitting with him in the
balcony on the day of the feast of tulips; and I, on my part, could not
consent to expose myself to another view of the charming Fatima. My
friend used every argument, or rather every sort of persuasion, he could
imagine to prevail upon me; he then tried to laugh me out of my
resolution; and, when all failed, he said, in a voice of anger, 'Go,
then, Saladin: I am sure you are deceiving me; you have a passion for
some other woman, and you would conceal it from me, and persuade me you
refuse the favour I offer you from prudence, when, in fact, it is from
indifference and contempt. Why could you not speak the truth of your
heart to me with that frankness with which one friend should treat
another?'
"Astonished at this unexpected charge, and at the anger which flashed
from the eyes of Damat Zade, who till this moment had always appeared to
me a man of a mild and reasonable temper, I was for an instant tempted to
fly into a passion and leave him; but friends, once lost, are not easily
regained. This consideration had power sufficient to make me command my
temper. 'My friend,' replied I, 'we will talk over this affair
to-morrow. You are now angry, and cannot do me justice, but to-morrow
you will be cool; you will then be convinced that I have not deceived
you, and that I have no design but to secure my own happiness, by the
most prudent means in my power, by avoiding the sight of the dangerous
Fatima. I have no passion for any other woman.'
"'Then,' said my friend, embracing me, and quitting the tone of anger
which he had assumed only to try my resolution to the utmost, 'Then,
Saladin, Fatima is yours.'
"I scarcely dared to believe my senses; I could not express my joy! 'Yes,
my friend,' continued the merchant, 'I have tried your prudence to the
utmost, it has been victorious, and I resign my Fatima to you, certain
that you will make her happy. It is true I had a greater alliance in
view for her--the Pacha of Maksoud has demanded her from me; but I have
found, upon private inquiry, he is addicted to the intemperate use of
opium, and my daughter shall never be the wife of one who is a violent
madman one-half the day and a melancholy idiot during the remainder. I
have nothing to apprehend from the pacha's resentment, because I have
powerful friends with the grand vizier, who will oblige him to listen to
reason, and to submit quietly to a disappointment he so justly merits.
And now, Saladin, have you any objection to seeing the feast of tulips?'
"I replied only by falling at the merchant's feet, and embracing his
knees. The feast of tulips came and on that day I was married to the
charming Fatima! The charming Fatima I continue still to think her,
though she has now been my wife some years. She is the joy and pride of
my heart; and, from our mutual affection, I have experienced more
felicity than from all the other circumstances of my life, which are
called so fortunate. Her father gave me the house in which I now live,
and joined his possessions to ours; so that I have more wealth even than
I desire. My riches, however, give me continually the means of relieving
the wants of others; and therefore I cannot affect to despise them. I
must persuade my brother Murad to share them with me, and to forget his
misfortunes: I shall then think myself completely happy. As to the
sultana's looking-glass and your broken vase, my dear brother," continued
Saladin, "we must think of some means--"
"Think no more of the sultana's looking-glass or of the broken vase,"
exclaimed the sultan, throwing aside his merchant's habit, and showing
beneath it his own imperial vest. "Saladin, I rejoice to have heard,
from your own lips, the history of your life. I acknowledge, vizier, I
have been in the wrong in our argument," continued the sultan, turning to
his vizier. "I acknowledge that the histories of Saladin the Lucky and
Murad the Unlucky favour your opinion, that prudence has more influence
than chance in human affairs. The success and happiness of Saladin seem
to me to have arisen from his prudence: by that prudence Constantinople
has been saved from flames and from the plague. Had Murad possessed his
brother's discretion, he would not have been on the point of losing his
head, for selling rolls which he did not bake: he would not have been
kicked by a mule or bastinadoed for finding a ring: he would not have
been robbed by one party of soldiers, or shot by another: he would not
have been lost in a desert, or cheated by a Jew: he would not have set a
ship on fire; nor would he have caught the plague, and spread it through
Grand Cairo: he would not have run my sultana's looking-glass through the
body, instead of a robber: he would not have believed that the fate of
his life depended on certain verses on a china vase: nor would he, at
last, have broken this precious talisman, by washing it with hot water.
Henceforward, let Murad the Unlucky be named Murad the Imprudent: let
Saladin preserve the surname he merits, and be henceforth called Saladin
the Prudent."
So spake the sultan, who, unlike the generality of monarchs, could bear
to find himself in the wrong, and could discover his vizier to be in the
right without cutting off his head. History farther informs us that the
sultan offered to make Saladin a pacha, and to commit to him the
government of a province; but, Saladin the Prudent declined this honour,
saying he had no ambition, was perfectly happy in his present situation,
and that, when this was the case, it would be folly to change, because no
one can be more than happy. What farther adventures befell Murad the
Imprudent are not recorded; it is known only that he became a daily
visitor to the Teriaky, and that he died a martyr to the immoderate use
of opium.
