"Once more, Zara, will you answer; or brave me to your destruction?"
"Sultan, I will at least speak to you before I die. I only wish to declare my fidelity and my love to you in my last moments, to tell you that I forgive you for that which, when the truth is known, you will never forgive yourself. One moment more. Let me remove this jewelled chain from my neck, now superseded by the bowstring. You presented it to me when convinced of my attachment and my love. Take it, sultan, and when you find one as faithful and as true, present it to her; but until you do so, wear it in memory of Zara. And now let me throw my veil over those features which have always beamed with love and delight on you, that when I am dead, and you call them to your recollection, they may be as you have been used to see them, and not black with convulsions and distorted with agony. My lord, my dear and honoured lord, farewell!"
The sultan was deeply moved; he turned away his head, and covered his face with one hand, while the other dropped at his side from the intensity of his feelings.
Although it never was so intended, this dropping of his hand was considered as the signal for my death. The string was tightened, and buried itself, cutting deeply into the flesh of a neck once as fair and smooth as the polished marble of Patras. For the first moments my torture was excruciating--my eyes were forcing out of their sockets--my tongue protruded from my mouth--my brain appeared to be on fire--but all recollection soon departed.
"Staffir Allah! G.o.d forgive me! but are you not laughing at our beards, old scarecrow? What think you, Mustapha?" continued the pacha, turning to him. "What is all this but _lies_?"
"Lies!" screamed the old woman. "Lies! you tell me they are lies!
Well, well--the time has been. Pacha, after what I have suffered by telling the truth all my life, it is hard, in my old age, to be told that I lie: but you shall be convinced;" and the old woman put her hands up to the shrivelled, pendent skin of her neck, and stretching it out smooth, showed a deep blue mark, which encircled it like a necklace.
"Now are you satisfied?"
The pacha nodded his head to Mustapha, as if convinced; and then said, "You may proceed."
"Yes, I may proceed; but I tell you pacha, that if you doubt what I say once more, I will return your twenty pieces of gold, and hold my tongue.
I proved that I could do it as a young woman, and we become more obstinate as we get old."
"That is no lie," observed Mustapha. "Continue, old woman, and we will not interrupt you with doubts again."
My brother, who had watched every motion of the sultan"s, and who had determined to reveal all rather than that I should suffer, when he perceived the fatal mistake, which he did not till some moments afterwards, uttered a loud cry, and attempted to burst from his guards.
Roused by the cry, the sultan looked up, and perceived what had taken place. In a moment he darted from his throne, and was kneeling by me with frantic exclamations. The mutes hastily tore away the bowstring, but I was, to all appearance, dead.
"Yes, sultan, well you may rave;" exclaimed my brother; "for you have good cause. You have destroyed one who, as she declared with her last breath, was most faithful and most true. I acknowledge the conspiracy.
I told her my intentions, and she thought that she had succeeded in preventing me, for I promised by _the three_, to abandon my design. She has been faithful both to you and to me, for she believed that, although accused, I had atoned for my fault by repentance."
The sultan looked earnestly at my brother, but made no answer. He embraced me, at one moment bursting into tears, in the next calling for a.s.sistance. I was removed to my apartments, and after some time, the physicians succeeded in restoring me to life: but I was for many days confused and dizzy in the brain, during which every attention and care was lavished on me. One evening I felt sufficiently recovered to speak, and I demanded of my attendants what had taken place. They informed me that the mutes, who had mistaken the signal, had been impaled, and that the janissaries had risen and demanded my brother, whose execution had been deferred by the sultan; but that on the commotion taking place, by order of the grand vizier, my brother had been executed, and his head thrown out to the rebellious troops, who had then dispersed, and had since been brought to subjection, and some hundreds of their ringleaders had been executed. I turned away at this intelligence, for I loved my n.o.ble but misguided brother. The movement occasioned excruciating pain, which arose from the deep wound made by the bowstring in my neck.
The next morning I rose, that I might contemplate my person in the mirror, and I at once perceived the alteration which had taken place.
There was a certain degree of distortion of features which I thought would never be removed. I felt, that although the sultan might respect me, I could not expect the same influence and undivided attention as before. With a heavy heart I threw myself on the couch, and planned for the future. I reflected upon the uncertain tenure by which the affections of a despot are held--and I resolved to part. Still I loved him, loved him in spite of all his cruelty; but my resolution was made.
For six weeks I refused to see the sultan, although he inquired every day, and sent me magnificent presents. At the end of that period I had recovered, and all that remained from the effects of the bowstring, was a slight wrinkling of the skin from distension, and the deep blue mark round my neck which I have just shown to your highness.
When I first admitted the sultan, he was much affected. "Zara," said he mournfully, "I swear by the holy Prophet that I meant not to give the signal."
"I believe you, my lord," replied I calmly.
"Neither did I intend that your brother should suffer. I meant to have gained your favour by his pardon."
"He was a traitor, my lord, an ungrateful traitor, and deserved his death. So may all like him perish."
"And now, Zara, may I hope for your forgiveness?"
"On one condition, sultan, and swear that you will grant what I require."
"I do, by Allah!"
"It is, that you send me back to my own country."
Not to detain your highness by dwelling too long upon what pa.s.sed, it will suffice to say, that notwithstanding the intreaties of the sultan, and the pleadings of my own heart, my resolution was immovable. Every arrangement was made for my departure, and during the preparations, the sultan was continually with me, persuading me to abandon the idea. The magnificence and liberality which he showed in the costly presents bestowed upon me, that I might return with honour and wealth to my own country, more than once made me waver in my resolution. The evening before my departure he made a last attempt, but in vain. My refusal was at least softened by the tears which I shed, for now that the time of departure was so near, I felt how truly, how devotedly I was attached to him. We parted; I threw myself on the couch, and wept till the dawn of day, when I was summoned to commence my journey.
As your highness may be aware is the custom, when my brother was executed, all his property was seized by the sultan, and distributed among the favourites. The new capitan pacha who succeeded my brother was called Abdallah, and was said to be an excellent soldier. Part of my brother"s property was made over to him, and among the rest the Georgian slave, who had been the ruin of my brother, and had so fatally destroyed my happiness. To show me every attention and respect, the sultan had ordered Abdallah in person to escort me to my own country, with a picked body of cavalry. The cavalcade was magnificent--treasure had been heaped on treasure--present upon present; twenty women of my own country, and numerous slaves had been permitted to attend upon me, and the procession wore the appearance of a pageant. I ascended my litter with an aching heart; and, journeying by easy stages, arrived at the land of my nativity. The borders were pa.s.sed, and Abdallah requested me to write an acknowledgment that he had done his duty, which the sultan would require of him upon his return. I gave him the paper; and, professing many wishes for my future happiness, he a.s.sembled his troops, and the escort turned the heads of their neighing steeds towards the city, where my heart had truly been left behind.
It will now be necessary to revert to the Georgian slave, who had been presented to my brother by the sultan, and had afterwards been made over to Abdallah. When she heard that I was about to depart for my own country, loaded with presents, her rage was without bounds. Already had her beauty and talents made great impression upon Abdallah, and she soon won him over to a plot which would be advantageous to him, at the same time that it would throw me, whom he distrusted, into her power. She proposed to Abdallah that, after having escorted me to the frontiers, and received from me the acknowledgment required by the sultan, he should follow my small escort of slaves, cut them to pieces, take possession of me and all my treasure, and return with it to Constantinople, where I might be immured in his harem. The avarice of Abdallah was not able to withstand the temptation; and, aware that there was no chance of the nefarious transaction being discovered by the sultan, he agreed to the proposal. On the second night after we had parted with Abdallah, a body of hors.e.m.e.n galloped down upon us, and all my attendants, male and female, were ma.s.sacred. I was seized, put into a sack, and thrown across a horse; and as soon as the treasure could be collected, they set off at a rapid pace. I was nearly dead when they halted, and when I was removed from my painful situation I fainted away.
Abdallah had never seen my face; the soldiers reported me dead, and he was glad when he heard of it, for it was only to please his wife that he had promised to bring me back. He walked up to where I lay, and was, even in my miserable situation, enamoured with my beauty. His heart acknowledged that I was the most valuable of all his plunder. Every care and attention was bestowed upon me; and after several hours" halt, to allow me to refresh myself, I was placed in a small litter, and our journey recommenced. He was studious to obtain my favour: at first I spurned him, but when he told me that the Georgian slave had instigated him to the deed, and had insisted that he should bring me back, I well knew for what purpose, and thought only of revenge. I feigned to be less averse to him, and before our journey was over, had used all my powers of fascination with triumphant success. At last our wearied horses arrived at Stamboul, and after waiting in the suburbs till the evening closed in, that the cavalcade might not attract attention, it proceeded to the house of Abdallah, and I was once more in the precincts of a harem. The Georgian slave hastened to meet me, when she was informed of our arrival, and taking off her slipper, she struck me contemptuously on the mouth, with such force as to cause the blood to flow. "Now sultana," cried she, "the day is mine; again shall you receive the bastinado. Ay, and again shall the bowstring be applied to your proud neck--and more effectually than before." She then ordered her slaves to strip me, and put on the meanest attire. When that was done, she spat in my face, and left me without speaking; but the flashing of her eyes gave evidence of the fiery pa.s.sions which were raging in her bosom.
In the mean time Abdallah had proceeded to the palace, to present to the sultan the doc.u.ment proving my safe arrival, and having so done, he hastened back to his own house. As soon as he entered the harem, instead of visiting the Georgian slave, who had arrayed herself for his reception, he inquired of the astonished women in which chamber I had been accommodated. They hesitatingly replied, pointing it out to him.
He entered, and found me clothed in a slave"s dress, with my face covered with blood. When I stated the treatment I had received, and the further threat of the bastinado and the bowstring, his rage was beyond all bounds. Ordering all the women to attend me, he quitted me, that I might resume my own dress, intimating that he hoped that I would allow him to sup with me that evening. My desire for revenge induced me to grant his request, and he quitted the harem to look after the treasure of which I had been robbed.
In the mean time, the other women had communicated to the Georgian slave all that had occurred, and she was frantic at the information. Fearful of her, I kept my door fast until the arrival of Abdallah, who sent to inquire whether I would receive him. He was admitted, and again expressed his indignation at the conduct of my rival, offering, as a proof of his attachment, to abandon her to my resentment. I had no time for reply before the door was burst open, the Georgian flew in and aimed her dagger at my heart. Abdallah had sufficient time to ward the blow, and as the weapon pa.s.sed through his left arm, with his right hand he dashed her on the floor. Pale with rage and pain he called his people.
"She threatened you, Zara, with the bastinado and the bowstring. She has sealed her own doom."
By his orders her slippers were torn off, and she received fifty blows of the bastinado; then, as she screamed with pain, and held up her hands for mercy, the mutes were summoned, and the bowstring was applied. My revenge was more than satiated, and I covered up my eyes that I might not be a witness to the dreadful spectacle. When I removed my hands, I found Abdallah only in the apartment, and my rival lying a blackened corpse upon the floor.
For three years I remained in the harem of Abdallah; and, if not happy, was resigned to my fate. He was devotedly attached to me, and, if I could not return his love, was not deficient in grat.i.tude. At last a second war broke out between the Turks and Russians, and Abdallah was ordered to put himself at the head of his troops, and drive the invaders back to their regions of frost and snow. As was the custom with Turkish commanders, all his harem accompanied him, and after travelling about from one territory to another, sometimes in pursuit of, and at others retreating before the enemy"s forces, we were shut up in the fortress of Ismael, with orders to defend it to the last.
I shall not weary your highness with a detail of what occurred. I shall only say, that after the town had been nearly reduced to ashes, by the sh.e.l.ls and shot, which had set fire to it at least one hundred times, it was taken by storm, with immense slaughter. We sat in our apartments, listening with terror to the alternate shouting and shrieking--the noise of the bursting of the sh.e.l.ls, the whizzing of the b.a.l.l.s, the cries of the wounded, and the terrific roaring of the flames, which were now consuming the whole town in their fury. At last our doors were burst open, and the enemy entered. We screamed, and would have fled, but in vain. What became of the rest I know not, but I was dragged over the dead and the dying, through smoke and through flame, until I fainted away with terror and exhaustion. When I recovered, I found myself in a hut, lying on a small bed, and attended by two bearded monsters, whom I afterwards discovered were Cossacks. They were chafing my limbs with their rough hands, without the least regard for decorum. As soon as I opened my eyes, one of them poured a little spirits down my throat, and wrapping me up in a horse-cloth, they left me--to meditate upon my misfortunes.
I discovered that evening that I had, by the fortune of war, become the property of a Russian general, who had no time for making love. With him it was all ready made, as a matter of course. Still he was a handsome man, and when not tipsy, was good-humoured and generous; but the bivouacs, even of a general, were very different from the luxuries to which I had been accustomed. I lived badly, and was housed worse.
It so unfortunately happened, that my protector was a great gambler, as indeed are all Russians; and one morning to my surprise, a handsome young officer came into the tent, and the general very unceremoniously handed me over to him. My beauty had been made known in the camp, and the Russian general, having the night before lost all his money, had staked me for one thousand sequins, and had lost. My new master was a careless, handsome youth, a colonel in the army; I could have loved him, but I had not time; for I had not been in his tent more than three weeks, before I was again gambled away, and lost to a major. I had hardly time to make myself comfortable in my new abode, when I was staked and lost again. In short, your highness, in that campaign I was the property of between forty and fifty Russian officers; and what with the fatigue of marching, the badness of provisions, and my constant unsettled state of mind and body, I lost much of my good looks--so much, indeed, that I found out that instead of being taken as a stake of one thousand sequins, I was not valued at more than two hundred. I can a.s.sure your highness that it is no joke to go through a Russian camp in that way--to be handed about like a purse of money, out of one man"s pocket into another"s. I a.s.sure you, that before the campaign was over, I had had quite enough of the Russians, and only wished that the Turkish army might rout them, and I could find myself once more in a harem. It was then that I first lamented over my hard fate, and that of the sultan. It was then that I first used the expression, when I thought of my condition, and that I said to myself, "The time has been."
At last the army was ordered to march back, and being then the property of a Cossack, he put me on a pony, and made me keep up with the squadron, driving me before him with his long spear, sometimes sticking the point into the rear of the pony, and sometimes into me, by way of a joke. But I had not been more than ten days on the retreat, before he sold me, pony, bridle, saddle, altogether, as a bargain, to an infantry officer, who, as soon as he had taken possession, made me dismount, while he got in the saddle, desiring me to lay hold of the pony"s tail and follow him. When they halted he made me wait upon him, and do every thing which he required. In the morning he mounted again, and I had to walk after him, as before. This was hard service for one who had been the favourite of the sultan. For a week I contrived to hobble after him, but it was impossible to go on any longer. We pa.s.sed through a town, and as soon as we were clear of the gates and he did not watch me, I let go the tail of the pony, and escaped without his perceiving it. I regained the town, and faint with hunger and fatigue, sat at the steps of a large house. A lady, dressed in rich furs and sables, came out, and perceiving that my dress was foreign, stopped, and inquired of me who I was. I told her in a few words: she ordered me to be received and taken care of. A few days afterwards she sent for me, and I then narrated to her my history. She was kind and generous, and I became her head attendant; I was contented and happy, and hoped to die in her service. But my misfortunes were not half over. My mistress was a lady of rank, and much esteemed. Her house was always full of company: she was rich, and gave most splendid entertainments. Her husband had been dead about two years, but she was still very young, and exceedingly beautiful. One evening, when there was a large party a.s.sembled in her rooms, the door was opened, and an officer came up to her and whispered in her ear. She coloured, trembled, and said that she would be ready in an hour. I was near her at the time; she beckoned to me, hastened to her room, and burst into a flood of tears.
"I am ordered to Petersburgh immediately, on a charge of treason. My conscience tells me that I have done nothing: but, alas! for me, the emperor has no mercy. Ekaterina," for that was the name I went by, "will you accompany me?--it will be a long, and a melancholy journey.
G.o.d knows how it may end."
I immediately consented--packed up what we required, and without disturbing those who were enjoying themselves we gained the court-yard, and took our seats in a britska, in company with the officer. In four days we arrived at Petersburgh, and my mistress was separated from me and thrown into prison. She never saw her accusers or her judges; her memorial to the emperor was disregarded, and she was condemned--but her punishment was not immediately decided upon.
For three weeks my mistress remained in prison. I was, by the humanity of the officer, who had the charge of her, allowed to visit her for a few minutes every day, but it was always in the presence of a third person. One morning when I came, the poor lady fell upon my neck and sobbed a long while without speaking; the countenance of the officer was also melancholy to a degree, and I perceived that a tear occasionally trickled down his manly cheek.
"Ekaterina," said she, at last, "I have heard my sentence, and am to be punished to-morrow. O G.o.d! forgive them their cruelty and injustice:"
and she sank from my arms upon the floor of the dungeon.
We raised her, and she recovered a little. "Yes, Ekaterina, I am to be punished to-morrow for a crime of which I am innocent--a punishment--G.o.d have mercy!--worse than death. The knout--the knout--and that attended with public exposure in the market-place. May G.o.d forgive the emperor his cruelty!"
I had heard of this dreadful punishment, but little thought that women suffered by it. It was too barbarous.
"I have not heard of it," said the pacha. "Tell me, old woman, is it worse than the bastinado?"
"Yes, your highness. It is a whip of enormous power, so that if the executioner has a private order, he can kill the party on whom it is inflicted by two or three blows; but your highness will better comprehend the nature of the punishment when I describe what I witnessed."