perched himself on a separate box, and smoked incessantly.

Sometimes, when the faculty of strong enjoyment is asleep within us, we shrink from approaching the scenes As all my readers will probably have been at sea, I of former happiness, which by contrast make us feel can tell them nothing new respecting the economy of your present misery more keenly. But when there is life on board. They know very well that a ship resembles a large store of hope in the future, we love, above all a house during an earthquake, when both floor and things, to revisit the land of our birth, to wander about ceiling alter their level every instant, and reel, now on where we played when children, to conduct our fancies this side, and now on that; your stomach reels with back to the very cradle's edge, and feel, if possible, the it, and it is well if it does no worse. But this is not sunshine of a mother's face once more beaming upon us. all. Occasionally very uncomfortable ideas suggest To Ali, the whole East was a sort of home. Men of enthemselves to your imagination, especially if you possess larged and liberal minds may associate freely with perthe power to picture to yourself all the circumstances sons of a different religion, different language, and of your situation; you then perceive yourselves to be different manners; but the intercourse is always imfloating in a little wooden room, along the surface of perfect. There are reserves on both sides. Half a a fathomless element, and, overhead, another element, inan's happiness in this world springs from his faith, often furiously agitated, and uttering fearful sounds, as whether he be conscious of it or not; and he never it were, with a human voice. Pitchy darkness, mean- || cordially sympathises with any one who differs in this while, totally envelopes you, save where a single lamp particular essentially from himself. To worship at the illumines the little moving point of space in which, same altar is truly to be friends, because it implies surrounded by a few boards, you drive before the tem- that conformity of sentiment and feeling without which pest. People, however, get used to this sort of exist-friendship is impossible. ence, and so did I.

CHAPTER XLV.

OUR AMUSEMENTS AT SEA.

It is a prudent thing to eat as much as possible at sea. It keeps up your spirits, and prevents your tendency to basins and bulwarks. In obedience to this philosophy, scarcely had the tea-things, if I may dignify them by that name, been removed, ere we began to make preparations for supper. We could, in fact, think of no other amusement. The interval was spent, by most of us, in smoking, and collecting our ideas, for we were, as yet, so little used to our position, that we hardly knew what to think of it.

Above all men, the Mahommedans appear to stand in this predicament; when pious they are most pious. Every act of life is an act of religion. Prayer mingles with their habitual discourse, and their lofty and awful conceptions of God impart to their conversation a tone of strange sublimity. In the countries of the Franks, whom they cannot but regard as infidels, they miss all those associations which render their own land sacred. They hear no muezzin calling them to prayer from the mosque; they behold no one kneeling in house or street, listen to no pious ejaculation; but, on the con. trary, if their prophet or religion be named, it is to be treated with contempt and derision. It is, accordingly, very natural that they should quit Christian Europe One satisfaction we all had-we were in rapid mo- with delight, to return within the bosom of El Islam. tion-though whither we were driving it was not quite | Ali, on the present occasion, cautiously gave vent to so easy to say; that we were compelled to leave to the his natural feelings, and, finding me tolerant, became gods overhead, who were rushing about, stamping, more and more communicative. Kafoor's face, too, swearing, pulling ropes, and invoking alternately the brightened at the thought that we were moving eastDevil and the Virgin to help them out of their diffi- wards, and that he should soon be in the country of culties. Pashas, and dancing girls, hammams, camels, and kabobs. The two Islamites exchanged looks of pleasure as we entered upon the fascinating theme; and, at length Ali, mys-addressing himself to his slave, exclaimed,

As we were not yet quite frightened, we thought chiefly of our supper, which in due time was served up. By way of initiating us properly into the teries, the cook had that evening determined to make a splendid display of his art and resources. There were soup, and stock-fish, and cold fowls, and ham, and beef, and pickles, with capital cheese, pale ale, and Cyprus wine. We were, therefore, very comfortable, and prolonged the Epicurean enjoyment till far in the night, terminating the whole with some cups of delicious coffee, pipes, and cigars. About sleeping we cared very little, as there was probably a whole month before us during which we might take that pleasure at any time of the day or night, if the storms would let us. We were now determined on making the most of the present hour. L-muttered a few verses from one of Dryden's translations—

"The joys I have possess'd, in spite of Fate, are mineNot Heaven itself upon the past has power;

"Tell us, oh Kafoor, a story of Egypt, that we may pass the time, and store our fancies with pleasant images, with which, afterwards, sleep may construct dreams in the night."

CHAPTER XLVI.

STORY OF THE HUNGRY KADHI.

Kafoor, bowing low, in token of obedience, began immediately as follows:

"There was once, in the most populous quarter of Cairo, a Kadhi, who had no fear of God or respect for the laws of the Prophet; all his thoughts were bent on the amassing of money. He sold justice to the rich; he plundered and oppressed the poor, until his coffers were running over with gold and jewels. He peopled his harem with beautiful women; he built himself a spacious palace; he laid out gardens; he surcoun-rounded himself with all that was splendid and magnificent in the countries of El Islam, and often said to himself, 'Oh Hassan, thou hast provided for thy solace, and gratification for many years."

But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour." No feeling is more universal than the love of try. Ali was now returning to the East, and appeared to regard with indifference all the discomforts, dangers, and difficulties he might have to encounter by the way.

"But, as the man who walks towards the sun sees not his own shadow, so this wicked Kadhi did not perceive the avenging angel that followed his footsteps night and day. One morning, while he was administering justice in the neighbourhood of the Mosque of Flowers, a Bedouin from the desert, in whose case he had decided unjustly, pierced him through with a spear, so that he fell down to the earth. Eblis took his soul; and his body was thrown, like a dog's, into a pit in the cemetery, where all the inhabitants of the quarter collected and spat upon his grave. The people then said to each other, 'Let us abstain from quarrels and contests; let us never enter a court of justice; let us shun the meshes of the law, that we may escape the misery which Ulemas and wicked Kadhis bring upon us.'

"So there were no more dissensions in that quarter of the city. Fear made men friends with each other, and they also desired to see an end put to the whole race of Kadhis, who would be entirely unnecessary if the children of the true believers feared God and re

spected each other. It is the folly of the people that constitutes the opulence of their rulers and magistrates.

"Still, a new Kadhi was appointed, who came from Constantinople to settle differences, and judge between man and man. As he was a stranger, his character was unknown, and everybody expected he would prove himself to be a worthy successor of him who had been speared by the Bedouin. When by chance, therefore, any misunderstanding arose, persons chose umpires to decide between them, and everything was conducted peaceably throughout the whole jurisdiction of the new Kadhi, who in consequence had no suits to decide, or fees to receive.

"As the property he had brought along with him was small, he soon came to the end of it, and began to be straightened for the means of living. The rats and mice forsook his house, where they found nothing to eat. He grew gaunt and lean, and his shadow was diminished. Friends he had none to comfort him; and when he walked in the streets, people passed to the other side, as if he had been one of the children of Eblis, who breathe around them contagion, and strike people dead with a glance. The little boys ceased their play when he approached, and spoke in whispers till he was supposed to be out of hearing, for they said 'He is a Kadhi, and if he can but seize upon an unlucky|| word he will persecute our fathers and mothers, and bastinado them, and kill them, and leave us helpless and destitute, as the former Kadhi used to do.'

and One Nights.' From these, he said to himself, no extremity of misfortune should tear him. If it was written he should die, he would go on with these loved companions to the last, and would intreat that they might be buried with him, that a single ray of light might illuminate his tomb.

"As his stomach grew empty, however, he became sad and sorrowful, and took up the beloved volume in his hands, and apostrophised it as if it had been a living friend. Ah, old companion,' cried he, 'I must take thee to the bazaar, and sell thee to some merchant, who will, perhaps, relinquish thee for a sum of money to some blockhead who will not know how to appreciate thy wit, who will confound together thy verse and prose, or will even lay thee on a shelf, to be buried with dust or eaten by moths.' After this he kissed the book, and shed tears upon it, and put it under his ragged cloak, and went forth with a heavy heart to sell it.

"This Kadhi, whose name was Jaffer, had studied for many years, and acquired much learning. He was familiar with the old philosophers and sages. He could repeat the sayings of the Prophet, and all the histories of El Islam found a place in his memory. In a great situation he would have displayed magnanimity, and been full of dignity and wisdom, and the world would have hung upon his lips, and he would have been ennumerated with Bocrat, and Aricenna, and Aristotle ; but being penniless, and wanting a dinner, he was obliged to bring down his thoughts to his situation. Accordingly, as he walked along the streets of Cairo, his mind was occupied with nothing but the cookshops, and the bakers, and the sellers of fruit, and coffee, and tobacco. For many weeks no man had offered him a pipe, and it was now two days since he had tasted bread; he therefore felt very weak and very humble. More than once the idea presented itself to him that it would be better to beg than perish of want. However, there was still some pride left in his mind, and also some love of literature, for he hugged the book to his bosom, and felt as if he were about to be separated from a part of his soul.

"As he moved almost totteringly along, in this frame of thought, he came to the door of a baker's shop, from which issued a most savoury odour. It was some great festival day, and all the people of El Islam had made preparations for enjoying it, each in his own way. The baker's counter was covered with delicate dishes, and among these was a wild goose, which he had just taken from the oven as the Kadbi "Sad, therefore, was the condition of this man of stopped. It was saturated with delicate fresh butter, justice, who had no prospect before him but that of and stuffed with sweet almonds, and comfits, and perishing of hunger. Naturally cheerful, he used for odoriferous herbs. It had been reduced by the heat a time to joke with himself, and tried to keep up his to the colour of gold, so that the eye, as well as the spirits by calling in Hope to his aid. He had many sense of smelling, was attracted by it. The poor books in his house, some on law and devotion, others Kadhi, Jaffer, losing sight of his wisdom and his philoon poetry and eloquence, and others, merely calculated sophy, of his books of law, and even of 'The Thouto minister to the amusement of the mind. Among sand and One Nights,' found all his ideas centred upon these was The Thousand and One Nights,' which a goose. He looked first at it, and then at the baker's he read daily, sometimes laughing and sometimes shed- face, encouraged by the good-natured expression of ding tears, as the pen of the magician laid open before which, he immediately formed a bold design, and enhim some nook in the regions of mirth or sorrow. tered the shop.

་

"To supply himself with the necessaries of life, he parted, little by little, with all his library, and his furniture, and his clothes, till nothing was left him but one ragged suit, a prayer-carpet, and The Thousand

"Peace be with you,' said he to the baker. May your house be fortunate; may your daughters be all beautiful, and your sons all brave! I am under the influence of misfortune. The star of my destiny is

eclipsed. I am hungry; and there is none among the || thee with their suits and differences, and thou wilt children of the faithful who will give me to eat. Earn decide agreeably, and thy fame and thy riches will the blessing of a diligent student of the book-give increase.' me a slice of that goose.'

on asses, hurried pell-mell after the pipe-seller and the|l and contentment. By no means aware of this, the baker, wondering, chattering, inquiring, answering, conjecturing, and speculating, in endless confusion. Ladies rushed to the windows of their harems and looked out. Devotees arose from their prayer-carpets and joined the throng. Mosques were emptied of their worshippers; merchants, buyers, and slaves quitted the bazaars; so that there appeared to be a universal commotion, as if the day of the end of the world had arrived. It was a strange sight to see so many heads in one street, so much flaunting of blue tassels, so much waving and bobbing up and down of turbaus, so much crushing of silk hoods, so much thronging, pressing, screaming, cursing, that Gehenham appeared to have been let loose, and all the devils to have been seized with a sudden desire for justice.

felt fully confident of success, as he had brought along || had been the author of his good fortune.

with him the ass's tail in his hand, while he could appeal to hundreds of those present as witnesses. The Kadhi listened patiently to his recital, and, when he had concluded, said, 'Friend, you appear to have suffered a real injury; I therefore condemn the baker to take home your ass, and keep it, feed it, and take care of it till its tail shall grow again.'

"The multitude, delighted with the merry humour of the Kadhi, now burst into shouts of laughter, and greatly applauded him for the wisdom of his decisions; and the cauliflower-vender was too happy to sneak quietly away, in the hope that he might find his ass, and escape with it to another quarter of the city, beyond the reach of this witty dispenser of justice.

He took

him into his house, and bestowed on him a handsome female slave, and made him the master of his household, and his companion; and when they sat down on the divan together to smoke, they often diverted themselves by alluding to the adventure of the wild goose, and the ass, and the merchant's wife. They would then laugh and be merry, and bless God for their change of fortune. On such occasions, the Kadhi would sometimes put on the ragged cloak— which he had religiously preserved-and, taking The Thousand and One Nights' under his arm, would humbly approach the baker, as he had formerly done in his shop, and, in a voice of intreaty, ask him for a slice of wild goose.

"Their wives were often invited to witness this exhibition; and they, as well as the baker, always protested they owed all the happiness and contentment of their lives to the hungry Kadhi."

CHAPTER XLVIIL

"It now came to the turn of the injured husband, who, eager to bring down vengeance upon his adversary, was almost incapable, from very rage, of deliver ing himself distinctly. He entered at great length into the history of his life, described the patient industry with which he had amassed his treasures, spoke touchingly of his marriage, and dilated with pathos and eloquence on his desire to have a son. Heaven, at length, he said, had heard his prayers, and he was within two months of being a father, when this accursed baker, whose face he hoped might be blackened, burst wil-sea, very much resembles that of a serpent-charmer fully and maliciously into his court-yard, and instantly blasted all his hopes.

"The Kadhi now appeared to be greatly perplexed, and was buried for a while in the depths of profound meditation. He desired the merchant to repeat a portion of his testimony, inquired concerning his marriage and the age of his wife, and then entered into a calculation of chances and probabilities. He had evidently much difficulty in coming to a decision, because he desired to judge in conformity with the precepts of the book, and the principles of the laws of El Islam. There was, also, another wish very strong in his mind, namely, to amuse and gratify the assembled multitude, and send them away with a report of him that should reconcile them all to his mode of distributing justice. "Under the influence of these feelings, he composed his countenance into an expression of the utmost possible gravity, and, addressing himself to the baker, said, 'Oh, wicked and disastrous wretch, I delivered thee from the affair of the goose, and also of the ass, because thy accusers seemed to be pursuing thee with malice. But the case of this good merchant is wholly different; thou hast blasted the hopes of his life, thou hast destroyed his offspring, so that unless the injury be repaired, he must die without an heir, and his vast wealth descend to strangers. Considering, therefore, all the cireumstances of the case, and that, contrary to the injunctions of the Prophet, thou art unmarried, I condemn thee to take home his wife, and hereafter, at the proper time, deliver her to him in statu quo ?'

"At this the laughter of the multitude redoubled, and the merchant, seeing that part of it was directed against him, slunk away from the court, and, retiring into his own house, made the best of his misfortune. But the Kadhi had now established his reputation, and his court was ever after frequented, chiefly by the people, so that he became wealthy and prosperous, and built himself a handsome palace, and married four wives, and became the father of many sons and daugh ters. Nor did he forget the baker who, in some sort,

PROGRESS OF THE BLACK EAGLE.

The feeling with which a landsman passes over the when playing with a huge boa-constrictor, or cobra di capello. The animal's tricks are very amusing, but you can never get rid of the consciousness that the slightest transgression on your part might be instant death. No beauty, perhaps, exceeds the beauty of the sea, when, curled into endless billows by the wind, and painted with purple, gold, or crimson, by the rising or setting sun, every wave seems to vi brate to a pulse of joy; and as they leap, and laugh, and ripple about you, in innumerable multitudes, your heart leaps too, as the sense of indescribable grandeur and sublimity is awakened in your soul.

But when half sick, fatigued, depressed, spiritless, you lie down sadly in your berth, when every body else, perhaps, has fallen asleep, you regard the sea in a very different light. This was now my case, I felt painfully alone, for—

I con

"The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures," and all around me were asleep. One small dim lamp, swinging from a beam, threw its cheerless light over the cabin, while the sea hissed, seethed, and roared without, in the most threatening manner. trasted my situation with that in which I used to be placed at Lausanne, when, on summer nights, we used to throw up our windows to let in the balmy air, which entered inaudibly; or while attracted to them by the spell of the Alps rising in unnutterable beauty beneath the moon. Then, the sweet voices of home welcomed me. Then, my every wish was gratified by a sort of domestic providence, which seemed never to sleep; and now, here I lay, as little heeded as a bale of goods, in an unsavoury berth, with boxes, and baskets, sliding this way and that, as the ship reeled before the wind. I tried to solace myself by conjuring up visions of the distant Nile, and thinking what delight it would be hereafter on a winter's night to sit with wife and children by the fire, and recount what I had seen. The words of the Latin poet came into my mind--

"Olim hree meminisse jurabit p❞