Part 25 (2/2)
The chaouses went out as the men of the guard entered unarmed, and drew up in a line before the Dey.
”Now, show thy power, Hadji Baba.”
”Your highness will, I trust, have patience for a few minutes,” said Baba, observing that the clock still indicated ten minutes short of the appointed hour, ”while I perform the curious, but necessary, motions which are essential to a happy result.”
Saying this he advanced to the first guard in the line, and, throwing himself into a vigorously picturesque att.i.tude, pointed with two fingers of the right hand at his eyes, trembling violently the while, as though he was exerting some tremendous but subtle energy.
The first guardsman gazed at him in mute amazement, but would as soon have cut off his own head as have objected to the operation in such presence. He opened his eyes very wide with surprise, then looked at the points of Baba's fingers, which caused him to squint horribly, and finally smiled in spite of himself; whereupon the thought of having been guilty of such undignified conduct caused him to turn deadly pale with terror, all of which symptoms being regarded by the Dey as indications of coming success, were highly satisfactory.
Suddenly sweeping his hands in front of the man's face, and making a noise with his feet to distract attention, Baba whispered, ”Shut your eyes if you would escape death!” and terminated the whole operation with a low growl.
The terrified man instantly shut his eyes, and Baba proceeded to operate on the next.
He had operated thus on about six of the men when there was heard a sudden crash and shouting in the guard-room. The disarmed guard at once made a rush towards the door, but were driven back by the chaouses, who sprang in and cut down two of the foremost with yataghans which were already blood-stained.
”Traitor!” shouted the Dey, drawing his scimitar and leaping furiously on Hadji Baba, but that worthy, being as active with his body as his brain, parried the cut with a cus.h.i.+on, and running in on the Dey seized him round the waist. It would soon have gone hard with him, however, Hamet being a much more powerful man, had not Sidi Omar, with a band of his janissaries, dashed in and secured him.
”But for enemies within thou hadst not overcome me thus easily,” said the Dey bitterly, as two of the soldiers held him fast, while others bound his arms behind his back.
”Very true, Hamet,” returned Omar, with quiet indifference of manner; ”and now it remains with thee to choose thy death, for that must be speedily accomplished.--Ho! there, fetch the cup!”
A silver cup, filled with poison, was brought and presented to the unhappy Hamet by his former friend, Sidi Ha.s.san.
”My undoing has been caused by leniency to dogs like thee,” said the Dey, with a dark scowl; then, clearing his brow, and drawing himself up with dignity, he turned to Omar, and added, ”I decline to take part in mine own death. If I must die, let me be led forth to the place of public execution. I would die as I have lived: with my face to my foes, and in the sight of my comrades.”
”Be it so, we are ready,” returned Omar; ”let the torch-men lead the way.”
As Omar truly said, they were indeed ready, for in a few seconds the front of the palace was lighted up with blazing torches, a procession was formed, and Hamet was led forth to the Bab-Azoun gate, and there strangled in the midst of an overawed and silent populace, who probably cared very little as to which of the unruly Turkish pirates who held them in subjection should misrule the unfortunate city.
Whether it was a touch of pity on the part of Omar, or the lateness of the hour, we know not, but from some cause or other Hamet was spared the too common cruelty of being twice revived with a gla.s.s of water during the process, before the final deed of strangulation was accomplished.
Thus was the undesirable throne of Algiers again emptied, and immediately afterwards Sidi Omar ascended it,--the third Dey within forty-eight hours!
CHAPTER TWENTY.
DESCRIBES A RETREAT AMONG THE HILLS.
Let us turn now, good reader, to a scene more congenial--namely, the garden in front of the British consul's country residence.
One evening, two weeks after the event just narrated, Ted Flaggan and Rais Ali chanced to meet at the gate.
”Ye've got stirrin' times of it here intirely. Mister Ally Babby,” said the tar, whose familiarity almost verged on impudence; ”what betwane you an' the 40,000 thieves--more or less--in the town, I find it rare entertainment.”
”Yoos complimentary dis marnin',” returned the interpreter, with a smile.
”It's always the way with me. I howld that purliteness is chape.--Ye've heard the noos, I s'pose?”
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