r than interfere with what was going
on above.

* * * * *

"By the sword of the prophet! there is one fact--you were a very great
coward," observed the pacha.

"Among my other doubts, your highness, I certainly have some doubts as
to my bravery."

"By the beard of the pacha, I have no doubts on the subject," observed
Mustapha.

"Without attempting to defend my courage, may I observe to your
highness, that it was a matter of perfect indifference to me whether the
sultan or the pacha was victorious; and I did not much admire hard
blows, without having an opportunity of putting a few sequins in my
pocket. I never knew of any man, however brave he might be, who fought
for love of fighting, or amusement; we all are trying in this world to
get money; and that is, I believe, the secret spring of all our
actions."

"Is that true, Mustapha?" inquired the pacha.

"May it please your sublime highness, if not the truth, it is not very
far from it. Proceed, Hudusi."

* * * * *

The ideas which I have ventured to express before your sublime highness,
were running in my mind, as I sat down among the dead and dying, and I
thought how much better off were the pacha's soldiers than those of our
sublime sultan, who had nothing but hard blows, while the pacha's
soldiers received thirty sequins for the head of everyone of our corps
of janissaries; and one idea breeding another, I reflected that it would
be very prudent, now that the pacha appeared to be gaining the
advantage, to be on the right side. Having made up my mind upon this
point, it then occurred to me, that I might as well get a few sequins by
the exchange, and make my appearance before the pacha, with one or two
of the heads of the janissaries, who were lying close to me. I therefore
divested myself of whatever might give the idea of my belonging to the
corps, took off the heads and rifled the pockets of three janissaries,
and was about to depart, when I thought of my honoured father, and
turned back to take a last farewell. It was cruel to part with a parent,
and I could not make up my mind to part with him altogether, so I added
his head, and the contents of his sash, to those of the other three, and
smearing my face and person with blood, with my scimitar in my hand and
the four heads tied up in a bundle, made my way for the pacha's
stronghold; but the skirmishing was still going on outside of the walls