t a dead man!"

Saying this, the Aga departed, and Bacri, returning to the skiffa,
summoned Mariano, who had been engaged in another part of the house when
Hamet entered.

"Come hither, lad," said the Jew, while a careworn expression seemed to
settle on his handsome features; "I have work for you to do which
requires courage and speed. Hamet the Aga--I may say, the black-hearted
Aga--has been here on an errand which I have been looking forward to for
some months. You may be aware, perhaps, that in this barbarous city
there is no hereditary succession of Deys. Each Dey is elected by the
Turkish janissaries from among the men of their own ranks; one result of
which is that various factions are kept up in the army, and the most
vigorous man among them, the one who can command the greatest number of
admirers and followers, generally wins the unenviable but much-coveted
post. When the reigning Dey becomes unpopular, the factions begin to
ferment; and, instead of waiting for him to die, they invariably
strangle, poison, or behead him. The factions generally have some
disturbance among themselves, but in any case, the consequence of a
revolution of this kind is, that complete anarchy prevails in the city,
and, until a new Dey is elected by the janissaries, the Moors and Jews
are at the mercy of the rude soldiery. Of course, all who have enemies
among them hide themselves and their pelf, if possible, until the
anarchy ceases, which it does the moment the green standard of the
Prophet is hoisted on the terrace of the palace, announcing that a new
Dey is seated on the warm throne of his not quite cold predecessor.

"I tell you all this," continued the Jew impressively, "that ye may
understand what is about to happen and know how to act. It is a sharp
ordeal to go through, but a short one; the scene of violence lasting
usually but one day. Still, that affords ample time for irreparable
injury to be done.

"It is usual, just before a revolution, for the dominant faction to make
an arrangement with the persecuted Jews, so that, in virtue of the
payment of a large sum, their families and possessions may be spared.
Of course, we are compelled to agree to this, and even compliance does
not always secure us, because when violent men are once let loose, they
often become unmanageable for a time, even by those who command them.
Still, the payment of this unjust tax is our only safeguard. This
evening, Sidi Hamet, the commande