tle startled, renewed his inquiries, but without
being able to procure a reply; at which, beginning to be ruffled, he
exclaimed: "Knowest thou, varlet, who I am? and at whom thou art aiming
thy gibes?" Then, addressing his guards, "Have ye heard him speak? is he
dumb?"

"He hath spoken," they replied, "though but little."

"Let him speak again, then," said Vathek, "and tell me who he is, from
whence he came, and where he procured these singular curiosities, or I
swear by the ass of Balaam that I will make him rue his pertinacity."

The menace was accompanied by the Caliph with one of his angry and
perilous glances, which the stranger sustained without the slightest
emotion, although his eyes were fixed on the terrible eye of the prince.

No words can describe the amazement of the courtiers when they beheld
this rude merchant withstand the encounter unshocked. They all fell
prostrate with their faces on the ground to avoid the risk of their
lives, and continued in the same abject posture till the Caliph exclaimed
in a furious tone, "Up, cowards! seize the miscreant! see that he be
committed to prison and guarded by the best of my soldiers! Let him,
however, retain the money I gave him; it is not my intent to take from
him his property; I only want him to speak."

No sooner had he uttered these words than the stranger was surrounded,
pinioned with strong fetters, and hurried away to the prison of the great
tower, which was encompassed by seven empalements of iron bars, and armed
with spikes in every direction longer and sharper than spits.

The Caliph, nevertheless, remained in the most violent agitation; he sat
down indeed to eat, but of the three hundred covers that were daily
placed before him could taste of no more than thirty-two. A diet to
which he had been so little accustomed was sufficient of itself to
prevent him from sleeping; what then must be its effect when joined to
the anxiety that preyed upon his spirits? At the first glimpse of dawn
he hastened to the prison, again to importune this intractable stranger;
but the rage of Vathek exceeded all bounds on finding the prison empty,
the gates burst asunder, and his guards lying lifeless around him. In
the paroxysm of his passion he fell furiously on the poor carcases, and
kicked them till evening without intermission. His courtiers and vizirs
exerted their efforts to soothe his extravagance, but finding every
expedient ineffectual, they all united in