mountaineer
of the Caucasus?"

As the monarch spoke thus he laid aside the mouth-piece of his pipe,
and leaning upon his elbow amid the yielding cushions, covered his
face with his hand and seemed lost in silent meditation.

The beautiful slave regarded him intently while he remained in this
position. His uniform kindness to her for so long a period had led
her to regard him with no slight attachment, but she knew that Aphiz
was at that very moment under close confinement within the palace
walls for his faithfulness in following and seeking her, and as she
was wholly his before, this but endeared him more earnestly to her.
All the splendor that Sultan Mahomet could offer her, the rank and
wealth, were all counted as naught in comparison with the tender
affection which had grown up with her from childhood.

She awaited in silence the monarch's mood, but resolved to appeal to
his mercy, and beg him to release both Aphiz and herself, that they
might return together once more to their distant home.

But alas! how utterly useless were all her efforts to this end. They
were received by the Sultan in that cold, irrascible spirit that
seems to form so large a share of the Turkish character. Her words
seemed only to arouse and fret him now, and she could see in his
looks of fixed determination and resolve that in the end he would
stop at no means to gratify his own wishes, and that perhaps,
Aphiz's life alone would satisfy his bitter spirit. It was a fearful
thought that he should be sacrificed for her sake, and she trembled
as she looked into the dark depths of his stern, cold eye, which had
never beamed on her thus before.

She crept nearer to his side, and raising his hand within her own,
besought him to look kindly upon her again, to smile on her as he
used to do. It was a gentle, confiding and entreating appeal, and
for a moment the stern features of the monarch did relent, but it
was for an instant only his thoughts troubled him, and he was ill at
ease.

In the meantime Aphiz Adegah found himself confined in a close
prison; the entire current of his feelings were changed by the
discovery he had made. Not having been able to exchange one word
with Komel, of course he could not possibly know aught of her real
situation further than appearances indicated by her presence there,
and he could not but tremble at the fear that naturally suggested
itself to his mind as to the relationship which she bore to the
Sultan--In