tapha?"

"Mighty pacha," replied the Chinaman, with humility, "if your wisdom
pronounces it to be a lie--a lie it most certainly must be; still it is
not the lie of your slave, who but repeats the story as handed down by
the immortal eastern poet."

"Nevertheless, there appears to be a trifling mistake," observed
Mustapha. "Is the procession to proceed, O pacha?"

"Yes, yes; but by the Prophet, let the dog tremble, if again he presumes
to laugh at our beards."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the decapitated criminals, which your highness objects to, came in
procession those criminals with their heads on, who were to suffer for
their offences on this day of universal happiness.

First came two thousand robbers, sentenced to be hung up by their heels,
emblematic of their wish to turn every thing, upside down--so to remain
until they were pecked to death by the crows, or torn to pieces by the
vultures.

The banner of innovation.

One of the robber chiefs, ordered to be choked with an abacus, which was
suspended round his neck.

Another of the robber chiefs. This man, although a follower of the
court, and sunned in the celestial presence, had dared to utter vile
falsehoods against the celestial dynasty. He was sentenced to have his
skin peeled off; and to eat his own words, until he died from the
virulent poison which they contained.

The most important of all the criminals next appeared, who being great
in favour at court, and appointed to the high office of physician to the
celestial conscience, had been discovered in the base attempt of
drugging it with opium; he had also committed several other enormities,
such as being intoxicated in his mandarin robes, and throwing mud at the
first chief mandarin; also of throwing aside his robes, mingling with
the lower classes, and associating with mountebanks, jugglers, and
tight-rope dancers. His enormities were written on a long scroll
suspended round his neck. His sentence was the torture of
disappointment and envy, previous to a condign political death.

After him came a disgraced yellow mandarin, who had been a great enemy
of the criminal who preceded him. He was seated upon a throne of jet,
and his arms supported in derision by two prize-fighters. His crime was
playing at pitch and toss with the lower classes. His punishment was
merely exposure.

Such were the criminals who were to suffer upon this day of