stinado; then, as she screamed with pain, and held up her hands
for mercy, the mutes were summoned, and the bowstring was applied. My
revenge was more than satiated, and I covered up my eyes that I might
not be a witness to the dreadful spectacle. When I removed my hands, I
found Abdallah only in the apartment, and my rival lying a blackened
corpse upon the floor.

For three years I remained in the harem of Abdallah; and, if not happy,
was resigned to my fate. He was devotedly attached to me, and, if I
could not return his love, was not deficient in gratitude. At last a
second war broke out between the Turks and Russians, and Abdallah was
ordered to put himself at the head of his troops, and drive the invaders
back to their regions of frost and snow. As was the custom with Turkish
commanders, all his harem accompanied him, and after travelling about
from one territory to another, sometimes in pursuit of, and at others
retreating before the enemy's forces, we were shut up in the fortress of
Ismael, with orders to defend it to the last.

I shall not weary your highness with a detail of what occurred. I shall
only say, that after the town had been nearly reduced to ashes, by the
shells and shot, which had set fire to it at least one hundred times, it
was taken by storm, with immense slaughter. We sat in our apartments,
listening with terror to the alternate shouting and shrieking--the noise
of the bursting of the shells, the whizzing of the balls, the cries of
the wounded, and the terrific roaring of the flames, which were now
consuming the whole town in their fury. At last our doors were burst
open, and the enemy entered. We screamed, and would have fled, but in
vain. What became of the rest I know not, but I was dragged over the
dead and the dying, through smoke and through flame, until I fainted
away with terror and exhaustion. When I recovered, I found myself in a
hut, lying on a small bed, and attended by two bearded monsters, whom I
afterwards discovered were Cossacks. They were chafing my limbs with
their rough hands, without the least regard for decorum. As soon as I
opened my eyes, one of them poured a little spirits down my throat, and
wrapping me up in a horse-cloth, they left me--to meditate upon my
misfortunes.

I discovered that evening that I had, by the fortune of war, become the
property of a Russian general, who had no time for making love. With
him it was all ready made, as a matter of co