with it. To my joy,
I found it contained a heavy bag, which I thrust into my bosom, and
carried it about with me as well as I could; although, on account of the
darkness, I could not ascertain of what metal it was.

By the time we had nearly finished our operations the city had been
alarmed. Almost all the people within the caravanserai, such as
servants, grooms, and mule-drivers, at the first alarm had retreated to
the roof; the neighbouring inhabitants then came in flocks, not knowing
exactly what to do: then came the police magistrate and his officers,
who also got on the roof of the caravanserai, but who only increased
the uproar by their cries, exclaiming, 'Strike, seize, kill!' without in
fact doing anything to repulse the enemy. Some few shots were fired at
random; but, owing to the darkness and the general confusion, we managed
to steal away without any serious accident. During the fray I was
frequently tempted to leave the desperate gang to which I belonged, and
hide myself in some corner until they were gone; but I argued thus
with myself: If I should succeed in getting away, still my dress would
discover me, and before I could explain who I really was, I should
certainly fall a sacrifice to the fury of the populace, the effects of
which more than once I had had occasion to witness. My father's shop was
before me; the happy days I had passed in that very caravanserai were in
my recollection, and I was in the act of deliberating within myself what
I should do, when I felt myself roughly seized by the arm, and the first
thing which I recognized on turning round was the grim face of Aslan
Sultan, who threatened to kill me on the spot, if I did not render
myself worthy of the confidence he had placed in me. In order to show
him my prowess, I fastened upon a Persian who had just rushed by us,
and, throwing him down, I exclaimed that, if he did not quietly submit
to be taken prisoner and to follow me, I would put him to death. He
began to make the usual lamentations, 'For the sake of Iman Hossein, by
the soul of your father, by the beard of Omar, I conjure you to leave
me!' and immediately I recognized a voice that could belong to no
one but my own father. By a gleam from a lantern, I discovered his
well-known face. It was evident, that hearing the commotion, he had left
his bed to secure the property in his shop, which altogether did not
consist of more than half-a-dozen of towels, a case of razors, soap, and
a ca