ore him as he spoke, and shrugging up his shoulders.

Alarmed at what he had said, I pretended ignorance; and requested him to
satisfy my curiosity concerning the story in question, which he did in
a manner that, but for my being so deeply implicated in it, would have
afforded me much amusement.

'You must know then,' said the muleteer, 'that what I am about to relate
is true, because I was on the spot in person, at the time it happened.

'The chief priest having gone to the bath at the close of day, just
after the evening prayer, returned to his house surrounded by his
servants, and retired to bed for the night in the _khelwet_ of his
women's apartments.

'You need not be told that most of the public baths in Persia are open
to the women the first thing in the morning, to a certain hour in the
day, and are then appropriated to the men. The wife of the mollah bashi,
attended by her servants and slaves, the morning after her husband had
bathed, at the earliest sound of the cow horn, proceeded to the same
bath, and she and her suite were the first party who entered it on that
day. Out of respect to their mistress, none of her attendants ventured
to get into the reservoir of hot water before her. The cupola of the
bath was but very dimly lighted by the dawn; and the chief priest's wife
was almost in utter darkness when she entered the water. Guess at her
horror, when scarcely having proceeded two steps, her extended hand fell
upon a large mass of floating flesh.

'Her first impulse was to utter an amazing shriek; her second to tumble
headlong out as if she had been pursued, and straight to faint away.

'The consternation which she produced amongst her women may easily be
conceived. One after the other, with the lamp in their hand, they
looked in, shrieked, and then ran back, not one among them having yet
discovered what was the object of their terror.

'At length the old duenna taking courage, looked boldly into the
reservoir, and to her surprise she there found a dead man. More screams
and cries ensued, which having brought the chief priest's wife to
her senses, caused her to join the inspecting party. Little could be
recognized of a floating corpse inflated with water, presenting various
odd surfaces to the eye, and giving but little clue to discovery. At
length the head and face appeared to view; and, as soon as the old
duenna had applied her lamp to it, one and all cried out, "O Ali! it is
the mollah bashi; it i