to play his part--and he thought proper to tell the Moor that her
brother wished to give her as wife to the captain of the ship, whom she
abhorred, and would take her to a cold and foggy climate; that she had
been born here, and wished to live and die here, and would prefer
passing her life in his women's apartments, to leaving this country. At
which Abdel Faza, for such was his name, felt very amorous; he put his
hand to his forehead, salaamed, and told Gascoigne that his zenana, and
all that were in it, were hers, as well as his house and himself. After
an hour's conversation, in which Azar, his daughter, did not join, the
old Moor asked Gascoigne to descend into the women's apartment; and
observing his daughter's silence, said to her:

"Azar, you are angry that this Frankish houri should come to the
apartments of which you have hitherto been sole mistress. Fear not, you
will soon be another's, for Osman Ali has asked thee for his wife, and I
have listened to his request."

Now Osman Ali was as old as her father, and Azar hated him. She offered
her hand tremblingly, and led Gascoigne into the zenana. The Moor
attended them to the threshold, bowed, and left them.

That Gascoigne had time to press his suit, and that he did not lose such
a golden opportunity, may easily be imagined, and her father's
communication relative to Osman Ali very much assisted our midshipman's
cause.

He left the zenana, like most midshipmen, in love, that is, a little
above quicksilver boiling heat. Jack, who had remained in a state of
some suspense all this time, was not sorry to hear voices in an amicable
tone, and in a few minutes afterwards he perceived that Gascoigne was
ascending the ladder. It occurred to our hero that it was perhaps
advisable that he should not be seen, as the Moor, in his gallantry,
might come up the ladder with the supposed lady. He was right, for
Abdel Faza not only followed her up the ladder on his side, but assisted
her to descend on the other, and with great ceremony took his leave.

Gascoigne hastened to Jack, who had been peeping, and gave him a detail
of what had passed, describing Azar as the most beautiful, fascinating,
and fond creature that ever was created. After half an hour's relation
he stopped short, because he discovered that Jack was fast asleep.

The visits of Gascoigne were repeated every night; old Abdel Faza became
every time more gallant, and our midshipman was under the necessity