Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/170

 such a dangerous manner, that, if I had fallen. I should have been dashed into a hundred pieces. Finally, I crept quite unconsciously back to my bed; and when the Turks had already got all my companions fastened by chains, and had also laid their hands on and divided everything they could find the sub-pasha came to me, and one said to him: “This lad is young and sick, he must get well and become a Mussulman; let us leave him here till we return, and place him in Ferhat Pasha’s serail.”

On hearing this, for I had already learnt some Turkish, I got out of bed, and told them that I was willing to suffer evil and good with my comrades, and would not stay, begging them, for God’s sake, not to leave me there. Thus in my shirt, and without my trousers, taking only a long Hungarian mantle, I was led down to the place where my comrades were already fettered by the neck. On coming down I fell to the ground, and was unable to rise. Meanwhile, one of the executioners ran up and put an iron ring round my neck, intending also to pass a chain through it, but the chiaous bade him leave it as it was, saying that I could not walk for illness.

They then opened the door, and counted us out, one after the other, for they had a list of us all. Then an executioner took each by his iron ring, the sub-pasha mounted his horse, the guards began to close round us, and make a way through the people. As I could not stand upon my feet, they brought me a Turk, whom they call a hamola, or porter, who carries all manner of things from the sea about the city for hire, on whose pannier, which was stuffed with rushes, they perched me like a landrail, and I sat upon it like a dog on a bank.