Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/108

 90 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. After some days, when order was restored, the news arrived Capture of that Andronicos had been captured. He had gone Audronicos. through the Bosphorus, but had stopped a few miles from the Bhick Sea entrance at Kilia. The inhabitants did not recognize the emperor, though, from his appearance and that of his party, they suspected him to be a fugitive of high rank. They even prepared a vessel with the object of cap- turing him, but neglected to make the attempt until he left their village. The sea, however, drove the imperial party back, and the villagers, taking courage, seized him and the two ladies, bound him, and placed all tliree in one of their vessels. Then the old man disclosed who was their captive, and used his utmost eloquence to persuade his captors to al- low him to escape. All his efforts were in vain. He was carried back to Constantinople, some thirty miles distant, and was surrendered to Isaac. The latter had now taken up his residence in the palace of Blachern, and ordered Andronicos to be imprisoned within its precincts in the Tower of Anema, a tower which, with its prisons, still exists. He was brought before Isaac with a chain around his neck and his feet also in irons. The mob which had assembled on the occasion claimed the prisoner as justly their victim. He had been the public enemy, and he ought to be punished by the populace. He was kicked ; he was struck with fists ; his teeth were knocked out ; his white hair was pulled out. The women were more violent than the men. The tyrant who had murdered or blinded their husbands, who had cut off tlieir hands or their feet, was now in their power. He was hastily condemned to have his hand cut off, and was sent back to the prison of Ane- ma, where he was left for a time without even bread or water. Some days after he was again exposed to the fury of the mob he had outraged. He was deprived of an eye, and then, bare- headed and with no clothing except a common sliirt, was placed upon a camel and led through the streets. There he relics arc preserved, the caskets in which tlicy arc contained are com- posed of silver and gold set ^Yitll precious stones, and are often, as I can testify fi-om a visit made there in 1883, of great beauty and value.