The Tell-Tale Heart - The Pioneer, January 1843 — reading text

prophet! the maiden is with than the snows of her own Ararat, and has a him too! else why that litter? ”’ soul worthy of its stately dwelling place. I It was indeed Bogos who rode by as Rustom saw her often during my brief sojourn at the spoke with downcast eyes, and a countenance Persian court last winter, and had I not been bearing much of that mild and placid expression obliged to follow the Shah on his removal to which peculiarly characterizes his pacific and Teheran, she would ere this have been my patient race. He was closely followed by a bride. Last night a hadji, who came with yon- litter, borne between two camels, and evidently der caravan, brought me a letter from her, by containing one or more females. which I learn that the dog of a father, has even ** Haste, good Rustom,’’ cried Osman, as the now brought her to Bagdad with the pilgrims, Armenian passed ; ‘ follow, follow, and on no with the intention of selling her, as he would a account lose sight of him. Gain speedily all dromedary, to the pasha, whose passion has the intelligence you can, and come with it to been excited by the report of her beauty, and my palace, where I will await you.”’ whose gold has prevailed on Bogos despite his The Nubian made no reply, but followed the christian creed, to sacrifice his daughter to his caravan while his master turned into a side avarice.”’ street, and rode rapidly toward a distant part of ‘* The thrice-accursed villain! Shall I send the city. a bullet through him as he enters the gate? ’”’ IV. ‘* Nay, that were somewhat too summary a proceeding. My purpose in tarrying here, is to The brief twilight of that eastern clime had ascertain beyond doubt that he accompanies the vanished, and night was folding its raven wings caravan: this can only be done by observing upon the city, like an eagle settling on her nest. the pilgrims as they pass. If the Armenian The stars were struggling through the gloom, enters, keep your eye upon him, follow to his endeavoring one by one to obtain a glimpse of caravanserai, ascertain if Miriam be with him, their shrouded brother. The breeze unpin- and as quickly as possible acquire all information ioned by the setting sun, swept with a gentle which will assist me to rescue her, as I will do motion the broad bosom of the arrowy Tigris, this very night, either by force or stratagem.”’ whose banks lined with palaces and palm trees, ‘Allah Kerim! My Aga, are you losing with minarets and mosques, presented no un- your senses?’’ cried the Nubian vehemently, worthy image of the grandeur of Bagdad when ‘¢ would you peril your life for a smooth-faced under the mighty and magnificent caliphs, she girlt Know you not there is little time to was the fitting capital of the noblest empire spare, if you do not wish to lie with your head that the earth has ever seen. between your legs in the great square of the In a vast and ancient palace, whose walls city ?”’ rose abruptly from the water’s edge, and in an ‘¢Peace! Rustom; I am neither mad nor apartment of great size and sumptuousness, the even imprudent. Do Foes but obey my orders sides and ceiling of which were encrusted with and all will be well. ‘To-day while my Kurds the most fanciful arabesques in stucco, and in- are in Bagdad, the pasha will not dare attempt laid with mirrors and mother-of-pearl, and the aught against me; and to night I will gratify floor covered with the richest carpets of Per- both love and revenge, by rescuing my mistress, sia, save in the centre, where, from a basin of and robbing Daoud of his most cherished trea- black marble, rese a sparkling and refreshing sure.”’ fountain, was seated, upon a divan of richly During this conversation, the caravan had embroidered crimson velvet, Osman Aga, the been gradually approaching the walls, and now English adventurer. He was restless and ab- the guard of the pasha, who led the van, began stracted, and was evidently waiting the arrival to enter the gate. The calm, grave face of of some one long and anxiously expected. He Daoud relaxed into a smile, as he perceived at length rose, and approaching a large and Osman Aga among the spectators, and his pass- beautiful book-case, which occupied one end of ing salute was as courteously, and apparently the room, opened its doors of curiously wrought as kindly given and returned, as though the rosewood, and disclosed a considerable collec- most undiminished friendship and confidence tion of splendidly bound European volumes, in- existed between the two. As the pilgrims terspersed with the more picturesque manu- moved on, Osman and his servant examined scripts of the best oriental authors. He glanced them eagerly and attentively, till nearly the along the shelves, upon which were ranged the whole caravan had been viewed by them and chief works of those brilliant but pernicious not a semblance of the Armenian had been seen, authors, the French and English infidels of the . | THE ARMENIAN’S DAUGHTER. 2 last century, to the perusal of whose writings in the oriental manner, a slave, who almost in- Osman Aga might, perhaps, have traced the for- stantly, with folded arms and head bent down, mation of those unsettled principles, and that stood waiting his commands. loose morality, whose influence had made him ‘* Has Rustom returned ?”’ what he was — a hypocritical apostate, anda ‘* He has, my lord ; but a moment since.”’ reckless and crime-stained adventurer. Drawing ** Let him attend me, at once.’’ out one of the volumes, he turned a few of its The slave disappeared, and, immediately af- pages by the light of the lamps which hung terward, the Nubian entered, ‘bearing in his from the ceiling, but, suddenly, as if struck by appearance traces of recent and severe exer- some bitter thought, flung vehemently aside tion. the book, and began to pace the room, with ‘¢ What detained you, Rustom? you should rapid and irregular steps. have been here three hours ago.’’ ‘¢ | know not wherefore, but my spirit sinks, ‘¢ That son of an Armenian cow, the thrice- and the brain, on which alone through life I detested Bogos, has led me over half Bagdad, have relied, seems now about to fail me. This in search of him. In passing through the Ba- night, this very night, my destiny must be de- zaar, Which was crowded to suffocation, I was cided ; to-morrow’s sun will see me a captive, stopped by the crowd, and before I could force and perhaps a corpse, or armed to struggle with a passage, the villain had disappeared ; and it sultans and their viceroys, for the mastery of is only within two hours, after inquiring at Asia: love, empire, life itself, are upon the nearly all the caravanserais in the city, that I issne, yet I cannot plot, cannot contrive, and, succeeded in finding him. But, praise be to indeed, can scarcely think. Allah ! the maiden is with him, and they are ‘* And then, this girl — this Armenian girl. both at the Khan of Hillah, on this side of the *Tis to me the most profound of mysteries, river. that in hers my being is so closely wrapt. ‘¢ That is truly fortunate ! Thanks, thanks, I, who scorned as a weakness the very good Rustom ; you have brought me cheering thought of woman, and deemed fame and power news! ‘Take half an hour for rest and refresh- alone worth man’s pursuit, am now perilling ment, and, as you go out, bid Haroun bring me everything for the sake of this young maiden. the garb of an eunuch, and the coloring liquid, Tis past belief. Yet, Miriam, sweet Miriam, that I may disguise myself.”’ I am strongly tempted to relinquish all for - Haroun, the slave, soon entered with the re- thee ; to cast aside my wealth, my power, my quired articles, and Osman Aga, by the appli- blood-bought honors, and my towering hopes, cation of a dye, in a few minutes completely and leaving this barbaric land, bear thee to changed his complexion into that of the black- some green and quiet spot, and spend beside est Ethiopian. This done, he laid aside his thee, in contented security, the remainder of costly outer garments, and donned habiliments my days. more suited to the character he wished to as- ‘* It may not be. I cannot, even for thy sume. Before, however, he put on the long sake, relinquish the achievements of so many loose robe which concealed his whole person, years, the results of so much toil, so much he carefully arranged in his belt a sabre, a dag- thought, so much enterprise, and so much ger, and a pair of double-barrelled pistols. He crime. A life of tumult, of excitement, of ad- also secured, in the same place, a large and venture, has unfitted me for the ordinary tenor heavy purse, which he took from a table in the of human existence. Nor can | look into thy room. ee majestic eyes, or gaze upon thy queenly coun- ‘* Now,’’ he muttered, as he examined his tenance, nor feel that thou, too, wouldst rejoice appearance in one of the mirrors that were in- to share my fate — with me to aspire, to strug- laid in the wall of the room, ‘‘ Daoud himself gle, to conquer, and to rule. might mistake me for the Aga of his eunuchs. ‘* My soul revives! And once more upon Courage and adroitness are all that I require the desert, beyond these cramping walls, and to-night, and they are qualities that never yet es at the head of an army,1 will become again have failed me, nor do I think they will now, subtle to plan, and audacious to execute. Now when my very existence depends upon their for this night’s work. My faithful Kurds, and exercise.”’ my no less faithful Arabs, will meet me near the He paused a few minutes, to write upon and northern gate, and once beyond the walls, and carefully seal a piece of paper, which - he at their head, all will be well. Miriam, if affixed to his girdle, and then left the saloon, Rustom does not fail me, will be rescued before and passed quickly to the outer court of the midnight, and by the rising of to-morrow’s sun, palace, where half-a-dozen slaves were reclin- I will be on my road to Aleppo, at the head of ing, who started to their feet when they seven thousand men.