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

parent and apostate Christian ! Were anxiety. the pasha thrice as powerful, I would not de- ‘¢ By Allah! ’’ he exclaimed, as his master base myself to him. I will appeal to the pa- rushed out, ‘‘ I thought you would never re- triarch of our Armenian people, who is in the turn! Here is Daoud himself coming for the city. 1 will appeal to the Teaain. and to all girl, with his whole guard at his heels. If we Christians in Bagdad, who surely will not tarry five minutes more, our heads will not be suffer this foul wrong to one of their creed.”’ worth as many date-stones.”’ As she poured out her invectives, Bogos be- There was, indeed, no time for deliberation; gan to recover from his embarrassment, and at but with true military promptness, the Arme- length, irritated by her taunts, seized her nian’s daughter was placed in the ready litter, harshly, and in an angry voice exclaimed, and in three minutes the cavaleade was moving ‘¢ No more of this! ‘Thou must go, and that rapidly away from the caravanserai. forthwith.”’ A change came over the face of the unhappy VI. Miriam, that transformed her in a moment from a raging fury, to a helpless supplicating The foremost of the pasha’s party reached woman. She flung herself suddenly at her fa- the gate in time to catch a glimpse of those ther’s feet, and in a voice choked with sobs and who preceded them, as they disappeared in the tears implored his mercy. obscure and winding street. ‘* Father, father, spare me but this sin— The inquiry made by Daoud for the Arme- this shame — and in aught else I will be thy nian, soon revealed his horrible fate to the as- most willing slave, thy most dutiful daugh- tonished beholders. His body was searched, ter! Let us fly this hateful city—let us go and the forged order which Osman had given to our own land, and I will toil for thee, fa- him being found, afforded the pasha a clue ther, and thy gold will be none the less, even to the murderer, and an explanation of the dis- if thou returnest to this Turk the price of thy appearance of Miriam. The hand-writing he daughter’s perdition !”’ recognised, and the motives that prompted the Bogos, unmoved by this appeal, endeavored deed were easily conjectured. to raise her from the floor, on which she had Enraged to the utmost by the discovery, he sunk, and turning to the eunuch said, instantly despatched officers to every gate of ‘* Aga, assist me, and we will bear her to the city, with orders to prevent all egress, and the litter.’’ with his guard commenced a rapid pursuit in The person he addressed had witnessed with the direction taken by Osman Aga. great agitation the brief interview between fa- ther and daughter, but had said nothing during VI. its continuance. As Bogos spoke, the blast of a trumpet from a neighboring street rose clear ‘‘ How far now to the gate of Mosul, Rus- and loud upon the air, and was accompanied by tom? ”? a slight and scarcely perceptible tumult at the ‘**T is scarce a mile, Aga.”’  24 THE PIONEER. ‘¢Ten minutes then will bring us there. Just as Daoud was preparing to lead forward Press on.’’ his guard to a last grand assault, Osman with ‘‘We are pursued, Aga,’’ said an Arab, inexpressible pleasure heard in the street be- riding up fromthe rear. His senses, sharpened hind him the rapid trampling of a numerous by a life on the desert, were as acute as those body of horsemen whom he felt certain were of an animal. the troop of Suleiman Bey coming to his res- ‘* How? art sure?” cue. ‘*T hear the tramp of many horses — their On, on, like a whirlwind came they, Kurds number is very great, and they approach us and Arabs, uttering fierce, wild yells, and cries fast.’’ of ‘* Allah akbar,’’ ‘* God is great,’’ and with ‘* Forward! forward! then. Rustom, your Rustom on his black steed bounding at their horse is swift and fresh — ride on at full speed, head. ‘Their furious onset bore back the Cir- and in the great square bv the Mosul gate, you cassians, despite the efforts of their officers, will find Suleiman Bey, waiting for us with a until they reached the opposite side of the large body of troops— tell him to advance im- square: there they maintained their ground, mediately and meet us, for we shall have to and a conflict hand to hand ensued, in the midst stand at bay, ere we can reach the gate.”’ of which a party hard pressed by Osman him- Rustom obeyed, and his spirited charger soon self, who had assumed the command of his carried him beyond the sight of the band, rescuers, burst the barred and _ iron-covered which their leader was in vain endeavoring to doors of a dwelling-house, into which they urge to a greater speed. rushed, and were hotly pursued by Osman and heir pursuers at length gained so fast, that a number of Arabs, who drove them from room Osman Aga became aware that he would in a to room till they reached the terraced roof. few minutes be overtaken. He therefore, as They could fly no farther, and were instantly he reached a small open place, on one side of cut down, together with some of the inmates of which rose, serene and solemn in the bright the house who had been holding torches to il- moonlight, a vast and stately mosque, halted luminate the scene below. One of these, which his men, and arrayed them in front of the street was still blazing in the stiffened grasp of its by which the Pasha would approach. ‘The lit- slain bearer, caught the eye of Osman Aga as ter containing Miriam he placed in charge of he turned to descend from the roof, and instantly two men at the further extremity of the square. suggested a procedure which was as promptly He then calmly awaited the approach of his executed. He seized the torch, and calling to pursuers. his men to follow him, rushed down stairs, Very soon the shining chain armor of the pausing as he passed, to apply the torch to the Pasha’s Circassians was visible in the street, divans, the hangings, and the wood-work of the and gallantly they came galloping on, until they dwelling, from which almost as soon as he left were nearly upon the entrance of the square. it, the flames burst forth with great vio- They halted abruptly, on perceiving the band of lence, and as no attempt was made to check Osman Aga. The latter had their carbines un- them, communicated speedily to the neighboring slung and prepared, and gave the Circassians a houses. volley which sent twenty or thirty to the ground, The uproar was now increased tenfold. and produced considerable disorder in their The battle still raged furiously, but the heat ranks. It was but momentary, however, for and smoke of the burning houses speedily be- they instantly rallied, and uttering the terrible came almost insupportable, and the alarmed eae aE janissary shout, charged sword in hand, into the and enraged populace flying from the confla- square. They were gallantly met by Osman gration, so crowded the square and the neigh- and his band, and for a few minutes a most fu- boring streets, that the combatants themselves rious conflict was maintained. The citizens, found it difficult to pursue their work of blood. roused by the clamor, thronged the windows The affair, however, was destined to a speedy and terraces of their houses, some bearing aloft termination. ‘The Pasha had, ere he left the torches, while others perceiving that the Pa- caravansarai, despatched a messenger to the sha’s guard were among the combatants, and commander of a considerable body of troops Se, Sets Se et eos supposing that their opponents were hostile stationed at the bridge which unites the Arabs, who had entered the city to plunder, two divisions of the city, with orders to ad- began to fire upon the latter. vance with all speed to his assistance. These hough Osman Aga made the most heroic now approached in another direction from that and desperate exertions to maintain his ground in which Daoud reached the square, and the — though he repeatedly charged at the head of first intimation that Osman Aga had of their his men, the guard of the Pasha, in the hope of arrival, was from the simultaneous charge meeting the latter hand to hand, he was at made by them and the guards of the Pasha. length with the scanty remnant of his gallant It was irresistible — and the genius and courage party, driven across the square to the place of the renegade were in vain exerted to redeein where he had stationed the litter containing the fight. His force, now far outnumbered, Miriam. Before this he paused, determined was surrounded and divided, and finally he was there to make a final stand in the hope that Sulei- himself unhorsed, and his followers cut down man Bey would arrive in time to succor him. or captured, with the exception of a small band  SONNET. 25 which, headed by Rustom, cut their way through the basin of a huge fountain. He easily caught the enemy, and hotly pursued, galloped off in the animal, which he mounted, and placing the direction of the Mosul gate, which they Miriam before him, rode ata rapid rate until he knew would be found unguarded. reached a quarter of the city near the eastern Osman forced his way to the litter which was wall. not far distant, and found it overthrown, and the He dismounted at the door of a vast but fair inmate struggling in the grasp of two fe- dingy and dilapidated mansion, and knocked rocious Turks. To pistol one and cut down violently for some time, without receiving any the other with his sabre, was the work of 2 answer. At length a person bearing a light, moment,