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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8c5107c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69806 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69806) diff --git a/old/69806-0.txt b/old/69806-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5597d12..0000000 --- a/old/69806-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5975 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Circe of the deserts, by Paule -Henry-Bordeaux - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Circe of the deserts - -Author: Paule Henry-Bordeaux - -Release Date: January 15, 2023 [eBook #69806] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by - The Internet Archive.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CIRCE OF THE -DESERTS *** - - - THE CIRCE OF THE - DESERTS - - - - - BY - - - - - PAULE HENRY-BORDEAUX - - - - - WITH A FRONTISPIECE - - - - - LONDON - - HURST & BLACKETT, LTD. - - PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.C. - - - - -[Illustration: Lady Hester Stanhope.] - - - - -CONTENTS - -CHAPTER - -I. Farewell to England - -II. Mediterranean Yachting - -III. Oriental Initiation - -IV. Excursion in the Holy Land - -V. In the Country of Djezzar Pacha and -the Emir Bechir - -VI. Far niente at Damascus - -VII. Lady Hester and Lascaris - -VIII. The Queen of Palmyra - -IX. From the Temple of Baalbeck to the -Ruins of Ascalon - -X. In the Mountains of the Assassins - - - - -THE CIRCE OF THE -DESERTS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -FAREWELL TO ENGLAND - - -ON February 10, 1810, the frigate _Jason_, commander James King,--left -Portsmouth, bound for Gibraltar. In the stern of the vessel, a group of -four persons watched the coast, which was enveloped in a clinging mist -which the meagre English sun could not contrive to absorb, gradually -recede into the distance. Three men stood a little apart from a woman -whose gigantic stature must not have passed unnoticed, even on British -soil. - -She was six feet in height and was developed in proportion. Strangers -who met her for the first time allowed their astonished and mocking eyes -to wander at random and to lose their way over the vast surface which -she offered to the admirers of bulk, but when they had succeeded in -reaching the face, pale and passionate flower borne by a robust stalk, -they were interested, captivated, subjugated, dazzled! What wonderful -surprise, after the difficult and monotonous ascent of a lofty peak, to -discover boundless fields of fresh snow, sparkling with light!... - -More strange than beautiful, this woman attracted attention, and those -who had gazed upon her features never forgot them. Can one say that the -sun is beautiful when its fires blind? Thus everything about her -glittered; her skin dazzling as marble, of which it possessed the pure -grain and the cold smoothness, her eyes of a pale and frosty grey which -were illuminated by a terrifying and wild glitter when passion roused -her and which was heightened by a bluish ring.... Everything about her -was striking: her lips, of a dark red, firm and strong in shape, her -dazzling teeth, her curved nose, her obstinate chin. A northern light -seemed to play on this lofty and superb forehead, on this countenance of -a perfect oval, and isolated her in crowning her as a queen ... or as a -madwoman.... - -What age could she be? Some thirty years hardly. Perhaps more, for the -corners of the mouth, a trifle fallen in, had a wrinkle of bitterness -and disenchantment which accused her of being older. - -At this moment she was gazing at the north with a singular intensity of -expression, and when England had disappeared in its wrappings of mist, -smiling and satisfied she triumphantly wagged her foot; a foot so long -and so arched that a kitten might easily run about on it.... She crossed -the bridge and went to lean her elbow on the bow of the ship. Had she a -presentiment that her departure would be definitive, eternal, and that -she would never more behold the green forest trees of Chevening or the -fine equipages of Bond Street? - -Lady Hester Stanhope was born on March 12, 1776, of the marriage of -Hester, sister of William Pitt, with Charles, Lord Mahon, afterwards -third Earl Stanhope, the frenzied Republican. Her ancestors, both -paternal and maternal, were not ordinary people. Her grandfather, Lord -Chatham, had, by the side of his great intellectual faculties, the -detestable mania of enveloping the most anodyne acts of life with an -impenetrable mystery which kept all his entourage on the alert and in -suspense. Had he not one day when he was unwell, refused to receive a -man, the bearer of urgent news, who insisted on seeing him immediately? -After long discussions, the messenger contrived to be introduced into -the Minister's room; but the room was darkened and the Minister -invisible behind a rampart of screens. New battle to succeed in catching -sight of Lord Chatham. At last, when the man had by main force gained -this honour, he drew from his pocket a parchment containing the -title-deeds of two estates with a rent-roll of £14,000, bequeathed by -Sir Edward Pynsent as a proof of his admiration. The property had nearly -escaped him. Lady Hester Stanhope, if she did not inherit Burton -Pynsent, inherited, at any rate, all these eccentricities of character. - -As for her other grandfather, he was that second Earl Stanhope who had -forbidden his son to powder his hair on the occasion of his presentation -at Court, "because," he pretended, "wheat was too dear." So that Lord -Mahon went quite simply into the presence of the King with his natural -head of hair, that is to say, black as coal and lightened by a white -plume, which caused the spiteful tongue of Horace Walpole to remark that -"he had been tarred and feathered." - -This misadventure did not prevent the young man from marrying, the same -year, Lady Hester Pitt. The great Chatham entertained the highest -opinion of his son-in-law. - -"The exterior is pleasing," wrote he to Mr. James Grenville, "but it is -in looking within that one finds invaluable treasures, a head to -imagine, a heart to conceive and an arm to execute all that he can have -there which is good, amiable and of good report." - -By this marriage, he had three daughters: the extraordinary Hester, -Griselda and Lucy Rachel. Left a widower five years later, he contracted -a second marriage, with Louisa Grenville, by whom he had three children: -Philip Henry; Charles, who was killed at Coruña; and James Hamilton, -inspired no doubt by the spirit of equity, for he was a thorough -Republican. - -Grave political differences which arose from 1784 between Stanhope and -Pitt sensibly cooled their friendship. The French Revolution separated -them entirely. Lord Stanhope threw himself with ardour into the -Opposition, through conviction at first, and then because he hated the -victorious party, merely because it was the victorious party. He loved -to act with a little minority, and, this tendency continually -increasing, earned him in the House of Lords the surname of "the -Minority of One." - -From his childhood at Geneva he had preserved the taste for the exact -sciences, and he attached his name to several scientific discoveries, of -which the most astonishing was that of steam navigation. His children -alone did not interest him. Lady Hester Stanhope, who inherited from him -her love of independence and the uncompromising nature of her ideas, -played the very devil, terrorising her governesses. From 1800 to 1803 -she lived with the old Lady Chatham at Burton Pynsent, of illustrious -memory, and her skill in protecting her brothers and sisters from the -paternal experiments having attracted the attention of her uncle, -William Pitt, he asked her to come and keep house for him. She was then -twenty-seven. - -This singular young girl, down to the death of the "Great Commoner" in -January, 1806, was truly his confidante, his secretary, his right arm. -Remarkably intelligent, bold and original, she played the part of a -second Prime Minister. Pensions, titles, favours passed through her -hands. Thrown back brusquely into the shade, after her uncle's death, -she was unable to endure the tameness of an ordinary life. After some -years of solitude in Wales, disgusted with the world and politics, she -resolved to leave this England which was too prompt to forget. - -Of the three men who had embarked with her on the _Jason_, one was her -brother, James Hamilton Stanhope, captain in the 1st Foot Guards, who -was going to rejoin his regiment at Cadiz; another, a friend, Mr. Nassau -Sutton; and the last, a young doctor, Charles Meryon, who, instead of -growing musty in the lecture-rooms of Oxford, was departing joyously for -milder climes. - -Between two showers--they were numerous!--Lady Hester Stanhope came and -sat down on the bridge. She would have wished to forget; she would have -wished to break with the past, at once too beautiful and too sad; but -recollections rolled in upon her, countless invading waves which moaned -and beat against the shores of her soul. - -What had she left behind her which was worthy of regrets? Two sisters -with whom she had never been in the least intimate, an insignificant -brother, an old maniac father, altogether mad and democrat besides, -which is the worst of mental aberrations. Singular old fellow truly, who -slept, _in winter_, with wide-open windows! - -Lady Hester reviewed the sad days of her neglected childhood. Her -stepmother was an insipid creature, without interest in anything, who -divided her time--Oh! in a very equal way--between her toilet-table and -her box at the Opera. And during this time, Lord Stanhope hurried from -his iron hand-press to his factory for making artificial tiles to -exclude the snow and the rain, sprang to his reckoning-machine, from -there rushed to his dockyard, where a steamboat was always on the -look-out and always refused to move, entered, on the way, the Old Jewry, -where some members of the Revolution Society were ready to submit to a -speech, and drew up in return a motion to be brought forward in the -House of Lords in order to prevent England from interfering in the -internal government of France!... One childish recollection haunted Lady -Hester until she was tired. - -The scene? A London street transformed into a sea of mud by an unusually -mild winter. The personages? A little girl perched on enormous stilts -and very much at her ease up there, to be sure! An old gentleman, tall -and spare, leaning out of a window, using forcible language and -gesticulating. The little girl went up to the first floor. Earl Stanhope -was in a good temper that morning; after having dispersed his gold and -silver plate and his tapestries, which exhaled a too aristocratic -mustiness, he had just sold off his horses and carriages. With his bare -feet thrust into slippers, and wearing under his dressing-gown his -beloved silk breeches which never left him day or night, he was -contentedly munching the piece of brown bread which with him took the -place of breakfast. - -"Well, little girl," was his greeting; "what is it that you want to say? -On what devil had you climbed just now?" - -"Oh, papa! Since you have no more horses, I wanted to practise walking -in the mud with stilts. Mud, you know, is all the same to me; it is that -poor Lady Stanhope who will find it trying; she is accustomed to her -carriage, and her health is not first-rate." - -"What is that you say, little girl? What would you say if I bought a -carriage for Lady Stanhope?" - -"Well, papa, I should say that it is very amiable of you." - -"Well, well, we will see. But, by all the devils, no armorial bearings!" - -Hester revived the scene with a distinctness which distance -strengthened. She recalled even the carriage which Lady Stanhope had -owed to the famous stilts; for her astonishing memory, like that of her -grandfather, Lord Chatham, forgot neither things, nor animals nor -people. - -Memories rolled in upon her still. Willingly, Hester paused longer over -those which had been proud or pleasant hours. She conjured up delightful -evenings in London. Was it indeed she who was attending it seemed but -yesterday the Duchess of Rutland's ball? - -Before leaving Downing Street, she had gone to find her uncle, William -Pitt, in his study. While he was finishing the signing of a paper, she -arranged before a mirror the folds of her gown, of white satin draped in -the antique fashion which blended with her snow-white shoulders. -Suddenly she perceived that the Minister's attentive eye was following -her movements. - -"Really, Hester," said he, "you are going to make conquests this -evening, but would it be too presumptuous to suggest to you that this -fold ought to be caught up by a loop? There! like this. What do you -think about it?" - -And his taste was so delicate, that he had found instinctively what was -required to complete the classic form of the drapery. - -What a crowd at the duchess's! The heads all touched one another like -the necks of bottles emerging from a basket. - -And what long faces! - -Ah! it is that English society was prodigiously bored. Boredom, that -pastime of old peoples rotted by civilisation, reigned as master and -triumphed hardly over the conventions. The French _émigrés_ had -brought with them, in the perfume of their yellowed lace and in the -flash of their last jewels, the precious remains of a frivolity and of a -grace which were at the point of death. The spirit of France had been -for the lymphatic coldness of the English what condiments are for boiled -beef: a stimulant to the appetite. Scandal was on the watch and morals -were dissolute. But the wits of these haughty ladies had been sharpened, -and all their intrigues were carried on slyly, clandestinely. Against -the rigid and narrow Puritanism, against the redoubtable spirit of cant, -imagination and fancy struggled without hope of victory. The façade, -that was what mattered! So much the worse if the interior of the -building were used as a stable. Only, hypocrisy being like the veronal -which prolongs the torpor of surfeited and jaded societies, England -continued to govern royally. Extravagance and dandyism were required to -cheer her up. And how welcome on the occasion of some dreary social -function was the arrival of a Hester Stanhope or of a George Brummel! - -Lady Hester recalled her entry into the ball-room with Lord Camelford, -her beloved cousin--a true Pitt, that man! And what an entry. Both were -of extraordinary stature; the women had not enough smiles for him, the -men not enough eyes for her. A long flattering murmur accompanied them. - -"Have you seen Lord Camelford?" twittered the ladies. "Well, it appears -that he blew out the brains of his lieutenant one day that a mutiny -threatened to break out aboard his ship, and that quite coolly, just as -I am speaking to you." - -"Oh! my dear, you make me shiver." - -"Yes, my dear, he frequents the taverns in the City, disguised as a -sailor, and when he meets some poor devil whose face he recollects, he -makes him tell him his history, thrusts a hundred pounds into his hand -and threatens to thrash him if he presumes to ask him his name!" - -"Have you seen Lady Hester Stanhope? She caused a scandal at the last -Court ball. No, really! You have not heard people talking about it? It -is shocking, my dear! Would you believe that Lord Abercorn, having -vainly solicited from Pitt the Order of the Garter, turned towards -Addington (the surgeon's son; yes, exactly) to obtain it? Lady Hester, -having learned of the matter, flew into a furious rage. Talking with the -Duke of Cumberland--it is from the duke himself that I have the story, -she said: - -"'After the innumerable favours which Lord Abercorn has received from -Mr. Pitt, to go over to Mr. Addington! Ah! I will make him pay dearly -for his defection.' - -"'Here is your opportunity, then,' exclaimed the duke, 'he has just come -in. Go for him, little bulldog!' - -"Forthwith Lady Hester pounced upon Addington, and, fixing her eyes on -his Garter, said: - -"'What have you there, my lord?' (You will recollect that Lord Abercorn -has had both his legs broken.) 'What have you there?' A bandage? Mr. -Addington has done his work well, and I hope that in future you will be -able to walk more easily." - -"Oh! it is insufferable!" - -"Oh! my dear, here is something much better! The other day, Lord -Mulgrave, while breakfasting with Mr. Pitt, found beside his plate a -broken spoon. - -"'How can Mr. Pitt keep such spoons?' he had the bad taste to say to -Lady Hester. - -"'Have you not yet discovered,' she replied, 'that Mr. Pitt often uses -slight and weak instruments to effect his ends?'" - -"What a pest she must be, dear creature! Lord Mulgrave! A wonderful -statesman!" - -And even those who detested her were the first to bow and scrape and -join the crowd of admirers who surged in her wake. - -"Lady Hester! I distinguished the pearls of your necklace more than five -yards away!" "Lady Hester! you are astonishing this evening!" And -suchlike banalities. And what heat! All the rouge and all the powder -were melting. Lady Hester endeavoured in vain to reach a balcony. Cries, -exclamations, confusion. The Duke of Cumberland's voice rose above the -orchestra. - -"Where is Lady Hester? where is my little aide-de-camp? Let her come and -help me to get out of this inferno; I see nothing of her, and I cannot -get out alone. Ah! where has she gone? Where has she gone?" - -The Duke of Buckingham hurried away to fetch him a water-ice to save him -the trouble of moving. - -Who are these crossing the gallery of mirrors? Oh! they could be none -but Lady Charlotte Bury and her brother, no one walked as they did; it -was enchanting to watch them. What a beautiful woman, truly! What arms! -What a hand! One evening when she was entering her box at the Opera, had -not the entire house turned to admire her? - -The Grassini was beginning to sing in a relative silence. The previous -week, the Duchess of Devonshire had had Mrs. Billington, soprano against -contralto; the worldly rivalries were continued in music.... - -In the great drawing-room, skilfully illuminated, for the Duchess of -Rutland was too much of a Beaufort by race to leave in the shadow the -pretty curve of her profile, the regular beauty of her features, the -softness of her long eyelashes, there was a basket of living flowers. -The Marchioness of Salisbury, who possessed the piquant charm which -belongs to Frenchwomen, and who was slipping on her gloves with supple -gestures, quite natural to her, in the prettiest manner imaginable, the -Countess of Mansfield, Lady Stafford, the Countess of Glandore, so -aristocratic in her demeanour, Lady Sage and Sele, the Countess of -Derby, painted by Lawrence when she was still the actress Elisa Farren, -and that charming Lady Duncombe, that romantic blonde who had inspired -John Hoppner's masterpiece, and the Viscountess Andover, and the -Viscountess of St. Asaph and so many others, with their pretty airs or -their beautiful faces, their loose tresses, their tall statures, their -bosoms rising and falling and their gowns of Indian muslin which -revealed the outline of their bodies at the slightest movement--so many -others who had posed carelessly, and as if to amuse themselves, before -Lawrence, painter of adored women, before Romney or before the -miniaturist Cosway. - -Earl Grosvenor was talking in the embrasure of a door with the beautiful -Lady Stafford. Lord Rivers, the Duke of Dorset, the Duke of Richmond, -Lord Mulgrave fluttered about the Duchess of Devonshire. Perhaps they -were making her guess at the last riddle of Fox, and the most true of -English riddles: "My first denotes affliction which my second is -destined to experience; my whole is the best antidote to soothe and cure -this grief!" Perhaps also they were murmuring to her the verses which -Southey had written in response to her praising William Tell: - - - Oh! lady nursed in pomp and pleasure - Where learnt thou that heroic measure? - - -Despite the advancing years, Georgina Spencer had remained "the -irresistible Queen of the Mode," the beautiful lady, the exquisite -_grande dame_, artistic, refined, adventurous, who had served as model -to the two great English painters of the eighteenth century. With her -nose _à la Roxelane_, her bewitching eyes, her wealth of auburn hair, -with that dazzling carnation of the races of the North, that divine -mouth which had snatched from Gainsborough a confession of -powerlessness: "Your Grace is too difficult for me!" and which had made -him throw his brush filled with colours on the damp canvas, she -possessed still a unique grace, a reputation for cajolery which -exasperated Lady Hester Stanhope. She considered that, when she was not -smiling, her expression was satanic, and treated her affability as -affectation. She knew so well how to cast her nets over the young men -whom she needed for her little receptions! Her sister, Lady Bessborough, -was ten times more intelligent. But fame inclines always towards -splendid horses, fine carriages, great personages, rumour and sensation. - -Lady Liverpool arrived naturally late, for Lord Liverpool was finishing -his toilette as he came in. She entered the drawing-room with an -inimitable ease of manner, cleaving her way like a beautiful swan -through the crowd of guests, smiling to the right, inclining her head to -the left, speaking to this one, inquiring after the health of that, -saying an amiable word to all. But she was a Hervey, and all the world -knew that God had created men, women and Herveys. - -The Prince of Wales, who was still, despite his forty years and more, -one of the handsomest men in the three kingdoms, with the soul the most -ugly and the most vile, had condescended to come and relate to everyone -who was willing to listen to him that the King was madder than ever. But -Brummel had not yet put in an appearance. - -It was whispered that the Prince, to the great despair of the Queen, had -had himself painted full length and in uniform by Madam Vigée-Lebrun, -while she was staying in London. Well-informed people added that he -intended to give this portrait to Mrs. Fitz-Herbert, his former -mistress, as a belated testimony of gratitude for all the errors which -she had prevented him from committing. "Do not send this letter to such -and such a person; she is careless and will leave it about." "You have -been drinking all night; hold your tongue!" In this fashion had she been -accustomed to address him. - -This young widow, very pushful, whose profile and figure recalled those -of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, would have been very willing to -marry a prince just as Anne Lutterel had married the Duke of Cumberland. -But then the Royal Marriage Act, and the religious ceremony of December -21, 1785, had never been recognised. - -William Pitt, thin, lank, haughty and awkward-looking, with his head -held high and thrown back, was looking fixedly at the ceiling, as though -seeking his ideas in the air. One could not depend on that, however, for -he took note of everything which happened, and discovered here a -shoulder too high, there an imperfect figure under the deceitful -drapery, there again a thick ankle. - -"Lady Hester, do you not see Lord C ...? He is bowing to you." - -"I see down there a great pigeon-chested chameleon. Is that Lord C ...?" - -Camelford, who had heard the answer, made vain efforts to preserve his -gravity. The unfortunate man had been driven on to the corner of a sofa -by a countess, a little _passée_, who, presently, when he will have -fled, tired out, will sing his praises, will shout them rather: "Such -delightful manners! Wonderful conversational powers! Charming! -Irresistible! Fascinating!" - -The heat, continually increasing, was altering, turning pale and -distorting the faces of all the company, just as if they were moulded in -soft and tepid wax. In proportion as the evening advanced, the -favourable impressions which the women had created were discounted. Then -Brummel made his appearance. He wore a coat of some softened colour, the -material of which had been rasped all over with a piece of sharpened -glass, an aerial coat, a coat of lacework.... The gloves he wore were -transparent, which moulded his fingers and showed the contour of the -nails as well as the flesh--gloves which had necessitated the coalition -of four artists, three for the hand, one for the thumb.... - -And all that without self-consciousness, with a cold languidness, an -ease of bearing, a simplicity! But excess of refinement!--does it not -often rejoin the natural? - -With him there entered an invigorating breath, an unexpected attraction, -a new pungency which acted like a tonic upon pleasures which had grown -anæmic. The orchestra became more animated, the women more desirable, -the men, already three-parts intoxicated by the alcohol they had -consumed, less wearisome. - -Meanwhile, without hurrying himself, Brummel threaded his way through -the rooms. Amongst all those proud ladies, how many had contrived their -toilettes, chosen with more care the diamonds which adorned their -coiffures and the flowers of their corsages, in the hope of attracting -his attention? A duchess told her daughter quite loudly to be careful of -her manners, of her gestures and of her answers, if by chance Brummel -condescended to speak to her. - -And, nevertheless, he was not handsome, in the strict sense of the word. -His hair was inclined to be red, and his profile, though of Grecian -type, had been spoiled by a fall from his horse, when he was still -serving in the 10th Hussars, under the orders of the Prince of Wales. -But the expression of his face was more to be admired than his features, -the skill of his attitudes more perfect than his body. And, above all, -he was irony and impertinence personified. And women, who are sometimes -insensible to flattery and endearments, are never so to disdain and -wounds inflicted on their vanity. And those who were the most infatuated -with "primosity," that exquisite word created by the Pitts to -characterise the solemn, stiff, bashful spirit of Cant, and which might -have deserved the definition which Pope gave of prudery: - - - What is prudery? 'Tis a beldam - Seen with wit and beauty seldom - - -did not pardon him for not having asked them for what they would have -refused him. More of a dandy than the Prince of Wales, he had not -attached himself to Mrs. Fitz-Herbert, Benina, as he had surnamed her -one evening. - -His eyes, unreadable and incredibly penetrating, roamed, slowly and -without seeing anything, over the rooms in which the most beautiful -women in London were gathered. With an icy indifference, his distant -glances skimmed the faces, without recognising them, without settling -anywhere. - -"Where shall I find a woman who knows how to dance without breaking my -back?" spoke the magnificent voice at last. "Ah! here is Catherine (the -sister of the Duke of Rutland), and I think she will suit my purpose." - -But, catching sight of Lady Hester, he gave the duke's sister the slip -and came towards her. Raising the ear-rings which concealed the -beautiful and graceful collar which encircled her neck, he exclaimed: - -"For the love of God, let me see what is under there!" - -Pitt's niece and the king of the dandies had a keen appreciation of each -other's qualities. They were both of them without rivals in showing the -grotesque sides hidden in all men, without rivals in stripping and -publicly castigating the puppets who governed England, without rivals in -compelling them to unmask themselves their dirty little tricks, their -villainous hypocrisies, their bad faith, their monstrous absurdities, -just as exhibitors of trained animals make their monkeys parade and -dance. - -Having passed judgment on the ball--Brummel's praise or blame was -everything at that time--or by a silence more eloquent, he went to -Watier's Club, followed by Lord Petersham, Lord Somerset, Charles Ker -and Robert and Charles Manners, famous Macaronis gravitating around -their star. - -In the carriage which took them back to Downing Street, Pitt said to his -niece: - -"Really, Hester, Lord Hertford has paid you so many compliments this -evening that you ought to be proud of them." - -"Not at all," she answered. "Lord Hertford is deceived if he thinks that -I am beautiful. Take each feature of my face separately and put them on -the table; not one of them will bear examination. Put them together and -illuminated, they are not bad. It is a homogeneous ugliness, nothing -more." - -A slight roll was disturbing the _Jason_. Lady Hester, lost in her -thoughts, remained leaning against the netting. She recalled to mind -some of those mordant sallies which had crucified her victims. Pitt had -decided to create an Order of Merit; England was at this time in the -thick of the war against France. Lord Liverpool was entrusted with the -task of deciding on the colours of the decoration; and one evening he -entered the Prime Minister's drawing-room, quite proud of himself and -brandishing a tricolour ribbon. - -"See," cried he, "how I have succeeded in combining colours which will -flatter the natural pride: red is the British flag; blue is the symbol -of liberty; white, the symbol of loyalty." - -All present expressed their admiration. - -"Perfect! Excellent! The King will be pleased!" they exclaimed. - -"I am sure of it," remarked Lady Hester, "but it seems to me that I have -seen that combination of colours somewhere!" - -"Where was it?" inquired Liverpool, taken aback. - -"Well, on the cockades of the French soldiers!" - -"What ought to be done, Lady Hester? I have ordered five hundred yards -of it. What use can I make of it?" - -"To keep up your breeches, my lord, when you put papers there which you -never find and which you look for at the bottom of one pocket, then at -the bottom of another, like an eel at the bottom of a fish-pond. I am -always afraid that some misfortune will happen to your breeches!" - -And when Addington (the duchess's son still) had had the fancy to have -himself created Lord Raleigh, she had conceived a pretty caricature. Her -uncle, Pitt, played the part of Queen Elizabeth, dancing a minuet with -his nose in the air; Addington, as Sir Walter Raleigh, made his -obeisance; and the King wore the costume of a Court jester! Pitt, after -indulging in roars of laughter over this description, had despatched a -dozen emissaries to all parts of London to secure, no matter at what -cost, the famous caricature, which only existed in Lady Hester's -imagination. And there was no Lord Raleigh! - -And the delicious scenes in which she caused the entire Court to pass in -review, those scenes of which she was at once author, actor and -costumer. With her the talent of imitation amounted wellnigh to genius. -She mimicked the women who were the leaders of the fashionable world, or -who had been its leaders, such as the Duchess of Devonshire: "Fu! Fu! -Fuh! what shall I do, my dear. Oh, dear! how frightened I am!" She -mimicked the duchess's visit to the Foreign Office to demand back a note -which she had sent to someone there. Perceiving a shabby little clerk, -she said to him: - -"Would you be so good, sir, as to have the kindness to give me back that -note? I am sure that you are such a perfect gentleman!..." - -Then, turning towards the person who had accompanied her, the duchess -exclaimed: - -"What fine eyes! Don't you think so? He is a handsome man, is he not?" -Just as if the staff of the Foreign Office did not understand French! - -Lady Hester made game also of the sentimental couples dear to Kotzebue. -With her hand on her heart, rolling her blue eyes, she aped the amorous -transports of the newly married, representing in a second tableau, not -less successful, the mistresses of the one and the lovers of the other. - -And the pleasant evenings when she was alone with William Pitt. The logs -blazed joyously. The lamps were low. What wonderful hours, for ever -fled, she had passed thus during nearly three years!... - -She heard William Pitt's clear voice. He was complaining of Canning, so -elusive, so unstable, so false. Lady Hester protested mildly. - -"Perhaps he is thus merely in appearance, uncle," said she, "and only -sacrifices his opinions ostensibly in order to strengthen your -reputation." - -"I have lived for twenty-five years, my child, in the midst of men of -every kind, and I have found only one human being capable of such a -sacrifice." - -"Who can that be? Is it the Duke of Richmond? Is it such or such a -person?" - -"No, it is you!" ... - -Hester plunged further into her reveries. Dear Uncle William! How he -loved her! It seemed but yesterday evening that he said to her: "Little -one, I have many good diplomatists who understand nothing of military -operations, and I have many good officers who understand not a jot about -diplomatic negotiations. If you were a man, Hester, I would send you on -the Continent with sixty thousand men and I would give you carte -blanche. And I am sure that all my plans would be executed and that all -the soldiers would have their shoes blacked." - -Lady Hester recalled the promenades on the old feudal terrace of Windsor -Castle. The King was there. All the princes and princesses revolved -about him. All at once, the King stopped and, addressing himself to -Pitt, said: - -"Pitt, I have found a Minister to replace you." - -Mr. Pitt immediately replied: - -"I am happy that Your Majesty has found someone to relieve me of the -burden of affairs; a little rest and fresh air will do me good." - -The King continued as if he were concluding his sentence and had heard -nothing: - -"A Minister better than you." - -"Your Majesty's choice cannot be other than excellent," replied Pitt, -surprised. - -The King resumed: - -"I say, then, Pitt, that I have found a better Minister and, further, a -very good general." - -Those present began to smile and to scoff stealthily at the King's -favourite. Pitt, notwithstanding his experience of the Court, felt ill -at ease. - -"Sir, will you condescend to tell me," said he, "who is this remarkable -person to whom I render the homage due to his great talent and the -choice of Your Majesty?" - -The King would show him who it was: Lady Hester on her uncle's arm! - -"Here is my new Minister," he exclaimed. "There is no person in the -kingdom who is a better statesman than Lady Hester, and, I have great -pleasure also in declaring, there is no woman who does more honour to -her sex. You have no reason to be proud of yourself, Mr. Pitt, for there -have been many Ministers before you and there will be many after you. -But you have reason to be proud of her, for she unites all that is great -in man and in woman." - -Still standing on the bridge of the ship, insensible to the wind and the -cold, Lady Hester recalled the painful circumstances which had -accompanied the death of William Pitt. How he had lain emaciated and -enfeebled in his room at Putney Hall, but always so full of hope, so -confident in the approaching cure. And in less than a week afterwards he -was resting on his death-bed. They enter, the latch is pushed, the door -is open; the familiar footsteps no longer echo on the flagstones of the -deserted corridors; the house is empty, the friends have fled, the -servants are far away, the crowd of courtiers who used to besiege the -porter's lodge dispersed, vanished, disappeared! It seemed to Lady -Hester that she was again alone with her uncle for the last time. Then -she had experienced the desertion of those who, only the day before, had -been the most faithful. For twenty years he had spent himself body and -soul for the good of the country; he had worn out his health; neglected -his fortune, employed his credit on behalf of others; and he had -received, as a last recompense, the approving sneers of those who -listened to Canning criticising and disparaging his policy and -exclaiming: "That is Pitt's glorious system!" And all the newspapers -reflected: "That is Pitt's glorious system!" Hounds rushing on the -quarry fearing lest they should lose a bite. - -Rise at an early hour, receive fifty persons, eat in haste or do not eat -at all, hurry to Windsor Castle, hurry to the House, tire our your lungs -until three in the morning. Scarcely have you returned home than Mr. -Adams arrives with a paper, then Mr. Long with another. Go to bed -then--rat-tat-tat, a despatch from Lord Melville, "On His Majesty's -service." Sleep--rat-tat-tat, thirty persons are waiting at the door. - -Lady Hester recalled the little house in Montague Square, where she had -gone to hide her grief. To have been everything and to have been only -that! To make and unmake Ministers, to distribute pensions, to mimic the -courtiers, to be insolent towards some, ironical towards others, to move -surrounded by a troupe of envious persons wreathed in smiles, of -ambitious persons bowing and scraping unceasingly, of fools gaping with -admiration, to humble the vainglorious, to unmask the hypocrites. To be -more than Minister. - -She had known the pleasure of exercising authority without control, of -commanding with the certainty of being obeyed; she had had the halo of -fame without having its reverses, and then on a sudden she was no longer -anything. Nothingness. Had she need of a shilling? Every purse was -closed. Naturally, no more horses or carriages. Were she to ride in a -hackney-coach. There was always some charitable soul to say: "Whom do -you think I have met in a hackney-coach this afternoon?" ... Did she go -on foot.... There were always well-intentioned persons to insinuate that -Lady Hester Stanhope did not walk alone for nothing.... - -Did she meet a friend and walk a few steps with him, immediately all the -neighbourhood was twittering: - -"Have you seen Lady Hester Stanhope crossing Hanover Square with such -and such a person? I wonder where they went." ... Confined in the -pillory, she was obliged, without hope of revenge, to endure the insults -of those at whom she had imprudently scoffed when intoxicated with -power. And they were so much the more to be feared since they were -enticed by the certainty of impunity. Men, like animals, soon become -vicious when they know they are the stronger. She fled from London, and -her little cottage at Builth, in Wales, was invaded in its turn by all -that clique of people who make it their business to gloat over the -misfortunes of others. - -Charles, her favourite brother, and General Sir John Moore, the only -man, except Camelford, who had ever touched her heart, were both dead. -In the garden of her hopes there was nothing but tombs. What was there -to stand in the way of her leaving England? - -Long before the man in the crow's-nest had shouted: "Land to starboard!" -Lady Hester's piercing eyes had made out a rocky point. It was Cap -Finistère--France! - -France! Her uncle Pitt had been there once, once only, between two -Parliamentary sessions. It was in the autumn of 1783. After a stay at -Rheims, at the time of the vintage, he had spent some days in Paris. The -King was at Fontainebleau and all the fashionable world far from the -capital, "with the exception of the English, who had the air of being in -possession of the town." He visited the monuments, attended the -Comédie-Française, followed a stag-hunt, appeared full of gaiety and -animation, although he became a little bored when people talked to him -of Parliamentary reform, and attracted the notice of all the -distinguished people, beginning with Queen Marie Antoinette. - -But that M. and Madame Necker should have offered him their daughter, -with an income of £14,000, was laughable. How, imbued with the Swiss -ideas on domestic happiness, could they have dared to throw their -daughter Germaine at the head of a foreigner whom they had known -scarcely a few days? In any case, Pitt's theatrical reply: "I have -already wedded my country," is nonsense. He was much more direct and, -above all, much more sarcastic, the dear uncle! - -The night fell; a mauve twilight blended with the coasts of France. Lady -Hester bent her head. She saw again a little girl seven or eight years -old who, furtively, throwing anxious glances to either side, unfastened -a boat made fast to the beach at Hastings, raised the mooring-ring, -grasped the oar with a sure hand and made for the open sea. This little -girl, whose head had been turned by the visit which the Comte -d'Adhémar, the French Ambassador, had paid Lord Stanhope, captivated by -the plumed hats of the well-fed lackeys, flattered by the courteous -manners and sweeping bows of the Count, had decided to go to France, to -see what was happening there. - -She had been overtaken far from the land. How well Hester recognised -that little adventurous girl!... - -But the first stars were shining in the clear sky, and this tall woman -in mourning, who had remained motionless for hours, watching without -seeing them the varying sports of the grey waves, rose at last and left -the bridge while the _Jason_ bore her to the conquest of the Orient. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -MEDITERRANEAN YACHTING - - -ON a beautiful spring morning a frigate cast anchor in the Bay of -Gibraltar. Lady Hester disembarked with a young lady companion, Miss -Williams, who had been a long time in the service of the family, an -English lady's-maid, Anne Fry, a German cook and innumerable trunks. -Everyone was lodged, including the brother, at the Convent, the -residence of the Governor, Lieutenant-General Campbell. Mr. Sutton and -the doctor were obliged to find lodgings elsewhere. - -Spain was then almost entirely in the hands of the French, and it was by -no means prudent to go far from the fort. Rides on horseback could not -be indulged in except on the narrow isthmus which connected the fort -with the shore, sandy ground, which was, besides, excellent for a -gallop. The travellers also visited the fortifications. The most content -in the matter was Dr. Meryon. Consider, then, the weather was fine, the -weather was warm, the trees were green and the flowers in bud, and one -was able to bathe every day in the tepid sea, which, for an Englishman, -is important. And it was only by the merest chance that he had not -remained in England! In truth--if the weather had not been icy-cold; if -he had not missed the coach; if he had not run along the Oxford road to -overtake it; if he had not mounted the coach heated from his exertions; -if he had not caught cold; if he had not returned to London; if Cline, -the surgeon's son, had not come to see him; if he had not spoken to him -of the proposal of Lady Hester Stanhope, who was in search of a doctor, -he would be at that moment in the damp meadows of Oxford, coughing and -growing musty! You see how destiny is sometimes affected by a few -glasses of ale! And the doctor, who was a philosopher, took bathe upon -bathe with delight. There were some slight inconveniences in living on -this isolated rock: the meat was tough and bony, and vegetables were -lacking. On the other hand, there was plenty of wine, but it was bad, -which did not prevent the servants from being always drunk. - -Lady Hester did she regard this halt as a pilgrimage? In Spanish soil -slept her brother, Major Charles Stanhope, and her friend, General Sir -John Moore, killed scarcely a year earlier, in that terrible battle of -Coruña. General Moore was one of those fine types of officer which -fascinate energetic and enterprising women, combining in some fashion -their dream of heroism and virility. Very handsome in his person, tall -and admirably made, the features of the face attaining a perfection -which had nothing of insipidity about them, he had fulfilled the -promises which he gave at the age of thirteen, when his father wrote: - -"He is truly a handsome boy; he dances, rides on horseback, fences with -extraordinary skill. He draws capably, speaks and writes French very -well and has serious notions of geography, arithmetic and geometry.... -He is continually showing me how Geneva can be taken." - -The Moores were then at Geneva, which the young man was soon to leave to -travel in France, Germany and Italy. He continued to perfect his -education; the first part permitted him to render himself agreeable to -women, the second aided him in his career as an officer, at any rate it -is to be hoped that it did. The knowledge of French was useful to both. -The profession of arms was at that time a very attractive one, for -England was in the midst of the American War, while the more serious -wars of the Revolution and Empire were to follow. There was promotion to -be won and no time to stagnate in garrison towns. Young Ensign Moore -took part in all the fêtes and journeyed across the world. For an -intelligent lad to see the country is never a disagreeable thing. We -find him at Minorca in 1776, then in America in 1779. He takes part in -the famous Corsican expedition by the side of Paoli. He is sent to San -Lucia, commands a brigade at the Helder under the orders of Abercromby, -returns to Minorca, goes to Malta, takes part in the Egyptian campaign, -is very nearly going to the Indies and in 1808 is finally appointed -commander-in-chief of the troops in Spain. Accidents by the way were not -lacking. He was wounded so often that his friends surnamed him the -"unlucky one." - -In his last campaign it seems that ill-luck, indeed, pursued him. Moore -relied confidently on the resistance of the Spaniards in Madrid and was -in entire ignorance of the negotiations of Prince Castelfranco and Don -Thomas Morla to surrender the town. The admirable English army, 29,000 -strong, was concentrated at Toro and the infantry was within two hours' -march of the French, when a letter, intercepted by chance, suddenly -informed him that Napoleon had made his entry into Madrid no less than -three weeks earlier. Then began that magnificent retreat, in the depth -of winter, over 250 miles of difficult and hilly country. Hard pressed -by the enemy, the exhausted English army reached Coruña on January 16. -The embarkation was hurried on, but the enemy was already descending -from the heights in serried columns. Lord Bentinck's brigade sustained -the shock. Moore was justly applauding an heroic charge of the 50th, -under the orders of Majors Napier and Stanhope, when a bullet struck him -and shattered his shoulder. He lived until the evening. His soldiers -buried him as dawn was breaking, on a gloomy January day, and while they -were digging the grave with their bayonets the enemy's cannon began to -growl again, as if to render funeral honours to the dead. - -Moore was certainly not an ordinary officer. "His abilities and his -coolness," said Napoleon of him, "alone saved the English army of Spain -from destruction. He was a brave soldier, an excellent officer and a man -of valour. He committed some faults which were no doubt inseparable from -the difficulties in the midst of which he was struggling and occasioned -perhaps by the mistakes of his intelligence service." In the mouth of -Napoleon, rather sparing of praise, is not this the finest military -eulogium? - -What Lady Hester did not perhaps know is that her hero, during a mission -in Sicily, had nearly married Miss Caroline Fox, the daughter of General -Henry Edward Fox. He had been prevented by a chivalrous sentiment in -thinking of the difference of age which existed between the young girl -and himself. And also, to be candid, by the fear of being indebted to -his high position for a heart which he aspired to owe only to himself. -Singular scruple when we reflect that the general was then forty-five -years old! - -Would Lady Hester have continued to wear the miniature of the brilliant -officer and to drag it with her in her peregrinations across the Orient, -if she had been acquainted with this trifling detail? It is probable -that she did not lack kind lady friends too happy to furnish her with -abundant information on this subject. But General Moore was dead, and -survivors have a tendency to idealise those who are no longer there to -contradict them.... - -Soon Captain Stanhope received orders to rejoin his regiment. Mr. Sutton -left for Minorca, whither his affairs called him. Lady Hester, tired of -garrison life, took advantage of the offer which was made her by Captain -Whitby, commander of the _Cerberus_, to convey her to Malta. Her -departure took place on April 7. - -A fortnight later Lady Hester disembarked at Valetta. She was expected -at Malta, and several notabilities solicited the honour of entertaining -her. She chose the house of Mr. Fernandez, the commissary-general. The -town presented an agreeable prospect with its wide streets intersecting -one another at right angles and the low houses with their flat roofs. - -The doctor found life good; well lodged, well fed, he appreciated the -daily fare. Meals allowed three complete services and five to ten -different wines, and were followed by coffee and liqueurs, as in France. - -He wandered, amused, across Valetta, followed by a troupe of naked and -dusty children, jostled by the Maltese, whose woolly hair, olive skin -and flat noses caused him to dream already of barbarian countries, -passing the women with their shawls of black silk placed on the head, -descending in graceful folds, which enveloped the body and half-veiled -the face. Little, at least they appeared so to him, for daily life with -Lady Hester was obliged to distort a little the accurate computation of -figures, their feet and hands admirable, he compared them _in petto_, in -taking away their necklaces, bracelets and chains with which they were -overloaded, to little English serving-maids, without any offensive -intention on his part, but because he could not find, in his national -pride, a better comparison to express the admiration with which their -plump arms and their full figures inspired him. - -He walked also in the magnificent Cathedral of San Giovanni, whose -pavement in mosaics of glistening colours gave him the illusion of -walking on the pictures from the gallery of the Louvre taken from their -frames and sewn together. And then what fêtes! So long as Lord Bute was -Governor of the island the doctor had to stand aside. Constantly Lady -Hester said to him: "Doctor, I am dining this evening with Lord Bute; -you are not invited, but do not regret that, for he is a haughty man who -does not like doctors and tutors to open their mouths before he -addresses them. Also take advantage of my absence to invite whomever you -like to dine with you; I have given orders to Franz (the German cook)." - -At the end of May, this Governor who had such bad taste was recalled, -and General Oakes, who succeeded him, was a very worthy gentleman. Never -will the doctor see again such brilliant receptions.... Malta was then -the fashion; the Neapolitan nobility, which had refused to recognise the -usurper Murat, had flowed back there _en masse_, and the English, always -travelling, and to whom the Continental blockade, in closing Europe to -them, had given a revival of restlessness, had no choice and preferred -still the mild climate of Valetta to the London fog so much vaunted. - -There were every day dinners of sixty covers at the Governor's palace. -The thousands of candles which the silver cressets and the chased -candelabra supported did not succeed in lighting the monumental -staircase; they illuminated the line of salons, plunged into the depths -of the hall, lingered over the faded brocades and the old tapestries, -glided over the waves of the mural frescoes representing a naval combat -between the Christian Knights and the Moors, caressed the dark tresses -of the beautiful Neapolitan ladies, flashed on the laced uniforms of the -English officers of the garrison, played on the gala costumes, -magnificent and strange, of the Greek and Levantine Navy, to glitter -finally on the blonde hair of Lady Hester Stanhope, whose haughty head -dominated this picturesque medley of races. At the supper which followed -the ball, a table was arranged on a dais, which reminded the doctor of -Oxford University.... But what a difference! One evening did he not -accompany a lady of high and authentic rank, and, sitting by her, did he -not find himself separated from the Governor, who was flanked on the -right by the Duchesse of Pienna and on the left by Lady Hester, by the -width of the table, not by the length--the width you must clearly -understand? And with a score of lords, dukes, marquises and counts all -around! - -The summer came. Lady Hester accepted the kind offer of General Oakes, -who placed at her disposal the Palazzo San Antonio, a few miles from -Valetta. The palace was a large building, flanked by a tower simulating -a belfry. The interior was spacious and well ventilated, but the total -absence of rugs and carpets, in order to keep it cool, gave the doctor -the impression of being always on the floor of the kitchen. - -What was wonderful there were the gardens. The place recalled that of -the Orangery at Versailles, but never will the most assiduous care be -able, in the French climate, to obtain orange-trees, lemon-trees and -pomegranate-trees so vigorous and so beautiful. What magnificent -shooting of the sap towards the sun, expanding in domes of glistening -leaves, in flowers of purple, in fruits of gold! Double oleanders, of -the shape of hazel-trees, diffused their bitter and sharp odour. Hedges -of myrtle ten feet high separated thickets of giant roses and bound a -terrace, forming a colonnade where the vine suspended itself in arches -and mingled its ripe grapes with the green branches. - -Many foreigners and English people touched at Malta; amongst them Mr. -Michael Bruce, the bold Colonel Bruce who, with the assistance of Sir -Robert Wilson and Mr. Hutchinson, had succeeded in contriving the escape -of Lavalette, on the eve of his execution, and in enabling him to cross -the frontier. Learning that Lady Stanhope's brother had been recalled by -his military duties, he resolved to take his place near her and to -accompany her throughout the perilous journey which she had resolved to -undertake across European and Asiatic Turkey. Sweet solicitude! - -Soon the heat became infernal. They were in the month of August, and the -thermometer registered 85 degrees Fahrenheit at midday. Lady Hester, who -had lost appetite and suffered from acute indigestion, decided to go to -Constantinople, the only corner of Europe accessible to the English. -Sicily, which had for a moment attracted her, was threatened by an -invasion of Murat. - -Not being able to obtain a King's ship, an American brig, the -_Belle-Poule_, was hired to cross the Ionian Sea. Miss Williams remained -at Malta with her sister, who was married to a commissariat officer. - -The travellers touched at the Isle of Zante, the flower of the Levant, -the golden isle, which the English had conquered the previous year at -the same time as Ithaca, Cerigo and Cephalonia. What an enchanting -vision greeted them on entering the harbour! On the right, at the foot -of a wooded mountain, lay the white houses of a delicious little town -hidden in the olive woods of a light and vaporish grey; and tall and -sombre cypress-trees climbed across the fields of wild vine to the -assault of the citadel which dominated and completed this dream -landscape. It was the time of the raisin harvest, and women with faces -much painted, a layer of white about their lips, were drying the grapes -in the warm sun of the Orient which blackens the skins, swollen with -juice, in a few days. - -One ought not to remain too long in too beautiful countries. Their -complete perfection produces insensibly an ennui which paralyses and a -depression of the mind which leads too quickly to yawning admiration, -then to torpor. It is perhaps for that reason that the great artists, -the great workers, those who produce and struggle, avoid the enchanted -lands of the South, where beauty is an easy conquest within the reach of -all. Lady Hester, who cared only for action, stayed a fortnight at -Zante; and on August 23 a felucca brought her to Patras. There she was -rejoined by the Marquis of Sligo, whose yacht was wandering across the -Mediterranean. The marquis joined himself as well to the expedition. Yet -a new bodyguard! - -At Corinth, Lady Stanhope received a visit from the Bey's harem. The -interpreter begged the men to retire, but Lord Sligo, Bruce and the -doctor thought that now or never was their opportunity to admire the -Turkish beauties to the life. A bey, whose will was law throughout the -province, ought not to choose ugly women to beguile his hours of -leisure. They concealed themselves, therefore, behind a wainscot whose -kind crevices permitted them to see without being seen. - -The women, placed at their ease by Lady Hester's kind reception, began -soon to unveil and to throw off their ferigees. Some were pretty and -stretched themselves on the sofa in studied attitudes. They communicated -with Lady Hester by signs and gestures. Intrigued by her strange -garments, they began to discuss in detail the different parts of her -costume and to compare them with their own, curious to understand -European lingerie. Unaware that they were spied upon by the men's eyes, -they uncovered their feet bare to the heel, reddened by henna, and their -white bosoms which the Turkish robes, loose at the neck and shoulder, -allowed one to see. They quickly became familiar, their gestures, in -default of words, were more expressive. Lady Stanhope was very -embarrassed at the disagreeable situation in which the curiosity of her -friends had placed her. To extricate her in time from this difficulty -and judging that they had seen enough, they gave vent to stifled -laughter. Instantly, as though struck by an electric shock, the young -women resumed their veils over their ferigees, their gaiety fled away -and they imperiously demanded, by signs, the explanation of these -mysterious sounds. This time it was the position of Sligo, Bruce and -Meryon which was critical; if the bey came to learn of the adventure, -his vengeance would not tarry. Lady Hester, with great sang-froid, -reassured the women and succeeded in pacifying them; but, soon -afterwards, they rose to depart, thinking, without any doubt, that it -was better to be silent and not to draw upon themselves the suspicion of -their lord and master, jealous like every self-respecting Turk. - -Having passed the Isthmus of Corinth on horseback, Lady Hester and her -suite, which amounted to twenty-five persons--Lord Sligo having for his -share: a Tartar, two Albanians, with their yataghans by their sides, a -dragoman, a Turkish cook, an artist to sketch picturesque scenery and -costumes (the photographer of the time), and three English servants in -livery and one without livery!--embarked at Kenkri for Athens. - -The French consul at Janina, François Pouqueville, was looking forward -to Lady Hester's visit. - -"Greece is therefore now the country whither the English flock to cure -the spleen," he writes on October 8, 1810. "One sees only mylords, -princes, but what one would never have expected there is the -'_mi-carême_,' yes, the '_mi-carême_.' She is a great lady of forty -years and more, relative or aunt of Mr. Pitt, attacked by the twofold -malady of antiquity and celebrity, who has appeared on the horizon. The -said lady, guarded by a doctor and two lackeys, has debouched in the -Morea. We are assured that she intends to make the pilgrimage to -Thyrinth, where was that fountain into which Juno, the '_mi-carême_' of -Olympus, used to descend every year to bathe and from which she used to -emerge a maiden. From the lustral waters, our traveller will visit -Thermopylæ, will make a survey of Pharsalia, where her -great-grandfather beat Pompey, and will come like 'my aunt Aurore' to -sentimentalise under the arbours of Tempea. I await her on the shores of -Acherusia.[1] We shall see this Fate." - -The gallant consul lost his time and money the "_mi-carême_" did not -come to Janina. - -On their arrival at the Piræus, the travellers saw a man who was -flinging himself from the great mole into the sea. The exploits of Byron -repeating Leander's achievement and crossing the Hellespont by swimming, -had already come to their ears. Lord Sligo felt sure that he recognised -him in this bold diver and hailed him. Byron, for it was indeed he, -dressed in haste and soon came to join them. He even lent his horses to -go to Athens to find means of transport in order to fetch Lady Hester -and his numerous trunks. - -Having nothing to do, Bruce and the doctor tried to enter into relations -with a band of young veiled Turkish girls seated on the beach. The -latter, scared, took to flight, and Bruce, who had not learned enough -from his recent experience, made many signs to them to induce them to -remain. Some Turks who were lounging about the jetty muttered threats -against this enterprising Frank. He narrowly escaped getting into -mischief. - -At Athens, Lady Hester, who was an excellent organiser of comfort, -transformed in a few hours her temporary house into a pleasant home, -where every evening an agreeable little company assembled. - -Byron, who had been at college with Sligo and Bruce, was amongst the -number; but finding the manners of the hostess too despotic, he soon -grew tired. He pleaded urgent business in the Morea and did not reappear -until a few days before his departure. It is always disagreeable for -those who have fled from their country to meet their compatriots again. -It diminishes the consideration of the inhabitants, above all when these -new-comers possess illustrious rank, originality and eccentricity. Lady -Hester and Byron could compete on these three points, and this -accidental occurrence of what an Englishman hates the most in the world, -to be acquainted with another travelling Englishman, was not calculated -to establish a sympathetic intercourse. - -On Byron's side, the affair was complicated by wounded masculine vanity. -Anxious to excess concerning its beauty and its harmony, he suffered -enormously from his constant lameness. And now chance was giving him as -a rival a woman redoubtable, astonishingly attractive, notwithstanding -that she had a figure like a grenadier, and possessing two feet superbly -arched and of equal size, which did not allow themselves to be easily -forgotten! Men have never cared to meet superior women, even in the size -of their shoes. - -Lady Hester, who prided herself upon being a physiognomist, considered -his eyes defective; the only thing that pleased her was the ringlet on -his forehead. For Byron, accustomed to other conquests, this was indeed -little. As for the poet, "it is easy enough to write verses," confided -he to the doctor, "and as to the matter of ideas, God knows where you -find them! You pick up some old books which no one knows and borrow what -is inside." The man of the world and the man of letters having been -united in a general reprobation, Byron made the best of the situation: -that is to say, by separating without delay from this Britannic Juno. - -The doctor less stern, saw Byron more often. He remarked his singular -manner of entering a drawing-room, making skilful détours from chair to -chair, so far as that which he had chosen, anxious to conceal his -lameness, which this manœuvre, after all, made the more apparent. Byron -exploited this admiration in persuading the doctor to attend a young -Greek girl in whom he was greatly interested. - - -[Footnote 1: Ancient name of the Lake of Janina.] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ORIENTAL INITIATION - - -ON October 16, 1810, Lady Hester Stanhope and her companions left Athens -on board of a Greek polacca. But, having been enlightened in regard to -the skill of the mariners who, in time of storm, fold their arms, -invoking St. George and leaving Heaven to take charge of the working of -the ship, they disembarked in all haste at Erakli--the ancient -Heraclea--and Lord Sligo and Bruce proceeded to Constantinople to seek -aid. They returned with a Turkish officer provided with a firman. -Barques awaited, of that type in which the prow is shallow and the poop -pointed, with those fine bronze-chested sailors, with flowing breeches -and scarlet tarboosh, whose deep voices add to the melancholy of the -passage the charm of unknown tongues. - -On one of those November evenings which tinge the sky with delicate and -glowing roses, just when the countless minarets of the mosques of -Constantinople were fading into the night come unexpectedly, the barques -stopped at Topkhana. A sedan-chair for Lady Hester, and for the others -the walk through the steep and mountainous streets. The lugubrious -barking of the famished dogs wandering, in bands, in the deserted -quarters, the capricious flame of the lantern which precedes the -caravan, sometimes lighting up old leprous houses, at others throwing -into the shadow gardens of which hardly a glimpse could be had--it was -Pera. - -What long strolls in the narrow streets in which the absence of -carriages made the voices sound strangely! Passing between the double -hedge of merchants who seemed to watch purchasers from the depths of -their shops like spiders crouching in their webs, Lady Hester and her -friends had the impression of moving about under the jeering eyes of a -row of servants. - -One Friday, an Amazon calmly traversed the streets of Constantinople. -She was Lady Hester, who was on her way to attend the procession of the -Sultan Mahmoud so far as the mosque, and had found this convenient means -to avoid being annoyed by the populace, dirty and dusty, as could -possibly be desired. It was the first time that a woman, a European, -with face uncovered, promenaded thus equipped. It was necessary to be of -the stamp of Lady Hester, to have her contempt of opinion, her disdain -of social conventions, her insensate desire to get herself talked about, -her love of sensation, to attempt so bold an enterprise. It was -necessary to possess her tall figure, her impressive countenance, her -manly appearance, to succeed and pass without insults. The spectacle, -besides, was worth this risk. - -Janissaries, in brand-new uniforms, keep in check the crowd while the -police distribute the blows of "Korbach." First came some dozens of -water-carriers, spilling in the dust the sacred liquid, without any -stint. Then a confused and important mass of servants, equerries, -executioners. Then, surrounded by footmen, mounted on a horse -magnificently caparisoned, a man with a proud and distant air, wearing a -dark beard. "Here is the Sultan!" exclaimed the doctor and his friends. -But it was only the officer who bore the Sultan's footstool.... The -mistakes are repeated for the sword-bearer and the pipe-bearer. "This -time, it is he!" Not yet. And the Captain Pacha, the Reis Effendi, the -Kakliya Bey, the Grand Vizier, enveloped in their priceless pelisses, -the hilts of their khandjars blazing with diamonds and throwing sparks, -pass nonchalantly on their chargers, which are half-crushed beneath the -weight of the harness, casting on the people bored glances. - -On a sudden, there came the most profound silence, a silence mournful, -heavy, uneasy, and a singular murmur, monotonous and plaintive, like the -voice of the swell beating against the cliffs, rose from the prostrate -crowd--all these men, bringing the folds of their robes over their -chests with a concerted gesture, called down the blessings of Mahomet on -the Commander of the Faithful. And Mahmoud passed.... His escort, -dressed in garments of brocade plaited with golden and silver threads -and wearing plumed helmets, surrounded him with a rampart of fluttering -and nodding plumes and hid his person from the generality of mortals. -His stallion, of a snowy whiteness, disappeared beneath the -saddle-cloths and gala trappings which were studded with mother-of-pearl -and pearls and multi-coloured gems. The crowd rose again; Kislar Aga, -the Minister of Pleasures--happy Minister!--a hideous negro with a -bestial countenance, followed, surrounded by a hundred eunuchs, both -black and white. A bunch of eunuchs! Finally, a dwarf preceded three -hundred pages of haughty bearing, clad, in white satin. - -After spending a few days at Constantinople, Lady Stanhope abandoned her -house at Pera, which was too small, for a villa at Therapia. The waves -of the Bosphorus came to beat against the walls, and afar off the -transparent wintry light bathed the Asiatic coast and the shores of the -Black Sea. The visitors were numerous: Stratford Canning, English -Ambassador at the Sublime Porte; Mr. Henry Pearce, a friend of Bruce; -Mr. Taylor, who arrived from Egypt and Syria; Lord Plymouth and many -others. Constantinople was very gay; receptions and balls followed one -another, and only the dragomans, in their parti-coloured costumes, gave -to them an Oriental tinge. For the Turks rarely mix with Europeans, -fearing the length of their meals and the use of wine. - -The doctor, upon whom his profession conferred special privileges, -received invitations from the Captain Pacha's medical attendant. Meals -which might nourish the vanity, if not the stomach. The fare was not -bad, but scarcely was a dish placed upon the table than diligent -servants pounced upon it and carried it away. And then the clear water, -however pure and fresh it might be, was not a beverage which was long -endurable. - -Lady Hester was soon on a footing of intimacy with several distinguished -Turks. "One ought to see them," she wrote, "seated under the trees of a -public promenade, not distinguishing the Greek, Armenian or European -women, but looking at them _en bloc_ like sheep in a meadow." She -invited the Captain Pacha's brother to dinner, and, very quickly -familiarised with the use of knives, forks and chairs, he spent more -than half an hour at table--which is a great concession for a Turk--ate -of everything, including the good substantial English roast joints and -the heavy greasy puddings, enjoyed three or four glasses of wine and -appeared enchanted with all that his hostess offered him. It was true -that the hostess was not an ordinary one. - -To charm her hours of leisure which all these occupations did not -contrive to fill, she went to visit the ships of the Turkish fleet, in -the dress of an officer. She wanted to see everything, examined -everything in detail, ferreted everywhere and returned delighted with -her expedition. To one of her friends, who, shocked at her masculine -garments, took the liberty of reproaching her on the subject, she -retorted with her customary impetuosity: "Breeches, a military cloak and -a hat with a plume are no doubt a more indecent costume than that of -your fine madams half-naked in their ball dresses." - -From February the weather abruptly changed. Never was English spring -more severe. There was a foot of snow, and Lady Hester suffered cruelly -from the cold, for the brasiers which they carried about from one room -to another did not give even the illusion of warmth. She had a wild -desire to leave for Italy or for France, desire so much the more ardent -that the English were forbidden to enter these countries. She left no -stone unturned to approach M. de Latour-Maubourg, the French Ambassador -at Constantinople. It was a difficult task, for relations between French -and English were so strained that it was forbidden, even to private -individuals of the two nations, to have any intercourse with each other. -Lady Hester was like one of those thoroughbreds of which William Pitt -spoke. You are able to guide them with a hair and their pace is regular -and easy, but if you thwart them, they rear and become furious. The -obstacles excited instead of stopping her. She swore that she would see -M. de Latour-Maubourg, and she kept her word. She took long walks -through the Turkish country and rambled in the inextricable alleys of -Pera to throw off the scent of the spies whom Canning, become -suspicious, had launched in pursuit of her, poor devils who had never -been accustomed to such rough work. One day, when she was going to join -the French Ambassador on the shores of the Bosphorus, she was -followed ... On the morrow, Canning asked her: - -"Lady Hester, where did you spend the day yesterday?" - -She took the offensive: - -"Has not your spy informed you?" - -Canning began to laugh and lectured her: - -"If you continue, I shall be obliged to write to England." - -But Lady Hester did not allow herself to be intimidated easily. - -"Ah well," replied she, "I shall also write a letter in my style: 'Dear -Sir,--Your young and excellent Minister, in order to prove his worth, -has begun his diplomatic career by causing ladies to be followed to -their rendezvous, and so forth.'" - -During this time, Latour-Maubourg was working actively to obtain the -authorisation desired and sent letter upon letter to Paris. Meanwhile, -Lady Hester, Bruce and the doctor set out for the sulphur baths of -Broussa; Broussa the green, Broussa the divine, with its white houses -lost in the forests of pointed minarets, of tall cypress-trees and broad -plane-trees; Broussa which sleeps at the foot of Olympus in an ocean of -orchards eternally in flower and in fruit, to the thirst-quenching -sounds of the countless cascades descending from the mountains. - -Some months later, they returned to Constantinople, or rather to Bebec, -the lease of the villa at Therapia having expired. All the wealthy Turks -had their summer residences on the shores of the Bosphorus, and hours -passed, carelessly and quickly, in watching row past the richly -decorated barges, with their flashing draperies, which conveyed from -door to door the beautiful visitors. But to obtain provisions was a -difficult matter; the doctor suffered from the heat and regretted the -good dinners in the English fashion. Here there was nothing but mutton, -nothing but mutton, and if it had only been eatable! There was certainly -some fish to be had which could be fried, but the fishermen were so -powerful!... - -Lady Hester not caring to spend another winter at Constantinople and not -receiving any reply from France, decided to sail for Egypt. The climate -attracted her, and perhaps also the recollection of Moore, which urged -her to go towards the places through which he had passed. Then began for -the doctor a punishment of another kind. He had certainly succeeded as -a doctor at Constantinople. A marvellous cure, vanity quite apart, -performed on the Danish Minister, had made him the fashion. One morning -he had awakened to find himself famous. The Captain Pacha made him -attend his wife, who, after all, died. He had illustrious patients, even -the Princess Morousi, wife of the former Hospodar of Wallachia! He -became the habitué of the harems and began, as so many others had, to -taste the charm of the women of the Orient. He admired everything in -them; their skin fragrant and soft, their long hair to which the henna -imparted reddish reflections, their slight (?) embonpoint which rendered -their contours softer and accentuated the languidness of their -movements. He began a crusade against the use of European corsets, since -his deities did not wear them. And arrived at the highest point of -poetic enthusiasm, he cried: - -"The ottoman is their throne and the flower which bends its head their -model!" - -Decidedly, he was in the mood to lose the notion of the straight line! -And now all of a sudden, because this tall woman, who assuredly had not -soft movements, had decided upon it, he was obliged to depart! - -His beautiful patients brought him on his departure their fees concealed -in the embroideries which their white hands had themselves executed. And -if, in the course of his voyage, the doctor chanted the praises of the -Turks, nay, even of the Armenians, and was very cold in referring to the -Greeks, do not seek for political reasons. It is quite simply that the -first were much more generous! - -Lord Sligo, the best-hearted of men, the warmest of friends, had -returned to Malta in the course of the winter. But Lady Hester found -another escort in the person of Mr. Pearce, who solicited the honour of -joining the expedition. - -On October 23, 1811, accompanied by seven Greek servants, amongst whom -was a young man, Giorgio Dallegio, of dark complexion, active, alert, -speaking three or four languages, and who was not slow in attracting -Lady Hester's attention, the travellers embarked for Alexandria, on -board of a Greek vessel, with a Greek crew, alas! Rut they had no -choice. Contrary winds retained them near Rhodes until November 23. Four -days later, a nice little storm of the first class came on. As though -this was not enough work, they sprung a leak, and at night the master -began to shout: "All hands to the pumps." All hands to the pumps is very -quickly said, but Levantine vessels rarely possess pumps, and when they -have them they are worthless, which, by chance, was the case now. Bruce, -Pearce, the doctor and the seven servants set to work and emptied in -regular order the buckets into the sea. Lady Hester, to whom a little -air of danger was attractive, encouraged them by voice and gesture and -distributed wine, which was of more value. Day broke; the sea was of a -leaden hue, the sky of a dirty grey. The Greeks threw themselves into -the bottom of the boat, calling upon all the saints of Christianity: -"_Panagia mou! Panagia mou_!" but taking good care not to put into -action the useful proverb: "Aid thyself, Heaven will aid thee!" The -south-western point of Rhodes appeared; the vessel no longer answered to -her helm; through the rent which had grown wider the water was entering -with a sinister gurgle, weighing down the ship which, like a great gull -wounded unto death, was leaning in an alarming manner and was lying on -its side. The masts cracked. Then the master--who was no use except to -shout--roared in a voice of thunder: - -"Launch the cutter." - -Rush of twenty-five persons. The doctor had still the presence of mind -to run and fetch his fees hidden in the cabin. The wind tossed the -little vessel about like the parings of an onion; waves covered her -incessantly, and the doctor found that there were a great many "tubs" -for one man. - -The last hope of the shipwrecked was a rock half a mile away. By dint of -efforts and of savage struggles for life, they reached the reef. It was -not, however, the refuge they had longed for. The seas swept the greater -part of it; a narrow excavation was the only sheltered spot. Lady Hester -and her maid established themselves there as their right. Night came. No -water, except the waterspouts which the sky cast down without counting, -no provisions! At midnight, the wind having fallen a little, the master -suggested that he should go with the crew to fetch help from Rhodes, -adding that, if everyone wanted to come, he would answer for nothing. -Willingly or unwillingly, Lady Hester and her friends allowed them to -go, making them promise to light a fire so soon as they reached the -land. In what bitter reflections did the unfortunates indulge as they -shivered there in the darkness, rinsed by the waves, lashed by the rain, -buffeted by the wind, stupefied by the moaning voices of the raging sea! -The doctor, as he tightened his belt by a hole, did not rail against -those brutes of Greeks. At last a flame perforated the night. Then -nothing more. A timid sun succeeded in piercing the curtains of clouds, -then declined towards the horizon. It was thirty hours since the -shipwrecked had eaten anything. The doctor was sure that these brutes -had abandoned them without remorse. Suddenly, the piercing sight of Lady -Hester descried a black speck which finally became a boat. The -calumniated crew, with the exception of the master, who had preferred to -direct the rescue from a distance, was returning, bringing bread, cheese -and water. But the sailors had consoled themselves abundantly on land -with arrack; they were drunk, and their insolence increased every -minute. All the alcohol which they had consumed rendered them -indifferent to the squalls of wind and rain which had begun again. Deaf -to the entreaties of the passengers, they decided to embark forthwith. - -Lady Hester and her friends preferred to run the risk of sudden death -rather than perish slowly of inanition on that forlorn rock. They landed -safe and sound, to the general astonishment, and took refuge in a -neighbouring hamlet, miserable and leprous. Filthy houses! The English -would not have been willing to use them as pigsties. The rain penetrated -them, and the bed of manure spread on the ground exhaled a nauseating -odour. And an increasing invasion of shaggy rats and of voracious fleas! - -The doctor set out for Rhodes in all haste in order to bring back money -and provisions. The bey received him very badly, though it is true that -the doctor cut a very sorry figure in his garments of a rescued -traveller. Meantime, Lady Hester, who had endeavoured to leave the hovel -in which she was stranded, had fallen ill on the way. She had nothing by -way of luggage except General Moore's miniature, a snuff-box given her -by Lord Sligo, and two pelisses. Precious souvenirs, no doubt, but of no -utility. The consul, who was an old man of seventy-five, was unable to -do anything for them, and the bey pretended to be so poor that, after -having granted them thirty pounds, he begged them not to trouble him -further. Thirty pounds! It was little for eleven persons naked and -famished. - -The loss the most irreparable was that of the medicine chest. Finally, -however, everything was arranged. Lady Hester, whose adventurous -character accommodated itself to the unexpected, praised the Turks -warmly: "I do not know how it is done, but I am always at ease with them -and I obtain all that I ask for. As for the Greeks, it is quite -different; they are cheats, cheats...." The doctor had made a good -recruit. - -Lady Hester, who resigned herself to the misadventures of the others as -readily as she did to her own, wrote, in speaking of Bruce, Pearce and -Meryon, to one of her friends: "They are quite well; they have saved -nothing from the wreck; but do not imagine that we are melancholy, at -any rate, for we have all danced, myself included, the Pyrrhic dance -with the peasants of the villages which were on our way!" What an -exceptional character! A woman who has lost all her trunks and who -dances the Pyrrhic dance! - -The doctor, who had been despatched on a confidential mission to Smyrna, -to bring back money, without which one can do nothing in the Orient, and -clothes, without which one can go nowhere, returned with boxes and -coffers. - -Lady Hester, Bruce and Pearce threw themselves upon him like children -and arrayed themselves as fancy dictated. They donned magnificent and -strange costumes, which seemed to form part of a vast Turkish emporium. -The doctor completed his accoutrement by thrusting a yataghan through -his girdle. - -Lady Hester, finding herself very much at her ease with her Turkish -robe, her turban and her burnous, decreed that she should travel thus -henceforth. And the wearing of this masculine costume was to remove many -difficulties in permitting her to move everywhere with her face -uncovered. From his stay in Rhodes the doctor preserved two principal -recollections: first, that the English raise the cost of living wherever -they go; next, that the women of the island weave very durable silk -shirts, which can be worn for three years without tearing them. - -Captain Henry Hope, commanding the frigate _Salsette_, in the harbour of -Smyrna, having learned of Lady Hester's shipwreck, came to fetch her to -convey her to Egypt. At the beginning of February, 1812, the _Salsette_ -entered the port of Alexandria. Colonel Misset, the English Resident, -was full of kindness and attentions; he laughed till the tears came into -his eyes at the singular costumes of the travellers and gave them advice -as to their behaviour. Lady Hester took a violent dislike to the town. -"The place is hideous," said she twenty-four hours after her arrival; -"and if all Egypt resembles it, I feel that I shall not stay there -long." - -The French occupation was remembered by everyone, but the Christians of -Alexandria had peculiar taste and coldly confessed their preference for -Turkish rule. What a difference between the justice meted out by the -French and that by the Turks! With the cadi, when a man was accused of -murder, the case was not protracted. He was confronted with the -witnesses, and then and there he was either released, or imprisoned, or -bastinadoed or executed. If he were thrown into prison, the amount of -compensation was immediately fixed, at five, ten, one hundred piastres, -according to the importance of the victim and the means of the assassin. -The latter circumvented influential friends; it was necessary for the -friends to be influential. - -"Come," said they, "a thousand piastres, between us, if you say a word -for him." - -They made discreet inquiries of the Governor's mistress for the time -being, whom a diamond ring persuaded to intercede for the unfortunate -man. Entreated on the right, supplicated on the left, solicited at the -baths, tormented in his harem, harpooned by some, harassed by others, -the Governor ended by demanding mercy, remitted the fine and released -the prisoner. At any rate, they knew what to expect; it was clear, -plain, precise, if not just. While with the French--Oh! There now! A -poor little crime of no importance at all dragged on for months, for -years.... And how could you expect that a lawsuit would not be -perpetuated when there were so many notaries, so many attorneys, so many -advocates, clerks, registrars and scribes interested in prolonging. - -Lady Hester proceeded to Rosetta--town with this charming name, guarded -by its ramparts of red bricks and its groves of palm-trees, from where -she intended to ascend the course of the Nile so far as Cairo. She hired -two boats, and the wonderful voyage began. Wide, powerful, calm, -impressive and deep, it was truly the king of rivers, the river which -gives life, the river which saves.... Flotillas of earthen jars tied -together by branches followed the current of the stream. _Kanjes_ -bearing beehives, piled up in the form of pyramids, descended slowly. -They were the bees which had flown to meet the spring, and which, having -left two months earlier for the plains of Upper Egypt, where the -sainfoin and the clover were already ripening, were now returning with -their golden booty towards the Delta. The travellers met innumerable -barges with curved prows and rafts laden with big restless oxen. At the -villages they revictualled in flour, eggs and poultry. They took their -meals on board and the days slipped by like hours. Sometimes the banks -were high and the water very low, and curious persons landed to get a -view of the land. They returned very quickly towards the boat, -disappointed by the sadness and the monotony of the immense plains with -their trifling undulations, rebuffed by the hostile reception of the -hamlets: mass of mud, huts of loam, labyrinth of alleys where the foot -slips in dried camel-dung, headlong flight of the women who hide -themselves, squalling of children at the maternal heels, grumbling of -fellahs suspecting the tax-gatherers, baying of dogs, putrid odour which -rises from beings and things which decomposition lies in wait for. - -The Arabs say that if Mahomet had tasted the water of the Nile, he would -have wished to remain in this world to drink it. But the doctor -preserved his preference for the growths of France, nay, even for the -resinous wines of Chio. - -At Boulak the voyage stopped. The harbour was swarming with those tiny -donkey-drivers who make such incredible charges. Shaking their saddles -with the tall pummels decorated with tassels, mirrors and pendants, -waving their glass trinkets, decked out, ornamented, like shrines, their -mischievous eyes watching the customer, making ready to rush so soon as -they catch sight of a Turkish soldier, whose stern countenance implies -an empty purse (an astute trick of their masters!), they hailed in our -travellers a fine windfall. - -Scarcely was Lady Hester installed with Bruce in a house at Cairo than -she prepared for her visit to the pacha. She adopted for this solemn -occasion a Berber costume, of which the wild magnificence suited her -proud and independent demeanour. Trousers of dazzling silk laminated -with gold, heavy robe of purplish velvet ornamented with rude and -sumptuous embroidery, shawl of cashmere forming turban and girdle, sabre -with hilt encrusted with precious stones. It had cost her more than -£300. Bruce treated himself to a sword worth 1000 piastres. As for the -doctor, he was satisfied with the modest apparel of an Effendi. - -The Pacha sent five horses richly caparisoned in the Mameluke fashion, -on which Lady Hester and her suite mounted to go to the palace. They -alighted only in the second court. - -Mehemet Ali, who had never seen Englishwomen, was greatly delighted at -this interview, and awaited his fair visitor in a pavilion in the midst -of the gardens of the harem. He rose to go to meet her and made her sit -on divans of scarlet satin which were covered with precious -filigree-work. Mosaics rambled over the open walls, singing all the -gamut of blues: warm blues, blues deep and velvety, mauve blues, blues -with reflections of silver. Stained-glass windows muffled the light -received by the transparent enamels and arabesques of gold where slept -dead turquoises, monstrous rubies and emeralds. A jet of water fell back -weeping into a shining basin. - -Black slave girls handed crystal cups in which slowly dissolved sherbets -made of pistachio-nuts. Lady Hester refused the pipe which was offered -her; she was later on to smoke like a stove. By the aid of an -interpreter, Mehemet Ali, who was a man of slight figure and richly -dressed, talked with her for nearly an hour. This magnificent specimen -of the English race was to fill him with admiration for a country which -produced such women. Fascinated by her abnormal dimensions, attracted by -the strength, the determination and the will which could be read on her -haughty features, he compared her mentally to those comical beings who -peopled his harem and asked himself if humanity were not composed of -men, women and Englishwomen--an intermediary sex. Moreover, he reviewed -his troops before her and made her a present of a magnificent Arab -stallion. However, the handsome Mamelukes so celebrated had disappeared -in the horrible massacre of the preceding year. Abdah Bey, who was the -flower of the Court, was unwilling to be behindhand and presented her -with a thoroughbred. These two horses were sent later to England: one to -the Duke of York, for whom Lady Hester had retained a kindly preference, -the other to Viscount Ebrington, under the care of the servant Ibrahim. -Bruce was not forgotten in this exchange of compliments and received a -sabre and a cashmere. - -The spring advanced, the amusements multiplied: opening of a mummy and -extraction of a tooth in a perfect state of preservation by a French -surgeon--foolish diversion!--Egyptian dancing-girls, excursions to the -Pyramids of Gizeh under the escort of the Mamelukes. - -At length, on May 11, 1812, the faithful friends of Lady Hester: Bruce -and Pearce, who took a liking to the adventure, the doctor--who -regretted already the amber-coloured Egyptian women, moulded in their -chemises of blue cotton, Venuses tanned by the sting of a too ardent -sun--embarked at Damietta for Palestine, for Jerusalem. Two French -Mamelukes, as bodyguards, with their syces, the English lady's-maid, a -groom, three men-servants, a porter, followed. - -And all this company was not too much to transport the six great green -tents decorated with flowers, the numerous chests of palm-wood, light and -tough, which contained all the outfit of the caravan to replace what had -disappeared in the shipwreck off Rhodes. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -EXCURSION IN THE HOLY LAND - - -WHAT did Lady Hester intend to do in Syria and in Palestine? - -She did not intend to seek oblivion, for the necessity of getting -herself talked about, and the thirst for a celebrity which she strove -vainly to retain, formed part of her nature, and she never got rid of -it. - -She resembled closely her grandfather, Lord Chatham. She had not only -his grey eyes, which anger darkened strangely, and of which no one was -able, at that time, to stand the glance, but also the inexorable will, -the terrible passions, the continuous tension of the mind in the -direction of one single object without troubling about the obstacles to -be overthrown or the means employed to conquer them. - -Grattan, in the curious portrait which he has traced of the first Pitt, -wrote: "The Minister was alone. Modern degeneracy had not touched him. -An old-fashioned inflexibility governed this character which knew -neither how to alter nor to become supple.... Creator, destroyer, -reformer, he had received from Heaven all that was required to convoke -men into a social group, to break their bonds or to reform them...." -Lady Hester had inherited these astonishing gifts, which her -unconventional education had still further strengthened. Under the eyes -of her frightened governesses who had abandoned the impossible task of -making her a young girl like the others, without the knowledge of her -father and her stepmother, who, besides, were not interested in the -matter, she sprouted forth luxuriantly. In the same way as her figure -and her "little" foot, never constrained, developed magnificently, her -luminous intelligence, her originality, her energy, her rough -clear-sightedness forcibly asserted themselves. Never contradicted, she -might be proud of her qualities and of her extraordinary faults, proud -also of that indomitable character which she had alone formed and which -never inclined before anyone, ignorant at once of the art of changing -principles or that of humouring public opinion by half-loyal measures or -proceedings. - -Amongst all those wonderful women in which the eighteenth century, -according to Burke, was so fertile, Lady Hester Stanhope has a place -apart. The Duchess of Rutland, the Duchess of Gordon, the Duchess of -Devonshire, Mrs. Bouverie, the Marchioness of Salisbury, Mrs. Crewe, -Lady Bessborough, Lady Liverpool and many others, who had on their side -fortune, beauty, charm, fascination and grace, cannot be compared to -her. Morally and physically, Lady Hester is outside the picture. She is -the echo, not only of the feminine character of her time, but of the -characteristic tendencies of her age. Preoccupation with the Eastern -problem, misanthropy, taste for action, hatred of hypocrisy, love of -social questions and contempt for the people, were imperfectly embodied, -but they were embodied all the same. - -Her misfortune was to be a woman. So long as her uncle Pitt had been -near her, she had been able to imagine that she had changed her sex. She -had lived, acted and thought as a man, but as a man who would have been -a beautiful woman and whom the admiration of the crowd retains far from -the combats of politics and the struggle of life. - -William Pitt had certainly been, according to the admirable phrase of -Mirabeau, "the Minister of Preparations." He had seen the French -Revolution approaching, and long before all others he had understood the -danger of it. Joining then the fate of France--for which he entertained -neither antipathy nor hatred--with that of the Revolution, he engaged -England in that formidable struggle of which he could not foresee the -issue. Killed by "the glance of Austerlitz," he died too soon to reap -the fruit of his wonderful perspicacity. He died, above all, too soon -for Hester Stanhope, whose future he had not assured. There did not -fail, certainly, statesmen behind whom a pretty woman was bestirring -herself, champion of their policy, to cite only that charming Georgina -Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire, who displayed in Fox's favour an -indomitable energy, not fearing to splash about in the mud and kiss -butchers with her patrician lips in order to exercise the omnipotence of -her persuasion over the Westminster shopkeepers at the time of the -famous elections of 1784. So well that Pitt was to write to Wilberforce, -who was anxious: "Westminster is going well in spite of the Duchess of -Devonshire and other women of the people, but it is not known yet when -the voting will be finished." - -But the statesman chosen was only a screen which permitted the spirit of -intrigue which breathed amongst the great ladies of the English -aristocracy to have free course. For Lady Hester, William Pitt was the -reason of existence. When he disappeared, what was she able to do? - -He said to his niece, after having lived a long time with her, that he -did not know whether she were more at her ease in the whirlpool of -pleasures and fêtes, in the perplexity of politics or in the most -profound solitude. Sometimes, in fact, Lady Hester went into Society -eagerly and carried into the world her extraordinary brilliancy, her -satire, humour and her biting wit, feared almost as much as the strokes -of Gilray's pencil. Sometimes, she shut herself up with her uncle, -serving him as secretary, astonishing him by the correctness of her -judgment, by the comprehension and knowledge of men which this child of -twenty years possessed, and without which the finest gifts of the -understanding are reduced to sterility and do not descend from the -domain of pure ideas to that of reality. Sometimes, she fled to Walmer -Castle; and there, occupying herself in causing trees to be planted, in -designing gardens, she bathed in silence and meditation. But now the -world, she was surfeited with it!... She had just experienced the -fragility of its infatuations. Politics! She was henceforth outside -everything, and she had to witness the triumph of Pitt's enemies, the -forgetfulness of his services. This power of money would have been -necessary in order to struggle against the coteries of the drawing-room, -the personal enmities which she had created. And she had only the -pension of £1200 granted her in accordance with Pitt's last wish. There -remained retirement. For the conquered, retirement is unendurable in the -places which were witnesses of their past successes, unless they are -surrounded by dear friends whose presence consoles them and makes them -forget. Lord Camelford, whom she had thought for a moment of marrying, -had quarrelled with the Pitts over a matter of money; he had given his -sister--which assuredly he had the right to do--an estate which Lord -Chatham hoped to inherit. Sir John Moore had just been killed. She -dreamed of far-off solitudes, and she thought of undertaking an -expedition which would cover her name with glory and whose fame would -reach England. - -Horace Walpole, an unsparing critic of his contemporaries, said of -Chatham that he was "master of all the arts of dissimulation, slave of -his passions, and that he simulated even extravagance to insure -success." Under the smoke of gossip and tittle-tattle he hatches always -a fire of truth. The second part of the portrait can apply as well to -the granddaughter as to the grandfather. Lady Hester was enslaved by a -redoubtable passion: ambition, and ambition without object. Well women -incarnate almost always their aspirations, their desires, their -admirations and their hatreds in living beings and real things: concrete -which, after being the symbol of the abstract, is confounded with it to -make only one. Lady Hester did not escape the common rule; solitude -became little by little the means of getting herself still talked about; -then became peopled by escorts, caravans and Arab chiefs; her ambition -was not quicker than hatred of her enemies and disgust of England, and -she determined upon this journey across the unknown East, journey which -would serve at once her need of solitude and of celebrity in astonishing -the world. Only, she possessed--as much on the side of Pitt as of -Stanhope--a slight taste for eccentricity. She had no need to simulate -an extravagance, which was natural to her; she was inclined to do -nothing like other people. - -Unconsciously also, a mysterious reason urged Lady Hester to choose -Syria, and particularly Jerusalem, for the theatre of her exploits. It -was nothing less than a prediction of Brothers. A figure strange, this -Brothers, who created a sensation towards the end of the eighteenth -century. - -A former lieutenant in the Navy, his imagination became disordered in -meditating upon the most obscure passages of the Apocalypse; the endless -leisure which voyages permit are truly pernicious for feeble minds.... -He soon abandoned his career and modestly assumed the title of "Nephew -of God and Prince of the Hebrews," consecrating himself entirely to the -divine mission which he believed he had received. He lived in an -agreeable hallucination. "After which, being in a vision," said he, "I -saw the angel of God by my side, and Satan, who was walking carelessly -in the streets of London." Even when quite mad the English preserve a -sense of humour! - -So long as Brothers contented himself with predicting the approaching -destruction of London and the restoration of the Kingdom of Judea, the -Government did not trouble, but the situation changed when the vague -prophecies were transformed into imperious advice to the King: - -"The Eternal God commands me to make known to you, George III, King of -England, that immediately after the revelation of my person to the -Hebrews of London as their prince, and to all the nations as their -governor, you must lay down your crown, in order that all your power and -your authority may cease." - -But no time was lost in sending this troublesome person to Bedlam. -Before going, he bestirred himself so much and to such good purpose to -obtain a visit from Lady Hester that this singular request reached the -ears of Pitt's niece. Curious to make the acquaintance of the prophet, -she hastened to accede to his wish. Brothers solemnly predicted to her -that "she would go one day to Jerusalem, and would lead the Chosen -People; that on her arrival in the Holy Land there would be upheavals in -the world and that she would pass seven years in the desert." While she -was rusticating at Brousse, two Englishmen, who were passing through it -and who knew the prophecy, amused themselves about her great future. -"You will go to Jerusalem, Lady Hester," said they; "you will go. -Esther, Queen of the Jews! Hester, Queen of the Jews!" - -Did the coincidence of the names strike her, or did this programme -fascinate her by its novelty? Did she consider Brothers as an -inoffensive lunatic or as a visionary of genius? She was not yet the -sorceress of Djoun, believing firmly in magicians and enchanted -serpents. But many sensible men, such as William Sharp, who had even -given to the world a fine engraving of the prophet, with these words: -"Believing firmly that this is the man chosen of God, I have engraved -his portrait," and as Mr. Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, an Indian official -and translator of the code of Geptoo laws, if it please you, had -publicly proclaimed themselves his disciples. - -However that may be, Lady Hester took, with the handsome Colonel Bruce, -the road to Jerusalem, wearing the costume of the Egyptian Mamelukes: -short bolero of red satin, purple tunic without sleeves, gallooned with -gold, wide trousers of which the multiple folds had the thickness of -drapery, cashmere shawl twisting like a turban around her head. All that -formed a symphony of red, which blazed forth when she partially opened -the great white burnous which hid her entirely during her ramblings on -horseback. They only proceeded so far as Jaffa; Jaffa which bathes the -foot of its dirty houses in the sea, and which the pilgrims returning -from Jerusalem, after the Easter festival, fill with confusion and -noise, transforming the little dead town of fishermen into a comical -fair in which all the idioms of creation are entangled. - -They were received by the English consular agent. He was a person called -Damiani, a compromise between the patriarch and the Italian merchant, -but in which the patriarch held the upper hand, an active man of sixty, -wearing a singular costume: an old Eastern robe of sky-blue, lined with -ermine, dirty trousers from which burst out two grey legs, head-dress -_à la française_, that is to say, hair worn in a thick iron-grey -queue, and above all ... above all, an immense three-cornered hat, -polished by the years, soaked with sweat and dust since the Egyptian -campaign. Three-cornered hat which was to amuse royally the Princess of -Wales during her famous journey to Jerusalem, and which was to make -Alphonse de Lamartine smile gently twenty years later. - -Mohammed Aga, Governor of Jaffa, believing that it was an affair of some -pious lady of little importance, was hardly civil and did not facilitate -in any way the organisation of the caravan. Lady Hester never forgave -him. - -On May 18, 1812, eleven camels and thirteen horses left the town, -conveying the travellers, save Pearce, who was keeping apart. By Gudd -and Ramle they made their way towards the Holy City. It was -harvest-time. Armed with short reaping-hooks, the peasants cut the -barley, fresh barley which formed in the arid landscape islets of shade -and points of velvet on which the eye lingered. Naked gold-coloured -children followed the horses to offer some ears of corn in exchange for -a serious backsheesh, and the doctor, in throwing them the piastres, -declared sadly that no people knew better how to extort presents. - -The mountains assumed a severe aspect. The path plunged into the rock -like a nail into a wall. They reached a village amongst the fig-trees, -where they were courteously received by the king of the mountain, the -great sheik Abu Ghosh, who held in his hands the keys of Jerusalem. -Detested by the surrounding pachas, feared by the travellers, he lived -in independent existence in the midst of his hardy and brave -mountaineers. Imposing dues at his pleasure upon the caravans, holding -the pilgrims to ransom, levying taxes upon the convents, compelling the -monks to bring out their little savings, he reigned without dispute over -the mountains of Judea, from Ramle to Jerusalem, from Hebron to Jericho. -Abu Ghosh was one of the most astonished of men to see a European woman -arrive, surrounded by so numerous a suite, mounted on excellent horses. -Ordinarily, the travellers contented themselves with wretched animals -and clothed themselves in rags to pass unnoticed. The sheik, delighted -to make the acquaintance of an English princess and fascinated by the -haughty dignity of her manners, treated her very well. His four wives -hastened to cook a delicate supper: vine-leaves filled with meat, -stuffed pumpkins, roast mutton, chicken swimming in an ocean of boiled -rice. - -And the doctor thought sadly that this modest repast was the highest -point of the culinary art of the Arabs. - -When night came, Abu Ghosh installed himself with his pipes and his -wives at the corner of the fire and watched over the sleep of the woman -who had committed herself to his care. Early in the morning they -separated as friends, and one of the sheik's brothers protected Lady -Hester so far as Jerusalem. - -Monotony of a poor land, and all at once, like a town of clouds, an -apparition of the Middle Ages, loopholed walls and belfries, belfries -and cupolas!... After having vigorously driven away the dragomans of the -Franciscan monastery who clung to them tenaciously, and pointed them out -in advance to Turkish cupidity, Lady Hester wandered into Jerusalem as -her fancies dictated. - -Accompanied by twenty horsemen, she made her way to Kengi-Ahmed, -governor of the town. The seraglio partly opened its grated windows, -eyelids closed by an unconquerable sleep on the Mosque of Omar, the holy -mosque with its Persian and blue mosaics surrounded by gardens of -cypress-trees. She went to the Holy Sepulchre, and her visit was not -characterised by the meditation usually associated with a pilgrimage, -not even with a pilgrimage undertaken for artistic purposes. The monks -had, contrary to their custom, closed the doors of the church. They -solemnly opened them and came in procession to meet her carrying lighted -candles. The crowd, curious to see the spectacle, collected and -vociferated in chorus. The police kept it at a distance by blows from -cudgels. Lady Hester relieved the necessities of a Mameluke who had -escaped the previous year from the Cairo massacre. When Emin Bey--that -was his name--had heard the first shots fired by the Albanian soldiers -massed on the walls, when the great slaughter had begun, he had -comprehended that his only chance of safety lay in headlong flight. Then -he had driven his spurs into his horse's flanks, and raising the animal, -which was rearing and neighing with terror, he had leaped from the -platform facing the citadel to the foot of the ramparts--a leap of -forty-five or sixty feet. He had afterwards succeeded in reaching -Jerusalem by the desert, not without having been first overpowered and -robbed by the guides who conducted him. Since that time he had stooped -to live on alms. - -She sauntered in the infamous alleys of the Ghetto (Was it necessary to -facilitate Brothers' task?), meeting children oldish-looking and -shrivelled, the Jews of Central Europe with their orange-coloured -greatcoats, wearing their tall skin caps and their abject air. - -On May 30, Lady Stanhope, after a visit to Bethlehem, village of Judea, -over which hover the glad memories of the Christ, where long lines of -women defile like shadows, wearing with serene gravity their horned -head-dresses and their trailing blue robes, reached St. Jean d'Acre by -way of Atlitt beach, on which are engulfed the last vestiges of Pelerin -Castle, and Haifa in the shadow of Mount Carmel. The road soon became -more frequented. It was marked out by carcases. It seemed a giant -abattoir. Dead horses, of which the inhabitants of the town had got rid; -camels which had fallen exhausted on returning from a distant journey -sick asses despatched on the spot. From this charnel-house issued an -acrid and warm odour which turned the stomach. As the caravan passed, -clouds of blue flies buzzed by in clusters, and yellow dogs fled -growling and watched from a distance these intruders who came to share -in their festival banquet. The sun burned with a malicious pleasure -these heads half gnawed away, these eviscerated bodies, this greenish -flesh. And the old bones, already picked clean by the jackals and washed -by the rains, sparkled here and there, like great white flowers on the -fields of corruption. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -IN THE COUNTRY OF DJEZZAR PACHA -AND THE EMIR BECHIR - - -ST. JEAN D'ACRE stretches out into the sea like a greyhound which -stretches himself lazily in the sun. The tiny harbour seemed to have -been scooped out to satisfy the caprice of some royal child. The mosque, -Jama-el-Geydd, darted towards the sky, throwing like an imperious prayer -its threatening minaret, and the multitude of the palm-trees crowded -around it. And when the evening brought the sea breeze, they lamented -and moaned like men, and the hushed waters in their marble fountains -wept in distant echo in the sacred court. This mosque was one of the -most beautiful of the Syrian coast, the antique debris of Ascalon and -Cæsarea having covered with diversified mosaics, porphyry and jade the -walls and floor. Amidst the verdure of the inner gardens roamed in a -blaze of red and yellow flowers, the basins of painted earthenware, the -santons and the tombs. - -Lady Hester was the guest of Mr. Catafago, a personage in Syria, whom -his title of agents of Europeans, his trading and his riches, had -rendered celebrated. With his intelligent and keen countenance, his air -of authority, his flashing eyes, this man had acquired an extraordinary -ascendency over the Arabs and the Turks. It was he who facilitated -Lamartine's journey in the Holy Land, and rendered it, if not -comfortable, at least possible. - -Lady Hester, in strolling through the town, was astonished to meet a -number of people with faces atrociously mutilated. Some had no nose; to -others a ear was wanting, sometimes two; several were one-eyed. Puzzled, -she made inquiries of Hadji Ali, a janissary of St. Jean d'Acre, whom -she had promoted to the high rank of inspector of the luggage. Former -soldier of Djezzar Pacha, he had his memory haunted by nightmare -visions, and related concerning his master ghastly stories. Although he -had been dead for four years, the inhabitants were hardly beginning to -emerge from the Red Terror under which they had lived and to breathe -more freely. Ahmed Djezzar was born in Bosnia. At the age of sixteen he -left Bosnia and went to Constantinople, and afterwards to Cairo. There, -bought by Ali Bey for his Mamelukes, he specialised with so much -enthusiasm in missions of assassination that he acquired his redoubtable -surname of Djezzar (slaughterer). Having, by chance, refused to put to -death a friend of Ali, he took to flight to escape his vengeance. - -He made his way to the Druses, where he received hospitality from the -Emir Yusef, who appointed him Aga, then governor of Bairout. Djezzar -betrayed him. Yusef, furious, made an alliance with Dahers, sheik of one -of the Arab tribes of the coast. Besieged in the town, Djezzar defended -himself like a devil, walled up twenty Christians alive in his walls to -render them more solid, and surrendered finally to Dahers, who, -fascinated by his courage, gave him his friendship and the command of an -expedition to Palestine. Unhappy idea! Djezzar went over to the Turks -again. And, a little later, a war having broken out between the pachas -of Syria and the Porte, he was ordered to reduce St. Jean d'Acre. His -knowledge of the country having assured success, he surprised Dahers and -killed him with his own hand. - -Appointed afterwards pacha of Acre and Sidon, then of Damascus, he was -able to abandon himself without restraint to his sanguinary tastes and -to his love of butchery. Traitor to his country, to his benefactors, -sold to the highest bidders, vile and dishonourable, he lived peacefully -until the age of eighty-eight, when the dagger of a relative of one of -his numerous victims came to put an end to his exploits. - -Amidst the annals of Turkish history, so heavy with murders and cruel -massacres, so stained with blood, so filled with the lamentations of -thousands of unhappy people put to torture, Djezzar's reign shone with a -singular brightness. - -Hadji Ali showed Lady Hester the pavilion which Djezzar Pacha usually -occupied. He used to have his divan placed near the window and to watch -the street. Did he catch sight of a passer-by whose face, clothing or -figure displeased him, he sent to fetch him. If the unhappy man -attempted resistance, the officer, who did not care to incur his -master's anger, used force. When he was brought, more dead than alive, -before Djezzar, the latter said to him: "Thy face does not please me," -or, "Thou hast an evil eye," or again, in turning towards the -executioner, who followed him like his shadow: "A fellow so ugly is -unworthy to live; he is surely a child of the devil." And for love of -art he caused ears, noses and heads to be cut off. - -Sometimes he showed an amiable caprice. His guards having arrested all -the persons who were passing along the principal street of St. Jean -d'Acre at a certain hour, he had them drawn up on either side of his -divan, indiscriminately, and after having gloated for a time over their -mortal agony, he pronounced sentence in an indifferent voice: "Let the -prisoners on the right be hanged and let an ample breakfast be provided -for those on the left!" - -One day, when the barber, who was ordered to pluck out an eye from a -passing stranger, hesitated for a moment, Djezzar said: "Oh! Oh! thou -art squeamish! Perhaps, it is because thou knowest not how to do it. -Come here; I am going to teach thee." And the pacha, plunging the -forefinger of his right hand into the orbit, threw the man's eye on to -his face. - -The recital of such atrocities would pass for a tale in the style of -Bluebeard if the slashed faces of hundreds of men did not attest the -frightful reality of it. It is useful for the moment to show how the -varnish of Eastern civilisation cracks to allow us to catch a glimpse of -the abysses of cruelty and barbarism unknown to European mentality. - -St. Jean d'Acre was at that time the only town in Syria where the -shopkeepers were not tempted to rob their customers or to use false -weights and false measures. Caught in the act, they were, in fact, -nailed by the tongue to the doors of their shops. The butchers enjoyed -favourable treatment: they were suspended from the crooked iron hooks -intended to suspend the choice morsels. - -But the recollection the most horrible, which still caused the narrator -to lower his voice, as though the terrible pacha was concealed in order -to listen to him, was that of the Mameluke mutiny. - -Djezzar, as Pacha of Damascus, had every year to escort the pilgrims to -Mecca. He had brought with him half his Mamelukes, about two hundred. -The others remained at St. Jean d'Acre under the command of his -Khasnadar, who had been appointed regent in his absence. Well, the white -beauties of his harem--they numbered a hundred, it was whispered--became -very bored, and the eunuchs, relaxing their vigilance, the Mamelukes -forced the doors of the women's apartments. The Khasnadar reserved for -himself the pacha's favourite, Zulyka. Hardly had the pacha returned -than he found in the ladies of his harem a perceptible change. From -observation to suspicion was but a step, which Djezzar quickly took. The -attitude of the Mamelukes appeared to him suspicious, and he resolved to -make an example which would in future prevent the most bold from -attempting his honour. - -In order to separate the innocent from the guilty, he ordered Selim, the -Khasnadar's brother, to assemble the troops at Khan Hasbeiya, giving as -a pretext an expedition against the Emir Yusef. The Hawarys, the -Arnautes, the Dellatis, all the garrison of the town, rejoined their -concentration camps. The two hundred Mamelukes, whom he had mentally -sacrificed, alone remained at St. Jean d'Acre. Proof alone was wanting. -Chance undertook to furnish him with it. - -Happening to be one day near the famous window, he saw an old man who, -with a nosegay in his hand, knocked at the door of the harem and handed -it to a slave. Well, flowers are, in the East, the language of love; -letters and messengers are too dangerous to make use of, and carnations, -lilies and roses serve as billets-doux. On entering the women's -apartments, Djezzar saw the nosegay in the hands of the charming Zulyka. - -A new Methridates, he compelled Momene to confess her love. - -"Come here, little girl," said he to her; "where didst thou get that -nosegay?" - -She replied very quickly: - -"I gathered it in the garden." - -The pacha assumed an indulgent air. - -"Come, come!" he rejoined, "I am better informed than thee. I saw the -Christian Nummun who was bringing it. Tell me, my child, who is thy -lover, and I will see if I can give thee him in marriage. I intend to -find a husband for thee." - -The imprudent Zulyka took him seriously and mentioned the Khasnadar's -name. - -Then, changing countenance, Djezzar rushed upon her and, seizing her by -the hair, dragged her to the ground. - -"Wretch!" cried he, "confess the truth. Thou hast already avowed thy -crime, and only the denunciation of thy accomplices can still save -thee." - -In vain Zulyka protested and cried out that she was innocent. With a -blow of his scimitar he cut off her head. - -An order was given to four Hawarys soldiers, who went into the harem and -began their work of death. At the shrieks of the women, the Mamelukes, -who were in the courtyard of the seraglio, understood that something -serious was happening. Seizing their arms, they shut themselves up in -the Khasnadar's apartments, which formed an isolated tower, provided -with doors studded with iron and solid bars to protect the treasure. -They blocked up all the outlets and waited. - -It was then that the drama grew serious. Djezzar, furious, summoned them -to evacuate the place. Their reply was frank. - -"We belong to thee, it is true. But thou hast so often steeped thy hands -in human blood, and thou art so thirsty for ours, that our resolution is -irrevocably taken." - -And as the powder magazine communicated with the treasury, they added: - -"If you attempt to dislodge us, we shall defend ourselves until our -ammunition is exhausted, and then we shall set fire to the powder. And -our death will be followed by the fall of Djezzar and the destruction of -St. Jean d'Acre. But if you allow us to depart safe and sound, we shall -abandon all idea of vengeance, and you will never hear our names -mentioned again." - -The pacha fell into a violent rage; some women he caused to be thrown -into a trench filled with quicklime; others were sewn up in sacks and -cast into the sea. The inhabitants lived in mortal terror and burrowed -in their houses. - -One night, the Mamelukes, taking the ropes which bound the ingots of -gold, and sawing through the bars, succeeded in effecting their escape, -not without having made a large breach in the treasury. Exhausted, -breathless, their clothes in rags, their hands stained with blood, they -arrived at Khan Hasbeiya. Horrified at the sight they presented, Selim -hastened to take his brother's side. The rebellion spread from place to -place, and all the troops rose in revolt against Djezzar. Allying -themselves with the Druses of Yusef, they seized Sidon and Tyre and -marched on St. Jean d'Acre. Djezzar's situation was critical; but, -though abandoned by all, he remained firm as a rock. His counsellors, -whom his approaching fall incited to courage, urged him to abdicate in -order to save the town from the sufferings of a siege. - -"Go, my friends, God will arrange everything," replied he in a bantering -tone, "and I shall have at some not distant day the pleasure of thanking -you for your prudent counsels!" - -Understanding the part which morale plays even in the best organised -army, he spread, by the aid of emissaries and spies cleverly instructed, -ideas of defeat in the enemy's camp. - -By cunning speeches he gained over to his cause some inhabitants of Acre -who were fit to bear arms, and mingled them with the workmen constantly -employed on the public works. He collected thus a little force which -surprised and overthrew the assailants. The Mamelukes fled beyond the -seas. Djezzar completed the glutting of his wrath by causing the women -who had escaped the massacres to be flogged. They were then thrown naked -into the bottom of the hold of a ship and sold in the slave markets of -Constantinople. The trees of the garden were cut down, and even the cats -of the harem were not spared in the general slaughter. Never had Djezzar -better deserved his name. Then tranquillity returned to the town. - -And then one day one of those famous Mamelukes had the audacity to -return to the palace. His name was Soliman. Djezzar recognised him -immediately, and his features assumed such an expression of rage that -all the officers present turned pale and instinctively closed their -eyes. - -The pacha brandished his axe. - -"Wretch!" cried he. "What have you come to do here?" - -"To die at thy feet, for I prefer that fate to that of living at a -distance from thee." - -The axe flashed in the light. - -"You know well, however, that Djezzar has never pardoned?" - -Soliman repeated his answer. - -The weapon fell. Twice, thrice, the same words resounded in the frozen -silence. Death prowled about the room. Those present held their breath -as at the pillow of a man at the point of death. - -At last the pacha threw down his axe and cried: - -"Djezzar will have pardoned for the first time in his life." - -By one of those changes of fortune in which destiny delights, this same -Soliman replaced Djezzar as Pachalic of Acre. And no doubt, because he -had experienced the value of mercy, he showed himself as good and as -just as his predecessor had been cruel and licentious. - -There are, however, some traits in Djezzar's character which are marked -by a certain humour. When his jests were not addressed to persons -condemned to death or to victims whom he had just caused to be -disfigured, they did not want for wit. Such was the answer which he gave -to a Christian of St. Jean d'Acre. - -A merchant lived with his son in a house situated on the seashore. The -ground floor was damp and unhealthy; the first floor airy and dry. The -father lived above, as was right, the son contented himself with the -lower part. To be brief, the son wanted to get married, which was quite -reasonable, and persuaded his father to lend him his apartments for a -fortnight. To this the old man consented readily, but when, on the -sixteenth day, his children showed no disposition to restore him his -lodging, he hazarded a timid protest. - -"Allow us another week to enable my wife to get accustomed to the idea -of going downstairs," replied the young husband. But when the week had -passed, and the occupants of the first floor made no more sign than the -dead, the father, whose old bones were beginning to grow mouldy in this -little enviable habitation, made another demand. The son sent him about -his business and announced coldly that each of them would remain in -future where he was, in which he was wrong. - -Djezzar, whose intelligence service was admirably conducted, and who -took pleasure in roaming himself about the town, under a disguise, like -the caliphs of former times, learned about the matter. - -The son was brought trembling to the palace. - -"Of what religion art thou?" roared the pacha in a voice of thunder. - -The unhappy man was scarcely able to stammer that he was a Christian. - -"Well, show me the sign by which Christians recognise one another." - -The young man made the sign of the Cross, bearing his hand to his -forehead, then to his breast: "In the name of the Father, of the -Son ..." - -"Ah! ah!" exclaimed Djezzar in a bantering tone. "It seems to me that -thy religion teaches thee that the Father ought to be above and the Son -below. Carry out the rules of thy faith, if thou dost wish that thy head -remains on thy shoulders." - -And the father, brought back from his vault immediately, with the stains -of mouldiness which covered his body duly brushed away, found himself in -the dry without knowing the reason. - -Lady Hester went to visit the Jew Malem Hazm, Soliman's minister and -banker. He was the fashion at St. Jean d'Acre; he had only one eye and -one ear and no nose. It was recognised that he had lived on terms of -intimacy with the pacha. For his misfortune, he was, in fact, Djezzar's -secretary. The latter had always under his cushions a long list of -people condemned to death, like another little game of society. In a -moment of idleness, he inscribed there Malem Hazm's name; but, thinking -better of it immediately, he commuted the capital penalty to a few -facial mutilations of little importance. - -When the Jew reappeared with a countenance reduced to its most simple -expression, Djezzar burst out laughing. - -"In truth," he exclaimed, "I should never have believed that thou -wouldst have become so ugly. If I could have doubted it, I would have -left thee thy nose." - -Then approaching him and laying his hand on his shoulder, he continued: - -"Lucky Malem, you are my friend (he wrote, in fact, to the Porte skilful -letters which, under the velvet of Oriental politeness, made them feel -the threatening steel blade). Give thanks to God! for were it not for -the affection that I bear thee, I should have thy head cut off." - -It was a pleasant thing to be one of his friends.... - -Mr. Catafago acted as interpreter. The conversation was the most cordial -imaginable, and lasted until one o'clock in the morning. Lady Hester and -Malem Hazm retired delighted with each other, and this good impression -continued always. The Jew extolled the kindness of Soliman and inhaled, -like fresh water, the great peace which enveloped St. Jean d'Acre. - -Lady Hester went to visit Soliman. The reception was magnificent; the -compliments in the best taste. On her return to Mr. Catafago's house, a -grey horse, the gift of the pacha, was awaiting the visitor. - -She liked also to saunter in the fortifications of the town. Of the -three lines of ramparts which encircled it on the land side, the last -was the work of Djezzar. Everything contributed to recall the memory of -the sanguinary pacha. After the siege of St. Jean d'Acre by the French, -understanding that he was indebted for safety to the aid of Sir Sydney -Smith, he determined to become strong enough to defend himself and to be -able to dispense with Allies, who are always an impediment. To realise -his plan, which was formidable, years and hundreds of workmen enrolled -by force were necessary. During those torrid afternoons on which the -hapless wretches toiled under a leaden sky, Djezzar used to appear on -the scene. Immediately, as if by enchantment, the tired stood erect, the -movements of shovel and mattock became quicker, the picks buried -themselves in the ground at shorter intervals. It seemed to all the -workers that an immense jingle of bones filled the yard; the sight of -the pacha conjured up chaplets of ears, necklaces of eyes, pyramids of -heads. And if he uplifted his raucous and thundering voice, the most -weary, the most worn out, became the most active, the most strong. Thus -St. Jean d'Acre became a redoubtable fortress. - -Through one of the embrasures, which made a sombre frame, Lady Hester -perceived the sea of a royal blue colour, over which slender vessels -skimmed. This sight recalled to her Sir Sidney Smith. The Commodore was -not extraordinary, after all. Uncle Pitt had found him vain and puffed -up with pride. Had he not pestered him for more than two hours with a -box stuffed with papers, at a time when the Minister had so many things -to do? Lady Hester was very near thinking that all heroes are thus, -apart naturally from General Moore.... Forgetful of the charming -compliments with which Sir Sydney Smith had bestowed on her on her entry -into Society. "The roses and the lilies mingle on your face," said he at -that time, "and the inexpressible charms of your attitude spread -happiness around you." One could not be more gallant. But do not women -remember particularly what has been said to them? Lady Hester considered -it as the proof that one can be brave and a wretched politician. That -happens, and even more often than one thinks. - -Soon Mr. Catafago took Lady Hester to pass some time at Nazareth. The -little town, twin sister of the towns of Umbria or Tuscany, dispersed in -terraces its bright-coloured houses on the slope where cyprus-trees -perched. And the Eastern sky possessed Italian charms. - -Bruce brought back from an excursion to Tiberias a fantastic Arab. He -was no one less than the celebrated Burckhardt, Sheik Ibraham as he had -himself called. Tall, strong, shaped like a Hercules, with a broad -German face, prominent eyes, badly placed teeth and an air of assurance, -he displeased Lady Hester. He quitted Syria definitely for Egypt, after -having travelled for two years over the unexplored regions of Lebanon, -Anti-Lebanon and Hauran. None of Lady Hester's companions knew at that -time that he was travelling on account of the Geographical Society. - -In July, Lady Hester returned to St. Jean d'Acre to organise the -departure. The caravan passed the gates of the town at sunset. The noise -and the confusion were frightful. The majority of the Christian servants -had never ridden on horseback; and the horses, accustomed by their Arab -masters to rear, dance, neigh and play a thousand tricks on leaving the -villages, added to the confusion. Shouts from the drivers, yells of -fright from the servants.... Mrs. Fry, the English lady's-maid, worried -and ill at ease in her masculine habiliments, persisted in wishing to -ride as an Amazon, at a time when all women in the East rode astride. -The camels became entangled in their leading-reins and threw the line -into disorder when it was scarcely reestablished. - -With time and blows, all was settled. The doctor and the janissary Hadji -Ali took the head of the march. In the darkness, beasts and men wandered -from the torrent-bed which served as a track. Suddenly, noises and -tumults in the rear; the camel carrying the medicine-case had just -fallen into a ravine. He was got out again unhurt; but the doctor did -not dare to open the box. Poor medicine-case, collected with great -difficulty in Egypt to replace that lost off Rhodes, it had truly no -chance! - -The route seemed sometimes an alley in an English park, well sanded, -bordered by green Aleppo pine-trees, alternating automatically with -thickets of cactus, crested with roses and yellows, sometimes a path of -rocks fit to break the bones. Ruins ended by being engulfed on the -seashore. The road climbed interminably. From a rocky point they saw in -the far distance Tyre like a little fishing barque stranded on the -beach. - -The slowness of the journey was full of charms. Sometimes they passed -naked women who were washing their linen at the fountain and who, -without being troubled the least in the world at the sight of them, -carelessly turned their backs. They had just traversed the Nalsr and -Kasimaze when five blind men emerged suddenly, holding each other by the -shoulders and walking one after the other. These joyous fellows -astonished them by their pleasant appearance and their merry air. - -And in the evening they encamped on the margin of springs, sometimes in -one of those sanctuaries dedicated to some unknown Mohammedan saint -which the commercial sense of the Arabs has transformed into a café. -Such was that of Kludder. The history of the occupier is too significant -not to be related. This worthy son of Allah had a wife, old and of -canonical appearance, who carried on the business admirably. He -preferred to her a young and pretty girl, who, however, understood -nothing about business. He therefore recalled the first and kept them -both, joining thus the useful to the agreeable. For five years they -shared the task of enriching him and amusing him. - -Sidon was sleeping in its orchards of orange-trees when the travellers -stopped at the entrance to the town. Between its two castles in ruins, -of which one is expiring to the rhythm of the waves, it seemed a -princess of "The Thousand and One Nights" guarded by two black giants. -But the arches of the prison were infinite, and lamps of gold watched -over her slumber. - -Lady Hester and her people were lodged at the French caravanserai, -prepared by the diligent attentions of the French consul, M. Taitbout. -Scarcely were they installed there than an invitation arrived from the -Prince of the Druses, the Emir Bechir, accompanied by twelve camels, -twenty-five mules, four horses and seven foot soldiers. The two sons of -a merchant of Sidon, the brothers Bertrand, half-dragomans, -half-doctors, were joined to the expedition. They had the quality of -being interchangeable, and travellers never knew exactly with which they -had to deal. - -Rather unpleasant rumours were in circulation at Sidon in regard to the -emir. He was born of Moslem parents, but practised in secret the -Christian religion. He was a tyrant, said some, a hypocrite, said -others. Worthy emulator of Djezzar, had he not just caused the eyes of -his nephews, the sons of the Emir Yusef, to be torn out, because they -ventured to compromise his power? He had had a magnificent palace built -in the heart of the Lebanon. And, whispered the best informed people, -there was in the great hall of Beit-ed-Din, a ceiling of such beauty -that the delighted emir had, by way of recompense, caused the two hands -of the artist to be cut off, in order that he might never be able to -begin another. A protector of the arts rather out of the common! - -By a narrow path which embraced the circuit of the Nahr-el-Damour, -Bechir's escort guided Lady Hester towards Deir-el-Kammar (the convent -of the moon), which they reached at nightfall. In the morning they had -an elating spectacle: dominating the bounding waters of the torrent, -clinging to the flanks of the mountain, the palace stretched towards the -sun, raising its flowering roofs, its white terraces, its towers, its -arcades, its gardens, which fell back as though in despair at not having -been able to kiss the sky and descended exhausted to the foot of the -slope. - -The doctor noted down briefly on his tablets: - -"The palace is devoid of all beauty. It is new, but irregular; it has -not two parts alike, and it has been built in pieces and bits, in -accordance with fancy or necessity, in accordance with leisure or money. -The emir has made a present to Lady Hester of a fine horse, richly -caparisoned." - -But the English find it difficult to admire what is not their fief. -Scarcely twenty years later, Lamartine was to find other expressions to -proclaim aloud his admiration. The lack of symmetry! But it is that -which ought to possess charm for lovers of the beautiful! And what a -wonderful view was this medley of square towers pierced by ogives, of -long galleries with files of arcades slender and light as the stems of -pine-trees, of graceful colonnades of unequal shape rearing themselves -to the roofs. And the animation of the courts blooming with roses: pages -throwing the djerid, arrival of camels, horses pawing the ground, -comings and goings of Druses, Marionites, Metaoulis!... The doctor saw -nothing; but it must be said in his defence that the palace had hardly -been completed, and that in the East the stones, like the women, grow -old quickly. The masonry crumbles to dust; the rain pierces the roofs; -and the sun, like a skilful magician, gives to the crumbling façades -the golden rust and the rose tint of very old ruins. - -But what is unpardonable in the doctor for not having admired, is the -site. Beit-ed-Din is the "Palace of the Waters," with the vaporous mists -which mount from the torrent, with the fountains of its mysterious -gardens, with the eternal murmur of the humid earth which chants its -joy, and the countless cascades and the dropping of the spray which -bathes in the dew, and the silvery foam of the numberless streams and -frolicsome springs. And down there, at the extremity of the valley, the -sea, which presents itself like a pearl at the bottom of a cup. - -In the environs of Deir-el-Kammar, Lady Hester went to see another chief -of the Druses whose authority and influence were very considerable, the -Sheik Bechir. He occupied the Palace of Moukhtara, and the doctor, who -had more taste for feminine beauty than the poetry of nature, remarked -that his wife was beautiful and his children charming. - -These villages of the Lebanon, peopled by Druses, were silent and sad. -The children even appeared grave. The men, robust mountaineers, with -ruddy complexions, wore the black and white abaye and the immaculate -turban with narrow and symmetrical folds. The women, strongly built and -rather common-looking, save for their eyes, which were perfectly -beautiful, displayed a picturesque costume: blue dress open at the neck -and on the bosom, which it left entirely uncovered; embroidered -trousers, and, above all, on the head, a strange edifice simulating a -horn. A high cone of silver, of copper or of pasteboard, according to -the conditions, bent backwards and veiled by a muslin handkerchief which -fell back over the shoulders, and which the wind caused to float -gracefully. They concealed it with a jealous care, replying to the -travellers who proposed to buy it from them that they would prefer to -part with their heads. Love carried so far that they did remove it even -to sleep and combed themselves until Doomsday. From their hair hung -three silken cords decorated with green, blue or red tassels. - -Lady Hester, wishing to see, with her own eyes, if the Druses eat raw -meat, as she had been told many times, bought a sheep and collected some -villagers. The guests, feeling themselves the object of the assembly, -added no doubt many supplementary grimaces and gluttonous attitudes, -which left the doctor under a bad impression. It did not prevent the -sheep from disappearing in the twinkling of an eye, including the tail, -which was large and greasy. - -The doctor had lost his servant, who, inconsolable for having left the -onions of Egypt, had gone back to his own country. One morning, when he -was lamenting his loss on his doorstep, he saw appear a long raw-boned -individual, thin and dried up, dressed in sombre garments and exhibiting -a turban of doubtful black. This new-comer, in a French seasoned with a -Gascon accent, offered himself with eloquence as valet, cook, guide and -interpreter. Bewildered, the doctor succumbed beneath the torrent of -words, the vigorous gestures, the expressive mimicry, while examining -the pointed and angular outline, the bony and deeply-lined face, the -cavernous and bright eyes. Curiosity aiding necessity (the caravan was -on the eve of starting for Damascus), he engaged this extraordinary -person. The information which he gathered in the village was favourable -enough. Pierre is mad, they told him, and everyone knows that in the -East madness is of no importance. - -This worthy fellow came of a good family of Marseilles: marquises and -marchioness or something of that kind, but which had for a very long -time been established in Syria. One of his uncles, having business with -the Government, brought him when quite a child to France. One day, while -he was walking at Versailles, chance brought him across the path of -Louis XVI. The King and _Monsieur_, struck by his Oriental costume, and -perhaps also by his agitated manner, spoke to him of the countries of -the Levant. All the vanity and the boastfulness of the South, which a -long succession of ancestors had dimly implanted in him, mounted to his -head, and he derived enormous advantage from this interview. He brought -back to Syria a stock of magnificent histories, of which he was -naturally the hero, and notions of French and of cookery in which the -provincial, after all, predominated. When Bonaparte came to lay siege to -St. Jean d'Acre, he rendered some services as interpreter and -accompanied the French into Egypt, where he remained until their -departure. He obtained a pension, which the Government forgot to pay -him. It was then that God bestowed upon him the gift of prophecies. -Melancholy gift, which no one desires. He returned to Deir-el-Kammar -believing firmly in the resurrection of his unhappy country. Not -understood by his friends, scoffed at by his neighbours, despised by his -relatives, he lived pitifully until the news of the arrival of an -English princess ran through the Lebanon like a train of gunpowder. Then -he realised that his destiny was there; he took his wallet and his -staff, and deserted his wife (who was no doubt ugly), to follow the -unknown. In the evening, by the camp fires, he achieved extraordinary -success with the account of his adventures. He used to begin invariably: - -"When General Bonaparte formed a corps of Mamelukes, I enrolled in it -with a great number of Syrians, my friends. As soon as we had been -trained in the handling of arms, we were sent into Upper Egypt to join -General Desaix's division. One day, after vainly pursuing the enemy who -fled from us, we arrived very tired on the border of the desert and -encamped. I was on the main guard of the camp, and, towards the middle -of the night, when all the fires were extinguished, I heard a hyena howl -in a strange manner, and at some distance from there the young camels -raised distressing moans. The sky was entirely covered. Suddenly, I -distinguished a sound, which seemed to be advancing towards me. It was -at first only a murmur. I listened, and I heard distinctly the words: - -"'Pierre, Pierre, the Arabs will have a King and a Queen!' - -"This prodigy filled me with fright; and while I sought to recover my -senses, the same words struck my ear and carried trouble into my soul. -The dreams of the night recounted to me magnificent triumphs and royal -fêtes.. - -"On the morrow I related to my companions what I had heard; but no one -was inclined to attach any faith to my words. - -"Since that day I have spoken of these things to many men; I have -endeavoured to move their hearts to seek by what way the hope might be -able to enter them. But the men have only jeered at me; they received my -prophecy with insults. - -"I returned then to my own country. I married; but nothing was able to -snatch from my heart the hope which God had placed there; only I had -hidden it in myself as a precious treasure which I feared to see -misunderstood. Then I heard it related that a great princess of Europe -had arrived in Syria, and I recognised the Queen whom the prophecy had -announced to me." - -And Pierre embroidered with fertility and imagination on this unique -theme. - -Lady Hester heard people talking of the doctor's strange recruit. Amused -by the extravagant tales of the former soldier of Bonaparte, secretly -flattered at seeing ascribed to her a part of the first importance, a -situation of which she was very fond, disturbed also by the remembrance -of the predictions of Brothers, she caused the "cook-prophet" to enter -her service. But had she not already foreseen that she would be able to -make use of him, or another? The sovereigns of the West had buffoons at -their Courts who made the mob laugh; the pachas of the East had prophets -who made it fear. And there is there a symbol which did not want for -realism. Lady Hester, who was looking for a corner of the earth where -she could play the petty potentate, procured a precious auxiliary to -impose her wishes on the people, willingly credulous when the Korbach is -behind. And Pierre was placed in reserve for a favourable opportunity. -He accompanied the traveller for seven years. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -FAR NIENTE AT DAMASCUS - - -ON August 27, 1812, Lady Hester had left Deir-el-Kammar, edified on the -subject of Eastern hospitality. The Emir Bechir had supplied all the -requirements of her table with great magnificence, it is true, but had -caused a hint to be conveyed to her, by one of his intimates, that he -expected a present of equivalent value. It cost her 2000 piastres, -pieces of brocade and gratuities to all the servants, from the -major-domo to the meanest scullion, and they formed a tribe! She left -disgusted by an invitation which had cost her so dear. As for the horse -with which Bechir had presented her, one which the doctor had admired, -he was vicious, and Lady Hester got rid of him, to the profit of the -janissary. - -Bruce, in company with one of the two Bertrands--one does not know -which--had started for Aleppo, after having uselessly endeavoured to -take his friend. Lady Hester screened her refusal behind her contempt -for the Levantine race, neither Turkish nor European, which inhabited -this town. The true reason was much more personal: she simply was afraid -of catching the Aleppo pimple, that facetious ulcer which chooses as a -rule a prominent part of the face, nose or cheek, to lay there its -hideous scar. A woman, even though she wears breeches, attaches -importance to her face. And this little weakness brings Lady Hester -nearer to her poor sex.... She had written to the Pacha of Damascus to -inform him of her desire to visit his capital, and he had sent her a -page with a most courteous invitation. - -Was not Damascus the Porte of the Desert, and had not Lady Hester -already the project, still vague as to the means, but certain as to the -end, of making a little stay amongst the wandering Bedouin tribes? - -The caravan journeyed slowly; the news which the page had brought did -not stimulate rapidity; there was revolution at Damascus, where the -commandant of the troops had refused to recognise Sayd Soliman, the new -pacha. He was shut up in the citadel, and blood was flowing in streams -in the streets. - -The travellers occupied four days in traversing the Lebanon and the -Anti-Lebanon. Pierre's stories diverted the evenings. In proportion as -they climbed, the air was charged with aromatic effluvia and icy -breaths. At the summit of their route, they perceived all at once the -plain of the Bekaa, which, like a long serpent, unrolls its green rings, -writhes and lies down between two mountain barriers. The Litami traced a -furrow of sombre tint, and the plain with its fresh herbage was a -pleasure to behold. The parallel tops of the two Lebanons were tawny and -red; the parched earth was cracking under the midday heat. And to the -South, Hermon rose victoriously, like a great sherbet, to the eternal -snows on the plateau glittering with light. To the North, a jet of -light, which Lady Stanhope recognised as Baalbeck: the temple of the sun -was saluting its god. - -At last, excellent news arrived from Damascus: the rebel age had been -strangled and order was entirely restored. After halts at the village of -Djbb-Djenin and Dimas, the travellers stopped at the gardens of -Damascus. The gardens of Damascus! Fêtes and orgies of apricot-trees, -orange-trees and pomegranate-trees, succumbing beneath the exuberance of -the vines, whose heavy and juicy grapes fell so far as the ground. The -river with its seven branches chanted the joy of living, and the song of -the waters was full of voluptuousness, refreshing and boundless. - -The doctor started in advance to prepare the way and to hire a house in -the Christian quarter. Then he returned, thoughtful, to meet Lady -Hester. Thoughtful! There was occasion for it. - -Damascus was still a town closed to Europeans. The fanaticism was freely -developed and imposed its laws on the governors too benevolent towards -foreigners. The length of the Syrian coasts, the relations of commerce, -to which the Arabs attached extreme importance owing to the profit which -they derived from it, and the authority of the consuls--whom they -believed powerful and supported by their countries--had brought a -certain tolerance. But Damascus, forbidden fruit, was concealed far -inland, guarded by the double ramparts of the Lebanon, by solid walls, -and particularly the desert, which came to die at its feet like a silent -sea. - -The few travellers who had visited it, and whom Lady Hester had met at -Cairo or in the towns of the coast, had strongly dissuaded her from -attempting an adventure of which the result might be tragic and which -certainly would remain perilous. - -"Think," said they to her, "that a man cannot even enter Damascus in -European costume without being insulted. Think that the Christians, if -they dared to ride on horseback in the streets of the town, would be -maltreated to such a degree that death would be the consequence. And you -intend, you, a woman, a European, to enter Damascus on horseback and -with your face uncovered! But it is madness!" - -The pacha's page had on several occasions hinted to the interpreter, one -of the two Bertrands, that Lady Hester ought to veil herself to enter -Damascus in order to avoid irritating the populace. For, in case of a -riot, he knew well that the pacha, whose authority was much disputed, -would not be able to afford her protection. - -M. Bertrand nearly succumbed with horror on learning from the mouth of -her ladyship herself that it was her intention to brave Damascene -opinion by exhibiting herself in this costume, and in broad daylight. - -Lady Hester was courageous. The unforeseen, even charged with threats, -smiled upon her. And, above all, she was able to accomplish something -great which no one had ever attempted before her. Pitt's niece had -always turned up her nose at whatever people might say. - -"Whatever people may say of me in England, I do not care more than -that," declared she to the doctor, snapping her fingers. "Whatever -horrible things all these crooked-minded persons may think, do not -trouble me more than if they spat at the sun. That falls back on their -noses and all the harm is for them. They are like midges on the tail of -an artillery horse. They murmur, and they come and go, and they buzz all -around. The great explosion comes! boom! and all are dispersed." - -Only she knew well that the Moslems are not satisfied with buzzing and -murmuring, and that they would not recoil before bloodshed to obtain -vengeance upon her who dared thus to defy their most sacred customs. But -is there not at the bottom of the actions which appear the most -heroically disinterested a certain sentiment of the gallery which -stimulates vanity and renders it more bold? And if one had told Lady -Hester that the fame of her exploits would never reach England, would -she not have recoiled at the last moment. - -On September 1, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Lady Hester passed the -gates of Damascus at the head of eighteen horsemen and some twenty mules -heavily loaded. In the narrow streets a considerable crowd gathered. It -hurried towards the cavalcade, and all eyes were turned towards the -person who appeared to be the chief of it. - -The pacha's page was uneasy; M. Bertrand trembled, and the doctor was -not in high spirits. A word, a cry, a gesture, and the people who -surrounded the escort had only to draw their thick ranks closer, and the -travellers would have been delivered to them defenceless. But, deceived -by the dazzling costume and the masculine countenance of Lady Hester, -some took her for a young bey still beardless; others, believing that -they were dreaming, discovered that it was a woman; but before they had -recovered from their astonishment, she had already passed. Thus she -alighted safe and sound in the Christian quarter. - -It is then that her indomitable character asserted itself; she did not -rest until her household had been transported into the heart of the -Mohammedan quarter. "I intend to take the bull by the horns and to -settle down under the minaret of the grand mosque," declared she -cavalierly to the doctor, who was very troubled at this new caprice. - -Scarcely forty-eight hours after her arrival, furnished with an order -from the pacha, she visited, without putting herself to inconvenience, -the best residences in the town, and fixed her choice upon a sumptuous -habitation near the palace and the bazaars, formerly the residence of a -Capugi Bachi (envoy of the Porte for confidential missions, such as -strangulations, confiscations and so forth). A narrow passage led to a -marble court, where two bronze serpents, coiled around a lemon-tree, -diffused water clear as crystal. The apartments were small and -sumptuous. - -The Christian owner of the empty house, his appetite excited by the -sight of Lady Hester's suite, showed long teeth and a bill infinitely -longer still. The smallest glass of lemonade was thus marked: "Sherbet -for the arrival of the Queen." The doctor was obliged to curb his -enthusiasm. - -Lady Hester inaugurated very quickly her new Eastern policy, which was -to flatter the Turks in order to make allies of them. Thus, the -superiors of the Franciscan and Capuchin monasteries came to offer her -their services, as they did to all passing travellers. And she caused -them to be informed that, living in a Mohammedan quarter, she respected -its rules, and begged them not to repeat their visit. The monks -complied with this rather cool request. - -She received, on the other hand, a French doctor, M. Chaboceau, seventy -years of age, deaf as a post, who, entering all the harems, was not a -little compromising. - -This Chaboceau had known Volney at the time of his residence at -Damascus; he had even lodged him. And he energetically asserted that -_Volney had not been at Palmyra_. A snowstorm had prevented him from -undertaking his journey. This fact is curious, and renders rather -piquant the _Méditations sur les mines et les révolutions des -empires_. Did Volney content himself with the descriptions of Wood and -of Dawkins to inspire his emphatic invocations? "The contemplation of -solitudes which has aided him to interrogate the universality of people" -may then be subject to some caution. - -Thus, by radical measures, by discreet praises uttered before those who -were able best to propagate them, by backsheesh skilfully distributed, -she gained the good graces of the mob and became very quickly popular. -When she mounted her horse, there was an assemblage before her door. -Accompanied by little Giorgio, her interpreter, and her janissary -Mohammed, she placed herself entirely at the discretion of the -inhabitants during her rides through the town. At the beginning, the -doctor feared a mishap, but he was reassured on beholding the respect -which was caused by her proud and dignified bearing and her agreeable, -if reserved, manner. Soon the fierce Damascenes felt themselves -conquered. They sprinkled coffee under her horse's feet, in accordance -with custom, in order to do her honour. Tempted by the piastres which -she distributed as her smiles, they lay in wait for her departure and -her return to shout as she passed: "Long life to her!... May she live to -return to her own country!" - -Admiration increased in the mob, which whispered in confidence that, -although she was of English birth, she was descended from the Turks and -had Mohammedan blood in her veins. Her paleness accredited the legend. -Never had the lily whiteness of her skin and the clearness of her -complexion been so much vaunted. Already in Egypt her moonlight face had -conquered hearts. For the warm rosy carnation plays no part in Eastern -beauty. The Turks regard the red faces of Englishwomen as hideous. In -which connection an amusing anecdote was related to Lady Hester: - -During the evacuation of Egypt in 1805, the English soldiers forgot some -women--as if by chance--whom the Turks seized. Their new lovers washed -them and rewashed them, in the hope of removing that horrible brick -colour which spoiled their cheeks. The result was worse.... The more -they rubbed, the more flamboyant the colours became: tomatoes ready to -fry. When they saw that there was nothing to be done, they sent them -about their business. "We know and we admire white and black women," -said they, "but red women up to the present we have not heard them -spoken of." - -One day, when she was passing through the _souks_, all the people rose -at her approach, as at the passing of the Sultan. Her heart swollen with -victorious joy, she advanced slowly, she advanced regretfully, into that -fairyland, which was soon going to disappear for always. Shining silks, -brocades wrought with salmon-pink roses, veils of Baghdad, cloths of -Hama, damask with silver flowers, slippers of red leather, Arab saddles -decorated with mother-of-pearl and tawny studs, carpets in warm and -palpitating tones.... And, eagerly, she saw pass by, standing out on -this strange scene like living chains which bound her to the dream, the -tall Bedouins draped in their brown abayes, fierce of aspect and supple -as panthers of the jungle, the Jews with their dirty curls and their -bent figures, hiding a clandestine booty from the tax-gatherer, the -Turks, embroidered and re-embroidered with gold over all the seams, and -the Christians, neutral and sad, and the Druses in half-mourning, and -the Maronites.... From time to time an Aga broke through the crowd, with -protruding chest, full-blown and fat body in his furred pelisse, like a -pot of lard surrounded by dust, followed by fifteen slaves carrying his -narghileh and his smoking apparatus. Long lines of veiled women under -the guardianship of a duenna or of an old eunuch, flight of swans led by -a duck. - -It was Ramadan. So soon as the sun, in his daily farewell, had stained -with blood the sand-dunes outside the town, life took possession of -Damascus. Immediately the lamps were lit in the most beautiful mosques, -for in this Orient which is all violence, shock and contrast one knows -not the delicate charm of the mauve hours in which the twilight is born. -Lady Hester sauntered through the crowded by-streets. The waters of the -Barada reflected in commas of gold the illuminations of the little -cafés which opened on to its steep banks. Songs rose from the -_moucharabys_, whose distant lights traced the designs of legends. -Behind a mysterious wall viols lamented, those seven-stringed viols -which retain for a long time the melancholy notes. The shops of the -vendors of eatables were in a wild ferment: plates loaded with cakes -dripping with honey and grease, juicy halawys, loaves flat as -handkerchiefs, little skewers of birds roasted whole. On the threshold -of his kingdom, naked down to the waist, a fat negro rolled without -shame forcemeat balls on his belly. Odour of grilled mutton, of fresh -pasties, of burned almonds, of ginger, of canella! - -Tumult of buyers! Confusion at the crossways! Theatre of Chinese shadows -recounting the inevitable story: illness of a lady, her desire to have a -Frank doctor, thoughtlessness of the doctor, jealousy of the husband and -speedy catastrophe. - -In the cafés, the Damascenes, gravely squatting in a heap on rustic -carpets, smoke the narghileh or suck in the tiny cups of coffee perfumed -with ambergris. If the customers were thirsty, they stopped on his way a -water-carrier, a djoullab seller or a vendor of raisins. Sometimes a -storyteller presented himself and began a story of "The Thousand and One -Nights," in which figured marvellous houris and one-eyed giants. He -went, came, gesticulated, varying his voice with an infinite art, -transforming the expressions of his face with a skill which the most -famous of our actors would not attain. Sometimes they listened to him, -sometimes he talked for himself alone, and his pleasure was as keen as -though he were playing before the Sultan. Ah! who will restore to Lady -Hester those long luminous nights of Ramadan with the charm of new -scenes and exotic perfumes never lost later? - -One evening, Lady Hester was informed that the pacha awaited her. Rash -enterprise for a woman who had a soul less firm. She passed with an -assured step--with an assured stride--through the ante-chambers of the -palace, where the flames of the torches shone on the weapons of the -soldiers and the motionless guards. She entered an immense hall, walking -through a double hedge of officers and janissaries in full dress, naked -scimitars in their hands. Silence terrible and oppressive. The steel -threw flashes of light. And, at the very end, on a sofa of crimson -satin, a little man with an air haughty and glacial, who, without -rising, signed to her to be seated. Lady Hester was in no way -disconcerted, and all these glances of men, ardent and sombre, did not -displease her. By her side stood the Jew Malem Rafael--brother of Malem -Hazm--and M. Bertrand. Little Giorgio, who had been brought to check the -translations of the interpreters, had been stopped at the door because -he carried arms, a discourtesy as notorious as to wear boots on an -official visit in England. - -M. Bertrand was far from being as much at his ease as was his intrepid -mistress. He would certainly have preferred to be the other Bertrand, he -who was travelling on the road to Aleppo; his teeth chattered with fear, -and he was a long time before being able to speak intelligibly. - -Lady Hester presented Sayd Soliman Pacha with a very valuable snuff-box, -and withdrew at the end of a reasonable time, which seemed mortally long -to her interpreter. The pacha sent her a horse shortly afterwards. After -all these visits, her stable was beginning to be supplied. - -Scarcely had she returned, when her janissary Mohammed said to her: - -"Her ladyship's reception has been great." - -"Yes, but all that is only vanity," answered she. - -"Oh, my lady!" cried he, delighted, "thou bearest on thy forehead the -splendour of a king and the humility of a dervish at the bottom of thy -heart." - -The doctor made the round of the harems of the town to physic the -beautiful Turkish women. Every day his house was besieged by blind men -imperiously demanding eyes; consumptives, a lung; lame men, a straight -leg; hunchbacks, a flat back. Most of the time, these patients desired -to catch a glimpse of Lady Hester, and, their curiosity satisfied, they -went to throw into the Barada the doctor's powders. But he had sick -persons more serious. Ahmed Bey, of one of the most important families -of the town, son of Abdallah, ex-Pacha of Damascus, sent for him to -attend his son, a little boy of thirteen, ugly, rickety and deformed, -and afflicted with an intermittent fever. All the resources of the -Damascene medical art had been employed without effect. He had been sewn -up in the skin of a sheep which had just been flayed; he had swallowed -powdered pearls; he had had his feet covered by still warm pigeons. All -without result. - -The doctor, who had his neglected cures on his mind, required pressing -at first. Then he operated and succeeded in curing the poor child. The -father, overjoyed, offered him a complete outfit for the bath; very -costly robe of honour to be put on on leaving the water, coffee, pipes -and sherbets. These thanks in the Eastern fashion were completed by a -rustic fête in the orchards which skirt the Barada. - -But the treasure, the jewel of Damascus, was Fatimah, flower of beauty -without rival. Her body of pure and graceful outline bore, like a -half-opened corolla, the head small and delicate, the face pale and -ardent, in which the great shadowy eyes extended themselves -mysteriously. And her black hair, of a velvety and bluish black, -descended in tresses, entangled with diamonds and gold pesetas, so far -as her bare feet. The doctor thought seriously for a moment of -renouncing his faith to espouse this adorable creature. Poor doctor! he -was not made of the same stuff as a Turkish husband at the head of a -riotous harem. Will he consider one day his astonished eyes and his -sheeplike and gentle manner? In short, he remained on the border of -danger. Lady Hester, on her side, associated with the Turks of rank. One -of her friends received her in the midst of his harem: harem of a noble, -four wives and three mistresses! None of these women were seated in the -master's presence; they stood in a corner of the drawing-room, and did -not mount the estrade on which he sat except to fill his pipe and serve -his coffee. At dinner, they handed the dishes themselves, never speaking -except when their lord asked them a question. "And yet," said Lady -Hester, "he is one of the most charming and most agreeable men I know. -Towards me he is very gentlemanly and as attentive and courteous as no -matter who!" We suspect with what kind of eye these seven women must -have regarded the intrusion of this gigantic foreign woman! - -As she was visiting the wife of an effendi who had gathered together -some fifty ladies to do her honour, the master all at once entered. They -veiled themselves hurriedly, and he dispersed them with a brusque -gesture. Remaining alone with Lady Hester, he told her that he had -informed her dragoman, who shortly afterwards appeared. He kept her to -supper in a marble court with groves of orange-trees. Immense gold -candelabra bore candles six feet high, and little lamps suspended in -clusters from the arcades were mirrored in the water of the basin. -Negroes, admirably trained, waited. The effendi talked about astronomy -and sent for a bulky book, concerning which he asked a thousand -questions. - -Strange and very significant picture, that of this Turk forsaking his -harem to converse with Lady Hester about the celestial constellations -and to talk with her of unknown planets. Did it not seem to her that she -was descending from one of those inaccessible stars! And what abyss can -be more profound, what distance can be more immeasurable, than that -which separates beings kneaded by centuries of civilisation from those -in whom the barbarian still sleeps? He, who up to that time had regarded -women under the different aspects of a desire unceasingly awakened and -unceasingly satisfied, here is he learning in turn respect, admiration, -deference, here is he beginning to catch a glimpse of the equality of -the sexes and the parity of their complex intelligences! - -Little Giorgio, on his knees for four hours, was dead-sleepy. "He kept -me until nearly ten o'clock," says the delighted Lady Hester, "an hour -after the moment when everyone was obliged to remain in his house under -pain of death (new decree of the pacha). All the doors were shut, but -all opened for me, and they did not say a word to me." - -Lady Hester had, however, another object than that of initiating the -Turks into the feminist evolution. She wished to go to Palmyra--Palmyra, -the far-off and fabulous town which slept in the heart of the sands, -guarded by the burning steppes, without water and without life. "The -Syrian desert has only one Palmyra, as the sky has only one sun." -Caprice of the tourist and of the woman, adventurous taste for unbeaten -tracks? indifference to or even love of danger? latent recollection of -Brothers and the prophet Pierre? desire to defy the English travellers -who had failed on the journey to Tadmor? And perhaps, plan secret and -slowly matured of regulating and of blending together the wandering -tribes of the Bedouins, of intriguing with the sheiks, of unravelling -again the political skein, a skein short, knotted and entangled with -Arab politics? - -There are people who do not cease from imposing charity upon the poor; -the needy--who cling to their life, dirty, laborious but independent, -more than we think--are washed, scrubbed, brushed, nursed, taught, -physicked, improved by force. Lady Hester was of the species--more rare -happily--which is unable to see men scattered without wishing to group -them, to liberate slaves by force and to reform the world. This instinct -of domination, this thirst for authority, this imperialism, she was -going to satisfy without delay upon the defenceless Arabs. And then the -intercourse of a woman, of a queen, bound her. The ruins of Palmyra -conjured up too faithfully the name of Zenobia!... - -The pacha's two bankers, Malem Yusef and Malem Rafael, to whom she -broached this subject, dissuaded her earnestly from it. The journey was -excessively dangerous, and the Bedouins would not fail to make her -prisoner and exact a very large ransom unless the pacha furnished her -with troops. Then a certain Hanah Faknah, who had acted as guide to M. -Fiott, offered to conduct her safe and sound to Palmyra. Lady Hester -learned soon that he was offering to do much. What was to be done? It -was impossible for her to cross the desert under a disguise, for her -intentions had been divulged and her slightest movements were noted with -extreme attention. She resolved to demand a formidable escort from the -pacha. Sayd Soliman then made her understand, in confidence, that the -Emir Mahannah, chief of the Bedouins, was in revolt against the Porte, -and that the inhabitants of Palmyra were beyond the reach of Turkish -justice. New indecision, new uncertainties! Meanwhile, the pacha had a -crow to pluck with the cavalry: the famous Delibash, commanded by a -young bey, an acquaintance of Lady Hester and son of the deposed -governor. Mutiny broke out at Damascus. In the deserts, terrible news, -come from Mecca, was whispered: 50,000 Wahabis were threatening the -town. The Bedouins had gathered and were ready to rush to their aid. -Lady Hester, isolated in her Mohammedan quarter, caught up in the -whirlpool of popular anxieties, was not at all uneasy. She thought only -of demanding an asylum from her friend the Emir Bechir, the prince of -the Mountain, who placed his troops at her disposal. She was flattered -by his reception. If, as governor, he had had diabolical inspirations, -she proclaimed him, nevertheless, an agreeable and amiable man. How she -was to change her opinion hereafter! - -The pacha, uneasy at the turn which events were taking, had caused old -Muly Ishmael, the grand chief of the Delibash and of the Syrian troops, -to be warned. Feared by the pachas, who would never have dared to make a -hair of his head fall, he was adored by the Arabs, with whom he had -taken refuge on several occasions, at the time when his life was -threatened. Scarcely arrived at Damascus, Muly Ishmael demanded a visit -from Lady Hester, "for I shall be very jealous of my young chief if he -does not come," said he. It was as much an order as a request. Bravely -she went there, although somewhat troubled by the terrible rumours which -were in circulation in regard to him. She was obliged to cross courts -swarming with horses and horsemen, to stride over or avoid hundreds of -soldiers sprawling on the ground, to argue and parley with fifty -officers, before reaching the old chief, who was talking with the bey, -her friend. Muly Ishmael was charming, offering her his house at Hama -and an escort of Delibash. Lady Hester, very proud of this conquest, -called him the Sir David Dundas of Syria. She remained an hour and was -delighted by his courtesy, marked by a cordiality, a grace of manner, -rather rare amongst the Turks. - -Then the Wahabis vanished in smoke. And, one fine morning, -Mahannah-el-Fadel, chief of the tribe of the Anezes, arrived at Damascus -to demand back 4000 horses and flocks of sheep which the pacha had -requisitioned from him. He asserted that the name of the Meleki (queen) -was in the mouth of all the Bedouins of the desert. - -During this time, Bruce, who was returning from Aleppo with Mr. Barker, -English consul at that town, learned of these fine projects, and, -terrified, hurried on, without stopping, to prevent--if there were still -time--so great a folly. And the messengers ran along the roads carrying -letters full of adjurations and entreaties. - -Lady Hester lost her patience at meeting with resistance. "No caravan -travels along the route by which I wish to go," declared she, incensed. -"And if there were one, nothing would be able to persuade me to join it. -They get into a ridiculous fright and arrive with a machine with bars, a -_tartavane_, which Mr. Barker declares indispensable. All the consuls in -the universe will not force me to go within it. What an absurd idea! In -the event of attack, the drivers take themselves off, and one is left to -the mercy of two obstinate mules. The speedy horse to whom the Arabs -entrust themselves, that is something like; that is better; that is what -I require! ..." - -The idea of putting Lady Hester in a cage was certainly not ordinary. -Happily, Bruce fell ill, and the doctor was despatched to attend and -calm him. The road skirted the desert, and, costumed as a Bedouin, with -lance on shoulder, Meryon, by way of Yebroud, Kara, Hasia and Homs, -reached Hama, where Bruce, already restored to health, soon rejoined -him. He brought back with him a young Frenchman of Aleppo, called -Beaudin, who spoke Arabic almost as well as a native of the country. - -Leaving them to continue their journey, the doctor again took the road -from Damascus to Yebroud. Then he made a detour to reach the village of -Nebk, where a man was living whose acquaintance Lady Hester keenly -desired to make. His name was Lascaris, and his history singular. - -Of the Piedmontese family of the Lascaris, of Ventimiglia, he regarded -himself as descendant of the Emperor of Trebizond. Without tracing his -ancestry back so far, he had an uncle Grand Master of the Knights of -Malta, and was himself a chevalier. - -Bonaparte having seized the island on his way, Lascaris followed. -Receiver of taxes--excellent place in the East--he met at Cairo a young -Georgian slave of great beauty. Abducted at the age of fifteen, she had -fallen into the harem of Murad Bey. Lascaris married her, for he was a -fervent apostle of universal brotherhood--it is probable that, if she -had been ugly, he would not have pushed so far and with so much -enthusiasm the application of his principles! On the evacuation of -Egypt, he brought his wife to Paris; but her manners and her education -were too much out of tune in the brilliant society of that time. After -some successes with shawls, some exhibitions of Turkish robes, the -Parisian women turned their backs upon her to run to other spectacles -more novel. Madame Lascaris begged her husband to return to the East. He -did not require pressing, for he him self was deceived in his legitimate -ambitions. He solicited through his aunt, Josephine's mistress of the -robes, an exalted post. He was offered a place as sub-prefect! Deeply -wounded, they returned to Constantinople. There an idea of genius -occurred to Lascaris; he proposed to go to Georgia to establish there a -new system of agriculture. An Armenian, who was on the look out for -victims with money, offered himself as treasurer. The trio crossed the -Black Sea, landed in the Crimea and were arrested for espionage. The -Armenian made off, naturally, with the cash-box, while Lascaris and his -wife were sent to St. Petersburg. Their innocence at last recognised, -they found themselves with a very low purse. Then, having gradually lost -all that remained--for the chevalier had many odd ideas difficult to -realise--he endeavoured to furnish the peasants of the environs of -Lattakia with European ploughs, the employment of which would double -their harvest. The peasants grew angry, and their unappreciated -benefactor was obliged to take himself off promptly. He became professor -of music at Aleppo. - -On November 3, 1812, the doctor arrived at Nebk and cast about for -Lascaris's house. Perceiving a little girl of twelve who was sauntering -around him, he questioned her. She was the servant of those whom he was -looking for, and was called Katinko, or Catherine. But her astonishing -resemblance to Lascaris induced the doctor to think that she was rather -his daughter. The chevalier appeared on his doorstep, dirty and -wretched-looking, wearing an abaye of striped wool, wound round his body -after the manner of the garments of Robin Hood, blue breeches in rather -a melancholy condition, stockings and the red shoes worn by the -peasants. His beard was long and thick. His wife retained little trace -of beauty, which had disappeared, alas! not to return; the adorable -Georgian girl had changed into the stout matron with masculine ways. -They had arrived from Aleppo with bales of red cotton, which they hoped -to exchange for money with the villagers of the neighbourhood. The -doctor greatly enjoyed the conversation of Lascaris, whom his numerous -travels had made a very well-informed and cultured man. He noted in him, -however, a certain self-conceit, a certain sentiment of superiority -which had no doubt been the sole cause of his disappointments. He -appeared very embittered against Napoleon. - -Two days afterwards, an urgent message recalled the doctor to Damascus, -where Barker had just fallen seriously ill. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -LADY HESTER AND LASCARIS - - -WHEN the doctor arrived at Damascus, he found everything topsy-turvy. -The commotion was extreme. The pacha's troops, already fully equipped, -had been sent away, the guides dismissed, the caravan dispersed. Lady -Hester announced publicly that she was postponing the journey, and, -giving as pretexts Barker's illness, Bruce's weakness, and the advantage -of the doctor's presence, decided to take only the road to Hama. She was -not to arrive there directly. - -Unforeseen events had, in fact, occurred during the doctor's absence. -Lady Hester, who had secretly written to Mahannah-el-Fadel, emir of the -Anezes, received a visit from his son Nasr. Supple, slight, of -insinuating and agreeable manners, the young sheik, his legs and feet -bare, wrapped himself with dignity in an old sheepskin and in a ragged -robe. But the orange and green keffiye shaded a haughty countenance with -a sharp profile. The people of his suite were less elegant. -Pierre--decidedly much more the cook than the prophet--composed a -monster lunch in which Turkish and Arabic dishes alternated abundantly. -The plum puddings particularly aroused the hilarity of the Bedouins, but -they could not make up their minds to taste them. - -Lady Hester, astonished by the state of Nasr's wardrobe, presented him -with a complete costume, of which he scattered immediately the articles -about him, throwing down mantles and abayes with a magnificent ease, as -though they had been refuse. - -The sheik made his hostess clearly understand that, if she persisted in -going to Palmyra under the protection of the troops, he would consider -her as an enemy, and that she would learn, at her risks and perils, who -was sultan of the desert. So much the more that all the Bedouins, from -the greatest to the smallest, had their imagination excited and their -covetousness attracted by the arrival of the English princess, riding, -with spurs of gold, a mare worth forty purses, bringing a book to -discover hidden treasures (the engravings of Wood and Dawkins!), and a -little packet of herbs to transform stones into precious metals!... -Nasr, with much astuteness, added that a person so distinguished ought -to trust herself to the honour of the Bedouins, for the Turkish -soldiers, ignorant of the tracks, the spots where water was to be found, -the places infested by rebels, would throw her into a thousand -difficulties, and would be the first to march off when danger threatened -with a touching unanimity. - -The result of the visit of this adroit diplomatist was that Lady Hester, -without the knowledge of anyone, arranged an interview with the Emir -Mahannah-el-Fadel. She arrived at Nebk like a whirlwind, carried off -Lascaris and his wife, on her way, to serve as interpreters, and at the -hamlet of Tell Bise, beyond Homs, she plunged suddenly into the desert. -Mahannah had sent her a Bedouin as guide. Alone, she advanced across the -boundless plains of sands, entrusting herself, with a rashness without -example, to the hordes of marauders whose profession is to despoil -unsuspecting travellers. - -At last, the camp appeared, and she went straight to the chief's tent. -Mahannah was fifty or sixty years old; his piercing eye compensated for -a difficulty in hearing, his beard was bushy and also his eyebrows. Dirt -and filth begrimed in an extraordinary way his face, stranger to the use -of water. He wore a jacket of Damascus satin which had once been red, of -which some ransomed merchants had been despoiled. - -Lady Hester did not waste time in useless salaams: - -"I know that thou art a robber," said she to him, "and I am now in thy -power. I have left behind me all those who were protecting me, my -soldiers, my friends, to show thee that it is thee and thy tribe whom I -have chosen as my defenders." - -Fascinated, Mahannah treated her with the greatest respect. For three -days Lady Hester travelled with the camp. - -What unforgettable recollections were those evening halts around the -dull fires! The encampment and its vicinity were swarming with living -things. Camels with velvet steps returning from the springs with their -moist leathern bottles; children romping with the foals; women tatooed -with fantastical flowers going to milk the she-camels or park the kids. -The air resounded with the call of the shepherds and the bleating of the -sheep, which were returning in disorder. In the shadow you heard the -flocks breathing. The horses, which were shackled near the tents, pawed -the sand impatiently, and the desert stretched out its limbs with -gladness at the approach of night. The Bedouins, all attention, closely -encircled the old poets come from the banks of the Euphrates, who -chanted the splendour of dead heroes, and the cry of the roving hyenas -made the narrow tents appear better. - -Mahannah escorted Lady Hester to within a few miles of Hama, and Nasr -himself conducted her so far as the house which had been prepared for -her. In the middle of December, the rest of the expedition rejoined Lady -Hester. The doctor lodged with the Lascaris, and had then all the time -and the leisure to observe and know this mysterious personage. - -Lamartine, in his introduction to the _Récit du séjour de Fatella -Sayeghir chez les Arabes du grand désert_, has traced an astonishing -portrait of this Lascaris who, from the end of the Directory, foresaw -that Asia alone offered a suitable field for the regenerating ambition -of the hero. "It appears that the young warrior of Italy, whose -imagination was as luminous as the East, vague as the desert, great as -the world, had on this subject confidential conversations with M. de -Lascaris, and darted a flash of his mind towards that horizon which was -opening to him his destiny. It was only a flash, and I am grieved by it; -it is evident that Bonaparte was the man of the East, and not the man of -Europe.... In Asia, he would have stirred men by millions, and, a man of -simple ideas himself, he would have with two or three ideas erected a -monumental civilisation which would have endured a thousand years after -him. But the error was committed: Napoleon chose Europe; only he wished -to throw an explorer behind him to discover what there would be to do -there and to mark out the route to the Indies, if his fortune were to -open it to him. M. de Lascaris was this man. Man of genius, of talent -and of sagacity, he feigned a sort of monomania to form an excuse for -his stay in Syria and his persistent relations with all the Arabs of the -desert who arrived at Aleppo." - -This judgment is curious, if it is not entirely just, for Lamartine -treats with the last contempt the internal work of Napoleon--magnificent -administration drawn from the chaos of the Revolution, and which France -maintains still--which he calls an "unskilful restoration." As for the -Eastern Question, it seems, on the contrary, that the Emperor had had -intercourse with it. If he had been the man of Europe, he would have -engaged in a merciless hand-to-hand struggle with England; if he had -devoted to his Navy a quarter of the attention which he gave to his -Army, he would have struck his rival a mortal blow. In place of that, he -parries the blows, he forestalls them, he attacks himself, but the mind -is elsewhere, farther away, turned no doubt towards the Levant. The -Egyptian expedition, despatch of Sebastiani to Constantinople, mission -of General Gardane to Teheran, and, above all, efforts constant, -perpetual, obstinate to preserve the integrity of the Turkish Empire and -bridle the Russian appetite, the Moscow campaign to subdue the Czar, the -only troublesome competitor at Constantinople, are they not the tangible -proofs of the Eastern desire which the creative and robust imagination -of Napoleon did not conceive as a mirage? Did he intend to remake the -Roman Empire with its frontiers dispersed over three worlds and perhaps -the empire of Alexander with undefined limits. The fall of the eagles -has carried away his secret. But at present we are in 1812, on the eve -of the Russian expedition. Napoleon has made M. de Nerciat, former -attaché to the Gardene mission, and Colonel Boutin start for St. Jean -d'Acre and Egypt in order to sound the ground and to prepare the new -ways which the victories--he did not imagine the possibility of a -defeat--were going to open. Lascaris precedes them then seven or eight -years on the desert routes. For what purpose? To prepare the invasion of -the Indies? Lamartine affirms it formally and gives Lascaris -qualifications and a position of the first importance. - -What is certain, is that, if Lascaris were the secret agent of Napoleon, -he was a remarkable actor and played his part in so masterly a manner -that not only the doctor--after all, but little of a physiognomist--but -Lady Hester, who was more difficult to deceive, allowed themselves to be -duped completely by it. - -It will be amusing to know Lady Hester's opinion on this subject, if -only in order to follow the evolution of a woman's judgment. - -On returning from her journey to the Emir Mahannah, Lascaris is lauded -to the skies. She writes at that time to General Oakes, Governor of -Malta: - -"I have met here an extraordinary character, Mr. Lascaris, of -Ventimiglia. He is a little giddy, but he is a remarkable man who has an -astonishing knowledge of the Arabs. He is extremely poor and very -energetic. If he falls into the hands of the French, we shall stand some -chance of repenting of it in the future. _At present he is altogether -English_, and it would be worth the trouble of maintaining him in his -excellent inclinations. The chancellery of the Order of Malta and the -advocate Torrigiani have all the papers relating to his family and to -his _humble demands_: little pension which would assure him a piece of -bread; he asks nothing more!" - -And General Oakes is solicited to intervene, to represent to the -Government all the advantage which there will be in keeping a faithful -subject at the gates of the desert where the turbulent Arabs were -beginning to shake off the yoke of the pachas. - -"Besides," added she, "it would be a great act of humanity towards a -_great man_. The French plough the desert with emissaries and envoys. -Why should we not do the same thing ...?" - -Napoleon's agent kept by the English Government! The story is delicious. -What was the value of Lascaris in politics? but in the matter of -duplicity he is truly unique. He feigns poverty, for one cannot well -imagine a secret mission without substantial subsidies to support it, -finds the means to interest Lady Hester in his case and to exhibit -himself in a day to such advantage that she dreams of employing him in -the interests of her own country. - -But great enthusiasms have the brightness and the duration of fires of -straw. Some weeks later, Lady Hester begins to think that Lascaris is a -hare-brained fellow. If General Oakes is able to obtain some money for -him, it will be a charity, for the unfortunate man is on thorns (the old -fox continues the little comedy), but he must not be reckoned on; he is -mad and will not be good for anything.... The cream of praises is -beginning to turn. Finally, Lady Hester, saturated with the stories and -jeremiads of Lascaris, gave him a handsome present to compensate him for -his journey and invited him to remain with her. His part of interpreter -stopped there, and having squeezed the lemon, she threw away the skin. -It is an action in which women and statesmen excel. She was not to know -the true figure of Lascaris until very much later, when Lamartine's book -would have reached the East. What a miscalculation for her who pretended -to discover the habits and character of people at first sight! To have -been duped, she whom her divining instinct had never deceived! "It was -not to Napoleon that he was so much attached," will she then say -pensively in recalling the "humble demands"; "it was to him who held the -pocket-book." And then, in a lapidary formula, she will endeavour to -recover her prestige in the eyes of the sceptical doctor: "Lascar is had -the heart of a Roman and the skill in intrigue of a Greek." But there -are things which one invents afterwards, like those ambassadors who, in -their Memoirs, attribute to themselves the merit of having foreseen the -past. - -Mahannah-el-Fadel had sent a Bedouin on an embassy to Hama. He demanded -a visit from the "Queen's" doctor. Lady Hester hastened to consent, -calculating that she would thus gain the emir's friendship and would -permit the doctor to discover the route, to hire a lodging at Palmyra, -to prepare the expedition--in a word. - -The doctor knew that Lascaris was unwell, embittered, of a melancholy -disposition. One night, summoned in haste by Madame Lascaris, he had -been witness of a violent attack of epilepsy. Accordingly, in order to -afford him some distraction, he offered to take him with him on the -journey which he was going to make to the heart of the desert. Lascaris -accepted and even confided to the doctor that for a long time past he -had desired to visit Palmyra, and "had never been able to realise his -project." He rejoiced therefore at this good fortune and proposed to -abandon the world to plant cabbages in the ruins. - -The little caravan, Meryon, Lascaris, the guide Hassan, all three -wearing the Bedouin costume: white koumbaz, flowing trousers, clumsy red -shoes, skin pelisses, orange and jade keffiye, left Hama on January 2, -1813. It is a date to retain in mind. - -The tribes Beni Khaled and Hadydy, encountered by chance on the way, -offered them the coffee of hospitality and a place under the open tents. -Mahannah was on the point of striking his camp when they joined him, and -they marched with him several days. On January 7, the encampment was -established near Karyatein, and the snow slowly began to fall. The -doctor would have liked to start for Palmyra, as the weather was -becoming alarming, and the Bedouins were moving towards the South. But -the old chief, stuffed with remedies, meant to be cured entirely. Nasr, -speculating on some backsheesh, amused himself by terrorising him. At -length, sensible that they might incur the resentment of Lady Hester, -the Bedouins consented to their departure. The doctor spent a week at -Palmyra, hired three huts in the north-east corner of the Temple of the -Sun, and, on his return, was astounded to encounter in the Djebel Abyad, -as frequented as Bond Street! some miles from the town, Giorgio, whom -Lady Hester in alarm had despatched to look for him, with two guides. -Bewildered and shivering with cold, the unfortunate men nearly succumbed -to the tempest of snow which was raging over these desolate expanses. On -January 26, they joyfully perceived the emir's tents. - -Madame Lascaris, Fatalla Sazeghir, a young Christian of Aleppo, serving -as dragoman, cicerone, spokesman, and young Catherine, or Katinko, -followed them for some hours. Lascaris had conceived a grandiose -project: that of transforming these desert wastes into vast khans -crammed with merchandise. He had had his wife and his stores sent for -immediately, but the cupidity never satisfied and incessantly reviving -of his aggressive customers was to prove an insurmountable obstacle to -his ingenious ideas. To gain the favours of Mahannah, Madame Lascaris -had brought a complete costume, worth a great deal of money, in which in -a moment the old man was dressed anew from head to foot. But all his -sons, Nasr at their head, arrived, their appetites sharpened, to demand -their share. It is better to give willingly what people are able to take -by force! But it was clear that Lascaris's stock was to go there in its -entirety. In proportion as they were enriched too quickly, they did not -know how to keep their presents. Mahannah, being close to the fires, was -warm, and threw his pelisse to a friend. A moment later, feeling the -cold, he seized in the most natural way in the world a garment which was -drying. The owners were obliged to watch their property! - -Is not the hospitality accorded to strangers still the best source of -the Bedouins' revenues? Hardly has the traveller passed a night in the -tent of the sheik than the latter admires the beauty of his shawl. If he -opens his trunks, a thousand prying eyes discover that he has spare -linen and a store of tobacco. Does he leave his boots at the door, the -host finds them better than his own, and, so thinking, slips them on. In -short, after a week of this order of things, the traveller is more naked -than a worm and less rich than Job! - -On January 28, the doctor regained Hama, happy to be able at last to -wash his hands and change his linen, which had not happened to him for -four weeks. Giorgio had remained to accompany Lascaris to Palmyra, but -their visit was very short. - -Here there is a curious comparison to make between Dr. Meryon's journal -and the recital of Fatalla Sazeghir, published by Lamartine. This -Fatalla had a little collection of notes, which Lamartine bought, had -translated, and himself put into French. This extraordinary mission of -Lascaris is the leading thread which runs through these incongruous and -astonishing adventures, like a needle through the complicated web of a -piece of Byzantine embroidery. - -And here is the substance: - -Fatalla and Lascaris, under the name of Sheik Ibrahim (decidedly -Europeans have a weakness for this pseudonym), set out for Homs in -February 1810, ostensibly to sell their red cotton and their glass-ware, -in reality to prepare ways for Napoleon when his armies, on the march -for the Indies, should cross the desert. A Bedouin of the name of Hassan -conducted them to Palmyra, where they made the acquaintance of Mahannah -and Nasr. They remained some time with this tribe, returned to Palmyra, -passed the winter at Damascus at the house of M. Chabassau (evidently -the eternal Dr. Chaboceau), and in the spring of 1811 tried their chance -with the Drayhy--the celebrated destroyer of the Turks--and gained his -friendship. There remained the Wahabis, who would certainly oppose the -success of the French project. Lascaris drew up against them a treaty of -alliance with all the Bedouins of the desert. He scoured the country so -far as beyond the Tigris; Fatalla lent his eloquence to the cause, and -the treaty was covered with signatures. More than 500,000 Bedouins -allied themselves thus to them. In the spring of 1813, a battle which -lasted more than forty days was fought at the gates of Hama, between -150,000 Wahabis and 80,000 Bedouins and Turks. The Wahabis were -defeated. Then Fatalla accompanied the Drayhy to the terrible -Ebu-Sihoud, King of the Wahabis, and contributed to reconcile the two. -Lascaris, his mission accomplished, started for Constantinople, where he -arrived in April, 1814, just to hear of Napoleon's defeats and the -fruitlessness of his efforts. Grievously stricken by this unexpected -blow, he reached Cairo under an English passport, and died in misery. -Mr. Salt, the English consul, plundered his clothes and his manuscripts. - -Lascaris would, then, have performed the greater part of his circuits -among the nomads before the arrival of the doctor. Well, during the -journey which they accomplished together, the first asserted that he had -never seen Palmyra, at a time when, according to Fatalla, he had been -there twice in the course of the year 1810. Affair of tactics perhaps to -baffle a rival. - -But what is of more importance, is that neither Mahannah-el-Fadel nor -the principal chiefs encountered recognised the famous Sheik Ibrahim. -Ought we, then, to imagine a prodigious watchword given by Lascaris to -the entire desert? It is impossible. - -Elsewhere improbabilities embellish agreeably the histories of Fatalla. -Nasr, he recounts, was killed in 1811 in the wars between the Drayhy and -Mahannah. Zaher, son of the Drayhy, brought him down with a -lance-thrust, then "cut his body in pieces, placed it in a basket and -sent it to Mahannah's camp by a prisoner whose nose he had cut off." -Well, a year later, this unfortunate young man, in wonderfully good -health, paid a visit to Lady Hester, then at Damascus, to dissuade her -from going to Palmyra. Lascaris had a short memory; he had already -forgotten the encampment near Karyatein in January, 1813, from which he -accompanied Nasr to search for provisions in the village. Both returned, -besides, with an empty bag. - -It is Nasr again who, in the spring of 1813, escorted Lady Hester to -Palmyra and behaved himself in a horrible and brutal manner. Two years -later, Mahannah wrote to "the Queen," who was settled at Mar-Elias, to -beg her to intervene with the Pacha of Damascus in favour of Nasr, who -had wrought great havoc in the full granaries of the Governor of Hama. -This dead man clung to life tenaciously! As for the relations of -Lascaris with Lady Hester, they are very whimsical and demand some -rectifications. - -Fatalla pretends that it is in the spring of 1812 that he learned of the -arrival of a princess, daughter of the King of England, in Syria, where -she was displaying a royal luxury. She had overwhelmed with magnificent -presents Mahannah-el-Fadel and had made him escort her to Palmyra, where -she had distributed her bounty with profusion and had acquired a -formidable party amongst the Bedouins, who had proclaimed her queen. -Lascaris felt very much alarmed at this news, believing that he saw in -it an intrigue to ruin his plans. - -At this period, Lady Hester had scarcely disembarked from Egypt and was -on the way to Jerusalem. The Palmyra project, if it existed already, was -still informal and secret. - -But Fatalla does not confine himself to one error. According to his -version, Lascaris received an invitation from Lady Hester to go to her -at Hama, as well as his wife, who had remained at St. Jean d'Acre. This -invitation annoyed him the more, inasmuch as for three years he had -avoided giving her news, leaving her in ignorance of the place of his -residence and of his intimacy with the Bedouins. He conveyed to his -wife, by special courier, the order to refuse. It was too late; Madame -Lascaris, alarmed about this phantom husband, had already accepted. This -model household was reunited then under the benevolent auspices of Lady -Hester, who, after having essayed in vain by adroit questions to obtain -from him some explanation in regard to his relations with the Bedouins, -assumed at the end a tone of authority which afforded Lascaris a pretext -for a rupture. He sent his wife back to Acre and left Lady Hester, -having fallen out completely with her. - -It is not after Lady Hester's expedition to Palmyra, but before, that -Lascaris places the episode. The proofs accumulate to annul Fatalla's -evidence. On November 3, 1812, the doctor visited Lascaris and his -martial spouse. In her expedition to Mahannah-el-Fadel, Lady Hester took -both husband and wife. And her invitation to Hama cannot reunite the -Lascaris, since they were not separated. Then, in January, 1813, there -is the arrival in Mahannah's camp of Madame Lascaris, of the famous -Fatalla and of the bales of merchandise. As for the tone of authority -which Hester assumes in endeavouring to thwart the secret mission which -Lascaris had received from Napoleon, the doctor, who wrote his journal -methodically every day, shows the improbability of it. And his lack of -imagination, that ingenuousness which causes him to record all the -incidents of the journey without understanding them, is the surest -guarantee of his veracity. - -And the Wahabis? And this battle of 1813 at the gates of Hama, in which, -according to Fatalla, 150,000 Wahabis and 80,000 Bedouins and Turks were -engaged? - -Lady Hester did not budge from Hama from December 15 to March 20. In -April, she committed tranquilly her little extravagance at Palmyra. Of -Wahabis, not a shadow! Of battle, no traces! All the same, 230,000 men -do not shuffle out of it like that! And on March 7, the inhabitants of -Syria celebrated by great rejoicings the recapture of Mecca from the -Wahabis. - -If Lascaris had not performed his distant peregrinations before January, -1813--and the comparison between the memoranda of journeys kept by -Meryon and Fatalla seem certainly to indicate it--he did not have the -necessary time to undertake them afterwards. He is gripped as in a vice -between that date and that of his arrival at Constantinople, coinciding -with the defeats of the campaign of France. And before? Before 1810? -Lascaris was able to travel across the entire world, but Fatalla did not -know it and was unable to write his journal. - -The young dragoman's recital ought to be pardoned some degree of -inaccuracy. It is necessary to subtract the Oriental zero. Five hundred -thousand Bedouins are, after all, only five or six thousand. The Tigris -and the Euphrates are two rivers very near to each other, and the name -of the first looks so well in a history, even when it is a question of -the second. A skirmish of some hundreds of men produces much less effect -than a pitched battle of 200,000 warriors. There are, besides, passages -which are of a striking interest: pictures painted with a large brush of -the turmoil of camps, of songs of love and battle, of tribes on the -march, of puffs of burning air which bring all the nostalgia, all the -violence, of the free life of the desert, and in which the imprint of -Lamartine is recognisable. - -The whole art of the narrator is to interest, and it must be confessed -that Fatalla practised this art wonderfully well. Lascaris's sojourn -amongst the wandering Arabs is perhaps, after all, only the journey made -with Dr. Aferson to the Emir Mahannah-el-Fadel, and transposed by a -secretary with a rich and fertile imagination. It is necessary to remark -the similarity of the name of the Bedouin Hassan who, according to the -two versions, served them as guide. A Levantine historiographer -translated by a poet! The enterprise was truly hazardous. Have -successive interpretations altered the original text, or has Lamartine -been mystified by a clever story-teller who had already modified the -rigid framework of time and facts, which, like a good Oriental, he -rendered elastic according to the inclination of his subject. We shall -never know, for Lascaris's papers, which alone would have been able to -throw light on his real mission and his real travels, have disappeared, -snapped up by the English Government. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE QUEEN OF PALMYRA - - -LADY HESTER was cooped up in Hama. Amongst the old men, the most -grey-headed did not recollect so severe a winter as that of 1813. Nearly -all the fruit-trees of the beautiful gardens which caress the Orontes -perished frozen. A tribe of Arabs which was encamped in the plain was -engulfed by a snowstorm, with the women, the children and the flocks. -Alone the rustic norias continued to hum, and in the wind, the squall -and the rain their songs rose infinitely monotonous and melancholy, -embodying the revolt of the earth made for sun and joy. But the -travellers did not wait longer than in the first days of spring the -swarms of bees to take flight from the great dead orchards. - -M. de Nerciat, passing by Hama, offered Lady Hester a salutary -diversion. Then Beaudin fell from his horse and spoiled his face. Mrs. -Fry had an acute attack of pleurisy. The health of Lady Stanhope herself -was not brilliant; but she was one of those women who endure better the -fatigues of journeys than the monotony of prolonged sojourns in the same -place, and the doctor, who knew the fierce energy of his patient, did -not venture to oppose the expedition. - -On February 17, the Emir Mahannah arrived at Hama. Muly Ishmael, full of -amiability for Lady Hester, had warned her to mistrust the Bedouin -cupidity. The discussions took place in his presence. It was arranged -that the emir, as the price of his escort, should be paid 3000 piastres, -of which 1000 were to be given him at once, and the rest on the return -from Palmyra. Excellent precaution to avoid the accidents of the -journey! - -On that 20th of March, Hama was in a ferment of excitement. For some -hours the town was buzzing like a hive, and the eternal norias -supported in chorus the increasing noises. Women almost unveiled, -squalling children, grave men, hurried excitedly to the gates. Jews, -caught between their curiosity and their cupidity, took the risk of an -incursion into the street to regain their shops at full gallop. Patrols -of Dellatis--their tall hats pointing towards the sky--rode about, -jostling the famished and howling dogs. It was to-day that the Syt, the -English princess, was going into the desert with her escort. So far as a -league from the town, the route was many-coloured with spectators. -Children posted as an advance-guard arrived at the end of the train -clamouring the news: "There she is! There she is!" - -Lady Hester, her long burnous floating in the wind, mounted on a horse -with a flowing mane, passed, surrounded by her general staff of sheiks. -Their lances decorated with ostrich feathers, their curly hair -meandering down their cheeks, their bony mares, their savage demeanour, -made a bad impression on the crowd. A long murmur of pity and -commiseration rose towards the Syt. The janissaries who were keeping it -back were overwhelmed; all the inhabitants of Hama wishing to take a -last look at her who was going to her death, to be plundered at the -least. - -Sixty-six Bedouins galloped on the flanks of the caravan, their keffiyes -and abayes floating in the breeze. Mrs. Fry, always so ill at ease in -her masculine garb, Bruce and the doctor, who had allowed their beards -to grow to keep themselves in countenance, Beaudin, Pierre, the syces, -the men-servants followed in good order. A file of twenty-five horsemen. -And to wind up the procession, some forty camels, with the haughty and -disillusioned airs of old politicians undeceived about many things, -defiled solemnly, showing their varied burdens: tents, light and heavy -baggage, firewood, sacks of rice and flour, tobacco, coffee, sugar, -soap, kitchen utensils, leathern bottles of drinking water, oats for the -horses. - -Lady Hester undertook the journey as a true Englishwoman whose formula -is simple and in good taste: to have the maximum of comfort and the -minimum of boredom. Little does it matter after mobilising a province, -after unsettling a part of the earth, to render oneself odious to the -inhabitants. It is always necessary to set one's house in order to -travel with the English. - -After a march of two days, the caravan arrived at the springs of -Keffiyah, where the Emir Mahannah was encamped with his tribe. Lady -Hester lingered there two days. The doctor dreamer, was he not seeking -to see again the Bedouin girl who had touched his vulnerable heart? He -called to mind the last stage of his journey with the Anezes. - -"Ah, Raby, little Bedouin girl, where art thou now? Where is thy -graceful and full figure, thy gilded skin, thy sad gazelle-like eyes? -How lightly didst thou spring on to the back of a camel, placing thy -bare foot on his protuberant joints, seizing with grace his tail by way -of a hand-rail! - -"Raby, thou didst turn thy head too often towards the stranger; perhaps -thou wast saying to thyself in thy artlessly coquettish mind: Why dost -thou look at me thus, amiable cavalier? I know that I am beautiful, for, -although I am only fourteen years of age, several chiefs of the tribe -have already demanded me in marriage. But my father demands fifty camels -and a thoroughbred mare, and he says that that will not be enough as the -price of my charms.... - -"Raby, little Raby, what hast thou done that a single smile from thee -should be graven in my soul for ever?" - -And the doctor becomes exalted in sentimental and lyrical incantations -which time carried away like mustard seed. - -The Anezes, of whom Mahannah was the chief, were at that time warring -against the rival tribe of the Feydars. It was reported that strong -detachments of the enemy had been met with on the desert routes. It was -necessary to be on the watch to guard against a surprise attack. - -The order of march was strictly established. At the head were Nasr, Lady -Hester and her escort; Bruce, the doctor and the armed servants -protected the rearguard, and the scouts extended themselves unceasingly -across the sand-hills. The travellers felt then that the journey was -serious and disquieting. They were on territory which did not submit to -the Turks, and had no succour to expect. Their protectors were Bedouins, -conquered by the lure of gain to-day, but changeable, uncertain, -unattachable, hostile to-morrow. The caravan was long, the camels loaded -with objects calculated to excite covetousness, the servants little -numerous. The courage and the decision of a woman, her sang-froid, her -energy, her liberalities, the renown which had preceded her, it was this -which constituted the surest guarantees for the success of the -expedition! And this woman was ill, so much that Bruce and Meryon asked -each other, not without trembling, how she would withstand the fatigue. -How was physical exhaustion and mental lassitude to keep in good order -the quarrelsome and thievish Bedouins? Already there was a struggle, -cunning and dissimulated, between Nasr and Lady Hester: the one wishing -to compel the other to increase the price agreed upon, ready to employ -every means to gain piastres; the other persuaded that, if she yielded, -to-morrow her baggage, her arms, her clothes would no longer belong to -her. - -The start took place at daybreak, in the sharp morning air, and they -marched under a uniform sky, of an implacable and dull blue. The tawny -sands muffled the shoes of the horses, and in the great solitude, the -glistening void of the desert, the smallest objects, a tuft of prickly -grass, a fox, the flight of a partridge, assumed an extraordinary -importance. On a sudden, the alarm disturbed the caravan. An attack was -imminent. From the extremity of the horizon a troop of horsemen was -rushing towards them at full gallop. Wild excitement! Rumours! Lady -Hester, however, examined with her eye the extreme line of the desert, -and immediately assured her companions that there were many horses in -the distance, but that they were without riders. This assertion, -subsequently verified, sensibly increased her prestige with the -Bedouins, whose piercing eyes were accustomed, like those of sailors, to -watch without intermission for the dangers of them seas of sand. - -There were many distractions to relieve the monotony of the journey; -there were little organised robberies. If the servants, clothed anew -from head to foot, had the misfortune to feel warm and to take off their -cloaks or draw out their handkerchiefs, the agile Nasr supervened and -claimed his due. There were also mimic combats. All in a body, standing -erect on their high stirrups, they raised a shout, savage, swift, -strident, which the horses obeyed in starting off at full gallop. The -mirrors with which the saddles were decorated flashed in the sunlight. -The Bedouins brandished their lances. The horses increased their speed -to join the mares. The horsemen approached yelling at the full strength -of their lungs their war cries; their bodies were almost touching; and -at the moment when the inevitable shock was causing the spectators to -gasp with fear, a turning movement executed with excessive rapidity -checked the career of their excited mounts. The love of fighting made -some of them forget the game, and the blows became real; blood flowed in -thin furrows, while the heaving flanks of the cruelly abused horses were -covered with sweat and their mouths filled with red foam. - -Then the caravan encountered the tribe of the Sebah, which was -descending the slopes of Mount Belaz, which was simply a hill of sand. -It was a magnificent and unknown spectacle. Not a fold of the ground -which was not covered with moving specks. It seemed that a page of -ancient history had come to meet the travellers. The desert on the -march! In the first years of the Hegira the nomads marched thus with -slow and weary steps towards uncertain goals. How had it changed, in -fact? The strong camels were still adorned with the haudag--compromise -between the palanquin and the basket--from which emerged the heads of -women and children, and the weaker camels carried the carpets rolled -into a ball, which appeared at a distance enormous nests. The men, -mounted on their mares, surrounded by wild colts, shook their keffiyes -of vibrating colours; the women, the ring in the nose, well-tattooed -lips, wrapped in their red cotton cloth spotted with white, resumed -instinctively the antique poses. And then there were the beautiful naked -children. Nothing gives more the impression of eternity and immobility -than the free life of the desert. And, carried back for several -centuries, Lady Hester, Bruce and Meryon watched the tribe disappearing -in the distance, until it became like a handful of confetti dispersed -over the sands and the call of the camel-drivers: "Yalla! Yalla!" died -away. - -And when the steppes became larger still with the blue shadows brought -by the night, the caravan came to a halt. Sometimes alone near springs -half-covered by sand, sometimes welcomed by an encampment of Beni Hez or -Beni Omar. The Bedouins unfolded, as fancy dictated, their black tents -of goats' hair, lighted by a thousand holes. The women hastened to -prepare the evening meal, and baked gently over the embers the soft, -flat loaves. A gigantic cauldron was filled with water, butter and -rice--water collected most often in the holes and with which a -kitchen-maid in England would have refused to wash her floor, so muddy -was it, and butter which a prolonged sojourn in skin bottles had -rendered as rancid and bitter as could possibly be desired. All that was -boiled pell-mell, and the mud cheerfully incorporated with this mixture. -The admirers watched the progress of the cooking and squatted on their -left legs, raising their right knee to the height of the chin. They -plunged their hands into the dish and drew from it a heap of food, which -they threw into the air and dexterously pressed in order to cool it and -to make the juice run out of it. And their thumbs adroitly guided the -enormous shovelful to its destination. When they were satisfied, they -surrendered their places to others, and, after having plunged their -greasy fingers into the sand, they passed them nonchalantly over their -abayes. For they were dirty, thoroughly dirty; they employed their hands -for nameless purposes--such as to wipe their feet when they were -wet--while the neighbourhood of springs failed to stimulate them to -elementary ablutions. Sometimes there was mutton, sometimes also treacle -as dark as raisiné. And always coffee. The person who prepared it -ground the berries in a little mortar; at this music the whole camp -hurried up. Wiping the cups with an old rag--water is too precious to be -wasted--he sent round the bitter and scorching liquid. - -Lady Stanhope's companions rejoiced greatly at her foresight by which -they profited after having complained about it. - -"Nothing in the world has ever been so well organised," she exclaimed, -laughing, "which shows that I am a worthy pupil of Colonel Gordon, for I -am at once quartermaster, adjutant and commissary-general. We are living -as comfortably as if we were at home, and the Duke of Kent would not -give more orders to the minute and would not watch more severely their -execution. Really, it is the only way of accomplishing an enterprise of -this kind with some pleasure." - -And the doctor, although pretending to have taken a fancy to camel's -milk, was very pleased to have a closed tent and sugar in his coffee. - -Lady Hester had found the best formula for travelling in the East: that -which consists of living the life of the Arabs without sharing their -tents infested with vermin, of becoming impregnated with the -picturesqueness of their manners without mimicking them, of admiring the -patriarchal simplicity of their repasts without partaking from the -common pot. People who have never roved the world except from the depths -of their arm-chairs, do not understand this reserve; it is so much less -poetical! But the greatest travellers are those who watch their luggage -with the greatest care. One can very well enjoy the pleasure of a -Bedouin camp without being covered with fleas and without having one's -stomach turned by meats more or less dirty and decomposed. Only few -persons have the courage of their opinions. - -Lady Hester had courage of all kinds. Thus, she really knew the -Bedouins, not the Bedouins of exportation and of comic opera, but the -dirty Bedouins, the Bedouins to the life, braggarts, plunderers, cheats, -rancorous haters, as witness the one who having had his pipe filled with -camel dung, by way of tobacco, by a Christian humorist, gave the village -over to fire and sword, and exterminated all the caravans within reach -of his vengeance! But so ready in praises, so apt in compliments, -singularly discerning--do they not call her "the Queen?" - -From time to time, there was certainly a shadow. The Bedouins showed -their true character in declaring that if the pacha's troops had had the -audacity to penetrate into the desert, they would have sent -them--stark-naked and without beards--to their affairs. Was it not, -after all, the fault of those who treated them as fools and related to -them cock and bull stories at a time when they are most susceptible and -more difficult to manage than all the nations of old Europe. - -And then she had the good fortune to encounter a sheik. A marvellous -sheik! A sheik in whose presence Lord Petersham would die with envy. The -sprightly air of a Frenchman with the manners and the ease of Lord -Rivers or the Duke of Grafton. - -She learned the Bedouin morals, the strange customs and the famous -_Dukhyl_, the code of the rights and the prohibitions of hospitality. A -Bedouin who had been robbed has no courts to which to appeal. What does -he do? He lies in wait for the robber and so soon as he catches sight of -him, he throws at him a ball of thread which he has concealed in his -hand. If the ball of thread in unwinding itself touches the robber, the -victim has won his cause and recovers his property. But if he misses his -aim, he must fly as quickly as he can to save his life. The captive to -regain his liberty has only to make secretly a knot in his master's -keffiye, but, attention, _nefah_! - -If the murderer succeeds in entering his victim's tent or in eating at -the family table, he is sacred, but take care, _nefah_! - -Thus, the robber is never sure of keeping his booty, the victor his -prisoner, the son of the assassinated his vengeance. Their piercing -sight is their only defence, and the fateful word is able alone to break -the charm. All the Bedouins have more or less clean consciences, -unceasingly on their guard, watching on the right, watching on the left, -always distrustful, never in repose, they have too often not to fear to -be duped in their turn. And the camp resounds with the word "_nefah_" -which the children and women repeat in shrill tones. - -By an admirable foresight, the Bedouins have understood the inanity of a -justice often lame and one-eyed, and have remitted to chance the care of -passing sentence. Only in this game of blindman's buff, which takes the -place of social laws, they are the most adroit and the strongest who -gain the end, the forfeits are bloody, and the feeble, those who run -less swiftly, those who are captured, mark out the track, motionless for -ever. - -Lady Hester was accustomed, when the first disturbance which followed -the installation of the camp had quieted down, to gather under her tent -the sheiks with whom she desired to talk. She was highly amused at the -terror which they had of Russia. They thanked Allah that she was not the -Czarina, otherwise, said they, their liberty would have been lost. - -But one evening, Nasr, urged on by one knows not what maggot in his -brain, retorted sharply to the messenger: - -"Lady Hester is perhaps the daughter of a vizier, but I am the son of a -prince, and I am not disposed to go to her tent now. If she had need of -me, let her come or send her interpreter." - -Lady Hester was obliged to swallow the insult in silence and to restrain -the answer which rose to her lips. The Bedouins were in a hum of -excitement, murmuring that Nasr was angry, that that did not augur -anything good, that he was going to give the order to return. And, as -had been foreseen, a very bad effect was produced on the servants, who -pricked up their ears like hares surrounded by the hunters. But Lady -Hester remained very calm and treated Nasr with the most complete -indifference. This was not what he was expecting, and he postponed until -the following night the end of his attempt at intimidation. - -At dawn, the doctor started for Palmyra as a courier. While Lady Hester, -shaken in her confidence in Nasr, was conferring with Bruce and Beaudin -as to the measures to be taken, Pierre came running to announce that -some mares had been carried off and that Rajdans were roaming round the -camp. They heard neighing, cries, the sound of hoofs and galloping. The -Bedouins were making ready for the fight. - -Nasr, enveloping himself with mystery, rushed up to Lady Hester's tent, -relating that he was going to be attacked on account of his alliance -with her. "I shall perish rather than abandon thee," he declared, making -visible efforts to animate himself to enthusiasm. Lady Hester, having -judged the degree of his heroism, decided to leave him and to go alone -into the desert. Refusing to listen to him, alarmed by this new folly, -she sprang on her horse and started. Her mare was a good one and her -dagger trustworthy. Suddenly, she caught sight of Bedouins armed to the -teeth who were coming in her direction. Then, standing erect on her -stirrups, and removing the yashmak which veiled her face transfigured by -anger, she cried in a voice of command: "Stop! stop!" Pronounced in an -unknown tongue, this order only produced the more effect, and the -horsemen reined back their steeds, but to raise exclamations of joy and -admiration. It was only a ruse of Nasr to prove her courage. The Bedouin -pleasantries are sometimes clumsy. - -On the morrow, towards midday, at the time when the sun was dissolving -the sands into orange-coloured gems, Lady Hester and her escort reached -the last hills which guarded the mysterious town. And the desert was -suddenly peopled with strange beings, gnomes or demons sprung up from -the earth. All the male inhabitants of Palmyra had come to meet their -visitor. Some fifty of them, on foot, clad in simple little short -petticoats and ornamented with a thousand glass beads, which glared on -their swarthy skin like gildings on the morocco of a tawny binding, -joined to their deafening cries the noise of old cauldrons and saucepans -which they beat with all their might. Others, more proud than d'Artagnan -himself, mounted on their Arab mares, fired their matchlocks under the -nose of Lady Hester, who happily did not dislike the smell of powder. -They mimicked the attack and defence of a caravan, and the pedestrians -gave proof of an incredible dexterity in the art of plundering the -horsemen. Never had more experienced valets de chambre, in a shorter -time, undressed their masters from head to foot. - -Lady Hester quietened the excited band so soon as she caught sight of -the square towers with which the Valley of Tombs began, and demanded -silence. - -The ruins were there.... What joy and what pleasure there is in the -discovery of dead cities! These places which were the theatre of events -which distance has rendered extraordinary belong to the traveller. He is -able at his pleasure and for some hours to recover the colonnades which -the sand smothers, to finish Justinian's wall, to people the fallen -temples and the mortally wounded tetraphylles with the shades of those -whom he particularly admires. - -But this evocation was not permitted Lady Hester. Palmyra lived again. -Palmyra was taking a new and different flight with all these Bedouins -clinging to its ruined flanks as to the wrinkled visage of an old -coquette whom paint and powder rejuvenate too much for recollection, not -enough for credibility. - -Across these steppes of gilded stones, from which stood out some -beautiful columns intact and virginal, one could divine still the line -of a triumphal portico. The great central arcade raised towards the sky -its pillars fifty feet high, while the lateral arcades, more modest, -framed it intermittently. Infinite rows of columns of a rose and yellow -colour; stone flesh caressed and polished by the burning and amorous -suns of thousands of days! Against each column leant a console bearing -the statue of a celebrated personage, perhaps one of those bold caravan -leaders who, from the rivers Tigris or Ganges, had brought to Palmyra -the brocades of Mosul and the silks of Baghdad, the glass-ware of Irak, -the ivory sculptured in silver, the porcelains of China, the sandal-wood -and the pearls. But the sands which swallow up everything, the living as -the dead, had mingled the débris of the statues with the bones of the -heroes. There remained only Greek or Palmyrian inscriptions half-eaten -away by time. - -What was, then, this prodigy? On the iron props which formerly sustained -the consoles, young girls were mounted. They kept their fifteen or -sixteen year old bodies so perfectly rigid that from afar they looked -like white statues. Their loose robes were twisted round their bodies in -antique draperies; they wore veils and garlands of flowers. On each side -of the pillars, other young girls were grouped. And from one column to -the other ran a string of beautiful brown children elevating thyrsi. -While Lady Hester was passing these living statues remained motionless, -but afterwards, springing from their pedestals, they joined the -procession, dancing. The triumphal promenade continued for twelve -hundred metres, to terminate in the final apotheosis. Suspended by a -miracle to the top of the last arch, a young Bedouin girl deposited a -crown on the head of Lady Hester. Then the popular enthusiasm knew no -longer any bounds. The poets--all the Arabs are poets--chanted verses in -her praise, and the crowd took up the chorus, to the great displeasure -of the forty camels, which protested loudly. The entire village was -dancing in the steps of the stranger who had braved the seas and the -deserts to come to it. - -Lady Hester was at last satisfied. She was not astonished, for nothing -could surpass her dreams of vengeance and her desire for glory. Why did -they not see her entry into Palmyra, those detested English who had so -disdainfully discarded her? Moore in his golden medallion took part in -the fête. - -By what was in former times a monumental staircase, but was now only -dust, she arrived at the Temple of the Sun. Erected out of blocks of -marble, it rose still great on the field of desolation and ruins. The -gigantic walls of the sacred enclosure were crumbling in all parts, -exposing the immense square court 250 metres in length which surrounded -the sanctuary, to-day a mosque. As veritable butchers of art, the Arabs -had slashed the sanctuary to dig there their dens, and the pure line of -columns appeared to weep over this invasion of executioners. At her -house the excited people left her. - -Bruce and Meryon, who retained a strong academic tincture, had abundant -leisure during the quiet hours of that evening to recall their classical -souvenirs. Zenobia and Hester Stanhope! What a vast horizon opens to all -the meditations of history and philosophy! What a comparison to make -between the former sovereign of Palmyra and her whom the Bedouins were -already proclaiming their queen! Do they not yield to the ready -temptation to compare. - -What remained of Zenobia? A name on antique medals, a profile spoiled on -old coins. She was beautiful, it appears, and the Eastern pearl was not -more dazzling than her teeth. Her eyes were charming and full of fire -and her figure majestic. The singularity of her dress answered to that -of her character. She wore on her head a helmet surmounted by a ram's -head and a flowing plume, and on her robe a bull's head of brass, for -often she fought with the soldiers, her arms bare and a sword in her -hand, and supported on horseback the most prolonged fatigue. Firmness in -command, courage in reverses, loftiness of sentiments, diligence in -business, dissimulation in politics, audacity without restraint, -ambition without limits, such were, according to Trebellius Pollion, the -defects and the accomplishments of this extraordinary woman. - -Would one not say that he who traced this portrait had known Hester -Stanhope? She added only to the outline of Zenobia six feet of height, -her haughty features, her clear complexion and Pitt's love of orating. -But it is not sufficient to have a masculine costume to acquire virility -and audacity, and it seems that under the cuirass embellished with -jewels, as under the koumbaz and the machllah, the two strangers, though -divided by sixteen centuries, in courage and ambition are sisters. -Sisters also in their religious aspirations as numerous as different, in -the eclecticism of their doctrines and their dogmas. They both belonged -to that class of restless minds which is ever ready to welcome new and -subversive philosophical theories, prompt to understand and to -assimilate, prompt also to oblivion and to change. - -Was Zenobia Jewess, Christian, polytheist or idealist? Greedy to know -everything, she had drawn to her Court a disciple of Plotinus, Longinus, -who professed the purest neo-Platonism, and Paul of Samosata, Archbishop -of Antioch, a not very edifying Christian, whose subtle discussions on -the mystery of the Incarnation prepared the coming of Nestorius. She had -made of these two men who represented each two currents of ideas, if not -hostile, at least dissimilar, her civil counsellors. In default of -confession, deeds speak; and in this astonishing choice is betrayed the -descendant of the Greeks dowered with that marvellous faculty of -assimilation appropriate to her race which skims over everything without -adhering to anything. And that is why at Palmyra they walked on the -ruins of a temple of Baal and a synagogue, of a church and of a temple -of Diana. - -And Lady Hester, had she beliefs more solidly established? She had grown -and lived, she also, in the midst of a disturbance and tumult of ideas -too contradictory to preserve a firm religion. The great breath of -revolutionary theories set in motion by Rousseau had turned other heads -better balanced than hers. If she did not founder, she contracted a sort -of exalted misanthropy, peculiar to women, in which Byron and Goethe had -a large share. The ground was prepared for the innumerable sects of the -East, which multiply like mushrooms on a stormy day, to make spring up -there the harvest of their philosophies and their revelations hostile -and divine. She was no longer Anglican and not yet Mohammedan. Under -cover of the good and accommodating Protestant arbitrator, she was able -to invent a religion adapted to circumstances. As a country in danger -launches a national loan, she will make an appeal every time. From some, -she will borrow Fatalism; from others, the belief in the coming of a -Messiah; from others, Biblical prophecies; from others, again, the -existence of evil spirits. - -And what resemblances between these two beautiful Amazons of the East! -Soul intrepid and pride insensate. It is Zenobia, whose father a -magistrate of Palmyra, a simple curule edile charged with the policing -of the frontiers, calling herself a King's daughter and of the lineage -of Cleopatra, and exhibiting the table service of gold plate on which -the Queen of Egypt was served at festivals at Alexandria! It is Hester -Stanhope, in her last years, deceived, robbed, devoured, despoiled by a -pack of servants both numerous and greedy, replying to the doctor who -was entreating her to reduce this clique: "Yes, but my rank!" - -Certainly, it is necessary to transpose the facts, the frame, the -actors. It is necessary to lower the historical ladder to the rung of -anecdote, but the quality of soul, does it not remain the same? Setting -aside all that modern civilisation has added or taken away from the -manner of thinking, of living and of feeling in the third century, we -may say that, if we invert the parts, if we make Hester Stanhope ascend -the throne of Palmyra (she would have very much enjoyed that position), -if we make Zenobia descend to the tent of the English traveller, they -are not misplaced. - -Hester Stanhope, would she not have deserved the praise of Aurelian -writing of Zenobia, after having crushed at Antioch and at Emesa the -heavy Palmyrian cavalry, the archers of Osrhoene and those impetuous -bands of Arabs called so justly the brigands of Syria: "I should prefer -for my glory and my safety to deal with a man," she whose implacable -hostility and proud resistance were to make Mahomet Ali and Ibrahim -Pacha remark, twenty years later, that "the Englishwoman had given them -more trouble to conquer than all the insurgents of Syria and Palestine." - -Zenobia, shut up in Palmyra, besieged by the Roman legions who were -digging mines to shake the solid ramparts at the angles crowned by -towers, replied proudly to Aurelian, who offered her life in return for -the surrender of the town: - -"No one before thee has made in writing such a demand. In war, one -obtains nothing save by courage. You tell me to surrender, as if you did -not know that Queen Cleopatra preferred death to all the dignities which -they promised her. The help of Persia will not fail me. I have on my -side the Saracens and the Armenians. Conquered already by the brigands -of Syria, Aurelian, wouldst thou be able to resist the troops which are -expected from all parts? Then without doubt will fall that ridiculous -pride which dares to order me to surrender, as if victory could not -escape thee." - -Lady Hester would willingly have signed this letter of which the biting -tone and the emphatic turn would not have displeased her. - -And when Lady Hester, grown old, without soldiers, without money, in her -ruined castle of the Lebanon, engaged in a savage and perpetual struggle -with her terrible enemy, the Emir Bechir, will cry to an officer who was -laying down his pistols and his sabre at the door of Tier room: "Take up -thine arms! Dost thou think then that I am afraid of thee or thy master? -I do not know what fear is. It is for him and those who serve him to -tremble. And let not his son the Emir Khalil dare to place his foot -here. I will kill him; it will not be my people who will shoot him; I -will kill him myself with my own hand"; is it not easy to imagine that -Zenobia would have used the same violence of language? - -And of which might a biographer have written: "Her chastity was vaunted -like her courage and she knew not love save for glory." Of Zenobia or of -Lady Hester? - -Only, only there always arrives a moment in which comparison stops; here -it falls into an abyss. Zenobia was _Queen_. She ruled a people; she -defended at once her country and her warlike renown. She had an -object--an object of conquests to create an empire. - -Lady Hester was a tourist. She conducted into the vast world the idle -fancies of an empty heart. She defended her reputation of eccentric -woman by vengeance, by bravado and by ennui. When a woman begins to know -that she is eccentric, she is speedily unendurable. As for political -designs, did Lady Hester think of resuming on her own account the -project of a Palmyrian empire. Bruce insinuated it, not without some -irony. Perhaps he did not feel an inclination to play to the life the -part of a Longinus, delivered up by Zenobia without remorse, condemned -to death and walking to execution with a resigned serenity! Who knows if -she will not reveal herself another Zenobia, thought he, musing, and if -she were not destined to bring back Palmyra to its former splendour? - -Perhaps will she form a matrimonial connection--the expression is -his--with Ebu Sihoud, the King of the Wahabis. Oh! evidently, he was not -represented as a very amorous object. He had a harsh look, a bronzed -skin, and a black beard and disposition, but he was undoubtedly the -richest monarch in the whole world. After the sack of 1806, strings of -camels had left Mecca, carrying to Derayeh, the white Wahabi capital, -defended by its thick woods of palm-trees and its ramparts of piled-up -date-stones, all the presents which the faithful disciples of Mohammed -had sent to the prophet's tomb since the beginning of the Hegira. Throne -of massive gold incrusted with pearls and diamonds, the gift of a -gorgeous King of Persia who had done much killing, crowns enriched with -precious stones, lamps of silver and emerald, diamonds of the size of -walnuts. That is sufficient to tempt the most sensible of young women, -even if the prospective husband possesses a savage character and a -sanguinary reputation. And for a sportswoman, what attraction in the -sight of the royal stables? Eighty white mares with skins shining like -silver, ranged in a single row, so incomparable and so exactly alike -that one could not recognise one from the other, and one hundred and -twenty others of different coats and admirably shaped! - -As so many less celebrated households, Ebu Sihoud and Hester Stanhope, -sacrificing love to ambition, would join hands, would bring a great -revolution into religion and politics and shake the throne of the Sultan -to its base. - -Would a general be required? By Jupiter! General Oakes was distinctly -marked out. How agreeable it would be to him to learn the art of war -under the orders of a chief so distinguished! And these Wahabis! Ah! -what a magnificent people! Like the barbarians rolling in hordes, with -women, children and baggage, over the wreck of the Roman Empire, they -formed an immense army, which was transported from one desert to another -with dizzy rapidity. These shepherds were warriors with all their souls. -Let Turkey take care! Despite the victories of Mahomet Ali, they -extended their empire from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. Bruce -divined the prophecy that a warrior of Ebu Sihoud had proclaimed several -years before: "The time approaches in which we shall see an Arab seated -on the throne of the Caliphs. We have long enough languished under the -yoke of a usurper!" - -But the night enveloped the recollections, and Bruce went to bed, -abandoning the phantoms of Aurelian, Zenobia and the Wahabis to the thin -crescent moon which was streaking with silver the sadness of the ruins. - -Lady Hester, having learned of the gossip of all fashionable Palmyra on -the subject of the treasures which she was reputed to seek, adopted a -radical means of getting rid for ever of such a belief. She called for -her horse, and the sheik of the village followed her on foot. The poor -little tired-out man, little curious to admire the ruins amidst which he -had always lived, trotting behind, perspiring and puffing, demanded -mercy and confessed himself beaten. Surrounded by children and women -skipping like slougheis and running under the horses' hoofs to point out -the best way across the network of ruins, the travellers reached the -Saracen castle, whose flayed-alive walls dominated Palmyra. They leant -their elbows on the remains of the ramparts. At their feet, slept the -buried queen of the desert. These endless rose-coloured columns appeared -at a distance the plaything of some child giant forgotten on the sand. -Soon tired, the child has walked on his fragile constructions, and the -arcades and the temples have fallen in; some sections of the walls which -have escaped this joyous massacre alone remain. Feathery palm-trees and -pale banana-trees, like green favours which little fingers have thrown -to earth, spring up at random. - -At the warm sulphur springs of Ephca, Lady Hester attended the bath of a -young married Bedouin woman. In former times, the girls of Palmyra, -"proud and tender at the same time, born of the mingling of the races of -Greece and Asia, passed for the most beautiful of the East." The beauty -of the women had survived empires, palaces and temples, and the sheiks -of the desert came continually to the ruins of Tadmore in search of -wives, for whom they paid very dearly. - -Preceded by torch-bearers, Lady Hester visited the mosque. She stopped -for a long time before the sculptured ceiling on which could still be -made out the twelve signs of the Chaldean Zodiac. The astrologers, from -the depths of their mysterious chapels, had they predicted to Zenobia -the flight towards the Euphrates, the ascent to the Capitol under the -chains of gold, and the villa on the pleasant slopes of Tivoli. And Lady -Hester, in the presence of those stars which were crumbling slowly in -the gloom and the silence, had she the presentiment of her solitary -destiny in a shaking castle? - -All went for the best, until one day Nasr surprised four Faydans roaming -round the springs. Captured, two amongst them evaded the vigilance of -their guards and fled during the night. At this news, Nasr, tearing his -hair, cried out like one possessed and declared that it was necessary to -leave without delay, for the fugitives had gone to warn their tribe of -the rich booty which awaited them. The departure was fixed for the next -day. - -For the last time Lady Hester went over her realm. The setting sun -reanimated the jagged skeleton of the dead town. The tall columns -sparkled like candles. The night was transparent, the sky of velvet, in -which the golden stars trembled with a beauty which oppressed the heart. -In an uncovered space of the ruins of the temple, the servants had -lighted a great fire. They were giving a farewell reception. The flames -revealed dark faces and wild gambols. Pierre, naturally, was recounting -his history, and all bent their heads to listen to him, sometimes -mimicking the narrator, sometimes repeating in chorus an astonishing -passage. A Bedouin was explaining, in his manner, the great deeds of -Napoleon: - -"The French are supernatural beings; their weapons of war are more -terrible than thunder. They have cannon which discharge balls of a size -which cannot be measured; and, extraordinary thing! very often these -balls remain quiet for a moment. Then, at the moment when one thinks the -least of them, they open with a crash and destroy everything which -surrounds them (_bombs_). They have, besides, the gift of multiplying at -will, for often one sees a little troop advancing, which, at the moment -when one thinks the least of it, extends, multiplies and covers -sometimes a plain of which they occupied at first only a little part -(_square battalions_). Finally, they possess guns with which they fire -often fifteen or twenty shots without needing to reload; it is a -continual fire (_line or platoon firing_). There are among them soldiers -who wear tall caps of hair; ho! those men are terrible; one is enough to -bring to the ground six Arab horsemen. The country which they inhabit is -very far from here; it is separated from us by the sea. Ah, well! if -they desired, they would succeed in passing under it and would arrive -here in the twinkling of an eye...." The jargon of the women, kept apart -from these fraternal love-feasts, alone rent the darkness. - -On April 4, at dawn, the Bedouins, excited by the arrival of the -Faydans, broke up the camp in all haste. Lady Hester was broken-hearted -at leaving without saying good-bye. As for the doctor, he was chiefly -anxious to procure the recipe for a sweet sauce to eat with hare, in -which figured dried raisins and onions. That interested him much more -than all the ruins of creation. Nasr, through calculation or through -fear of losing the deposit entrusted to Muly Ismael, hastened the march, -allowing respite neither to beasts nor men. He was not reassured until -after having crossed the Belaz mountains and fallen in with the tribe of -the Sebah and many other Bedouin tribes which were posted on the path of -the Syt. - -Lady Hester was thirty-seven years of age at this period, but her -dazzling beauty was able to face the double proof of broad daylight and -popular infatuation. Lovingly thousands of women--whom she had, besides, -overwhelmed with handkerchiefs and necklaces--surrounded her. All the -men, fascinated by her manner of mounting half-wild horses, proclaimed -her _Queen_, and made her enter their tribe, giving her, as to a child -of the desert, the right of recommending travellers. It is then that a -Bedouin, carried away by the cavalcades, the cheering and the general -enthusiasm, threw down his keffiye, crying: "Let them give me a hat, and -I will go to England!" - -Lady Hester learned afterwards that 300 Faydan horsemen had pursued the -caravan, but having fallen foul of the rearguard of the Sebahs, they had -abandoned a game lost in advance. There had been some wounded, and the -doctor was requested to give them his attention. But what was he to do -with the light-hearted fellows who washed their wounds with the urine of -camels and who, after some days of this treatment, were in perfect -health! It is useless to be fastidious; it is too disconcerting. - -In the midst of an extraordinary concourse of admirers and spectators, -Lady Hester returned to her pleasant villa at Hama. Nasr drew his 2000 -piastres and returned to his desert, quite contented. How far is this -modest sum from the 30,000 piastres which a number of travellers -benevolently lent him, Didot at their head! As for the two Bedouins whom -Lady Hester had brought with the intention of exhibiting them later in -England, they pined away so rapidly, they assumed so quickly a pitiable -and sickly appearance, that she was obliged to send them back without -delay to their vermin and their sun. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -FROM THE TEMPLE OF BAALBECK -TO THE RUINS OF ASCALON - - -LADY HESTER, whose health was detestable, hoped that a new sky and a new -climate would bring her that cure which always persisted in fleeing -before her. On May 10, 1813, she left the enchantress Hama without -regrets. The sun was scorching and the marching hours very trying, but -Lady Hester, who never permitted herself to be inconvenienced, slept -late and preferred to allow the porters to sweat blood and water at high -noon. The caravan went back towards the north, so far as Latakia, where -the traveller calculated to embark for Russia and perhaps for the -Indies. Meantime, she maintained an active correspondence with Ebir -Sihoud, the King of the Wahabis, her credulous imagination being -stimulated by the Bedouin stories about this prince, who had presented -himself with 800 wives. The doctor did not succeed in ascertaining what -were her intentions, until she was about to depart. "It is to be hoped -that she has no idea of making an excursion to Derazeh," said he in -alarm; "she would be capable of taking me!" - -The route, meadows spotted with mauve flowers in which the horses sank, -followed the Orontes, dominated by the Ansaries mountains, a rugged -chain still covered by a coating of snow. - -Only, there arrived a thing which was not expected; the plague made its -appearance and reigned as a harsh mistress over the Syrian coast. -European vessels fled from the contaminated ports. Lady Hester -accordingly hired a house and waited, without impatience, for the -country was beautiful. All the summer she hunted the hares, the -partridges, the francolins and the gazelles which abounded in the woods -of olive and sycamore-trees on the bank of the Nahr-el-Kebir. Mr. -Barker, the consul at Aleppo, had brought his little family. - -On October 7, Bruce, recalled suddenly to England, set out for Aleppo -with Beaudin. He was leaving his friend for a long time. What happened -at this departure, which was to be without return? And, first, what was -he in regard to Lady Hester. Simple travelling companion or lover? The -doctor observes on this subject a discretion wholly professional. He -remarks that Bruce, during the three years in which he travelled over -the East with her, derived much from the fruit of her experience of the -world and her conversation. We know nothing in reality. But who knows if -Bruce did not think of Lady Hester what Heinrich Heine was to say later -of Marie Kalergis: "She is not a woman; she is a monument; she is the -cathedral of the god Love." And men do not much care about falling at -the feet of cathedrals; they fear the gossip of the idlers, and they -have too much difficulty in getting up again afterwards. - -The plague was causing great havoc, redoubling its efforts, and -established itself in the centre of the town. The Arabs, besides, -referred the matter to Mohammed, and took no further precautions or -remedies. Barker lost his two little girls. And, on the eve of starting -for Sidon, Lady Hester, who had definitely renounced the idea of -returning to Europe, was brought down; she also, by the disease. In the -evening, the doctor was attacked by fever. Although hardly able to -stand, he remained, none the less, at the pillow of the sick woman, for -whom he disputed three weeks with death. The servants were struck down, -and Latakia was shaken by a violent storm. The water entered in streams -through the cracked roof, and they were obliged to move Lady Hester's -bed incessantly to prevent it from being flooded. On December 15, she -had a relapse; finally, on January 6, 1814, they succeeded in hoisting -her into the boat which was to take her to Sidon. - -In the environs of that town, the Greek patriarch Athanasius had let to -her, for a mere nothing, the Monastery of Mar-Elias. This monastery, -built on a bare spur of the Lebanon, commanded a view of the Syrian Sea. -Small and dilapidated, it had the privilege of preserving in its walls -the body of the last patriarch seated in his chair. Unpleasant detail: -he had been badly embalmed and recalled himself to the sense of smell of -his faithful friends in an ill-timed manner. - -It is at this moment that Lady Hester changed in character. Her -convalescence being prolonged, she became simple in her habits up to -cynicism. She displayed in her conversation a bitter and singularly -acute spirit, judging men as though she were reading from an open book -in their hearts. She found some consolations in a Sphynx-like attitude, -and being well acquainted with the undercurrents and the mechanism of -European politics, she was able to afford herself the luxury of -predictions realisable and rather often realised. - -The plague, which the winter had for some months benumbed, resumed with -the spring its victorious march. It broke out everywhere with a new -violence, at Damascus, at Sidon, at Bairout, at Homs. The doctor hoped -that the scourge would spare the little hamlet of Abra, some metres from -the monastery where he had his quarters. But the late passion for -cleanliness of a peasant named Constantine, who, at the age of sixty -years, never having taken warm baths, went to obtain them at Sidon, was -the cause of all the evil. He brought back the plague. Then terror -seized upon the village. The peasants fled into the mountain with their -cattle and their silk-worms; and there was no one to remove the dead -bodies, which decomposed where they lay and increased the infection. The -doctor, having no longer permission to cross the threshold of the -monastery, communicated with Lady Hester through the window, and his -servant Giovanni having fallen ill, he was also regarded as suspect and -remained abandoned, with the agreeable prospect of doing his own cooking -and washing his own dishes. - -The month of May was by misfortune particularly hot. There were scenes -which nothing will ever surpass in horror. A peasant of the name of -Shahud lost his only son, whom he adored. He carried him himself to the -common grave; but having loosened the stone and perceived the body of -that accursed Constantine, he was seized with madness. He threw himself -on the corpse to give it as food to the jackals. But death had done its -work better; the limb by which he had intended to seize him remained in -his hand. What a spectacle! Before the half-open charnel-house, this -peasant, with distracted air, brandishing a piece of a corpse, curses -and insults it while almost choking! And all around the beautiful and -fresh country under the blue sky.... - -Then life resumes all its rights. The village forgot the death-rattle of -the dying and resounded soon with songs and careless laughter. -Constantine's eldest son, who had been about to be married, being dead, -he was replaced immediately by his young brother. The bridegroom was -only thirteen, and cast envious glances in the direction of the -companions of his own age, who were dancing merrily, without looking at -his wife, who was three years older than himself, it is true. - -To recover from all these emotions, Lady Hester resolved to visit -Baalbeck. She set out on October 18, and, from fear of the plague, she -carried away provisions for the entire journey. She will not become an -accomplished fatalist until many years afterwards.... She conceived even -meat-puddings, which were theoretically to keep for several months and -which set the teeth of the escort on edge, so invincible were their -hardness and dryness! A thing decided upon being for her a thing done, -the doctor was obliged to put up with the puddings, not without sadness. -She had also the idea of travelling on donkeys, she and all her people. -She had time to spare, and she was incensed at the complete oblivion in -which her relatives and friends in England had left her. She thought in -this way to attract the attention of the consuls and the merchants, and -to make the disgrace of this equipage fall upon all those who ought to -have watched over her welfare. A Pitt travelling on a donkey! What a -bomb in Downing Street! Yes, but the absent go quickly. - -The plain of the Bekaa brought them comfortably to Baalbeck. The camp -was pitched beyond the town, at the springs of the Litani. From -Ras-el-Aia the travellers contemplated one of the most beautiful -districts of Asia, and every evening they found a new charm. In the -distance, the great white sheik, the solemn Hermon, the slopes of the -Lebanon, the deep and quiet valley showing the harmony of its verdure, -wearied and fatigued by the summer, around the Temple of Baal, the six -columns light, exquisite, fragile and, nevertheless, living symbol of -strength and eternity. And to give to this country of light a more human -beauty, tents scattered at the foot of a mosque and long flocks of -reddish and grey sheep coming to drink. - -What were Lady Hester's feelings? What reflections assailed her when she -walked in the Acropolis, traversing the courts surrounded by exedras, -encountering the capitals in rose-coloured granite of Hassouan, the -lustral basins with sculptures so delicate that the tritons and the -chariots appeared cameos, passing under the compartment-ceilings of the -Temple of Bacchus, halting, in astonishment, before the principal arch -of the door, of which the audacious jet cleaves the sky, before the -walls where, amongst the stone lacework, are found everywhere the egg -and the arrow, emblem of life and of death? - -The doctor is a confidant too discreet. His personal taste leads him to -deplore the gigantic stones which form the sub-basement of the temple. -He does not like the Trilithon! He finds that the colossal dimensions of -the three monoliths are not in harmony with the rest of the edifice and -destroy all symmetry! But it is an opinion in which he stands quite -alone. - -He was not able to resist the pleasure of writing on the walls of the -temple some verses in honour of Lady Hester: - - - Quam multa antiquis sunt his incisa columuni - Nomina! cum saxo mox peritura simul, - Sed tu nulla times oblivia; fama superstes, - Esther, si pereant marmora, semper erit! - - -The intention was amiable, if the result were mediocre. But Lady Hester -caused them to be effaced promptly. - -"I have made it a rule," said she to him more frankly than courteously, -"since I entered Society, never to allow people to write verses about -me. If I had been willing, I should have had thousands of poets to -celebrate me in every way, but I consider there is nothing so -ridiculous. Look at the Duchess of Devonshire, who receives every -morning a sonnet on her drive, an impromptu on her headache, and a crowd -of other absurdities. I abominate that sort of thing." - -The doctor took it for granted. - -The weather suddenly changed, and on November 7 the caravan started for -the Neck of Cedars, which the snows were threatening to obstruct. The -travellers were swept by one of those frightful storms of which the -countries of the East possess the secret; tents torn down, lanterns and -fires extinguished, the mountain shaken and trembling, howling of the -wind. The muleteers prudently vanished, fearing a night service. They -crossed the neck at last, leaving on their right the cedars to which the -doctor compares those of Warwick, scarcely less beautiful, and descended -on the villages of Becherre and Ehden, by a straight passage which would -have frightened many expert horsemen. Some miles from Ehden, there was, -in the middle of the mountain, clinging to the rock, suspended above the -abyss in which the Nadicha rumbles, a famous monastery, the Monastery of -St. Anthony. Miracles were there more specially reserved for epileptics -and the mentally afflicted; but St. Anthony was far more indebted for -his celebrity to the violent and implacable hostility which he showed -towards all representatives of the weak sex without exception. The -Moslems ought to venerate a saint so judicious. Not only had no woman -ever passed the threshold of the convent, but female animals themselves -were rigorously shut up, from fear of their mingling with the privileged -males in the forbidden precincts. It was this reason which decided Lady -Hester to make a détour in order to go to brave a saint so little -gallant. She invited the superior in her own convent, associating with -him, for form's sake, some sheiks of the village, and making a courteous -allusion to the firman of the Sultan which gave her the right to enter -every place. She went to the monastery mounted on a she-ass--double -sacrilege! When she entered the court, all the onlookers, monks and -servants, expected the earth to open under the feet of the impudent -women to swallow her up. But all passed off excellently, and she visited -the monastery from top to bottom. At every door there was a violent -altercation which threatened to turn to fisticuffs between the feminist -and anti-feminist clans of the monks. The meal was long and plentiful. -St. Anthony lost his prestige; that of Lady Hester increased in -proportion. - -Tripoli, where Lady Hester occupied, for several months, an uninhabited -convent of the Capuchins, had as military governor Mustafa Aga Barbar. -Of very low origin, the son of a muleteer, he had, at the head of a band -of resolute fellows, captured the fortress of the town by surprise. The -people, who detested the janissaries, had risen in revolt with him, and -a firman of the Porte confirmed him in the post which he had usurped, -for in the East the strongest reason is always the best. He received -Lady Hester with a homely simplicity which contrasted with the stiff -politeness of the Turks. She made on him a lasting impression. - -In January 1815, Lady Hester returned to Mar-Elias. Scarcely had she -alighted from her donkey than she received horrible news, brought back -from Bairout by Beaudin: a Capugi Bachi had arrived, demanding her with -hue and cry! Everyone knows that a Capugi Bachi does not come into a -province except to give orders for strangulation, hanging, imprisonment -and the bastinado, never for an agreeable object. Lady Hester smiled -slyly and sent a pressing message to the Capugi Bachi, who arrived at -the end of dinner. Beaudin and Meryon, who had decorated their girdles -with pistols, regarded with a hostile eye this little man who came to -disturb their digestion. They were far from expecting the reality. - -An attack of plague would have sufficed as occupation to the average -woman; nevertheless, it was during her illness that Lady Hester drew up -a plan of campaign around an old manuscript which had fallen by chance -into her hands, and which indicated the site where fabulous riches had -been concealed in the ruins of Sidon and Ascalon. Treasures? Nothing was -impossible. In the East the inhabitants possess no certainty of -preserving their property. Deprived of banks, deprived of paper-money -easy to handle, subject to the arbitrary will of avaricious governors, -living in the midst of perpetual wars and troubles--in twenty years -Tripoli had been besieged five times and five times sacked--they have -only one resource: a good and mysterious hiding-place, unknown to all -and particularly to their women. - -Moreover, the people divided European travellers into three categories: -exiles, spies and treasure-seekers. Lady Hester strongly suspected the -Porte of laying a trap for her, but it was too dangerous to place -herself in the first categories of foreigners, and she played the part -of one who believed in the manuscript. A little time afterwards, she was -to believe in it in reality and blindly. - -To finish gaining the Turkish Government, she begged Sir Robert Liston, -British Ambassador, to present the project to the Reis Effendi, -insisting on the fact that all the money would belong to the Sultan; she -reserved only for herself the glory of the discoveries. As for the -expenses, nothing was more simple; England would pay the bill. "If the -Government refuses," said she, "I shall send it to the newspapers. It is -a right and certainly not a favour. Sir Edward Paget, when Ambassador at -Vienna, made Mr. Pitt pay him £70,000 for the liveries of his servants -during four years. I do not see why I should not do the same thing." - -The Turkish Government, delighted at an affair in which there would be -everything to gain and nothing to lose, immediately despatched Darwish -Mustapha Aga Capugi Bachi, who was to place himself under Lady Hester's -orders and to invest her with an authority which no European ambassador -or non-official Christian had ever had, and still less a woman. He was -the bearer of firmans for the Pacha of Acre, for the Pacha of Damascus -and for all the governors of Syria. - -Scarcely disembarked from Baalbeck, Lady Hester launched into a -formidable and arduous undertaking. But she adored action. And then what -excitement to command! What joy to reign without control over these -Orientals created and placed in the world to obey! General-in-chief on -the eve of delivering battle, she despatched messengers. Quick! a line -to Malim Musa, of Hama, who will be her good counsellor and will watch -the Capugi Bachi: "You know that I do not travel by roundabout ways; an -urgent affair calls for your presence at Acre." Quick! a letter to -Soliman Pacha to explain the matter to him and to demand his help. - -Mar-Elias, transformed into headquarters, resounded with the galloping -of horses which were departing or arriving, resounded with a thousand -orders which intersected one another from morning till evening. The -excitement increased. The grooms kept their animals in readiness for -departure. Giorgio and the Capugi Bachi went to Acre to reconnoitre. -Beaudin recruited mules. The doctor gained Damascus with all speed to -procure what was wanting for the expedition, and found time to see -Fatimah again, but a Fatimah marked by the plague, with eyes grown dull -and sallow face. - -Lady Hester's caravan followed the coast. At St. Jean d'Acre the curious -admiration of the crowd was transformed into a salutary fear for the Syt -who enjoyed so much influence at the Court of the Sultan. The doctor, -who had naturally remained behind and naturally been overtaken by a -storm--already in returning from Damascus he had been buried in a -tempest of snow--arrived soaked and in a bad temper at the encampment at -Haifa, and was disagreeably surprised to find in the dining-tent a rough -and dirty individual. - -Rather tall, with bold and haughty features and the remains of good -looks travestied by dirt, he wore long and dirty hair and a Spanish -surtout of the most shabby description. His mutilated left hand was -making ostensible efforts to disappear beneath a red handkerchief, while -his right hand flourished a Bible recklessly. - -General Loustaunau presented himself to the considerably astonished -doctor, who recognised him, by his way of saluting, for a Frenchman. - -General he was, but in the Indies, and he did not require pressing to -relate his history, which approached, perhaps a little artificially, the -epopee. - -Of a family of poor peasants of the Pyrenees, he was born at the little -town of Aïdens. Early, he intended to seek his fortune in America, but -on arriving at Bordeaux and learning that a ship was about to sail for -the Indies, he suddenly changed his mind and joined it as a sailor. The -_Sartine_ weighed anchor in September, 1777. She carried away a young -man more rich in hopes than in cash, but who possessed a fine presence, -robust health and an astonishing activity, thanks to which he was going -to make his way quickly. - -Disembarked at Poonah, he contrived to attract the attention of M. de -Marigny, the French Ambassador, who was accustomed to say to him: "You, -you are not an ordinary type." The empire of the Mahrattas was at that -time a land consecrated to political intrigues. The emperor had been -assassinated, leaving an infant son. The Prince Ragova, his brother, who -was not perhaps a stranger to the murder, claimed the throne, supported -by the English, while the Rajahs Nassaphermis and Sindhia ranged -themselves on the side of the legitimate heir. - -War having broken out, Loustaunau, who was dying with envy to see a -battle, demanded authorisation to go to the Maliratta camp. His reply to -M. de Marigny's objections was simple: "If I am killed, well! good day, -and it will be finished!" - -M. de Marigny gave him a recommendation to General Norolli, a Portuguese -who commanded the rajah's artillery. On the field of battle, Loustaunau -observed everything and followed with interest the movements of the -army. The English were entrenched on an eminence, and had there -established batteries which were making great havoc in the ranks of the -Mahrattas. Loustaunau observed a height which dominated the enemy's -position, and which was easily accessible to the rajah's troops. - -To General Norolli, who was passing, Loustaunau pointed out the spot, -offering him the possibility of reducing the English artillery to -silence. But Norolli, swollen with the distrust which the military man -always has for the civilian, shrugged his shoulders before this -beardless youth who was presuming to meddle with strategy. However, an -old officer, who had heard the conversation, asked him what he thought -of their artillery. - -"If I were a flatterer," he replied, "I should say that it is excellent; -but, as I am not, I permit myself to say that it is detestable." - -"Ah, nonsense! and what would you do if you had the command?" - -"As for what is the command, I know not the devil a bit about it. But -the only thing to do, if I had cannon, is what I have said." - -"I shall perhaps be able to give them you. What would you do?" - -"I should place them up there, and I swear on my head that it would not -take long." - -The Frenchman's assurance, his determination, his audacity, made an -impression on the officer, who brought Loustaunau before Sindhia. - -"Let them give him ten pieces of artillery and the best gunners," said -Sindhia. "Only let him make haste, for the situation is infernal." - -Rapidly placed in position, Loustaunau's cannon caused the ammunition -waggons of the enemy to explode, throwing the English camp into -disorder, and certainly deciding the fate of the battle. Congratulated -by the rajah, who offered him presents and a command in his army, -Loustaunau declined both before returning to M. de Marigny. Scarcely had -he left Sindhia's tent than he was rudely apostrophised by General -Norolli, green with concentrated and suppressed rage. - -"Who has authorised you, Monsieur," cried he, "to present yourself to -the rajah without my permission? You are well aware that it is I who -introduce all Europeans." - -"General, I went in response to a summons from his Highness. If you were -enraged because I have been fortunate enough to render him a small -service, do not forget that it was to you first of all that I pointed -out the site of the battery. You refused to listen to me, and if others -after you have followed my advice, it is your fault and not mine." - -"Monsieur, you would deserve that I put this whip about your shoulders." - -"Your anger is taking away your reason, General. If you have some blows -of a whip to deal out, reserve them for your Portuguese; the French are -not accustomed to receive them." - -Norolli laid his hand on his pistol, but Loustaunau was watching him and -was ready to throw himself upon him. Officers separated them. - -Some weeks later, M. de Marigny having been recalled to France, -Loustaunau accepted the rajah's offer. He raised a corps of 2000 men, -called "the French detachment," of which he reserved to himself the -absolute and uncontrolled command, and, at the head of his wild -Rohillas, he performed wonders. The English were obliged to sign peace, -delivering up Ragova and engaging to restore all the strong towns which -they had captured. - -Brave, clear-sighted, of sound political views, thoroughly qualified to -command, this little peasant had in him the stuff of which a leader is -made, and so well did he distinguish himself that he was appointed -general of Sindhia's troops. He was not going to remain long inactive, -for the English, faithful to the astute tactics which they had adopted -in the Indies, employed in turn the troops of Bengal, those of Bombay -and those of Coromandel. In this way, the treaties of the one appeared -not to bind the others and they escaped serious reverses, while -profiting by their partial successes. Soon General Garderre, at the head -of 15,000 sepoys of Bengal, invaded the Mahratta country. But Loustaunau -was on the watch, and the enemy's army was completely routed. It was at -the end of a murderous combat that a stray ball carried away -Loustaunau's left hand. He had a silver hand carved for himself of -ingenious workmanship. Clever idea, for the bonzes prostrated themselves -as he passed along, whispering opportune prophecies announcing that -"it was written in the Temple of Siva that the Mahrattas would attain -their highest point of glory under a man who had come from far countries -of the West, who would wear a silver hand and be invincible." Then he -tasted the intoxicating joy of popularity and, what was better, the -Imperial favours. He lived in a palace furnished in Eastern style, with -thirty elephants, five hundred horses, and servants in profusion. Two -colossal silver hands placed at his gate informed all the Hindus of his -glorious titles. - -But the tenacious English launched a third army under the command of -General Camac. Loustaunau annihilated it, as he had the two others. In -vain Camac tried to withstand him; the sepoys, terrified by the -fearlessness of the Mahrattas and by the colossal silver hands which -served them as banners, beat a retreat. Loustaunau had paid dearly for -the victory; he had been wounded in the shoulder and in the foot. -General Camac, charmed by his courage, sent him his own surgeon to -operate on him. But Loustaunau declined his services, not wishing, said -he, to owe anything to his enemies. The rajahs proclaimed him, "the Lion -of the State and the Tiger in war." His renown extended rapidly through -the Indies, and some Frenchmen who were serving in the English army -deserted in order to go to him. The English sent an officer, Mr. -Quipatrick, to demand the fugitives. Loustaunau refused to give them up. -Sindhia sent him an order to obey. Then he proposed to Mr. Quipatrick to -follow him into the camp of the Rohillas to receive the deserters. He -ordered the signal to saddle to be sounded, and the Rohillas drew their -sabres. - -"They demand your brothers," said he, "and those whom a noble confidence -has brought to you; are you willing to give them up?... As for me, so -long as my right hand will be able to handle a sabre, never will I give -up my countrymen to death." - -The English officer was obliged to go back again with an empty bag. - -However, a swarm of fellow-countrymen--the rumour of his fortune had -reached Béarn--pounced down, one fine morning, upon his cake. He shared -generously with them and found a place for them in brilliant affairs. -Between two campaigns, he had married Mlle. Poulet, daughter of a French -officer who had not been successful and was vegetating sadly in the -Indies. - -Loustaunau had, however, difficult times. Having aroused the jealousy of -a vizier who refused him subsidies, he was obliged, during a war against -the Prince of Lahore, to provide, at his own expense, the pay and the -revictualling of his troops. To put an end to such abuses, he galloped -so far as Delhi, threatened the vizier with his pistols and compelled -him to sign an order for 4,500,000 rupees to reimburse him. - -Sooner or later, the exile hears the call of country. Eighteen years of -adventurous life had not made Loustaunau forget the sweetness of certain -summer evenings in the valleys of the Pyrenees. Suddenly, he decided to -return. In a few days he realised 8,000,000 rupees, which he had -transferred to France, through the agency of M. Dewerines, a merchant at -Chandernagore. To the Catholic church at Delhi he left lands which were -worth a rental of 30,000 rupees and assured the fortune of all his -comrades in glory. He took leave of Sindhia, who made him the most -brilliant promises in order to retain him. - -"Thy departure," said he, "means the triumph of the English, the ruin of -thy new country; thine was ungrateful; it did not know thy worth, since -thou didst arrive here poor. The Mahrattas will, moreover, do for thee -four times more than they have done. Thou art as powerful as I am; I -love thee as my father. Thus thou canst not think of leaving us." - -But Loustaunau listened to no one; he took his departure, surrounded by -an immense population, which gave vent to loud lamentations, for the -protection of the bonzes had made of him a being almost divine. - -Good fortune grew weary of following him and abandoned him on his -departure from the Indies. Starting from that moment, checks and -reverses will succeed to successes and triumphs with a mathematical -precision. Bad passage of seven months. Arrival at Versailles. -Loustaunau had truly chosen his hour well! The Revolution was scenting -bankruptcy. And the beautiful millions of the East melted like snow in -the sun. He was paid in assignats, and scarcely drew 200,000 francs from -this fine financial operation. Without being discouraged, he established -a foundry on the frontiers of Spain; but the wars ruined it completely. -He dispersed gradually all the valuable jewels which he had brought back -from the Indies and formed the vigorous resolution to start again for -Delhi to seek the wreck of his fortune. He left at Tarbes five children, -three sons and two daughters. A magnificent ruby, the last gift of -Sindhia, which he had pawned at Paris, was to pay the expenses of the -journey. - -Not being able to find in Egypt the facilities he desired to embark for -India, he proceeded to Syria, with the intention of joining the caravan -which left Damascus for Bassora. But he fell dangerously ill at Acre. -His intellectual faculties, affected by so many extraordinary events, -broke down in an alarming fashion. He was seized by a religious -exaltation and by an unfortunate devotion, for he distributed to his -neighbours the money which remained to him. And Loustaunau lived on alms -in a miserable hut in the orchards of Acre. "The Lion of the State and -the Tiger in war" wandered miserably across the country. Having -retained, the recollection of the brilliant part which prophecies had -played in his splendid past, he was seized with a passion for the Bible, -and made it his study to find a link between present events and ancient -narrations. People called him "the prophet" and respected his -inoffensive folly. - -On learning of the arrival of Lady Hester, he had hastened to her, armed -with a thousand sacred texts announcing her coming. He imagined, -besides, that she was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but he was not -embarrassed to give another direction to his prophecies. Lady Hester -received him very cordially, divining immediately what marvellous -advantage she might derive, not from his flashes of lucidity which -revealed the keen good sense of the peasant, lofty sentiments and an -astonishing memory, but from his Biblical extravagances. In consequence, -she bestowed upon him alms in abundance. Mentally, she already relegated -Pierre to the rank of minor prophet. - -Loustaunau withdrew soon in torrents of rain. The tents were overturned -like umbrellas, and Lady Hester had two narrow escapes of being buried -under her own. But it was said that that evening the doctor did not have -a moment's respite and that the march past of frightened people did not -cease. Towards midnight they came to inform him that a Frank had arrived -from Acre. He hastened into the dining-tent and found a young Dalmatian -who was about to put on the uniform of an officer of the British Navy. -Signor Thomaso Coschich--he bore this sonorous name--explained with much -importance and volubility that he had been dragoman to the Princess of -Wales during her journey from Palermo to Constantinople; that he had -crossed the Mediterranean, in the midst of war, on a walnut-shell, so -well that the fishermen of Cyprus had not recovered from their -astonishment, and that he had come to find Lady Hester to take her back -to England. - -Then he handed to the dumbfounded doctor despatches from Sir Sydney -Smith, of the highest importance, and which would not suffer any delay. -Lady Stanhope was charged to transmit several letters to the Emir -Bechir. There were many things in these letters, in truth. Sir Sydney -Smith began by reproaching the emir harshly with having allowed the eyes -of his nephews to be put out (Bechir had charged himself with the -business). "I hope," wrote he, "that you will not deprive them of your -protection; I hold you responsible to me for their safety." He demanded -the 15,000 men which Bechir had promised to furnish to hunt down the -pirates of Algiers. He sent him their banners and the plans of campaign -approved by Austria, Russia, Prussia, France, the Emperor of Morocco and -the Dey of Tunis--nothing except that. Finally, being very much in debt -and in a most precarious situation, he reckoned on Lady Hester, his dear -cousin, to obtain a little loan from her Syrian friends! - -Lady Hester, congratulating herself on having put her nose into this -correspondence, which smelt of powder, suspended for three days the -march of the caravan, in order to compose her answers and to get rid as -quickly as possible of the embarrassing personality of Thomaso Coschich. -This imbecile, in order to get the gates of Acre to open to him during -the night, had declared that war was about to be declared between Russia -and Turkey, and that, as England was taking an important part in it, he -was to conduct Lady Hester to a place of safety. True Knight of Fortune, -indiscreet, noisy, quarrelsome, swollen with vanity, loud in bragging, -his rodomontades produced a disastrous effect on the Turks, who rarely -understand pleasantry and never ridicule. - -Lady Hester decided to put a stop to the negotiations and wrote to Sir -Sydney Smith that his idea was stupid; that Bechir had too many enemies -to deprive himself of 15,000 men like that; that his men did not fight -well except with their mountains behind them, which they would not -consent to leave; that it was impossible, however, to carry them away -with them, and that, moreover, as Bechir possessed no port, he would -have to obtain the authorisation of the Pacha of Acre to embark them. -And, alluding to the frightful banners in German cotton-cloth which Sir -Sydney Smith had sent, she inquired who was the king of -pocket-handkerchiefs. - -Beyond that, she immediately despatched copies of Sir Sydney Smith's -letters and her own to Mr. Liston (Constantinople) and Mr. Barker -(Aleppo), begging the latter to stop all the letters which he might -suppose were coming from Sir Sydney Smith to the Emir Bechir. Bechir -made faces at the passage relating to his nephews, but he broke out into -a cold sweat when he thought of all the vexations which the absurd -intervention of the Commodore might have brought upon him but for the -prudent and circumspect conduct of Lady Hester. The Porte was not to be -trifled with when an alliance with European nations was in question, and -his head would have leaped like a cork. - -As for the presents, they denoted a complete misunderstanding of the -customs, policy and religions of the East. Sir Sydney Smith sent Abu -Gosh a pair of pistols--at a time when the Turks, when they received -arms from England, wanted English arms--the Emir Bechir, a black satin -abaye--it was just as though someone had offered Sir Sydney Smith a pair -of cretonne breeches--to his wife a work-basket; to the library of -Jerusalem (there was not one) a Bible; to the Church of the Holy -Sepulchre a portrait of the Pope, when all the sects which were tearing -away the Holy Places had nothing in common except their quarrels. - -The Emir Bechir received the presents graciously, but did not exhibit -them, nor did he ever speak of them, and it is probable that his sons no -longer demanded news of Sir Sydney Smith from all travelling Europeans -at Beit-ed-Dui, as they had done up to the present. - -At Jaffa, a firman of Soliman ordered Mohammed Aga to accompany Lady -Hester. How he would have liked to transfer the duty to another! For -Lady Hester, remembering his apathy in 1812, treated him with the most -utter disdain, crushing him beneath a contempt fallen from very high, -opposing a wooden countenance to all his advances. It was an antipathy -justified by the vile and base character of Mohammed. He had always been -protected by Soliman, who had appointed him to Jaffa. Some months later, -the Pacha of Tripoli being dead, Soliman demanded this dignity for his -favourite. The Grand Vizier received at the same time a despatch from -Mohammed, who demanded the place occupied by Soliman, who, he wrote, was -"incapable, old and an invalid." The Vizier contented himself by sending -this letter to Soliman, with these words: "That is the man for whom you -demand the title of pacha with two tails!" - -What a departure! The Governor of Jaffa and his suite, the Capugi Bachi -and his officers, Mr. Catafago (carried off on his way from Acre), Malim -Musa (who had just arrived), Damiani, the doctor, Beaudin, the -dragomans, the interpreters, the cooks! An escort of a hundred -dark-faced Hawarys horsemen. Lady Hester, in a palanquin of crimson -velvet drawn by two white mules, preceded by her mare and her donkeys, -saddled and ready for her to mount, if she showed the desire to do so. -The army of camels vanishing beneath the picks, the mattocks, the -spades, the wheelbarrows, the ropes with which they were laden; the -crowd of water-carriers and torch-bearers. The twenty sumptuous tents -given by Soliman, one particularly of magnificent dimensions, of a green -colour, ornamented by chimeras and yellow stars, double like the calix -and the corolla of a flower turned upside down, attracted the attention -of all. It was the tent which the Princess of Wales will render famous -and which was to play an important part at the time of that scandalous -trial of 1820, in which George IV--very far, however, from having a -stainless private life!--will have the impudence to come to parade all -these stories of the alcove and to make march past all that rabble of -hired witnesses: Swiss, Germans, Italians particularly, for the simple -pleasure of being disembarrassed of his wife! - -Three messengers galloped in advance of the caravan. The inhabitants of -the villages were turned out to leave the place for her. The Moslem -governors bent under the will of a woman in a fanatical country. Ah! -truly she was able to cry, five years later, in recalling this journey: - -"The wife of that poor King (George IV) came to Syria to pass as an -obscure Englishwoman, while Lady Hester played there the part which the -Princess of Wales ought never to have abandoned!" - -The green and blue tents rose amongst the stones and took by assault the -ruins of Ascalon. They were extremely comfortable, and nowhere in Syria -had the doctor found better fare. On April 3,1815, the hundred peasants -who had been requisitioned in the environs began the work of excavation -to the south of the mosque. The first blows of the mattock brought to -light earthenware and fragments of a column of no interest. On the 4th, -the picks met with a resistance, and a magnificent statue of mutilated -marble was gently drawn out. It was the body of a warrior of colossal -dimensions, measuring six feet nine inches from shoulder to heel, and of -a very beautiful shape. The doctor will conjecture that it belonged to -the Herodean epoch, and the head of Medusa which ornamented the chest -induced him to think that he was in the presence of a deified king. The -next day cisterns were discovered. Finally, on the 8th, great -excitement! Two stone angels cemented by four columns of grey granite -were unearthed. Surely the treasure was within! Labour in vain, hopes -deceived; they were empty, completely empty! - -The doctor, to console Lady Hester, spoke words of comfort to her. - -"In the eyes of lovers of Art," said he, "all the treasures of the world -are not worth your statue. Later on, visitors to Ascalon will stand in -astonishment before the remains of antiquity snatched from the past by a -woman." - -But Lady Hester, whose unexpected actions were continually disconcerting -those who believed that they knew her best, answered coldly: - -"That is perhaps true, but it is my intention to break this statue into -a thousand pieces and to throw it into the sea, just to avoid such a -report being spread, and that I may not lose at the Porte the merit of -my disinterestedness." - -And this was done, despite all the murmurs and all the protestations. -The ruins, starting from that moment, seemed to avenge themselves for -this act of savage vandalism, and the workmen found nothing more; they -laughed in their sleeves. The check was complete. The site indicated had -been excavated and re-excavated. Lady Hester consoled herself by the -thought that Djezzar Pacha had anticipated her, under the pretext of -seeking materials for his mosque. She accepted the defeat, but she did -not admit as victor anyone except the Red Pacha, the only adversary -worthy of her. - -What was harder, was that England refused to know anything. The expenses -remained charged to Lady Hester. It is true that she wrote at that time -letters like this: - -"Since I well knew that it [the statue] would be admired by English -travellers, I gave orders for it to be broken to bits, in order that -malicious tongues might not proceed to relate that I am searching for -statues for my countrymen, and not for treasures for the Sultan." - -It would discourage, at any rate, people better disposed! - -Lady Hester, grumbling the while, got out of the difficulty of the -Ascalon expenses by the aid of economy. At that moment, she boasted of -not having a debt. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE ASSASSINS - - -TIRED in body and irritated in mind, Lady Hester revived at Mar-Elias. -At that moment, Pierre Ruffin, French chargé d'affaires at -Constantinople, an intimate friend of the amiable Pouqueville, had his -eye on the Englishwoman and warned Caulaincourt, whom he supposed to be -still Minister for Foreign Affairs, that definitely settled in Syria, -"whose climate sympathised better with her frail health, the illustrious -traveller had received from Great Britain presents to distribute to the -local authorities of the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon, under the -ostensible motive of her personal gratitude for the courtesies which -they had lavished upon her." Was he in ignorance, then, that England had -refused to share in the Ascalon expenses? - -Sometimes, she dreamed of forming an association of men of letters, -artists and savants which she would invite to travel all over the Orient -under her auspices. She aimed at founding an Institute, on the model of -that which Bonaparte had carried away to Egypt, and of which she would -naturally be the head. Leaving the women to groan and sigh at the doors -of the Academies, she was leaping the barrier of ancient customs and -traditional manners and creating on her own level. Sometimes, she -discussed the expediency of a journey in Abyssinia. Sometimes, she drew -up memoirs on the marvellous properties of bezoar in the cases of the -plague and mania. From time to time, she cast a glance towards that -Europe from which she had fled without regrets. Sharply, she judged her -fellow-countrymen, stigmatised emphatically the English statesmen as -"senseless boobies whom their ignorance and their duplicity have -exposed, not only to the laughter, but to the maledictions of -generations present and to come," traced of the Restoration a picture -engraved by a master hand and denounced the English policy against -France, a policy of which she unmasked the faults with a singular -perspicacity and an impartial violence. - -"Cease to trouble yourself in regard to me," she was to write on April -22, 1816, to the Marquis of Buckingham. "I shall never return to Europe, -even if I were reduced to beg my bread here. Once only I shall go to -France to see you, James and you; but I shall go to Provence, not to -Paris, for the sight of our odious Ministers running about everywhere to -do evil, would make my gorge rise too much. I shall not be martyr for -nothing. The granddaughter of Lord Chatham, the niece of the illustrious -Pitt, _feels herself blush at being English_. What disgrace to be born -in that country which has made of its cursed gold the counterpoise of -justice, which has placed humanity in fetters--that country which has -employed valiant troops, intended to defend its national honour, as an -instrument of vengeance to oppress a free people, which has exposed to -ridicule and humiliation a monarch who might have gained the hearts of -his subjects, if the English intriguers had left him alone to reign or -abdicate. - -"You tell me that the French army--the bravest in the world, that which -has made more sacrifices for its national honour than no matter what -other--would not listen to the voice of reason; and you think that I -should believe it! Never! If a woman, poor and miserable like myself, -has produced a very strong impression on thousands of savage Arabs, as I -have done, without even bearing the name of chief, simply by -surrendering to some of their prejudices and in inspiring in them -confidence in her sincerity and in the purity of her intentions, is not, -then, a king--a legitimate king--able to bring this army, to which he -owes his crown, to a just appreciation of its duty? Undoubtedly, he -would have been able to do it and would have done it, if he had been -free to act. What ought one to expect from men who, during twenty-five -years, have been their most bitter enemies, except what has happened? - -"You may be disgusted; I care for that not more than a penny; for there -is no soul on earth who has had, or will ever have, any influence on my -thoughts and actions." - -She maintained also a connected correspondence with all the people who -knew how to hold a pen. Beaudin galloped across mountains and valleys. -It was no sinecure that of being her secretary! One day, sent on a -mission to St. Jean d'Acre, he slept in a mill in the environs of Tyre -with, he declared, his head on his luggage and his horse's bridle in his -hand. Nevertheless, in the morning, the horse had disappeared. Painfully -he continued his journey, and received on the way a laconic letter from -Lady Hester: "If you have lost your mare, find her." - -In this eddying of eccentric ideas, the doctor did not see any trace of -projects favourable to a return to Europe. Six years of peregrinations -across the East had surfeited his taste for travel, and six years of -solitude--solitude mitigated, it is true, by the passing of foreigners -of distinction--with even a superior woman, had made him hungry for -social life and worldly pleasures. Being circumspect, he ventured -lightly on the burning ground of a probable return. Lady Hester loved -the unexpected; she listened, smiled, approved and sent dare-dare -Giorgio to find a medical man in England willing to come to her. She -even gave the doctor permission to make a tour in Egypt. He passed two -months there and met Sheik Ibraham Burckhardt. At Alexandria, his joy -exploded noisily in regard to the splendid parties and evening -conversaziones, and that without the least remorse. Had he not left at -Mar-Elias a substitute doctor worthy of all confidence, a certain Signor -Volpi. This Italian, formerly in Holy Orders, had taken advantage of the -Revolution to throw off the cowl and to dance with enthusiasm round the -tree of Liberty. This occupation not being sufficiently lucrative, he -embarked for Syria, having taken care to provide himself with a syringe -and a sugar-loaf hat, these insignia being necessary to be well -received. Lady Hester often appealed to his judgments on humanity in -general. - -The calm in which the doctor was delighting was abruptly broken so soon -as he returned from Egypt by one of those storms so heavy with threats -in which the caprices of Lady Hester excelled. - -From Tripoli to Antioch, between the Orontes and the sea, there runs a -chain of ragged and gloomy mountains, the Ansaries Mountains. Bald -rocks, dark and musty ravines, fallen ground retained by stunted trees -twisting themselves into an eternal spasm, chaos and ruins. To these -wild and enigmatical landscapes, which are covered by miasmas risen from -the marshes and the ponds, from corpses of men and animals which -decompose side by side, chosen inhabitants are necessary. In the -Ansaries Mountains lived the _Assassins_ (Hashishim)! The Assassins! -Obscure association, vast freemasonry, surrounded by the hatred of all -peoples, both Christians and Moslems, seeking the ruin of Islam, -mysterious sect which mingles, in blood and poison, the most ascetic -mysticism, the most ridiculous charlatanism and the most implacable -cruelty. - -Ah! how the recollections of history haunt those deep gorges which gash -and wound the earth and furrow it with wounds, the lips of which seems -to draw together the better to preserve their terrible secret! - -It is in these narrow valleys, where the light creeps in like a spectre; -amidst these lofty crags which time carries away joyously by scraps, -that the fierce mountaineers so feared by the troops of the Sultan are -entrenched. They are tributaries of the Pachas of Tripoli and Damascus, -but their obedience is uncertain, and no collector of taxes dares to get -himself involved on their great tracks which end often in a cul-de-sac. -Misfortune follows the imprudent person who would venture into the -mountain! From castles encamped on the edge of abysses death would -descend. And not the violent and honourable death which a combat, even -an unequal one, gives, but the unforeseen, insidious death which slowly -scents the victim, watches him unweariedly and awaits him in the perfume -of a poisoned nosegay, in the clear water of a contaminated spring, in -the most impressive cares of a servant who has sold himself. Kalaat -Masjaf! Kalaat Quadinous! Kalaat el Kaf! eagles' nests hewn in the -living rock, which have an ugly appearance and a sinister memory, lair -of bandits where lived, meditated and died that strange -Rachid-eddin-Sinan, the Old Man of the Mountain, who brought from Persia -the doctrine of blood and of crime, inspirer of souls, who fanaticised -his men up to the love of, the adoration of, death, awakening their -energies and casting a spell over their wills up to the most degraded -and the most humiliating passivity. - -At a distance of seven centuries, the Assassins had not disarmed, and -each day brought a new incident to add to their monotonous and -sanguinary chronicles. Nevertheless, it was them whom Lady Hester was -going to defy, them who had everywhere secret affiliations, everywhere -spies, them who knew everything, avenged themselves always and so much -the more dangerously that they were totally indifferent to their own -lives and considered as an ineffable happiness to die for their cause. - -The reason Lady Hester had was a grave one: in the nineteenth century a -European traveller could disappear in the Ansaries Mountains without -anyone being called to account. - -On March 28, 1814, a Frenchman arrived at Sidon and lodged with his -consul, M. Taitbout. He was Colonel Boutin, a great friend of Moreau and -a very distinguished officer of engineers, who had received the delicate -mission of preparing and sounding the ground in the East. Lady Hester -had met him at Cairo, and during a dinner party she had turned into -ridicule the mysterious air which he affected and had laughingly -denounced him as a spy of Bonaparte. One remembers the frightful -epidemic of plague in the spring of 1814. In vain Colonel Boutin's -friends endeavoured to keep him at Sidon, but he was in a hurry and he -left on April 6, leaving as a deposit in trust at Mar-Elias some of his -manuscripts. Lady Hester had given him one of her servants, a sure guide -and well acquainted with the regions the traveller was to pass through; -but unhappily he was carried off by the plague. Colonel Boutin quitted -Hama for Latakia. He had informed M. Guys, consul at that town, that he -would abandon the ordinary route, which ran northwards so far as -Djesrech Chogh, to cut across the Ansaries Mountains. He started--and no -one had ever heard of him since. - -M. Guys awaited him at first patiently; then he became alarmed. The -report of his disappearance reached Lady Hester. She thought that the -pachas were going to institute a rigorous inquiry, but the pachas feared -too much the famous Assassins to raise a little finger in favour of a -foreigner so foolish as to throw himself voluntarily into the wolf's -mouth. The months passed. Then Lady Hester made up her mind abruptly. In -the East, all travellers are brothers; differences of race and national -enmities are abolished. She took in hand the case of Colonel Boutin, -whom personally she held, besides, in high esteem. The affair was going -all at once to rebound and drag from their tranquillity the unpunished -murderers. - -In haste, she drew up her plans. An inquiry, in the rotten heart of the -Ansaries country, was difficult, impossible. A silence of a year had -thickened the mystery. No matter, it would be necessary for her to bring -the affair to a head, and she will bring it to a head. All the blood of -the Pitts was boiling in this woman, who had truly received from Heaven -the gift of command. She chose three men who possessed her confidence: -Signor Volpi was sent to Hama. Soliman, a bold and resolute Druse -muleteer, and Pierre, recalled from Deiv el Kammar, where he was keeping -an inn, started to repeat Colonel Boutin's journey, disguised as old -pedlars. They succeeded in their mission, and in October, 1815, when the -doctor disembarked from Egypt, he learned that the proofs which had been -collected were conclusive, and that the pacha was to be summoned to act. -The doctor made the mistake of not being enthusiastic and of talking of -revenge, of danger in the future when Lady Hester went riding. Let him -not speak in that manner; she will do without him! - -She wrote to Soliman pressing letters. The pacha, who was by no means -anxious to irritate the Assassins, answered courteously, but evasively, -that the troops would not be able to endure a winter campaign in the -Ansaries Mountains, but in the spring he would do all that was possible -to meet her wishes. Like the fleet sloughis which roll themselves up -before relaxing their iron muscles and springing forward, Lady Hester -paused to anchor her resolution for ever; then, in a flash, she launched -herself towards the goal, but without deigning to cast a glance at the -dangers which rose at each step in advance. - -The spring blossomed again; Soliman made no move. Lady Hester judged it -prudent to refresh his memory, and set out for St. Jean d'Acre with all -her servants, covered with armour and costly apparel. To strike the -Oriental imagination and convey a lofty idea of her rank and her power, -she displayed all the luxury which her resources permitted her. She went -straight to Soliman's palace, caused the doors to be opened to her, and -made her way so far as the council-chamber where the pacha sat. - -She penetrated the crowd, called for silence, explained publicly what -had brought her and demanded vengeance. Soliman, astonished, but -immovable, lavished compliments and presents upon her. She treated them -with contempt, and tried the effects of flying into a great passion, the -more redoubtable, inasmuch as she had intended and prepared it, and -withdrew, in the midst of general consternation, threatening the pacha -with the anger of the Sultan. - -Mr. Catafago, the Austrian consul, had offered her his house. Next day -Soliman sent to ask her to wait upon him; she refused. As, at the same -time, the French authorities at Constantinople began to make a stir, the -pacha decided that it was better to allow his hand to be forced. Lady -Hester had gained the day. - -But there was no question of a simple military promenade. The struggle -would be a fierce one, and trained soldiers and an experienced leader -were required. Soliman withdrew all the garrison of his pashalik and -gave the command to Mustapha Barbar, the energetic Governor of Tripoli. -Lady Hester, who followed with increasing interest the mobilisation of -the troops, of "her troops," sent him a pair of magnificent English -pistols. - -"I arm thee, my knight," she wrote. "I have reason to complain of the -Ansaries, who have massacred one of my brothers. I hope that these -pistols will never fail anyone, that they will protect thy days and will -avenge the cause of thy friend." - -The choice of Mustapha Barbar was excellent. A brave general and a rigid -Mohammedan of sincere conviction, he hated the Assassins with all his -soul. He made vibrate amongst his soldiers the religious cord always so -dangerous to touch in the East. In a state of religious exaltation, they -set out for a holy war, and nothing was to stop them in their work of -destruction. No quarter, no mercy. To slay an Assassin was to glorify -the Prophet. - -The enemy lay in ambush everywhere. Every rock concealed an assailant. -Every abyss enticed death. It was necessary to carry the mountain piece -by piece, tree by tree, house by house. Booty and blood rendered the -fanaticism of the Turks the more violent. The old men and children who -fell into their clutches were pitilessly massacred, the women sold as -slaves. As for the prisoners, there was none of them. - -The mountaineers, surrounded in their lairs, cut off in their last -fortresses, perceived with horror that the fierce renown of the Ansaries -was crumbling away. Mustapha Barbar ventured to attack one of those -savage fortresses at the Kalaat el Kaf, which stood out like a defiance -on a cluster of sharp-pointed rocks. Jealously the mountain concealed -it, surrounded it, fondled it. For it, it sharpened its broken stones, -it made denser its thickets. For it, it multiplied its traps, its -slippery burrows, its deep ravines, its treacherous marches. All that -Nature could invent to oppose to the march of man, she had lavished in -its defiles. Three torrents defended the approach to it, and their beds -were deadly and their high banks precipitous. - -Nevertheless, Mustapha Barbar, in traversing the bottom of the valley -where the foot sank as in a pulp of slimy and poisonous toad-stools, -evoked the clear-skinned and blonde Englishwoman, his lady. He took the -fortress; he destroyed it from top to bottom and razed its ramparts. He -violated the sacred tombs of the Assassins, throwing into the torrents -the ashes of the Imans. It is then that the Tartar, bearer of the heads -of the vanquished which had been despatched to Constantinople, returned -in all haste with an order to put a stop to the butchery. Fifty-two -villages burned. Three hundred Assassins massacred.... Lady Hester had -been well avenged of Colonel Boutin! - -An illustrious traveller, Maurice Barrès, was, a century later, in the -course of that marvellous _Enquête aux pays du Levant_, wherein are -resuscitated all the "obscure life," all the "religious heart of Asia," -to penetrate in his turn into the depths of the Ansaries Mountains. He -looked for traces of Lady Hester, and he passed over the ruins of the -Kalaat el Kaf without knowing their tragic secret. - -People murmured, afterwards, that the true authors of the crime had -escaped; they were too powerful to be reached. No matter, the innocent -had paid for the guilty. It was a form of Turkish justice of which -Soliman rarely gave the example during his reign. Moreover, Lady Hester -thanked him with that matchless grace which she knew how to display when -she was pleased. - -France did not forget the part which the noble Englishwoman had taken in -the affair of Colonel Boutin. After a speech from the Comte Delaborde, -the Chamber of Deputies addressed to her its thanks, and assured her of -the gratitude of the country. The _Courrier français_ devoted to her, -in an article on Colonel Boutin, some moving lines: - -"Colonel Boutin was splendidly received by Pitt's niece, Lady Hester -Stanhope. Proud of her protection, he was on the point of succeeding in -his mission when he was assassinated by the Arabs.... France knows how -the murder of this illustrious traveller was avenged by her ladyship, -who, by her influence alone and her personal efforts, demanded and -obtained the heads of the assassins and the restoration of the luggage -of the unfortunate officer." - -Shortly after the Ansaries Mountains Expedition, the Princess of Wales -arrived in Syria. Lady Hester had no kind of sympathy for her. Faugh! a -woman so common, so vulgar, who exhibited herself like an Opera girl and -fastened her garter below her knee, how detestable! In the famous -quarrels which moved all England she had taken the side neither of the -Prince of Wales, a dishonourable rake, nor of Princess Caroline, an -impudent and slovenly German! Moreover, she judged it prudent, besides, -to stay in the country for some time; the more so that the princess -would undoubtedly have paid her a visit out of curiosity, and the -expense of receiving her would have been very heavy. She embarked, -therefore, on July 18, 1816. For where? No one in the world, save -herself, would have had this idea. She went to take refuge in the midst -of that very people whom she had just caused to be punished so cruelly. -On the way, she bestowed her congratulations upon Mustapha Barbar at -Tripoli. She disembarked at the little port of Bussyl, mounted a donkey -and arrived at Antioch. Mr. Barker, who came to talk of her affairs, -only remained with her a short time. She lived altogether alone, with -some cowardly servants, in an abandoned house in the neighbourhood of -Antioch. Absolute solitude. Superior people have regarded this attitude -as comedy. It was a comedy which lasted seventy days, and might, at any -moment, have had death as its epilogue! Who is the actor so stout of -heart as to play it up to the end before empty benches? - -Can the life of Lady Hester be imagined? The people of the country, by -way of encouragement, made to dance around her all the victims of the -Assassins. Round of honour in which hundreds who had been poisoned, -stabbed, hanged, flayed, strangled, gave each other fraternally the -hand. Well-intentioned friends warned her every morning that her life -was in danger. As for her, she continued her long rides across the -mountain. Sometimes, she halted in a hamlet, assembled the peasants, and -informed them, if they did not yet know, that she was the Syt who had -caused their relatives to be massacred and their villages to be burned. -Then she made them a very impressive speech, telling them that she had -avenged the death of a Frenchman, of an enemy of her country, because -the cowardly murder of a traveller is an abominable deed which all noble -hearts ought to condemn. - -Then, it was the silence of the warm nights, the passing of the breeze -which refreshed the gardens, the plaintive cry of some jackals quite -close at hand. Nevertheless, not a hair fell from her head. The -Englishwoman had conquered. The Assassins, astonished at meeting in a -woman a contempt for death equal to their own, decided that to respect -this life to which she seemed to attach no value would be for them a -superior vengeance. They proved themselves, in this case, very profound -philosophers. What a magnificent fate, in fact, would have been that of -Lady Hester, "the Arab Amazon," according to Barbey d'Aurevilly, "who -rode at the gallop out of European civilisation and English -routine--that old circus where you turn in a ring--to reanimate her -sensations in the peril and independence of the desert," if she had -ended in blood in the mountains of the Assassins! She would have -disappeared like a brilliant meteor, in the midst of her glory, in the -midst of her fortune, leaving behind a trail of heroic legends. She -would have escaped the slow agony of Djoun, where, overwhelmed by old -age, oblivion and ill-health, she straightened her tall figure to make -head against the pack of creditors and Jewish usurers, more filthy in -Syria than anywhere else. - -At the end of September, Lady Hester returned to Mar-Elias, unharmed. -The Princess of Wales had concluded her lamentable journey in the Holy -Land, dragging with her that Italian courier Bergami, whom she had -bombarded in quick succession with the titles of Baron della Francina, -Knight of Malta and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, and whom she had just -appointed at Jerusalem Grand Master of St. Caroline, an order which she -had created expressly for him, without taking into consideration the -impropriety of her action. - -Miss Williams and the doctor awaited Lady Hester anxiously. For Miss -Williams had disembarked in Syria in March, 1816. Her attachment to her -patroness was so great that she could not make up her mind to remain at -a distance from her, and, after passing some years at Malta, she had -left her sister and had, despite every difficulty--tempest, -sea-sickness, mutiny of the crew and a passage of three and a half -months--come to rejoin her. Lady Hester's lady's-maid, Ann Fry, awaited -Miss Williams when she left the vessel, in order to veil her and to -inculcate her with the first instructions relative to the new life. Such -was Lady Hester's response to her devotion! - -Amongst the visitors to Mar-Elias during that last year, the least -commonplace was without question that young Mr. W. J. Bankes, who -arrived full of stupid confidence in himself and with a conquering air. -Lady Hester received him very amicably, and, learning that it was his -intention to go to Palmyra, she gave him letters of recommendation to -Muly Ishmael of Hama and to Nasr, son of the Emir of the Anezes. She -also offered him old Pierre, who was always brought to the front when it -was a question of choosing an experienced guide. - -The young man, reckoning on his own resources which he considered -abundantly sufficient to get him through the affair, had accepted -against his will the letters and old Pierre. Besides, Lady Hester had -allowed an imprudent speech to escape, which had not fallen on the ear -of a deaf man. - -"When I was in the desert," said she, "I arranged with Nasr to give to -travellers whom I should protect a letter of safe-conduct which, alone, -should be of value; those who were recommended by me verbally were not -to be listened to. They will be divided into two classes: ordinary -travellers and travellers of distinction in whom the Bedouins will be -able to trust as in myself, who will have the right to full hospitality, -to mimic combats, to camel's meat. To recognise them easily, the letters -of the first will bear a single seal, the second will bear two." - -Bankes had nothing more urgent than to open Lady Hester's letter and to -make himself acquainted with the contents. When he learned that he was -placed in the class of ordinary travellers, that he had received only -one seal, and that he was not mentioned either as prince or gentleman, -he was disgusted. Ah! ah! this old sorceress imagined that she held the -desert routes; she was going to see how he would dispense with her. And -the young man, abandoning the letters and old Pierre at Hama, started -proudly on the way, under the protection of the Pacha of Damascus. - -The return was less brilliant! Stopped by Nasr at Mount Belaz, and -having refused to pay for the right to pass, he had been courteously -conducted back to Hama. Sticking to his resolution, like an Englishman -who is on the point of losing a wager or whose vanity is at stake, he -took a second time the road to Palmyra. This time he paid without -complaint the 1100 piastres demanded by Nasr. But scarcely had he -arrived at Palmyra, than another son of Mehannah demanded the same sum. -Incensed, Bankes refused to understand anything, and was thrown into -prison. On his return to England, he placed all his misadventures to the -account of Lady Hester, proclaiming everywhere that she took a malicious -pleasure in closing the gates of the desert to travellers. It is thus -that History is written. - -In the company of M. Regnault, French consul at Tripoli, a little man, -ugly and hunchbacked, but remarkably pleasant and intelligent, who -passed some time at Mar-Elias, Lady Hester visited the French consulate -at Sidon. The new consul, M. Ruffin, was the son of the chargé -d'affaires at Constantinople. And the crowd gave Lady Hester an -enthusiastic reception. Everyone wanted to see this extraordinary woman -who had raised an entire province to avenge on the Ansaries the -assassination of a Frenchman. - -On October 28, Didot, son of the celebrated printer of Paris, passed -through Sidon and was invited to go up to the convent. Finding himself -in the presence of two Orientals squatting on a divan, he recognised -Lady Hester by her beardless face and Regnault by his hump. Lady Hester -did not ask him to issue a new edition of her travels, divining well -that, contrary to the habits of printers, Didot would give her a great -publicity. And he did not fail to add a zero to the 3000 piastres which -the expedition to Palmyra had cost. - -On November 15, Giorgio brought back the surgeon N-----, Dr. Meryon's -successor. The twenty-seven trunks which he had brought were landed -without examination on the part of the Custom House, mark of -consideration from which it never departed throughout Lady Hester's -residence in Syria. - -Giorgio affected a profound dislike of England. The Duke of York was his -intimate friend, and Princess Charlotte of Wales had sent him a silver -chain. "I shall certainly wear it," said he, "but I shall not say whence -it comes, in order not to give the Turks so pitiful an idea of English -hospitality." One thing only had struck him: there were no fleas and the -people did not tell lies. Having seen at Chevening a portrait of -Chatham, he told Lady Hester that her face bore an astonishing -resemblance to that of her grandfather, which overwhelmed her with -pleasure. - -Then Dr. Meryon thought of departing. He was affected in taking leave of -Lady Hester, but excellent provision for the journey, gazelle-pie, tarts -and cold fowls--delicate attention on the part of Miss Williams--soon -restored his equanimity. - -He embarked on January 21, 1817, believing certainly that he would never -return. Ah! assuredly he had desired this hour with all his soul, but -one does not leave a woman like Lady Hester without regrets. He had just -closed a dazzling page of his life. The mauve terraces of Bairout -sprawling at the foot of Lebanon were vanishing in the rays of the -setting sun. Ah! would he ever be able to forget the marches into the -desert at the head of the Arab tribes; and the assistance exacted by the -governors of Syria to open the earth and to snatch its treasures from -it; and the troops launched into the inaccessible defiles to avenge the -disappearance of a traveller? - -The East leaves in the heart a perfume of dead roses, which is quite -sufficient to transform into a posy of recollections set with pearls the -incidents of travel.... It is sometimes a flash of vivid sunlight on a -load of oranges, sometimes a burst of laughter from a brown and dirty -child, sometimes the dust of roads in summer, sometimes the peppery -odour which the spice-merchants exhale.... - - - - -THE END - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CIRCE OF THE DESERTS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Circe of the deserts</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Paule Henry-Bordeaux</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 15, 2023 [eBook #69806]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by The Internet Archive.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CIRCE OF THE DESERTS ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="500"> -</div> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="500" alt="500"> -<div class="caption"> -<p>Lady Hester Stanhope</p> -</div></div> - - -<h1>THE CIRCE OF THE<br> -DESERTS</h1> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="center"><b>BY</b></p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h2>PAULE HENRY-BORDEAUX</h2> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="center"><b>WITH A FRONTISPIECE</b></p> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<p class="center"><b>LONDON</b></p> - -<p class="center"><b>HURST & BLACKETT, LTD.</b></p> - -<p class="center"><b>PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.C.</b></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - - - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -<p class="nind"> - -CHAPTER<br> - -I. <a href="#chap01">Farewell to England</a><br> - -II. <a href="#chap02">Mediterranean Yachting</a><br> - -III. <a href="#chap03">Oriental Initiation</a><br> - -IV. <a href="#chap04">Excursion in the Holy Land</a><br> - -V. <a href="#chap05">In the Country of Djezzar Pacha and -the Emir Bechir</a><br> - -VI. <a href="#chap06">Far niente at Damascus</a><br> - -VII. <a href="#chap07">Lady Hester and Lascaris</a><br> - -VIII. <a href="#chap08">The Queen of Palmyra</a><br> - -IX. <a href="#chap09">From the Temple of Baalbeck to the -Ruins of Ascalon</a><br> - -X. <a href="#chap10">In the Mountains of the Assassins</a></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2>THE CIRCE OF THE -DESERTS</h2> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap01"></a>CHAPTER I -<br><br> -FAREWELL TO ENGLAND</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>N February 10, 1810, the frigate -<i>Jason</i>, commander James King,—left Portsmouth, bound for -Gibraltar. In the stern of the vessel, a group of four persons watched -the coast, which was enveloped in a clinging mist which the meagre -English sun could not contrive to absorb, gradually recede into the -distance. Three men stood a little apart from a woman whose gigantic -stature must not have passed unnoticed, even on British soil. -</p> -<p> -She was six feet in height and was developed in proportion. Strangers -who met her for the first time allowed their astonished and mocking eyes -to wander at random and to lose their way over the vast surface which -she offered to the admirers of bulk, but when they had succeeded in -reaching the face, pale and passionate flower borne by a robust stalk, -they were interested, captivated, subjugated, dazzled! What wonderful -surprise, after the difficult and monotonous ascent of a lofty peak, to -discover boundless fields of fresh snow, sparkling with light!... -</p> -<p> -More strange than beautiful, this woman attracted attention, and those -who had gazed upon her features never forgot them. Can one say that the -sun is beautiful when its fires blind? Thus everything about her -glittered; her skin dazzling as marble, of which it possessed the pure -grain and the cold smoothness, her eyes of a pale and frosty grey which -were illuminated by a terrifying and wild glitter when passion roused -her and which was heightened by a bluish ring.... Everything about her -was striking: her lips, of a dark red, firm and strong in shape, her -dazzling teeth, her curved nose, her obstinate chin. A northern light -seemed to play on this lofty and superb forehead, on this countenance of -a perfect oval, and isolated her in crowning her as a queen ... or as a -madwoman.... -</p> -<p> -What age could she be? Some thirty years hardly. Perhaps more, for the -corners of the mouth, a trifle fallen in, had a wrinkle of bitterness -and disenchantment which accused her of being older. -</p> -<p> -At this moment she was gazing at the north with a singular intensity of -expression, and when England had disappeared in its wrappings of mist, -smiling and satisfied she triumphantly wagged her foot; a foot so long -and so arched that a kitten might easily run about on it.... She crossed -the bridge and went to lean her elbow on the bow of the ship. Had she a -presentiment that her departure would be definitive, eternal, and that -she would never more behold the green forest trees of Chevening or the -fine equipages of Bond Street? -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester Stanhope was born on March 12, 1776, of the marriage of -Hester, sister of William Pitt, with Charles, Lord Mahon, afterwards -third Earl Stanhope, the frenzied Republican. Her ancestors, both -paternal and maternal, were not ordinary people. Her grandfather, Lord -Chatham, had, by the side of his great intellectual faculties, the -detestable mania of enveloping the most anodyne acts of life with an -impenetrable mystery which kept all his entourage on the alert and in -suspense. Had he not one day when he was unwell, refused to receive a -man, the bearer of urgent news, who insisted on seeing him immediately? -After long discussions, the messenger contrived to be introduced into -the Minister's room; but the room was darkened and the Minister -invisible behind a rampart of screens. New battle to succeed in catching -sight of Lord Chatham. At last, when the man had by main force gained -this honour, he drew from his pocket a parchment containing the -title-deeds of two estates with a rent-roll of £14,000, bequeathed by -Sir Edward Pynsent as a proof of his admiration. The property had nearly -escaped him. Lady Hester Stanhope, if she did not inherit Burton -Pynsent, inherited, at any rate, all these eccentricities of character. -</p> -<p> -As for her other grandfather, he was that second Earl Stanhope who had -forbidden his son to powder his hair on the occasion of his presentation -at Court, "because," he pretended, "wheat was too dear." So that Lord -Mahon went quite simply into the presence of the King with his natural -head of hair, that is to say, black as coal and lightened by a white -plume, which caused the spiteful tongue of Horace Walpole to remark that -"he had been tarred and feathered." -</p> -<p> -This misadventure did not prevent the young man from marrying, the same -year, Lady Hester Pitt. The great Chatham entertained the highest -opinion of his son-in-law. -</p> -<p> -"The exterior is pleasing," wrote he to Mr. James Grenville, "but it is -in looking within that one finds invaluable treasures, a head to -imagine, a heart to conceive and an arm to execute all that he can have -there which is good, amiable and of good report." -</p> -<p> -By this marriage, he had three daughters: the extraordinary Hester, -Griselda and Lucy Rachel. Left a widower five years later, he contracted -a second marriage, with Louisa Grenville, by whom he had three children: -Philip Henry; Charles, who was killed at Coruña; and James Hamilton, -inspired no doubt by the spirit of equity, for he was a thorough -Republican. -</p> -<p> -Grave political differences which arose from 1784 between Stanhope and -Pitt sensibly cooled their friendship. The French Revolution separated -them entirely. Lord Stanhope threw himself with ardour into the -Opposition, through conviction at first, and then because he hated the -victorious party, merely because it was the victorious party. He loved -to act with a little minority, and, this tendency continually -increasing, earned him in the House of Lords the surname of "the -Minority of One." -</p> -<p> -From his childhood at Geneva he had preserved the taste for the exact -sciences, and he attached his name to several scientific discoveries, of -which the most astonishing was that of steam navigation. His children -alone did not interest him. Lady Hester Stanhope, who inherited from him -her love of independence and the uncompromising nature of her ideas, -played the very devil, terrorising her governesses. From 1800 to 1803 -she lived with the old Lady Chatham at Burton Pynsent, of illustrious -memory, and her skill in protecting her brothers and sisters from the -paternal experiments having attracted the attention of her uncle, -William Pitt, he asked her to come and keep house for him. She was then -twenty-seven. -</p> -<p> -This singular young girl, down to the death of the "Great Commoner" in -January, 1806, was truly his confidante, his secretary, his right arm. -Remarkably intelligent, bold and original, she played the part of a -second Prime Minister. Pensions, titles, favours passed through her -hands. Thrown back brusquely into the shade, after her uncle's death, -she was unable to endure the tameness of an ordinary life. After some -years of solitude in Wales, disgusted with the world and politics, she -resolved to leave this England which was too prompt to forget. -</p> -<p> -Of the three men who had embarked with her on the <i>Jason</i>, one was her -brother, James Hamilton Stanhope, captain in the 1st Foot Guards, who -was going to rejoin his regiment at Cadiz; another, a friend, Mr. Nassau -Sutton; and the last, a young doctor, Charles Meryon, who, instead of -growing musty in the lecture-rooms of Oxford, was departing joyously for -milder climes. -</p> -<p> -Between two showers—they were numerous!—Lady Hester Stanhope -came and sat down on the bridge. She would have wished to forget; she -would have wished to break with the past, at once too beautiful and too -sad; but recollections rolled in upon her, countless invading waves -which moaned and beat against the shores of her soul. -</p> -<p> -What had she left behind her which was worthy of regrets? Two sisters -with whom she had never been in the least intimate, an insignificant -brother, an old maniac father, altogether mad and democrat besides, -which is the worst of mental aberrations. Singular old fellow truly, who -slept, <i>in winter</i>, with wide-open windows! -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester reviewed the sad days of her neglected childhood. Her -stepmother was an insipid creature, without interest in anything, who -divided her time—Oh! in a very equal way—between her -toilet-table and her box at the Opera. And during this time, Lord -Stanhope hurried from his iron hand-press to his factory for making -artificial tiles to exclude the snow and the rain, sprang to his -reckoning-machine, from there rushed to his dockyard, where a steamboat -was always on the look-out and always refused to move, entered, on the -way, the Old Jewry, where some members of the Revolution Society were -ready to submit to a speech, and drew up in return a motion to be -brought forward in the House of Lords in order to prevent England from -interfering in the internal government of France!... One childish -recollection haunted Lady Hester until she was tired. -</p> -<p> -The scene? A London street transformed into a sea of mud by an unusually -mild winter. The personages? A little girl perched on enormous stilts -and very much at her ease up there, to be sure! An old gentleman, tall -and spare, leaning out of a window, using forcible language and -gesticulating. The little girl went up to the first floor. Earl Stanhope -was in a good temper that morning; after having dispersed his gold and -silver plate and his tapestries, which exhaled a too aristocratic -mustiness, he had just sold off his horses and carriages. With his bare -feet thrust into slippers, and wearing under his dressing-gown his -beloved silk breeches which never left him day or night, he was -contentedly munching the piece of brown bread which with him took the -place of breakfast. -</p> -<p> -"Well, little girl," was his greeting; "what is it that you want to say? -On what devil had you climbed just now?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh, papa! Since you have no more horses, I wanted to practise walking -in the mud with stilts. Mud, you know, is all the same to me; it is that -poor Lady Stanhope who will find it trying; she is accustomed to her -carriage, and her health is not first-rate." -</p> -<p> -"What is that you say, little girl? What would you say if I bought a -carriage for Lady Stanhope?" -</p> -<p> -"Well, papa, I should say that it is very amiable of you." -</p> -<p> -"Well, well, we will see. But, by all the devils, no armorial bearings!" -</p> -<p> -Hester revived the scene with a distinctness which distance -strengthened. She recalled even the carriage which Lady Stanhope had -owed to the famous stilts; for her astonishing memory, like that of her -grandfather, Lord Chatham, forgot neither things, nor animals nor -people. -</p> -<p> -Memories rolled in upon her still. Willingly, Hester paused longer over -those which had been proud or pleasant hours. She conjured up delightful -evenings in London. Was it indeed she who was attending it seemed but -yesterday the Duchess of Rutland's ball? -</p> -<p> -Before leaving Downing Street, she had gone to find her uncle, William -Pitt, in his study. While he was finishing the signing of a paper, she -arranged before a mirror the folds of her gown, of white satin draped in -the antique fashion which blended with her snow-white shoulders. -Suddenly she perceived that the Minister's attentive eye was following -her movements. -</p> -<p> -"Really, Hester," said he, "you are going to make conquests this -evening, but would it be too presumptuous to suggest to you that this -fold ought to be caught up by a loop? There! like this. What do you -think about it?" -</p> -<p> -And his taste was so delicate, that he had found instinctively what was -required to complete the classic form of the drapery. -</p> -<p> -What a crowd at the duchess's! The heads all touched one another like -the necks of bottles emerging from a basket. -</p> -<p> -And what long faces! -</p> -<p> -Ah! it is that English society was prodigiously bored. Boredom, that -pastime of old peoples rotted by civilisation, reigned as master and -triumphed hardly over the conventions. The French <i>émigrés</i> had -brought with them, in the perfume of their yellowed lace and in the -flash of their last jewels, the precious remains of a frivolity and of a -grace which were at the point of death. The spirit of France had been -for the lymphatic coldness of the English what condiments are for boiled -beef: a stimulant to the appetite. Scandal was on the watch and morals -were dissolute. But the wits of these haughty ladies had been sharpened, -and all their intrigues were carried on slyly, clandestinely. Against -the rigid and narrow Puritanism, against the redoubtable spirit of cant, -imagination and fancy struggled without hope of victory. The façade, -that was what mattered! So much the worse if the interior of the -building were used as a stable. Only, hypocrisy being like the veronal -which prolongs the torpor of surfeited and jaded societies, England -continued to govern royally. Extravagance and dandyism were required to -cheer her up. And how welcome on the occasion of some dreary social -function was the arrival of a Hester Stanhope or of a George Brummel! -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester recalled her entry into the ball-room with Lord Camelford, -her beloved cousin—a true Pitt, that man! And what an entry. Both -were of extraordinary stature; the women had not enough smiles for him, the -men not enough eyes for her. A long flattering murmur accompanied them. -</p> -<p> -"Have you seen Lord Camelford?" twittered the ladies. "Well, it appears -that he blew out the brains of his lieutenant one day that a mutiny -threatened to break out aboard his ship, and that quite coolly, just as -I am speaking to you." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! my dear, you make me shiver." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my dear, he frequents the taverns in the City, disguised as a -sailor, and when he meets some poor devil whose face he recollects, he -makes him tell him his history, thrusts a hundred pounds into his hand -and threatens to thrash him if he presumes to ask him his name!" -</p> -<p> -"Have you seen Lady Hester Stanhope? She caused a scandal at the last -Court ball. No, really! You have not heard people talking about it? It -is shocking, my dear! Would you believe that Lord Abercorn, having -vainly solicited from Pitt the Order of the Garter, turned towards -Addington (the surgeon's son; yes, exactly) to obtain it? Lady Hester, -having learned of the matter, flew into a furious rage. Talking with the -Duke of Cumberland—it is from the duke himself that I have the story, -she said: -</p> -<p> -"'After the innumerable favours which Lord Abercorn has received from -Mr. Pitt, to go over to Mr. Addington! Ah! I will make him pay dearly -for his defection.' -</p> -<p> -"'Here is your opportunity, then,' exclaimed the duke, 'he has just come -in. Go for him, little bulldog!' -</p> -<p> -"Forthwith Lady Hester pounced upon Addington, and, fixing her eyes on -his Garter, said: -</p> -<p> -"'What have you there, my lord?' (You will recollect that Lord Abercorn -has had both his legs broken.) 'What have you there?' A bandage? Mr. -Addington has done his work well, and I hope that in future you will be -able to walk more easily." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! it is insufferable!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! my dear, here is something much better! The other day, Lord -Mulgrave, while breakfasting with Mr. Pitt, found beside his plate a -broken spoon. -</p> -<p> -"'How can Mr. Pitt keep such spoons?' he had the bad taste to say to -Lady Hester. -</p> -<p> -"'Have you not yet discovered,' she replied, 'that Mr. Pitt often uses -slight and weak instruments to effect his ends?'" -</p> -<p> -"What a pest she must be, dear creature! Lord Mulgrave! A wonderful -statesman!" -</p> -<p> -And even those who detested her were the first to bow and scrape and -join the crowd of admirers who surged in her wake. -</p> -<p> -"Lady Hester! I distinguished the pearls of your necklace more than five -yards away!" "Lady Hester! you are astonishing this evening!" And -suchlike banalities. And what heat! All the rouge and all the powder -were melting. Lady Hester endeavoured in vain to reach a balcony. Cries, -exclamations, confusion. The Duke of Cumberland's voice rose above the -orchestra. -</p> -<p> -"Where is Lady Hester? where is my little aide-de-camp? Let her come and -help me to get out of this inferno; I see nothing of her, and I cannot -get out alone. Ah! where has she gone? Where has she gone?" -</p> -<p> -The Duke of Buckingham hurried away to fetch him a water-ice to save him -the trouble of moving. -</p> -<p> -Who are these crossing the gallery of mirrors? Oh! they could be none -but Lady Charlotte Bury and her brother, no one walked as they did; it -was enchanting to watch them. What a beautiful woman, truly! What arms! -What a hand! One evening when she was entering her box at the Opera, had -not the entire house turned to admire her? -</p> -<p> -The Grassini was beginning to sing in a relative silence. The previous -week, the Duchess of Devonshire had had Mrs. Billington, soprano against -contralto; the worldly rivalries were continued in music.... -</p> -<p> -In the great drawing-room, skilfully illuminated, for the Duchess of -Rutland was too much of a Beaufort by race to leave in the shadow the -pretty curve of her profile, the regular beauty of her features, the -softness of her long eyelashes, there was a basket of living flowers. -The Marchioness of Salisbury, who possessed the piquant charm which -belongs to Frenchwomen, and who was slipping on her gloves with supple -gestures, quite natural to her, in the prettiest manner imaginable, the -Countess of Mansfield, Lady Stafford, the Countess of Glandore, so -aristocratic in her demeanour, Lady Sage and Sele, the Countess of -Derby, painted by Lawrence when she was still the actress Elisa Farren, -and that charming Lady Duncombe, that romantic blonde who had inspired -John Hoppner's masterpiece, and the Viscountess Andover, and the -Viscountess of St. Asaph and so many others, with their pretty airs or -their beautiful faces, their loose tresses, their tall statures, their -bosoms rising and falling and their gowns of Indian muslin which -revealed the outline of their bodies at the slightest movement—so -many others who had posed carelessly, and as if to amuse themselves, before -Lawrence, painter of adored women, before Romney or before the -miniaturist Cosway. -</p> -<p> -Earl Grosvenor was talking in the embrasure of a door with the beautiful -Lady Stafford. Lord Rivers, the Duke of Dorset, the Duke of Richmond, -Lord Mulgrave fluttered about the Duchess of Devonshire. Perhaps they -were making her guess at the last riddle of Fox, and the most true of -English riddles: "My first denotes affliction which my second is -destined to experience; my whole is the best antidote to soothe and cure -this grief!" Perhaps also they were murmuring to her the verses which -Southey had written in response to her praising William Tell: -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Oh! lady nursed in pomp and pleasure</span><br> -<span class="i0">Where learnt thou that heroic measure?</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p> -Despite the advancing years, Georgina Spencer had remained "the -irresistible Queen of the Mode," the beautiful lady, the exquisite -<i>grande dame</i>, artistic, refined, adventurous, who had served as model -to the two great English painters of the eighteenth century. With her -nose <i>à la Roxelane</i>, her bewitching eyes, her wealth of auburn hair, -with that dazzling carnation of the races of the North, that divine -mouth which had snatched from Gainsborough a confession of -powerlessness: "Your Grace is too difficult for me!" and which had made -him throw his brush filled with colours on the damp canvas, she -possessed still a unique grace, a reputation for cajolery which -exasperated Lady Hester Stanhope. She considered that, when she was not -smiling, her expression was satanic, and treated her affability as -affectation. She knew so well how to cast her nets over the young men -whom she needed for her little receptions! Her sister, Lady Bessborough, -was ten times more intelligent. But fame inclines always towards -splendid horses, fine carriages, great personages, rumour and sensation. -</p> -<p> -Lady Liverpool arrived naturally late, for Lord Liverpool was finishing -his toilette as he came in. She entered the drawing-room with an -inimitable ease of manner, cleaving her way like a beautiful swan -through the crowd of guests, smiling to the right, inclining her head to -the left, speaking to this one, inquiring after the health of that, -saying an amiable word to all. But she was a Hervey, and all the world -knew that God had created men, women and Herveys. -</p> -<p> -The Prince of Wales, who was still, despite his forty years and more, -one of the handsomest men in the three kingdoms, with the soul the most -ugly and the most vile, had condescended to come and relate to everyone -who was willing to listen to him that the King was madder than ever. But -Brummel had not yet put in an appearance. -</p> -<p> -It was whispered that the Prince, to the great despair of the Queen, had -had himself painted full length and in uniform by Madam Vigée-Lebrun, -while she was staying in London. Well-informed people added that he -intended to give this portrait to Mrs. Fitz-Herbert, his former -mistress, as a belated testimony of gratitude for all the errors which -she had prevented him from committing. "Do not send this letter to such -and such a person; she is careless and will leave it about." "You have -been drinking all night; hold your tongue!" In this fashion had she been -accustomed to address him. -</p> -<p> -This young widow, very pushful, whose profile and figure recalled those -of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, would have been very willing to -marry a prince just as Anne Lutterel had married the Duke of Cumberland. -But then the Royal Marriage Act, and the religious ceremony of December -21, 1785, had never been recognised. -</p> -<p> -William Pitt, thin, lank, haughty and awkward-looking, with his head -held high and thrown back, was looking fixedly at the ceiling, as though -seeking his ideas in the air. One could not depend on that, however, for -he took note of everything which happened, and discovered here a -shoulder too high, there an imperfect figure under the deceitful -drapery, there again a thick ankle. -</p> -<p> -"Lady Hester, do you not see Lord C ...? He is bowing to you." -</p> -<p> -"I see down there a great pigeon-chested chameleon. Is that Lord C ...?" -</p> -<p> -Camelford, who had heard the answer, made vain efforts to preserve his -gravity. The unfortunate man had been driven on to the corner of a sofa -by a countess, a little <i>passée</i>, who, presently, when he will have -fled, tired out, will sing his praises, will shout them rather: "Such -delightful manners! Wonderful conversational powers! Charming! -Irresistible! Fascinating!" -</p> -<p> -The heat, continually increasing, was altering, turning pale and -distorting the faces of all the company, just as if they were moulded in -soft and tepid wax. In proportion as the evening advanced, the -favourable impressions which the women had created were discounted. Then -Brummel made his appearance. He wore a coat of some softened colour, the -material of which had been rasped all over with a piece of sharpened -glass, an aerial coat, a coat of lacework.... The gloves he wore were -transparent, which moulded his fingers and showed the contour of the -nails as well as the flesh—gloves which had necessitated the -coalition of four artists, three for the hand, one for the thumb.... -</p> -<p> -And all that without self-consciousness, with a cold languidness, an -ease of bearing, a simplicity! But excess of refinement!—does it not -often rejoin the natural? -</p> -<p> -With him there entered an invigorating breath, an unexpected attraction, -a new pungency which acted like a tonic upon pleasures which had grown -anæmic. The orchestra became more animated, the women more desirable, -the men, already three-parts intoxicated by the alcohol they had -consumed, less wearisome. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile, without hurrying himself, Brummel threaded his way through -the rooms. Amongst all those proud ladies, how many had contrived their -toilettes, chosen with more care the diamonds which adorned their -coiffures and the flowers of their corsages, in the hope of attracting -his attention? A duchess told her daughter quite loudly to be careful of -her manners, of her gestures and of her answers, if by chance Brummel -condescended to speak to her. -</p> -<p> -And, nevertheless, he was not handsome, in the strict sense of the word. -His hair was inclined to be red, and his profile, though of Grecian -type, had been spoiled by a fall from his horse, when he was still -serving in the 10th Hussars, under the orders of the Prince of Wales. -But the expression of his face was more to be admired than his features, -the skill of his attitudes more perfect than his body. And, above all, -he was irony and impertinence personified. And women, who are sometimes -insensible to flattery and endearments, are never so to disdain and -wounds inflicted on their vanity. And those who were the most infatuated -with "primosity," that exquisite word created by the Pitts to -characterise the solemn, stiff, bashful spirit of Cant, and which might -have deserved the definition which Pope gave of prudery: -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">What is prudery? 'Tis a beldam</span><br> -<span class="i0">Seen with wit and beauty seldom</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="nind"> -did not pardon him for not having asked them for what they would have -refused him. More of a dandy than the Prince of Wales, he had not -attached himself to Mrs. Fitz-Herbert, Benina, as he had surnamed her -one evening. -</p> -<p> -His eyes, unreadable and incredibly penetrating, roamed, slowly and -without seeing anything, over the rooms in which the most beautiful -women in London were gathered. With an icy indifference, his distant -glances skimmed the faces, without recognising them, without settling -anywhere. -</p> -<p> -"Where shall I find a woman who knows how to dance without breaking my -back?" spoke the magnificent voice at last. "Ah! here is Catherine (the -sister of the Duke of Rutland), and I think she will suit my purpose." -</p> -<p> -But, catching sight of Lady Hester, he gave the duke's sister the slip -and came towards her. Raising the ear-rings which concealed the -beautiful and graceful collar which encircled her neck, he exclaimed: -</p> -<p> -"For the love of God, let me see what is under there!" -</p> -<p> -Pitt's niece and the king of the dandies had a keen appreciation of each -other's qualities. They were both of them without rivals in showing the -grotesque sides hidden in all men, without rivals in stripping and -publicly castigating the puppets who governed England, without rivals in -compelling them to unmask themselves their dirty little tricks, their -villainous hypocrisies, their bad faith, their monstrous absurdities, -just as exhibitors of trained animals make their monkeys parade and -dance. -</p> -<p> -Having passed judgment on the ball—Brummel's praise or blame was -everything at that time—or by a silence more eloquent, he went to -Watier's Club, followed by Lord Petersham, Lord Somerset, Charles Ker -and Robert and Charles Manners, famous Macaronis gravitating around -their star. -</p> -<p> -In the carriage which took them back to Downing Street, Pitt said to his -niece: -</p> -<p> -"Really, Hester, Lord Hertford has paid you so many compliments this -evening that you ought to be proud of them." -</p> -<p> -"Not at all," she answered. "Lord Hertford is deceived if he thinks that -I am beautiful. Take each feature of my face separately and put them on -the table; not one of them will bear examination. Put them together and -illuminated, they are not bad. It is a homogeneous ugliness, nothing -more." -</p> -<p> -A slight roll was disturbing the <i>Jason</i>. Lady Hester, lost in her -thoughts, remained leaning against the netting. She recalled to mind -some of those mordant sallies which had crucified her victims. Pitt had -decided to create an Order of Merit; England was at this time in the -thick of the war against France. Lord Liverpool was entrusted with the -task of deciding on the colours of the decoration; and one evening he -entered the Prime Minister's drawing-room, quite proud of himself and -brandishing a tricolour ribbon. -</p> -<p> -"See," cried he, "how I have succeeded in combining colours which will -flatter the natural pride: red is the British flag; blue is the symbol -of liberty; white, the symbol of loyalty." -</p> -<p> -All present expressed their admiration. -</p> -<p> -"Perfect! Excellent! The King will be pleased!" they exclaimed. -</p> -<p> -"I am sure of it," remarked Lady Hester, "but it seems to me that I have -seen that combination of colours somewhere!" -</p> -<p> -"Where was it?" inquired Liverpool, taken aback. -</p> -<p> -"Well, on the cockades of the French soldiers!" -</p> -<p> -"What ought to be done, Lady Hester? I have ordered five hundred yards -of it. What use can I make of it?" -</p> -<p> -"To keep up your breeches, my lord, when you put papers there which you -never find and which you look for at the bottom of one pocket, then at -the bottom of another, like an eel at the bottom of a fish-pond. I am -always afraid that some misfortune will happen to your breeches!" -</p> -<p> -And when Addington (the duchess's son still) had had the fancy to have -himself created Lord Raleigh, she had conceived a pretty caricature. Her -uncle, Pitt, played the part of Queen Elizabeth, dancing a minuet with -his nose in the air; Addington, as Sir Walter Raleigh, made his -obeisance; and the King wore the costume of a Court jester! Pitt, after -indulging in roars of laughter over this description, had despatched a -dozen emissaries to all parts of London to secure, no matter at what -cost, the famous caricature, which only existed in Lady Hester's -imagination. And there was no Lord Raleigh! -</p> -<p> -And the delicious scenes in which she caused the entire Court to pass in -review, those scenes of which she was at once author, actor and -costumer. With her the talent of imitation amounted wellnigh to genius. -She mimicked the women who were the leaders of the fashionable world, or -who had been its leaders, such as the Duchess of Devonshire: "Fu! Fu! -Fuh! what shall I do, my dear. Oh, dear! how frightened I am!" She -mimicked the duchess's visit to the Foreign Office to demand back a note -which she had sent to someone there. Perceiving a shabby little clerk, -she said to him: -</p> -<p> -"Would you be so good, sir, as to have the kindness to give me back that -note? I am sure that you are such a perfect gentleman!..." -</p> -<p> -Then, turning towards the person who had accompanied her, the duchess -exclaimed: -</p> -<p> -"What fine eyes! Don't you think so? He is a handsome man, is he not?" -Just as if the staff of the Foreign Office did not understand French! -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester made game also of the sentimental couples dear to Kotzebue. -With her hand on her heart, rolling her blue eyes, she aped the amorous -transports of the newly married, representing in a second tableau, not -less successful, the mistresses of the one and the lovers of the other. -</p> -<p> -And the pleasant evenings when she was alone with William Pitt. The logs -blazed joyously. The lamps were low. What wonderful hours, for ever -fled, she had passed thus during nearly three years!... -</p> -<p> -She heard William Pitt's clear voice. He was complaining of Canning, so -elusive, so unstable, so false. Lady Hester protested mildly. -</p> -<p> -"Perhaps he is thus merely in appearance, uncle," said she, "and only -sacrifices his opinions ostensibly in order to strengthen your -reputation." -</p> -<p> -"I have lived for twenty-five years, my child, in the midst of men of -every kind, and I have found only one human being capable of such a -sacrifice." -</p> -<p> -"Who can that be? Is it the Duke of Richmond? Is it such or such a -person?" -</p> -<p> -"No, it is you!" ... -</p> -<p> -Hester plunged further into her reveries. Dear Uncle William! How he -loved her! It seemed but yesterday evening that he said to her: "Little -one, I have many good diplomatists who understand nothing of military -operations, and I have many good officers who understand not a jot about -diplomatic negotiations. If you were a man, Hester, I would send you on -the Continent with sixty thousand men and I would give you carte -blanche. And I am sure that all my plans would be executed and that all -the soldiers would have their shoes blacked." -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester recalled the promenades on the old feudal terrace of Windsor -Castle. The King was there. All the princes and princesses revolved -about him. All at once, the King stopped and, addressing himself to -Pitt, said: -</p> -<p> -"Pitt, I have found a Minister to replace you." -</p> -<p> -Mr. Pitt immediately replied: -</p> -<p> -"I am happy that Your Majesty has found someone to relieve me of the -burden of affairs; a little rest and fresh air will do me good." -</p> -<p> -The King continued as if he were concluding his sentence and had heard -nothing: -</p> -<p> -"A Minister better than you." -</p> -<p> -"Your Majesty's choice cannot be other than excellent," replied Pitt, -surprised. -</p> -<p> -The King resumed: -</p> -<p> -"I say, then, Pitt, that I have found a better Minister and, further, a -very good general." -</p> -<p> -Those present began to smile and to scoff stealthily at the King's -favourite. Pitt, notwithstanding his experience of the Court, felt ill -at ease. -</p> -<p> -"Sir, will you condescend to tell me," said he, "who is this remarkable -person to whom I render the homage due to his great talent and the -choice of Your Majesty?" -</p> -<p> -The King would show him who it was: Lady Hester on her uncle's arm! -</p> -<p> -"Here is my new Minister," he exclaimed. "There is no person in the -kingdom who is a better statesman than Lady Hester, and, I have great -pleasure also in declaring, there is no woman who does more honour to -her sex. You have no reason to be proud of yourself, Mr. Pitt, for there -have been many Ministers before you and there will be many after you. -But you have reason to be proud of her, for she unites all that is great -in man and in woman." -</p> -<p> -Still standing on the bridge of the ship, insensible to the wind and the -cold, Lady Hester recalled the painful circumstances which had -accompanied the death of William Pitt. How he had lain emaciated and -enfeebled in his room at Putney Hall, but always so full of hope, so -confident in the approaching cure. And in less than a week afterwards he -was resting on his death-bed. They enter, the latch is pushed, the door -is open; the familiar footsteps no longer echo on the flagstones of the -deserted corridors; the house is empty, the friends have fled, the -servants are far away, the crowd of courtiers who used to besiege the -porter's lodge dispersed, vanished, disappeared! It seemed to Lady -Hester that she was again alone with her uncle for the last time. Then -she had experienced the desertion of those who, only the day before, had -been the most faithful. For twenty years he had spent himself body and -soul for the good of the country; he had worn out his health; neglected -his fortune, employed his credit on behalf of others; and he had -received, as a last recompense, the approving sneers of those who -listened to Canning criticising and disparaging his policy and -exclaiming: "That is Pitt's glorious system!" And all the newspapers -reflected: "That is Pitt's glorious system!" Hounds rushing on the -quarry fearing lest they should lose a bite. -</p> -<p> -Rise at an early hour, receive fifty persons, eat in haste or do not eat -at all, hurry to Windsor Castle, hurry to the House, tire our your lungs -until three in the morning. Scarcely have you returned home than Mr. -Adams arrives with a paper, then Mr. Long with another. Go to bed -then—rat-tat-tat, a despatch from Lord Melville, "On His Majesty's -service." Sleep—rat-tat-tat, thirty persons are waiting at the door. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester recalled the little house in Montague Square, where she had -gone to hide her grief. To have been everything and to have been only -that! To make and unmake Ministers, to distribute pensions, to mimic the -courtiers, to be insolent towards some, ironical towards others, to move -surrounded by a troupe of envious persons wreathed in smiles, of -ambitious persons bowing and scraping unceasingly, of fools gaping with -admiration, to humble the vainglorious, to unmask the hypocrites. To be -more than Minister. -</p> -<p> -She had known the pleasure of exercising authority without control, of -commanding with the certainty of being obeyed; she had had the halo of -fame without having its reverses, and then on a sudden she was no longer -anything. Nothingness. Had she need of a shilling? Every purse was -closed. Naturally, no more horses or carriages. Were she to ride in a -hackney-coach. There was always some charitable soul to say: "Whom do -you think I have met in a hackney-coach this afternoon?" ... Did she go -on foot.... There were always well-intentioned persons to insinuate that -Lady Hester Stanhope did not walk alone for nothing.... -</p> -<p> -Did she meet a friend and walk a few steps with him, immediately all the -neighbourhood was twittering: -</p> -<p> -"Have you seen Lady Hester Stanhope crossing Hanover Square with such -and such a person? I wonder where they went." ... Confined in the -pillory, she was obliged, without hope of revenge, to endure the insults -of those at whom she had imprudently scoffed when intoxicated with -power. And they were so much the more to be feared since they were -enticed by the certainty of impunity. Men, like animals, soon become -vicious when they know they are the stronger. She fled from London, and -her little cottage at Builth, in Wales, was invaded in its turn by all -that clique of people who make it their business to gloat over the -misfortunes of others. -</p> -<p> -Charles, her favourite brother, and General Sir John Moore, the only -man, except Camelford, who had ever touched her heart, were both dead. -In the garden of her hopes there was nothing but tombs. What was there -to stand in the way of her leaving England? -</p> -<p> -Long before the man in the crow's-nest had shouted: "Land to starboard!" -Lady Hester's piercing eyes had made out a rocky point. It was Cap -Finistère—France! -</p> -<p> -France! Her uncle Pitt had been there once, once only, between two -Parliamentary sessions. It was in the autumn of 1783. After a stay at -Rheims, at the time of the vintage, he had spent some days in Paris. The -King was at Fontainebleau and all the fashionable world far from the -capital, "with the exception of the English, who had the air of being in -possession of the town." He visited the monuments, attended the -Comédie-Française, followed a stag-hunt, appeared full of gaiety and -animation, although he became a little bored when people talked to him -of Parliamentary reform, and attracted the notice of all the -distinguished people, beginning with Queen Marie Antoinette. -</p> -<p> -But that M. and Madame Necker should have offered him their daughter, -with an income of £14,000, was laughable. How, imbued with the Swiss -ideas on domestic happiness, could they have dared to throw their -daughter Germaine at the head of a foreigner whom they had known -scarcely a few days? In any case, Pitt's theatrical reply: "I have -already wedded my country," is nonsense. He was much more direct and, -above all, much more sarcastic, the dear uncle! -</p> -<p> -The night fell; a mauve twilight blended with the coasts of France. Lady -Hester bent her head. She saw again a little girl seven or eight years -old who, furtively, throwing anxious glances to either side, unfastened -a boat made fast to the beach at Hastings, raised the mooring-ring, -grasped the oar with a sure hand and made for the open sea. This little -girl, whose head had been turned by the visit which the Comte -d'Adhémar, the French Ambassador, had paid Lord Stanhope, captivated by -the plumed hats of the well-fed lackeys, flattered by the courteous -manners and sweeping bows of the Count, had decided to go to France, to -see what was happening there. -</p> -<p> -She had been overtaken far from the land. How well Hester recognised -that little adventurous girl!... -</p> -<p> -But the first stars were shining in the clear sky, and this tall woman -in mourning, who had remained motionless for hours, watching without -seeing them the varying sports of the grey waves, rose at last and left -the bridge while the <i>Jason</i> bore her to the conquest of the Orient. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap02"></a>CHAPTER II -<br><br> -MEDITERRANEAN YACHTING</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>N a beautiful spring morning a frigate -cast anchor in the Bay of Gibraltar. Lady Hester disembarked with a -young lady companion, Miss Williams, who had been a long time in the -service of the family, an English lady's-maid, Anne Fry, a German cook -and innumerable trunks. Everyone was lodged, including the brother, at -the Convent, the residence of the Governor, Lieutenant-General Campbell. -Mr. Sutton and the doctor were obliged to find lodgings elsewhere. -</p> -<p> -Spain was then almost entirely in the hands of the French, and it was by -no means prudent to go far from the fort. Rides on horseback could not -be indulged in except on the narrow isthmus which connected the fort -with the shore, sandy ground, which was, besides, excellent for a -gallop. The travellers also visited the fortifications. The most content -in the matter was Dr. Meryon. Consider, then, the weather was fine, the -weather was warm, the trees were green and the flowers in bud, and one -was able to bathe every day in the tepid sea, which, for an Englishman, -is important. And it was only by the merest chance that he had not -remained in England! In truth—if the weather had not been icy-cold; -if he had not missed the coach; if he had not run along the Oxford road to -overtake it; if he had not mounted the coach heated from his exertions; -if he had not caught cold; if he had not returned to London; if Cline, -the surgeon's son, had not come to see him; if he had not spoken to him -of the proposal of Lady Hester Stanhope, who was in search of a doctor, -he would be at that moment in the damp meadows of Oxford, coughing and -growing musty! You see how destiny is sometimes affected by a few -glasses of ale! And the doctor, who was a philosopher, took bathe upon -bathe with delight. There were some slight inconveniences in living on -this isolated rock: the meat was tough and bony, and vegetables were -lacking. On the other hand, there was plenty of wine, but it was bad, -which did not prevent the servants from being always drunk. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester did she regard this halt as a pilgrimage? In Spanish soil -slept her brother, Major Charles Stanhope, and her friend, General Sir -John Moore, killed scarcely a year earlier, in that terrible battle of -Coruña. General Moore was one of those fine types of officer which -fascinate energetic and enterprising women, combining in some fashion -their dream of heroism and virility. Very handsome in his person, tall -and admirably made, the features of the face attaining a perfection -which had nothing of insipidity about them, he had fulfilled the -promises which he gave at the age of thirteen, when his father wrote: -</p> -<p> -"He is truly a handsome boy; he dances, rides on horseback, fences with -extraordinary skill. He draws capably, speaks and writes French very -well and has serious notions of geography, arithmetic and geometry.... -He is continually showing me how Geneva can be taken." -</p> -<p> -The Moores were then at Geneva, which the young man was soon to leave to -travel in France, Germany and Italy. He continued to perfect his -education; the first part permitted him to render himself agreeable to -women, the second aided him in his career as an officer, at any rate it -is to be hoped that it did. The knowledge of French was useful to both. -The profession of arms was at that time a very attractive one, for -England was in the midst of the American War, while the more serious -wars of the Revolution and Empire were to follow. There was promotion to -be won and no time to stagnate in garrison towns. Young Ensign Moore -took part in all the fêtes and journeyed across the world. For an -intelligent lad to see the country is never a disagreeable thing. We -find him at Minorca in 1776, then in America in 1779. He takes part in -the famous Corsican expedition by the side of Paoli. He is sent to San -Lucia, commands a brigade at the Helder under the orders of Abercromby, -returns to Minorca, goes to Malta, takes part in the Egyptian campaign, -is very nearly going to the Indies and in 1808 is finally appointed -commander-in-chief of the troops in Spain. Accidents by the way were not -lacking. He was wounded so often that his friends surnamed him the -"unlucky one." -</p> -<p> -In his last campaign it seems that ill-luck, indeed, pursued him. Moore -relied confidently on the resistance of the Spaniards in Madrid and was -in entire ignorance of the negotiations of Prince Castelfranco and Don -Thomas Morla to surrender the town. The admirable English army, 29,000 -strong, was concentrated at Toro and the infantry was within two hours' -march of the French, when a letter, intercepted by chance, suddenly -informed him that Napoleon had made his entry into Madrid no less than -three weeks earlier. Then began that magnificent retreat, in the depth -of winter, over 250 miles of difficult and hilly country. Hard pressed -by the enemy, the exhausted English army reached Coruña on January 16. -The embarkation was hurried on, but the enemy was already descending -from the heights in serried columns. Lord Bentinck's brigade sustained -the shock. Moore was justly applauding an heroic charge of the 50th, -under the orders of Majors Napier and Stanhope, when a bullet struck him -and shattered his shoulder. He lived until the evening. His soldiers -buried him as dawn was breaking, on a gloomy January day, and while they -were digging the grave with their bayonets the enemy's cannon began to -growl again, as if to render funeral honours to the dead. -</p> -<p> -Moore was certainly not an ordinary officer. "His abilities and his -coolness," said Napoleon of him, "alone saved the English army of Spain -from destruction. He was a brave soldier, an excellent officer and a man -of valour. He committed some faults which were no doubt inseparable from -the difficulties in the midst of which he was struggling and occasioned -perhaps by the mistakes of his intelligence service." In the mouth of -Napoleon, rather sparing of praise, is not this the finest military -eulogium? -</p> -<p> -What Lady Hester did not perhaps know is that her hero, during a mission -in Sicily, had nearly married Miss Caroline Fox, the daughter of General -Henry Edward Fox. He had been prevented by a chivalrous sentiment in -thinking of the difference of age which existed between the young girl -and himself. And also, to be candid, by the fear of being indebted to -his high position for a heart which he aspired to owe only to himself. -Singular scruple when we reflect that the general was then forty-five -years old! -</p> -<p> -Would Lady Hester have continued to wear the miniature of the brilliant -officer and to drag it with her in her peregrinations across the Orient, -if she had been acquainted with this trifling detail? It is probable -that she did not lack kind lady friends too happy to furnish her with -abundant information on this subject. But General Moore was dead, and -survivors have a tendency to idealise those who are no longer there to -contradict them.... -</p> -<p> -Soon Captain Stanhope received orders to rejoin his regiment. Mr. Sutton -left for Minorca, whither his affairs called him. Lady Hester, tired of -garrison life, took advantage of the offer which was made her by Captain -Whitby, commander of the <i>Cerberus</i>, to convey her to Malta. Her -departure took place on April 7. -</p> -<p> -A fortnight later Lady Hester disembarked at Valetta. She was expected -at Malta, and several notabilities solicited the honour of entertaining -her. She chose the house of Mr. Fernandez, the commissary-general. The -town presented an agreeable prospect with its wide streets intersecting -one another at right angles and the low houses with their flat roofs. -</p> -<p> -The doctor found life good; well lodged, well fed, he appreciated the -daily fare. Meals allowed three complete services and five to ten -different wines, and were followed by coffee and liqueurs, as in France. -</p> -<p> -He wandered, amused, across Valetta, followed by a troupe of naked and -dusty children, jostled by the Maltese, whose woolly hair, olive skin -and flat noses caused him to dream already of barbarian countries, -passing the women with their shawls of black silk placed on the head, -descending in graceful folds, which enveloped the body and half-veiled -the face. Little, at least they appeared so to him, for daily life with -Lady Hester was obliged to distort a little the accurate computation of -figures, their feet and hands admirable, he compared them <i>in petto</i>, -in taking away their necklaces, bracelets and chains with which they were -overloaded, to little English serving-maids, without any offensive -intention on his part, but because he could not find, in his national -pride, a better comparison to express the admiration with which their -plump arms and their full figures inspired him. -</p> -<p> -He walked also in the magnificent Cathedral of San Giovanni, whose -pavement in mosaics of glistening colours gave him the illusion of -walking on the pictures from the gallery of the Louvre taken from their -frames and sewn together. And then what fêtes! So long as Lord Bute was -Governor of the island the doctor had to stand aside. Constantly Lady -Hester said to him: "Doctor, I am dining this evening with Lord Bute; -you are not invited, but do not regret that, for he is a haughty man who -does not like doctors and tutors to open their mouths before he -addresses them. Also take advantage of my absence to invite whomever you -like to dine with you; I have given orders to Franz (the German cook)." -</p> -<p> -At the end of May, this Governor who had such bad taste was recalled, -and General Oakes, who succeeded him, was a very worthy gentleman. Never -will the doctor see again such brilliant receptions.... Malta was then -the fashion; the Neapolitan nobility, which had refused to recognise the -usurper Murat, had flowed back there <i>en masse</i>, and the English, -always travelling, and to whom the Continental blockade, in closing -Europe to them, had given a revival of restlessness, had no choice and -preferred still the mild climate of Valetta to the London fog so much -vaunted. -</p> -<p> -There were every day dinners of sixty covers at the Governor's palace. -The thousands of candles which the silver cressets and the chased -candelabra supported did not succeed in lighting the monumental -staircase; they illuminated the line of salons, plunged into the depths -of the hall, lingered over the faded brocades and the old tapestries, -glided over the waves of the mural frescoes representing a naval combat -between the Christian Knights and the Moors, caressed the dark tresses -of the beautiful Neapolitan ladies, flashed on the laced uniforms of the -English officers of the garrison, played on the gala costumes, -magnificent and strange, of the Greek and Levantine Navy, to glitter -finally on the blonde hair of Lady Hester Stanhope, whose haughty head -dominated this picturesque medley of races. At the supper which followed -the ball, a table was arranged on a dais, which reminded the doctor of -Oxford University.... But what a difference! One evening did he not -accompany a lady of high and authentic rank, and, sitting by her, did he -not find himself separated from the Governor, who was flanked on the -right by the Duchesse of Pienna and on the left by Lady Hester, by the -width of the table, not by the length—the width you must clearly -understand? And with a score of lords, dukes, marquises and counts all -around! -</p> -<p> -The summer came. Lady Hester accepted the kind offer of General Oakes, -who placed at her disposal the Palazzo San Antonio, a few miles from -Valetta. The palace was a large building, flanked by a tower simulating -a belfry. The interior was spacious and well ventilated, but the total -absence of rugs and carpets, in order to keep it cool, gave the doctor -the impression of being always on the floor of the kitchen. -</p> -<p> -What was wonderful there were the gardens. The place recalled that of -the Orangery at Versailles, but never will the most assiduous care be -able, in the French climate, to obtain orange-trees, lemon-trees and -pomegranate-trees so vigorous and so beautiful. What magnificent -shooting of the sap towards the sun, expanding in domes of glistening -leaves, in flowers of purple, in fruits of gold! Double oleanders, of -the shape of hazel-trees, diffused their bitter and sharp odour. Hedges -of myrtle ten feet high separated thickets of giant roses and bound a -terrace, forming a colonnade where the vine suspended itself in arches -and mingled its ripe grapes with the green branches. -</p> -<p> -Many foreigners and English people touched at Malta; amongst them Mr. -Michael Bruce, the bold Colonel Bruce who, with the assistance of Sir -Robert Wilson and Mr. Hutchinson, had succeeded in contriving the escape -of Lavalette, on the eve of his execution, and in enabling him to cross -the frontier. Learning that Lady Stanhope's brother had been recalled by -his military duties, he resolved to take his place near her and to -accompany her throughout the perilous journey which she had resolved to -undertake across European and Asiatic Turkey. Sweet solicitude! -</p> -<p> -Soon the heat became infernal. They were in the month of August, and the -thermometer registered 85 degrees Fahrenheit at midday. Lady Hester, who -had lost appetite and suffered from acute indigestion, decided to go to -Constantinople, the only corner of Europe accessible to the English. -Sicily, which had for a moment attracted her, was threatened by an -invasion of Murat. -</p> -<p> -Not being able to obtain a King's ship, an American brig, the -<i>Belle-Poule</i>, was hired to cross the Ionian Sea. Miss Williams -remained at Malta with her sister, who was married to a commissariat -officer. -</p> -<p> -The travellers touched at the Isle of Zante, the flower of the Levant, -the golden isle, which the English had conquered the previous year at -the same time as Ithaca, Cerigo and Cephalonia. What an enchanting -vision greeted them on entering the harbour! On the right, at the foot -of a wooded mountain, lay the white houses of a delicious little town -hidden in the olive woods of a light and vaporish grey; and tall and -sombre cypress-trees climbed across the fields of wild vine to the -assault of the citadel which dominated and completed this dream -landscape. It was the time of the raisin harvest, and women with faces -much painted, a layer of white about their lips, were drying the grapes -in the warm sun of the Orient which blackens the skins, swollen with -juice, in a few days. -</p> -<p> -One ought not to remain too long in too beautiful countries. Their -complete perfection produces insensibly an ennui which paralyses and a -depression of the mind which leads too quickly to yawning admiration, -then to torpor. It is perhaps for that reason that the great artists, -the great workers, those who produce and struggle, avoid the enchanted -lands of the South, where beauty is an easy conquest within the reach of -all. Lady Hester, who cared only for action, stayed a fortnight at -Zante; and on August 23 a felucca brought her to Patras. There she was -rejoined by the Marquis of Sligo, whose yacht was wandering across the -Mediterranean. The marquis joined himself as well to the expedition. Yet -a new bodyguard! -</p> -<p> -At Corinth, Lady Stanhope received a visit from the Bey's harem. The -interpreter begged the men to retire, but Lord Sligo, Bruce and the -doctor thought that now or never was their opportunity to admire the -Turkish beauties to the life. A bey, whose will was law throughout the -province, ought not to choose ugly women to beguile his hours of -leisure. They concealed themselves, therefore, behind a wainscot whose -kind crevices permitted them to see without being seen. -</p> -<p> -The women, placed at their ease by Lady Hester's kind reception, began -soon to unveil and to throw off their ferigees. Some were pretty and -stretched themselves on the sofa in studied attitudes. They communicated -with Lady Hester by signs and gestures. Intrigued by her strange -garments, they began to discuss in detail the different parts of her -costume and to compare them with their own, curious to understand -European lingerie. Unaware that they were spied upon by the men's eyes, -they uncovered their feet bare to the heel, reddened by henna, and their -white bosoms which the Turkish robes, loose at the neck and shoulder, -allowed one to see. They quickly became familiar, their gestures, in -default of words, were more expressive. Lady Stanhope was very -embarrassed at the disagreeable situation in which the curiosity of her -friends had placed her. To extricate her in time from this difficulty -and judging that they had seen enough, they gave vent to stifled -laughter. Instantly, as though struck by an electric shock, the young -women resumed their veils over their ferigees, their gaiety fled away -and they imperiously demanded, by signs, the explanation of these -mysterious sounds. This time it was the position of Sligo, Bruce and -Meryon which was critical; if the bey came to learn of the adventure, -his vengeance would not tarry. Lady Hester, with great sang-froid, -reassured the women and succeeded in pacifying them; but, soon -afterwards, they rose to depart, thinking, without any doubt, that it -was better to be silent and not to draw upon themselves the suspicion of -their lord and master, jealous like every self-respecting Turk. -</p> -<p> -Having passed the Isthmus of Corinth on horseback, Lady Hester and her -suite, which amounted to twenty-five persons—Lord Sligo having for -his share: a Tartar, two Albanians, with their yataghans by their sides, a -dragoman, a Turkish cook, an artist to sketch picturesque scenery and -costumes (the photographer of the time), and three English servants in -livery and one without livery!—embarked at Kenkri for Athens. -</p> -<p> -The French consul at Janina, François Pouqueville, was looking forward -to Lady Hester's visit. -</p> -<p> -"Greece is therefore now the country whither the English flock to cure -the spleen," he writes on October 8, 1810. "One sees only mylords, -princes, but what one would never have expected there is the -'<i>mi-carême</i>,' yes, the '<i>mi-carême</i>.' She is a great lady of -forty years and more, relative or aunt of Mr. Pitt, attacked by the twofold -malady of antiquity and celebrity, who has appeared on the horizon. The -said lady, guarded by a doctor and two lackeys, has debouched in the -Morea. We are assured that she intends to make the pilgrimage to -Thyrinth, where was that fountain into which Juno, the '<i>mi-carême</i>' -of Olympus, used to descend every year to bathe and from which she used to -emerge a maiden. From the lustral waters, our traveller will visit -Thermopylæ, will make a survey of Pharsalia, where her -great-grandfather beat Pompey, and will come like 'my aunt Aurore' to -sentimentalise under the arbours of Tempea. I await her on the shores of -Acherusia.<a id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> We shall see this Fate." -</p> -<p> -The gallant consul lost his time and money the "<i>mi-carême</i>" did not -come to Janina. -</p> -<p> -On their arrival at the Piræus, the travellers saw a man who was -flinging himself from the great mole into the sea. The exploits of Byron -repeating Leander's achievement and crossing the Hellespont by swimming, -had already come to their ears. Lord Sligo felt sure that he recognised -him in this bold diver and hailed him. Byron, for it was indeed he, -dressed in haste and soon came to join them. He even lent his horses to -go to Athens to find means of transport in order to fetch Lady Hester -and his numerous trunks. -</p> -<p> -Having nothing to do, Bruce and the doctor tried to enter into relations -with a band of young veiled Turkish girls seated on the beach. The -latter, scared, took to flight, and Bruce, who had not learned enough -from his recent experience, made many signs to them to induce them to -remain. Some Turks who were lounging about the jetty muttered threats -against this enterprising Frank. He narrowly escaped getting into -mischief. -</p> -<p> -At Athens, Lady Hester, who was an excellent organiser of comfort, -transformed in a few hours her temporary house into a pleasant home, -where every evening an agreeable little company assembled. -</p> -<p> -Byron, who had been at college with Sligo and Bruce, was amongst the -number; but finding the manners of the hostess too despotic, he soon -grew tired. He pleaded urgent business in the Morea and did not reappear -until a few days before his departure. It is always disagreeable for -those who have fled from their country to meet their compatriots again. -It diminishes the consideration of the inhabitants, above all when these -new-comers possess illustrious rank, originality and eccentricity. Lady -Hester and Byron could compete on these three points, and this -accidental occurrence of what an Englishman hates the most in the world, -to be acquainted with another travelling Englishman, was not calculated -to establish a sympathetic intercourse. -</p> -<p> -On Byron's side, the affair was complicated by wounded masculine vanity. -Anxious to excess concerning its beauty and its harmony, he suffered -enormously from his constant lameness. And now chance was giving him as -a rival a woman redoubtable, astonishingly attractive, notwithstanding -that she had a figure like a grenadier, and possessing two feet superbly -arched and of equal size, which did not allow themselves to be easily -forgotten! Men have never cared to meet superior women, even in the size -of their shoes. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, who prided herself upon being a physiognomist, considered -his eyes defective; the only thing that pleased her was the ringlet on -his forehead. For Byron, accustomed to other conquests, this was indeed -little. As for the poet, "it is easy enough to write verses," confided -he to the doctor, "and as to the matter of ideas, God knows where you -find them! You pick up some old books which no one knows and borrow what -is inside." The man of the world and the man of letters having been -united in a general reprobation, Byron made the best of the situation: -that is to say, by separating without delay from this Britannic Juno. -</p> -<p> -The doctor less stern, saw Byron more often. He remarked his singular -manner of entering a drawing-room, making skilful détours from chair to -chair, so far as that which he had chosen, anxious to conceal his -lameness, which this manœuvre, after all, made the more apparent. Byron -exploited this admiration in persuading the doctor to attend a young -Greek girl in whom he was greatly interested. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>Ancient name of the Lake of Janina.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap03"></a>CHAPTER III -<br><br> -ORIENTAL INITIATION</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>N October 16, 1810, Lady Hester Stanhope -and her companions left Athens on board of a Greek polacca. But, having -been enlightened in regard to the skill of the mariners who, in time of -storm, fold their arms, invoking St. George and leaving Heaven to take -charge of the working of the ship, they disembarked in all haste at -Erakli—the ancient Heraclea—and Lord Sligo and Bruce -proceeded to Constantinople to seek aid. They returned with a Turkish -officer provided with a firman. Barques awaited, of that type in which -the prow is shallow and the poop pointed, with those fine bronze-chested -sailors, with flowing breeches and scarlet tarboosh, whose deep voices -add to the melancholy of the passage the charm of unknown tongues. -</p> -<p> -On one of those November evenings which tinge the sky with delicate and -glowing roses, just when the countless minarets of the mosques of -Constantinople were fading into the night come unexpectedly, the barques -stopped at Topkhana. A sedan-chair for Lady Hester, and for the others -the walk through the steep and mountainous streets. The lugubrious -barking of the famished dogs wandering, in bands, in the deserted -quarters, the capricious flame of the lantern which precedes the -caravan, sometimes lighting up old leprous houses, at others throwing -into the shadow gardens of which hardly a glimpse could be had—it was -Pera. -</p> -<p> -What long strolls in the narrow streets in which the absence of -carriages made the voices sound strangely! Passing between the double -hedge of merchants who seemed to watch purchasers from the depths of -their shops like spiders crouching in their webs, Lady Hester and her -friends had the impression of moving about under the jeering eyes of a -row of servants. -</p> -<p> -One Friday, an Amazon calmly traversed the streets of Constantinople. -She was Lady Hester, who was on her way to attend the procession of the -Sultan Mahmoud so far as the mosque, and had found this convenient means -to avoid being annoyed by the populace, dirty and dusty, as could -possibly be desired. It was the first time that a woman, a European, -with face uncovered, promenaded thus equipped. It was necessary to be of -the stamp of Lady Hester, to have her contempt of opinion, her disdain -of social conventions, her insensate desire to get herself talked about, -her love of sensation, to attempt so bold an enterprise. It was -necessary to possess her tall figure, her impressive countenance, her -manly appearance, to succeed and pass without insults. The spectacle, -besides, was worth this risk. -</p> -<p> -Janissaries, in brand-new uniforms, keep in check the crowd while the -police distribute the blows of "Korbach." First came some dozens of -water-carriers, spilling in the dust the sacred liquid, without any -stint. Then a confused and important mass of servants, equerries, -executioners. Then, surrounded by footmen, mounted on a horse -magnificently caparisoned, a man with a proud and distant air, wearing a -dark beard. "Here is the Sultan!" exclaimed the doctor and his friends. -But it was only the officer who bore the Sultan's footstool.... The -mistakes are repeated for the sword-bearer and the pipe-bearer. "This -time, it is he!" Not yet. And the Captain Pacha, the Reis Effendi, the -Kakliya Bey, the Grand Vizier, enveloped in their priceless pelisses, -the hilts of their khandjars blazing with diamonds and throwing sparks, -pass nonchalantly on their chargers, which are half-crushed beneath the -weight of the harness, casting on the people bored glances. -</p> -<p> -On a sudden, there came the most profound silence, a silence mournful, -heavy, uneasy, and a singular murmur, monotonous and plaintive, like the -voice of the swell beating against the cliffs, rose from the prostrate -crowd—all these men, bringing the folds of their robes over their -chests with a concerted gesture, called down the blessings of Mahomet on -the Commander of the Faithful. And Mahmoud passed.... His escort, -dressed in garments of brocade plaited with golden and silver threads -and wearing plumed helmets, surrounded him with a rampart of fluttering -and nodding plumes and hid his person from the generality of mortals. -His stallion, of a snowy whiteness, disappeared beneath the -saddle-cloths and gala trappings which were studded with mother-of-pearl -and pearls and multi-coloured gems. The crowd rose again; Kislar Aga, -the Minister of Pleasures—happy Minister!—a hideous negro with -a bestial countenance, followed, surrounded by a hundred eunuchs, both -black and white. A bunch of eunuchs! Finally, a dwarf preceded three -hundred pages of haughty bearing, clad, in white satin. -</p> -<p> -After spending a few days at Constantinople, Lady Stanhope abandoned her -house at Pera, which was too small, for a villa at Therapia. The waves -of the Bosphorus came to beat against the walls, and afar off the -transparent wintry light bathed the Asiatic coast and the shores of the -Black Sea. The visitors were numerous: Stratford Canning, English -Ambassador at the Sublime Porte; Mr. Henry Pearce, a friend of Bruce; -Mr. Taylor, who arrived from Egypt and Syria; Lord Plymouth and many -others. Constantinople was very gay; receptions and balls followed one -another, and only the dragomans, in their parti-coloured costumes, gave -to them an Oriental tinge. For the Turks rarely mix with Europeans, -fearing the length of their meals and the use of wine. -</p> -<p> -The doctor, upon whom his profession conferred special privileges, -received invitations from the Captain Pacha's medical attendant. Meals -which might nourish the vanity, if not the stomach. The fare was not -bad, but scarcely was a dish placed upon the table than diligent -servants pounced upon it and carried it away. And then the clear water, -however pure and fresh it might be, was not a beverage which was long -endurable. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was soon on a footing of intimacy with several distinguished -Turks. "One ought to see them," she wrote, "seated under the trees of a -public promenade, not distinguishing the Greek, Armenian or European -women, but looking at them <i>en bloc</i> like sheep in a meadow." She -invited the Captain Pacha's brother to dinner, and, very quickly -familiarised with the use of knives, forks and chairs, he spent more -than half an hour at table—which is a great concession for a -Turk—ate of everything, including the good substantial English -roast joints and the heavy greasy puddings, enjoyed three or four -glasses of wine and appeared enchanted with all that his hostess offered -him. It was true that the hostess was not an ordinary one. -</p> -<p> -To charm her hours of leisure which all these occupations did not -contrive to fill, she went to visit the ships of the Turkish fleet, in -the dress of an officer. She wanted to see everything, examined -everything in detail, ferreted everywhere and returned delighted with -her expedition. To one of her friends, who, shocked at her masculine -garments, took the liberty of reproaching her on the subject, she -retorted with her customary impetuosity: "Breeches, a military cloak and -a hat with a plume are no doubt a more indecent costume than that of -your fine madams half-naked in their ball dresses." -</p> -<p> -From February the weather abruptly changed. Never was English spring -more severe. There was a foot of snow, and Lady Hester suffered cruelly -from the cold, for the brasiers which they carried about from one room -to another did not give even the illusion of warmth. She had a wild -desire to leave for Italy or for France, desire so much the more ardent -that the English were forbidden to enter these countries. She left no -stone unturned to approach M. de Latour-Maubourg, the French Ambassador -at Constantinople. It was a difficult task, for relations between French -and English were so strained that it was forbidden, even to private -individuals of the two nations, to have any intercourse with each other. -Lady Hester was like one of those thoroughbreds of which William Pitt -spoke. You are able to guide them with a hair and their pace is regular -and easy, but if you thwart them, they rear and become furious. The -obstacles excited instead of stopping her. She swore that she would see -M. de Latour-Maubourg, and she kept her word. She took long walks -through the Turkish country and rambled in the inextricable alleys of -Pera to throw off the scent of the spies whom Canning, become -suspicious, had launched in pursuit of her, poor devils who had never -been accustomed to such rough work. One day, when she was going to join -the French Ambassador on the shores of the Bosphorus, she was -followed ... On the morrow, Canning asked her: -</p> -<p> -"Lady Hester, where did you spend the day yesterday?" -</p> -<p> -She took the offensive: -</p> -<p> -"Has not your spy informed you?" -</p> -<p> -Canning began to laugh and lectured her: -</p> -<p> -"If you continue, I shall be obliged to write to England." -</p> -<p> -But Lady Hester did not allow herself to be intimidated easily. -</p> -<p> -"Ah well," replied she, "I shall also write a letter in my style: 'Dear -Sir,—Your young and excellent Minister, in order to prove his worth, -has begun his diplomatic career by causing ladies to be followed to -their rendezvous, and so forth.'" -</p> -<p> -During this time, Latour-Maubourg was working actively to obtain the -authorisation desired and sent letter upon letter to Paris. Meanwhile, -Lady Hester, Bruce and the doctor set out for the sulphur baths of -Broussa; Broussa the green, Broussa the divine, with its white houses -lost in the forests of pointed minarets, of tall cypress-trees and broad -plane-trees; Broussa which sleeps at the foot of Olympus in an ocean of -orchards eternally in flower and in fruit, to the thirst-quenching -sounds of the countless cascades descending from the mountains. -</p> -<p> -Some months later, they returned to Constantinople, or rather to Bebec, -the lease of the villa at Therapia having expired. All the wealthy Turks -had their summer residences on the shores of the Bosphorus, and hours -passed, carelessly and quickly, in watching row past the richly -decorated barges, with their flashing draperies, which conveyed from -door to door the beautiful visitors. But to obtain provisions was a -difficult matter; the doctor suffered from the heat and regretted the -good dinners in the English fashion. Here there was nothing but mutton, -nothing but mutton, and if it had only been eatable! There was certainly -some fish to be had which could be fried, but the fishermen were so -powerful!... -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester not caring to spend another winter at Constantinople and not -receiving any reply from France, decided to sail for Egypt. The climate -attracted her, and perhaps also the recollection of Moore, which urged -her to go towards the places through which he had passed. Then began for -the doctor a punishment of another kind. He had certainly succeeded as -a doctor at Constantinople. A marvellous cure, vanity quite apart, -performed on the Danish Minister, had made him the fashion. One morning -he had awakened to find himself famous. The Captain Pacha made him -attend his wife, who, after all, died. He had illustrious patients, even -the Princess Morousi, wife of the former Hospodar of Wallachia! He -became the habitué of the harems and began, as so many others had, to -taste the charm of the women of the Orient. He admired everything in -them; their skin fragrant and soft, their long hair to which the henna -imparted reddish reflections, their slight (?) embonpoint which rendered -their contours softer and accentuated the languidness of their -movements. He began a crusade against the use of European corsets, since -his deities did not wear them. And arrived at the highest point of -poetic enthusiasm, he cried: -</p> -<p> -"The ottoman is their throne and the flower which bends its head their -model!" -</p> -<p> -Decidedly, he was in the mood to lose the notion of the straight line! -And now all of a sudden, because this tall woman, who assuredly had not -soft movements, had decided upon it, he was obliged to depart! -</p> -<p> -His beautiful patients brought him on his departure their fees concealed -in the embroideries which their white hands had themselves executed. And -if, in the course of his voyage, the doctor chanted the praises of the -Turks, nay, even of the Armenians, and was very cold in referring to the -Greeks, do not seek for political reasons. It is quite simply that the -first were much more generous! -</p> -<p> -Lord Sligo, the best-hearted of men, the warmest of friends, had -returned to Malta in the course of the winter. But Lady Hester found -another escort in the person of Mr. Pearce, who solicited the honour of -joining the expedition. -</p> -<p> -On October 23, 1811, accompanied by seven Greek servants, amongst whom -was a young man, Giorgio Dallegio, of dark complexion, active, alert, -speaking three or four languages, and who was not slow in attracting -Lady Hester's attention, the travellers embarked for Alexandria, on -board of a Greek vessel, with a Greek crew, alas! Rut they had no -choice. Contrary winds retained them near Rhodes until November 23. Four -days later, a nice little storm of the first class came on. As though -this was not enough work, they sprung a leak, and at night the master -began to shout: "All hands to the pumps." All hands to the pumps is very -quickly said, but Levantine vessels rarely possess pumps, and when they -have them they are worthless, which, by chance, was the case now. Bruce, -Pearce, the doctor and the seven servants set to work and emptied in -regular order the buckets into the sea. Lady Hester, to whom a little -air of danger was attractive, encouraged them by voice and gesture and -distributed wine, which was of more value. Day broke; the sea was of a -leaden hue, the sky of a dirty grey. The Greeks threw themselves into -the bottom of the boat, calling upon all the saints of Christianity: -"<i>Panagia mou! Panagia mou</i>!" but taking good care not to put into -action the useful proverb: "Aid thyself, Heaven will aid thee!" The -south-western point of Rhodes appeared; the vessel no longer answered to -her helm; through the rent which had grown wider the water was entering -with a sinister gurgle, weighing down the ship which, like a great gull -wounded unto death, was leaning in an alarming manner and was lying on -its side. The masts cracked. Then the master—who was no use except to -shout—roared in a voice of thunder: -</p> -<p> -"Launch the cutter." -</p> -<p> -Rush of twenty-five persons. The doctor had still the presence of mind -to run and fetch his fees hidden in the cabin. The wind tossed the -little vessel about like the parings of an onion; waves covered her -incessantly, and the doctor found that there were a great many "tubs" -for one man. -</p> -<p> -The last hope of the shipwrecked was a rock half a mile away. By dint of -efforts and of savage struggles for life, they reached the reef. It was -not, however, the refuge they had longed for. The seas swept the greater -part of it; a narrow excavation was the only sheltered spot. Lady Hester -and her maid established themselves there as their right. Night came. No -water, except the waterspouts which the sky cast down without counting, -no provisions! At midnight, the wind having fallen a little, the master -suggested that he should go with the crew to fetch help from Rhodes, -adding that, if everyone wanted to come, he would answer for nothing. -Willingly or unwillingly, Lady Hester and her friends allowed them to -go, making them promise to light a fire so soon as they reached the -land. In what bitter reflections did the unfortunates indulge as they -shivered there in the darkness, rinsed by the waves, lashed by the rain, -buffeted by the wind, stupefied by the moaning voices of the raging sea! -The doctor, as he tightened his belt by a hole, did not rail against -those brutes of Greeks. At last a flame perforated the night. Then -nothing more. A timid sun succeeded in piercing the curtains of clouds, -then declined towards the horizon. It was thirty hours since the -shipwrecked had eaten anything. The doctor was sure that these brutes -had abandoned them without remorse. Suddenly, the piercing sight of Lady -Hester descried a black speck which finally became a boat. The -calumniated crew, with the exception of the master, who had preferred to -direct the rescue from a distance, was returning, bringing bread, cheese -and water. But the sailors had consoled themselves abundantly on land -with arrack; they were drunk, and their insolence increased every -minute. All the alcohol which they had consumed rendered them -indifferent to the squalls of wind and rain which had begun again. Deaf -to the entreaties of the passengers, they decided to embark forthwith. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester and her friends preferred to run the risk of sudden death -rather than perish slowly of inanition on that forlorn rock. They landed -safe and sound, to the general astonishment, and took refuge in a -neighbouring hamlet, miserable and leprous. Filthy houses! The English -would not have been willing to use them as pigsties. The rain penetrated -them, and the bed of manure spread on the ground exhaled a nauseating -odour. And an increasing invasion of shaggy rats and of voracious fleas! -</p> -<p> -The doctor set out for Rhodes in all haste in order to bring back money -and provisions. The bey received him very badly, though it is true that -the doctor cut a very sorry figure in his garments of a rescued -traveller. Meantime, Lady Hester, who had endeavoured to leave the hovel -in which she was stranded, had fallen ill on the way. She had nothing by -way of luggage except General Moore's miniature, a snuff-box given her -by Lord Sligo, and two pelisses. Precious souvenirs, no doubt, but of no -utility. The consul, who was an old man of seventy-five, was unable to -do anything for them, and the bey pretended to be so poor that, after -having granted them thirty pounds, he begged them not to trouble him -further. Thirty pounds! It was little for eleven persons naked and -famished. -</p> -<p> -The loss the most irreparable was that of the medicine chest. Finally, -however, everything was arranged. Lady Hester, whose adventurous -character accommodated itself to the unexpected, praised the Turks -warmly: "I do not know how it is done, but I am always at ease with them -and I obtain all that I ask for. As for the Greeks, it is quite -different; they are cheats, cheats...." The doctor had made a good -recruit. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, who resigned herself to the misadventures of the others as -readily as she did to her own, wrote, in speaking of Bruce, Pearce and -Meryon, to one of her friends: "They are quite well; they have saved -nothing from the wreck; but do not imagine that we are melancholy, at -any rate, for we have all danced, myself included, the Pyrrhic dance -with the peasants of the villages which were on our way!" What an -exceptional character! A woman who has lost all her trunks and who -dances the Pyrrhic dance! -</p> -<p> -The doctor, who had been despatched on a confidential mission to Smyrna, -to bring back money, without which one can do nothing in the Orient, and -clothes, without which one can go nowhere, returned with boxes and -coffers. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, Bruce and Pearce threw themselves upon him like children -and arrayed themselves as fancy dictated. They donned magnificent and -strange costumes, which seemed to form part of a vast Turkish emporium. -The doctor completed his accoutrement by thrusting a yataghan through -his girdle. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, finding herself very much at her ease with her Turkish -robe, her turban and her burnous, decreed that she should travel thus -henceforth. And the wearing of this masculine costume was to remove many -difficulties in permitting her to move everywhere with her face -uncovered. From his stay in Rhodes the doctor preserved two principal -recollections: first, that the English raise the cost of living wherever -they go; next, that the women of the island weave very durable silk -shirts, which can be worn for three years without tearing them. -</p> -<p> -Captain Henry Hope, commanding the frigate <i>Salsette</i>, in the -harbour of Smyrna, having learned of Lady Hester's shipwreck, came to -fetch her to convey her to Egypt. At the beginning of February, 1812, -the <i>Salsette</i> entered the port of Alexandria. Colonel Misset, the -English Resident, was full of kindness and attentions; he laughed till -the tears came into his eyes at the singular costumes of the travellers -and gave them advice as to their behaviour. Lady Hester took a violent -dislike to the town. "The place is hideous," said she twenty-four hours -after her arrival; "and if all Egypt resembles it, I feel that I shall -not stay there long." -</p> -<p> -The French occupation was remembered by everyone, but the Christians of -Alexandria had peculiar taste and coldly confessed their preference for -Turkish rule. What a difference between the justice meted out by the -French and that by the Turks! With the cadi, when a man was accused of -murder, the case was not protracted. He was confronted with the -witnesses, and then and there he was either released, or imprisoned, or -bastinadoed or executed. If he were thrown into prison, the amount of -compensation was immediately fixed, at five, ten, one hundred piastres, -according to the importance of the victim and the means of the assassin. -The latter circumvented influential friends; it was necessary for the -friends to be influential. -</p> -<p> -"Come," said they, "a thousand piastres, between us, if you say a word -for him." -</p> -<p> -They made discreet inquiries of the Governor's mistress for the time -being, whom a diamond ring persuaded to intercede for the unfortunate -man. Entreated on the right, supplicated on the left, solicited at the -baths, tormented in his harem, harpooned by some, harassed by others, -the Governor ended by demanding mercy, remitted the fine and released -the prisoner. At any rate, they knew what to expect; it was clear, -plain, precise, if not just. While with the French—Oh! There now! A -poor little crime of no importance at all dragged on for months, for -years.... And how could you expect that a lawsuit would not be -perpetuated when there were so many notaries, so many attorneys, so many -advocates, clerks, registrars and scribes interested in prolonging. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester proceeded to Rosetta—town with this charming name, -guarded by its ramparts of red bricks and its groves of palm-trees, from -where she intended to ascend the course of the Nile so far as Cairo. She -hired two boats, and the wonderful voyage began. Wide, powerful, calm, -impressive and deep, it was truly the king of rivers, the river which -gives life, the river which saves.... Flotillas of earthen jars tied -together by branches followed the current of the stream. <i>Kanjes</i> -bearing beehives, piled up in the form of pyramids, descended slowly. -They were the bees which had flown to meet the spring, and which, having -left two months earlier for the plains of Upper Egypt, where the -sainfoin and the clover were already ripening, were now returning with -their golden booty towards the Delta. The travellers met innumerable -barges with curved prows and rafts laden with big restless oxen. At the -villages they revictualled in flour, eggs and poultry. They took their -meals on board and the days slipped by like hours. Sometimes the banks -were high and the water very low, and curious persons landed to get a -view of the land. They returned very quickly towards the boat, -disappointed by the sadness and the monotony of the immense plains with -their trifling undulations, rebuffed by the hostile reception of the -hamlets: mass of mud, huts of loam, labyrinth of alleys where the foot -slips in dried camel-dung, headlong flight of the women who hide -themselves, squalling of children at the maternal heels, grumbling of -fellahs suspecting the tax-gatherers, baying of dogs, putrid odour which -rises from beings and things which decomposition lies in wait for. -</p> -<p> -The Arabs say that if Mahomet had tasted the water of the Nile, he would -have wished to remain in this world to drink it. But the doctor -preserved his preference for the growths of France, nay, even for the -resinous wines of Chio. -</p> -<p> -At Boulak the voyage stopped. The harbour was swarming with those tiny -donkey-drivers who make such incredible charges. Shaking their saddles -with the tall pummels decorated with tassels, mirrors and pendants, -waving their glass trinkets, decked out, ornamented, like shrines, their -mischievous eyes watching the customer, making ready to rush so soon as -they catch sight of a Turkish soldier, whose stern countenance implies -an empty purse (an astute trick of their masters!), they hailed in our -travellers a fine windfall. -</p> -<p> -Scarcely was Lady Hester installed with Bruce in a house at Cairo than -she prepared for her visit to the pacha. She adopted for this solemn -occasion a Berber costume, of which the wild magnificence suited her -proud and independent demeanour. Trousers of dazzling silk laminated -with gold, heavy robe of purplish velvet ornamented with rude and -sumptuous embroidery, shawl of cashmere forming turban and girdle, sabre -with hilt encrusted with precious stones. It had cost her more than -£300. Bruce treated himself to a sword worth 1000 piastres. As for the -doctor, he was satisfied with the modest apparel of an Effendi. -</p> -<p> -The Pacha sent five horses richly caparisoned in the Mameluke fashion, -on which Lady Hester and her suite mounted to go to the palace. They -alighted only in the second court. -</p> -<p> -Mehemet Ali, who had never seen Englishwomen, was greatly delighted at -this interview, and awaited his fair visitor in a pavilion in the midst -of the gardens of the harem. He rose to go to meet her and made her sit -on divans of scarlet satin which were covered with precious -filigree-work. Mosaics rambled over the open walls, singing all the -gamut of blues: warm blues, blues deep and velvety, mauve blues, blues -with reflections of silver. Stained-glass windows muffled the light -received by the transparent enamels and arabesques of gold where slept -dead turquoises, monstrous rubies and emeralds. A jet of water fell back -weeping into a shining basin. -</p> -<p> -Black slave girls handed crystal cups in which slowly dissolved sherbets -made of pistachio-nuts. Lady Hester refused the pipe which was offered -her; she was later on to smoke like a stove. By the aid of an -interpreter, Mehemet Ali, who was a man of slight figure and richly -dressed, talked with her for nearly an hour. This magnificent specimen -of the English race was to fill him with admiration for a country which -produced such women. Fascinated by her abnormal dimensions, attracted by -the strength, the determination and the will which could be read on her -haughty features, he compared her mentally to those comical beings who -peopled his harem and asked himself if humanity were not composed of men, -women and Englishwomen—an intermediary sex. Moreover, he reviewed -his troops before her and made her a present of a magnificent Arab -stallion. However, the handsome Mamelukes so celebrated had disappeared -in the horrible massacre of the preceding year. Abdah Bey, who was the -flower of the Court, was unwilling to be behindhand and presented her -with a thoroughbred. These two horses were sent later to England: one to -the Duke of York, for whom Lady Hester had retained a kindly preference, -the other to Viscount Ebrington, under the care of the servant Ibrahim. -Bruce was not forgotten in this exchange of compliments and received a -sabre and a cashmere. -</p> -<p> -The spring advanced, the amusements multiplied: opening of a mummy and -extraction of a tooth in a perfect state of preservation by a French -surgeon—foolish diversion!—Egyptian dancing-girls, excursions -to the Pyramids of Gizeh under the escort of the Mamelukes. -</p> -<p> -At length, on May 11, 1812, the faithful friends of Lady Hester: Bruce -and Pearce, who took a liking to the adventure, the doctor—who -regretted already the amber-coloured Egyptian women, moulded in their -chemises of blue cotton, Venuses tanned by the sting of a too ardent -sun—embarked at Damietta for Palestine, for Jerusalem. Two French -Mamelukes, as bodyguards, with their syces, the English lady's-maid, a -groom, three men-servants, a porter, followed. -</p> -<p> -And all this company was not too much to transport the six great green -tents decorated with flowers, the numerous chests of palm-wood, light and -tough, which contained all the outfit of the caravan to replace what had -disappeared in the shipwreck off Rhodes. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap04"></a>CHAPTER IV -<br><br> -EXCURSION IN THE HOLY LAND</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">W</span>HAT did Lady Hester intend to do in Syria -and in Palestine? -</p> -<p> -She did not intend to seek oblivion, for the necessity of getting -herself talked about, and the thirst for a celebrity which she strove -vainly to retain, formed part of her nature, and she never got rid of -it. -</p> -<p> -She resembled closely her grandfather, Lord Chatham. She had not only -his grey eyes, which anger darkened strangely, and of which no one was -able, at that time, to stand the glance, but also the inexorable will, -the terrible passions, the continuous tension of the mind in the -direction of one single object without troubling about the obstacles to -be overthrown or the means employed to conquer them. -</p> -<p> -Grattan, in the curious portrait which he has traced of the first Pitt, -wrote: "The Minister was alone. Modern degeneracy had not touched him. -An old-fashioned inflexibility governed this character which knew -neither how to alter nor to become supple.... Creator, destroyer, -reformer, he had received from Heaven all that was required to convoke -men into a social group, to break their bonds or to reform them...." -Lady Hester had inherited these astonishing gifts, which her -unconventional education had still further strengthened. Under the eyes -of her frightened governesses who had abandoned the impossible task of -making her a young girl like the others, without the knowledge of her -father and her stepmother, who, besides, were not interested in the -matter, she sprouted forth luxuriantly. In the same way as her figure -and her "little" foot, never constrained, developed magnificently, her -luminous intelligence, her originality, her energy, her rough -clear-sightedness forcibly asserted themselves. Never contradicted, she -might be proud of her qualities and of her extraordinary faults, proud -also of that indomitable character which she had alone formed and which -never inclined before anyone, ignorant at once of the art of changing -principles or that of humouring public opinion by half-loyal measures or -proceedings. -</p> -<p> -Amongst all those wonderful women in which the eighteenth century, -according to Burke, was so fertile, Lady Hester Stanhope has a place -apart. The Duchess of Rutland, the Duchess of Gordon, the Duchess of -Devonshire, Mrs. Bouverie, the Marchioness of Salisbury, Mrs. Crewe, -Lady Bessborough, Lady Liverpool and many others, who had on their side -fortune, beauty, charm, fascination and grace, cannot be compared to -her. Morally and physically, Lady Hester is outside the picture. She is -the echo, not only of the feminine character of her time, but of the -characteristic tendencies of her age. Preoccupation with the Eastern -problem, misanthropy, taste for action, hatred of hypocrisy, love of -social questions and contempt for the people, were imperfectly embodied, -but they were embodied all the same. -</p> -<p> -Her misfortune was to be a woman. So long as her uncle Pitt had been -near her, she had been able to imagine that she had changed her sex. She -had lived, acted and thought as a man, but as a man who would have been -a beautiful woman and whom the admiration of the crowd retains far from -the combats of politics and the struggle of life. -</p> -<p> -William Pitt had certainly been, according to the admirable phrase of -Mirabeau, "the Minister of Preparations." He had seen the French -Revolution approaching, and long before all others he had understood the -danger of it. Joining then the fate of France—for which he -entertained neither antipathy nor hatred—with that of the -Revolution, he engaged England in that formidable struggle of which he -could not foresee the issue. Killed by "the glance of Austerlitz," he -died too soon to reap the fruit of his wonderful perspicacity. He died, -above all, too soon for Hester Stanhope, whose future he had not -assured. There did not fail, certainly, statesmen behind whom a pretty -woman was bestirring herself, champion of their policy, to cite only -that charming Georgina Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire, who displayed in -Fox's favour an indomitable energy, not fearing to splash about in the -mud and kiss butchers with her patrician lips in order to exercise the -omnipotence of her persuasion over the Westminster shopkeepers at the -time of the famous elections of 1784. So well that Pitt was to write to -Wilberforce, who was anxious: "Westminster is going well in spite of the -Duchess of Devonshire and other women of the people, but it is not known -yet when the voting will be finished." -</p> -<p> -But the statesman chosen was only a screen which permitted the spirit of -intrigue which breathed amongst the great ladies of the English -aristocracy to have free course. For Lady Hester, William Pitt was the -reason of existence. When he disappeared, what was she able to do? -</p> -<p> -He said to his niece, after having lived a long time with her, that he -did not know whether she were more at her ease in the whirlpool of -pleasures and fêtes, in the perplexity of politics or in the most -profound solitude. Sometimes, in fact, Lady Hester went into Society -eagerly and carried into the world her extraordinary brilliancy, her -satire, humour and her biting wit, feared almost as much as the strokes -of Gilray's pencil. Sometimes, she shut herself up with her uncle, -serving him as secretary, astonishing him by the correctness of her -judgment, by the comprehension and knowledge of men which this child of -twenty years possessed, and without which the finest gifts of the -understanding are reduced to sterility and do not descend from the -domain of pure ideas to that of reality. Sometimes, she fled to Walmer -Castle; and there, occupying herself in causing trees to be planted, in -designing gardens, she bathed in silence and meditation. But now the -world, she was surfeited with it!... She had just experienced the -fragility of its infatuations. Politics! She was henceforth outside -everything, and she had to witness the triumph of Pitt's enemies, the -forgetfulness of his services. This power of money would have been -necessary in order to struggle against the coteries of the drawing-room, -the personal enmities which she had created. And she had only the -pension of £1200 granted her in accordance with Pitt's last wish. There -remained retirement. For the conquered, retirement is unendurable in the -places which were witnesses of their past successes, unless they are -surrounded by dear friends whose presence consoles them and makes them -forget. Lord Camelford, whom she had thought for a moment of marrying, -had quarrelled with the Pitts over a matter of money; he had given his -sister—which assuredly he had the right to do—an estate which -Lord Chatham hoped to inherit. Sir John Moore had just been killed. She -dreamed of far-off solitudes, and she thought of undertaking an -expedition which would cover her name with glory and whose fame would -reach England. -</p> -<p> -Horace Walpole, an unsparing critic of his contemporaries, said of -Chatham that he was "master of all the arts of dissimulation, slave of -his passions, and that he simulated even extravagance to insure -success." Under the smoke of gossip and tittle-tattle he hatches always -a fire of truth. The second part of the portrait can apply as well to -the granddaughter as to the grandfather. Lady Hester was enslaved by a -redoubtable passion: ambition, and ambition without object. Well women -incarnate almost always their aspirations, their desires, their -admirations and their hatreds in living beings and real things: concrete -which, after being the symbol of the abstract, is confounded with it to -make only one. Lady Hester did not escape the common rule; solitude -became little by little the means of getting herself still talked about; -then became peopled by escorts, caravans and Arab chiefs; her ambition -was not quicker than hatred of her enemies and disgust of England, and -she determined upon this journey across the unknown East, journey which -would serve at once her need of solitude and of celebrity in astonishing -the world. Only, she possessed—as much on the side of Pitt as of -Stanhope—a slight taste for eccentricity. She had no need to simulate -an extravagance, which was natural to her; she was inclined to do -nothing like other people. -</p> -<p> -Unconsciously also, a mysterious reason urged Lady Hester to choose -Syria, and particularly Jerusalem, for the theatre of her exploits. It -was nothing less than a prediction of Brothers. A figure strange, this -Brothers, who created a sensation towards the end of the eighteenth -century. -</p> -<p> -A former lieutenant in the Navy, his imagination became disordered in -meditating upon the most obscure passages of the Apocalypse; the endless -leisure which voyages permit are truly pernicious for feeble minds.... -He soon abandoned his career and modestly assumed the title of "Nephew -of God and Prince of the Hebrews," consecrating himself entirely to the -divine mission which he believed he had received. He lived in an -agreeable hallucination. "After which, being in a vision," said he, "I -saw the angel of God by my side, and Satan, who was walking carelessly -in the streets of London." Even when quite mad the English preserve a -sense of humour! -</p> -<p> -So long as Brothers contented himself with predicting the approaching -destruction of London and the restoration of the Kingdom of Judea, the -Government did not trouble, but the situation changed when the vague -prophecies were transformed into imperious advice to the King: -</p> -<p> -"The Eternal God commands me to make known to you, George III, King of -England, that immediately after the revelation of my person to the -Hebrews of London as their prince, and to all the nations as their -governor, you must lay down your crown, in order that all your power and -your authority may cease." -</p> -<p> -But no time was lost in sending this troublesome person to Bedlam. -Before going, he bestirred himself so much and to such good purpose to -obtain a visit from Lady Hester that this singular request reached the -ears of Pitt's niece. Curious to make the acquaintance of the prophet, -she hastened to accede to his wish. Brothers solemnly predicted to her -that "she would go one day to Jerusalem, and would lead the Chosen -People; that on her arrival in the Holy Land there would be upheavals in -the world and that she would pass seven years in the desert." While she -was rusticating at Brousse, two Englishmen, who were passing through it -and who knew the prophecy, amused themselves about her great future. -"You will go to Jerusalem, Lady Hester," said they; "you will go. -Esther, Queen of the Jews! Hester, Queen of the Jews!" -</p> -<p> -Did the coincidence of the names strike her, or did this programme -fascinate her by its novelty? Did she consider Brothers as an -inoffensive lunatic or as a visionary of genius? She was not yet the -sorceress of Djoun, believing firmly in magicians and enchanted -serpents. But many sensible men, such as William Sharp, who had even -given to the world a fine engraving of the prophet, with these words: -"Believing firmly that this is the man chosen of God, I have engraved -his portrait," and as Mr. Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, an Indian official -and translator of the code of Geptoo laws, if it please you, had -publicly proclaimed themselves his disciples. -</p> -<p> -However that may be, Lady Hester took, with the handsome Colonel Bruce, -the road to Jerusalem, wearing the costume of the Egyptian Mamelukes: -short bolero of red satin, purple tunic without sleeves, gallooned with -gold, wide trousers of which the multiple folds had the thickness of -drapery, cashmere shawl twisting like a turban around her head. All that -formed a symphony of red, which blazed forth when she partially opened -the great white burnous which hid her entirely during her ramblings on -horseback. They only proceeded so far as Jaffa; Jaffa which bathes the -foot of its dirty houses in the sea, and which the pilgrims returning -from Jerusalem, after the Easter festival, fill with confusion and -noise, transforming the little dead town of fishermen into a comical -fair in which all the idioms of creation are entangled. -</p> -<p> -They were received by the English consular agent. He was a person called -Damiani, a compromise between the patriarch and the Italian merchant, -but in which the patriarch held the upper hand, an active man of sixty, -wearing a singular costume: an old Eastern robe of sky-blue, lined with -ermine, dirty trousers from which burst out two grey legs, head-dress -<i>à la française</i>, that is to say, hair worn in a thick iron-grey -queue, and above all ... above all, an immense three-cornered hat, -polished by the years, soaked with sweat and dust since the Egyptian -campaign. Three-cornered hat which was to amuse royally the Princess of -Wales during her famous journey to Jerusalem, and which was to make -Alphonse de Lamartine smile gently twenty years later. -</p> -<p> -Mohammed Aga, Governor of Jaffa, believing that it was an affair of some -pious lady of little importance, was hardly civil and did not facilitate -in any way the organisation of the caravan. Lady Hester never forgave -him. -</p> -<p> -On May 18, 1812, eleven camels and thirteen horses left the town, -conveying the travellers, save Pearce, who was keeping apart. By Gudd -and Ramle they made their way towards the Holy City. It was -harvest-time. Armed with short reaping-hooks, the peasants cut the -barley, fresh barley which formed in the arid landscape islets of shade -and points of velvet on which the eye lingered. Naked gold-coloured -children followed the horses to offer some ears of corn in exchange for -a serious backsheesh, and the doctor, in throwing them the piastres, -declared sadly that no people knew better how to extort presents. -</p> -<p> -The mountains assumed a severe aspect. The path plunged into the rock -like a nail into a wall. They reached a village amongst the fig-trees, -where they were courteously received by the king of the mountain, the -great sheik Abu Ghosh, who held in his hands the keys of Jerusalem. -Detested by the surrounding pachas, feared by the travellers, he lived -in independent existence in the midst of his hardy and brave -mountaineers. Imposing dues at his pleasure upon the caravans, holding -the pilgrims to ransom, levying taxes upon the convents, compelling the -monks to bring out their little savings, he reigned without dispute over -the mountains of Judea, from Ramle to Jerusalem, from Hebron to Jericho. -Abu Ghosh was one of the most astonished of men to see a European woman -arrive, surrounded by so numerous a suite, mounted on excellent horses. -Ordinarily, the travellers contented themselves with wretched animals -and clothed themselves in rags to pass unnoticed. The sheik, delighted -to make the acquaintance of an English princess and fascinated by the -haughty dignity of her manners, treated her very well. His four wives -hastened to cook a delicate supper: vine-leaves filled with meat, -stuffed pumpkins, roast mutton, chicken swimming in an ocean of boiled -rice. -</p> -<p> -And the doctor thought sadly that this modest repast was the highest -point of the culinary art of the Arabs. -</p> -<p> -When night came, Abu Ghosh installed himself with his pipes and his -wives at the corner of the fire and watched over the sleep of the woman -who had committed herself to his care. Early in the morning they -separated as friends, and one of the sheik's brothers protected Lady -Hester so far as Jerusalem. -</p> -<p> -Monotony of a poor land, and all at once, like a town of clouds, an -apparition of the Middle Ages, loopholed walls and belfries, belfries -and cupolas!... After having vigorously driven away the dragomans of the -Franciscan monastery who clung to them tenaciously, and pointed them out -in advance to Turkish cupidity, Lady Hester wandered into Jerusalem as -her fancies dictated. -</p> -<p> -Accompanied by twenty horsemen, she made her way to Kengi-Ahmed, -governor of the town. The seraglio partly opened its grated windows, -eyelids closed by an unconquerable sleep on the Mosque of Omar, the holy -mosque with its Persian and blue mosaics surrounded by gardens of -cypress-trees. She went to the Holy Sepulchre, and her visit was not -characterised by the meditation usually associated with a pilgrimage, -not even with a pilgrimage undertaken for artistic purposes. The monks -had, contrary to their custom, closed the doors of the church. They -solemnly opened them and came in procession to meet her carrying lighted -candles. The crowd, curious to see the spectacle, collected and -vociferated in chorus. The police kept it at a distance by blows from -cudgels. Lady Hester relieved the necessities of a Mameluke who had -escaped the previous year from the Cairo massacre. When Emin Bey—that -was his name—had heard the first shots fired by the Albanian soldiers -massed on the walls, when the great slaughter had begun, he had -comprehended that his only chance of safety lay in headlong flight. Then -he had driven his spurs into his horse's flanks, and raising the animal, -which was rearing and neighing with terror, he had leaped from the -platform facing the citadel to the foot of the ramparts—a leap of -forty-five or sixty feet. He had afterwards succeeded in reaching -Jerusalem by the desert, not without having been first overpowered and -robbed by the guides who conducted him. Since that time he had stooped -to live on alms. -</p> -<p> -She sauntered in the infamous alleys of the Ghetto (Was it necessary to -facilitate Brothers' task?), meeting children oldish-looking and -shrivelled, the Jews of Central Europe with their orange-coloured -greatcoats, wearing their tall skin caps and their abject air. -</p> -<p> -On May 30, Lady Stanhope, after a visit to Bethlehem, village of Judea, -over which hover the glad memories of the Christ, where long lines of -women defile like shadows, wearing with serene gravity their horned -head-dresses and their trailing blue robes, reached St. Jean d'Acre by -way of Atlitt beach, on which are engulfed the last vestiges of Pelerin -Castle, and Haifa in the shadow of Mount Carmel. The road soon became -more frequented. It was marked out by carcases. It seemed a giant -abattoir. Dead horses, of which the inhabitants of the town had got rid; -camels which had fallen exhausted on returning from a distant journey -sick asses despatched on the spot. From this charnel-house issued an -acrid and warm odour which turned the stomach. As the caravan passed, -clouds of blue flies buzzed by in clusters, and yellow dogs fled -growling and watched from a distance these intruders who came to share -in their festival banquet. The sun burned with a malicious pleasure -these heads half gnawed away, these eviscerated bodies, this greenish -flesh. And the old bones, already picked clean by the jackals and washed -by the rains, sparkled here and there, like great white flowers on the -fields of corruption. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap05"></a>CHAPTER V -<br><br> -IN THE COUNTRY OF DJEZZAR PACHA -AND THE EMIR BECHIR</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">S</span>T. JEAN D'ACRE stretches out into the sea -like a greyhound which stretches himself lazily in the sun. The tiny -harbour seemed to have been scooped out to satisfy the caprice of some -royal child. The mosque, Jama-el-Geydd, darted towards the sky, throwing -like an imperious prayer its threatening minaret, and the multitude of -the palm-trees crowded around it. And when the evening brought the sea -breeze, they lamented and moaned like men, and the hushed waters in -their marble fountains wept in distant echo in the sacred court. This -mosque was one of the most beautiful of the Syrian coast, the antique -debris of Ascalon and Cæsarea having covered with diversified mosaics, -porphyry and jade the walls and floor. Amidst the verdure of the inner -gardens roamed in a blaze of red and yellow flowers, the basins of -painted earthenware, the santons and the tombs. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was the guest of Mr. Catafago, a personage in Syria, whom -his title of agents of Europeans, his trading and his riches, had -rendered celebrated. With his intelligent and keen countenance, his air -of authority, his flashing eyes, this man had acquired an extraordinary -ascendency over the Arabs and the Turks. It was he who facilitated -Lamartine's journey in the Holy Land, and rendered it, if not -comfortable, at least possible. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, in strolling through the town, was astonished to meet a -number of people with faces atrociously mutilated. Some had no nose; to -others a ear was wanting, sometimes two; several were one-eyed. Puzzled, -she made inquiries of Hadji Ali, a janissary of St. Jean d'Acre, whom -she had promoted to the high rank of inspector of the luggage. Former -soldier of Djezzar Pacha, he had his memory haunted by nightmare -visions, and related concerning his master ghastly stories. Although he -had been dead for four years, the inhabitants were hardly beginning to -emerge from the Red Terror under which they had lived and to breathe -more freely. Ahmed Djezzar was born in Bosnia. At the age of sixteen he -left Bosnia and went to Constantinople, and afterwards to Cairo. There, -bought by Ali Bey for his Mamelukes, he specialised with so much -enthusiasm in missions of assassination that he acquired his redoubtable -surname of Djezzar (slaughterer). Having, by chance, refused to put to -death a friend of Ali, he took to flight to escape his vengeance. -</p> -<p> -He made his way to the Druses, where he received hospitality from the -Emir Yusef, who appointed him Aga, then governor of Bairout. Djezzar -betrayed him. Yusef, furious, made an alliance with Dahers, sheik of one -of the Arab tribes of the coast. Besieged in the town, Djezzar defended -himself like a devil, walled up twenty Christians alive in his walls to -render them more solid, and surrendered finally to Dahers, who, -fascinated by his courage, gave him his friendship and the command of an -expedition to Palestine. Unhappy idea! Djezzar went over to the Turks -again. And, a little later, a war having broken out between the pachas -of Syria and the Porte, he was ordered to reduce St. Jean d'Acre. His -knowledge of the country having assured success, he surprised Dahers and -killed him with his own hand. -</p> -<p> -Appointed afterwards pacha of Acre and Sidon, then of Damascus, he was -able to abandon himself without restraint to his sanguinary tastes and -to his love of butchery. Traitor to his country, to his benefactors, -sold to the highest bidders, vile and dishonourable, he lived peacefully -until the age of eighty-eight, when the dagger of a relative of one of -his numerous victims came to put an end to his exploits. -</p> -<p> -Amidst the annals of Turkish history, so heavy with murders and cruel -massacres, so stained with blood, so filled with the lamentations of -thousands of unhappy people put to torture, Djezzar's reign shone with a -singular brightness. -</p> -<p> -Hadji Ali showed Lady Hester the pavilion which Djezzar Pacha usually -occupied. He used to have his divan placed near the window and to watch -the street. Did he catch sight of a passer-by whose face, clothing or -figure displeased him, he sent to fetch him. If the unhappy man -attempted resistance, the officer, who did not care to incur his -master's anger, used force. When he was brought, more dead than alive, -before Djezzar, the latter said to him: "Thy face does not please me," -or, "Thou hast an evil eye," or again, in turning towards the -executioner, who followed him like his shadow: "A fellow so ugly is -unworthy to live; he is surely a child of the devil." And for love of -art he caused ears, noses and heads to be cut off. -</p> -<p> -Sometimes he showed an amiable caprice. His guards having arrested all -the persons who were passing along the principal street of St. Jean -d'Acre at a certain hour, he had them drawn up on either side of his -divan, indiscriminately, and after having gloated for a time over their -mortal agony, he pronounced sentence in an indifferent voice: "Let the -prisoners on the right be hanged and let an ample breakfast be provided -for those on the left!" -</p> -<p> -One day, when the barber, who was ordered to pluck out an eye from a -passing stranger, hesitated for a moment, Djezzar said: "Oh! Oh! thou -art squeamish! Perhaps, it is because thou knowest not how to do it. -Come here; I am going to teach thee." And the pacha, plunging the -forefinger of his right hand into the orbit, threw the man's eye on to -his face. -</p> -<p> -The recital of such atrocities would pass for a tale in the style of -Bluebeard if the slashed faces of hundreds of men did not attest the -frightful reality of it. It is useful for the moment to show how the -varnish of Eastern civilisation cracks to allow us to catch a glimpse of -the abysses of cruelty and barbarism unknown to European mentality. -</p> -<p> -St. Jean d'Acre was at that time the only town in Syria where the -shopkeepers were not tempted to rob their customers or to use false -weights and false measures. Caught in the act, they were, in fact, -nailed by the tongue to the doors of their shops. The butchers enjoyed -favourable treatment: they were suspended from the crooked iron hooks -intended to suspend the choice morsels. -</p> -<p> -But the recollection the most horrible, which still caused the narrator -to lower his voice, as though the terrible pacha was concealed in order -to listen to him, was that of the Mameluke mutiny. -</p> -<p> -Djezzar, as Pacha of Damascus, had every year to escort the pilgrims to -Mecca. He had brought with him half his Mamelukes, about two hundred. -The others remained at St. Jean d'Acre under the command of his -Khasnadar, who had been appointed regent in his absence. Well, the white -beauties of his harem—they numbered a hundred, it was -whispered—became very bored, and the eunuchs, relaxing their -vigilance, the Mamelukes forced the doors of the women's apartments. The -Khasnadar reserved for himself the pacha's favourite, Zulyka. Hardly had -the pacha returned than he found in the ladies of his harem a -perceptible change. From observation to suspicion was but a step, which -Djezzar quickly took. The attitude of the Mamelukes appeared to him -suspicious, and he resolved to make an example which would in future -prevent the most bold from attempting his honour. -</p> -<p> -In order to separate the innocent from the guilty, he ordered Selim, the -Khasnadar's brother, to assemble the troops at Khan Hasbeiya, giving as -a pretext an expedition against the Emir Yusef. The Hawarys, the -Arnautes, the Dellatis, all the garrison of the town, rejoined their -concentration camps. The two hundred Mamelukes, whom he had mentally -sacrificed, alone remained at St. Jean d'Acre. Proof alone was wanting. -Chance undertook to furnish him with it. -</p> -<p> -Happening to be one day near the famous window, he saw an old man who, -with a nosegay in his hand, knocked at the door of the harem and handed -it to a slave. Well, flowers are, in the East, the language of love; -letters and messengers are too dangerous to make use of, and carnations, -lilies and roses serve as billets-doux. On entering the women's -apartments, Djezzar saw the nosegay in the hands of the charming Zulyka. -</p> -<p> -A new Methridates, he compelled Momene to confess her love. -</p> -<p> -"Come here, little girl," said he to her; "where didst thou get that -nosegay?" -</p> -<p> -She replied very quickly: -</p> -<p> -"I gathered it in the garden." -</p> -<p> -The pacha assumed an indulgent air. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come!" he rejoined, "I am better informed than thee. I saw the -Christian Nummun who was bringing it. Tell me, my child, who is thy -lover, and I will see if I can give thee him in marriage. I intend to -find a husband for thee." -</p> -<p> -The imprudent Zulyka took him seriously and mentioned the Khasnadar's -name. -</p> -<p> -Then, changing countenance, Djezzar rushed upon her and, seizing her by -the hair, dragged her to the ground. -</p> -<p> -"Wretch!" cried he, "confess the truth. Thou hast already avowed thy -crime, and only the denunciation of thy accomplices can still save -thee." -</p> -<p> -In vain Zulyka protested and cried out that she was innocent. With a -blow of his scimitar he cut off her head. -</p> -<p> -An order was given to four Hawarys soldiers, who went into the harem and -began their work of death. At the shrieks of the women, the Mamelukes, -who were in the courtyard of the seraglio, understood that something -serious was happening. Seizing their arms, they shut themselves up in -the Khasnadar's apartments, which formed an isolated tower, provided -with doors studded with iron and solid bars to protect the treasure. -They blocked up all the outlets and waited. -</p> -<p> -It was then that the drama grew serious. Djezzar, furious, summoned them -to evacuate the place. Their reply was frank. -</p> -<p> -"We belong to thee, it is true. But thou hast so often steeped thy hands -in human blood, and thou art so thirsty for ours, that our resolution is -irrevocably taken." -</p> -<p> -And as the powder magazine communicated with the treasury, they added: -</p> -<p> -"If you attempt to dislodge us, we shall defend ourselves until our -ammunition is exhausted, and then we shall set fire to the powder. And -our death will be followed by the fall of Djezzar and the destruction of -St. Jean d'Acre. But if you allow us to depart safe and sound, we shall -abandon all idea of vengeance, and you will never hear our names -mentioned again." -</p> -<p> -The pacha fell into a violent rage; some women he caused to be thrown -into a trench filled with quicklime; others were sewn up in sacks and -cast into the sea. The inhabitants lived in mortal terror and burrowed -in their houses. -</p> -<p> -One night, the Mamelukes, taking the ropes which bound the ingots of -gold, and sawing through the bars, succeeded in effecting their escape, -not without having made a large breach in the treasury. Exhausted, -breathless, their clothes in rags, their hands stained with blood, they -arrived at Khan Hasbeiya. Horrified at the sight they presented, Selim -hastened to take his brother's side. The rebellion spread from place to -place, and all the troops rose in revolt against Djezzar. Allying -themselves with the Druses of Yusef, they seized Sidon and Tyre and -marched on St. Jean d'Acre. Djezzar's situation was critical; but, -though abandoned by all, he remained firm as a rock. His counsellors, -whom his approaching fall incited to courage, urged him to abdicate in -order to save the town from the sufferings of a siege. -</p> -<p> -"Go, my friends, God will arrange everything," replied he in a bantering -tone, "and I shall have at some not distant day the pleasure of thanking -you for your prudent counsels!" -</p> -<p> -Understanding the part which morale plays even in the best organised -army, he spread, by the aid of emissaries and spies cleverly instructed, -ideas of defeat in the enemy's camp. -</p> -<p> -By cunning speeches he gained over to his cause some inhabitants of Acre -who were fit to bear arms, and mingled them with the workmen constantly -employed on the public works. He collected thus a little force which -surprised and overthrew the assailants. The Mamelukes fled beyond the -seas. Djezzar completed the glutting of his wrath by causing the women -who had escaped the massacres to be flogged. They were then thrown naked -into the bottom of the hold of a ship and sold in the slave markets of -Constantinople. The trees of the garden were cut down, and even the cats -of the harem were not spared in the general slaughter. Never had Djezzar -better deserved his name. Then tranquillity returned to the town. -</p> -<p> -And then one day one of those famous Mamelukes had the audacity to -return to the palace. His name was Soliman. Djezzar recognised him -immediately, and his features assumed such an expression of rage that -all the officers present turned pale and instinctively closed their -eyes. -</p> -<p> -The pacha brandished his axe. -</p> -<p> -"Wretch!" cried he. "What have you come to do here?" -</p> -<p> -"To die at thy feet, for I prefer that fate to that of living at a -distance from thee." -</p> -<p> -The axe flashed in the light. -</p> -<p> -"You know well, however, that Djezzar has never pardoned?" -</p> -<p> -Soliman repeated his answer. -</p> -<p> -The weapon fell. Twice, thrice, the same words resounded in the frozen -silence. Death prowled about the room. Those present held their breath -as at the pillow of a man at the point of death. -</p> -<p> -At last the pacha threw down his axe and cried: -</p> -<p> -"Djezzar will have pardoned for the first time in his life." -</p> -<p> -By one of those changes of fortune in which destiny delights, this same -Soliman replaced Djezzar as Pachalic of Acre. And no doubt, because he -had experienced the value of mercy, he showed himself as good and as -just as his predecessor had been cruel and licentious. -</p> -<p> -There are, however, some traits in Djezzar's character which are marked -by a certain humour. When his jests were not addressed to persons -condemned to death or to victims whom he had just caused to be -disfigured, they did not want for wit. Such was the answer which he gave -to a Christian of St. Jean d'Acre. -</p> -<p> -A merchant lived with his son in a house situated on the seashore. The -ground floor was damp and unhealthy; the first floor airy and dry. The -father lived above, as was right, the son contented himself with the -lower part. To be brief, the son wanted to get married, which was quite -reasonable, and persuaded his father to lend him his apartments for a -fortnight. To this the old man consented readily, but when, on the -sixteenth day, his children showed no disposition to restore him his -lodging, he hazarded a timid protest. -</p> -<p> -"Allow us another week to enable my wife to get accustomed to the idea -of going downstairs," replied the young husband. But when the week had -passed, and the occupants of the first floor made no more sign than the -dead, the father, whose old bones were beginning to grow mouldy in this -little enviable habitation, made another demand. The son sent him about -his business and announced coldly that each of them would remain in -future where he was, in which he was wrong. -</p> -<p> -Djezzar, whose intelligence service was admirably conducted, and who -took pleasure in roaming himself about the town, under a disguise, like -the caliphs of former times, learned about the matter. -</p> -<p> -The son was brought trembling to the palace. -</p> -<p> -"Of what religion art thou?" roared the pacha in a voice of thunder. -</p> -<p> -The unhappy man was scarcely able to stammer that he was a Christian. -</p> -<p> -"Well, show me the sign by which Christians recognise one another." -</p> -<p> -The young man made the sign of the Cross, bearing his hand to his -forehead, then to his breast: "In the name of the Father, of the -Son ..." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! ah!" exclaimed Djezzar in a bantering tone. "It seems to me that -thy religion teaches thee that the Father ought to be above and the Son -below. Carry out the rules of thy faith, if thou dost wish that thy head -remains on thy shoulders." -</p> -<p> -And the father, brought back from his vault immediately, with the stains -of mouldiness which covered his body duly brushed away, found himself in -the dry without knowing the reason. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester went to visit the Jew Malem Hazm, Soliman's minister and -banker. He was the fashion at St. Jean d'Acre; he had only one eye and -one ear and no nose. It was recognised that he had lived on terms of -intimacy with the pacha. For his misfortune, he was, in fact, Djezzar's -secretary. The latter had always under his cushions a long list of -people condemned to death, like another little game of society. In a -moment of idleness, he inscribed there Malem Hazm's name; but, thinking -better of it immediately, he commuted the capital penalty to a few -facial mutilations of little importance. -</p> -<p> -When the Jew reappeared with a countenance reduced to its most simple -expression, Djezzar burst out laughing. -</p> -<p> -"In truth," he exclaimed, "I should never have believed that thou -wouldst have become so ugly. If I could have doubted it, I would have -left thee thy nose." -</p> -<p> -Then approaching him and laying his hand on his shoulder, he continued: -</p> -<p> -"Lucky Malem, you are my friend (he wrote, in fact, to the Porte skilful -letters which, under the velvet of Oriental politeness, made them feel -the threatening steel blade). Give thanks to God! for were it not for -the affection that I bear thee, I should have thy head cut off." -</p> -<p> -It was a pleasant thing to be one of his friends.... -</p> -<p> -Mr. Catafago acted as interpreter. The conversation was the most cordial -imaginable, and lasted until one o'clock in the morning. Lady Hester and -Malem Hazm retired delighted with each other, and this good impression -continued always. The Jew extolled the kindness of Soliman and inhaled, -like fresh water, the great peace which enveloped St. Jean d'Acre. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester went to visit Soliman. The reception was magnificent; the -compliments in the best taste. On her return to Mr. Catafago's house, a -grey horse, the gift of the pacha, was awaiting the visitor. -</p> -<p> -She liked also to saunter in the fortifications of the town. Of the -three lines of ramparts which encircled it on the land side, the last -was the work of Djezzar. Everything contributed to recall the memory of -the sanguinary pacha. After the siege of St. Jean d'Acre by the French, -understanding that he was indebted for safety to the aid of Sir Sydney -Smith, he determined to become strong enough to defend himself and to be -able to dispense with Allies, who are always an impediment. To realise -his plan, which was formidable, years and hundreds of workmen enrolled -by force were necessary. During those torrid afternoons on which the -hapless wretches toiled under a leaden sky, Djezzar used to appear on -the scene. Immediately, as if by enchantment, the tired stood erect, the -movements of shovel and mattock became quicker, the picks buried -themselves in the ground at shorter intervals. It seemed to all the -workers that an immense jingle of bones filled the yard; the sight of -the pacha conjured up chaplets of ears, necklaces of eyes, pyramids of -heads. And if he uplifted his raucous and thundering voice, the most -weary, the most worn out, became the most active, the most strong. Thus -St. Jean d'Acre became a redoubtable fortress. -</p> -<p> -Through one of the embrasures, which made a sombre frame, Lady Hester -perceived the sea of a royal blue colour, over which slender vessels -skimmed. This sight recalled to her Sir Sidney Smith. The Commodore was -not extraordinary, after all. Uncle Pitt had found him vain and puffed -up with pride. Had he not pestered him for more than two hours with a -box stuffed with papers, at a time when the Minister had so many things -to do? Lady Hester was very near thinking that all heroes are thus, -apart naturally from General Moore.... Forgetful of the charming -compliments with which Sir Sydney Smith had bestowed on her on her entry -into Society. "The roses and the lilies mingle on your face," said he at -that time, "and the inexpressible charms of your attitude spread -happiness around you." One could not be more gallant. But do not women -remember particularly what has been said to them? Lady Hester considered -it as the proof that one can be brave and a wretched politician. That -happens, and even more often than one thinks. -</p> -<p> -Soon Mr. Catafago took Lady Hester to pass some time at Nazareth. The -little town, twin sister of the towns of Umbria or Tuscany, dispersed in -terraces its bright-coloured houses on the slope where cyprus-trees -perched. And the Eastern sky possessed Italian charms. -</p> -<p> -Bruce brought back from an excursion to Tiberias a fantastic Arab. He -was no one less than the celebrated Burckhardt, Sheik Ibraham as he had -himself called. Tall, strong, shaped like a Hercules, with a broad -German face, prominent eyes, badly placed teeth and an air of assurance, -he displeased Lady Hester. He quitted Syria definitely for Egypt, after -having travelled for two years over the unexplored regions of Lebanon, -Anti-Lebanon and Hauran. None of Lady Hester's companions knew at that -time that he was travelling on account of the Geographical Society. -</p> -<p> -In July, Lady Hester returned to St. Jean d'Acre to organise the -departure. The caravan passed the gates of the town at sunset. The noise -and the confusion were frightful. The majority of the Christian servants -had never ridden on horseback; and the horses, accustomed by their Arab -masters to rear, dance, neigh and play a thousand tricks on leaving the -villages, added to the confusion. Shouts from the drivers, yells of -fright from the servants.... Mrs. Fry, the English lady's-maid, worried -and ill at ease in her masculine habiliments, persisted in wishing to -ride as an Amazon, at a time when all women in the East rode astride. -The camels became entangled in their leading-reins and threw the line -into disorder when it was scarcely reestablished. -</p> -<p> -With time and blows, all was settled. The doctor and the janissary Hadji -Ali took the head of the march. In the darkness, beasts and men wandered -from the torrent-bed which served as a track. Suddenly, noises and -tumults in the rear; the camel carrying the medicine-case had just -fallen into a ravine. He was got out again unhurt; but the doctor did -not dare to open the box. Poor medicine-case, collected with great -difficulty in Egypt to replace that lost off Rhodes, it had truly no -chance! -</p> -<p> -The route seemed sometimes an alley in an English park, well sanded, -bordered by green Aleppo pine-trees, alternating automatically with -thickets of cactus, crested with roses and yellows, sometimes a path of -rocks fit to break the bones. Ruins ended by being engulfed on the -seashore. The road climbed interminably. From a rocky point they saw in -the far distance Tyre like a little fishing barque stranded on the -beach. -</p> -<p> -The slowness of the journey was full of charms. Sometimes they passed -naked women who were washing their linen at the fountain and who, -without being troubled the least in the world at the sight of them, -carelessly turned their backs. They had just traversed the Nalsr and -Kasimaze when five blind men emerged suddenly, holding each other by the -shoulders and walking one after the other. These joyous fellows -astonished them by their pleasant appearance and their merry air. -</p> -<p> -And in the evening they encamped on the margin of springs, sometimes in -one of those sanctuaries dedicated to some unknown Mohammedan saint -which the commercial sense of the Arabs has transformed into a café. -Such was that of Kludder. The history of the occupier is too significant -not to be related. This worthy son of Allah had a wife, old and of -canonical appearance, who carried on the business admirably. He -preferred to her a young and pretty girl, who, however, understood -nothing about business. He therefore recalled the first and kept them -both, joining thus the useful to the agreeable. For five years they -shared the task of enriching him and amusing him. -</p> -<p> -Sidon was sleeping in its orchards of orange-trees when the travellers -stopped at the entrance to the town. Between its two castles in ruins, -of which one is expiring to the rhythm of the waves, it seemed a -princess of "The Thousand and One Nights" guarded by two black giants. -But the arches of the prison were infinite, and lamps of gold watched -over her slumber. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester and her people were lodged at the French caravanserai, -prepared by the diligent attentions of the French consul, M. Taitbout. -Scarcely were they installed there than an invitation arrived from the -Prince of the Druses, the Emir Bechir, accompanied by twelve camels, -twenty-five mules, four horses and seven foot soldiers. The two sons of -a merchant of Sidon, the brothers Bertrand, half-dragomans, -half-doctors, were joined to the expedition. They had the quality of -being interchangeable, and travellers never knew exactly with which they -had to deal. -</p> -<p> -Rather unpleasant rumours were in circulation at Sidon in regard to the -emir. He was born of Moslem parents, but practised in secret the -Christian religion. He was a tyrant, said some, a hypocrite, said -others. Worthy emulator of Djezzar, had he not just caused the eyes of -his nephews, the sons of the Emir Yusef, to be torn out, because they -ventured to compromise his power? He had had a magnificent palace built -in the heart of the Lebanon. And, whispered the best informed people, -there was in the great hall of Beit-ed-Din, a ceiling of such beauty -that the delighted emir had, by way of recompense, caused the two hands -of the artist to be cut off, in order that he might never be able to -begin another. A protector of the arts rather out of the common! -</p> -<p> -By a narrow path which embraced the circuit of the Nahr-el-Damour, -Bechir's escort guided Lady Hester towards Deir-el-Kammar (the convent -of the moon), which they reached at nightfall. In the morning they had -an elating spectacle: dominating the bounding waters of the torrent, -clinging to the flanks of the mountain, the palace stretched towards the -sun, raising its flowering roofs, its white terraces, its towers, its -arcades, its gardens, which fell back as though in despair at not having -been able to kiss the sky and descended exhausted to the foot of the -slope. -</p> -<p> -The doctor noted down briefly on his tablets: -</p> -<p> -"The palace is devoid of all beauty. It is new, but irregular; it has -not two parts alike, and it has been built in pieces and bits, in -accordance with fancy or necessity, in accordance with leisure or money. -The emir has made a present to Lady Hester of a fine horse, richly -caparisoned." -</p> -<p> -But the English find it difficult to admire what is not their fief. -Scarcely twenty years later, Lamartine was to find other expressions to -proclaim aloud his admiration. The lack of symmetry! But it is that -which ought to possess charm for lovers of the beautiful! And what a -wonderful view was this medley of square towers pierced by ogives, of -long galleries with files of arcades slender and light as the stems of -pine-trees, of graceful colonnades of unequal shape rearing themselves -to the roofs. And the animation of the courts blooming with roses: pages -throwing the djerid, arrival of camels, horses pawing the ground, -comings and goings of Druses, Marionites, Metaoulis!... The doctor saw -nothing; but it must be said in his defence that the palace had hardly -been completed, and that in the East the stones, like the women, grow -old quickly. The masonry crumbles to dust; the rain pierces the roofs; -and the sun, like a skilful magician, gives to the crumbling façades -the golden rust and the rose tint of very old ruins. -</p> -<p> -But what is unpardonable in the doctor for not having admired, is the -site. Beit-ed-Din is the "Palace of the Waters," with the vaporous mists -which mount from the torrent, with the fountains of its mysterious -gardens, with the eternal murmur of the humid earth which chants its -joy, and the countless cascades and the dropping of the spray which -bathes in the dew, and the silvery foam of the numberless streams and -frolicsome springs. And down there, at the extremity of the valley, the -sea, which presents itself like a pearl at the bottom of a cup. -</p> -<p> -In the environs of Deir-el-Kammar, Lady Hester went to see another chief -of the Druses whose authority and influence were very considerable, the -Sheik Bechir. He occupied the Palace of Moukhtara, and the doctor, who -had more taste for feminine beauty than the poetry of nature, remarked -that his wife was beautiful and his children charming. -</p> -<p> -These villages of the Lebanon, peopled by Druses, were silent and sad. -The children even appeared grave. The men, robust mountaineers, with -ruddy complexions, wore the black and white abaye and the immaculate -turban with narrow and symmetrical folds. The women, strongly built and -rather common-looking, save for their eyes, which were perfectly -beautiful, displayed a picturesque costume: blue dress open at the neck -and on the bosom, which it left entirely uncovered; embroidered -trousers, and, above all, on the head, a strange edifice simulating a -horn. A high cone of silver, of copper or of pasteboard, according to -the conditions, bent backwards and veiled by a muslin handkerchief which -fell back over the shoulders, and which the wind caused to float -gracefully. They concealed it with a jealous care, replying to the -travellers who proposed to buy it from them that they would prefer to -part with their heads. Love carried so far that they did remove it even -to sleep and combed themselves until Doomsday. From their hair hung -three silken cords decorated with green, blue or red tassels. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, wishing to see, with her own eyes, if the Druses eat raw -meat, as she had been told many times, bought a sheep and collected some -villagers. The guests, feeling themselves the object of the assembly, -added no doubt many supplementary grimaces and gluttonous attitudes, -which left the doctor under a bad impression. It did not prevent the -sheep from disappearing in the twinkling of an eye, including the tail, -which was large and greasy. -</p> -<p> -The doctor had lost his servant, who, inconsolable for having left the -onions of Egypt, had gone back to his own country. One morning, when he -was lamenting his loss on his doorstep, he saw appear a long raw-boned -individual, thin and dried up, dressed in sombre garments and exhibiting -a turban of doubtful black. This new-comer, in a French seasoned with a -Gascon accent, offered himself with eloquence as valet, cook, guide and -interpreter. Bewildered, the doctor succumbed beneath the torrent of -words, the vigorous gestures, the expressive mimicry, while examining -the pointed and angular outline, the bony and deeply-lined face, the -cavernous and bright eyes. Curiosity aiding necessity (the caravan was -on the eve of starting for Damascus), he engaged this extraordinary -person. The information which he gathered in the village was favourable -enough. Pierre is mad, they told him, and everyone knows that in the -East madness is of no importance. -</p> -<p> -This worthy fellow came of a good family of Marseilles: marquises and -marchioness or something of that kind, but which had for a very long -time been established in Syria. One of his uncles, having business with -the Government, brought him when quite a child to France. One day, while -he was walking at Versailles, chance brought him across the path of -Louis XVI. The King and <i>Monsieur</i>, struck by his Oriental costume, -and perhaps also by his agitated manner, spoke to him of the countries of -the Levant. All the vanity and the boastfulness of the South, which a -long succession of ancestors had dimly implanted in him, mounted to his -head, and he derived enormous advantage from this interview. He brought -back to Syria a stock of magnificent histories, of which he was -naturally the hero, and notions of French and of cookery in which the -provincial, after all, predominated. When Bonaparte came to lay siege to -St. Jean d'Acre, he rendered some services as interpreter and -accompanied the French into Egypt, where he remained until their -departure. He obtained a pension, which the Government forgot to pay -him. It was then that God bestowed upon him the gift of prophecies. -Melancholy gift, which no one desires. He returned to Deir-el-Kammar -believing firmly in the resurrection of his unhappy country. Not -understood by his friends, scoffed at by his neighbours, despised by his -relatives, he lived pitifully until the news of the arrival of an -English princess ran through the Lebanon like a train of gunpowder. Then -he realised that his destiny was there; he took his wallet and his -staff, and deserted his wife (who was no doubt ugly), to follow the -unknown. In the evening, by the camp fires, he achieved extraordinary -success with the account of his adventures. He used to begin invariably: -</p> -<p> -"When General Bonaparte formed a corps of Mamelukes, I enrolled in it -with a great number of Syrians, my friends. As soon as we had been -trained in the handling of arms, we were sent into Upper Egypt to join -General Desaix's division. One day, after vainly pursuing the enemy who -fled from us, we arrived very tired on the border of the desert and -encamped. I was on the main guard of the camp, and, towards the middle -of the night, when all the fires were extinguished, I heard a hyena howl -in a strange manner, and at some distance from there the young camels -raised distressing moans. The sky was entirely covered. Suddenly, I -distinguished a sound, which seemed to be advancing towards me. It was -at first only a murmur. I listened, and I heard distinctly the words: -</p> -<p> -"'Pierre, Pierre, the Arabs will have a King and a Queen!' -</p> -<p> -"This prodigy filled me with fright; and while I sought to recover my -senses, the same words struck my ear and carried trouble into my soul. -The dreams of the night recounted to me magnificent triumphs and royal -fêtes.. -</p> -<p> -"On the morrow I related to my companions what I had heard; but no one -was inclined to attach any faith to my words. -</p> -<p> -"Since that day I have spoken of these things to many men; I have -endeavoured to move their hearts to seek by what way the hope might be -able to enter them. But the men have only jeered at me; they received my -prophecy with insults. -</p> -<p> -"I returned then to my own country. I married; but nothing was able to -snatch from my heart the hope which God had placed there; only I had -hidden it in myself as a precious treasure which I feared to see -misunderstood. Then I heard it related that a great princess of Europe -had arrived in Syria, and I recognised the Queen whom the prophecy had -announced to me." -</p> -<p> -And Pierre embroidered with fertility and imagination on this unique -theme. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester heard people talking of the doctor's strange recruit. Amused -by the extravagant tales of the former soldier of Bonaparte, secretly -flattered at seeing ascribed to her a part of the first importance, a -situation of which she was very fond, disturbed also by the remembrance -of the predictions of Brothers, she caused the "cook-prophet" to enter -her service. But had she not already foreseen that she would be able to -make use of him, or another? The sovereigns of the West had buffoons at -their Courts who made the mob laugh; the pachas of the East had prophets -who made it fear. And there is there a symbol which did not want for -realism. Lady Hester, who was looking for a corner of the earth where -she could play the petty potentate, procured a precious auxiliary to -impose her wishes on the people, willingly credulous when the Korbach is -behind. And Pierre was placed in reserve for a favourable opportunity. -He accompanied the traveller for seven years. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap06"></a>CHAPTER VI -<br><br> -FAR NIENTE AT DAMASCUS</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">O</span>N August 27, 1812, Lady Hester had left -Deir-el-Kammar, edified on the subject of Eastern hospitality. The Emir -Bechir had supplied all the requirements of her table with great -magnificence, it is true, but had caused a hint to be conveyed to her, -by one of his intimates, that he expected a present of equivalent value. -It cost her 2000 piastres, pieces of brocade and gratuities to all the -servants, from the major-domo to the meanest scullion, and they formed a -tribe! She left disgusted by an invitation which had cost her so dear. -As for the horse with which Bechir had presented her, one which the -doctor had admired, he was vicious, and Lady Hester got rid of him, to -the profit of the janissary. -</p> -<p> -Bruce, in company with one of the two Bertrands—one does not know -which—had started for Aleppo, after having uselessly endeavoured to -take his friend. Lady Hester screened her refusal behind her contempt -for the Levantine race, neither Turkish nor European, which inhabited -this town. The true reason was much more personal: she simply was afraid -of catching the Aleppo pimple, that facetious ulcer which chooses as a -rule a prominent part of the face, nose or cheek, to lay there its -hideous scar. A woman, even though she wears breeches, attaches -importance to her face. And this little weakness brings Lady Hester -nearer to her poor sex.... She had written to the Pacha of Damascus to -inform him of her desire to visit his capital, and he had sent her a -page with a most courteous invitation. -</p> -<p> -Was not Damascus the Porte of the Desert, and had not Lady Hester -already the project, still vague as to the means, but certain as to the -end, of making a little stay amongst the wandering Bedouin tribes? -</p> -<p> -The caravan journeyed slowly; the news which the page had brought did -not stimulate rapidity; there was revolution at Damascus, where the -commandant of the troops had refused to recognise Sayd Soliman, the new -pacha. He was shut up in the citadel, and blood was flowing in streams -in the streets. -</p> -<p> -The travellers occupied four days in traversing the Lebanon and the -Anti-Lebanon. Pierre's stories diverted the evenings. In proportion as -they climbed, the air was charged with aromatic effluvia and icy -breaths. At the summit of their route, they perceived all at once the -plain of the Bekaa, which, like a long serpent, unrolls its green rings, -writhes and lies down between two mountain barriers. The Litami traced a -furrow of sombre tint, and the plain with its fresh herbage was a -pleasure to behold. The parallel tops of the two Lebanons were tawny and -red; the parched earth was cracking under the midday heat. And to the -South, Hermon rose victoriously, like a great sherbet, to the eternal -snows on the plateau glittering with light. To the North, a jet of -light, which Lady Stanhope recognised as Baalbeck: the temple of the sun -was saluting its god. -</p> -<p> -At last, excellent news arrived from Damascus: the rebel age had been -strangled and order was entirely restored. After halts at the village of -Djbb-Djenin and Dimas, the travellers stopped at the gardens of -Damascus. The gardens of Damascus! Fêtes and orgies of apricot-trees, -orange-trees and pomegranate-trees, succumbing beneath the exuberance of -the vines, whose heavy and juicy grapes fell so far as the ground. The -river with its seven branches chanted the joy of living, and the song of -the waters was full of voluptuousness, refreshing and boundless. -</p> -<p> -The doctor started in advance to prepare the way and to hire a house in -the Christian quarter. Then he returned, thoughtful, to meet Lady -Hester. Thoughtful! There was occasion for it. -</p> -<p> -Damascus was still a town closed to Europeans. The fanaticism was freely -developed and imposed its laws on the governors too benevolent towards -foreigners. The length of the Syrian coasts, the relations of commerce, -to which the Arabs attached extreme importance owing to the profit which -they derived from it, and the authority of the consuls—whom they -believed powerful and supported by their countries—had brought a -certain tolerance. But Damascus, forbidden fruit, was concealed far -inland, guarded by the double ramparts of the Lebanon, by solid walls, -and particularly the desert, which came to die at its feet like a silent -sea. -</p> -<p> -The few travellers who had visited it, and whom Lady Hester had met at -Cairo or in the towns of the coast, had strongly dissuaded her from -attempting an adventure of which the result might be tragic and which -certainly would remain perilous. -</p> -<p> -"Think," said they to her, "that a man cannot even enter Damascus in -European costume without being insulted. Think that the Christians, if -they dared to ride on horseback in the streets of the town, would be -maltreated to such a degree that death would be the consequence. And you -intend, you, a woman, a European, to enter Damascus on horseback and -with your face uncovered! But it is madness!" -</p> -<p> -The pacha's page had on several occasions hinted to the interpreter, one -of the two Bertrands, that Lady Hester ought to veil herself to enter -Damascus in order to avoid irritating the populace. For, in case of a -riot, he knew well that the pacha, whose authority was much disputed, -would not be able to afford her protection. -</p> -<p> -M. Bertrand nearly succumbed with horror on learning from the mouth of -her ladyship herself that it was her intention to brave Damascene -opinion by exhibiting herself in this costume, and in broad daylight. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was courageous. The unforeseen, even charged with threats, -smiled upon her. And, above all, she was able to accomplish something -great which no one had ever attempted before her. Pitt's niece had -always turned up her nose at whatever people might say. -</p> -<p> -"Whatever people may say of me in England, I do not care more than -that," declared she to the doctor, snapping her fingers. "Whatever -horrible things all these crooked-minded persons may think, do not -trouble me more than if they spat at the sun. That falls back on their -noses and all the harm is for them. They are like midges on the tail of -an artillery horse. They murmur, and they come and go, and they buzz all -around. The great explosion comes! boom! and all are dispersed." -</p> -<p> -Only she knew well that the Moslems are not satisfied with buzzing and -murmuring, and that they would not recoil before bloodshed to obtain -vengeance upon her who dared thus to defy their most sacred customs. But -is there not at the bottom of the actions which appear the most -heroically disinterested a certain sentiment of the gallery which -stimulates vanity and renders it more bold? And if one had told Lady -Hester that the fame of her exploits would never reach England, would -she not have recoiled at the last moment. -</p> -<p> -On September 1, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Lady Hester passed the -gates of Damascus at the head of eighteen horsemen and some twenty mules -heavily loaded. In the narrow streets a considerable crowd gathered. It -hurried towards the cavalcade, and all eyes were turned towards the -person who appeared to be the chief of it. -</p> -<p> -The pacha's page was uneasy; M. Bertrand trembled, and the doctor was -not in high spirits. A word, a cry, a gesture, and the people who -surrounded the escort had only to draw their thick ranks closer, and the -travellers would have been delivered to them defenceless. But, deceived -by the dazzling costume and the masculine countenance of Lady Hester, -some took her for a young bey still beardless; others, believing that -they were dreaming, discovered that it was a woman; but before they had -recovered from their astonishment, she had already passed. Thus she -alighted safe and sound in the Christian quarter. -</p> -<p> -It is then that her indomitable character asserted itself; she did not -rest until her household had been transported into the heart of the -Mohammedan quarter. "I intend to take the bull by the horns and to -settle down under the minaret of the grand mosque," declared she -cavalierly to the doctor, who was very troubled at this new caprice. -</p> -<p> -Scarcely forty-eight hours after her arrival, furnished with an order -from the pacha, she visited, without putting herself to inconvenience, -the best residences in the town, and fixed her choice upon a sumptuous -habitation near the palace and the bazaars, formerly the residence of a -Capugi Bachi (envoy of the Porte for confidential missions, such as -strangulations, confiscations and so forth). A narrow passage led to a -marble court, where two bronze serpents, coiled around a lemon-tree, -diffused water clear as crystal. The apartments were small and -sumptuous. -</p> -<p> -The Christian owner of the empty house, his appetite excited by the -sight of Lady Hester's suite, showed long teeth and a bill infinitely -longer still. The smallest glass of lemonade was thus marked: "Sherbet -for the arrival of the Queen." The doctor was obliged to curb his -enthusiasm. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester inaugurated very quickly her new Eastern policy, which was -to flatter the Turks in order to make allies of them. Thus, the -superiors of the Franciscan and Capuchin monasteries came to offer her -their services, as they did to all passing travellers. And she caused -them to be informed that, living in a Mohammedan quarter, she respected -its rules, and begged them not to repeat their visit. The monks -complied with this rather cool request. -</p> -<p> -She received, on the other hand, a French doctor, M. Chaboceau, seventy -years of age, deaf as a post, who, entering all the harems, was not a -little compromising. -</p> -<p> -This Chaboceau had known Volney at the time of his residence at -Damascus; he had even lodged him. And he energetically asserted that -<i>Volney had not been at Palmyra</i>. A snowstorm had prevented him from -undertaking his journey. This fact is curious, and renders rather -piquant the <i>Méditations sur les mines et les révolutions des -empires</i>. Did Volney content himself with the descriptions of Wood and -of Dawkins to inspire his emphatic invocations? "The contemplation of -solitudes which has aided him to interrogate the universality of people" -may then be subject to some caution. -</p> -<p> -Thus, by radical measures, by discreet praises uttered before those who -were able best to propagate them, by backsheesh skilfully distributed, -she gained the good graces of the mob and became very quickly popular. -When she mounted her horse, there was an assemblage before her door. -Accompanied by little Giorgio, her interpreter, and her janissary -Mohammed, she placed herself entirely at the discretion of the -inhabitants during her rides through the town. At the beginning, the -doctor feared a mishap, but he was reassured on beholding the respect -which was caused by her proud and dignified bearing and her agreeable, -if reserved, manner. Soon the fierce Damascenes felt themselves -conquered. They sprinkled coffee under her horse's feet, in accordance -with custom, in order to do her honour. Tempted by the piastres which -she distributed as her smiles, they lay in wait for her departure and -her return to shout as she passed: "Long life to her!... May she live to -return to her own country!" -</p> -<p> -Admiration increased in the mob, which whispered in confidence that, -although she was of English birth, she was descended from the Turks and -had Mohammedan blood in her veins. Her paleness accredited the legend. -Never had the lily whiteness of her skin and the clearness of her -complexion been so much vaunted. Already in Egypt her moonlight face had -conquered hearts. For the warm rosy carnation plays no part in Eastern -beauty. The Turks regard the red faces of Englishwomen as hideous. In -which connection an amusing anecdote was related to Lady Hester: -</p> -<p> -During the evacuation of Egypt in 1805, the English soldiers forgot some -women—as if by chance—whom the Turks seized. Their new lovers -washed them and rewashed them, in the hope of removing that horrible brick -colour which spoiled their cheeks. The result was worse.... The more -they rubbed, the more flamboyant the colours became: tomatoes ready to -fry. When they saw that there was nothing to be done, they sent them -about their business. "We know and we admire white and black women," -said they, "but red women up to the present we have not heard them -spoken of." -</p> -<p> -One day, when she was passing through the <i>souks</i>, all the people rose -at her approach, as at the passing of the Sultan. Her heart swollen with -victorious joy, she advanced slowly, she advanced regretfully, into that -fairyland, which was soon going to disappear for always. Shining silks, -brocades wrought with salmon-pink roses, veils of Baghdad, cloths of -Hama, damask with silver flowers, slippers of red leather, Arab saddles -decorated with mother-of-pearl and tawny studs, carpets in warm and -palpitating tones.... And, eagerly, she saw pass by, standing out on -this strange scene like living chains which bound her to the dream, the -tall Bedouins draped in their brown abayes, fierce of aspect and supple -as panthers of the jungle, the Jews with their dirty curls and their -bent figures, hiding a clandestine booty from the tax-gatherer, the -Turks, embroidered and re-embroidered with gold over all the seams, and -the Christians, neutral and sad, and the Druses in half-mourning, and -the Maronites.... From time to time an Aga broke through the crowd, with -protruding chest, full-blown and fat body in his furred pelisse, like a -pot of lard surrounded by dust, followed by fifteen slaves carrying his -narghileh and his smoking apparatus. Long lines of veiled women under -the guardianship of a duenna or of an old eunuch, flight of swans led by -a duck. -</p> -<p> -It was Ramadan. So soon as the sun, in his daily farewell, had stained -with blood the sand-dunes outside the town, life took possession of -Damascus. Immediately the lamps were lit in the most beautiful mosques, -for in this Orient which is all violence, shock and contrast one knows -not the delicate charm of the mauve hours in which the twilight is born. -Lady Hester sauntered through the crowded by-streets. The waters of the -Barada reflected in commas of gold the illuminations of the little -cafés which opened on to its steep banks. Songs rose from the -<i>moucharabys</i>, whose distant lights traced the designs of legends. -Behind a mysterious wall viols lamented, those seven-stringed viols -which retain for a long time the melancholy notes. The shops of the -vendors of eatables were in a wild ferment: plates loaded with cakes -dripping with honey and grease, juicy halawys, loaves flat as -handkerchiefs, little skewers of birds roasted whole. On the threshold -of his kingdom, naked down to the waist, a fat negro rolled without -shame forcemeat balls on his belly. Odour of grilled mutton, of fresh -pasties, of burned almonds, of ginger, of canella! -</p> -<p> -Tumult of buyers! Confusion at the crossways! Theatre of Chinese shadows -recounting the inevitable story: illness of a lady, her desire to have a -Frank doctor, thoughtlessness of the doctor, jealousy of the husband and -speedy catastrophe. -</p> -<p> -In the cafés, the Damascenes, gravely squatting in a heap on rustic -carpets, smoke the narghileh or suck in the tiny cups of coffee perfumed -with ambergris. If the customers were thirsty, they stopped on his way a -water-carrier, a djoullab seller or a vendor of raisins. Sometimes a -storyteller presented himself and began a story of "The Thousand and One -Nights," in which figured marvellous houris and one-eyed giants. He -went, came, gesticulated, varying his voice with an infinite art, -transforming the expressions of his face with a skill which the most -famous of our actors would not attain. Sometimes they listened to him, -sometimes he talked for himself alone, and his pleasure was as keen as -though he were playing before the Sultan. Ah! who will restore to Lady -Hester those long luminous nights of Ramadan with the charm of new -scenes and exotic perfumes never lost later? -</p> -<p> -One evening, Lady Hester was informed that the pacha awaited her. Rash -enterprise for a woman who had a soul less firm. She passed with an -assured step—with an assured stride—through the -ante-chambers of the palace, where the flames of the torches shone on -the weapons of the soldiers and the motionless guards. She entered an -immense hall, walking through a double hedge of officers and janissaries -in full dress, naked scimitars in their hands. Silence terrible and -oppressive. The steel threw flashes of light. And, at the very end, on a -sofa of crimson satin, a little man with an air haughty and glacial, -who, without rising, signed to her to be seated. Lady Hester was in no -way disconcerted, and all these glances of men, ardent and sombre, did -not displease her. By her side stood the Jew Malem Rafael—brother -of Malem Hazm—and M. Bertrand. Little Giorgio, who had been -brought to check the translations of the interpreters, had been stopped -at the door because he carried arms, a discourtesy as notorious as to -wear boots on an official visit in England. -</p> -<p> -M. Bertrand was far from being as much at his ease as was his intrepid -mistress. He would certainly have preferred to be the other Bertrand, he -who was travelling on the road to Aleppo; his teeth chattered with fear, -and he was a long time before being able to speak intelligibly. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester presented Sayd Soliman Pacha with a very valuable snuff-box, -and withdrew at the end of a reasonable time, which seemed mortally long -to her interpreter. The pacha sent her a horse shortly afterwards. After -all these visits, her stable was beginning to be supplied. -</p> -<p> -Scarcely had she returned, when her janissary Mohammed said to her: -</p> -<p> -"Her ladyship's reception has been great." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, but all that is only vanity," answered she. -</p> -<p> -"Oh, my lady!" cried he, delighted, "thou bearest on thy forehead the -splendour of a king and the humility of a dervish at the bottom of thy -heart." -</p> -<p> -The doctor made the round of the harems of the town to physic the -beautiful Turkish women. Every day his house was besieged by blind men -imperiously demanding eyes; consumptives, a lung; lame men, a straight -leg; hunchbacks, a flat back. Most of the time, these patients desired -to catch a glimpse of Lady Hester, and, their curiosity satisfied, they -went to throw into the Barada the doctor's powders. But he had sick -persons more serious. Ahmed Bey, of one of the most important families -of the town, son of Abdallah, ex-Pacha of Damascus, sent for him to -attend his son, a little boy of thirteen, ugly, rickety and deformed, -and afflicted with an intermittent fever. All the resources of the -Damascene medical art had been employed without effect. He had been sewn -up in the skin of a sheep which had just been flayed; he had swallowed -powdered pearls; he had had his feet covered by still warm pigeons. All -without result. -</p> -<p> -The doctor, who had his neglected cures on his mind, required pressing -at first. Then he operated and succeeded in curing the poor child. The -father, overjoyed, offered him a complete outfit for the bath; very -costly robe of honour to be put on on leaving the water, coffee, pipes -and sherbets. These thanks in the Eastern fashion were completed by a -rustic fête in the orchards which skirt the Barada. -</p> -<p> -But the treasure, the jewel of Damascus, was Fatimah, flower of beauty -without rival. Her body of pure and graceful outline bore, like a -half-opened corolla, the head small and delicate, the face pale and -ardent, in which the great shadowy eyes extended themselves -mysteriously. And her black hair, of a velvety and bluish black, -descended in tresses, entangled with diamonds and gold pesetas, so far -as her bare feet. The doctor thought seriously for a moment of -renouncing his faith to espouse this adorable creature. Poor doctor! he -was not made of the same stuff as a Turkish husband at the head of a -riotous harem. Will he consider one day his astonished eyes and his -sheeplike and gentle manner? In short, he remained on the border of -danger. Lady Hester, on her side, associated with the Turks of rank. One -of her friends received her in the midst of his harem: harem of a noble, -four wives and three mistresses! None of these women were seated in the -master's presence; they stood in a corner of the drawing-room, and did -not mount the estrade on which he sat except to fill his pipe and serve -his coffee. At dinner, they handed the dishes themselves, never speaking -except when their lord asked them a question. "And yet," said Lady -Hester, "he is one of the most charming and most agreeable men I know. -Towards me he is very gentlemanly and as attentive and courteous as no -matter who!" We suspect with what kind of eye these seven women must -have regarded the intrusion of this gigantic foreign woman! -</p> -<p> -As she was visiting the wife of an effendi who had gathered together -some fifty ladies to do her honour, the master all at once entered. They -veiled themselves hurriedly, and he dispersed them with a brusque -gesture. Remaining alone with Lady Hester, he told her that he had -informed her dragoman, who shortly afterwards appeared. He kept her to -supper in a marble court with groves of orange-trees. Immense gold -candelabra bore candles six feet high, and little lamps suspended in -clusters from the arcades were mirrored in the water of the basin. -Negroes, admirably trained, waited. The effendi talked about astronomy -and sent for a bulky book, concerning which he asked a thousand -questions. -</p> -<p> -Strange and very significant picture, that of this Turk forsaking his -harem to converse with Lady Hester about the celestial constellations -and to talk with her of unknown planets. Did it not seem to her that she -was descending from one of those inaccessible stars! And what abyss can -be more profound, what distance can be more immeasurable, than that -which separates beings kneaded by centuries of civilisation from those -in whom the barbarian still sleeps? He, who up to that time had regarded -women under the different aspects of a desire unceasingly awakened and -unceasingly satisfied, here is he learning in turn respect, admiration, -deference, here is he beginning to catch a glimpse of the equality of -the sexes and the parity of their complex intelligences! -</p> -<p> -Little Giorgio, on his knees for four hours, was dead-sleepy. "He kept -me until nearly ten o'clock," says the delighted Lady Hester, "an hour -after the moment when everyone was obliged to remain in his house under -pain of death (new decree of the pacha). All the doors were shut, but -all opened for me, and they did not say a word to me." -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester had, however, another object than that of initiating the -Turks into the feminist evolution. She wished to go to -Palmyra—Palmyra, the far-off and fabulous town which slept in the -heart of the sands, guarded by the burning steppes, without water and -without life. "The Syrian desert has only one Palmyra, as the sky has -only one sun." Caprice of the tourist and of the woman, adventurous -taste for unbeaten tracks? indifference to or even love of danger? -latent recollection of Brothers and the prophet Pierre? desire to defy -the English travellers who had failed on the journey to Tadmor? And -perhaps, plan secret and slowly matured of regulating and of blending -together the wandering tribes of the Bedouins, of intriguing with the -sheiks, of unravelling again the political skein, a skein short, knotted -and entangled with Arab politics? -</p> -<p> -There are people who do not cease from imposing charity upon the poor; -the needy—who cling to their life, dirty, laborious but -independent, more than we think—are washed, scrubbed, brushed, -nursed, taught, physicked, improved by force. Lady Hester was of the -species—more rare happily—which is unable to see men -scattered without wishing to group them, to liberate slaves by force and -to reform the world. This instinct of domination, this thirst for -authority, this imperialism, she was going to satisfy without delay upon -the defenceless Arabs. And then the intercourse of a woman, of a queen, -bound her. The ruins of Palmyra conjured up too faithfully the name of -Zenobia!... -</p> -<p> -The pacha's two bankers, Malem Yusef and Malem Rafael, to whom she -broached this subject, dissuaded her earnestly from it. The journey was -excessively dangerous, and the Bedouins would not fail to make her -prisoner and exact a very large ransom unless the pacha furnished her -with troops. Then a certain Hanah Faknah, who had acted as guide to M. -Fiott, offered to conduct her safe and sound to Palmyra. Lady Hester -learned soon that he was offering to do much. What was to be done? It -was impossible for her to cross the desert under a disguise, for her -intentions had been divulged and her slightest movements were noted with -extreme attention. She resolved to demand a formidable escort from the -pacha. Sayd Soliman then made her understand, in confidence, that the -Emir Mahannah, chief of the Bedouins, was in revolt against the Porte, -and that the inhabitants of Palmyra were beyond the reach of Turkish -justice. New indecision, new uncertainties! Meanwhile, the pacha had a -crow to pluck with the cavalry: the famous Delibash, commanded by a -young bey, an acquaintance of Lady Hester and son of the deposed -governor. Mutiny broke out at Damascus. In the deserts, terrible news, -come from Mecca, was whispered: 50,000 Wahabis were threatening the -town. The Bedouins had gathered and were ready to rush to their aid. -Lady Hester, isolated in her Mohammedan quarter, caught up in the -whirlpool of popular anxieties, was not at all uneasy. She thought only -of demanding an asylum from her friend the Emir Bechir, the prince of -the Mountain, who placed his troops at her disposal. She was flattered -by his reception. If, as governor, he had had diabolical inspirations, -she proclaimed him, nevertheless, an agreeable and amiable man. How she -was to change her opinion hereafter! -</p> -<p> -The pacha, uneasy at the turn which events were taking, had caused old -Muly Ishmael, the grand chief of the Delibash and of the Syrian troops, -to be warned. Feared by the pachas, who would never have dared to make a -hair of his head fall, he was adored by the Arabs, with whom he had -taken refuge on several occasions, at the time when his life was -threatened. Scarcely arrived at Damascus, Muly Ishmael demanded a visit -from Lady Hester, "for I shall be very jealous of my young chief if he -does not come," said he. It was as much an order as a request. Bravely -she went there, although somewhat troubled by the terrible rumours which -were in circulation in regard to him. She was obliged to cross courts -swarming with horses and horsemen, to stride over or avoid hundreds of -soldiers sprawling on the ground, to argue and parley with fifty -officers, before reaching the old chief, who was talking with the bey, -her friend. Muly Ishmael was charming, offering her his house at Hama -and an escort of Delibash. Lady Hester, very proud of this conquest, -called him the Sir David Dundas of Syria. She remained an hour and was -delighted by his courtesy, marked by a cordiality, a grace of manner, -rather rare amongst the Turks. -</p> -<p> -Then the Wahabis vanished in smoke. And, one fine morning, -Mahannah-el-Fadel, chief of the tribe of the Anezes, arrived at Damascus -to demand back 4000 horses and flocks of sheep which the pacha had -requisitioned from him. He asserted that the name of the Meleki (queen) -was in the mouth of all the Bedouins of the desert. -</p> -<p> -During this time, Bruce, who was returning from Aleppo with Mr. Barker, -English consul at that town, learned of these fine projects, and, -terrified, hurried on, without stopping, to prevent—if there were -still time—so great a folly. And the messengers ran along the -roads carrying letters full of adjurations and entreaties. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester lost her patience at meeting with resistance. "No caravan -travels along the route by which I wish to go," declared she, incensed. -"And if there were one, nothing would be able to persuade me to join it. -They get into a ridiculous fright and arrive with a machine with bars, a -<i>tartavane</i>, which Mr. Barker declares indispensable. All the consuls -in the universe will not force me to go within it. What an absurd idea! In -the event of attack, the drivers take themselves off, and one is left to -the mercy of two obstinate mules. The speedy horse to whom the Arabs -entrust themselves, that is something like; that is better; that is what -I require! ..." -</p> -<p> -The idea of putting Lady Hester in a cage was certainly not ordinary. -Happily, Bruce fell ill, and the doctor was despatched to attend and -calm him. The road skirted the desert, and, costumed as a Bedouin, with -lance on shoulder, Meryon, by way of Yebroud, Kara, Hasia and Homs, -reached Hama, where Bruce, already restored to health, soon rejoined -him. He brought back with him a young Frenchman of Aleppo, called -Beaudin, who spoke Arabic almost as well as a native of the country. -</p> -<p> -Leaving them to continue their journey, the doctor again took the road -from Damascus to Yebroud. Then he made a detour to reach the village of -Nebk, where a man was living whose acquaintance Lady Hester keenly -desired to make. His name was Lascaris, and his history singular. -</p> -<p> -Of the Piedmontese family of the Lascaris, of Ventimiglia, he regarded -himself as descendant of the Emperor of Trebizond. Without tracing his -ancestry back so far, he had an uncle Grand Master of the Knights of -Malta, and was himself a chevalier. -</p> -<p> -Bonaparte having seized the island on his way, Lascaris followed. -Receiver of taxes—excellent place in the East—he met at -Cairo a young Georgian slave of great beauty. Abducted at the age of -fifteen, she had fallen into the harem of Murad Bey. Lascaris married -her, for he was a fervent apostle of universal brotherhood—it is -probable that, if she had been ugly, he would not have pushed so far and -with so much enthusiasm the application of his principles! On the -evacuation of Egypt, he brought his wife to Paris; but her manners and -her education were too much out of tune in the brilliant society of that -time. After some successes with shawls, some exhibitions of Turkish -robes, the Parisian women turned their backs upon her to run to other -spectacles more novel. Madame Lascaris begged her husband to return to -the East. He did not require pressing, for he him self was deceived in -his legitimate ambitions. He solicited through his aunt, Josephine's -mistress of the robes, an exalted post. He was offered a place as -sub-prefect! Deeply wounded, they returned to Constantinople. There an -idea of genius occurred to Lascaris; he proposed to go to Georgia to -establish there a new system of agriculture. An Armenian, who was on the -look out for victims with money, offered himself as treasurer. The trio -crossed the Black Sea, landed in the Crimea and were arrested for -espionage. The Armenian made off, naturally, with the cash-box, while -Lascaris and his wife were sent to St. Petersburg. Their innocence at -last recognised, they found themselves with a very low purse. Then, -having gradually lost all that remained—for the chevalier had many -odd ideas difficult to realise—he endeavoured to furnish the -peasants of the environs of Lattakia with European ploughs, the -employment of which would double their harvest. The peasants grew angry, -and their unappreciated benefactor was obliged to take himself off -promptly. He became professor of music at Aleppo. -</p> -<p> -On November 3, 1812, the doctor arrived at Nebk and cast about for -Lascaris's house. Perceiving a little girl of twelve who was sauntering -around him, he questioned her. She was the servant of those whom he was -looking for, and was called Katinko, or Catherine. But her astonishing -resemblance to Lascaris induced the doctor to think that she was rather -his daughter. The chevalier appeared on his doorstep, dirty and -wretched-looking, wearing an abaye of striped wool, wound round his body -after the manner of the garments of Robin Hood, blue breeches in rather -a melancholy condition, stockings and the red shoes worn by the -peasants. His beard was long and thick. His wife retained little trace -of beauty, which had disappeared, alas! not to return; the adorable -Georgian girl had changed into the stout matron with masculine ways. -They had arrived from Aleppo with bales of red cotton, which they hoped -to exchange for money with the villagers of the neighbourhood. The -doctor greatly enjoyed the conversation of Lascaris, whom his numerous -travels had made a very well-informed and cultured man. He noted in him, -however, a certain self-conceit, a certain sentiment of superiority -which had no doubt been the sole cause of his disappointments. He -appeared very embittered against Napoleon. -</p> -<p> -Two days afterwards, an urgent message recalled the doctor to Damascus, -where Barker had just fallen seriously ill. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap07"></a>CHAPTER VII -<br><br> -LADY HESTER AND LASCARIS</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">W</span>HEN the doctor arrived at Damascus, he -found everything topsy-turvy. The commotion was extreme. The pacha's -troops, already fully equipped, had been sent away, the guides -dismissed, the caravan dispersed. Lady Hester announced publicly that -she was postponing the journey, and, giving as pretexts Barker's -illness, Bruce's weakness, and the advantage of the doctor's presence, -decided to take only the road to Hama. She was not to arrive there -directly. -</p> -<p> -Unforeseen events had, in fact, occurred during the doctor's absence. -Lady Hester, who had secretly written to Mahannah-el-Fadel, emir of the -Anezes, received a visit from his son Nasr. Supple, slight, of -insinuating and agreeable manners, the young sheik, his legs and feet -bare, wrapped himself with dignity in an old sheepskin and in a ragged -robe. But the orange and green keffiye shaded a haughty countenance with -a sharp profile. The people of his suite were less elegant. -Pierre—decidedly much more the cook than the prophet—composed a -monster lunch in which Turkish and Arabic dishes alternated abundantly. -The plum puddings particularly aroused the hilarity of the Bedouins, but -they could not make up their minds to taste them. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, astonished by the state of Nasr's wardrobe, presented him -with a complete costume, of which he scattered immediately the articles -about him, throwing down mantles and abayes with a magnificent ease, as -though they had been refuse. -</p> -<p> -The sheik made his hostess clearly understand that, if she persisted in -going to Palmyra under the protection of the troops, he would consider -her as an enemy, and that she would learn, at her risks and perils, who -was sultan of the desert. So much the more that all the Bedouins, from -the greatest to the smallest, had their imagination excited and their -covetousness attracted by the arrival of the English princess, riding, -with spurs of gold, a mare worth forty purses, bringing a book to -discover hidden treasures (the engravings of Wood and Dawkins!), and a -little packet of herbs to transform stones into precious metals!... -Nasr, with much astuteness, added that a person so distinguished ought -to trust herself to the honour of the Bedouins, for the Turkish -soldiers, ignorant of the tracks, the spots where water was to be found, -the places infested by rebels, would throw her into a thousand -difficulties, and would be the first to march off when danger threatened -with a touching unanimity. -</p> -<p> -The result of the visit of this adroit diplomatist was that Lady Hester, -without the knowledge of anyone, arranged an interview with the Emir -Mahannah-el-Fadel. She arrived at Nebk like a whirlwind, carried off -Lascaris and his wife, on her way, to serve as interpreters, and at the -hamlet of Tell Bise, beyond Homs, she plunged suddenly into the desert. -Mahannah had sent her a Bedouin as guide. Alone, she advanced across the -boundless plains of sands, entrusting herself, with a rashness without -example, to the hordes of marauders whose profession is to despoil -unsuspecting travellers. -</p> -<p> -At last, the camp appeared, and she went straight to the chief's tent. -Mahannah was fifty or sixty years old; his piercing eye compensated for -a difficulty in hearing, his beard was bushy and also his eyebrows. Dirt -and filth begrimed in an extraordinary way his face, stranger to the use -of water. He wore a jacket of Damascus satin which had once been red, of -which some ransomed merchants had been despoiled. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester did not waste time in useless salaams: -</p> -<p> -"I know that thou art a robber," said she to him, "and I am now in thy -power. I have left behind me all those who were protecting me, my -soldiers, my friends, to show thee that it is thee and thy tribe whom I -have chosen as my defenders." -</p> -<p> -Fascinated, Mahannah treated her with the greatest respect. For three -days Lady Hester travelled with the camp. -</p> -<p> -What unforgettable recollections were those evening halts around the -dull fires! The encampment and its vicinity were swarming with living -things. Camels with velvet steps returning from the springs with their -moist leathern bottles; children romping with the foals; women tatooed -with fantastical flowers going to milk the she-camels or park the kids. -The air resounded with the call of the shepherds and the bleating of the -sheep, which were returning in disorder. In the shadow you heard the -flocks breathing. The horses, which were shackled near the tents, pawed -the sand impatiently, and the desert stretched out its limbs with -gladness at the approach of night. The Bedouins, all attention, closely -encircled the old poets come from the banks of the Euphrates, who -chanted the splendour of dead heroes, and the cry of the roving hyenas -made the narrow tents appear better. -</p> -<p> -Mahannah escorted Lady Hester to within a few miles of Hama, and Nasr -himself conducted her so far as the house which had been prepared for -her. In the middle of December, the rest of the expedition rejoined Lady -Hester. The doctor lodged with the Lascaris, and had then all the time -and the leisure to observe and know this mysterious personage. -</p> -<p> -Lamartine, in his introduction to the <i>Récit du séjour de Fatella -Sayeghir chez les Arabes du grand désert</i>, has traced an astonishing -portrait of this Lascaris who, from the end of the Directory, foresaw -that Asia alone offered a suitable field for the regenerating ambition -of the hero. "It appears that the young warrior of Italy, whose -imagination was as luminous as the East, vague as the desert, great as -the world, had on this subject confidential conversations with M. de -Lascaris, and darted a flash of his mind towards that horizon which was -opening to him his destiny. It was only a flash, and I am grieved by it; -it is evident that Bonaparte was the man of the East, and not the man of -Europe.... In Asia, he would have stirred men by millions, and, a man of -simple ideas himself, he would have with two or three ideas erected a -monumental civilisation which would have endured a thousand years after -him. But the error was committed: Napoleon chose Europe; only he wished -to throw an explorer behind him to discover what there would be to do -there and to mark out the route to the Indies, if his fortune were to -open it to him. M. de Lascaris was this man. Man of genius, of talent -and of sagacity, he feigned a sort of monomania to form an excuse for -his stay in Syria and his persistent relations with all the Arabs of the -desert who arrived at Aleppo." -</p> -<p> -This judgment is curious, if it is not entirely just, for Lamartine treats -with the last contempt the internal work of Napoleon—magnificent -administration drawn from the chaos of the Revolution, and which France -maintains still—which he calls an "unskilful restoration." As for the -Eastern Question, it seems, on the contrary, that the Emperor had had -intercourse with it. If he had been the man of Europe, he would have -engaged in a merciless hand-to-hand struggle with England; if he had -devoted to his Navy a quarter of the attention which he gave to his -Army, he would have struck his rival a mortal blow. In place of that, he -parries the blows, he forestalls them, he attacks himself, but the mind -is elsewhere, farther away, turned no doubt towards the Levant. The -Egyptian expedition, despatch of Sebastiani to Constantinople, mission -of General Gardane to Teheran, and, above all, efforts constant, -perpetual, obstinate to preserve the integrity of the Turkish Empire and -bridle the Russian appetite, the Moscow campaign to subdue the Czar, the -only troublesome competitor at Constantinople, are they not the tangible -proofs of the Eastern desire which the creative and robust imagination -of Napoleon did not conceive as a mirage? Did he intend to remake the -Roman Empire with its frontiers dispersed over three worlds and perhaps -the empire of Alexander with undefined limits. The fall of the eagles -has carried away his secret. But at present we are in 1812, on the eve -of the Russian expedition. Napoleon has made M. de Nerciat, former -attaché to the Gardene mission, and Colonel Boutin start for St. Jean -d'Acre and Egypt in order to sound the ground and to prepare the new -ways which the victories—he did not imagine the possibility of a -defeat—were going to open. Lascaris precedes them then seven or eight -years on the desert routes. For what purpose? To prepare the invasion of -the Indies? Lamartine affirms it formally and gives Lascaris -qualifications and a position of the first importance. -</p> -<p> -What is certain, is that, if Lascaris were the secret agent of Napoleon, -he was a remarkable actor and played his part in so masterly a manner -that not only the doctor—after all, but little of a -physiognomist—but Lady Hester, who was more difficult to deceive, -allowed themselves to be duped completely by it. -</p> -<p> -It will be amusing to know Lady Hester's opinion on this subject, if -only in order to follow the evolution of a woman's judgment. -</p> -<p> -On returning from her journey to the Emir Mahannah, Lascaris is lauded -to the skies. She writes at that time to General Oakes, Governor of -Malta: -</p> -<p> -"I have met here an extraordinary character, Mr. Lascaris, of -Ventimiglia. He is a little giddy, but he is a remarkable man who has an -astonishing knowledge of the Arabs. He is extremely poor and very -energetic. If he falls into the hands of the French, we shall stand some -chance of repenting of it in the future. <i>At present he is altogether -English</i>, and it would be worth the trouble of maintaining him in his -excellent inclinations. The chancellery of the Order of Malta and the -advocate Torrigiani have all the papers relating to his family and to -his <i>humble demands</i>: little pension which would assure him a piece of -bread; he asks nothing more!" -</p> -<p> -And General Oakes is solicited to intervene, to represent to the -Government all the advantage which there will be in keeping a faithful -subject at the gates of the desert where the turbulent Arabs were -beginning to shake off the yoke of the pachas. -</p> -<p> -"Besides," added she, "it would be a great act of humanity towards a -<i>great man</i>. The French plough the desert with emissaries and envoys. -Why should we not do the same thing ...?" -</p> -<p> -Napoleon's agent kept by the English Government! The story is delicious. -What was the value of Lascaris in politics? but in the matter of -duplicity he is truly unique. He feigns poverty, for one cannot well -imagine a secret mission without substantial subsidies to support it, -finds the means to interest Lady Hester in his case and to exhibit -himself in a day to such advantage that she dreams of employing him in -the interests of her own country. -</p> -<p> -But great enthusiasms have the brightness and the duration of fires of -straw. Some weeks later, Lady Hester begins to think that Lascaris is a -hare-brained fellow. If General Oakes is able to obtain some money for -him, it will be a charity, for the unfortunate man is on thorns (the old -fox continues the little comedy), but he must not be reckoned on; he is -mad and will not be good for anything.... The cream of praises is -beginning to turn. Finally, Lady Hester, saturated with the stories and -jeremiads of Lascaris, gave him a handsome present to compensate him for -his journey and invited him to remain with her. His part of interpreter -stopped there, and having squeezed the lemon, she threw away the skin. -It is an action in which women and statesmen excel. She was not to know -the true figure of Lascaris until very much later, when Lamartine's book -would have reached the East. What a miscalculation for her who pretended -to discover the habits and character of people at first sight! To have -been duped, she whom her divining instinct had never deceived! "It was -not to Napoleon that he was so much attached," will she then say -pensively in recalling the "humble demands"; "it was to him who held the -pocket-book." And then, in a lapidary formula, she will endeavour to -recover her prestige in the eyes of the sceptical doctor: "Lascar is had -the heart of a Roman and the skill in intrigue of a Greek." But there -are things which one invents afterwards, like those ambassadors who, in -their Memoirs, attribute to themselves the merit of having foreseen the -past. -</p> -<p> -Mahannah-el-Fadel had sent a Bedouin on an embassy to Hama. He demanded -a visit from the "Queen's" doctor. Lady Hester hastened to consent, -calculating that she would thus gain the emir's friendship and would -permit the doctor to discover the route, to hire a lodging at Palmyra, -to prepare the expedition—in a word. -</p> -<p> -The doctor knew that Lascaris was unwell, embittered, of a melancholy -disposition. One night, summoned in haste by Madame Lascaris, he had -been witness of a violent attack of epilepsy. Accordingly, in order to -afford him some distraction, he offered to take him with him on the -journey which he was going to make to the heart of the desert. Lascaris -accepted and even confided to the doctor that for a long time past he -had desired to visit Palmyra, and "had never been able to realise his -project." He rejoiced therefore at this good fortune and proposed to -abandon the world to plant cabbages in the ruins. -</p> -<p> -The little caravan, Meryon, Lascaris, the guide Hassan, all three -wearing the Bedouin costume: white koumbaz, flowing trousers, clumsy red -shoes, skin pelisses, orange and jade keffiye, left Hama on January 2, -1813. It is a date to retain in mind. -</p> -<p> -The tribes Beni Khaled and Hadydy, encountered by chance on the way, -offered them the coffee of hospitality and a place under the open tents. -Mahannah was on the point of striking his camp when they joined him, and -they marched with him several days. On January 7, the encampment was -established near Karyatein, and the snow slowly began to fall. The -doctor would have liked to start for Palmyra, as the weather was -becoming alarming, and the Bedouins were moving towards the South. But -the old chief, stuffed with remedies, meant to be cured entirely. Nasr, -speculating on some backsheesh, amused himself by terrorising him. At -length, sensible that they might incur the resentment of Lady Hester, -the Bedouins consented to their departure. The doctor spent a week at -Palmyra, hired three huts in the north-east corner of the Temple of the -Sun, and, on his return, was astounded to encounter in the Djebel Abyad, -as frequented as Bond Street! some miles from the town, Giorgio, whom -Lady Hester in alarm had despatched to look for him, with two guides. -Bewildered and shivering with cold, the unfortunate men nearly succumbed -to the tempest of snow which was raging over these desolate expanses. On -January 26, they joyfully perceived the emir's tents. -</p> -<p> -Madame Lascaris, Fatalla Sazeghir, a young Christian of Aleppo, serving -as dragoman, cicerone, spokesman, and young Catherine, or Katinko, -followed them for some hours. Lascaris had conceived a grandiose -project: that of transforming these desert wastes into vast khans -crammed with merchandise. He had had his wife and his stores sent for -immediately, but the cupidity never satisfied and incessantly reviving -of his aggressive customers was to prove an insurmountable obstacle to -his ingenious ideas. To gain the favours of Mahannah, Madame Lascaris -had brought a complete costume, worth a great deal of money, in which in -a moment the old man was dressed anew from head to foot. But all his -sons, Nasr at their head, arrived, their appetites sharpened, to demand -their share. It is better to give willingly what people are able to take -by force! But it was clear that Lascaris's stock was to go there in its -entirety. In proportion as they were enriched too quickly, they did not -know how to keep their presents. Mahannah, being close to the fires, was -warm, and threw his pelisse to a friend. A moment later, feeling the -cold, he seized in the most natural way in the world a garment which was -drying. The owners were obliged to watch their property! -</p> -<p> -Is not the hospitality accorded to strangers still the best source of -the Bedouins' revenues? Hardly has the traveller passed a night in the -tent of the sheik than the latter admires the beauty of his shawl. If he -opens his trunks, a thousand prying eyes discover that he has spare -linen and a store of tobacco. Does he leave his boots at the door, the -host finds them better than his own, and, so thinking, slips them on. In -short, after a week of this order of things, the traveller is more naked -than a worm and less rich than Job! -</p> -<p> -On January 28, the doctor regained Hama, happy to be able at last to -wash his hands and change his linen, which had not happened to him for -four weeks. Giorgio had remained to accompany Lascaris to Palmyra, but -their visit was very short. -</p> -<p> -Here there is a curious comparison to make between Dr. Meryon's journal -and the recital of Fatalla Sazeghir, published by Lamartine. This -Fatalla had a little collection of notes, which Lamartine bought, had -translated, and himself put into French. This extraordinary mission of -Lascaris is the leading thread which runs through these incongruous and -astonishing adventures, like a needle through the complicated web of a -piece of Byzantine embroidery. -</p> -<p> -And here is the substance: -</p> -<p> -Fatalla and Lascaris, under the name of Sheik Ibrahim (decidedly -Europeans have a weakness for this pseudonym), set out for Homs in -February 1810, ostensibly to sell their red cotton and their glass-ware, -in reality to prepare ways for Napoleon when his armies, on the march -for the Indies, should cross the desert. A Bedouin of the name of Hassan -conducted them to Palmyra, where they made the acquaintance of Mahannah -and Nasr. They remained some time with this tribe, returned to Palmyra, -passed the winter at Damascus at the house of M. Chabassau (evidently -the eternal Dr. Chaboceau), and in the spring of 1811 tried their chance -with the Drayhy—the celebrated destroyer of the Turks—and -gained his friendship. There remained the Wahabis, who would certainly -oppose the success of the French project. Lascaris drew up against them -a treaty of alliance with all the Bedouins of the desert. He scoured the -country so far as beyond the Tigris; Fatalla lent his eloquence to the -cause, and the treaty was covered with signatures. More than 500,000 -Bedouins allied themselves thus to them. In the spring of 1813, a battle -which lasted more than forty days was fought at the gates of Hama, -between 150,000 Wahabis and 80,000 Bedouins and Turks. The Wahabis were -defeated. Then Fatalla accompanied the Drayhy to the terrible -Ebu-Sihoud, King of the Wahabis, and contributed to reconcile the two. -Lascaris, his mission accomplished, started for Constantinople, where he -arrived in April, 1814, just to hear of Napoleon's defeats and the -fruitlessness of his efforts. Grievously stricken by this unexpected -blow, he reached Cairo under an English passport, and died in misery. -Mr. Salt, the English consul, plundered his clothes and his manuscripts. -</p> -<p> -Lascaris would, then, have performed the greater part of his circuits -among the nomads before the arrival of the doctor. Well, during the -journey which they accomplished together, the first asserted that he had -never seen Palmyra, at a time when, according to Fatalla, he had been -there twice in the course of the year 1810. Affair of tactics perhaps to -baffle a rival. -</p> -<p> -But what is of more importance, is that neither Mahannah-el-Fadel nor -the principal chiefs encountered recognised the famous Sheik Ibrahim. -Ought we, then, to imagine a prodigious watchword given by Lascaris to -the entire desert? It is impossible. -</p> -<p> -Elsewhere improbabilities embellish agreeably the histories of Fatalla. -Nasr, he recounts, was killed in 1811 in the wars between the Drayhy and -Mahannah. Zaher, son of the Drayhy, brought him down with a -lance-thrust, then "cut his body in pieces, placed it in a basket and -sent it to Mahannah's camp by a prisoner whose nose he had cut off." -Well, a year later, this unfortunate young man, in wonderfully good -health, paid a visit to Lady Hester, then at Damascus, to dissuade her -from going to Palmyra. Lascaris had a short memory; he had already -forgotten the encampment near Karyatein in January, 1813, from which he -accompanied Nasr to search for provisions in the village. Both returned, -besides, with an empty bag. -</p> -<p> -It is Nasr again who, in the spring of 1813, escorted Lady Hester to -Palmyra and behaved himself in a horrible and brutal manner. Two years -later, Mahannah wrote to "the Queen," who was settled at Mar-Elias, to -beg her to intervene with the Pacha of Damascus in favour of Nasr, who -had wrought great havoc in the full granaries of the Governor of Hama. -This dead man clung to life tenaciously! As for the relations of -Lascaris with Lady Hester, they are very whimsical and demand some -rectifications. -</p> -<p> -Fatalla pretends that it is in the spring of 1812 that he learned of the -arrival of a princess, daughter of the King of England, in Syria, where -she was displaying a royal luxury. She had overwhelmed with magnificent -presents Mahannah-el-Fadel and had made him escort her to Palmyra, where -she had distributed her bounty with profusion and had acquired a -formidable party amongst the Bedouins, who had proclaimed her queen. -Lascaris felt very much alarmed at this news, believing that he saw in -it an intrigue to ruin his plans. -</p> -<p> -At this period, Lady Hester had scarcely disembarked from Egypt and was -on the way to Jerusalem. The Palmyra project, if it existed already, was -still informal and secret. -</p> -<p> -But Fatalla does not confine himself to one error. According to his -version, Lascaris received an invitation from Lady Hester to go to her -at Hama, as well as his wife, who had remained at St. Jean d'Acre. This -invitation annoyed him the more, inasmuch as for three years he had -avoided giving her news, leaving her in ignorance of the place of his -residence and of his intimacy with the Bedouins. He conveyed to his -wife, by special courier, the order to refuse. It was too late; Madame -Lascaris, alarmed about this phantom husband, had already accepted. This -model household was reunited then under the benevolent auspices of Lady -Hester, who, after having essayed in vain by adroit questions to obtain -from him some explanation in regard to his relations with the Bedouins, -assumed at the end a tone of authority which afforded Lascaris a pretext -for a rupture. He sent his wife back to Acre and left Lady Hester, -having fallen out completely with her. -</p> -<p> -It is not after Lady Hester's expedition to Palmyra, but before, that -Lascaris places the episode. The proofs accumulate to annul Fatalla's -evidence. On November 3, 1812, the doctor visited Lascaris and his -martial spouse. In her expedition to Mahannah-el-Fadel, Lady Hester took -both husband and wife. And her invitation to Hama cannot reunite the -Lascaris, since they were not separated. Then, in January, 1813, there -is the arrival in Mahannah's camp of Madame Lascaris, of the famous -Fatalla and of the bales of merchandise. As for the tone of authority -which Hester assumes in endeavouring to thwart the secret mission which -Lascaris had received from Napoleon, the doctor, who wrote his journal -methodically every day, shows the improbability of it. And his lack of -imagination, that ingenuousness which causes him to record all the -incidents of the journey without understanding them, is the surest -guarantee of his veracity. -</p> -<p> -And the Wahabis? And this battle of 1813 at the gates of Hama, in which, -according to Fatalla, 150,000 Wahabis and 80,000 Bedouins and Turks were -engaged? -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester did not budge from Hama from December 15 to March 20. In -April, she committed tranquilly her little extravagance at Palmyra. Of -Wahabis, not a shadow! Of battle, no traces! All the same, 230,000 men -do not shuffle out of it like that! And on March 7, the inhabitants of -Syria celebrated by great rejoicings the recapture of Mecca from the -Wahabis. -</p> -<p> -If Lascaris had not performed his distant peregrinations before January, -1813—and the comparison between the memoranda of journeys kept by -Meryon and Fatalla seem certainly to indicate it—he did not have the -necessary time to undertake them afterwards. He is gripped as in a vice -between that date and that of his arrival at Constantinople, coinciding -with the defeats of the campaign of France. And before? Before 1810? -Lascaris was able to travel across the entire world, but Fatalla did not -know it and was unable to write his journal. -</p> -<p> -The young dragoman's recital ought to be pardoned some degree of -inaccuracy. It is necessary to subtract the Oriental zero. Five hundred -thousand Bedouins are, after all, only five or six thousand. The Tigris -and the Euphrates are two rivers very near to each other, and the name -of the first looks so well in a history, even when it is a question of -the second. A skirmish of some hundreds of men produces much less effect -than a pitched battle of 200,000 warriors. There are, besides, passages -which are of a striking interest: pictures painted with a large brush of -the turmoil of camps, of songs of love and battle, of tribes on the -march, of puffs of burning air which bring all the nostalgia, all the -violence, of the free life of the desert, and in which the imprint of -Lamartine is recognisable. -</p> -<p> -The whole art of the narrator is to interest, and it must be confessed -that Fatalla practised this art wonderfully well. Lascaris's sojourn -amongst the wandering Arabs is perhaps, after all, only the journey made -with Dr. Aferson to the Emir Mahannah-el-Fadel, and transposed by a -secretary with a rich and fertile imagination. It is necessary to remark -the similarity of the name of the Bedouin Hassan who, according to the -two versions, served them as guide. A Levantine historiographer -translated by a poet! The enterprise was truly hazardous. Have -successive interpretations altered the original text, or has Lamartine -been mystified by a clever story-teller who had already modified the -rigid framework of time and facts, which, like a good Oriental, he -rendered elastic according to the inclination of his subject. We shall -never know, for Lascaris's papers, which alone would have been able to -throw light on his real mission and his real travels, have disappeared, -snapped up by the English Government. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap08"></a>CHAPTER VIII -<br><br> -THE QUEEN OF PALMYRA</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">L</span>ADY HESTER was cooped up in Hama. Amongst -the old men, the most grey-headed did not recollect so severe a winter -as that of 1813. Nearly all the fruit-trees of the beautiful gardens -which caress the Orontes perished frozen. A tribe of Arabs which was -encamped in the plain was engulfed by a snowstorm, with the women, the -children and the flocks. Alone the rustic norias continued to hum, and -in the wind, the squall and the rain their songs rose infinitely -monotonous and melancholy, embodying the revolt of the earth made for -sun and joy. But the travellers did not wait longer than in the first -days of spring the swarms of bees to take flight from the great dead -orchards. -</p> -<p> -M. de Nerciat, passing by Hama, offered Lady Hester a salutary -diversion. Then Beaudin fell from his horse and spoiled his face. Mrs. -Fry had an acute attack of pleurisy. The health of Lady Stanhope herself -was not brilliant; but she was one of those women who endure better the -fatigues of journeys than the monotony of prolonged sojourns in the same -place, and the doctor, who knew the fierce energy of his patient, did -not venture to oppose the expedition. -</p> -<p> -On February 17, the Emir Mahannah arrived at Hama. Muly Ishmael, full of -amiability for Lady Hester, had warned her to mistrust the Bedouin -cupidity. The discussions took place in his presence. It was arranged -that the emir, as the price of his escort, should be paid 3000 piastres, -of which 1000 were to be given him at once, and the rest on the return -from Palmyra. Excellent precaution to avoid the accidents of the -journey! -</p> -<p> -On that 20th of March, Hama was in a ferment of excitement. For some -hours the town was buzzing like a hive, and the eternal norias -supported in chorus the increasing noises. Women almost unveiled, -squalling children, grave men, hurried excitedly to the gates. Jews, -caught between their curiosity and their cupidity, took the risk of an -incursion into the street to regain their shops at full gallop. Patrols of -Dellatis—their tall hats pointing towards the sky—rode about, -jostling the famished and howling dogs. It was to-day that the Syt, the -English princess, was going into the desert with her escort. So far as a -league from the town, the route was many-coloured with spectators. -Children posted as an advance-guard arrived at the end of the train -clamouring the news: "There she is! There she is!" -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, her long burnous floating in the wind, mounted on a horse -with a flowing mane, passed, surrounded by her general staff of sheiks. -Their lances decorated with ostrich feathers, their curly hair -meandering down their cheeks, their bony mares, their savage demeanour, -made a bad impression on the crowd. A long murmur of pity and -commiseration rose towards the Syt. The janissaries who were keeping it -back were overwhelmed; all the inhabitants of Hama wishing to take a -last look at her who was going to her death, to be plundered at the -least. -</p> -<p> -Sixty-six Bedouins galloped on the flanks of the caravan, their keffiyes -and abayes floating in the breeze. Mrs. Fry, always so ill at ease in -her masculine garb, Bruce and the doctor, who had allowed their beards -to grow to keep themselves in countenance, Beaudin, Pierre, the syces, -the men-servants followed in good order. A file of twenty-five horsemen. -And to wind up the procession, some forty camels, with the haughty and -disillusioned airs of old politicians undeceived about many things, -defiled solemnly, showing their varied burdens: tents, light and heavy -baggage, firewood, sacks of rice and flour, tobacco, coffee, sugar, -soap, kitchen utensils, leathern bottles of drinking water, oats for the -horses. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester undertook the journey as a true Englishwoman whose formula -is simple and in good taste: to have the maximum of comfort and the -minimum of boredom. Little does it matter after mobilising a province, -after unsettling a part of the earth, to render oneself odious to the -inhabitants. It is always necessary to set one's house in order to -travel with the English. -</p> -<p> -After a march of two days, the caravan arrived at the springs of -Keffiyah, where the Emir Mahannah was encamped with his tribe. Lady -Hester lingered there two days. The doctor dreamer, was he not seeking -to see again the Bedouin girl who had touched his vulnerable heart? He -called to mind the last stage of his journey with the Anezes. -</p> -<p> -"Ah, Raby, little Bedouin girl, where art thou now? Where is thy -graceful and full figure, thy gilded skin, thy sad gazelle-like eyes? -How lightly didst thou spring on to the back of a camel, placing thy -bare foot on his protuberant joints, seizing with grace his tail by way -of a hand-rail! -</p> -<p> -"Raby, thou didst turn thy head too often towards the stranger; perhaps -thou wast saying to thyself in thy artlessly coquettish mind: Why dost -thou look at me thus, amiable cavalier? I know that I am beautiful, for, -although I am only fourteen years of age, several chiefs of the tribe -have already demanded me in marriage. But my father demands fifty camels -and a thoroughbred mare, and he says that that will not be enough as the -price of my charms.... -</p> -<p> -"Raby, little Raby, what hast thou done that a single smile from thee -should be graven in my soul for ever?" -</p> -<p> -And the doctor becomes exalted in sentimental and lyrical incantations -which time carried away like mustard seed. -</p> -<p> -The Anezes, of whom Mahannah was the chief, were at that time warring -against the rival tribe of the Feydars. It was reported that strong -detachments of the enemy had been met with on the desert routes. It was -necessary to be on the watch to guard against a surprise attack. -</p> -<p> -The order of march was strictly established. At the head were Nasr, Lady -Hester and her escort; Bruce, the doctor and the armed servants -protected the rearguard, and the scouts extended themselves unceasingly -across the sand-hills. The travellers felt then that the journey was -serious and disquieting. They were on territory which did not submit to -the Turks, and had no succour to expect. Their protectors were Bedouins, -conquered by the lure of gain to-day, but changeable, uncertain, -unattachable, hostile to-morrow. The caravan was long, the camels loaded -with objects calculated to excite covetousness, the servants little -numerous. The courage and the decision of a woman, her sang-froid, her -energy, her liberalities, the renown which had preceded her, it was this -which constituted the surest guarantees for the success of the -expedition! And this woman was ill, so much that Bruce and Meryon asked -each other, not without trembling, how she would withstand the fatigue. -How was physical exhaustion and mental lassitude to keep in good order -the quarrelsome and thievish Bedouins? Already there was a struggle, -cunning and dissimulated, between Nasr and Lady Hester: the one wishing -to compel the other to increase the price agreed upon, ready to employ -every means to gain piastres; the other persuaded that, if she yielded, -to-morrow her baggage, her arms, her clothes would no longer belong to -her. -</p> -<p> -The start took place at daybreak, in the sharp morning air, and they -marched under a uniform sky, of an implacable and dull blue. The tawny -sands muffled the shoes of the horses, and in the great solitude, the -glistening void of the desert, the smallest objects, a tuft of prickly -grass, a fox, the flight of a partridge, assumed an extraordinary -importance. On a sudden, the alarm disturbed the caravan. An attack was -imminent. From the extremity of the horizon a troop of horsemen was -rushing towards them at full gallop. Wild excitement! Rumours! Lady -Hester, however, examined with her eye the extreme line of the desert, -and immediately assured her companions that there were many horses in -the distance, but that they were without riders. This assertion, -subsequently verified, sensibly increased her prestige with the -Bedouins, whose piercing eyes were accustomed, like those of sailors, to -watch without intermission for the dangers of them seas of sand. -</p> -<p> -There were many distractions to relieve the monotony of the journey; -there were little organised robberies. If the servants, clothed anew -from head to foot, had the misfortune to feel warm and to take off their -cloaks or draw out their handkerchiefs, the agile Nasr supervened and -claimed his due. There were also mimic combats. All in a body, standing -erect on their high stirrups, they raised a shout, savage, swift, -strident, which the horses obeyed in starting off at full gallop. The -mirrors with which the saddles were decorated flashed in the sunlight. -The Bedouins brandished their lances. The horses increased their speed -to join the mares. The horsemen approached yelling at the full strength -of their lungs their war cries; their bodies were almost touching; and -at the moment when the inevitable shock was causing the spectators to -gasp with fear, a turning movement executed with excessive rapidity -checked the career of their excited mounts. The love of fighting made -some of them forget the game, and the blows became real; blood flowed in -thin furrows, while the heaving flanks of the cruelly abused horses were -covered with sweat and their mouths filled with red foam. -</p> -<p> -Then the caravan encountered the tribe of the Sebah, which was -descending the slopes of Mount Belaz, which was simply a hill of sand. -It was a magnificent and unknown spectacle. Not a fold of the ground -which was not covered with moving specks. It seemed that a page of -ancient history had come to meet the travellers. The desert on the -march! In the first years of the Hegira the nomads marched thus with -slow and weary steps towards uncertain goals. How had it changed, in -fact? The strong camels were still adorned with the haudag—compromise -between the palanquin and the basket—from which emerged the heads of -women and children, and the weaker camels carried the carpets rolled -into a ball, which appeared at a distance enormous nests. The men, -mounted on their mares, surrounded by wild colts, shook their keffiyes -of vibrating colours; the women, the ring in the nose, well-tattooed -lips, wrapped in their red cotton cloth spotted with white, resumed -instinctively the antique poses. And then there were the beautiful naked -children. Nothing gives more the impression of eternity and immobility -than the free life of the desert. And, carried back for several -centuries, Lady Hester, Bruce and Meryon watched the tribe disappearing -in the distance, until it became like a handful of confetti dispersed -over the sands and the call of the camel-drivers: "Yalla! Yalla!" died -away. -</p> -<p> -And when the steppes became larger still with the blue shadows brought -by the night, the caravan came to a halt. Sometimes alone near springs -half-covered by sand, sometimes welcomed by an encampment of Beni Hez or -Beni Omar. The Bedouins unfolded, as fancy dictated, their black tents -of goats' hair, lighted by a thousand holes. The women hastened to -prepare the evening meal, and baked gently over the embers the soft, -flat loaves. A gigantic cauldron was filled with water, butter and -rice—water collected most often in the holes and with which a -kitchen-maid in England would have refused to wash her floor, so muddy -was it, and butter which a prolonged sojourn in skin bottles had -rendered as rancid and bitter as could possibly be desired. All that was -boiled pell-mell, and the mud cheerfully incorporated with this mixture. -The admirers watched the progress of the cooking and squatted on their -left legs, raising their right knee to the height of the chin. They -plunged their hands into the dish and drew from it a heap of food, which -they threw into the air and dexterously pressed in order to cool it and -to make the juice run out of it. And their thumbs adroitly guided the -enormous shovelful to its destination. When they were satisfied, they -surrendered their places to others, and, after having plunged their -greasy fingers into the sand, they passed them nonchalantly over their -abayes. For they were dirty, thoroughly dirty; they employed their hands -for nameless purposes—such as to wipe their feet when they were -wet—while the neighbourhood of springs failed to stimulate them to -elementary ablutions. Sometimes there was mutton, sometimes also treacle -as dark as raisiné. And always coffee. The person who prepared it -ground the berries in a little mortar; at this music the whole camp -hurried up. Wiping the cups with an old rag—water is too precious to -be wasted—he sent round the bitter and scorching liquid. -</p> -<p> -Lady Stanhope's companions rejoiced greatly at her foresight by which -they profited after having complained about it. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing in the world has ever been so well organised," she exclaimed, -laughing, "which shows that I am a worthy pupil of Colonel Gordon, for I -am at once quartermaster, adjutant and commissary-general. We are living -as comfortably as if we were at home, and the Duke of Kent would not -give more orders to the minute and would not watch more severely their -execution. Really, it is the only way of accomplishing an enterprise of -this kind with some pleasure." -</p> -<p> -And the doctor, although pretending to have taken a fancy to camel's -milk, was very pleased to have a closed tent and sugar in his coffee. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester had found the best formula for travelling in the East: that -which consists of living the life of the Arabs without sharing their -tents infested with vermin, of becoming impregnated with the -picturesqueness of their manners without mimicking them, of admiring the -patriarchal simplicity of their repasts without partaking from the -common pot. People who have never roved the world except from the depths -of their arm-chairs, do not understand this reserve; it is so much less -poetical! But the greatest travellers are those who watch their luggage -with the greatest care. One can very well enjoy the pleasure of a -Bedouin camp without being covered with fleas and without having one's -stomach turned by meats more or less dirty and decomposed. Only few -persons have the courage of their opinions. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester had courage of all kinds. Thus, she really knew the -Bedouins, not the Bedouins of exportation and of comic opera, but the -dirty Bedouins, the Bedouins to the life, braggarts, plunderers, cheats, -rancorous haters, as witness the one who having had his pipe filled with -camel dung, by way of tobacco, by a Christian humorist, gave the village -over to fire and sword, and exterminated all the caravans within reach -of his vengeance! But so ready in praises, so apt in compliments, -singularly discerning—do they not call her "the Queen?" -</p> -<p> -From time to time, there was certainly a shadow. The Bedouins showed -their true character in declaring that if the pacha's troops had had the -audacity to penetrate into the desert, they would have sent -them—stark-naked and without beards—to their affairs. Was it -not, after all, the fault of those who treated them as fools and related to -them cock and bull stories at a time when they are most susceptible and -more difficult to manage than all the nations of old Europe. -</p> -<p> -And then she had the good fortune to encounter a sheik. A marvellous -sheik! A sheik in whose presence Lord Petersham would die with envy. The -sprightly air of a Frenchman with the manners and the ease of Lord -Rivers or the Duke of Grafton. -</p> -<p> -She learned the Bedouin morals, the strange customs and the famous -<i>Dukhyl</i>, the code of the rights and the prohibitions of hospitality. -A Bedouin who had been robbed has no courts to which to appeal. What does -he do? He lies in wait for the robber and so soon as he catches sight of -him, he throws at him a ball of thread which he has concealed in his -hand. If the ball of thread in unwinding itself touches the robber, the -victim has won his cause and recovers his property. But if he misses his -aim, he must fly as quickly as he can to save his life. The captive to -regain his liberty has only to make secretly a knot in his master's -keffiye, but, attention, <i>nefah</i>! -</p> -<p> -If the murderer succeeds in entering his victim's tent or in eating at -the family table, he is sacred, but take care, <i>nefah</i>! -</p> -<p> -Thus, the robber is never sure of keeping his booty, the victor his -prisoner, the son of the assassinated his vengeance. Their piercing -sight is their only defence, and the fateful word is able alone to break -the charm. All the Bedouins have more or less clean consciences, -unceasingly on their guard, watching on the right, watching on the left, -always distrustful, never in repose, they have too often not to fear to -be duped in their turn. And the camp resounds with the word "<i>nefah</i>" -which the children and women repeat in shrill tones. -</p> -<p> -By an admirable foresight, the Bedouins have understood the inanity of a -justice often lame and one-eyed, and have remitted to chance the care of -passing sentence. Only in this game of blindman's buff, which takes the -place of social laws, they are the most adroit and the strongest who -gain the end, the forfeits are bloody, and the feeble, those who run -less swiftly, those who are captured, mark out the track, motionless for -ever. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was accustomed, when the first disturbance which followed -the installation of the camp had quieted down, to gather under her tent -the sheiks with whom she desired to talk. She was highly amused at the -terror which they had of Russia. They thanked Allah that she was not the -Czarina, otherwise, said they, their liberty would have been lost. -</p> -<p> -But one evening, Nasr, urged on by one knows not what maggot in his -brain, retorted sharply to the messenger: -</p> -<p> -"Lady Hester is perhaps the daughter of a vizier, but I am the son of a -prince, and I am not disposed to go to her tent now. If she had need of -me, let her come or send her interpreter." -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was obliged to swallow the insult in silence and to restrain -the answer which rose to her lips. The Bedouins were in a hum of -excitement, murmuring that Nasr was angry, that that did not augur -anything good, that he was going to give the order to return. And, as -had been foreseen, a very bad effect was produced on the servants, who -pricked up their ears like hares surrounded by the hunters. But Lady -Hester remained very calm and treated Nasr with the most complete -indifference. This was not what he was expecting, and he postponed until -the following night the end of his attempt at intimidation. -</p> -<p> -At dawn, the doctor started for Palmyra as a courier. While Lady Hester, -shaken in her confidence in Nasr, was conferring with Bruce and Beaudin -as to the measures to be taken, Pierre came running to announce that -some mares had been carried off and that Rajdans were roaming round the -camp. They heard neighing, cries, the sound of hoofs and galloping. The -Bedouins were making ready for the fight. -</p> -<p> -Nasr, enveloping himself with mystery, rushed up to Lady Hester's tent, -relating that he was going to be attacked on account of his alliance -with her. "I shall perish rather than abandon thee," he declared, making -visible efforts to animate himself to enthusiasm. Lady Hester, having -judged the degree of his heroism, decided to leave him and to go alone -into the desert. Refusing to listen to him, alarmed by this new folly, -she sprang on her horse and started. Her mare was a good one and her -dagger trustworthy. Suddenly, she caught sight of Bedouins armed to the -teeth who were coming in her direction. Then, standing erect on her -stirrups, and removing the yashmak which veiled her face transfigured by -anger, she cried in a voice of command: "Stop! stop!" Pronounced in an -unknown tongue, this order only produced the more effect, and the -horsemen reined back their steeds, but to raise exclamations of joy and -admiration. It was only a ruse of Nasr to prove her courage. The Bedouin -pleasantries are sometimes clumsy. -</p> -<p> -On the morrow, towards midday, at the time when the sun was dissolving -the sands into orange-coloured gems, Lady Hester and her escort reached -the last hills which guarded the mysterious town. And the desert was -suddenly peopled with strange beings, gnomes or demons sprung up from -the earth. All the male inhabitants of Palmyra had come to meet their -visitor. Some fifty of them, on foot, clad in simple little short -petticoats and ornamented with a thousand glass beads, which glared on -their swarthy skin like gildings on the morocco of a tawny binding, -joined to their deafening cries the noise of old cauldrons and saucepans -which they beat with all their might. Others, more proud than d'Artagnan -himself, mounted on their Arab mares, fired their matchlocks under the -nose of Lady Hester, who happily did not dislike the smell of powder. -They mimicked the attack and defence of a caravan, and the pedestrians -gave proof of an incredible dexterity in the art of plundering the -horsemen. Never had more experienced valets de chambre, in a shorter -time, undressed their masters from head to foot. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester quietened the excited band so soon as she caught sight of -the square towers with which the Valley of Tombs began, and demanded -silence. -</p> -<p> -The ruins were there.... What joy and what pleasure there is in the -discovery of dead cities! These places which were the theatre of events -which distance has rendered extraordinary belong to the traveller. He is -able at his pleasure and for some hours to recover the colonnades which -the sand smothers, to finish Justinian's wall, to people the fallen -temples and the mortally wounded tetraphylles with the shades of those -whom he particularly admires. -</p> -<p> -But this evocation was not permitted Lady Hester. Palmyra lived again. -Palmyra was taking a new and different flight with all these Bedouins -clinging to its ruined flanks as to the wrinkled visage of an old -coquette whom paint and powder rejuvenate too much for recollection, not -enough for credibility. -</p> -<p> -Across these steppes of gilded stones, from which stood out some -beautiful columns intact and virginal, one could divine still the line -of a triumphal portico. The great central arcade raised towards the sky -its pillars fifty feet high, while the lateral arcades, more modest, -framed it intermittently. Infinite rows of columns of a rose and yellow -colour; stone flesh caressed and polished by the burning and amorous -suns of thousands of days! Against each column leant a console bearing -the statue of a celebrated personage, perhaps one of those bold caravan -leaders who, from the rivers Tigris or Ganges, had brought to Palmyra -the brocades of Mosul and the silks of Baghdad, the glass-ware of Irak, -the ivory sculptured in silver, the porcelains of China, the sandal-wood -and the pearls. But the sands which swallow up everything, the living as -the dead, had mingled the débris of the statues with the bones of the -heroes. There remained only Greek or Palmyrian inscriptions half-eaten -away by time. -</p> -<p> -What was, then, this prodigy? On the iron props which formerly sustained -the consoles, young girls were mounted. They kept their fifteen or -sixteen year old bodies so perfectly rigid that from afar they looked -like white statues. Their loose robes were twisted round their bodies in -antique draperies; they wore veils and garlands of flowers. On each side -of the pillars, other young girls were grouped. And from one column to -the other ran a string of beautiful brown children elevating thyrsi. -While Lady Hester was passing these living statues remained motionless, -but afterwards, springing from their pedestals, they joined the -procession, dancing. The triumphal promenade continued for twelve -hundred metres, to terminate in the final apotheosis. Suspended by a -miracle to the top of the last arch, a young Bedouin girl deposited a -crown on the head of Lady Hester. Then the popular enthusiasm knew no -longer any bounds. The poets—all the Arabs are poets—chanted -verses in her praise, and the crowd took up the chorus, to the great -displeasure of the forty camels, which protested loudly. The entire village -was dancing in the steps of the stranger who had braved the seas and the -deserts to come to it. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was at last satisfied. She was not astonished, for nothing -could surpass her dreams of vengeance and her desire for glory. Why did -they not see her entry into Palmyra, those detested English who had so -disdainfully discarded her? Moore in his golden medallion took part in -the fête. -</p> -<p> -By what was in former times a monumental staircase, but was now only -dust, she arrived at the Temple of the Sun. Erected out of blocks of -marble, it rose still great on the field of desolation and ruins. The -gigantic walls of the sacred enclosure were crumbling in all parts, -exposing the immense square court 250 metres in length which surrounded -the sanctuary, to-day a mosque. As veritable butchers of art, the Arabs -had slashed the sanctuary to dig there their dens, and the pure line of -columns appeared to weep over this invasion of executioners. At her -house the excited people left her. -</p> -<p> -Bruce and Meryon, who retained a strong academic tincture, had abundant -leisure during the quiet hours of that evening to recall their classical -souvenirs. Zenobia and Hester Stanhope! What a vast horizon opens to all -the meditations of history and philosophy! What a comparison to make -between the former sovereign of Palmyra and her whom the Bedouins were -already proclaiming their queen! Do they not yield to the ready -temptation to compare. -</p> -<p> -What remained of Zenobia? A name on antique medals, a profile spoiled on -old coins. She was beautiful, it appears, and the Eastern pearl was not -more dazzling than her teeth. Her eyes were charming and full of fire -and her figure majestic. The singularity of her dress answered to that -of her character. She wore on her head a helmet surmounted by a ram's -head and a flowing plume, and on her robe a bull's head of brass, for -often she fought with the soldiers, her arms bare and a sword in her -hand, and supported on horseback the most prolonged fatigue. Firmness in -command, courage in reverses, loftiness of sentiments, diligence in -business, dissimulation in politics, audacity without restraint, -ambition without limits, such were, according to Trebellius Pollion, the -defects and the accomplishments of this extraordinary woman. -</p> -<p> -Would one not say that he who traced this portrait had known Hester -Stanhope? She added only to the outline of Zenobia six feet of height, -her haughty features, her clear complexion and Pitt's love of orating. -But it is not sufficient to have a masculine costume to acquire virility -and audacity, and it seems that under the cuirass embellished with -jewels, as under the koumbaz and the machllah, the two strangers, though -divided by sixteen centuries, in courage and ambition are sisters. -Sisters also in their religious aspirations as numerous as different, in -the eclecticism of their doctrines and their dogmas. They both belonged -to that class of restless minds which is ever ready to welcome new and -subversive philosophical theories, prompt to understand and to -assimilate, prompt also to oblivion and to change. -</p> -<p> -Was Zenobia Jewess, Christian, polytheist or idealist? Greedy to know -everything, she had drawn to her Court a disciple of Plotinus, Longinus, -who professed the purest neo-Platonism, and Paul of Samosata, Archbishop -of Antioch, a not very edifying Christian, whose subtle discussions on -the mystery of the Incarnation prepared the coming of Nestorius. She had -made of these two men who represented each two currents of ideas, if not -hostile, at least dissimilar, her civil counsellors. In default of -confession, deeds speak; and in this astonishing choice is betrayed the -descendant of the Greeks dowered with that marvellous faculty of -assimilation appropriate to her race which skims over everything without -adhering to anything. And that is why at Palmyra they walked on the -ruins of a temple of Baal and a synagogue, of a church and of a temple -of Diana. -</p> -<p> -And Lady Hester, had she beliefs more solidly established? She had grown -and lived, she also, in the midst of a disturbance and tumult of ideas -too contradictory to preserve a firm religion. The great breath of -revolutionary theories set in motion by Rousseau had turned other heads -better balanced than hers. If she did not founder, she contracted a sort -of exalted misanthropy, peculiar to women, in which Byron and Goethe had -a large share. The ground was prepared for the innumerable sects of the -East, which multiply like mushrooms on a stormy day, to make spring up -there the harvest of their philosophies and their revelations hostile -and divine. She was no longer Anglican and not yet Mohammedan. Under -cover of the good and accommodating Protestant arbitrator, she was able -to invent a religion adapted to circumstances. As a country in danger -launches a national loan, she will make an appeal every time. From some, -she will borrow Fatalism; from others, the belief in the coming of a -Messiah; from others, Biblical prophecies; from others, again, the -existence of evil spirits. -</p> -<p> -And what resemblances between these two beautiful Amazons of the East! -Soul intrepid and pride insensate. It is Zenobia, whose father a -magistrate of Palmyra, a simple curule edile charged with the policing -of the frontiers, calling herself a King's daughter and of the lineage -of Cleopatra, and exhibiting the table service of gold plate on which -the Queen of Egypt was served at festivals at Alexandria! It is Hester -Stanhope, in her last years, deceived, robbed, devoured, despoiled by a -pack of servants both numerous and greedy, replying to the doctor who -was entreating her to reduce this clique: "Yes, but my rank!" -</p> -<p> -Certainly, it is necessary to transpose the facts, the frame, the -actors. It is necessary to lower the historical ladder to the rung of -anecdote, but the quality of soul, does it not remain the same? Setting -aside all that modern civilisation has added or taken away from the -manner of thinking, of living and of feeling in the third century, we -may say that, if we invert the parts, if we make Hester Stanhope ascend -the throne of Palmyra (she would have very much enjoyed that position), -if we make Zenobia descend to the tent of the English traveller, they -are not misplaced. -</p> -<p> -Hester Stanhope, would she not have deserved the praise of Aurelian -writing of Zenobia, after having crushed at Antioch and at Emesa the -heavy Palmyrian cavalry, the archers of Osrhoene and those impetuous -bands of Arabs called so justly the brigands of Syria: "I should prefer -for my glory and my safety to deal with a man," she whose implacable -hostility and proud resistance were to make Mahomet Ali and Ibrahim -Pacha remark, twenty years later, that "the Englishwoman had given them -more trouble to conquer than all the insurgents of Syria and Palestine." -</p> -<p> -Zenobia, shut up in Palmyra, besieged by the Roman legions who were -digging mines to shake the solid ramparts at the angles crowned by -towers, replied proudly to Aurelian, who offered her life in return for -the surrender of the town: -</p> -<p> -"No one before thee has made in writing such a demand. In war, one -obtains nothing save by courage. You tell me to surrender, as if you did -not know that Queen Cleopatra preferred death to all the dignities which -they promised her. The help of Persia will not fail me. I have on my -side the Saracens and the Armenians. Conquered already by the brigands -of Syria, Aurelian, wouldst thou be able to resist the troops which are -expected from all parts? Then without doubt will fall that ridiculous -pride which dares to order me to surrender, as if victory could not -escape thee." -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester would willingly have signed this letter of which the biting -tone and the emphatic turn would not have displeased her. -</p> -<p> -And when Lady Hester, grown old, without soldiers, without money, in her -ruined castle of the Lebanon, engaged in a savage and perpetual struggle -with her terrible enemy, the Emir Bechir, will cry to an officer who was -laying down his pistols and his sabre at the door of Tier room: "Take up -thine arms! Dost thou think then that I am afraid of thee or thy master? -I do not know what fear is. It is for him and those who serve him to -tremble. And let not his son the Emir Khalil dare to place his foot -here. I will kill him; it will not be my people who will shoot him; I -will kill him myself with my own hand"; is it not easy to imagine that -Zenobia would have used the same violence of language? -</p> -<p> -And of which might a biographer have written: "Her chastity was vaunted -like her courage and she knew not love save for glory." Of Zenobia or of -Lady Hester? -</p> -<p> -Only, only there always arrives a moment in which comparison stops; here -it falls into an abyss. Zenobia was <i>Queen</i>. She ruled a people; she -defended at once her country and her warlike renown. She had an -object—an object of conquests to create an empire. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was a tourist. She conducted into the vast world the idle -fancies of an empty heart. She defended her reputation of eccentric -woman by vengeance, by bravado and by ennui. When a woman begins to know -that she is eccentric, she is speedily unendurable. As for political -designs, did Lady Hester think of resuming on her own account the -project of a Palmyrian empire. Bruce insinuated it, not without some -irony. Perhaps he did not feel an inclination to play to the life the -part of a Longinus, delivered up by Zenobia without remorse, condemned -to death and walking to execution with a resigned serenity! Who knows if -she will not reveal herself another Zenobia, thought he, musing, and if -she were not destined to bring back Palmyra to its former splendour? -</p> -<p> -Perhaps will she form a matrimonial connection—the expression is -his—with Ebu Sihoud, the King of the Wahabis. Oh! evidently, he was -not represented as a very amorous object. He had a harsh look, a bronzed -skin, and a black beard and disposition, but he was undoubtedly the -richest monarch in the whole world. After the sack of 1806, strings of -camels had left Mecca, carrying to Derayeh, the white Wahabi capital, -defended by its thick woods of palm-trees and its ramparts of piled-up -date-stones, all the presents which the faithful disciples of Mohammed -had sent to the prophet's tomb since the beginning of the Hegira. Throne -of massive gold incrusted with pearls and diamonds, the gift of a -gorgeous King of Persia who had done much killing, crowns enriched with -precious stones, lamps of silver and emerald, diamonds of the size of -walnuts. That is sufficient to tempt the most sensible of young women, -even if the prospective husband possesses a savage character and a -sanguinary reputation. And for a sportswoman, what attraction in the -sight of the royal stables? Eighty white mares with skins shining like -silver, ranged in a single row, so incomparable and so exactly alike -that one could not recognise one from the other, and one hundred and -twenty others of different coats and admirably shaped! -</p> -<p> -As so many less celebrated households, Ebu Sihoud and Hester Stanhope, -sacrificing love to ambition, would join hands, would bring a great -revolution into religion and politics and shake the throne of the Sultan -to its base. -</p> -<p> -Would a general be required? By Jupiter! General Oakes was distinctly -marked out. How agreeable it would be to him to learn the art of war -under the orders of a chief so distinguished! And these Wahabis! Ah! -what a magnificent people! Like the barbarians rolling in hordes, with -women, children and baggage, over the wreck of the Roman Empire, they -formed an immense army, which was transported from one desert to another -with dizzy rapidity. These shepherds were warriors with all their souls. -Let Turkey take care! Despite the victories of Mahomet Ali, they -extended their empire from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. Bruce -divined the prophecy that a warrior of Ebu Sihoud had proclaimed several -years before: "The time approaches in which we shall see an Arab seated -on the throne of the Caliphs. We have long enough languished under the -yoke of a usurper!" -</p> -<p> -But the night enveloped the recollections, and Bruce went to bed, -abandoning the phantoms of Aurelian, Zenobia and the Wahabis to the thin -crescent moon which was streaking with silver the sadness of the ruins. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, having learned of the gossip of all fashionable Palmyra on -the subject of the treasures which she was reputed to seek, adopted a -radical means of getting rid for ever of such a belief. She called for -her horse, and the sheik of the village followed her on foot. The poor -little tired-out man, little curious to admire the ruins amidst which he -had always lived, trotting behind, perspiring and puffing, demanded -mercy and confessed himself beaten. Surrounded by children and women -skipping like slougheis and running under the horses' hoofs to point out -the best way across the network of ruins, the travellers reached the -Saracen castle, whose flayed-alive walls dominated Palmyra. They leant -their elbows on the remains of the ramparts. At their feet, slept the -buried queen of the desert. These endless rose-coloured columns appeared -at a distance the plaything of some child giant forgotten on the sand. -Soon tired, the child has walked on his fragile constructions, and the -arcades and the temples have fallen in; some sections of the walls which -have escaped this joyous massacre alone remain. Feathery palm-trees and -pale banana-trees, like green favours which little fingers have thrown -to earth, spring up at random. -</p> -<p> -At the warm sulphur springs of Ephca, Lady Hester attended the bath of a -young married Bedouin woman. In former times, the girls of Palmyra, -"proud and tender at the same time, born of the mingling of the races of -Greece and Asia, passed for the most beautiful of the East." The beauty -of the women had survived empires, palaces and temples, and the sheiks -of the desert came continually to the ruins of Tadmore in search of -wives, for whom they paid very dearly. -</p> -<p> -Preceded by torch-bearers, Lady Hester visited the mosque. She stopped -for a long time before the sculptured ceiling on which could still be -made out the twelve signs of the Chaldean Zodiac. The astrologers, from -the depths of their mysterious chapels, had they predicted to Zenobia -the flight towards the Euphrates, the ascent to the Capitol under the -chains of gold, and the villa on the pleasant slopes of Tivoli. And Lady -Hester, in the presence of those stars which were crumbling slowly in -the gloom and the silence, had she the presentiment of her solitary -destiny in a shaking castle? -</p> -<p> -All went for the best, until one day Nasr surprised four Faydans roaming -round the springs. Captured, two amongst them evaded the vigilance of -their guards and fled during the night. At this news, Nasr, tearing his -hair, cried out like one possessed and declared that it was necessary to -leave without delay, for the fugitives had gone to warn their tribe of -the rich booty which awaited them. The departure was fixed for the next -day. -</p> -<p> -For the last time Lady Hester went over her realm. The setting sun -reanimated the jagged skeleton of the dead town. The tall columns -sparkled like candles. The night was transparent, the sky of velvet, in -which the golden stars trembled with a beauty which oppressed the heart. -In an uncovered space of the ruins of the temple, the servants had -lighted a great fire. They were giving a farewell reception. The flames -revealed dark faces and wild gambols. Pierre, naturally, was recounting -his history, and all bent their heads to listen to him, sometimes -mimicking the narrator, sometimes repeating in chorus an astonishing -passage. A Bedouin was explaining, in his manner, the great deeds of -Napoleon: -</p> -<p> -"The French are supernatural beings; their weapons of war are more -terrible than thunder. They have cannon which discharge balls of a size -which cannot be measured; and, extraordinary thing! very often these -balls remain quiet for a moment. Then, at the moment when one thinks the -least of them, they open with a crash and destroy everything which -surrounds them (<i>bombs</i>). They have, besides, the gift of -multiplying at will, for often one sees a little troop advancing, which, -at the moment when one thinks the least of it, extends, multiplies and -covers sometimes a plain of which they occupied at first only a little -part (<i>square battalions</i>). Finally, they possess guns with which -they fire often fifteen or twenty shots without needing to reload; it is -a continual fire (<i>line or platoon firing</i>). There are among them -soldiers who wear tall caps of hair; ho! those men are terrible; one is -enough to bring to the ground six Arab horsemen. The country which they -inhabit is very far from here; it is separated from us by the sea. Ah, -well! if they desired, they would succeed in passing under it and would -arrive here in the twinkling of an eye...." The jargon of the women, -kept apart from these fraternal love-feasts, alone rent the darkness. -</p> -<p> -On April 4, at dawn, the Bedouins, excited by the arrival of the -Faydans, broke up the camp in all haste. Lady Hester was broken-hearted -at leaving without saying good-bye. As for the doctor, he was chiefly -anxious to procure the recipe for a sweet sauce to eat with hare, in -which figured dried raisins and onions. That interested him much more -than all the ruins of creation. Nasr, through calculation or through -fear of losing the deposit entrusted to Muly Ismael, hastened the march, -allowing respite neither to beasts nor men. He was not reassured until -after having crossed the Belaz mountains and fallen in with the tribe of -the Sebah and many other Bedouin tribes which were posted on the path of -the Syt. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester was thirty-seven years of age at this period, but her -dazzling beauty was able to face the double proof of broad daylight and -popular infatuation. Lovingly thousands of women—whom she had, -besides, overwhelmed with handkerchiefs and necklaces—surrounded -her. All the men, fascinated by her manner of mounting half-wild horses, -proclaimed her <i>Queen</i>, and made her enter their tribe, giving her, -as to a child of the desert, the right of recommending travellers. It is -then that a Bedouin, carried away by the cavalcades, the cheering and -the general enthusiasm, threw down his keffiye, crying: "Let them give -me a hat, and I will go to England!" -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester learned afterwards that 300 Faydan horsemen had pursued the -caravan, but having fallen foul of the rearguard of the Sebahs, they had -abandoned a game lost in advance. There had been some wounded, and the -doctor was requested to give them his attention. But what was he to do -with the light-hearted fellows who washed their wounds with the urine of -camels and who, after some days of this treatment, were in perfect -health! It is useless to be fastidious; it is too disconcerting. -</p> -<p> -In the midst of an extraordinary concourse of admirers and spectators, -Lady Hester returned to her pleasant villa at Hama. Nasr drew his 2000 -piastres and returned to his desert, quite contented. How far is this -modest sum from the 30,000 piastres which a number of travellers -benevolently lent him, Didot at their head! As for the two Bedouins whom -Lady Hester had brought with the intention of exhibiting them later in -England, they pined away so rapidly, they assumed so quickly a pitiable -and sickly appearance, that she was obliged to send them back without -delay to their vermin and their sun. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap09"></a>CHAPTER IX -<br><br> -FROM THE TEMPLE OF BAALBECK -TO THE RUINS OF ASCALON</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">L</span>ADY HESTER, whose health was detestable, -hoped that a new sky and a new climate would bring her that cure which -always persisted in fleeing before her. On May 10, 1813, she left the -enchantress Hama without regrets. The sun was scorching and the marching -hours very trying, but Lady Hester, who never permitted herself to be -inconvenienced, slept late and preferred to allow the porters to sweat -blood and water at high noon. The caravan went back towards the north, -so far as Latakia, where the traveller calculated to embark for Russia -and perhaps for the Indies. Meantime, she maintained an active -correspondence with Ebir Sihoud, the King of the Wahabis, her credulous -imagination being stimulated by the Bedouin stories about this prince, -who had presented himself with 800 wives. The doctor did not succeed in -ascertaining what were her intentions, until she was about to depart. -"It is to be hoped that she has no idea of making an excursion to -Derazeh," said he in alarm; "she would be capable of taking me!" -</p> -<p> -The route, meadows spotted with mauve flowers in which the horses sank, -followed the Orontes, dominated by the Ansaries mountains, a rugged -chain still covered by a coating of snow. -</p> -<p> -Only, there arrived a thing which was not expected; the plague made its -appearance and reigned as a harsh mistress over the Syrian coast. -European vessels fled from the contaminated ports. Lady Hester -accordingly hired a house and waited, without impatience, for the -country was beautiful. All the summer she hunted the hares, the -partridges, the francolins and the gazelles which abounded in the woods -of olive and sycamore-trees on the bank of the Nahr-el-Kebir. Mr. -Barker, the consul at Aleppo, had brought his little family. -</p> -<p> -On October 7, Bruce, recalled suddenly to England, set out for Aleppo -with Beaudin. He was leaving his friend for a long time. What happened -at this departure, which was to be without return? And, first, what was -he in regard to Lady Hester. Simple travelling companion or lover? The -doctor observes on this subject a discretion wholly professional. He -remarks that Bruce, during the three years in which he travelled over -the East with her, derived much from the fruit of her experience of the -world and her conversation. We know nothing in reality. But who knows if -Bruce did not think of Lady Hester what Heinrich Heine was to say later -of Marie Kalergis: "She is not a woman; she is a monument; she is the -cathedral of the god Love." And men do not much care about falling at -the feet of cathedrals; they fear the gossip of the idlers, and they -have too much difficulty in getting up again afterwards. -</p> -<p> -The plague was causing great havoc, redoubling its efforts, and -established itself in the centre of the town. The Arabs, besides, -referred the matter to Mohammed, and took no further precautions or -remedies. Barker lost his two little girls. And, on the eve of starting -for Sidon, Lady Hester, who had definitely renounced the idea of -returning to Europe, was brought down; she also, by the disease. In the -evening, the doctor was attacked by fever. Although hardly able to -stand, he remained, none the less, at the pillow of the sick woman, for -whom he disputed three weeks with death. The servants were struck down, -and Latakia was shaken by a violent storm. The water entered in streams -through the cracked roof, and they were obliged to move Lady Hester's -bed incessantly to prevent it from being flooded. On December 15, she -had a relapse; finally, on January 6, 1814, they succeeded in hoisting -her into the boat which was to take her to Sidon. -</p> -<p> -In the environs of that town, the Greek patriarch Athanasius had let to -her, for a mere nothing, the Monastery of Mar-Elias. This monastery, -built on a bare spur of the Lebanon, commanded a view of the Syrian Sea. -Small and dilapidated, it had the privilege of preserving in its walls -the body of the last patriarch seated in his chair. Unpleasant detail: -he had been badly embalmed and recalled himself to the sense of smell of -his faithful friends in an ill-timed manner. -</p> -<p> -It is at this moment that Lady Hester changed in character. Her -convalescence being prolonged, she became simple in her habits up to -cynicism. She displayed in her conversation a bitter and singularly -acute spirit, judging men as though she were reading from an open book -in their hearts. She found some consolations in a Sphynx-like attitude, -and being well acquainted with the undercurrents and the mechanism of -European politics, she was able to afford herself the luxury of -predictions realisable and rather often realised. -</p> -<p> -The plague, which the winter had for some months benumbed, resumed with -the spring its victorious march. It broke out everywhere with a new -violence, at Damascus, at Sidon, at Bairout, at Homs. The doctor hoped -that the scourge would spare the little hamlet of Abra, some metres from -the monastery where he had his quarters. But the late passion for -cleanliness of a peasant named Constantine, who, at the age of sixty -years, never having taken warm baths, went to obtain them at Sidon, was -the cause of all the evil. He brought back the plague. Then terror -seized upon the village. The peasants fled into the mountain with their -cattle and their silk-worms; and there was no one to remove the dead -bodies, which decomposed where they lay and increased the infection. The -doctor, having no longer permission to cross the threshold of the -monastery, communicated with Lady Hester through the window, and his -servant Giovanni having fallen ill, he was also regarded as suspect and -remained abandoned, with the agreeable prospect of doing his own cooking -and washing his own dishes. -</p> -<p> -The month of May was by misfortune particularly hot. There were scenes -which nothing will ever surpass in horror. A peasant of the name of -Shahud lost his only son, whom he adored. He carried him himself to the -common grave; but having loosened the stone and perceived the body of -that accursed Constantine, he was seized with madness. He threw himself -on the corpse to give it as food to the jackals. But death had done its -work better; the limb by which he had intended to seize him remained in -his hand. What a spectacle! Before the half-open charnel-house, this -peasant, with distracted air, brandishing a piece of a corpse, curses -and insults it while almost choking! And all around the beautiful and -fresh country under the blue sky.... -</p> -<p> -Then life resumes all its rights. The village forgot the death-rattle of -the dying and resounded soon with songs and careless laughter. -Constantine's eldest son, who had been about to be married, being dead, -he was replaced immediately by his young brother. The bridegroom was -only thirteen, and cast envious glances in the direction of the -companions of his own age, who were dancing merrily, without looking at -his wife, who was three years older than himself, it is true. -</p> -<p> -To recover from all these emotions, Lady Hester resolved to visit -Baalbeck. She set out on October 18, and, from fear of the plague, she -carried away provisions for the entire journey. She will not become an -accomplished fatalist until many years afterwards.... She conceived even -meat-puddings, which were theoretically to keep for several months and -which set the teeth of the escort on edge, so invincible were their -hardness and dryness! A thing decided upon being for her a thing done, -the doctor was obliged to put up with the puddings, not without sadness. -She had also the idea of travelling on donkeys, she and all her people. -She had time to spare, and she was incensed at the complete oblivion in -which her relatives and friends in England had left her. She thought in -this way to attract the attention of the consuls and the merchants, and -to make the disgrace of this equipage fall upon all those who ought to -have watched over her welfare. A Pitt travelling on a donkey! What a -bomb in Downing Street! Yes, but the absent go quickly. -</p> -<p> -The plain of the Bekaa brought them comfortably to Baalbeck. The camp -was pitched beyond the town, at the springs of the Litani. From -Ras-el-Aia the travellers contemplated one of the most beautiful -districts of Asia, and every evening they found a new charm. In the -distance, the great white sheik, the solemn Hermon, the slopes of the -Lebanon, the deep and quiet valley showing the harmony of its verdure, -wearied and fatigued by the summer, around the Temple of Baal, the six -columns light, exquisite, fragile and, nevertheless, living symbol of -strength and eternity. And to give to this country of light a more human -beauty, tents scattered at the foot of a mosque and long flocks of -reddish and grey sheep coming to drink. -</p> -<p> -What were Lady Hester's feelings? What reflections assailed her when she -walked in the Acropolis, traversing the courts surrounded by exedras, -encountering the capitals in rose-coloured granite of Hassouan, the -lustral basins with sculptures so delicate that the tritons and the -chariots appeared cameos, passing under the compartment-ceilings of the -Temple of Bacchus, halting, in astonishment, before the principal arch -of the door, of which the audacious jet cleaves the sky, before the -walls where, amongst the stone lacework, are found everywhere the egg -and the arrow, emblem of life and of death? -</p> -<p> -The doctor is a confidant too discreet. His personal taste leads him to -deplore the gigantic stones which form the sub-basement of the temple. -He does not like the Trilithon! He finds that the colossal dimensions of -the three monoliths are not in harmony with the rest of the edifice and -destroy all symmetry! But it is an opinion in which he stands quite -alone. -</p> -<p> -He was not able to resist the pleasure of writing on the walls of the -temple some verses in honour of Lady Hester: -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Quam multa antiquis sunt his incisa columuni</span><br> -<span class="i0">Nomina! cum saxo mox peritura simul,</span><br> -<span class="i0">Sed tu nulla times oblivia; fama superstes,</span><br> -<span class="i0">Esther, si pereant marmora, semper erit!</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p> -The intention was amiable, if the result were mediocre. But Lady Hester -caused them to be effaced promptly. -</p> -<p> -"I have made it a rule," said she to him more frankly than courteously, -"since I entered Society, never to allow people to write verses about -me. If I had been willing, I should have had thousands of poets to -celebrate me in every way, but I consider there is nothing so -ridiculous. Look at the Duchess of Devonshire, who receives every -morning a sonnet on her drive, an impromptu on her headache, and a crowd -of other absurdities. I abominate that sort of thing." -</p> -<p> -The doctor took it for granted. -</p> -<p> -The weather suddenly changed, and on November 7 the caravan started for -the Neck of Cedars, which the snows were threatening to obstruct. The -travellers were swept by one of those frightful storms of which the -countries of the East possess the secret; tents torn down, lanterns and -fires extinguished, the mountain shaken and trembling, howling of the -wind. The muleteers prudently vanished, fearing a night service. They -crossed the neck at last, leaving on their right the cedars to which the -doctor compares those of Warwick, scarcely less beautiful, and descended -on the villages of Becherre and Ehden, by a straight passage which would -have frightened many expert horsemen. Some miles from Ehden, there was, -in the middle of the mountain, clinging to the rock, suspended above the -abyss in which the Nadicha rumbles, a famous monastery, the Monastery of -St. Anthony. Miracles were there more specially reserved for epileptics -and the mentally afflicted; but St. Anthony was far more indebted for -his celebrity to the violent and implacable hostility which he showed -towards all representatives of the weak sex without exception. The -Moslems ought to venerate a saint so judicious. Not only had no woman -ever passed the threshold of the convent, but female animals themselves -were rigorously shut up, from fear of their mingling with the privileged -males in the forbidden precincts. It was this reason which decided Lady -Hester to make a détour in order to go to brave a saint so little -gallant. She invited the superior in her own convent, associating with -him, for form's sake, some sheiks of the village, and making a courteous -allusion to the firman of the Sultan which gave her the right to enter -every place. She went to the monastery mounted on a she-ass—double -sacrilege! When she entered the court, all the onlookers, monks and -servants, expected the earth to open under the feet of the impudent -women to swallow her up. But all passed off excellently, and she visited -the monastery from top to bottom. At every door there was a violent -altercation which threatened to turn to fisticuffs between the feminist -and anti-feminist clans of the monks. The meal was long and plentiful. -St. Anthony lost his prestige; that of Lady Hester increased in -proportion. -</p> -<p> -Tripoli, where Lady Hester occupied, for several months, an uninhabited -convent of the Capuchins, had as military governor Mustafa Aga Barbar. -Of very low origin, the son of a muleteer, he had, at the head of a band -of resolute fellows, captured the fortress of the town by surprise. The -people, who detested the janissaries, had risen in revolt with him, and -a firman of the Porte confirmed him in the post which he had usurped, -for in the East the strongest reason is always the best. He received -Lady Hester with a homely simplicity which contrasted with the stiff -politeness of the Turks. She made on him a lasting impression. -</p> -<p> -In January 1815, Lady Hester returned to Mar-Elias. Scarcely had she -alighted from her donkey than she received horrible news, brought back -from Bairout by Beaudin: a Capugi Bachi had arrived, demanding her with -hue and cry! Everyone knows that a Capugi Bachi does not come into a -province except to give orders for strangulation, hanging, imprisonment -and the bastinado, never for an agreeable object. Lady Hester smiled -slyly and sent a pressing message to the Capugi Bachi, who arrived at -the end of dinner. Beaudin and Meryon, who had decorated their girdles -with pistols, regarded with a hostile eye this little man who came to -disturb their digestion. They were far from expecting the reality. -</p> -<p> -An attack of plague would have sufficed as occupation to the average -woman; nevertheless, it was during her illness that Lady Hester drew up -a plan of campaign around an old manuscript which had fallen by chance -into her hands, and which indicated the site where fabulous riches had -been concealed in the ruins of Sidon and Ascalon. Treasures? Nothing was -impossible. In the East the inhabitants possess no certainty of -preserving their property. Deprived of banks, deprived of paper-money -easy to handle, subject to the arbitrary will of avaricious governors, -living in the midst of perpetual wars and troubles—in twenty years -Tripoli had been besieged five times and five times sacked—they have -only one resource: a good and mysterious hiding-place, unknown to all -and particularly to their women. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, the people divided European travellers into three categories: -exiles, spies and treasure-seekers. Lady Hester strongly suspected the -Porte of laying a trap for her, but it was too dangerous to place -herself in the first categories of foreigners, and she played the part -of one who believed in the manuscript. A little time afterwards, she was -to believe in it in reality and blindly. -</p> -<p> -To finish gaining the Turkish Government, she begged Sir Robert Liston, -British Ambassador, to present the project to the Reis Effendi, -insisting on the fact that all the money would belong to the Sultan; she -reserved only for herself the glory of the discoveries. As for the -expenses, nothing was more simple; England would pay the bill. "If the -Government refuses," said she, "I shall send it to the newspapers. It is -a right and certainly not a favour. Sir Edward Paget, when Ambassador at -Vienna, made Mr. Pitt pay him £70,000 for the liveries of his servants -during four years. I do not see why I should not do the same thing." -</p> -<p> -The Turkish Government, delighted at an affair in which there would be -everything to gain and nothing to lose, immediately despatched Darwish -Mustapha Aga Capugi Bachi, who was to place himself under Lady Hester's -orders and to invest her with an authority which no European ambassador -or non-official Christian had ever had, and still less a woman. He was -the bearer of firmans for the Pacha of Acre, for the Pacha of Damascus -and for all the governors of Syria. -</p> -<p> -Scarcely disembarked from Baalbeck, Lady Hester launched into a -formidable and arduous undertaking. But she adored action. And then what -excitement to command! What joy to reign without control over these -Orientals created and placed in the world to obey! General-in-chief on -the eve of delivering battle, she despatched messengers. Quick! a line -to Malim Musa, of Hama, who will be her good counsellor and will watch -the Capugi Bachi: "You know that I do not travel by roundabout ways; an -urgent affair calls for your presence at Acre." Quick! a letter to -Soliman Pacha to explain the matter to him and to demand his help. -</p> -<p> -Mar-Elias, transformed into headquarters, resounded with the galloping -of horses which were departing or arriving, resounded with a thousand -orders which intersected one another from morning till evening. The -excitement increased. The grooms kept their animals in readiness for -departure. Giorgio and the Capugi Bachi went to Acre to reconnoitre. -Beaudin recruited mules. The doctor gained Damascus with all speed to -procure what was wanting for the expedition, and found time to see -Fatimah again, but a Fatimah marked by the plague, with eyes grown dull -and sallow face. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester's caravan followed the coast. At St. Jean d'Acre the curious -admiration of the crowd was transformed into a salutary fear for the Syt -who enjoyed so much influence at the Court of the Sultan. The doctor, -who had naturally remained behind and naturally been overtaken by a -storm—already in returning from Damascus he had been buried in a -tempest of snow—arrived soaked and in a bad temper at the encampment -at Haifa, and was disagreeably surprised to find in the dining-tent a rough -and dirty individual. -</p> -<p> -Rather tall, with bold and haughty features and the remains of good -looks travestied by dirt, he wore long and dirty hair and a Spanish -surtout of the most shabby description. His mutilated left hand was -making ostensible efforts to disappear beneath a red handkerchief, while -his right hand flourished a Bible recklessly. -</p> -<p> -General Loustaunau presented himself to the considerably astonished -doctor, who recognised him, by his way of saluting, for a Frenchman. -</p> -<p> -General he was, but in the Indies, and he did not require pressing to -relate his history, which approached, perhaps a little artificially, the -epopee. -</p> -<p> -Of a family of poor peasants of the Pyrenees, he was born at the little -town of Aïdens. Early, he intended to seek his fortune in America, but -on arriving at Bordeaux and learning that a ship was about to sail for -the Indies, he suddenly changed his mind and joined it as a sailor. The -<i>Sartine</i> weighed anchor in September, 1777. She carried away a young -man more rich in hopes than in cash, but who possessed a fine presence, -robust health and an astonishing activity, thanks to which he was going -to make his way quickly. -</p> -<p> -Disembarked at Poonah, he contrived to attract the attention of M. de -Marigny, the French Ambassador, who was accustomed to say to him: "You, -you are not an ordinary type." The empire of the Mahrattas was at that -time a land consecrated to political intrigues. The emperor had been -assassinated, leaving an infant son. The Prince Ragova, his brother, who -was not perhaps a stranger to the murder, claimed the throne, supported -by the English, while the Rajahs Nassaphermis and Sindhia ranged -themselves on the side of the legitimate heir. -</p> -<p> -War having broken out, Loustaunau, who was dying with envy to see a -battle, demanded authorisation to go to the Maliratta camp. His reply to -M. de Marigny's objections was simple: "If I am killed, well! good day, -and it will be finished!" -</p> -<p> -M. de Marigny gave him a recommendation to General Norolli, a Portuguese -who commanded the rajah's artillery. On the field of battle, Loustaunau -observed everything and followed with interest the movements of the -army. The English were entrenched on an eminence, and had there -established batteries which were making great havoc in the ranks of the -Mahrattas. Loustaunau observed a height which dominated the enemy's -position, and which was easily accessible to the rajah's troops. -</p> -<p> -To General Norolli, who was passing, Loustaunau pointed out the spot, -offering him the possibility of reducing the English artillery to -silence. But Norolli, swollen with the distrust which the military man -always has for the civilian, shrugged his shoulders before this -beardless youth who was presuming to meddle with strategy. However, an -old officer, who had heard the conversation, asked him what he thought -of their artillery. -</p> -<p> -"If I were a flatterer," he replied, "I should say that it is excellent; -but, as I am not, I permit myself to say that it is detestable." -</p> -<p> -"Ah, nonsense! and what would you do if you had the command?" -</p> -<p> -"As for what is the command, I know not the devil a bit about it. But -the only thing to do, if I had cannon, is what I have said." -</p> -<p> -"I shall perhaps be able to give them you. What would you do?" -</p> -<p> -"I should place them up there, and I swear on my head that it would not -take long." -</p> -<p> -The Frenchman's assurance, his determination, his audacity, made an -impression on the officer, who brought Loustaunau before Sindhia. -</p> -<p> -"Let them give him ten pieces of artillery and the best gunners," said -Sindhia. "Only let him make haste, for the situation is infernal." -</p> -<p> -Rapidly placed in position, Loustaunau's cannon caused the ammunition -waggons of the enemy to explode, throwing the English camp into -disorder, and certainly deciding the fate of the battle. Congratulated -by the rajah, who offered him presents and a command in his army, -Loustaunau declined both before returning to M. de Marigny. Scarcely had -he left Sindhia's tent than he was rudely apostrophised by General -Norolli, green with concentrated and suppressed rage. -</p> -<p> -"Who has authorised you, Monsieur," cried he, "to present yourself to -the rajah without my permission? You are well aware that it is I who -introduce all Europeans." -</p> -<p> -"General, I went in response to a summons from his Highness. If you were -enraged because I have been fortunate enough to render him a small -service, do not forget that it was to you first of all that I pointed -out the site of the battery. You refused to listen to me, and if others -after you have followed my advice, it is your fault and not mine." -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur, you would deserve that I put this whip about your shoulders." -</p> -<p> -"Your anger is taking away your reason, General. If you have some blows -of a whip to deal out, reserve them for your Portuguese; the French are -not accustomed to receive them." -</p> -<p> -Norolli laid his hand on his pistol, but Loustaunau was watching him and -was ready to throw himself upon him. Officers separated them. -</p> -<p> -Some weeks later, M. de Marigny having been recalled to France, -Loustaunau accepted the rajah's offer. He raised a corps of 2000 men, -called "the French detachment," of which he reserved to himself the -absolute and uncontrolled command, and, at the head of his wild -Rohillas, he performed wonders. The English were obliged to sign peace, -delivering up Ragova and engaging to restore all the strong towns which -they had captured. -</p> -<p> -Brave, clear-sighted, of sound political views, thoroughly qualified to -command, this little peasant had in him the stuff of which a leader is -made, and so well did he distinguish himself that he was appointed -general of Sindhia's troops. He was not going to remain long inactive, -for the English, faithful to the astute tactics which they had adopted -in the Indies, employed in turn the troops of Bengal, those of Bombay -and those of Coromandel. In this way, the treaties of the one appeared -not to bind the others and they escaped serious reverses, while -profiting by their partial successes. Soon General Garderre, at the head -of 15,000 sepoys of Bengal, invaded the Mahratta country. But Loustaunau -was on the watch, and the enemy's army was completely routed. It was at -the end of a murderous combat that a stray ball carried away -Loustaunau's left hand. He had a silver hand carved for himself of -ingenious workmanship. Clever idea, for the bonzes prostrated themselves -as he passed along, whispering opportune prophecies announcing that -"it was written in the Temple of Siva that the Mahrattas would attain -their highest point of glory under a man who had come from far countries -of the West, who would wear a silver hand and be invincible." Then he -tasted the intoxicating joy of popularity and, what was better, the -Imperial favours. He lived in a palace furnished in Eastern style, with -thirty elephants, five hundred horses, and servants in profusion. Two -colossal silver hands placed at his gate informed all the Hindus of his -glorious titles. -</p> -<p> -But the tenacious English launched a third army under the command of -General Camac. Loustaunau annihilated it, as he had the two others. In -vain Camac tried to withstand him; the sepoys, terrified by the -fearlessness of the Mahrattas and by the colossal silver hands which -served them as banners, beat a retreat. Loustaunau had paid dearly for -the victory; he had been wounded in the shoulder and in the foot. -General Camac, charmed by his courage, sent him his own surgeon to -operate on him. But Loustaunau declined his services, not wishing, said -he, to owe anything to his enemies. The rajahs proclaimed him, "the Lion -of the State and the Tiger in war." His renown extended rapidly through -the Indies, and some Frenchmen who were serving in the English army -deserted in order to go to him. The English sent an officer, Mr. -Quipatrick, to demand the fugitives. Loustaunau refused to give them up. -Sindhia sent him an order to obey. Then he proposed to Mr. Quipatrick to -follow him into the camp of the Rohillas to receive the deserters. He -ordered the signal to saddle to be sounded, and the Rohillas drew their -sabres. -</p> -<p> -"They demand your brothers," said he, "and those whom a noble confidence -has brought to you; are you willing to give them up?... As for me, so -long as my right hand will be able to handle a sabre, never will I give -up my countrymen to death." -</p> -<p> -The English officer was obliged to go back again with an empty bag. -</p> -<p> -However, a swarm of fellow-countrymen—the rumour of his fortune had -reached Béarn—pounced down, one fine morning, upon his cake. He -shared generously with them and found a place for them in brilliant -affairs. Between two campaigns, he had married Mlle. Poulet, daughter of a -French officer who had not been successful and was vegetating sadly in the -Indies. -</p> -<p> -Loustaunau had, however, difficult times. Having aroused the jealousy of -a vizier who refused him subsidies, he was obliged, during a war against -the Prince of Lahore, to provide, at his own expense, the pay and the -revictualling of his troops. To put an end to such abuses, he galloped -so far as Delhi, threatened the vizier with his pistols and compelled -him to sign an order for 4,500,000 rupees to reimburse him. -</p> -<p> -Sooner or later, the exile hears the call of country. Eighteen years of -adventurous life had not made Loustaunau forget the sweetness of certain -summer evenings in the valleys of the Pyrenees. Suddenly, he decided to -return. In a few days he realised 8,000,000 rupees, which he had -transferred to France, through the agency of M. Dewerines, a merchant at -Chandernagore. To the Catholic church at Delhi he left lands which were -worth a rental of 30,000 rupees and assured the fortune of all his -comrades in glory. He took leave of Sindhia, who made him the most -brilliant promises in order to retain him. -</p> -<p> -"Thy departure," said he, "means the triumph of the English, the ruin of -thy new country; thine was ungrateful; it did not know thy worth, since -thou didst arrive here poor. The Mahrattas will, moreover, do for thee -four times more than they have done. Thou art as powerful as I am; I -love thee as my father. Thus thou canst not think of leaving us." -</p> -<p> -But Loustaunau listened to no one; he took his departure, surrounded by -an immense population, which gave vent to loud lamentations, for the -protection of the bonzes had made of him a being almost divine. -</p> -<p> -Good fortune grew weary of following him and abandoned him on his -departure from the Indies. Starting from that moment, checks and -reverses will succeed to successes and triumphs with a mathematical -precision. Bad passage of seven months. Arrival at Versailles. -Loustaunau had truly chosen his hour well! The Revolution was scenting -bankruptcy. And the beautiful millions of the East melted like snow in -the sun. He was paid in assignats, and scarcely drew 200,000 francs from -this fine financial operation. Without being discouraged, he established -a foundry on the frontiers of Spain; but the wars ruined it completely. -He dispersed gradually all the valuable jewels which he had brought back -from the Indies and formed the vigorous resolution to start again for -Delhi to seek the wreck of his fortune. He left at Tarbes five children, -three sons and two daughters. A magnificent ruby, the last gift of -Sindhia, which he had pawned at Paris, was to pay the expenses of the -journey. -</p> -<p> -Not being able to find in Egypt the facilities he desired to embark for -India, he proceeded to Syria, with the intention of joining the caravan -which left Damascus for Bassora. But he fell dangerously ill at Acre. -His intellectual faculties, affected by so many extraordinary events, -broke down in an alarming fashion. He was seized by a religious -exaltation and by an unfortunate devotion, for he distributed to his -neighbours the money which remained to him. And Loustaunau lived on alms -in a miserable hut in the orchards of Acre. "The Lion of the State and -the Tiger in war" wandered miserably across the country. Having -retained, the recollection of the brilliant part which prophecies had -played in his splendid past, he was seized with a passion for the Bible, -and made it his study to find a link between present events and ancient -narrations. People called him "the prophet" and respected his -inoffensive folly. -</p> -<p> -On learning of the arrival of Lady Hester, he had hastened to her, armed -with a thousand sacred texts announcing her coming. He imagined, -besides, that she was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but he was not -embarrassed to give another direction to his prophecies. Lady Hester -received him very cordially, divining immediately what marvellous -advantage she might derive, not from his flashes of lucidity which -revealed the keen good sense of the peasant, lofty sentiments and an -astonishing memory, but from his Biblical extravagances. In consequence, -she bestowed upon him alms in abundance. Mentally, she already relegated -Pierre to the rank of minor prophet. -</p> -<p> -Loustaunau withdrew soon in torrents of rain. The tents were overturned -like umbrellas, and Lady Hester had two narrow escapes of being buried -under her own. But it was said that that evening the doctor did not have -a moment's respite and that the march past of frightened people did not -cease. Towards midnight they came to inform him that a Frank had arrived -from Acre. He hastened into the dining-tent and found a young Dalmatian -who was about to put on the uniform of an officer of the British Navy. -Signor Thomaso Coschich—he bore this sonorous name—explained -with much importance and volubility that he had been dragoman to the -Princess of Wales during her journey from Palermo to Constantinople; that -he had crossed the Mediterranean, in the midst of war, on a walnut-shell, -so well that the fishermen of Cyprus had not recovered from their -astonishment, and that he had come to find Lady Hester to take her back -to England. -</p> -<p> -Then he handed to the dumbfounded doctor despatches from Sir Sydney -Smith, of the highest importance, and which would not suffer any delay. -Lady Stanhope was charged to transmit several letters to the Emir -Bechir. There were many things in these letters, in truth. Sir Sydney -Smith began by reproaching the emir harshly with having allowed the eyes -of his nephews to be put out (Bechir had charged himself with the -business). "I hope," wrote he, "that you will not deprive them of your -protection; I hold you responsible to me for their safety." He demanded -the 15,000 men which Bechir had promised to furnish to hunt down the -pirates of Algiers. He sent him their banners and the plans of campaign -approved by Austria, Russia, Prussia, France, the Emperor of Morocco and -the Dey of Tunis—nothing except that. Finally, being very much in -debt and in a most precarious situation, he reckoned on Lady Hester, his -dear cousin, to obtain a little loan from her Syrian friends! -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, congratulating herself on having put her nose into this -correspondence, which smelt of powder, suspended for three days the -march of the caravan, in order to compose her answers and to get rid as -quickly as possible of the embarrassing personality of Thomaso Coschich. -This imbecile, in order to get the gates of Acre to open to him during -the night, had declared that war was about to be declared between Russia -and Turkey, and that, as England was taking an important part in it, he -was to conduct Lady Hester to a place of safety. True Knight of Fortune, -indiscreet, noisy, quarrelsome, swollen with vanity, loud in bragging, -his rodomontades produced a disastrous effect on the Turks, who rarely -understand pleasantry and never ridicule. -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester decided to put a stop to the negotiations and wrote to Sir -Sydney Smith that his idea was stupid; that Bechir had too many enemies -to deprive himself of 15,000 men like that; that his men did not fight -well except with their mountains behind them, which they would not -consent to leave; that it was impossible, however, to carry them away -with them, and that, moreover, as Bechir possessed no port, he would -have to obtain the authorisation of the Pacha of Acre to embark them. -And, alluding to the frightful banners in German cotton-cloth which Sir -Sydney Smith had sent, she inquired who was the king of -pocket-handkerchiefs. -</p> -<p> -Beyond that, she immediately despatched copies of Sir Sydney Smith's -letters and her own to Mr. Liston (Constantinople) and Mr. Barker -(Aleppo), begging the latter to stop all the letters which he might -suppose were coming from Sir Sydney Smith to the Emir Bechir. Bechir -made faces at the passage relating to his nephews, but he broke out into -a cold sweat when he thought of all the vexations which the absurd -intervention of the Commodore might have brought upon him but for the -prudent and circumspect conduct of Lady Hester. The Porte was not to be -trifled with when an alliance with European nations was in question, and -his head would have leaped like a cork. -</p> -<p> -As for the presents, they denoted a complete misunderstanding of the -customs, policy and religions of the East. Sir Sydney Smith sent Abu -Gosh a pair of pistols—at a time when the Turks, when they -received arms from England, wanted English arms—the Emir Bechir, a -black satin abaye—it was just as though someone had offered Sir -Sydney Smith a pair of cretonne breeches—to his wife a -work-basket; to the library of Jerusalem (there was not one) a Bible; to -the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a portrait of the Pope, when all the -sects which were tearing away the Holy Places had nothing in common -except their quarrels. -</p> -<p> -The Emir Bechir received the presents graciously, but did not exhibit -them, nor did he ever speak of them, and it is probable that his sons no -longer demanded news of Sir Sydney Smith from all travelling Europeans -at Beit-ed-Dui, as they had done up to the present. -</p> -<p> -At Jaffa, a firman of Soliman ordered Mohammed Aga to accompany Lady -Hester. How he would have liked to transfer the duty to another! For -Lady Hester, remembering his apathy in 1812, treated him with the most -utter disdain, crushing him beneath a contempt fallen from very high, -opposing a wooden countenance to all his advances. It was an antipathy -justified by the vile and base character of Mohammed. He had always been -protected by Soliman, who had appointed him to Jaffa. Some months later, -the Pacha of Tripoli being dead, Soliman demanded this dignity for his -favourite. The Grand Vizier received at the same time a despatch from -Mohammed, who demanded the place occupied by Soliman, who, he wrote, was -"incapable, old and an invalid." The Vizier contented himself by sending -this letter to Soliman, with these words: "That is the man for whom you -demand the title of pacha with two tails!" -</p> -<p> -What a departure! The Governor of Jaffa and his suite, the Capugi Bachi -and his officers, Mr. Catafago (carried off on his way from Acre), Malim -Musa (who had just arrived), Damiani, the doctor, Beaudin, the -dragomans, the interpreters, the cooks! An escort of a hundred -dark-faced Hawarys horsemen. Lady Hester, in a palanquin of crimson -velvet drawn by two white mules, preceded by her mare and her donkeys, -saddled and ready for her to mount, if she showed the desire to do so. -The army of camels vanishing beneath the picks, the mattocks, the -spades, the wheelbarrows, the ropes with which they were laden; the -crowd of water-carriers and torch-bearers. The twenty sumptuous tents -given by Soliman, one particularly of magnificent dimensions, of a green -colour, ornamented by chimeras and yellow stars, double like the calix -and the corolla of a flower turned upside down, attracted the attention -of all. It was the tent which the Princess of Wales will render famous -and which was to play an important part at the time of that scandalous -trial of 1820, in which George IV—very far, however, from having a -stainless private life!—will have the impudence to come to parade all -these stories of the alcove and to make march past all that rabble of -hired witnesses: Swiss, Germans, Italians particularly, for the simple -pleasure of being disembarrassed of his wife! -</p> -<p> -Three messengers galloped in advance of the caravan. The inhabitants of -the villages were turned out to leave the place for her. The Moslem -governors bent under the will of a woman in a fanatical country. Ah! -truly she was able to cry, five years later, in recalling this journey: -</p> -<p> -"The wife of that poor King (George IV) came to Syria to pass as an -obscure Englishwoman, while Lady Hester played there the part which the -Princess of Wales ought never to have abandoned!" -</p> -<p> -The green and blue tents rose amongst the stones and took by assault the -ruins of Ascalon. They were extremely comfortable, and nowhere in Syria -had the doctor found better fare. On April 3,1815, the hundred peasants -who had been requisitioned in the environs began the work of excavation -to the south of the mosque. The first blows of the mattock brought to -light earthenware and fragments of a column of no interest. On the 4th, -the picks met with a resistance, and a magnificent statue of mutilated -marble was gently drawn out. It was the body of a warrior of colossal -dimensions, measuring six feet nine inches from shoulder to heel, and of -a very beautiful shape. The doctor will conjecture that it belonged to -the Herodean epoch, and the head of Medusa which ornamented the chest -induced him to think that he was in the presence of a deified king. The -next day cisterns were discovered. Finally, on the 8th, great -excitement! Two stone angels cemented by four columns of grey granite -were unearthed. Surely the treasure was within! Labour in vain, hopes -deceived; they were empty, completely empty! -</p> -<p> -The doctor, to console Lady Hester, spoke words of comfort to her. -</p> -<p> -"In the eyes of lovers of Art," said he, "all the treasures of the world -are not worth your statue. Later on, visitors to Ascalon will stand in -astonishment before the remains of antiquity snatched from the past by a -woman." -</p> -<p> -But Lady Hester, whose unexpected actions were continually disconcerting -those who believed that they knew her best, answered coldly: -</p> -<p> -"That is perhaps true, but it is my intention to break this statue into -a thousand pieces and to throw it into the sea, just to avoid such a -report being spread, and that I may not lose at the Porte the merit of -my disinterestedness." -</p> -<p> -And this was done, despite all the murmurs and all the protestations. -The ruins, starting from that moment, seemed to avenge themselves for -this act of savage vandalism, and the workmen found nothing more; they -laughed in their sleeves. The check was complete. The site indicated had -been excavated and re-excavated. Lady Hester consoled herself by the -thought that Djezzar Pacha had anticipated her, under the pretext of -seeking materials for his mosque. She accepted the defeat, but she did -not admit as victor anyone except the Red Pacha, the only adversary -worthy of her. -</p> -<p> -What was harder, was that England refused to know anything. The expenses -remained charged to Lady Hester. It is true that she wrote at that time -letters like this: -</p> -<p> -"Since I well knew that it [the statue] would be admired by English -travellers, I gave orders for it to be broken to bits, in order that -malicious tongues might not proceed to relate that I am searching for -statues for my countrymen, and not for treasures for the Sultan." -</p> -<p> -It would discourage, at any rate, people better disposed! -</p> -<p> -Lady Hester, grumbling the while, got out of the difficulty of the -Ascalon expenses by the aid of economy. At that moment, she boasted of -not having a debt. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2><a id="chap10"></a>CHAPTER X -<br><br> -IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE ASSASSINS</h2> -<br><br> -<p class="nind"> -<span class="dropcap">T</span>IRED in body and irritated in mind, Lady -Hester revived at Mar-Elias. At that moment, Pierre Ruffin, French -chargé d'affaires at Constantinople, an intimate friend of the amiable -Pouqueville, had his eye on the Englishwoman and warned Caulaincourt, -whom he supposed to be still Minister for Foreign Affairs, that -definitely settled in Syria, "whose climate sympathised better with her -frail health, the illustrious traveller had received from Great Britain -presents to distribute to the local authorities of the Lebanon and the -Anti-Lebanon, under the ostensible motive of her personal gratitude for -the courtesies which they had lavished upon her." Was he in ignorance, -then, that England had refused to share in the Ascalon expenses? -</p> -<p> -Sometimes, she dreamed of forming an association of men of letters, -artists and savants which she would invite to travel all over the Orient -under her auspices. She aimed at founding an Institute, on the model of -that which Bonaparte had carried away to Egypt, and of which she would -naturally be the head. Leaving the women to groan and sigh at the doors -of the Academies, she was leaping the barrier of ancient customs and -traditional manners and creating on her own level. Sometimes, she -discussed the expediency of a journey in Abyssinia. Sometimes, she drew -up memoirs on the marvellous properties of bezoar in the cases of the -plague and mania. From time to time, she cast a glance towards that -Europe from which she had fled without regrets. Sharply, she judged her -fellow-countrymen, stigmatised emphatically the English statesmen as -"senseless boobies whom their ignorance and their duplicity have -exposed, not only to the laughter, but to the maledictions of -generations present and to come," traced of the Restoration a picture -engraved by a master hand and denounced the English policy against -France, a policy of which she unmasked the faults with a singular -perspicacity and an impartial violence. -</p> -<p> -"Cease to trouble yourself in regard to me," she was to write on April -22, 1816, to the Marquis of Buckingham. "I shall never return to Europe, -even if I were reduced to beg my bread here. Once only I shall go to -France to see you, James and you; but I shall go to Provence, not to -Paris, for the sight of our odious Ministers running about everywhere to -do evil, would make my gorge rise too much. I shall not be martyr for -nothing. The granddaughter of Lord Chatham, the niece of the illustrious -Pitt, <i>feels herself blush at being English</i>. What disgrace to be born -in that country which has made of its cursed gold the counterpoise of -justice, which has placed humanity in fetters—that country which has -employed valiant troops, intended to defend its national honour, as an -instrument of vengeance to oppress a free people, which has exposed to -ridicule and humiliation a monarch who might have gained the hearts of -his subjects, if the English intriguers had left him alone to reign or -abdicate. -</p> -<p> -"You tell me that the French army—the bravest in the world, that -which has made more sacrifices for its national honour than no matter -what other—would not listen to the voice of reason; and you think -that I should believe it! Never! If a woman, poor and miserable like -myself, has produced a very strong impression on thousands of savage -Arabs, as I have done, without even bearing the name of chief, simply by -surrendering to some of their prejudices and in inspiring in them -confidence in her sincerity and in the purity of her intentions, is not, -then, a king—a legitimate king—able to bring this army, to -which he owes his crown, to a just appreciation of its duty? -Undoubtedly, he would have been able to do it and would have done it, if -he had been free to act. What ought one to expect from men who, during -twenty-five years, have been their most bitter enemies, except what has -happened? -</p> -<p> -"You may be disgusted; I care for that not more than a penny; for there -is no soul on earth who has had, or will ever have, any influence on my -thoughts and actions." -</p> -<p> -She maintained also a connected correspondence with all the people who -knew how to hold a pen. Beaudin galloped across mountains and valleys. -It was no sinecure that of being her secretary! One day, sent on a -mission to St. Jean d'Acre, he slept in a mill in the environs of Tyre -with, he declared, his head on his luggage and his horse's bridle in his -hand. Nevertheless, in the morning, the horse had disappeared. Painfully -he continued his journey, and received on the way a laconic letter from -Lady Hester: "If you have lost your mare, find her." -</p> -<p> -In this eddying of eccentric ideas, the doctor did not see any trace of -projects favourable to a return to Europe. Six years of peregrinations -across the East had surfeited his taste for travel, and six years of -solitude—solitude mitigated, it is true, by the passing of foreigners -of distinction—with even a superior woman, had made him hungry for -social life and worldly pleasures. Being circumspect, he ventured -lightly on the burning ground of a probable return. Lady Hester loved -the unexpected; she listened, smiled, approved and sent dare-dare -Giorgio to find a medical man in England willing to come to her. She -even gave the doctor permission to make a tour in Egypt. He passed two -months there and met Sheik Ibraham Burckhardt. At Alexandria, his joy -exploded noisily in regard to the splendid parties and evening -conversaziones, and that without the least remorse. Had he not left at -Mar-Elias a substitute doctor worthy of all confidence, a certain Signor -Volpi. This Italian, formerly in Holy Orders, had taken advantage of the -Revolution to throw off the cowl and to dance with enthusiasm round the -tree of Liberty. This occupation not being sufficiently lucrative, he -embarked for Syria, having taken care to provide himself with a syringe -and a sugar-loaf hat, these insignia being necessary to be well -received. Lady Hester often appealed to his judgments on humanity in -general. -</p> -<p> -The calm in which the doctor was delighting was abruptly broken so soon -as he returned from Egypt by one of those storms so heavy with threats -in which the caprices of Lady Hester excelled. -</p> -<p> -From Tripoli to Antioch, between the Orontes and the sea, there runs a -chain of ragged and gloomy mountains, the Ansaries Mountains. Bald -rocks, dark and musty ravines, fallen ground retained by stunted trees -twisting themselves into an eternal spasm, chaos and ruins. To these -wild and enigmatical landscapes, which are covered by miasmas risen from -the marshes and the ponds, from corpses of men and animals which -decompose side by side, chosen inhabitants are necessary. In the -Ansaries Mountains lived the <i>Assassins</i> (Hashishim)! The Assassins! -Obscure association, vast freemasonry, surrounded by the hatred of all -peoples, both Christians and Moslems, seeking the ruin of Islam, -mysterious sect which mingles, in blood and poison, the most ascetic -mysticism, the most ridiculous charlatanism and the most implacable -cruelty. -</p> -<p> -Ah! how the recollections of history haunt those deep gorges which gash -and wound the earth and furrow it with wounds, the lips of which seems -to draw together the better to preserve their terrible secret! -</p> -<p> -It is in these narrow valleys, where the light creeps in like a spectre; -amidst these lofty crags which time carries away joyously by scraps, -that the fierce mountaineers so feared by the troops of the Sultan are -entrenched. They are tributaries of the Pachas of Tripoli and Damascus, -but their obedience is uncertain, and no collector of taxes dares to get -himself involved on their great tracks which end often in a cul-de-sac. -Misfortune follows the imprudent person who would venture into the -mountain! From castles encamped on the edge of abysses death would -descend. And not the violent and honourable death which a combat, even -an unequal one, gives, but the unforeseen, insidious death which slowly -scents the victim, watches him unweariedly and awaits him in the perfume -of a poisoned nosegay, in the clear water of a contaminated spring, in -the most impressive cares of a servant who has sold himself. Kalaat -Masjaf! Kalaat Quadinous! Kalaat el Kaf! eagles' nests hewn in the -living rock, which have an ugly appearance and a sinister memory, lair -of bandits where lived, meditated and died that strange -Rachid-eddin-Sinan, the Old Man of the Mountain, who brought from Persia -the doctrine of blood and of crime, inspirer of souls, who fanaticised -his men up to the love of, the adoration of, death, awakening their -energies and casting a spell over their wills up to the most degraded -and the most humiliating passivity. -</p> -<p> -At a distance of seven centuries, the Assassins had not disarmed, and -each day brought a new incident to add to their monotonous and -sanguinary chronicles. Nevertheless, it was them whom Lady Hester was -going to defy, them who had everywhere secret affiliations, everywhere -spies, them who knew everything, avenged themselves always and so much -the more dangerously that they were totally indifferent to their own -lives and considered as an ineffable happiness to die for their cause. -</p> -<p> -The reason Lady Hester had was a grave one: in the nineteenth century a -European traveller could disappear in the Ansaries Mountains without -anyone being called to account. -</p> -<p> -On March 28, 1814, a Frenchman arrived at Sidon and lodged with his -consul, M. Taitbout. He was Colonel Boutin, a great friend of Moreau and -a very distinguished officer of engineers, who had received the delicate -mission of preparing and sounding the ground in the East. Lady Hester -had met him at Cairo, and during a dinner party she had turned into -ridicule the mysterious air which he affected and had laughingly -denounced him as a spy of Bonaparte. One remembers the frightful -epidemic of plague in the spring of 1814. In vain Colonel Boutin's -friends endeavoured to keep him at Sidon, but he was in a hurry and he -left on April 6, leaving as a deposit in trust at Mar-Elias some of his -manuscripts. Lady Hester had given him one of her servants, a sure guide -and well acquainted with the regions the traveller was to pass through; -but unhappily he was carried off by the plague. Colonel Boutin quitted -Hama for Latakia. He had informed M. Guys, consul at that town, that he -would abandon the ordinary route, which ran northwards so far as -Djesrech Chogh, to cut across the Ansaries Mountains. He started—and -no one had ever heard of him since. -</p> -<p> -M. Guys awaited him at first patiently; then he became alarmed. The -report of his disappearance reached Lady Hester. She thought that the -pachas were going to institute a rigorous inquiry, but the pachas feared -too much the famous Assassins to raise a little finger in favour of a -foreigner so foolish as to throw himself voluntarily into the wolf's -mouth. The months passed. Then Lady Hester made up her mind abruptly. In -the East, all travellers are brothers; differences of race and national -enmities are abolished. She took in hand the case of Colonel Boutin, -whom personally she held, besides, in high esteem. The affair was going -all at once to rebound and drag from their tranquillity the unpunished -murderers. -</p> -<p> -In haste, she drew up her plans. An inquiry, in the rotten heart of the -Ansaries country, was difficult, impossible. A silence of a year had -thickened the mystery. No matter, it would be necessary for her to bring -the affair to a head, and she will bring it to a head. All the blood of -the Pitts was boiling in this woman, who had truly received from Heaven -the gift of command. She chose three men who possessed her confidence: -Signor Volpi was sent to Hama. Soliman, a bold and resolute Druse -muleteer, and Pierre, recalled from Deiv el Kammar, where he was keeping -an inn, started to repeat Colonel Boutin's journey, disguised as old -pedlars. They succeeded in their mission, and in October, 1815, when the -doctor disembarked from Egypt, he learned that the proofs which had been -collected were conclusive, and that the pacha was to be summoned to act. -The doctor made the mistake of not being enthusiastic and of talking of -revenge, of danger in the future when Lady Hester went riding. Let him -not speak in that manner; she will do without him! -</p> -<p> -She wrote to Soliman pressing letters. The pacha, who was by no means -anxious to irritate the Assassins, answered courteously, but evasively, -that the troops would not be able to endure a winter campaign in the -Ansaries Mountains, but in the spring he would do all that was possible -to meet her wishes. Like the fleet sloughis which roll themselves up -before relaxing their iron muscles and springing forward, Lady Hester -paused to anchor her resolution for ever; then, in a flash, she launched -herself towards the goal, but without deigning to cast a glance at the -dangers which rose at each step in advance. -</p> -<p> -The spring blossomed again; Soliman made no move. Lady Hester judged it -prudent to refresh his memory, and set out for St. Jean d'Acre with all -her servants, covered with armour and costly apparel. To strike the -Oriental imagination and convey a lofty idea of her rank and her power, -she displayed all the luxury which her resources permitted her. She went -straight to Soliman's palace, caused the doors to be opened to her, and -made her way so far as the council-chamber where the pacha sat. -</p> -<p> -She penetrated the crowd, called for silence, explained publicly what -had brought her and demanded vengeance. Soliman, astonished, but -immovable, lavished compliments and presents upon her. She treated them -with contempt, and tried the effects of flying into a great passion, the -more redoubtable, inasmuch as she had intended and prepared it, and -withdrew, in the midst of general consternation, threatening the pacha -with the anger of the Sultan. -</p> -<p> -Mr. Catafago, the Austrian consul, had offered her his house. Next day -Soliman sent to ask her to wait upon him; she refused. As, at the same -time, the French authorities at Constantinople began to make a stir, the -pacha decided that it was better to allow his hand to be forced. Lady -Hester had gained the day. -</p> -<p> -But there was no question of a simple military promenade. The struggle -would be a fierce one, and trained soldiers and an experienced leader -were required. Soliman withdrew all the garrison of his pashalik and -gave the command to Mustapha Barbar, the energetic Governor of Tripoli. -Lady Hester, who followed with increasing interest the mobilisation of -the troops, of "her troops," sent him a pair of magnificent English -pistols. -</p> -<p> -"I arm thee, my knight," she wrote. "I have reason to complain of the -Ansaries, who have massacred one of my brothers. I hope that these -pistols will never fail anyone, that they will protect thy days and will -avenge the cause of thy friend." -</p> -<p> -The choice of Mustapha Barbar was excellent. A brave general and a rigid -Mohammedan of sincere conviction, he hated the Assassins with all his -soul. He made vibrate amongst his soldiers the religious cord always so -dangerous to touch in the East. In a state of religious exaltation, they -set out for a holy war, and nothing was to stop them in their work of -destruction. No quarter, no mercy. To slay an Assassin was to glorify -the Prophet. -</p> -<p> -The enemy lay in ambush everywhere. Every rock concealed an assailant. -Every abyss enticed death. It was necessary to carry the mountain piece -by piece, tree by tree, house by house. Booty and blood rendered the -fanaticism of the Turks the more violent. The old men and children who -fell into their clutches were pitilessly massacred, the women sold as -slaves. As for the prisoners, there was none of them. -</p> -<p> -The mountaineers, surrounded in their lairs, cut off in their last -fortresses, perceived with horror that the fierce renown of the Ansaries -was crumbling away. Mustapha Barbar ventured to attack one of those -savage fortresses at the Kalaat el Kaf, which stood out like a defiance -on a cluster of sharp-pointed rocks. Jealously the mountain concealed -it, surrounded it, fondled it. For it, it sharpened its broken stones, -it made denser its thickets. For it, it multiplied its traps, its -slippery burrows, its deep ravines, its treacherous marches. All that -Nature could invent to oppose to the march of man, she had lavished in -its defiles. Three torrents defended the approach to it, and their beds -were deadly and their high banks precipitous. -</p> -<p> -Nevertheless, Mustapha Barbar, in traversing the bottom of the valley -where the foot sank as in a pulp of slimy and poisonous toad-stools, -evoked the clear-skinned and blonde Englishwoman, his lady. He took the -fortress; he destroyed it from top to bottom and razed its ramparts. He -violated the sacred tombs of the Assassins, throwing into the torrents -the ashes of the Imans. It is then that the Tartar, bearer of the heads -of the vanquished which had been despatched to Constantinople, returned -in all haste with an order to put a stop to the butchery. Fifty-two -villages burned. Three hundred Assassins massacred.... Lady Hester had -been well avenged of Colonel Boutin! -</p> -<p> -An illustrious traveller, Maurice Barrès, was, a century later, in the -course of that marvellous <i>Enquête aux pays du Levant</i>, wherein are -resuscitated all the "obscure life," all the "religious heart of Asia," -to penetrate in his turn into the depths of the Ansaries Mountains. He -looked for traces of Lady Hester, and he passed over the ruins of the -Kalaat el Kaf without knowing their tragic secret. -</p> -<p> -People murmured, afterwards, that the true authors of the crime had -escaped; they were too powerful to be reached. No matter, the innocent -had paid for the guilty. It was a form of Turkish justice of which -Soliman rarely gave the example during his reign. Moreover, Lady Hester -thanked him with that matchless grace which she knew how to display when -she was pleased. -</p> -<p> -France did not forget the part which the noble Englishwoman had taken in -the affair of Colonel Boutin. After a speech from the Comte Delaborde, -the Chamber of Deputies addressed to her its thanks, and assured her of -the gratitude of the country. The <i>Courrier français</i> devoted to her, -in an article on Colonel Boutin, some moving lines: -</p> -<p> -"Colonel Boutin was splendidly received by Pitt's niece, Lady Hester -Stanhope. Proud of her protection, he was on the point of succeeding in -his mission when he was assassinated by the Arabs.... France knows how -the murder of this illustrious traveller was avenged by her ladyship, -who, by her influence alone and her personal efforts, demanded and -obtained the heads of the assassins and the restoration of the luggage -of the unfortunate officer." -</p> -<p> -Shortly after the Ansaries Mountains Expedition, the Princess of Wales -arrived in Syria. Lady Hester had no kind of sympathy for her. Faugh! a -woman so common, so vulgar, who exhibited herself like an Opera girl and -fastened her garter below her knee, how detestable! In the famous -quarrels which moved all England she had taken the side neither of the -Prince of Wales, a dishonourable rake, nor of Princess Caroline, an -impudent and slovenly German! Moreover, she judged it prudent, besides, -to stay in the country for some time; the more so that the princess -would undoubtedly have paid her a visit out of curiosity, and the -expense of receiving her would have been very heavy. She embarked, -therefore, on July 18, 1816. For where? No one in the world, save -herself, would have had this idea. She went to take refuge in the midst -of that very people whom she had just caused to be punished so cruelly. -On the way, she bestowed her congratulations upon Mustapha Barbar at -Tripoli. She disembarked at the little port of Bussyl, mounted a donkey -and arrived at Antioch. Mr. Barker, who came to talk of her affairs, -only remained with her a short time. She lived altogether alone, with -some cowardly servants, in an abandoned house in the neighbourhood of -Antioch. Absolute solitude. Superior people have regarded this attitude -as comedy. It was a comedy which lasted seventy days, and might, at any -moment, have had death as its epilogue! Who is the actor so stout of -heart as to play it up to the end before empty benches? -</p> -<p> -Can the life of Lady Hester be imagined? The people of the country, by -way of encouragement, made to dance around her all the victims of the -Assassins. Round of honour in which hundreds who had been poisoned, -stabbed, hanged, flayed, strangled, gave each other fraternally the -hand. Well-intentioned friends warned her every morning that her life -was in danger. As for her, she continued her long rides across the -mountain. Sometimes, she halted in a hamlet, assembled the peasants, and -informed them, if they did not yet know, that she was the Syt who had -caused their relatives to be massacred and their villages to be burned. -Then she made them a very impressive speech, telling them that she had -avenged the death of a Frenchman, of an enemy of her country, because -the cowardly murder of a traveller is an abominable deed which all noble -hearts ought to condemn. -</p> -<p> -Then, it was the silence of the warm nights, the passing of the breeze -which refreshed the gardens, the plaintive cry of some jackals quite -close at hand. Nevertheless, not a hair fell from her head. The -Englishwoman had conquered. The Assassins, astonished at meeting in a -woman a contempt for death equal to their own, decided that to respect -this life to which she seemed to attach no value would be for them a -superior vengeance. They proved themselves, in this case, very profound -philosophers. What a magnificent fate, in fact, would have been that of -Lady Hester, "the Arab Amazon," according to Barbey d'Aurevilly, "who -rode at the gallop out of European civilisation and English -routine—that old circus where you turn in a ring—to -reanimate her sensations in the peril and independence of the desert," -if she had ended in blood in the mountains of the Assassins! She would -have disappeared like a brilliant meteor, in the midst of her glory, in -the midst of her fortune, leaving behind a trail of heroic legends. She -would have escaped the slow agony of Djoun, where, overwhelmed by old -age, oblivion and ill-health, she straightened her tall figure to make -head against the pack of creditors and Jewish usurers, more filthy in -Syria than anywhere else. -</p> -<p> -At the end of September, Lady Hester returned to Mar-Elias, unharmed. -The Princess of Wales had concluded her lamentable journey in the Holy -Land, dragging with her that Italian courier Bergami, whom she had -bombarded in quick succession with the titles of Baron della Francina, -Knight of Malta and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, and whom she had just -appointed at Jerusalem Grand Master of St. Caroline, an order which she -had created expressly for him, without taking into consideration the -impropriety of her action. -</p> -<p> -Miss Williams and the doctor awaited Lady Hester anxiously. For Miss -Williams had disembarked in Syria in March, 1816. Her attachment to her -patroness was so great that she could not make up her mind to remain at -a distance from her, and, after passing some years at Malta, she had -left her sister and had, despite every difficulty—tempest, -sea-sickness, mutiny of the crew and a passage of three and a half -months—come to rejoin her. Lady Hester's lady's-maid, Ann Fry, -awaited Miss Williams when she left the vessel, in order to veil her and -to inculcate her with the first instructions relative to the new life. -Such was Lady Hester's response to her devotion! -</p> -<p> -Amongst the visitors to Mar-Elias during that last year, the least -commonplace was without question that young Mr. W. J. Bankes, who -arrived full of stupid confidence in himself and with a conquering air. -Lady Hester received him very amicably, and, learning that it was his -intention to go to Palmyra, she gave him letters of recommendation to -Muly Ishmael of Hama and to Nasr, son of the Emir of the Anezes. She -also offered him old Pierre, who was always brought to the front when it -was a question of choosing an experienced guide. -</p> -<p> -The young man, reckoning on his own resources which he considered -abundantly sufficient to get him through the affair, had accepted -against his will the letters and old Pierre. Besides, Lady Hester had -allowed an imprudent speech to escape, which had not fallen on the ear -of a deaf man. -</p> -<p> -"When I was in the desert," said she, "I arranged with Nasr to give to -travellers whom I should protect a letter of safe-conduct which, alone, -should be of value; those who were recommended by me verbally were not -to be listened to. They will be divided into two classes: ordinary -travellers and travellers of distinction in whom the Bedouins will be -able to trust as in myself, who will have the right to full hospitality, -to mimic combats, to camel's meat. To recognise them easily, the letters -of the first will bear a single seal, the second will bear two." -</p> -<p> -Bankes had nothing more urgent than to open Lady Hester's letter and to -make himself acquainted with the contents. When he learned that he was -placed in the class of ordinary travellers, that he had received only -one seal, and that he was not mentioned either as prince or gentleman, -he was disgusted. Ah! ah! this old sorceress imagined that she held the -desert routes; she was going to see how he would dispense with her. And -the young man, abandoning the letters and old Pierre at Hama, started -proudly on the way, under the protection of the Pacha of Damascus. -</p> -<p> -The return was less brilliant! Stopped by Nasr at Mount Belaz, and -having refused to pay for the right to pass, he had been courteously -conducted back to Hama. Sticking to his resolution, like an Englishman -who is on the point of losing a wager or whose vanity is at stake, he -took a second time the road to Palmyra. This time he paid without -complaint the 1100 piastres demanded by Nasr. But scarcely had he -arrived at Palmyra, than another son of Mehannah demanded the same sum. -Incensed, Bankes refused to understand anything, and was thrown into -prison. On his return to England, he placed all his misadventures to the -account of Lady Hester, proclaiming everywhere that she took a malicious -pleasure in closing the gates of the desert to travellers. It is thus -that History is written. -</p> -<p> -In the company of M. Regnault, French consul at Tripoli, a little man, -ugly and hunchbacked, but remarkably pleasant and intelligent, who -passed some time at Mar-Elias, Lady Hester visited the French consulate -at Sidon. The new consul, M. Ruffin, was the son of the chargé -d'affaires at Constantinople. And the crowd gave Lady Hester an -enthusiastic reception. Everyone wanted to see this extraordinary woman -who had raised an entire province to avenge on the Ansaries the -assassination of a Frenchman. -</p> -<p> -On October 28, Didot, son of the celebrated printer of Paris, passed -through Sidon and was invited to go up to the convent. Finding himself -in the presence of two Orientals squatting on a divan, he recognised -Lady Hester by her beardless face and Regnault by his hump. Lady Hester -did not ask him to issue a new edition of her travels, divining well -that, contrary to the habits of printers, Didot would give her a great -publicity. And he did not fail to add a zero to the 3000 piastres which -the expedition to Palmyra had cost. -</p> -<p> -On November 15, Giorgio brought back the surgeon N——-, Dr. -Meryon's successor. The twenty-seven trunks which he had brought were -landed without examination on the part of the Custom House, mark of -consideration from which it never departed throughout Lady Hester's -residence in Syria. -</p> -<p> -Giorgio affected a profound dislike of England. The Duke of York was his -intimate friend, and Princess Charlotte of Wales had sent him a silver -chain. "I shall certainly wear it," said he, "but I shall not say whence -it comes, in order not to give the Turks so pitiful an idea of English -hospitality." One thing only had struck him: there were no fleas and the -people did not tell lies. Having seen at Chevening a portrait of -Chatham, he told Lady Hester that her face bore an astonishing -resemblance to that of her grandfather, which overwhelmed her with -pleasure. -</p> -<p> -Then Dr. Meryon thought of departing. He was affected in taking leave of -Lady Hester, but excellent provision for the journey, gazelle-pie, tarts -and cold fowls—delicate attention on the part of Miss -Williams—soon restored his equanimity. -</p> -<p> -He embarked on January 21, 1817, believing certainly that he would never -return. Ah! assuredly he had desired this hour with all his soul, but -one does not leave a woman like Lady Hester without regrets. He had just -closed a dazzling page of his life. The mauve terraces of Bairout -sprawling at the foot of Lebanon were vanishing in the rays of the -setting sun. Ah! would he ever be able to forget the marches into the -desert at the head of the Arab tribes; and the assistance exacted by the -governors of Syria to open the earth and to snatch its treasures from -it; and the troops launched into the inaccessible defiles to avenge the -disappearance of a traveller? -</p> -<p> -The East leaves in the heart a perfume of dead roses, which is quite -sufficient to transform into a posy of recollections set with pearls the -incidents of travel.... It is sometimes a flash of vivid sunlight on a -load of oranges, sometimes a burst of laughter from a brown and dirty -child, sometimes the dust of roads in summer, sometimes the peppery -odour which the spice-merchants exhale.... -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<p class="center"><b>THE END</b></p> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CIRCE OF THE DESERTS ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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