Mukni was at this time even more courteous and civil than usual; indeed so much so, that he overshot his mark, and confirmed us in our determination to be prepared for him. One of his Eunuchs who came to ask for medicine for a woman of the castle who wanted to bear children, hinted to us, that Mukni was preparing for a sudden escape, and that much mischief was apprehended before he turned his back on Morzouk. We could not be indifferent to this caution, and therefore lay all night with our pistols under our heads, and our other arms in readiness, conceiving we might soon be called upon to make use of them. In this state we continued for some days, Mr. Eitchie lying on one side of the large room, I on the other, and Belford in a small room adjoining.—One night, at about 12 o’clock, I was awakened by Mr. Bitchie’s crying out in Arabic, “ W ho are you?” “ Lyon, there is a man on the house top.” We all instantly started up 5 and I, being the most active of our emaciated party, was pushed up to the roof, while Mr. Eitchie and Belford ran to our yard, to cut off the retreat of the intruder. I saw no one, however, and though I ran along the tops of some neighbouring houses, could make no discovery. Our old Mamluke was sleeping on the top of his house, and rose instantly with his gun in his hand, to assist in the search. Meanwhile we all shouted to our neighbours, begging their assistance to look for any strangers who might endeavour to get on their terraces. In an instant all our friends were up, and on the look out; but, after the strictest examination, no person could be found. Mr. Eitchie said, that as he was lying in bed, awake, he heard a slight noise overhead, when, in looking up, he saw a man stooping over our sky-light, or opening in the roof, as if for the purpose of examining into the room. After ascertaining where Mr. Eitchie slept, he knelt down, hanging his head as far over as he could, to observe where I lay. Mr. Eitchie moved very gently, so as to reach his pistol, when the intruder disappeared, and he instantly called out to me. He stated, that he saw as low down as the man’s waist, that his body appeared naked, and that he had a white cap on his head. The buildings here being covered with a mixture of sand and clay which easily receives the impression of feet, I endeavoured to trace on the top of ours the tracks of our visitor, and succeeded in finding one long print of a foot, exactly in the direction in which Mr. Eitchie had first observed this man. The impression did not resemble the shape of any of our fe e t; but was longer, and entirely flat, like those of most Negroes. Little doubt, therefore, could remain that a stranger had been there, evidently with no good intentions. The next morning we waited on Mukni, informing him of what had occurred, when he affected to think Mr. Eitchie must have been delirious, and laughed very much at our alarm. Old Hadje Mahmoud was firmly persuaded it.was Iblis, who had haunted our house ever since a man was murdered in it. The foot-mark, however, staggered him a good deal, and he offered to bring a Maraboot, who would by smelling it, and reciting a few prayers, tell us who had imprinted it. The more rational people agreed in our opinion, that it was a spy, but this was only ventured in private; in public they pretended to treat the matter as lightly as the Sultan did. The preparations we had made, and our being observed to start up ready armed, perhaps secured us from any farther visits of the kind, and we took especial care to announce openly, that we would shoot the first person we saw even looking into our back yard. We never could positively ascertain why such a mysterious visit was made to us, but we strongly suspected Mukni to be the sole
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