found in myfelf a kind o f ftupidity, and want o f power to
refleft upon what had palled. I feemed to be, as i f awakened
from a dream when the fenfes are yet h a lf afleep*
and we only begin to doubt whether what has before
palled in thoughts is real or not. The dangers that I was
juft now delivered from made no impreflion upon my m ind,
and what more and more convinces me I was for a time
hot in my perfedl fenfes, is, that I found in myfelf a hard-
heartednefs, without th e le a ft inclination to be thankfu l
for that fignal deliverance which I had juft now expe~_
rienced.
F r o m this ftupor I was awakened by the arrival' o f the fol-
dier, who cried out to us at fome diftance, j* You muft come
to the A g a to the caftle, all o f you, as fail as you can, th e
T u rk is gone before you.”' lt It w ill not be very fail, i f w e
even ihould do that, laid I ; the T urk has ridden two days oni
a camel, and I have walked on foot, and do not know at p re -'
fent i f I can w a lk at alL” I endeavoured, at the fame time,
to rife and ftand upright, which I did not fucceed in, after
feveral attempts, without great pain and difficulty. I obfer-
ved the foldier was in a prodigious aftoniihment at my appearance,
habit, and above all, at my diftrefs. “ We fhalf
get people in town, fays he, to affift you, and i f you cannot
walk, the Aga w ill fend you a mule.”
T h e T u rk and the Greeks were cloathed much in . the-
fame manner; Ifmael and Michael had in their hands two-
monftrous bluoderbuffes^ The whole town crowded after
us while we walked to the caftle, and could not fatiate
themfelves with admiring a Company o f fuch an extraordinary
appearance. The Aga was ftruck dumb upon our
4 entering,'
entering the room, and tbld me afterwards, that he thought
me a fu ll foot taller than any man he had ever feen in his
life. I faw he was embarraffed whether he ihould defire
me to fit down or not, fo that ,1 faved him the deliberation,
b y faying, immediately after fainting him, w Sir, you w ill
excufe me, I muft fit.” He bowed, and made a lig n , complacently
a Iking me, “ Are you a Turk? Are' you a Muf-
fulman ?” “ I am not a Turk, faid I, nor am I a Muffulman %
I am an Englishman, and bearer o f the grand fignior’s firman
to all his fubjects, and o f letters from the ^regency
o f Cairo, and from the Porte o f Janizaries, to you.” “ Caz.
Dangli, fays Ifmael, they are the fame as Turks, they came
firll from Anatolia, I have been- at the place.” Upon my
mentioning the grand fignior, the Aga got upon his fe e t,
and, without heeding Ifmael’s fpeeeh, faid, very politely,
“ Do youchoofe to-have your fervantsfit?” “ In fuch a dif-
aftrous journey as I have made, Sir, faid I, our fervants muft
be our companions; befides, they h a v e a ft ro n g exeule for-
fitting,, neither they nor I have a foot to. ftand upon.”
Aga. “ Where are thole letters and firman ?” Ta. “ Where
they may be now I kn ow not, we left them at Saffieha w ith
all the reft o f our b a g g a g e ; our camels died, our provifions
and water ’were exhauiled, we therefore left every th in g
behind us, and made this one effort to fave our lives. It is
the firft favour I: am; to alk o f you, when I- fhall have relied
my felf two days, to allow me to get frelh camels, to go in
fearch o f my letters and baggage,”: Aga. “ God forbid 1
fhould ever fufier you to do- fo mad an aftion. You are
come hither by a thoufand miracles, and after this, will
you tempt God and go back? w e jfh a ll take it for granted
what thofe papers contain. You w ill have no need o f a
firman*