particular form, and asked no questions till full daylight disclosed to me that they were human creatures tied up in sacks and fastened astride on the horses' backs. There was a strange union of horror and oddity in the conception, that struck me at once with a mixed emotion of indignation, pity, and mirth.----The former, however, got the better, and I asked my servant with some warmth what it meant.--He said that the sacks contained some young women whom the Tartar had bought." Good God!" said I," is it possible that he can have bought wretched females to treat them with so little tenderness ?" "He has bought them," returned my servant, "in the way of traffic, not for pleasure."

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"Suppose he has," said I, " suppose even they were men, not to mention young women, how can he imagine that they will survive this? Tied up and sweltered in a sack~~ fastened cross-legs on a horse, and driven at such an amazing rate (for by this time we had set forward, and another Tartar was whipping the horses up all the time, and driving them on)----how is it possible they can survive? They must be smothered--they must be shattered to pieces-they must be strippen, excoriated, and tortured to death!"

"If I might presume to advise," said he, "I would say that you had better make no remarks upon it: it would only get them perhaps worse treated, and raise his anger against you."

To conclude, I took his advice, and kept my mind to myself. The unfortunate women were in this manner carried 50 miles, at the end of which their tender-hearted purchaser disposed of them in some way of keeping till his return; when I suppose they were to be carried back in sacks astride upon horses, all the way to Aleppo, there to be sold to the highest bidder.

From the considerations I have already pretty fully mentioned, my mind was by no means at ease. The incessant travelling for so many days, at the rate of 75 miles a day, to be continued I knew not how long, increased my anxiety: and the apprehensions of accident, interruption, and above all intercepting me on my way, haunted my imagination

with all its terrors. I was besides approaching fast to that region where the winds strike all living things that draw them instantly dead: and conceiving that the more expeditious I was in getting over the journey, the greater chance I had of escaping those mischiefs; I pushed heartily forward, and urged the Tartar till he at last expressed his astonishment and approbation; paid me the compliment to say, that I was almost equal to himself for enduring fatigue; and concluded with a very sagacious surmise, that in all probability I had been myself a carrier of dispatches among the Frank governments.

One day after we had rode about four miles from a caravansera, at which we' had changed our cattle, I found that a most execrably bad horse had fallen to my lot: he was stiff, feeble, and foundered; in consequence of which he stumbled very much, and I every minute expected that he would fall and roll over me. I therefore proposed to the guide to exchange with me; a favour he had hitherto never refused, and for which I was the more anxious, as the beast he rode was of the very best kind. To my utter astonishment he peremptorily refused: and as this had been a day of unusual taciturnity on his part, I attributed his refusal to peevishness and ill temper, and was resolved not to let the matter rest there. I therefore desired the interpreter to inform him, that as he had at Aleppo agreed to change horses with me as often as I pleased, I should consider our agreement infringed upon if he did not comply, and would write to the consul of Aleppo to that effect.

'As soon as this was conveyed to him, he seemed strongly agitated by anger; yet endeavoured to conceal his emotions under affected contempt and derision, which produced from him one of the most singular grins that ever yet marred the human physiognomy. At length he broke forth:

"You will write to Aleppo, will you? Foolish Frank! they will not believe you! By Mahomet, it would be well done to hear the complaint of a wandering Frank against Hassam Artaz--Hassam the faithful and the just, who for 10 years and more had been the messenger of an emperor,

and the friend and confidant of cadis, bashaws, and viceroys, and never yet was called so much as liar! Who, think you, poor misguided one! who, think you, would believe that I broke my promise?"

"Why do you not then," said I, interrupting him, "why do you not perform it by changing horses, when you are convinced in your conscience (if you have any) that it was part of your agreement ?"-" Once for all I tell you," interrupted he, "I will not give up the horse. There is not," said he gasconadingly, "there is not a mussulman that ever wore a beard, not to talk of a wretched Frank, that should get this horse from under me; I would not yield him to the commander of the faithful this minute, were he in your place: I would not, I tell you, Frank--and I have my own reasons for it."

"I dare say you have," returned I; "love of your ease, and fear of your bones."

At hearing this, he grew quite outrageous-called Mahomet and Alla to witness that he did not know what it was to fear any thing--declared that he was convinced some infernal spirit had that day got possession of me--and indeed seemed well disposed to go to loggerheads. At length observing that I looked at him with sneering contemptuous defiance, he rode up along side of me----I thought it was to strike, and prepared to defend myself. I was, however, mistaken; he snatched the reins out of my hand, and caught hold of them collected close at the horse's jaw; then fell flogging my horse and spurring his own, till he got them both into full speed; nor did he stop there, but continued to belabour mine with his whip, and to spur his own, driving headlong over every impediment that came in our way, till I really thought he had run mad, or designed to kill me. Several times I was on the point of striking him with my whip, in order to knock him off his horse--but as often patience providentially came in to my assistance, and whispered to me to forbear and see it out. Mean time I considered myself as being in some danger; and yet such was the power he had over the cattle, that I found it impossible to stop him:

so resigning the event to the directions of Providence, I suffered him without a further effort to proceed; I calling him every opprobrious name I could think of in lingua Franca, and he grinning, and calling me dumus, jihash, burhl (i. e. hog, ass, mule), in rapid and impetuous vehemence of tone and utterance.

'He continued this for a length of I dare say for some miles, over an uncultivated tract, here and there intersected with channels formed by rills of water in the periodical rains; thickly set with low furze, ferns, and other dwarf bushes, and broken up and down into little hills. His horse carried him clean over all: and though mine was every minute stumbling and nearly down, yet with a dexterity inexpressible, and a vigour altogether amazing, he kept him up by the bridle, and I may say carried him gallantry over every thing, I was astonished very much at all this, and towards the end as much pleased as astonished; which he perceiving, cried out frequently and triumphantly, “O, la Frangi! Heli! Heli! Frangi!" and at last drawing in the horses, stopping short, and looking me full in the face, exclaimed in lingua Franca, "Que dice, Frangi-Que dice ?"

For some time I was incapable of making him any answer, but continued surveying him from head to foot as the most extraordinary savage I had ever beheld; while he stroked his whiskers with great self-complacency and composure, and nodded his head every now and then, as much as to say, Ay, ay, it is so! look at me! am not I a very capital fellow ?---"A capital fellow indeed you are," said I," but I wish I was well out of your confounded clutches."

'We alighted on the brow of a small hill, whence was to be seen a full and uninterrupted prospect of the country all round. The interpreter coming up, he called to him and desired him to explain to me carefully the meaning of what he was about to say; which I will give you as nearly as I can in his own words, as they were translated by the linguist:

"You see those mountains yonder,” said he, pointing to to the east; "those are in the province of Kurdestan, VOL. IV.

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inhabited by a vile race of robbers called Jesides, who pay homage to a God of their own called Jesid (Jesus), and worship the devil from fear. They live by plunder, and often descend from those mountains, cross the Tigris which runs between them and us, and plunder and ravage this country in bands of great number and formidable strength, carrying away into slavery all they can catch, and killing all who resist them. This country therefore, for some distance round us, is very dangerous to travellers, whose only safety lies in flight. Now it was our misfortune this morning to get a very bad horse, for which, please Alla (stroking his whiskers), some one shall receive the bastinado. Should we meet with a band of those Curds, what could we do but fly? And if you, Frangi, rode this horse, and I that, we could never escape: for I doubt you could not keep him up from falling under me, as I did under you: I should therefore come down and be taken-you would lose your guide, and miss your way, and all of us be undone. Besides," continued he, "there are many villages here where people live, who, if they only suspected you were a Frank, would follow and sacrifice you if they could to Mahomet, and where of course you must run for it."

As soon as the interpreter had explained this to me, "Well," continued the Tartar, "what does he say now to it?" Then turning to me, and tossing up his head—“ Que dice, Frangi?"

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Why, I say," returned I, "that you have spoken good sense and sound reason; and I am obliged to you.”

This, when interpreted fully, operated most pleasingly upon him; his features relaxed into a broad look of satisfaction, and he said:" I will do every thing I can to make you easy and contented: and when I am obstinate, don't resist—-— for be assured I have reason for it; and above all things avoid laughing in my presence. But we shall reach Mosul by and by, and probably then we may have no more rides." For I expected to get down the river Tigris from Mosul to Bagdad, and had told him so, and he encouraged me with the expectation.