She threw herself down on the cushions, and began
to smoke a long pipe, which a female slave handed
to her on her knees. At a sign from her the eunuchs
tied the wretched man’s feet to the pole, by
which the soles of the culprit were raised, and began
the terrible punishment. Already at the tenth
blow the merchant began to roar like a wild animal,
but his wife whom he had betrayed, remained unmoved,
carelessly blowing the blue wreaths of smoke into
the air, and resting on her lovely arm, she watched
his features, which were distorted by pain, with merciless
enjoyment.
During the last blows he only groaned gently, and
then he fainted.
* * * *
*
A year later the dealer was caught with his female
merchandise by the police in an Austrian town, and
handed over to justice, when he made a full confession,
and by that means the parents of the Odalisque of
Senichou heard of their daughter’s position.
As they knew that she was happy and surrounded by
luxury, they made no attempt to get her out of the
Pasha’s hands, who, like a thorough Mussulman,
had become the slave of his slave.
The unfortunate husband was sent over to the frontier
when he was released from prison. His shameful
traffic, however, flourishes still, in spite of all
the precautions of the police and of the consuls, and
every year he provides the harems of the East with
those voluptuous Boxclanas, especially from
Bohemia and Hungary, who, in the eyes of a Mussulman,
vie for the prize of beauty, with the slender Circassian
women.
Strauss’ band was playing in the saloons of
the Horticultural Society, which was so full that
the young cadet Hussar-sergeant Max B., who had nothing
better to do on an afternoon when he was off duty than
to drink a glass of good beer and to listen to a new
waltz tune, had already been looking about for a seat
for some time, when the head waiter, who knew him,
quickly took him to an unoccupied place, and without
waiting for his orders, brought him a glass of beer.
A very gentlemanly-looking man, and three elegantly
dressed ladies were sitting at the table.
The cadet saluted them with military politeness, and
sat down, but almost before he could put the glass
to his lips, he noticed that the two elder ladies,
who appeared to be married, turned up their noses very
much at his taking a seat at their table, and even
said a few words which he could not catch, but which
no doubt referred unpleasantly to him. “I
am afraid I am in the way here,” the cadet said;
and he got up to leave, when he felt a pull at his
sabre-tasch beneath the table, and at the same time
the gentleman felt bound to say with some embarrassment:
“Oh! not at all; on the contrary, we are very
pleased that you have chosen this table.”
