foot seems gently to sink down, and the
sound of each step is completely hushed.

The merchant was greatly surprised to see the richly dressed stranger
without retinue, and said, politely, "Sir, as your slaves are not at
hand, I will send one of my young men with you to carry the carpet."

"It is not necessary," said the purchaser, as he paid the price in
shining gold pieces; "I can manage it myself."

He quickly took up the immense roll of carpet, and pushed it slowly but
surely into his sack. Then, without heeding the amazement and shaking of
the head of the dealer, he passed on.

His desire of purchasing seemed now to be thoroughly roused. Twelve
flasks of otto of roses, from Schiraz, found their way into his sack;
ten pounds of the finest Turkish tobacco followed them; then came, quite
appropriately, a magnificent nargileh, with a long tube and a yellow
amber mouth-piece, on the top of which he carelessly threw a heavy ebony
box, inlaid with copper.

Notwithstanding the crowd, he attracted continual notice, and a
dignified-looking man had long been following him attentively, without,
however, addressing him. But when he had reached the middle of the
bazar, where the best and most costly wares are exposed for sale, and
when, as though intoxicated by the sight, he seized the most incongruous
things, and untiringly pushed them into his sack--pearls from Ormuz and
blades from Damascus, tons of Mocha coffee, and bales of silk, fishes
and rings, bracelets and dates, watches, saddles, and diamonds--then the
Caliph, for it was no less a personage who was following him, could
contain himself no longer, and said:

"I have seen many wonders, O stranger, and by the beard of the Prophet,
thou art not the least. Have, then, thy purse and thy sack no end? Why
does thy sack not burst? How canst thou carry it? How canst thou find
but one of the thousand things which thou art unceasingly cramming into
it? And tell me, how will those poor tender pearls, which were too dear
for me to buy for Zuleika, fare among tons and crates?"

Zachur--such was the name of the stranger--crossed his arms on his
breast, and bowed low.

"Ruler of the Faithful," he said--"for it is in vain that thou hidest
thy noble figure under a homely dress; thy portrait, painted by a
Giaour, and offered to me in Frankestan, is also in my sack, and I
recognize thee at once--Allah is great, and His gifts are wonderful.
Thou carest for the lovely daughters of t