brandishing their lances, and thrusting them forward into the air.

At length, what we so much apprehended actually came to pass. We heard
some shots fired, and then our ears were struck by wild and barbarous
shoutings. The whole of us stopped in dismay, and men and animals, as if
by common instinct, like a flock of small birds when they see a hawk at
a distance, huddled ourselves together into one compact body. But when
we in reality perceived a body of Turcomans coming down upon us, the
scene instantly changed. Some ran away; others, and among them my
master, losing all their energies, yielded to intense fear, and began to
exclaim, 'Oh Allah!--Oh Imams!--Oh Mohammed the prophet; we are gone! we
are dying! we are dead!' The muleteers unloosed their loads from
their beasts, and drove them away. A shower of arrows, which the enemy
discharged as they came on, achieved their conquest, and we soon became
their prey. The chaoush, who had outlived many a similar fray, fled in
the very first encounter, and we neither saw nor heard any more of him.
The invaders soon fell to work upon the baggage, which was now spread
all over the plain.

[Illustration: Hajji's master and the great Turcoman. 3.jpg]

My master had rolled himself up between two bales of goods to wait the
event, but was discovered by a Turcoman of great size, and of a most
ferocious aspect, who, taking him at first for part of the baggage,
turned him over on his back, when (as we see a wood-louse do) he opened
out at full length, and expressed all his fears by the most abject
entreaties. He tried to soften the Turcoman by invoking Omar, and
cursing Ali; but nothing would do; the barbarian was inexorable: he
only left him in possession of his turban, out of consideration to its
colour, but in other respects he completely stripped him, leaving him
nothing but his drawers and shirt, and clothing himself with my master's
comfortable cloak and trousers before his face. My clothes being
scarcely worth the taking, I was permitted to enjoy them unmolested, and
I retained possession of my case of razors, to my no small satisfaction.

The Turcomans having completed their plunder, made a distribution of the
prisoners. We were blindfolded, and placed each of us behind a horseman,
and after having travelled for a whole day in this manner, we rested at
night in a lonely dell. The next day we were permitted to see, and found
ourselves on roads known only to the Turcomans.

Pa