g to get rid of the man
in the next village.

"Mount, Zulfikar," said the Aga, to one of his men.

The man spoken to was a lean fellow with an evil, squinting glance.
Although he was as dirty as the rest, his features showed that he did
not belong to the same race, and if we paid close attention to so
unimportant individuals, we might remember that we had already seen
him somewhere.

"One thing more," said the Aga to Clement, eager to get off at any
price. "As soon as you get home lay aside those green boots, for if I
should see them on your feet again you would get five hundred stripes
on the soles of your feet, that you would keep until your wedding
day."

Clement agreed to everything in his joy to get away at last, and
trotted off toward Gross-Schlatten. His Tartar comrade rode faithfully
by his side. From time to time the Lieutenant gave a side glance at
his companion and then looked away quickly, for as the Turk was
cross-eyed Clement never felt sure which way he was looking. And all
the time he was considering how easily he could dupe the Tartar, a
thought that made him smile to himself, blink and nod with
satisfaction.

"You will not play any tricks on me, Lieutenant," said the Tartar,
unexpectedly, and in the best of Hungarian, evidently reading these
thoughts on his face.

Clement almost fell off his horse with fear, unable to comprehend what
fiend he could be to read a man's thoughts on his face, and speak
Hungarian in spite of being a Tartar.

"You need not rack your brains any more about me," said the Turk,
calmly. "I am a Hungarian deserter once in the service of Emerich
Balassa. I helped seize and imprison Corsar Bey, and when the
Hungarians began to pursue me for it I turned Turk. Now with the
Prophet's aid I shall yet be Pasha, so don't exert yourself to get
the better of me, for be assured you are dealing with an old fox."

Clement scratched his head in perplexity, and attended by the
deserter, much against his will concluded his official questions with
the announcement of the penny tax which the people all received with
so much favor that most of them paid it over to the Tartar at once.

But nobody had seen anything of the panther; and had it not been for
their respect for the green boots with their trimmings they would
probably have laughed in his face when the Lieutenant put that
question.

There was still one small Wallachian village, Marisel, far away in the
mountains. Beyond that be