220 Seiko, a tale. -^i-'g.' IJ- 



to one of his ministers, whosiezes the culprit, delivers him 

 to the armed women \ and counts out to Telone the four 

 hundred ounces qf gold. He, loaded, with this gold,^ 

 •whose touch is dreadful to him, hastens to buy provisions, 

 and then rushes out of the city in a hurry to carry them 

 to his mother. 



Already, by orders from the monarch, they had begun 

 the preparations for the terrible execution, with which a- 

 dultery with the king's wives was punifhed in Juida. Two 

 wide ditches are dug at a fliort distance from each other. In 

 that destined for the guilty wife the criminal is fastened 

 to a stake, and all the ladies of the seraglio, drefsed in 

 their best apparel, carrying large vases of boiling water, 

 march to the sound of drums and flutes, and pour this 

 water upon her head until (he expires. In the other ditch 

 there is a pile of wood, above which is an iron bar sup- 

 ported by two stakes, to this bar the other criminal is 

 tied, and when, the pile is lighted, the extremity of the 

 flames do but touch him, and he peri(hes by length of ton- 

 ture. The square was full of spectators. The whole 

 army under arms formed a square battalion of firelocks and 

 darts. The priests, in their drefses of ceremony, were 

 waiting to lay their hands on the victims and devote thern 

 to death. The prisoners came from opposite quarteas 

 guarded by women. Selico, calm and resigned, marched 

 with r.n erect coxintenance aod firm step. Having come to 

 the fatal spot, an involuntary movement made him turn 

 his eyes to view. 1 f ; companion in misery j — what is his 

 surprise? what is his grief, to see Berifsall He screams out 

 and attempts to fly to her, but his executioners prevent 

 him. Indignation directly takes pofsefsion of him;--" wretch ! 

 says he to himself, during the time when I was bewail- 

 ing her lofs, and seeking death in order to follow her, fl-je 

 was one of those vile mistrefses that dispute the heart o£a 

 tyrant I Not conteiit with having betrayed her love, (lie 

 I 



