268 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD, 



going on, and then, passing a long strip of canvas 

 over his loins, and pegging it down strongly on each 

 side, so as to prevent his moving about, I quietly 

 cut the hobbles fastening his heels and fetlocks, 

 and then made the Turks fill up the whole stable 

 with sand, covering him up to the depth of nearly 

 four feet. He was extremely restive when the 

 first few shovel-fulls were thrown in, but finding 

 his head securely fastened, and perhaps feeling 

 frightened at being blindfolded, he remained 

 tolerably passive, although he showed his temper 

 by continually grinding his teeth. When I saw 

 he was so completely buried that there was no 

 chance of his being able to extricate himself, I 

 took the strip of canvas from off his loins, and 

 uncovered his eyes, when he began to make 

 violent efforts in order to free himself, but it was 

 all in vain ; like Sampson in the hands of the 

 Philistines, when his head was shorn, his strength 

 hud departed from him, and after a few desperate 

 struggles he became exhausted, and lay still 

 bathed in perspiration. 



During his attempts to free himself I remained 



