INSTRUMENT OF TORTURE. 37 



building, and the public offices of government 

 are contained in it ; but the Pasha's private resi- 

 dence, or harem, is in a less public part of the 

 citadel, although not far distant from it. 



Mustafa Pasha has the credit of having abo- 

 lished throughout his pashalic a method of put- 

 ting criminals to death, which was commonly in 

 use until his time. A beam was fixed horizon- 

 tally between two upright posts, or supported at 

 each end by two crossed pieces of wood driven 

 into the ground. This beam, which by this 

 means is a few feet above the ground, was stud- 

 ded with very long iron spikes. When some 

 unfortunate man had committed an offence, de- 

 serving, in the opinion of the Pasha, a more 

 severe punishment than the simple one of cut- 

 ting off his head, he was brought to this instru- 

 ment of torture (which was fixed in a conspicu- 

 ous situation in the town, and remained always 

 standing in readiness for the constant use which 

 was customarily made of it), and thrown upon 

 the beam, so that the spikes entering his body 

 wherever they might chance to catch him, held 

 him fast, and kept him in that condition until he 

 died. Criminals have been known to remain in this 



