OF THE OLD WORLD. 371 



for his country house. His reception could not 

 have proved very satisfactory, nor did he ever dis- 

 close to me what actually passed, for although he 

 has often related his grievances to me, at this point 

 he invariably worked himself up in such a rage, 

 that I could make out little but a lon^^ strinf of 

 curses against a cat-like fiend who must have 

 escaped from ' Jehanum,' (the infernal regions,) so 

 I concluded he got his face clawed. However, he 

 admitted that he spent the night in a neighbourinf^ 

 cafe, and when he went home the next morning he 

 found a mutiny had taken place in his harem ; for 

 whether his scratched face and disordered appear- 

 ance told tales, or some maliciously inclined persons 

 had given his wives an insight into the affair, he 

 knew not, but he was received with torrents of 

 abuse. One knocked his turban off, a second 

 pulled his beard, the third spat in his face, and 

 they all left the marks of their nails on his person, 

 besides belabouring him with the heels of their 

 slippers until he was almost insensible, when the 

 guardians of the fold of the ' third sex ' came to the 

 rescue, and enabled him to get out of their clutches. 

 Finding himself driven out of house and home, he 

 grew desperate, and, being weary of his life, went 

 for a soldier, thinking to terrify the household into 

 subordination, for he had no idea of going to fight ; 

 and the Seraskier (Minister of War) gave him the 

 command of a brigade of 'redifs,' (militia,) which, 

 unfortunatelv for our hero, were the first troops 



