A PJDE TO BABYLON. 357 



would entirely disappear. There steps forth from a 

 pile of fur-coats, felt cloths, linen wrappers, leather 

 leggings, and a perfect armoury of sundry defensive 

 weapons, a large-framed man certainly, but so exceed- 

 ingly spare that the large framework of bone appears 

 to have nothing but skin upon it, not an ounce of 

 superfluous flesh or muscle. He tucks the leathern 

 bags under his arm, and strides away with legs im- 

 mensely distended, a sort of striding bridge, towards 

 the quarters of the Vice-Consul This travel-stained 

 man is the Tatar from Constantinople. He has been 

 a number of consecutive hours on horseback, the 

 mere mentioning of which would make the toughest 

 of postboys, the most dunderheaded, enduring of 

 German "postilions," stand aghast. This Tatar has 

 ridden in hot haste, and his ride has cost Her 

 Majesty's Government about XI 00 sterling. He has 

 probably left more than one horse dead or dying upon 

 the road ; and if the servants at the different post- 

 houses had it in their power to sue him at law for 

 assault and battery, the British Treasury would pos- 

 sibly have to pay a much longer bill For in their 

 zeal of office these Tatars slash about with surprising 

 energy, on every possible occasion, over the heads 

 and faces of the unfortunate attendants at the post- 

 hoiises, the long leathern lashes of a whip, which is 

 carried fastened to the wrist. Those leathern bags 

 that the Tatar has brought Avith him may contain a 

 despatch, on the reading of which the destination of 

 VOL. i. 2 A 



