Chap. XV. 



A DANGEROUS POSITION. 



329 



part. Nothing new or rare being found in the 

 gardens to reward us for the visit we had paid to 

 them, and as it was getting late in the afternoon, 

 we determined to return at once to our boats, from 

 which we were distant about two miles. In order 

 to get relieved from the crowd we did not again 

 enter the city, but went back through its northern 

 suburb in the direction of the east gate. This 

 movement in a great measure accomplished the 

 intended object, and most of the people who had 

 followed us thus far, with the intention of return- 

 ing with us through the city, left and went home. 

 A small portion, however, continued to follow us 

 until we came to the north gate, when I remon- 

 strated with them by saying that surely they had 

 seen enough of us, and that we were anxious to 

 have a quiet walk after all the noise and incon- 

 venience we had been subjected to. After this 

 they seemed afraid to follow us any further, but 

 we had soon reason to repent having stopped 

 them. Our road led us for some distance close 

 under the city walls. Two or three rascally-look- 

 ing fellows, the scum of the crowd, entered by the 

 north gate and got upon the top of the ramparts, 

 and soon showed evil intentions towards us. Se- 

 veral stones were thrown by unseen hands, and 

 from the position we were in, our situation was 

 far from being an agreeable one. Hemmed in as 

 we were by the city wall on one side and houses 

 on the other, moreover the street thus formed 

 being very narrow, we were placed entirely at the 



