162 
A CRUSADE IN THE EAST. 
For the space of half an hour there is silence in the outer 
world; then comes forth the Sultan again, purified in body 
and soul. Again the bearded Pashas catch him in their 
arms, and help him on his horse. He is seated once more on 
the favored steed, still regardless of the crowd, a melancholy 
picture of resigned misery. The music strikes up, the royal 
pageant moves on, and Abd-ul-Mejid is borne hack to his 
palace to receive the congratulations of his devoted followers 
and the caresses of his loving wives. 
Poor Abd-ul-Mejid! Miserable Abd-ul-Mejid ! thou art 
an unhappy mouse, surrounded by cats ! Sir Catford Scran- 
ning is an experienced old mouser; his eye is on you; his 
claws are sharp ; his cunning surpasses your simple under¬ 
standing. Don’t believe in him because he purrs in the pres¬ 
ence of the other cats. This very moment he would swallow 
you bodily if he dared ; but Sir Catford kno ws very well that 
the great Russian Tom Cat has bigger claws and sharpei 
teeth than himself; that when the swallowing commences he 
won’t stand much chance in the scramble with Russian Tom. 
Sir Catford makes a great noise; threatens you very often; 
talks loudly about the prowess of British Cats : don’t mind 
him Abdul; he won’t do you much harm; he’s getting old 
and likes to see himself in a rage ; depend upon it “ there’s 
nothing in’t.” The Austrian and Russian party have you 
safe enough whenever they think proper to devour you ; there¬ 
fore take Sir Catford easy, and look well to the bigger cats. 
I went away from this exhibition a thoughtful man. That 
very morning I had been reading in an American paper a 
tirade in favor of disunion, a series of resolutions passed at 
some sectional convention. Never before had the complete 
madness of the proposition occurred to me. What was it 
proposed to do ? To annul the Confederacy of free States ; to 
abandon all the blessings of liberty because of a single evil; 
to rush headlong from the highest eminence of prosperity and 
happiness that any nation upon earth has yet attained, into 
the dark abyss of anarchy and final despotism ; to crush with 
sacrilegious hands the Constitution that has been bequeathed 
to us by the truest, and purest, and wisest of patriots that 
