222 
A CRUSADE IN THE EAST. 
till the first part of the performance, commencing with the 
sword exercise, was concluded. He then began in good earn¬ 
est the dance of the Haas ; gradually at first, with a tremulous 
motion of one side and a convulsive quivering of the other 
that seemed quite miraculous. I really began to think the 
fellow would go to pieces. His right leg kept running all 
round in a circle, while his right shoulder and arm danced a 
jig; the whole of his left side kept rising and falling con¬ 
vulsively, and his back worked as if every joint had a distinct 
and independent movement. Tahib ! Tahib ! shouted the 
audience, and round and round ran the independent leg faster 
than ever ; and the left side worked, and the right side danced, 
and the back wriggled into the most convulsive motions, and 
Yusef looked just as much like one of the figures in a show, 
worked by wires, as any thing I ever saw, only a good deal 
more wiry. Some of the motions in this part of the dance 
were so ludicrous that the music had to stop suddenly for 
want of breath; but the dance went on to the clapping of 
hands kept up by the Arabs. The concluding part of the 
performance consisted of dancing, fighting, and love-making 
alL together. The djeered is thrown, the sword whirled over 
the head, hundreds of foes slain, skulls split open, and terrible 
wounds received in the heroic attempt to carry away the 
daughter of a Grand Sultan, who seems to be surrounded by 
difficulties. At last Yusef is mortally wounded, and he be¬ 
gins to die by throwing his head back and getting very weak 
in the knees. Every bit of his body is convulsed with dying 
tortures; shoulders, breast, elbows, legs, and all are writhing 
horribly ,* by degrees he drops on one knee, and then on the 
other; and his arms fall loosely, and his head tumbles over 
on his breast, and he is about to roll over perfectly dead, 
when he catches a glimpse of his lady-love. With a wild 
yell he springs to his feet again, seizes his sword, and lays 
about him so desperately that the audience begins to think it 
is no joke at all. It really seemed as if Yusef had entirely 
lost his senses ; 4he perspiration streamed down his face ; he 
snorted like a horse, and his eyes had something horribly 
wild and insane about them. I expected each moment to 
