Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-02-10
THE MOORISH BRIDAL.


we'll known and widely circulated here, but
fancy has hardly travelled to America.
Soon after the accession ofthe present En-
peror to the throne of Morocco, an officer in
command of the fortress here was suspected
at Court Of plotting against the new Sultan,
or of being too rich. Either crime was quite
enough to warrant his destruction. AS he
was rather popular, it was deemed unsafe to
spare his life. A messenger from the Sui
tan stood before him one morning, and po-
lnely wishing him thousand years of life,
and assuring him that his prosperity was the
delight of the Faithful, and the messenger
was less than the dust before his greatness.
he went on TO say, the most just and clement
Sultan had resolved to dismiss him TO Para
disc to receive the reward of his good works.
"God is great" calculated the officer, and,
without murmur or remonslrance, he LAID
aside his pipe, and calmly submitted his neck
TO the bow-strng. In countries where life
Is under the guardianship OF fixed laws, "A man
regards it as ii valuable capital which he man
ages at his own discretion, aud feels that he
has the most direct interest in preserving
In despotic countries no one thinks his life
his own property. He holds it by the Ca
PRECIOUS, uncertain tenure of another's will,
and learns not to calculate or value it. The
mere instructive fear of death is nearly all he
has to contend with, and that their deep I'M
doubling faith half disarms. The officer had
+ been raised from the lower ranks, and the
fall of his family was utter-complete. One
OF his wives fled with her children to a law
less tribe Of Berbers near the Spanish for
tress of Ceuta another retired with her son
Achmed to small house close to the city
wall, trusting Called, the successor to her
husband and the Basha would forget their
existence. She was mistaken in her hopes.
Celed Bey declared he had the Sultan's or
der to convey the sons of the late officer to
Fee, where the imperial court was then held.
7 The sanctuary of the harcm could not be
! violated, but close watch was kept on the
widows dwelling, in order to intercept her
= son When he left the house. The old lady
, took such care to spread report that Ach-
med had escaped from the city, that il came
to be generally credited. In the meantime
n the youth pinned in the close confinement h,
was subjected to. He was hardly sixteen
e and tine restless buoyancy of youth rebelled
v against being prisoner. To give him the
;. privilege of enjoying the evening air on thu
d root, where men dare not appear, and tt
q disguise him more ellec,ually from the reacl
o of his enemy, Called Bey, his mother dress
. ed him in the costume of Moorish maiden
q and introduced him to her new neighbors "A,
/ the daughter of deceased sister. As til,
: widow was known to be unfortunate, SHE
n was not excessive y troubled with the visit
st of friends. The house adjoining hers wa.
If occupied by an old priest, whose imi,ct
"a household consisted of one wife and ont
is daughter, the youngest Of his children, ant
10 perhaps servant or two. With this daugh
). ter the pretended ncce of the widow form
- ed close friendship. While the elder la
i dies enjoyed pipe and a quiet dish of scan
dial, the young ones, each with an arm
~ around each other, would walk the terac,
je and recite the wild legends or wilder low
re songs of the Arab poets. Achmed grew
h more reconciled to his feminine trappings
% at first so irksome, and daily expressed les
ID impotence to DIN the Berbers, as he origin
,. ally intended, though he insisted on attend
Ii ing his mother to the fountains when sh
wen, for water, and to the Field of tn
+. Dead " when she went on Friday to waite
m the flowers that grew on her husbands grave
w Perhaps he thought the exercise necessar
~ for his health; at any rate, he was sure L
gs meet his pretty neighbor at the fountain an
20 in the sacred ground. He formed some 9th
1s er acquaintance among the fair danes G
ID Te,uan, and everywhere the gay, witty nice
r. of the widow was a welcome VISITOR
re- Well it was for the peace Of these ladie
ID in after times that Moorish customs do nc
I'd allow young girls to 60 out alone. The
IN asserted, and, happily for them, were abb
A. to convince their lords, that Achmed ncve
as came unattended by his aunt. He had ceas
a ed to complain Of the confinement of tn
q. harem, although nearly year had passe
r. away in the monotonous seclusion. II
, f., wore his HAGUE with such grace, and wa
so sprighily and entertaining to his mother
friends, that more than one old lady aske
n. the supposed niece in marriage for her sor
nm and we're not a little surprised to find her S
lie averse to matrmony. The good priest lie,
or door had hinled to the widow his dispos,ro
q. and ability to add another jewel 10 his ha
n, rem, but his over,ures were most unaccoun,
nv ably repulsed. As man never sees III
4 wife's face before the marriage, they hav
n to depend on the opinion of his old lad
he friends, who are the regular marriage bro
a. kers in MOsem countries. These usef,
Nv personages were not exactly agreed as t
its the respective superiority of Achmed or tn
nv priests daughter Amuna. Achmed was to
~ tall, certainly, and not quite so soft in Ian
o. guage as Amiena but then in wit and gait
in he equalled Ayesha, the best beloved of Il,
o. Prophet.
or In short the friends were the most cele
ed bra,ed bellies of their quarter, and rivals, a
IA it we're, in spite of themselves. Yet the
c- were not envOus in the least degree. TIL
Ike old priest had caused it to DO entrusted I
&C. Called Bey, who had ordered some enquire
NJ TO be made touching the personal attrat
of tions of the rival beauties, that Amun
,r- would bring dover worthy of motto,
p while the widows neice would, accordin
ills the more usual custom, demand one. Gale
ess Bey wished to appropriate both, and carrie
,e- out this plan by making overlures to tt
nd priest for his daughter, and informing ii
,p- widow that he wished, or rather commando,