The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-04-06

through many seaport towns In the LeVant
"a Verltable pilgrim of love-accidentally
discovered. by casual conversation with
a Turkish seaman, where she was, and
! how occupied for this man had been one
OF the corsair's crew.
Disguised as Turk, and giving out that
''he was the father of Fatima, the trusted
slave" Salmoni found means to commu~
nicate with her through an 1tchcOgian, one
OF the slaves or pages attached to the SER
agho, and they were thus enabled to see
each other and converse, their hasty meet>
ings being but stolen moments of tender
ness and joy.
Emilia was now in attendance upon a
little daughter of Acbmet Ill, born in
l7l0, and then six months old. Her
mother was the SultaDa Aska, formerly
Georgian slave, and then one of the ka-
dimes or wives of the Sultan, ladies whose
number rarely exceeds seven. Emelia was
high in favor with both Achmet and this
sutana, as she had been particularly ser
viceable to the latter at the birth of the
child, through some little skill she had ac-
quired from her father, the surgeon thus
the confidence they reposed in her, and
! the authority she possessed over all the
/ people in and about the seraglio, facilitated
| the execution Of those plans for an escape,
/ suggested and urged by SaImoni.
/ With a view to this end, she desired the
! JdStonghi or head gardener, to make a see-
saw, which was in the gardens, so high
that she-and her pupils, probably-misht
| see the whole city from the lofty wall that
I girds this place, where still the trees plant
cd arc alwaJ green, that the inha bitants
of Galata and other places may not see
the ladies at their lonely pTomenades.
AIDED by this see>saw, she dropped over
! the wall billet to Salmoni, desiring him
! to procure ladder, "stcel- yard 10 fix
| it TO the masonry, 10 make arrangements
with a ship captain, and, when all was
prepared, to wait her beneath the wall of
that terrible Serai Bournons, whieh no
slave~woman had ever yet lcf alive.
SaImoni promptly obeyed her instruc-
tiuns he discovered a ship for The Levant,
and, by note tossed over the wall, in
formed her of the night, and The very hour
of their departure.
She was in the act of reading this note
probably not for the first time-when
the Sultan Achmet suddenly entered her
apartment and she had barely time to
toss it, unseen, into porphyry vase for
this billet, if discovered, might have con-
signed her TO the bowstring of the cdpid>
g3baShi Sr the sack of The black chttJlHator>
aga, and It's concealment forms an imper-
tant feature in the story of the fugitives.
The hour-almUst the moment-for
flight had arrived, and SalmonI, she knew,
awaited her below the garden wall yet,
amid all the terror and anxiety of the time,
so strong was EmiIia's love for the little
baby girl, of whom she had the chief care,
that she resolved to convey the child away
with her, and hoped eventually to rear it
as Christian. Collecting all her jewels,
and those which Achmet had already Law
ishcd on the infant, she took with them
the silken tctft. or record of its birth, and
to be brief, escaped unseen by means OF
the steel-yard and ladder.
AS she descended, the ladder was held
for her by person in gray cloak, whom
she believed to be Salmoni, and into whose
arms she was, consequently, about tc
throw herself, when another man Started
for-r"rd and plunged a sword into his
breast. He fled, and cry escaped Emilia
who fell to the ground, but al that moment
the captain of the vessel by which Salmo-
nj had arranged they should escape, rushed
up, and tearing off the mufflings of the
fallen man, merely exclaimed, '.It is moi
he !" and bore her off to the seashore.
An alarm had been given. There wa.
no time to wait for the absent Salmoni
so she was placed at once on board th(
: vessel, which Immediately sailed and made
all speed to leave the Golden Horn be
hind She proved to be small craft be-
longing TO Bayonne, commanded by {
young captain from Dieppe, who ultimate
ly landed Emilia and her charge at Genes
where her first care was to have the htrl,
I'Tyue baptized according to the rites o.
the Catholic Church.
This, it is recorded, was done by the
cnre of St Eulalia de Genes, who namet
her Marie Cecile; and in honor of al
event so remarkable, salute was fired
by the cannon of the chateau aRd those
of the ramparts of the fort and three re
ligeuses, named respectively La Mere St
Agnes, La Mere St. Modesto and La Mere
de fHumilite, are mentioned as having
/ taken deep interest in the escaped fugi
tive and her charge, who was kept in ig
norance of her origin till her fifteenth year
We know not how many daughter
Achmet III. is said to have had, but in
letter of Lady Mary Wortley Montague
dated from Adrianople, she writes OF hi:
eldest being betrothed in marriage to Be
BRAN Bassa, then the reigning court favor
tic, and translates copy of verses he hat
addressed to her.
Cecile was now taken to several Eu
ropean courts, ''at which" according t
the narrative, "she was received with a.
the honors due to her illustrious rank
4 in Russia she was presented to the Cza