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"Why, are you, perhaps, already engaged to be married?"
"I?" said she, with another laugh. "No."
"Nor in love with anyone?"
"No."
"Then, don't you think – "
He stopped again.
"Think what?"
"Well, that you might love me a little some day?"
She gave him no answer.
"What, you don't think you could?" he asked, anxiously.
"But I didn't say that I couldn't, only – "
"Only what?"
"A girl cannot always choose for herself."
"Why not?"
"Suppose my father chooses someone else for me?"
"But surely he will not."
"Suppose he has already promised me – "
"Why go and suppose such dreadful things? Besides, he ought to remember that I risked my life to save yours; that – "
Milenko stopped for a moment, and then he added:
"Well, I don't like boasting; still, if it had not been for me – well, I suppose your caique would have foundered. No, tell me that you love me, or at least that you might get to love me. Let me ask your father – "
"No, no; not yet."
"Why not?"
"Well, we hardly know each other. Who knows, perhaps, the next port you go to – "
Here she heaved a deep sigh.
"Well, what?" asked the youth, ingenuously.
"You might see some girl that you might like better than myself, and then you will regret that you have engaged yourself to a girl whom you think you are obliged to marry."
"How can you think me so fickle?"
"You are so young."
"So is Uros young, and still – "
"Still?" she asked, smilingly, with an inquisitive look.
"He is in love."
"With?"
"A woman," said Milenko, gloomily.
"Of course."
"Well, I'll tell you, only please don't mention it – with a married woman. Are you not sorry for him?"
"No, not at all; a young man ought not to fall in love with a married woman – it's a sin, a crime."
"That's what I told him myself."
After a short pause, Milenko, having now got over his shyness:
"Well, Ivanitza, tell me, will you not give me a little hope; will you not try to love me just a little?"
"Would you be satisfied with only just a little?"
"No."
"Well, then – I am afraid – "
"What?"
"I shall have to love you a good deal."
He caught hold of her reluctant hand and covered it with kisses.
"If you think that your father might object to me because I am a seaman, tell him that my father is well off, and that I am his only son. Both Uros and I have gone to sea by choice, and to see a little of the world; still, we are not to be sailors all our lives."
Afterwards he began to ask her whether she would not like to come and sail with him in summer, when he would be master of the brig; then again he ended by begging her to allow him to speak to her father.
"No, not now. It is better for you to go away and see if you do not forget me. Besides, neither your father nor your mother know anything about me, and it may happen that they have other views about you."
"Their only aim is my happiness."
"Still, they might think that you were wheedled – "
"How could they think so ill of you?"
"You forget that they do not know me. Anyhow, it is more dutiful that you should speak to them before you speak to my father."
"Well, perhaps you are right. Only, you see, I love you so; I should be so frightened to lose you."
"It is not likely that anybody will think of me for some years yet."
"Well, then, promise me not to marry anyone else. In a year's time, then, I shall come and speak to your father. Will you promise?"
"I promise."
"Will you give me a pledge?"
She gave him her hand, but he gently pulled her towards him, clasped her in his arms, and kissed her rosy lips. Then they both went into the house.
CHAPTER VI
THE BULLIN-MOST
"I suppose you have been to Knin and Dernis?" said the captain by chance after dinner to his host, speaking about the trade with the interior, whilst puffing away at the long stem of his cherry-wood pipe.
"Of course. Haven't you?"
"Oh, no! we sailors are always acquainted with the coasts of countries, nothing more. What kind of a place is this Knin?"
"Much of a muchness, like other places. The country, however, is fine and picturesque. There is, besides, the Bullin-Most."
"What is that?"
"The name of a bridge at the entrance of the town, and almost at the foot of the fortress which tops the crags. It is called the Bullin-Most, or the Bridge of the Turkish Woman. Formerly it used to be called the Bridge of the Two Torrents."
"Well, and what is there remarkable about it?"
"Don't you know the tale of 'Hussein and Ayesha'?"
"No."
"It is the subject of one of Kacic's finest poems. Would you like to hear it?"
"Of course."
"Well, then, about two hundred years ago, more or less, Kuna Hassan was the governor of Knin and of the neighbouring province. The Agawas said to be a man of great wisdom and courage; but his many qualities were marred by his severity towards the Christians, whom he hated, and subjected to all kinds of vexations and cruel treatment.
"This Aga had a numerous family, being blessed with many children by his several wives; but Ayesha, the only daughter of his favourite wife, was the child in whom he had put all the fondness of his heart. She was, it is true, a girl of an extraordinary beauty. Her skin, they say, was as white as the snowy peaks of the Dinara, the mountain over against the fort of Knin; her eyes were black, but they sparkled softly, like the star which shines at twilight; her curly hair had the colour of the harvest moon's mellow light.
"All the vati of her father's palace were in love with her, only hearing her beauty extolled by the eunuchs of the harem, and seeing her glorious eyes sparkle through her veils, or the tips of her tapering fingers, as she held her feredgé.
"The principal lords of Kuna Hassan Aga's Court were, first, Ibrahim Velagic, the Dizdar of Stermizza; then Mujo Jelascovic, the governor of Biscupia; lastly old Sarè the Bulju Pasha, or lieutenant of the troops. The old Sarè had a son named Hussein, who was the standard-bearer; he was the most beautiful young man of the land, nay, it was difficult to find his like. He was, indeed, as handsome as Ayesha was comely. The one was like a lily, the other like a pomegranate flower.
"At that time, as I have said before, the Christians were groaning under the Turkish yoke, and several attempts had already been made to shake it off; nay, many of the struggles which had taken place between the Turks and the men of the Kotar had been most successful, as they had for their chief, Jancovic Stoyan, or Stephen, known in history as 'the clearer of Turkish heads.' These continual skirmishes had weakened our oppressors in such a way, and spread so much fear amongst them, that Kuna Hassan never felt sure whenever he left his castle walls. Finding himself reduced to this extremity, he determined to muster all the troops he could get together and make war upon the Christians.
"And now," said Giulianic, "I think I can give you some of Kacic's verses on this subject;" therefore, taking a guitar, he sang as follows:
"A letter wrote Hassan Aga
From Knin itself, the white-walled town;
He sent it to the bordering Turks,
To Mujo and to Velagic.
"And in this letter Kuna spake:
'Oh! brave men of my border-lands,
Now muster all your borderers,
And hie to Knin, the white-walled town.
"'For we shall raid upon Kotar,
And there rich plunder shall we get
Both gold and young Molachian maids,
Shall be the prize of all the brave.
"'Kotar will be an easy prey
For you, the warriors of the Cross!
Besides, the Sirdars are away,
And Stoyan is in Venice now.
"'Milikovic has fallen sick,
Mocivana has lost his horse,
Mircetic has sprained his hand,
And Klana to a feast is gone.'
"The Bulju Pasha heard all this,
And wisely answered to Kuna:
'Forbear, Kuna Aga; forbear
To make a raid upon Kotar!'"
Giulianic stopped to take breath. "The poem is long," said he, "and I am old; I shall relate the story in my own words: – Well, Kuna Hassan Aga would not be dissuaded, especially as the Dizdars were for it. The expedition took place. Jelascovic and Velagic – called the snakes of the empire, on account of their strength and craft – came to Kuna's castle, bringing each man three hundred men with him. The Agamustered as many men himself, and with this little array they set off for the Kotar. At first they were successful; they fell upon the open country, plundering and sacking, carrying away young boys and girls as slaves, finding nowhere the slightest opposition. It was not a war, but a military march; thus they went on until they reached the lovely meadows at the foot of the hills of Otre, a most pleasant country, watered by many rivulets.
"There they pitched their tents, and began to prepare their meal and make merry. All at once as the sun went down, a slight mist began to rise from the waters and from the marshes of Ostrovizza, not very far off from there. As the day declined, the fog grew denser, and when night came on Jancovic Stoyan, who had returned from Venice, together with the other Sirdars, fell upon them, threw them upon the marshes, and not only obliged them to give back all their plunder, but killed more than six hundred of their men. It was only with great difficulty that the Aga and Dizdars got back to Knin; they were all in a sorry plight, regretting deeply not to have followed Sarè's advice.
"Shortly after this, Kuna Hassan, having recovered from the wounds he had received, gathered again all his chief warriors together. Then he made them a long speech, saying that it was time that the Christian hornets should be done away with, and their nests destroyed, for, if left alive, they would daily become more troublesome; then he made them many promises, so as to induce them to fight, but without much success. At last he offered the hand of his handsome daughter, who, as I have said, was indeed as beautiful as a heavenly houri, and a bride fit for the Sultan, or the Prophet himself, to the bold warrior who would bring him the head of Jancovic Stoyan, or those of the three hundred Christians. The prize he requested was a great one, but the reward he offered was such as to inflame the hearts of the greatest cowards.
"However, amongst the warriors that Kuna Hassan had gathered together that day, neither old Sarè nor his son, the handsome standard-bearer, had been requested to attend, doubtless, because theAga had thought the Bulju Pasha too old, and his son too young and too rash, for such an undertaking. Perhaps he also felt a grudge against the Bulju Pasha for having dissuaded him from the first attack, which had met with such a bad success.
"When poor Hussein heard of the slight he and his father had met with, he was very much grieved, for, though he was the Aga's standard-bearer, he had been treated as a mere boy. Moreover, he was madly in love with the beautiful Ayesha, who returned his affection. In fact, whenever she had an opportunity, she sent him a message by one of the eunuchs, and every time he used to pass under her window she was at the lattice, and she often dropped a flower, or even her handkerchief, if no one was looking on.
"Hussein would have risked his life to try and obtain her; nay, he would even have gone to Zara and fight Stoyan, if he could get her father's consent to wed her.
"As for the Sirdars, they were only too glad that Hussein was not amongst the warriors called forth to strive for Ayesha's hand, nor would they now allow any new pretender to come forth and take part in their raids with them.
"During the many skirmishes that took place round about Knin, Hussein had been left to take care of the castle, and then he had succeeded in bribing the head eunuch to allow him to talk with Ayesha.
"This keeper, knowing how fond his mistress was of the handsome standard-bearer, had consented to allow the lovers to meet, while he watched over their safety.
"At first, when all the Mussulman warriors met with so many losses, the lovers were happy, for they thought it would be years before any of them could ask for their reward; but afterwards, when it was known that Velagic's heap of heads was daily increasing, their gladness of heart changed into the deepest sorrow. Both saw that there was very little chance of their ever being able to marry, and Ayesha, rather than give up the man she loved so deeply and become the wife of the old Dizdar, whom she detested, proposed to her lover that they should run away together.
"They waited till the very last moment, thinking that Velagic might be killed, or some other unforeseen circumstance might take place; but they had no Kismet, for the Dizdar seemed to have a charmed life; he had already got together about two hundred and ninety heads. How he had got them, nobody could understand, for he had never received the slightest wound in any of his many fights.
"The last time the lovers met, they agreed that the day upon which Velagic brought the ten last heads they would make their escape. Hussein, upon that night, was to be on the rocks at the foot of the castle, somewhere near the place occupied by the harem; then, at midnight, when all the town had sunk into rest, and all the lights were extinguished, Ayesha would put a taper by her window to guide him if everything was ready for their flight. After the muezzin had called the faithful to prayers, she would open the lattice and throw out a rope-ladder, by means of which he would climb up into the castle. There he was to be received by the eunuch that had hitherto befriended him – be led to her chamber-door. From there they would pass by an underground passage, the keys of which she had. This passage had an outlet, somewhere beyond the town, near the bridge, where, indeed, there is a kind of den or hole. There Hussein was to have swift horses ready, so that they might at once escape to Zara or Sebenico, and if that was not far enough, they could there freight a ship and go off to Venice.
"Hussein, overjoyed, promised that he would take the necessary steps, so that nothing might hinder their flight.
"Poor lovers! they little knew how all their designs were to be thwarted!
"At about four miles from Knin, and not far from the highway leading to Grab, rises a huge beetling rock about thirty feet in height; it seems to slant so much over the road that all the passers-by shudder lest it should fall and crush them. The name of this rock is the Uzdah-kamen, or the Stone of the Sighs – perhaps, because the wind which always blows there seems to be moaning, or, as there is a kind of natural cistern, spring, or well of water, which is said to be fathomless, more than one luckless wanderer, going to drink of that icy-cold water, happened to slip into it, utter a moan and a sigh, and then all was over with him.
"Near this fountain there is a deep cavern, which is the dwelling-place of a witch, well known in Turkish and Arabian mythology, as well as Chaldean lore. Her name, which is hardly ever uttered, and never without a shudder of awe, is Nedurè; but she is usually spoken of as The Witch. This Nedurè – for we may well call her by her name without fear – used to take the form of a lovely young female, and come and sit by the spring at the entrance of her cave. There she would sit, combing her long hair, which was of the deepest hue of the night. Then, displaying all the bewitching beauty of sixteen summers, she would press all the handsome youths who passed thereby to come and rest in her den.
"Like a wily spider, she daily caught some silly man to linger and gaze upon her large, languishing black eyes with long silken lashes, like natural khol, or to look on the dark moles on her alabaster skin. If he did so, he was lost, and nothing more was heard of him, but his sighs wafted by the wind.
"Now, it happened one day that as Hussein was going to Grab on horseback, he passed by the rock of Uzdah-kamen, and, lo and behold! Nedurè was sitting by the fountain waiting for him. As soon as she saw him she beckoned to him to go up to her; but he, far from obeying, spurred his horse and turned away from the woman.
"'Hussein,' said she, 'you are warm and weary; come and have a draught of this delicious water and rest a while in my moss-grown cavern.'
"'Thank you, I am neither warm nor weary; so I require neither water nor rest.'
"'Hussein, why do you turn away your head, and will not even deign to cast a glance upon me?'
"'Because I have heard of your enticements and blandishments, and do not wish to fall a prey to such charms.'
"'I am afraid people have slandered me to you,' quoth she; 'but believe them not. I am your friend – as I am, indeed, that of all lovers. I know how your heart yearns for Kuna Hassan Aga's daughter, and I should like to be kind to you, and help you in getting her for your bride.'
"'Thank you, indeed,' replied the standard-bearer, who knew the wiles of the witch; 'you are very good, but I hope to obtain Ayesha by the strength of my love, and not by your wicked art.'
"'Look how ungracious you are. I wish to befriend you, whilst you only answer me by taunts.'
"'Thank you, but your friendship would cost me too dear.'
"'No; my help is only paid by love. You see, I do not ask much.'
"'Still, I should have to remain your debtor. My heart is full of love for Ayesha, and it can harbour none for creatures such as you.'
"'Well, then,' said she, in her sweetest voice, which was as soft as the morning breeze amongst the orange-groves, 'if you hate me in this way, why do you not look upon me? Do you think my charms can have any temptation for you?'
"'We should try to resist temptation, and then it will flee from us.'
"Thereupon he spurred his horse and rode away.
"From that day, Nedurè's heart, which had until then burned with lust, was filled with the bitterest hatred for the young man, who had not yielded to her request.
"Therefore she only thought to bring about his death, and was ever plotting by which way she could harm him, for the Most High would not allow her to do any harm to the faithful, so she strove to find someone who would take up her vengeance for her, and now she was about to reach her aim.
"When Hussein and Ayesha had planned together everything for their escape, Nedurè, the witch, who by her art could read the future, and who, besides, could change herself into the likeness of a bird, a rat, or even into that of any of the smaller insects, managed somehow or other to overhear all that conversation of the lovers, and then she at once sent for Velagic and informed him of what was to take place.
"'Velagic,' said she, 'you are old, and it is true you think yourself a world-wise man, but do you really believe that Ayesha, who is as beautiful as the rising moon, for whose charms all men lose their wits, can fall in love with an old man like you?'
"'I do not ask her to fall in love with me. Now, by your help, I shall have got together the number of heads which the Aga requires as the prize for his daughter, and then she will be mine.'
"'Do not be too sure of that. Whilst you are numbering your heads, Hussein, the handsome standard-bearer, has found his way to Ayesha's heart.'
"Velagic winced at hearing this; but soon he shrugged his shoulders, and added:
"'What does it matter if that young coxcomb is in love with her, or even she with him. In a day or two I shall claim her as my bride. Once she is in my stronghold of Stermizza, woe to the flies that come buzzing around my honey.'
"'Velagic, Velagic,' said the witch, 'there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip; to-morrow you may find the cage empty and the bird flown.'
"'What do you mean, Nedurè?'
"'I mean what I say.'
"'Explain yourself, I beg you.'
"The witch thereupon told the Dizdar all that was to take place, and then advised him what he had to do.
"That day passed away and night came on; it was even a very dark one, because, not only was there no moon, but the sky was overspread with a thick mass of clouds, and heaven seemed to be lowering on the earth.
"The hours passed slowly for three persons at Knin that night. Two of them repeated their prayers devoutly, and tried to fix their thoughts towards the holy Kaaba; one alone, whose heart was full of murderous designs, could not pray at all.
"Velagic had been a wicked man; he had forfeited the happiness of his future life, but never as yet had he rendered himself guilty of shedding the blood of a Mussulman, nay, of murdering the son of one of his greatest friends. The guilt he was about to commit was beyond redemption; he knew that the Compassionate would spurn him away in his wrath, and that he would be doomed to eternal fire; but what could he do now? it was too late to retreat. He was in the witch's power, nay, an instrument in her hands.
"He tried to pray, but every time he attempted to utter Allah's sacred name, it seemed as if the three hundred heads now gathered upon his tower were all blinking and grinning at him.
"Midnight came; all the preparations were made, every necessary precaution against surprise was taken, the horses were ready for the fugitives at the opening of the cave beyond the bridge.
"Hussein, at the foot of the tower, saw the beacon light at Ayesha's window, and slowly and stealthily he scrambled on to the rocks beneath it, awaiting, with a beating heart, for the given signal.
"All at once, in the midst of the darkness, he heard the adan– the chant of the muezzin– calling the faithful to the prayers of theRamazan.
"'God is most great,' uttered Hussein faintly, and then lifting his eyes as the sound of the muezzin's voice had died away in the distance, he saw the lattice of Ayesha's window open, and he heard the ladder of ropes slowly being let down.
"He had time to say one rekah, or prayer, before the ladder reached the ground, and then he seized the ropes and began to go up. The ascent was a long one, for the tower was very high. He had not gone up many steps, when he heard a noise somewhere above his head. He shuddered and listened. It was nothing but an owl that had its nest in some hole in the wall; doubtless it had been frightened by the ladder, and now it flew away with a loud screech, grazing Hussein with its wings as it passed.
"Hussein, though brave, felt his limbs quake with fear; was it not an evil omen? Would not something happen now that he was about to reach the goal of his happiness!
"Was it not possible that the eunuch had betrayed him? No, that could not be; this man had always been so fond of Ayesha. A thousand dismal thoughts crowded through his brain; the way up in the midst of the darkness seemed everlasting. He looked towards the lighted window; he was only half-way up.
"Just then he thought he heard something creak. Was it the rope breaking beneath his weight? Frightened, he hastened to climb up; if there was any danger it would soon be over.
"He muttered a few verses of the Koran; he looked up again; now he could see Ayesha's face at the open window; she stretched forth her arms towards him. How beautiful she was! There, in the darkness, it seemed as if all the constellations had hidden themselves before her radiant beauty.
"He stopped one moment to take breath and to look at her, when again he heard the ropes creak, and at the same moment the ladder snapped under the young man's weight. He lifted up his arms towards her, but alas! she was beyond his grasp. The next instant he fell with a heavy thud upon the rocks, and from those into the yawning precipice over which the castle was built.
"Ayesha uttered a loud cry, which was repeated several times by the surrounding echoes, and then she swooned away in the eunuch's arms.
"Velagic, who, apparently, had been hidden close by, saw Hussein fall into the chasm, and heard Ayesha's cry; then he mounted his horse and galloped away.
"When Ayesha, with the help of the eunuch, got over her faintness, she went to the window and looked down, but she could only see the darkness of the chasm below. She listened; she heard nothing but the wind, the rustling of the leaves, and now and then the screech of some night-bird. She pulled up the ladder; she saw that it had been cut in several places, at one of which it snapped. She understood that some foul treachery had been committed, but she could not make out who had discovered their secret and had dealt her this cruel wrong. She could not suspect the eunuch, who was there by her side, her friend to the last.
"She passed a night of most terrible anguish and anxiety, waiting impatiently, and still dreading the morrow. She tried to hope that Hussein might not have fallen down the chasm, that he might have been caught by some of the trees or bushes that grew on the rocks, and thus saved from death; but it was, at best, only a faint kind of forlorn hope.
"Not a cry, not a groan escaped from her lips, as she stood cold and tearless, at her window, almost stupefied by the intensity of her grief. Thus she remained motionless and dumb for hours, until the first rays of dawn lighted the tops of the Veli-Berdo, the mountain over the fortress.
"Her eyes pierced the faint glimmering of the dawn, and, looking down into the chasm, at the place where the two torrents meet, there she saw three lovely maidens of superhuman beauty, tending the remains of her lover. By their garments, of the colour and splendour of emeralds, by their faces shining like burnished silver, she knew that they were celestial houris, and that her lover was already amongst the blessed.
"When she saw this sight, she wanted to dash herself down into the chasm and rejoin her happy lover, hoping that Allah would be merciful and allow her to meet Hussein in the abode of the blessed; but then one of the houris beckoned to her to stop, and in a twinkling she was by her side, whispering words of comfort in her ear.
"Her attendants, whom she had dismissed in the early evening, came back to her early in the morning, and they were surprised to see she had fainted by the window.
"When she recovered from her swoon, every recollection of that terrible night seemed to have passed away; far from being bereaved and forlorn, she was a happy maiden, about to be united to her lover in eternal bliss.
"Later on in the day her father summoned her to his presence, to tell her that the Dizdar of Stermizza had brought the three hundred Christian heads demanded as the price for her hand, and that she was to get ready to receive him as the man who was to be her husband.
"Ayesha crossed her hands on her breast and bowed; then she uttered, in a soft, slow voice, that sounded as an echo of a distant sound:
"'My lord, it shall be as Kismet has ordained.'
"As Kuna Hassan knew nothing of all that had happened, he thought that his daughter meant that she was ready to obey the decrees of the Fates, that had chosen Velagic for her husband; so he answered:
"'Though he would not have been the man I should have chosen for thee, still, by his bravery, he has won thee for his bride; so prepare yourself to go with him this very evening. But, daughter of my heart,' added he, taking her hand, 'before parting with your father, have you no request to make?'
"'Yes, father.'
"'Well, let me hear it, my child, and if it is in my power to grant it, you may be sure that your wish will be gratified.'
"'My request, though strange indeed, is a very simple one; it is that my betrothal should take place this evening, on the Poto-devi-Most, just when the sun gilds with its rays the snowy peaks of the Veli-Berdo. This, and nothing more.'
"The father looked at his child, astonished.
"'It is, indeed, a strange request, and were it not for the earnest way in which it is made, I should think that it was merely a joke. Anyhow, it shall be as you wish; only, may I know why you do not wish to be married in the usual way?'
"'I have had a vision at day-break, and the powers above have decreed that it shall be so; but I cannot speak about it till this evening, at the appointed place.'
"The Aga, wishing the ceremony to be performed with the utmost splendour, sent word at once to the Dizdar of Stermizza to be on the Bridge of the Two Torrents at the appointed time. Similar messages were likewise sent to the other Dizdars and Sirdars, and to all the gentry of Knin and of the neighbouring towns.
"The sun was sinking down below the horizon when Ibrahim Velagic, followed by Mujo Jelascovic, by the old Bulju Pasha, who was as yet ignorant of his son's fate, by the other Mussulman warriors, as well as by a number of svati– all came to the bridge, attired in magnificent clothes of silk and satin, laced in gold, with their finest weapons glittering with precious stones. Then came Kuna Hassan Aga, with all his train and a number of slaves, some carrying a palanquin, the others the bridal gifts.
"When the two parties had met at the bridge, all wondering what would take place next, Ayesha ordered the slaves to put her down.
"Velagic at once dismounted from his horse, and came forward to help her to alight, offering her his hand.
"She simply waved him off, and standing up: 'How dare you come to me! Look at your hand; it is stained with blood; and not with Christian, but with Moslem blood.'
"The eyes of the bystanders were all turned upon the Dizdar of Stermizza, who got all at once of a livid hue; still, he lifted up his hand and said:
"'Ayesha, my hands have often been stained with the blood of our enemies, never with that of our brethren.'
"'Man,' said the young girl, 'in the name of the Living God, thou liest!'
"There was a murmur and a stir amongst the crowd, as when the slight wind which precedes the storm rustles amongst the leaves of the trees.
"Then Ayesha, turning towards Sarè: 'Father,' said she to him, 'your hand.'
"The Bulju Pasha rushed forward and helped her to alight.
"As soon as she was on the ground she threw off her veil and herferedgé, and stood there in her glittering bridal dress, the costly jewels of which seemed to shine less than her beautiful face.
"All the men were astounded at such an act of boldness from so modest a maiden; but her dazzling beauty seemed to fill them with that awe which is felt at some supernatural sight. They all thought they were looking upon a houri, or some heavenly vision, rather than upon a human being; so that when she opened her lips again to speak, a perfect silence reigned everywhere.
