Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/145

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BARON WENCESLAS WRATISLAW.
95

him with great anger, crying out,—“Hai, hai! pregaar gidy Tuipek, gidy anaseny, sigligum iste mes sentu kazdyny?” —“Ah! utterly accused traitor, dog, why refusest thou that beautiful lady?” And thus, with great clamour and tumult, they led him to execution, she, also, riding after him on the mule, weeping from her heart, while the Turks, and Turkish women, comforted and encouraged her. When they had conducted him beyond the Unkapy, (i. e. beyond the sand-gate,) under the wooden gallows itself, to which were suspended six large hooks, two executioners with their sleeves tucked up fixed the pulleys by which they intended to hoist him up. They then stripped him of his coat and all his clothes, leaving him only his linen trousers, tied his hands and feet, and drew him up towards the gallows upon these pulleys higher than a man’s height.

Just at this moment the lady rode out from the gate, which is not far off, and on seeing him swooned away. When they brought her to again she begged to be allowed to speak with him once more, and give him counsel. Being, therefore, brought under the gallows, she clasped her hands together, and, raising them up, made him a long speech with tears, recounting all their love which they had had towards each other from their youth upwards, and begged him only to say one word, that he would become a Mahometan. Amongst other things, she said to him as follows:—“But thou hast always had a compassionate heart towards me; how, then, has it turned to stone against me, seeing death before thine eyes? Alas! what, then, thinkest thou? Why art thou not in thy right mind, that thou wilt not speak to me? Alas! cursed be that love which I had for thee!”