of her predictions had been fulfilled, that she was now more consulted than ever, and that she had been enriched by several legacies. About this time, two christians from Servia, who had been employed in transporting the baggage of the Turkish army, having committed some offence, for which they had reason to think they would be severely punished, deserted and came over to us. They had no sooner seen our prophetess than they recognised her as having gone frequently in the night to the Turkish head quarters with an account, as it was supposed, of all our motions. But this appeared the more improbable, as this very woman had frequently rendered us similar services, and we had frequently admired the address with which she had acquitted herself of the most perilous of undertakings. The two deserters, however, persisted in their assertion, and even declared that they had been present when she was describing to the enemy our position, and encouraging them on to the attack. A Turkish cypher, they said, served her as a passport. The cypher was found on her, and, being a sufficient proof of her guilt, she was condemned to death as a spy. I questioned her before she was carried to execution on her prediction of the 20th of August, and she confessed to me, that by acting on both sides the part of a spy, which procured her double profit, that she had frequently learnt what was to be attempted by either party, and that persons who had consulted her on their horoscope, had frequently discovered to her what she would otherwise have been ignorant of; something, she said, she owed to chance. As to what regarded me particularly, she confessed, that she had marked me out to make an example of, in proof of her skill in divination; by fixing so long before hand upon the fatal day, she had gained time to inspire the Turks with confidence in her intelligence, and easily prevailed upon them to make an attack on the 20th of August; her intercourse with the officers, to whom she made herself useful in various ways, rendered it easy for her to know when it would be my tour of duty, nor was it difficult for her to contrive that it should be on thát par of defence, and I saw that the least motion I ventured to make he was ready to plunge his great cutlass in my bosom. But taking him round the waist, I supplicated him to have pity on me, telling him that if he would be satisfied with making me his prisoner he might expect a considerable ransom from my family, who were very well able to give it. I should have to wait for it too long, was his reply, only be still and let me have a fair stroke, I must have your head. He then deliberately unpinned my shirt collar, notwithstanding I still kept my arms about him, to which he made no opposition, relying, I suppose, on his personal strength, and on the sharpness of his sabre, or perhaps from some slight degree of pity, not sufficiently powerful, however, to counterbalance the prospect of making a ducat. As he was unpinning my collar I felt something hard at his side, which I found to be an iron hammer. Keep yourself quiet, once more said the Arnaut: and these would no doubt have been the last words I ever should have heard, had not the idea occurred that I might possibly get possession of his hammer, which he seemed to have forgotten. While he took hold of my head by the hair in one hand, and was raising his drawn sabre in the other, disengaging myself from his grasp by a sudden effort, I snatched the iron hammer from his side, and struck him a violent blow on the face with it; the hammer was heavy and the blow well applied, and as he staggered backwards I gave him another and another, till his sabre dropt from his hand, and he fell prostrate. I now plunged the wretch's own weapon into his body, and made the best of my way to our lines, guided by the glittering of the soldiers' musquets, which I could plainly discern. As I entered the camp every one was ready to run from me as from a ghost, and I made the best of my way to my quarters. Here I was soon seized with a violent fever, nor was it till at the end of six weeks, and by all the care and skill of the hospital surgeons, that I was restored to health. I had no sooner joined the regiment again than the Bohemian appeared and brought me the basket of tokay; and I learned, in speaking of her with different individuals, that during my absence several of her predictions had been fulfilled, that she was now more consulted than ever, and that she had been enriched by several legacies. About this time, two christians from Servia, who had been employed in transporting the baggage of the Turkish army, having committed some offence, for which they had reason to think they would be severely punished, deserted and came over to us. They had no sooner seen our prophetess than they recognised her as having gone frequently in the night to the Turkish head quarters with an account, as it was supposed, of all our motions. But this appeared the more improbable, as this very woman had frequently rendered us similar services, and we had frequently admired the address with which she had acquitted herself of the most perilous of undertakings. The two deserters, however, persisted in their assertion, and even declared that they had been present when she was describing to the enemy our position, and encouraging them on to the attack. A Turkish cypher, they said, served her as a passport. The cypher was found on her, and, being a sufficient proof of her guilt, she was condemned to death as a spy. I questioned her before she was carried to execution on her prediction of the 20th of August, and she confessed to me, that by acting on both sides the part of a spy, which procured her double profit, that she had frequently learnt what was to be attempted by either party, and that persons who had consulted her on their horoscope, had frequently discovered to her what she would otherwise have been ignorant of; something, she said, she owed to chance. As to what regarded me particularly, she confessed, that she had marked me out to make an example of, in proof of her skill in divination; by fixing so long before hand upon the fatal day, she had gained time to inspire the Turks with confidence in her intelligence, and easily prevailed upon them to make an attack on the 20th of August; her intercourse with the officers, to whom she made herself useful in various ways, rendered it easy for her to know when it would be my tour of duty, nor was it difficult for her to contrive that it should be on that par |