In the mean time, the
Christian merchant grew sober, and the more he reflected upon his
adventure, the less could he conceive how such single fisty-cuffs
could kill the man. The judge having heard the report of the
watch, and viewed the corpse, which they had taken care to bring
to his house, interrogated the Christian merchant, who could not
deny the crime, though he had not committed it. But the judge
considering that little crump-back belonged to the sultan, (for
he was one of his buffoons) would not put the Christian to death
till he knew the sultan's pleasure. For this end he went to the
palace, and acquainted the sultan with what had happened, and
received from him this answer, I have no mercy to show to a
Christian, who kills a Mussulman; go do your office. Upon this
the judge ordered a gibbet to be erected, and sent criers all
over the city to proclaim that they were about to hang a
Christian for killing a Mussulman.
In fine, the merchant was brought out of gaol to the foot of the
gallows; and the hangman, having put the rope about his neck, was
going to throw him off, when the sultan's purveyor pushed through
die crowd, made up to the gibbet, calling to the hangman to stop,
for that the Christian had not committed the murder, but himself.
The sheriff who attended the execution immediately put
interrogatories to the purveyor, who told him every circumstance
of his killing the little crump-back, and conveying his corpse to
the place where the merchant found him.
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