Pagina 674 de 1116

Now is it not enough for me to have killed one Moslem

unwittingly, without burdening myself with taking the life of

another Moslem wittingly?" When the Governor heard this he said

to the hangman, "Set free the Reeve and hang the Jew." Thereupon

the torch bearer took him and slung the cord round his neck when

behold, the Tailor pushed through the people, and shouted to the

executioner, "Hold! Hold! It was I and none else killed the

Hunchback; and this was the fashion thereof. I had been out a

pleasuring yesterday and, coming back to supper, fell in with

this Gobbo, who was drunk and drumming away and singing lustily

to his tambourine. So I accosted him and carried him to my house

and bought a fish, and we sat down to eat. Presently my wife took

a fid of fish and, making a gobbet of it,[FN#510] crammed it into

his mouth; but some of it went down the wrong way or stuck in his

gullet and he died on the instant.