“Notwithstanding all these circumstances, many even of those who had property to preserve continued to repeat, ‘It is the will of Mahomet,’ and consequently to neglect all means of preservation.  I, on the contrary, recollecting the lesson I had learned from the sensible foreigner, neither suffered my spirits to sink with superstitious fears of ill-luck, nor did I trust presumptuously to my good fortune.  I took every possible means to secure myself.  I never went to bed without having seen that all the lights and fires in the house were extinguished, and that I had a supply of water in the cistern.  I had likewise learned from my Frenchman that wet mortar was the most effectual thing for stopping the progress of flames.  I, therefore, had a quantity of mortar made up in one of my outhouses, which I could use at a moment’s warning.  These precautions were all useful to me.  My own house, indeed, was never actually on fire; but the houses of my next-door neighbours were no less than five times in flames in the course of one winter.  By my exertions, or rather by my precautions, they suffered but little damage, and all my neighbours looked upon me as their deliverer and friend; they loaded me with presents, and offered more, indeed, than I would accept.  All repeated that I was Saladin the Lucky.  This compliment I disclaimed, feeling more ambitious of being called Saladin the Prudent.  It is thus that what we call modesty is often only a more refined species of pride.  But to proceed with my story.

“One night I had been later than usual at supper at a friend’s house; none but the watch were in the streets, and even they, I believe, were asleep.

“As I passed one of the conduits which convey water to the city, I heard a trickling noise; and, upon examination, I found that the cook of the water-spout was half turned, so that the water was running out.  I turned it back to its proper place, thought it had been left unturned by accident, and walked on; but I had not proceeded far before I came to another spout, and another, which were in the same condition.  I was convinced that this could not be the effect merely of accident, and suspected that some ill-intentioned persons designed to let out and waste the water of the city, that there might be none to extinguish any fire that should break out in the course of the night.

“I stood still for a few moments, to consider how it would be most prudent to act.  It would be impossible for me to run to all parts of the city, that I might stop the pipes that were running to waste.  I first thought of wakening the watch and the firemen, who were most of them slumbering at their stations; but I reflected that they were perhaps not to be trusted, and that they were in a confederacy with the incendiaries, otherwise they would certainly before this hour have observed and stopped the running of the sewers in their neighbourhood.  I determined to waken a rich merchant, called Damat Zade, who lived near me, and who had a number of slaves whom he could send to different parts of the city, to prevent mischief and give notice to the inhabitants of their danger.