Beyond this hall are the interior chambers,
still more retired; the sanctum sanctorum of female privacy; for
here the beauties of the Harem indulged in the luxury of the baths.
A soft mysterious light reigns through the place, admitted through
small apertures (lumbreras) in the vaulted ceiling. The traces of
ancient elegance are still to be seen; and the alabaster baths in
which the sultanas once reclined. The prevailing obscurity and silence
have made these vaults a favorite resort of bats, who nestle during
the day in the dark nooks and corners, and on being disturbed, flit
mysteriously about the twilight chambers, heightening, in an
indescribable degree, their air of desertion and decay.
In this cool and elegant, though dilapidated retreat, which had
the freshness and seclusion of a grotto, I passed the sultry hours
of the day as summer advanced, emerging towards sunset, and bathing,
or rather swimming, at night in the great reservoir of the main court.
In this way I was enabled in a measure to counteract the relaxing
and enervating influence of the climate.
My dream of absolute sovereignty, however, came at length to an end.
I was roused one morning by the report of fire-arms, which
reverberated among the towers as if the castle had been taken by
surprise. On sallying forth, I found an old cavalier with a number
of domestics, in possession of the Hall of Ambassadors.
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