f the Grand Vizir,
condescended to meet face to face their dreaded Opponent.

Immediately before and soon after this humiliating treatment meted out to
the Bab two highly significant incidents occurred, incidents that cast an
illuminating light on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the opening
phase of His martyrdom. The farra_sh_-ba_sh_i had abruptly interrupted the
last conversation which the Bab was confidentially having in one of the
rooms of the barracks with His amanuensis Siyyid Husayn, and was drawing
the latter aside, and severely rebuking him, when he was thus addressed by
his Prisoner: "Not until I have said to him all those things that I wish
to say can any earthly power silence Me. Though all the world be armed
against Me, yet shall it be powerless to deter Me from fulfilling, to the
last word, My intention." To the Christian Sam _Kh_an--the colonel of the
Armenian regiment ordered to carry out the execution--who, seized with fear
lest his act should provoke the wrath of God, had begged to be released
from the duty imposed upon him, the Bab gave the following assurance:
"Follow your instructions, and if your intention be sincere, the Almighty
is surely able to relieve you of your perplexity."

Sam _Kh_an accordingly set out to discharge his duty. A spike was driven
into a pillar which separated two rooms of the barracks facing the square.
Two ropes were fastened to it from which the Bab and one of his disciples,
the youthful and devout Mirza Muhammad-'Ali-i-Zunuzi, surnamed Anis, who
had previously flung himself at the feet of his Master and implored that
under no circumstances he be sent away from Him, were separately
suspended. The firing squad ranged itself in three files, each of two
hundred and fifty men. Each file in turn opened fire until the whole
detachment had discharged its bullets. So dense was the smoke from the
seven hundred and fifty rifles that the sky was darkened. As soon as the
smoke had cleared away the astounded multitude of about ten thousand
souls, who had crowded onto the roof of the barracks, as well as the tops
of the adjoining houses, beheld a scene which their eyes could scarcely
believe.

The Bab had vanished from their sight! Only his companion remained, alive
and unscathed, standing beside the wall on which they had been suspended.
The ropes by which they had been hung alone were severed. "The
Siyyid-i-Bab has gone from our sight!" cried out the bewildered
spectators.