, who wished to get
rid of him, this troublesome mujtahid had been commissioned by the _Sh_ah
to proceed to Karbila to repair the holy sites in that city. Watching for
his opportunity, he allied himself with Mirza Buzurg _Kh_an, a
newly-appointed Persian consul-general, who being of the same iniquitous
turn of mind as himself, a man of mean intelligence, insincere, without
foresight or honor, and a confirmed drunkard, soon fell a prey to the
influence of that vicious plotter, and became the willing instrument of
his designs.

Their first concerted endeavor was to obtain from the governor of
Ba_gh_dad, Mustafa Pa_sh_a, through a gross distortion of the truth, an
order for the extradition of Baha'u'llah and His companions, an effort
which miserably failed. Recognizing the futility of any attempt to achieve
his purpose through the intervention of the local authorities, _Sh_ay_kh_
'Abdu'l-Husayn began, through the sedulous circulation of dreams which he
first invented and then interpreted, to excite the passions of a
superstitious and highly inflammable population. The resentment engendered
by the lack of response he met with was aggravated by his ignominious
failure to meet the challenge of an interview pre-arranged between himself
and Baha'u'llah. Mirza Buzurg _Kh_an, on his part, used his influence in
order to arouse the animosity of the lower elements of the population
against the common Adversary, by inciting them to affront Him in public,
in the hope of provoking some rash retaliatory act that could be used as a
ground for false charges through which the desired order for Baha'u'llah's
extradition might be procured. This attempt too proved abortive, as the
presence of Baha'u'llah, Who, despite the warnings and pleadings of His
friends, continued to walk unescorted, both by day and by night, through
the streets of the city, was enough to plunge His would-be molesters into
consternation and shame. Well aware of their motives, He would approach
them, rally them on their intentions, joke with them, and leave them
covered with confusion and firmly resolved to abandon whatever schemes
they had in mind. The consul-general had even gone so far as to hire a
ruffian, a Turk, named Rida, for the sum of one hundred tumans, provide
him with a horse and with two pistols, and order him to seek out and kill
Baha'u'llah, promising him that his own protection would be fully assured.
Rida, learning one day that his would-be-victim was at