eraglio he trounced them
all, in his distraction, as severely as if they had been the soldiers
of Ali Pasha.

The pacific Viziers promised him a house, a garden, beautiful horses,
and still more beautiful slaves. But all would not do; what he did
want, he said, was the head of Tepelenti, and he cried to Heaven
against them for their procrastination.

But Sultan Mahmud was a wise man. He had no need to consult
star-gazers or magicians, or even the caverns of Seleucia, as to the
future, in order to discover and discern the storm whose signs were
already visible in the sky.

"Ye know not Ali, and ye know not me also," he said to those who urged
him to pronounce judgment against Ali. "If I were to say, 'Ali must
perish!' perish he would, even if my palaces came crashing down and
half the realm were destroyed in consequence. If, on the other hand,
Ali said 'No!' he would assuredly never submit, and would rather turn
the whole realm upsidedown, till not one stone remained upon another,
than surrender himself. Therefore ye know not what ye want when ye
wish to see Ali and me at war with one another."

The conspirators, however, were not content with this, but distributed
some silver money among the Janissaries, and egged them on to appear
before the palace of the Kapu-Kiaja and demand Ali's head.

The Kiaja, warned in good time of the approaching storm, took refuge
in the interior of the Seraglio, which was speedily barricaded against
the Janissaries, and the mouths of the cannons attached to the gates
were exhibited for their delectation. As it did not meet the views of
the Janissaries just then to approach any nearer to the cannons, they
gratified their fury by setting fire to the city and burning down a
whole quarter of it, for they considered it no business of theirs to
put out the blazing houses.

The next day, however, the tumult having subsided as usual, when the
Sultan and his suite were trotting out to inspect the scene of the
conflagration, and had got as far as the fountain in front of the
Seraglio, the figure of a veiled woman cast herself in front of the
horse's hoofs, and with audacious hands laid hold of the bridle of the
steed of the Kalif.

The Sultan backed his horse to prevent it from trampling upon the
woman, and, thinking she was one of those who had been burned out the
day before, ordered his treasurer--who was with him--to put a silver
piece in her hand and bid her depart in the name of the Prop