t Vely Bey, immediately after
his victory, had surrendered of his own accord to the Sultan.

So every one abandoned Ali. His cities opened their gates to his
enemies, his best friends betrayed, his two sons forsook, him. Still
the third son remained. And Mukhtar Bay was the best man of the three.
He was the bravest, and he loved his father the best.

Two days later came the tidings that Mukhtar Bey with his whole fleet
had surrendered before Durazzo to the Kapudan Pasha.

"The soothsayer foretold it all to me," said Ali, calmly, when the
news was brought to him. "So it was written beforehand in heaven.
Nevertheless, at the last, I shall stand at the gates of the Seraglio
on a silver pedestal!"

CHAPTER VI

THE LION IN THE FOX'S SKIN

Blow upon blow rain down upon thee, thou veteran warrior! Thine armies
go over to the enemy, thy friends leave thee desolate, thy sons betray
thee, they capture thy cities without unsheathing their swords, thine
allies turn their arms against thee, and with thine own artillery, of
the best French manufacture, the Suliotes from the walls of Janina
shoot down thine Albanian guards!

Ah, those Suliotes! How they can fight! If only now they would raise
their swords on thy behalf, how thine enemies would fall in rows! But
now it is thy soldiers that fall before _them_! A brother and a sister
lead them on--a youth and a girl; the youth's name is Kleon, the
girl's name is Artemis. Every time thou dost hear their names, it is
as if a sword were being plunged into thy heart, for the girl is she
whom thou wouldst have sacrificed to thy lust, and with whom thy wife
didst escape; and thou never dost hear that name without hearing at
the same time of the loss of thy bravest warriors!

Like the destroying angel Azrael, she fares through the din of battle,
waving her white banner amidst the showers of bullets, and not one of
them touches her. Before thy very eyes she plants the triumphant
banner on thy bastions, and thou hast not strength of mind enough left
to wish her to fall; nay, rather, when thou dost see her appear before
thee, thou dost forbid thy gunners to fire upon her!

Danger approaches Janina from all sides. Thou must drain the cup,
Tepelenti, to the very last drop, to the last bitter drop; and what
then? Why, then thou wilt stand before the Seraglio on a silver
pedestal!

* * * * *

One night there was a rolling of drums before the seven g