ates of
Janina, and a bomb flying down from the heights of Lithanizza exploded
in the market-place of the town. Up, up, ye Albanians! up, up, ye who
have any martial blood in your veins, the enemy has seized the guns on
the seven gates! Ali throws himself on his prancing steed, and in his
hand is the good battle-sword which has befriended him in so many a
danger. How many times has it not been the lot of Ali to lose
everything but this one sword, and then to win back everything by
means of it?

In a moment the army of the besieged stood in battle-array. Ali
contemplated the ranks of the enemy, and a smile passed across his
face. That worthy captain, Gaskho Bey, was leading his troops to the
shambles. In an hour's time Ali will so completely have annihilated
them that not even the rumor of them will remain behind. It will be a
battle-field worthy of the veteran general. Every one who sees it will
say--there is no escaping from him! Only let them advance, that is
all! And again he was disappointed. At the first shot, before a sword
had been drawn, his army surrendered to the enemy. If only they had
fired once, the victory would have been his; but no, the army laid
down its arms and the cunningly concealed gunners turned his own
artillery against him.

It was all over! Only seven hundred Albanian horsemen remained with
Ali, the rest either went over to the enemy or allowed themselves to
be taken.

The old lion waved his sword above his head, and turning to his
handful of heroes exclaimed, with a voice that rang out like a brazen
trumpet, "Will ye behold Ali die?"

And with that he galloped towards the market-place of Janina, the
faithful seven hundred following closely upon his heels.

The enemy poured into the town through every gate, but the
market-place cut off one part of the town from the others, and the
triumphant hordes came upon some very evil-looking trenches bristling
with _chevaux de frise_, and the long narrow streets were swept by
Ali's last twelve cannons, ably handled by the pasha's dumb eunuchs,
who stood at their posts like the symbols of constancy on a tomb.

Ali Pasha put down his foot in the middle of Janina. Of his ten
thousand horsemen only seven hundred remained with him. The enemy had
twenty thousand men and two hundred guns, and yet all the skill of
Gaskho Bey was incapable of dislodging Ali from the market-place of
Janina, and although the enemy held one portion of the city, it was
unable