grandson. His image even
now is engraved in my heart."

Then they went down amongst the captives. Ali had scarce cast a glance
at them when he pointed with his finger.

"There he is! Dost thou not perceive how much paler his face is than
the faces of the others?"

Kleon wrathfully drew his sword and would have rushed upon the person
indicated, but Ali held his hand.

"What doest thou? Wouldst thou slay my grandson before my very eyes?"

"Thou didst ask for his head, and it shall be thine."

"But now I ask for his life, Kleon. Zaid is my favorite grandson. I
brought him up. I loved him better than his dear mother--better than
all my children. Look now, I share with thee all the booty, and all I
ask of thee is mine own--flesh of my flesh."

The unhappy youth, hearing these words, fell at Ali's feet and
embraced his knees, wept, covered his hands with kisses, and implored
him to release him--he would be a good and dutiful son to him ever
afterwards.

"Thou seest, too, how much he loves me," said Ali, looking with
tearful eyes at Zaid and covering the cowering fugitive with his long
gray beard. "Well, Zaid," said he, "so thou dost now fly for refuge
beneath the shadow of that same gray beard, by grasping which thou
wert minded to take Ali's head to thy mother, eh?"

Kleon looked at Ali Pasha with a contemptuous smile. Then Ali was
tender, Ali had a heart, Ali's heart ached at the slaying of his
kinsfolk! The Greek felt a cruel satisfaction in tormenting the pasha.

"If thou dost not wish to see Zaid die," said he, "depart from hence.
Alive thou shalt not have him!"

"What!" cried Ali, and, standing erect, he drew his sword. "Because my
beard is long dost thou think thou canst trample upon me? I will
defend my blood with my blood, and will perish myself rather than let
him be slain. Let us see, mad youth, wouldst thou lop off thine own
right hand?"

Kleon was so surprised that he did not know what to do. It was in his
power to slay Ali; but then that would be a greater triumph for
Stambul than all the victories of the campaign.

At that moment a herald arrived from Odysseus with a command for Kleon
to send all the Turkish officers captured at the battle of Pulo to
Prevesa, that they might be exchanged against the youths of the
sacred army who had been captured in Moldavia.

Kleon's pride was wounded by this direct command. He considered
himself just as good a general as Odysseus or Yprilanti, and did not