a Makan the document and writing materials, signed his name
beneath it. Milieva seized the Sultan's hand to prevent him from
writing, but he tenderly kissed her on the forehead and gently
whispered, "Rather would I lose the whole world than thee," and with
that he placed in the hands of the Janissaries the subscribed
death-warrants.

After obtaining these concessions, the rebels grew calmer, the Sultan
proclaimed amnesty for all offenders, appointed the chief brawlers to
high offices, and distributed money amongst them from the treasury.

Peace was thus restored. The Sultan and the sham prince returned to
the Seraglio, accompanied all the way by a vast throng, and the whole
square by the fountains of Ibrahim was filled by the well-known
turbans of the Janissaries, who, in the joy of their insulting
triumph, shouted long life to the humiliated Padishah.

Mahmoud surveyed the huzzaing throng, where, man to man, they stood so
tightly squeezed together that nothing could be distinguished but a
sea of heads. And the Sultan thought to himself, "What a fine thing it
would be to sweep all those heads away at one stroke!"

CHAPTER XIV

KURSHID PASHA

Gaskho Bey, the incapable giant, was captured by the Suliotes in a
night attack, his army was scattered beneath the walls of Janina, and
Ali Pasha became once more the absolute master of Epirus.

Then, like lightning fallen from heaven, unexpectedly, unforeseen, a
man came from Thessalonica whose name was shortly to ring through half
the world. The name of this man was Kurshid Pasha.

He was a man of a puny, meagre frame, his features were widely
divergent from the characteristic Ottoman type, for he had a delicate
profile, a bright blond beard and mustache, and blue eyes with
flexible eyebrows, all of which gave a peculiar character to his face,
which showed unmistakable traces of a penetrating mind and cool
courage.

Ten thousand warriors accompanied the new commander to Janina, which
grew into thirty thousand at the very first battle. Kleon's and
Ypsilanti's armies were routed, and Gaskho Bey's scattered squadrons
rallied around the banners of the victor.

While Ali Pasha was defending Janina, the leaders of the Greek
insurgents besieged the fortress of Arta, which Salikh Bey defended
with a small garrison.

Kurshid's predecessor, Gaskho Bey, had committed the error of
besieging Janina and endeavoring to relieve Arta at the same time, and
thus he came to gr