d Sellar, who would have often brought it to open
warfare had not their friends and followers intervened. They agreed,
however, on one point, namely, to keep the sultan as long as possible
from taking over the reins of government, and to keep him as secluded
as possible in order to deprive him of all influence. Whilst Sellar
was wasting immense sums, the sultan was in fact almost starving. When
Sellar went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, he paid the debts of all the
Moslems who had retired to this town; he further distributed ten
thousand malters of fruit amongst the poor people in the town, and so
much money and provisions that they were able to live on it for a whole
year. He also treated the inhabitants of Medina and Jiddah in an equally
generous way. The sultan, who was hunting in Lower Egypt, at the
same time tried in vain to obtain a small loan from the Alexandrian
merchants, to buy a present for his wife. Finally, his vizier, who had
granted him two thousand dinars ($5,060), was accused on Sellar's return
of embezzling the public money, was led round the town on a donkey, and
beaten and tortured so long that he succumbed under his torments.

In the year 1307, when Nasir was twenty-three years old, though still
treated as a child, he attempted, with the help of the Emir Bektimur,
who commanded the Mamluks in the palace, to seize the persons of his
oppressors. The plan failed, for they had their spies everywhere, and
the only result was that the sultan's faithful servants were banished to
Syria, and the sultan himself was more oppressed than ever. It was two
years before he succeeded in deceiving his tyrants. He expressed the
wish to make a pilgrimage to Mecca; this was granted, as the emirs saw
nothing dangerous in it, and, moreover, as a religious duty, it could
not be resisted. As soon as he reached the fortress Kerak, with the
help of those soldiers in his escort who were devoted to his cause,
and having deceived the governor by means of false letters, he obtained
possession of the fortress, and immediately declared his independence of
the guardianship of Sellar and Beybars. Sellar and Beybars, on hearing
this, immediately summoned the sultan to return to Cairo; but, even
before they received his answer, they realised that their rule was over,
and that either they must quit the field, or Nasir must be dethroned.
After long consideration amongst themselves, they proceeded to the
choice of another sultan, and the choice