Ali was alarmed, and his eyes were at length opened. He replied hesitatingly, that on leaving the citadel7 he had charged Selim to obey only his own verbal order, that no written command, even though signed and sealed by himself, would produce any effect, and therefore he desired to repair himself to the castle, in order to fulfil what was required.
Thereupon a long argument ensued, in which Ali’s sagacity, skill, and artifice8 struggled vainly against a decided9 line of action. New protestations were made to deceive him, oaths were even taken on the Koran that no evil designs, no mental reservations, were entertained. At length, yielding to the prayers of those who surrounded him, perhaps concluding that all his skill could no longer fight against Destiny, he finally gave way.
Drawing a secret token from his bosom10, he handed it to Kursheed’s envoy11, saying, “Go, show this to Selim, and you will convert a dragon into a lamb.” And in fact, at sight of the talisman12, Selim prostrated13 himself, extinguished the match, and fell, stabbed to the heart. At the same time the garrison withdrew, the Imperial standard displayed its blazonry, and the lake castle was occupied by the troops of the Seraskier, who rent the air with their acclamations.
It was then noon. Ali, in the island, had lost all illusions. His pulse beat violently, but his countenance14 did not betray his mental trouble. It was noticed that he appeared at intervals15 to be lost in profound thought, that he yawned frequently, and continually drew his fingers through his beard. He drank coffee and iced water several times, incessantly16 looked at his watch, and taking his field-glass, surveyed by turns the camp, the castles of Janina, the Pindus range, and the peaceful waters of the lake. Occasionally he glanced at his weapons, and then his eyes sparkled with the fire of youth and of courage. Stationed beside him, his guards prepared their cartridges17, their eyes fixed18 on the landing-place.
The kiosk which he occupied was connected with a wooden structure raised upon pillars, like the open-air theatres constructed for a public festival, and the women occupied the most remote apartments. Everything seemed sad and silent. The vizier, according to custom, sat facing the doorway19, so as to be the first to perceive any who might wish to enter. At five o’clock boats were seen approaching the island, and soon Hassan Pacha, Omar Brionis, Kursheed’s sword-bearer, Mehemet, the keeper of the wardrobe, and several officers of the army, attended by a numerous suite20, drew near with gloomy countenances21.
Seeing them approach, Ali sprang up impetuously, his hand upon the pistols in his belt. “Stand! . . . what is it you bring me?” he cried to Hassan in a voice of thunder. “I bring the commands of His Highness the Sultan,—knowest thou not these august characters?” And Hassan exhibited the brilliantly gilded22 frontispiece which decorated the firman. “I know them and revere23 them.” “Then bow before thy destiny; make thy ablutions; address thy prayer to Allah and to His Prophet; for thy, head is demanded. . . .” Ali did not allow him to finish. “My head,” he cried with fury, “will not be surrendered like the head of a slave.”
These rapidly pronounced words were instantly followed by a pistol-shot which wounded Hassan in the thigh24. Swift as lightning, a second killed the keeper of the wardrobe, and the guards, firing at the same time, brought down several officers. Terrified, the Osmanlis forsook25 the pavilion. Ali, perceiving blood flowing from a wound in his chest, roared like a bull with rage. No one dared to face his wrath26, but shots were fired at the kiosk from all sides, and four of his guards fell dead beside him. He no longer knew which way to turn, hearing the noise made by the assailants under the platform, who were firing through the boards on which he stood. A ball wounded him in the side, another from below lodged27 in his spine28; he staggered, clung to a window, then fell on the sofa. “Hasten,” he cried to one of his officers, “run, my friend, and strangle my poor Basilissa; let her not fall a prey29 to these infamous30 wretches31.”
The door opened, all resistance ceased, the guards hastened to escape by the windows. Kursheed’s sword-bearer entered, followed by the executioners. “Let the justice of Allah be accomplished33!” said a cadi. At these words the executioners seized Ali, who was still alive, by the beard, and dragged him out into the porch, where, placing his head on one of the steps, they separated it from the body with many blows of a jagged cutlass. Thus ended the career of the dreaded34 Ali Pacha.
His head still preserved so terrible and imposing35 an aspect that those present beheld36 it with a sort of stupor37. Kursheed, to whom it was presented on a large dish of silver plate, rose to receive it, bowed three times before it, and respectfully kissed the beard, expressing aloud his wish that he himself might deserve a similar end. To such an extent did the admiration38 with which Ali’s bravery inspired these barbarians39 efface40 the memory of his crimes. Kursheed ordered the head to be perfumed with the most costly41 essences, and despatched to Constantinople, and he allowed the Skipetars to render the last honours to their former master.
Never was seen greater mourning than that of the warlike Epirotes. During the whole night, the various Albanian tribes watched by turns around the corpse43, improvising44 the most eloquent45 funeral songs in its honour. At daybreak, the body, washed and prepared according to the Mohammedan ritual, was deposited in a coffin46 draped with a splendid Indian Cashmere shawl, on which was placed a magnificent turban, adorned47 with the plumes48 Ali had worn in battle. The mane of his charger was cut off, and the animal covered with purple housings, while Ali’s shield, his sword, his numerous weapons, and various insignia, were borne on the saddles of several led horses. The cortege proceeded towards the castle, accompanied by hearty49 imprecations uttered by the soldiers against the “Son of a Slave,” the epithet50 bestowed51 on their sultan by the Turks in seasons of popular excitement.
The Selaon-Aga, an officer appointed to render the proper salutes53, acted as chief mourner, surrounded by weeping mourners, who made the ruins of Janina echo with their lamentations. The guns were fired at long intervals. The portcullis was raised to admit the procession, and the whole garrison, drawn54 up to receive it, rendered a military salute52. The body, covered with matting, was laid in a grave beside that of Amina. When the grave had been filled in, a priest approached to listen to the supposed conflict between the good and bad angels, who dispute the possession of the soul of the deceased. When he at length announced that Ali Tepelen Zadi would repose55 in peace amid celestial56 houris, the Skipetars, murmuring like the waves of the sea after a tempest, dispersed57 to their quarters:
Kursheed, profiting by the night spent by the Epirotes in mourning, caused Ali’s head to be en closed in a silver casket, and despatched it secretly to Constantinople. His sword-bearer Mehemet, who, having presided at the execution, was entrusted58 with the further duty of presenting it to the sultan, was escorted by three hundred Turkish soldiers. He was warned to be expeditious59, and before dawn was well out of reach of the Arnaouts, from whom a surprise might have been feared.
The Seraskier then ordered the unfortunate Basilissa, whose life had been spared, to be brought before him. She threw herself at his feet, imploring60 him to spare, not her life, but her honour; and he consoled her, and assured her of the sultan’s protection. She burst into tears when she beheld Ali’s secretaries, treasurers61, and steward62 loaded with irons. Only sixty thousand purses (about twenty-five million piastres) of Ali’s treasure could be found, and already his officers had been tortured, in order to compel them to disclose where the rest might be concealed63. Fearing a similar fate, Basilissa fell insensible into the arms of her attendants, and she was removed to the farm of Bouila, until the Supreme64 Porte should decide on her fate.
The couriers sent in all directions to announce the death of Ali, having preceded the sword-bearer Mehemet’s triumphal procession, the latter, on arriving at Greveno, found the whole population of that town and the neighbouring hamlets assembled to meet him, eager to behold65 the head of the terrible Ali Pacha. Unable to comprehend how he could possibly have succumbed66, they could hardly believe their eyes when the head was withdrawn67 from its casket and displayed before them. It remained exposed to view in the house of the Mussulman Veli Aga whilst the escort partook of refreshment68 and changed horses, and as the public curiosity continued to increase throughout the journey, a fixed charge was at length made for its gratification, and the head of the renowned69 vizier was degraded into becoming an article of traffic exhibited at every post-house, until it arrived at Constantinople.
The sight of this dreaded relic70, exposed on the 23rd of February at the gate of the seraglio, and the birth of an heir-presumptive to the sword of Othman—which news was announced simultaneously71 with that of the death of Ali, by the firing of the guns of the seraglio—roused the enthusiasm of the military inhabitants of Constantinople to a state of frenzy72, and triumphant73 shouts greeted the appearance of a document affixed74 to the head which narrated75 Ali’s crimes and the circumstances of his death, ending with these words: “This is the Head of the above-named Ali Pacha, a Traitor76 to the Faith of Islam.”
Having sent magnificent presents to Kursheed, and a hyperbolical despatch42 to his army, Mahmoud II turned his attention to Asia Minor77; where Ali’s sons would probably have been forgotten in their banishment78, had it not been supposed that their riches were great. A sultan does not condescend79 to mince80 matters with his slaves, when he can despoil81 them with impunity82; His Supreme Highness simply sent them his commands to die. Veli Pacha, a greater coward than a woman-slave born in the harem, heard his sentence kneeling. The wretch32 who had, in his palace at Arta, danced to the strains of a lively orchestra, while innocent victims were being tortured around him, received the due reward of his crimes. He vainly embraced the knees of his executioners, imploring at least the favour of dying in privacy; and he must have endured the full bitterness of death in seeing his sons strangled before his eyes, Mehemet the elder, remarkable83, for his beauty, and the gentle Selim, whose merits might have procured84 the pardon of his family had not Fate ordained85 otherwise. After next beholding86 the execution of his brother, Salik Pacha, Ali’s best loved son, whom a Georgian slave had borne to him in his old age, Veli, weeping, yielded his guilty head to the executioners.
His women were then seized, and the unhappy Zobeide, whose scandalous story had even reached Constantinople, sewn up in a leather sack, was flung into the Pursak—a river whose waters mingle87 with those of the Sagaris. Katherin, Veli’s other wife, and his daughters by various mothers, were dragged to the bazaar88 and sold ignominiously89 to Turcoman shepherds, after which the executioners at once proceeded to make an inventory90 of the spoils of their victims.
But the inheritance of Mouktar Pacha was not quite such an easy prey. The kapidgi-bachi who dared to present him with the bowstring was instantly laid dead at his feet by a pistol-shot. “Wretch!” cried Mouktar, roaring like a bull escaped from the butcher, “dost thou think an Arnaout dies like an eunuch? I also am a Tepelenian! To arms, comrades! they would slay91 us!” As he spoke92, he rushed, sword in hand, upon the Turks, and driving them back, succeeded in barricading93 himself in his apartments.
Presently a troop of janissaries from Koutaieh, ordered to be in readiness, advanced, hauling up cannon94, and a stubborn combat began. Mouktar’s frail95 defences were soon in splinters. The venerable Metche-Bono, father of Elmas Bey, faithful to the end, was killed by a bullet; and Mouktar, having slain96 a host of enemies with his own hand and seen all his friends perish, himself riddled97 with wounds, set fire to the powder magazine, and died, leaving as inheritance for the sultan only a heap of smoking ruins. An enviable fate, if compared with that of his father and brothers, who died by the hand of the executioner.
The heads of Ali’s children, sent to Constantinople and exposed at the gate of the seraglio, astonished the gaping98 multitude. The sultan himself, struck with the beauty of Mehemet and Selim, whose long eyelashes and closed eyelids99 gave them the appearance of beautiful youths sunk in peaceful slumber100, experienced a feeling of emotion. “I had imagined them,” he said stupidly, “to be quite as old as their father;” and he expressed sorrow for the fate to which he had condemned101 them.
The End
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1
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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evacuate
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| v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便 | |
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clemency
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| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
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citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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envoy
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| n.使节，使者，代表，公使 | |
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talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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33
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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38
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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40
efface
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| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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42
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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44
improvising
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| 即兴创作（improvise的现在分词形式） | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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47
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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48
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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49
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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50
epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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51
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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53
salutes
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| n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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54
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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55
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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56
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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57
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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58
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
expeditious
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| adj.迅速的，敏捷的 | |
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60
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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61
treasurers
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| （团体等的）司库，财务主管( treasurer的名词复数 ) | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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63
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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64
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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66
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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67
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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68
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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69
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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70
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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71
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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72
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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73
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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74
affixed
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| adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章） | |
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75
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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77
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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78
banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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79
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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80
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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81
despoil
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| v.夺取，抢夺 | |
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82
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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83
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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84
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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85
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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86
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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87
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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88
bazaar
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| n.集市，商店集中区 | |
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89
ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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90
inventory
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| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
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91
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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92
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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93
barricading
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的现在分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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94
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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96
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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97
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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98
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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99
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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100
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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101
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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