said: "the palace at Mazra'ih is ready for You, and a carriage to
drive You there." (At that time there were no carriages in Akka or
Haifa.) He refused to go, saying: "I am a prisoner." Later I
requested Him again, but got the same answer. I went so far as to
ask Him a third time, but He still said "No!" and I did not dare
to insist further. There was, however, in Akka a certain
Muhammadan _Sh_ay_kh_, a well-known man with considerable
influence, who loved Baha'u'llah and was greatly favored by Him. I
called this _Sh_ay_kh_ and explained the position to him. I said,
"You are daring. Go tonight to His Holy Presence, fall on your
knees before Him, take hold of His hands and do not let go until
He promises to leave the city!" He was an Arab.... He went
directly to Baha'u'llah and sat down close to His knees. He took
hold of the hands of the Blessed Beauty and kissed them and asked:
"Why do you not leave the city?" He said: "I am a prisoner." The
_sh_ay_kh_ replied: "God forbid! Who has the power to make you a
prisoner? You have kept yourself in prison. It was your own will
to be imprisoned, and now I beg you to come out and go to the
palace. It is beautiful and verdant. The trees are lovely, and the
oranges like balls of fire!" As often as the Blessed Beauty said:
"I am a prisoner, it cannot be," the _Sh_ay_kh_ took His hands and
kissed them. For a whole hour he kept on pleading. At last
Baha'u'llah said, "_Kh_ayli _kh_ub (very good)" and the
_Sh_ay_kh_'s patience and persistence were rewarded. He came to me
with great joy to give the glad news of His Holiness's consent. In
spite of the strict firman of 'Abdu'l-'Aziz which prohibited my
meeting or having any intercourse with the Blessed Perfection, I
took the carriage the next day and drove with Him to the palace.
No one made any objection. I left Him there and returned myself to
the city.

For two years He remained in that charming and lovely spot. Then
it was decided to remove to another place, at Bahji. It so
happened than an epidemic disease had broken out at Bahji, and the
proprietor of the house fled away in distress, with all his
family, ready to offer the house free of charge to any applicant.
We took the house at a very low rent, and there the doors of
majesty and true sovereignty were flung wide open. Baha'u'llah w