armed slaves, one thousand of
whom kept constant watch. He never spent the entire night in the same
apartment or tent, and no one was ever permitted to know the place where
he slept.

We are told that this prince could muster four hundred thousand men;
although historians do not definitely specify the boundaries of his
empire, which, of course, varied from time to time, we may nevertheless
believe that his kingdom, as that of his predecessors, the Tulunites,
extended over Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia, as far as the
Euphrates, and even included a large portion of Arabia. The Christians
of the East charge him with supporting his immense army at their
expense, and persecuting and taxing them to such an extent that they
were forced to sell many possessions belonging to their Church before
they could pay the required sums.

But, if we may credit a contemporary historian more worthy of belief,
these expenses were covered by the treasure Muhammed el-Ikshid himself
discovered. In fact, el-Massudi, who died at Cairo in the year 346 of
the Hegira, relates that el-Ikshid, knowing much treasure to be buried
there, was greatly interested in the excavation of the subterraneous
tombs of the ancient Egyptian kings. "The prince" he adds, "was
fortunate enough to come across a portion of those tombs, consisting of
vast rooms magnificently decorated. There he found marvellously wrought
figures of old and young men, women, and children, having eyes of
precious stones and faces of gold and silver."

Muhammed el-Ikshid was succeeded by his son, Abu'l Kasim Muhammed,
surnamed Ungur. The prince being only an infant, Kafur, the favourite
minister of the late caliph, was appointed regent. This Kafur was a
black slave purchased by el-Ikshid for the trifling sum of twenty pieces
of gold. He was intelligent, zealous, and faithful, and soon won the
confidence of his master. Nobility of race in the East appertains only
to the descendants of the Prophet, but merit, which may be found in
prince and subject alike, often secures the highest positions, and even
the throne itself for those of the humblest origin. Such was the fate
of Kafur. He showed taste for the sciences, and encouraged scholars;
he loaded the poets with benefits, and they sang his praises without
measure so long as he continued his favours, but satirised him with
equal vigour as soon as his munificence diminished. Invested with
supreme authority, Kafur served the young pr