t faithful of his followers fell
off from him, and when even Buzurg Khan, the man whom he had placed upon
a throne, declared him a rebel and a traitor, he never lost heart so
long as the ministers of the church held by him; and, on the other
hand, they, recognizing the fidelity of their champion, supported him
through good and ill repute. Whilst residing at Bokhara "the holy" he
had attached to his person several of the most distinguished preachers
of Islam throughout Asia, and he had taken all the vows that give a
peculiar sanctity to the relations that connect the layman with his
priest. It was here that he publicly announced his intention of going on
pilgrimage to Mecca; an intention which he repeated on several occasions
during his rule of Kashgar, but was obliged, by the position and
precarious existence of that state, always to perform by deputy. When he
had established himself as ruler, his first measure was to re-enforce
the Shariat and to endow several shrines that had been erected to the
memory of the chief Khoja saints. It was by such means that he at every
crisis of his life had striven to make his interests identical with
those of his religion, and when he became a responsible and successful
prince his past life stood him in such good stead, that he easily came
to be regarded throughout Asia as the most faithful and redoubtable
supporter of Islam.

At this period of his life he is described by one who knew him as being
of a short but stoutish build, with a keenly intelligent and handsome
countenance. He had, during the vicissitudes of his career in Khokand,
been so often near assassination, or execution, that the result of the
morrow had, to all external appearance, become a matter of secondary
consideration to him, and his features, schooled to immobility by a long
career of court intrigue, appeared to the casual observer dull and
uninteresting. When, however, the conversation turned on subjects that
specially interested him, such as the advance of Russia, the future of
Islam, or the policy of England, he threw aside his mask, and became at
once a man whose views, with some merit in themselves, were rendered
almost convincing by the singular charm of his voice and manner. He was
honourably distinguished at all times by the simplicity of his dress,
and his freedom from the pretension and love of show characteristic of
most Asiatics; and at the very highest point of his power he was only a
soldier, occupying