as a hostage, Mustapha, son of Selim, destined
to be even more unfortunate than his father.

A few days afterwards, the Divan awarded to Ali Tepeleni, as a reward for
his zeal for the State and religion, the sanjak of Thessaly, with the
title of Dervendgi-pacha, or Provost Marshal of the roads. This latter
dignity was conferred on the condition of his levying a body of four
thousand men to clear the valley of the Peneus of a multitude of
Christian chiefs who exercised more power than the officers of the Grand
Seigneur. The new pacha took advantage of this to enlist a numerous body
of Albanians ready for any enterprise, and completely devoted to him.
With two important commands, and with this strong force at his back, he
repaired to Trikala, the seat of his government, where he speedily
acquired great influence.

His first act of authority was to exterminate the bands of Armatolis, or
Christian militia, which infested the plain. He laid violent hands on
all whom he caught, and drove the rest back into their mountains,
splitting them up into small bands whom he could deal with at his
pleasure. At the same time he sent a few heads to Constantinople, to
amuse the sultan and the mob, and some money to the ministers to gain
their support. "For," said he, "water sleeps, but envy never does."
These steps were prudent, and whilst his credit increased at court, order
was reestablished from the defiles of the Perrebia of Pindus to the vale
of Tempe and to the pass of Thermopylae.

These exploits of the provost-marshal, amplified by Oriental
exaggeration, justified the ideas which were entertained of the capacity
of Ali Pacha. Impatient of celebrity, he took good care himself to
spread his fame, relating his prowess to all comers, making presents to
the sultan's officers who came into his government, and showing
travellers his palace courtyard festooned with decapitated heads. But
what chiefly tended to consolidate his power was the treasure which he
ceaselessly amassed by every means. He never struck for the mere pleasure
of striking, and the numerous victims of his proscriptions only perished
to enrich him. His death sentences always fell on beys and wealthy
persons whom he wished to plunder. In his eyes the axe was but an
instrument of fortune, and the executioner a tax-gatherer.

CHAPTER III

Having governed Thessaly in this manner during several years, Ali found
himself in a position to acquire the provinc