nding them to send in her name a pilgrim to Mecca, who
should deposit an offering on the tomb of the Prophet for the repose of
her soul. Having perused these last injunctions, Ali and Chainitza
joined hands, and over the inanimate remains of their departed mother
swore to accomplish her dying behests.
The pilgrimage came first under consideration. Now a pilgrim can only be
sent as proxy to Mecca, or offerings be made at the tomb of Medina, at
the expense of legitimately acquired property duly sold for the purpose.
The brother and sister made a careful examination of the family estates,
and after long hunting, thought they had found the correct thing in a
small property of about fifteen hundred francs income, inherited from
their great-grandfather, founder of the Tepel-Enian dynasty. But further
investigations disclosed that even this last resource had been forcibly
taken from a Christian, and the idea of a pious pilgrimage and a sacred
offering had to be given up. They then agreed to atone for the
impossibility of expiation by the grandeur of their vengeance, and swore
to pursue without ceasing and to destroy without mercy all enemies of
their family.
The best mode of carrying out this terrible and self-given pledge was
that Ali should resume his plans of aggrandizement exactly where he had
left them. He succeeded in acquiring the pachalik of Janina, which was
granted him by the Porte under the title of "arpalik," or conquest. It
was an old custom, natural to the warlike habits of the Turks, to bestow
the Government provinces or towns affecting to despise the authority of
the Grand Seigneur on whomsoever succeeded in controlling them, and
Janina occupied this position. It was principally inhabited by
Albanians, who had an enthusiastic admiration for anarchy, dignified by
them with the name of "Liberty," and who thought themselves independent
in proportion to the disturbance they succeeded in making. Each lived
retired as if in a mountain castle, and only went out in order to
participate in the quarrels of his faction in the forum. As for the
pachas, they were relegated to the old castle on the lake, and there was
no difficulty in obtaining their recall.
Consequently there was a general outcry at the news of Ali Pacha's
nomination, and it was unanimously agreed that a man whose character and
power were alike dreaded must not be admitted within the walls of Janina.
Ali, not choosing to risk his forces in an o
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