ked him for his zeal, commended his
skill, and referred him to the treasurer. But the instant the wretch
left the seraglio in order to receive his recompense, he was seized by
the executioners and hurried to the gallows. In thus punishing the
assassin, Ali at one blow discharged the debt he owed him, disposed of
the single witness to be dreaded, and displayed his own friendship for
the victim! Not content with this, he endeavoured to again throw
suspicion on the wife of Ibrahim Pacha, whom he accused of being jealous
of the influence which Sepher Pacha had exercised in the family. This he
mentioned regularly in conversation, writing in the same style to his
agents at Constantinople, and everywhere where there was any profit in
slandering a family whose ruin he desired for the sake of their
possessions. Before long he made a pretext out of the scandal started by
himself, and prepared to take up arms in order, he said, to avenge his
friend Sepher Bey, when he was anticipated by Ibrahim Pacha, who roused
against him the allied Christians of Thesprotia, foremost among whom
ranked the Suliots famed through Albania for their courage and their love
of independence.

After several battles, in which his enemies had the a vantage, Ali began
negotiations with Ibrahim, and finally concluded a treaty offensive and
defensive. This fresh alliance was, like the first, to be cemented by a
marriage. The virtuous Emineh, seeing her son Veli united to the second
daughter of Ibrahim, trusted that the feud between the two families was
now quenched, and thought herself at the summit of happiness. But her
joy was not of long duration; the death-groan was again to be heard
amidst the songs of the marriage-feast.

The daughter of Chainitza, by her first husband, Ali, had married a
certain Murad, the Bey of Clerisoura. This nobleman, attached to Ibrahim
Pacha by both blood and affection, since the death of Sepher Bey, had,
become the special object of Ali's hatred, caused by the devotion of
Murad to his patron, over whom he had great influence, and from whom
nothing could detach him. Skilful in concealing truth under special
pretexts, Ali gave out that the cause of his known dislike to this young
man was that the latter, although his nephew by marriage, had several
times fought in hostile ranks against him. Therefore the amiable Ibrahim
made use of the marriage treaty to arrange an honourable reconciliation
between Murad Bey and his un