ARNAUT RIOT AND BARBARITIES. 115 aspirant to power, and well fitted to ably assist in overturning the wily old Pascha, already most hateful from his many innovations, and increasing rapacitj', — a ruin all the easier eifected, as there was always in the country a strong party hostile to hira, and this was supported both by the Porte and by the remains of the Mamalukes, who still existed, though in secret. These Arnauts had also, ere now, threatened his life in Cairo, on his refusing to yield to their violent demands.

On this occasion, assembling in great bodies, they marched through the city with shouts and riotings, threatening to lay it all in ashes, committing every kind of crime, and at last surrounded the citadel of Jussuff or Sal-ed-din, the beautiful acropolis of Cairo, and began formally to besiege it, purposing to capture it, and with it the Pascha, and murder him. But the old fox probably foreseeing these plans, or having had some hint of the intended mutiny, had, during the preceding night, stolen out of the citadel to the palace of his son-in-law on the Esbekieh, and at once seeing that his power was endangered, failed not to avert the evil. His confidential messengers were immediately with the most influential leaders of the revolters, and weighty purses changed hands and altered murderous intentions ; inactivity and quarrels filled the camp, and suddenly a proposal was heard, probably started by the cunning Pascha's emissaries, that it would be better fun to plunder the city, than remain idle before the fortress. This idea, so well adapted to the character of these troops, was hardly hinted at, when a small body being left to watch the citadel, all set off and broke into the richest bazaars of the city, there robbed, spoiled, and plundered, cutting down and murdering all who offered the smallest hindrance to their savage fury and bloody greed. Thfire, too, was slain, the youngest and fairest daughter of the Prii'-jsian consul, Bokhti, who was shot by an Albanian whose path she Uufortunately crossed. The richest spoils were sold for a song, and the coin thus got was lavished in excesses of all kinds, and in these the drunken Arnauts forgot all about siege or Pascha-But by the latter every use was made of the time gained : ia all haste the nearest quartered regiments of the line were sent for, and, on arriving, distributed partly in the citadel, partly posted at the most important points and commanding situations of the city; so I 2