Part 33 (1/2)

By suchthe people, although those who knew hireat estimation An opportunity soon occurred which abundantly proved this, and which, as I will now narrate, gave an entire new turn to my fortunes

The winter had passed over our heads, and spring was already far advanced, when reports reached the capital, that in the southern provinces of the kingdom, particularly in Lar and Fars, there had been such a total want of rain that serious apprehensions of a famine were entertained As the year rolled on, the same apprehensions prevailed in the ht, such as before was never known, gave rise to the s The Shah ordered prayers to be put up at all the mosques in the city for rain, and thethe order

Myhis religious zeal, and ofhie of it; and he lost not ahimself all the stir in his power Conscious of the influence he had obtained over the populace, he went a step farther than his rival the chief priest, and invited an ie open space without the city, where he took the lead in prayer

The drought still continuing, the Shah ordered all ranks of people to attend him, and join in the supplications which he had first coreat a triumph, that his zeal no no bounds He caused all sects, Christians, Jews, and Guebres, as well as Mussulmans, to put up their prayers: still the heavens were inexorable; no rain came, the despair increased, and Nadan redoubled his zeal

At length, onewhen the weather was more than usually sultry, he addressed a athered round his house, in words so more to be done, O men of Tehran! to avert this misfortune which awaits the land of Irak? ?Tis plain that the heavens have declared against us, and that this city contains soeance upon us Who can they be but the kafirs, the infidels, those transgressors of our law, those wretches, who defile the purity of our walls by openly drinking wine, that liquor forbidden by the holy Prophet (upon who our streets the scene of their vices? Let us go; follow me to where these odious wine-bibbers live; let us break their jars, and at least destroy one of the causes of the displeasure of Allah against us?

Upon this a general stir ensued; and fanaticisht could be excited in the breasts of ry expressions, which were only the forerunners of the violence that soon after ensued Nadan, putting hi as he pressed onwards, and followed by eous a fanatic as the rest--led us to the Armenian quarter of the city

The peaceable Christians, seeing this body of enraged Moha for their houses, knew not what to do Soain stood transfixed, likeremain in doubt of our intentions; for first they were assailed with volleys of stones, and then with such shouts of execration and abuse, that they expected nothing less than a general massacre to ensue

The mollah entered the houses of the principal Aran an active search for wine He made no distinction between the women?s apartments and the public ones, but broke open every door; and when at length he had found the jars in which the liquor was contained, I leave the reader to iine as the havoc which ensued They were broken into a thousand pieces; the wine flowed in every direction; and the poor owners could do nothing but look on and wring their hands

By the time that this ceremony had been performed in every house, the fury of the mob had risen to the utmost, and fro forced open, they de within--books, crucifixes, orna was spared; and as there would not be wanting abundance of rogues on such occasions, it was soon discovered that whatever valuables the despoiled had possessed were carried away

The ruin was now co more was left to the fury of the mob but the unfortunate sufferers themselves, who perhaps would next have been attacked, had not a king?s ferash appeared, accompanied by one of the principal Armenians, and their presence produced an almost instantaneous return to reason

Apprehensive of the consequences of their conduct, all Nadan?s followers e and s will not be s demanded our immediate presence The mollah looked at me, and I at him; and, perhaps, two bearded men never looked more like raw fools than we did at that moment He endeavoured to temporize, and requested our conductor to accoht put on his red cloth stockings

?There will be no occasion for red cloth stockings,? said the ferash, dryly

This produced a universal tremor in the mollah, and I reeable manner ?But what have I done, in the name of the Prophet?? exclaimed he:--?the enemies of our faith must be overthrown Is it not so?? said he to the ferash

?You will see,? returned the ith reached the palace, and at the entrance found the grand vizier, seated with the mollah bashi+, in the chief executioner?s apartrand vizier said to the mollah Nadan, ?In the name of Ali, what is this that we hear? Have your wits forsaken you? Do you forget that there is a king in Tehran??

Then the mollah bashi+ exclaimed, ?And who aainst the infidels??

?Conduct the,? exclaimed the executioner, as he arose and took his staff of office in hand ?Do not keep the Centre of the Universe waiting?

More dead than alive, ere paraded through the avenues of the palace, and then stepped through the sarden, where we found the king seated in an upper roousthis n of wrath I cast a glance at Nadan, and I saw hi from every pore We took our shoes off, as soon as we had coht of him, and advanced to the brink of theconsisted of the mollah bashi+, the chief executioner, the Armenian, Nadan, and myself

The chief executioner then placed his staff of office on the ground, anda low prostration, said, with all the prefatory for the Shah, ?This is thetohi is it since you have undertaken to ruin ave you the power? Have you become a prophet? or do you perhaps condescend to ? Say, fellohat dirt is this that you have been eating??