a menacing voice, "I have killed the traitor Selim by the order of our
glorious sultan; here is his imperial command." At these words, and the
sight of the fatal diploma, all prostrated themselves terror-stricken.
Ali, after ordering the decapitation of Selim, whose head he seized as a
trophy, ordered the cadi, the beys, and the Greek archons to meet at the
palace to prepare the official account of the execution of the sentence.
They assembled, trembling; the sacred hymn of the Fatahat was sung, and
the murder declared legal, in the name of the merciful and compassionate
God, Lord of the world.

When they had sealed up the effects of the victim, the murderer left the
palace, taking with him, 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