This was the end of all hopes of peace.  I do not know what the real influence of Dendrinos had been, for he was a man not to be believed, but we,—­the Italian, the Greek, and myself,—­had done everything in our power to keep the Cretans within the legal limits.  In the face, however, of such provocations as those of Ismael, and vacillation like that of Schahin, our efforts were useless.  The state of the country on the occurrence of another defeated sortie of the Mussulmans from Candanos was terrible.  Two Christians were murdered in the streets of Canea, and the remainder in the villages round about fled precipitately to the mountains.  Many were killed, and Mussulmans coming in from the country reported groups of dead bodies in houses, in chapels where they had taken refuge, and by the roadside.  The new Greek consul rode out to Galata, a village three miles from Canea, and counted seven dead bodies naked by the roadside.  The public slaughterhouses were midway between Canea and Kalepa, and there were always large flocks of ravens battening on the offal which was thrown out on the ground; but for weeks the ravens abandoned the place entirely, and the flocks were seen only hovering over certain localities on the great plain between Canea and the nearest hills.  None of the Christians dared take the risk of a voyage of exploration to see what they were feeding on there.

The Egyptian troops, humiliated at their surrender, attacked the villages around their camp in the plains, killing the peaceable inhabitants; the governor-general lost his head and gave contradictory orders, and the confusion became anarchy.  The few remaining Christians in the cities were then forbidden to emigrate, and the Mussulmans in the city met in their quarter and organized a sortie to massacre all the Christians outside; the Wizard in the port protecting those in Canea, otherwise it had gone hardly with them.  The Christians in the interior, encouraged by the victories over the Egyptians and Turks, took such arms as they had, and raided down to the plain about Canea, carrying off as prisoners a number of Mussulmans who were gathering the grapes in their vineyards.  There was no longer any hope of peace, and though I still refused to offer any encouragement to the Cretans, I was obliged to hold my peace, for I saw that there was no room longer for negotiations.  Neither was there any hope for the insurrection, Schahin Pasha was recalled, and the great Egyptian plan utterly collapsed.

At this moment arrived Mustapha Kiritly Pasha, the Imperial Commissioner, appointed because he had once governed Crete and had a great clientèle there, with relatives by marriage.  Had he come three months before, he might have saved the situation, for then the blood was cold.  He was a man of merciless rigor, but with a strong sense of justice, and was much respected in the island; but now only his rigor was in place, for there was no room for compromise.  Ismael was dismissed in disgrace, and ordered off