flee, the Spahis to pursue, and, what was more, the Russian army of Wallachia halted at the moment it was about to cross the Danube.  That terrible Omer, the queller of so many revolts, had at Bucharest an opportunity of making his qualities felt by the Russian Generals, and they were completely disconcerted by his sudden arrival at Nish, when they thought he was hemmed in by the insurgent Serba in the gorges of Bosnia, without the means of making his way through them.  The Russian troops paused, awaiting fresh orders from St. Petersburg:  orders came, and the whole scheme was quashed.  Cleverly as the Russian plot had been laid, it was completely baffled by the rapidity of Omer Pacha’s movement.’  Once again order was re-established.  Serayevo was again made the seat of the provincial government, and numerous reforms were brought into force, all of which tended to ameliorate the condition of the Christian population.

Such of the chieftains as refused to make their submission were pursued without mercy, until the province became too hot to hold them.  A few, too proud or too obstinate to yield, took refuge in the Herzegovina, where Ali Rizvan Begovitch, then an old man, opened his fortresses to them.  But all resistance was vain before the iron will and temperate judgement of Omer.  Mostar fell, and old Ali was made a prisoner and sent in chains to Serayevo.  That place he never reached, for he was shot, accidentally it is alleged, by a Turkish soldier while on his way thither.  The circumstances of his death will hardly bear an enquiry, and do not reflect much credit on the successful Omer, to whom the blame, as well as the glory he acquired in all else, must attach.  It is true that the old tyrant fully deserved his fate, since even to this day the enormities which he committed are well remembered.  The old tower on the Narenta at Mostar used to look grim with the distorted heads of the prisoners whom he had captured on the Montenegrin frontier.  The habit of decapitating the dead was revolting enough, but this aged sinner was not satisfied with that:  he used to drive sharp wooden poles through their living bodies, and then leave them to die a lingering and agonising death.  Some are said to have survived their impalement as much as forty-eight hours.  The example set by the Pacha was readily followed by those about him.  Numerous are the tales of murder done by his followers, one of whom vied with his master in deeds of murder and ferocity.  This man, the Cavass Bashee, lived entirely by plunder and rapine.  A spot was pointed out to me in the valley of the Drechnitza where a Christian was killed by him while stooping down to drink.  I also heard an amusing anecdote regarding him, when he was completely outwitted by a poor lame Christian.  The latter was riding through a river, where the stream was somewhat rapid.  On the river’s bank he was overtaken by the Cavass Bashee, who allowed him to reach the middle of the stream, when he ordered him to dismount, threatening