Once again Musli begged earnestly of Halil that the delivery of these demands might be entrusted to him, and so proudly did he make his petition that it was impossible for Halil Patrona to deny him.

Now Musli was a sly dog.  He knew very well that it was a very risky business to present so many demands all at once, but he made up his mind that he would so completely take the Grand Vizier by surprise, that before he could find breath to refuse the demands of the people, he would grant one of them after another, for if he swallowed the first of them that was on the list, he might be hoodwinked into swallowing the rest likewise.

The new Grand Vizier went by the name of Kabakulak, or Blunt-ear, because he was hard of hearing, which suited Musli exactly, as he had, by nature, a bad habit of bawling whenever he spoke.

At first Kabakulak would not listen to anything at all.  He seemed to have suddenly gone stone-deaf, and had every single word repeated to him three times over; but when Musli said to him that if he would not listen to what he was saying, he, Musli, would go off at once to the Sultan and tell him, Kabakulak opened his ears a little wider, became somewhat more gracious, and asked Musli, quite amicably, what he could do for him.

Musli felt his courage rising many degrees since he began bawling at a Grand Vizier.

“Halil Patrona commands it to be done,” he bellowed in Kabakulak’s ear.

The Vizier threw back his head.

“Come, come, my son!” said he, “don’t shout in my ear like that, just as if I were deaf.  What did you say it was that Halil Patrona begs of me?”

“Don’t twist my words, you old owl!” said Musli, naturally sotto voce.  Then raising his voice, he added, “Halil Patrona wants Dzhanum Choja appointed Kapudan Pasha.”

“Good, good, my son! just the very thing I wanted done myself; that has been resolved upon long ago, so you may go away home.”

“Go away indeed! not yet!  Then Wallachia wants a new voivode.”

“It has got one already, got one already I tell you, my son.  His name is Maurocordato.  Bear it in mind—­Mau-ro-cor-da-to.”

“I don’t mean to bother my tongue with it at all.  As I pronounce it it is—­Djihan.”

“Djihan?  Who is Djihan?”

“Djihan is the Voivode of Wallachia.”

“Very well, you shall have it so.  And what do you want for yourself, my son, eh?”

Musli was inscribed in the list as the Aga of the Janissaries, but he was too modest to speak of himself.

“Don’t trouble your head about me, Kabakulak, while there are so many worthier men unprovided for.  We want the Khan of the Crimea deposed and the banished Kaplan Giraj appointed in his stead.”

“Very well, we will inform Kaplan Giraj of his promotion presently.”

“Not presently, but instantly.  Instantly, I say, without the least delay.”