chistan. The brother of the chief of Nermansheer had been with Lutf'ali in Kerman, and three days having elapsed without his appearance, the chief became convinced that, if alive, he must be in the hands of the Kajars. In the hope of being able to save him,[1] he basely determined to violate the laws of hospitality. Lutf'ali was warned of his danger, but he was loth to give credit to the report of intentions on the part of his host which were so much in contrast with the common practice of the Eastern nations. His few followers, finding him obstinate, consulted their own safety by taking to flight; and when armed men came to seize him, he was unable, alone, effectually to make head against them, notwithstanding a momentary panic which the influence of his presence caused. He had gained the back of his Arab charger, when the blow of a sabre brought the noble animal to the ground, and the rider fell wounded into the hands of his assailants.
In the meantime, Aga Mahomed Khan, by the vengeance which he was wreaking on the inhabitants of Kerman, was teaching other cities the consequences of giving shelter to his foes. He issued orders to deprive all the adult males of their life, or of their eyesight; and the females and children, to the number of twenty thousand, were granted as slaves to the soldiers. But when news reached the conqueror that his enemy had been captured, a stop was put to the slaughter; which had been dictated as much by policy as by cruelty. The vengeance of the royal eunuch was now partly diverted from the citizens of Kerman to be concentrated for the moment on his captive rival. The unsurpassed courage displayed by
- ↑ In this hope he was disappointed.
