"
"Oh, sir," implored Sulali, "let me first go down with the Imam of the
Aja Sophia to see whether the street really is filled with rebels or
not!"
The Sultan signified that they might go.
Sulali, Hassan, and Ispirizade thereupon hastened through the gate of
the Seraglio down to the open space before the kiosk, but not a living
soul did they find there. Not satisfied with merely looking about them,
they wished to persuade themselves that the insurgents were approaching
the Seraglio from some other direction by a circuitous way.
Meanwhile the Sultan was counting the moments and growing impatient at
the prolonged absence of his messengers.
"They have had time enough to cover the distance to the kiosk and back
twice over," remarked the Kizlar-Aga. "No doubt they have fallen into
the hands of the rebels who are holding them fast so that they may not
be able to bring any tidings back."
The Sultan was in despair.
"Hasten, hasten then!" said he to the Kizlar-Aga, and with that he fled
away into his inner apartments.
Ten minutes later Sulali and the Iman returned, and announced that there
was not a soul to be seen anywhere and no sign of anyone threatening the
Seraglio.
Then the Kizlar-Aga led them down to the gate. A cart drawn by two oxen
was standing there, and the top of it was covered with a mat of rushes.
He drew aside a corner of this mat, and by the uncertain light of dawn
they saw before them three corpses, the Kiaja's, the Kapudan's, and the
Grand Vizier's.
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