Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/216

 way. Almost at the same time several of the principal pashas died suddenly, as well as Sultan Amurath himself. Some said that boils burst out on his thigh, from which he died. His death was concealed until his son, Mehemet, came from Amazya to Constantinople; otherwise, if the soldiers had known of his death, they would have plundered the whole city, Jews and Christians. For it is a custom with them that, when the Sultan dies, the soldiers have licence to plunder the merchants.

When, therefore, Sultan Mehemet arrived incognito, his nineteen brothers were immediately strangled with a cord by mutes, who are always employed for that purpose. One of these brothers begged hard to be only allowed to look his brother in the face, but the poor man was unable to obtain this favour. Two wives of the preceding Sultan, who were pregnant, were also thrown into the sea; and afterwards all who were thus strangled were shown to the Emperor, lying on splendid carpets, when he ordered them to be put into coffing and buried very expensively and magnificently, in the chapel with their father, and a turban, with a handsome plume of cranes’ feathers, to be placed on the head of each. He then took complete possession of his rights, renewed the offices of some, and dismissed others from their posts.

On one occasion Ibrahim Pasha, who had married a daughter of the new Sultan, went on an excursion to a delightful garden which he owned by the Black Sea, beyond our tower. Our old aga obtained intelligence of this, and came amongst us and told us that Ibrahim, who had been well disposed towards our ambassador, was going to his gardens, and, therefore, counselled us, whenever a salute should be fired from the two fortresses,