Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/238

184 Mohammed Pasha lost no time in endeavouring to make good his jurisdiction over the newly-acquired districts. His first efforts were directed against the hereditary Coordish chiefs, being fully persuaded that whilst these continued to share the government with him, his ambitious designs must fail of perfect success. Accordingly, in December of that year, he sent a party of soldiers to Zakho, under pretence of escorting some military clothing to Mosul, but with secret instructions of a widely different nature. The soldiers executed their mission to the letter by murdering the governor, his nephew, and several other members of his household. Zakho was then placed under a Mutsellim appointed by the Pasha of Mosul.

Shortly after this, Mohammed Pasha requested Bedr Khan Beg to appear before him: but the treachery practised upon the governor of Zakho was of twotoo [sic] recent occurrence to induce the wily Coord to accept the invitation. His refusal to obey so incensed the pasha, that he sent him word to prepare for a visit which he intended to pay him at Jezeerah. The threat concealed under this message was not lost upon Bedr Khan Beg, who forthwith proceeded to build castles in different parts of the mountains, and otherwise to fortify himself against any sudden attack on the part of Mohammed Pasha. The poor Christians of Buhtân were the principal labourers employed on these military works, and not only were they made to serve without pay, but numbers were maimed for life by the heavy weights which they were forced to carry.

About this time a party of Berwari Coords seized upon some flocks belonging to the Tyari Nestorians, and killed several of their men. This act was followed by instant reprisals: the Nestorians entered the Berwari district, took from the Coords more than they had lost, and then retired to their mountain fastnesses. There is reason to believe that Mohammed Pasha himself was the instigator of this outrage, in order to compromise the Christians of Tyari, against whom he sought some real ground of complaint. On hearing what had occurred, he ordered several of the Bahdinân tribes to assist those of Berwari against the Nestorians; but the winter of 1841 having set in, put a stop to the projected invasion. He also wrote to the Pasha of Erzeroom, requesting him to send a force from Van