Jelaleddin
A Picture of His Invasion
(From the Armenian of Raffi.)
I.
It was near the end of May, 1877.
Upon one of the Liana plains in Aghpag there were dimly visible, through the morning mist, a few tents of coarse dark cloth, pitched in an irregular circle, with a considerable space in the centre. At first sight they might have been taken for the "chaders" (tents) of some pastoral tribe that had encamped in that beautiful green valley to pasture their cattle. But gradually as the sun rose higher and the dense fog which had covered the mountains cleared away, more and more tents became visible, until a large camp stood revealed.
In front of the tents were planted long lances, their butts adorned with black plumes. Around them on the grounds moved, in busy confusion, throngs of armed men whose faces expressed a fierce impatience. A little way off, in the rich green pastures, saddled horses were grazing, with their forelegs hobbled.
Before one of the tents—conspicuous by its size and gorgeous appearance—was planted a red flag bearing upon its four corners, in Arabic characters, "ALI, OSMAN, OMAR, ABOUBEKIR," the venerated names of four ancient Moslem chieftains, and in the centre a white hand, signifying the invisible hand of the Almighty, which under its steadfast protection would lead the armed multitudes to battle.
A throng of men surrounded this important tent, and persons were constantly passing in and out.
Within upon a luxurious sofa, was seated a man of medium height, with fiery eyes and a long gray beard. He was clad from head to foot in pure white, a symbol, in Oriental lands,
