A SUSPICIOUS SULTAN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 14

A SUSPICIOUS SULTAN.

' The following story appears in a'scathing ' account of the Sultan's secret life, recently published; It is said to 'exhibit that-suspi-cious attitude which he adopts to all the ' members of his'entourage;- The writer; says that it was communicated to him hy an; aide- ■' 'do-camp who was on duty in tho coiridors of the palace at the,time'of the occurrence. .■ ■ The Sultan, he says, had .recently added to i his harem a Circassian girl about sixteen' 1 .years of ago. and of remarkable, beauty. ' Among the hundreds of women of the palaco ; this girl soon became the favourite, and in - her his Majesty seemed to place the greatest 1 confidence,'so that she could enter, his room unannounced and at hdr. pleasure. : One. evening:she entered as usual,- and, ' findiiig his. Majesty asleep, she examined the > various, bric-a-brac scattered here and there, '* her attention ;; l3eing particularly'attracted by •' a jewelled, pistol: which was lying on' the ;i table.. At this:point the_ Sultan, suddenly • opening'his eyes, asked;.with apparent calm: > -''What are you doing?" "'Nothing, your Majesty j" replied the girl, v • "But you are looking at something," the ' Sultan,insisted. "■., \ i -""Yes, sir-—it is"so pretty—this." . '■".■"And what do you call that object?";'' i -'A pistol,""answered tho favourite. ;;■* :• "And what is a pistol -used for?". '; "To kill; sire," replied the Circassian^,a •' low' and trembling voice. " ■' ; I'To kill?" said the despot. ['To kill," he • repeated. "Let me see," and picking : up an- . Mother . pistol which' he had on ~his person he • .fired three times, fatally injuring tho .inno- • cent girl. ; ■ . ■ , ' '; . . I