Reviews of A Narrative of a Year's Journey through Central and Eastern Arabia, 1862-63 by William Gifford Palgrave, Published 1865 [‎12v] (24/42)

202 Palgrave's Arabia,
East. Abel-el- Azeez was now to learn at his own cost that the
" secret sects " of Asia are not to be trifled with.
1 _A_ ; ^ ari l a ^ c ' lia ^ v e of the province of Ghilan, the land where 'Abd-
el-Kadir had six centuries before made the enthusiasm of his disciples
a pedestal to almost divine honours, offered himself for the work of
blood. He received suitable instructions in Teheran, whence he
journeyec to Meshid Hoseyn, the authentic Mecca of Shiya'ee devotion.
,4. j er ® ® procured a written pardon of all past or future sins, and a
title-deed^ duly signed and sealed, assuring him the eternal ioys of
paradise, should he rid the earth of the Nejdean tyrant. With this
document carefully rolled up and secured in an amulet round his arm,
lie took his way under mercantile disguise to Derey'eeyah, and there
awaited an occasion for meriting the reward promised to the deed of
treachery.
Abd-el- ? Azeez, a sincere Wahhabee, never failed to be present in
person at the public prayers held in the great mosque of the town.
n it was that, without arms, and wholly taken up by the scrupulous
exactness of devotions which permit no backward or sideward glance
he might prove an easy victim to the meditated crime. This the
Persian knew; and when weeks of intercourse and strict outward
orthodoxy had acquired him the full confidence of the townsmen he
one day took his stand in the ranks of evening prayer immediately
behind Abd-el- Azeez, went through the first two Eeka'as of Islamitic
devotion, and at the third, while the sultan of Nejed was bowed in
prostrate adoration, plunged his sharp Khorassan dagger in his bodv.
Ihe blade penetrated between the shoulders, and came out at the
breast; and Abd-el-'Azeez lay dead without a groan or struggle;
His attendants caught up their swords where they lay ungirded for
prayer, and unsheathed them on the assassin. The Persian, courage
ous from despair, defended himself a while with the weapon vet
dripping royal blood; at last he fell, and was literally hewn to pieces
on the ground of the mosque, but not till he had sent three of his
assailants to follow their king in death. The written engagement
countersigned by the governor of Meshid Hoseyn, was found on the
corpse; and Abd-Allah, who was now Sultan of ISTejed, swore that his
first vengeance for his brother's death should be on the city that had
harboured his assassin.
;i t00 n k ol3 aCe ; . S0 far as m y infor mants could supply a
date, about 1805 or 1806. Abd-Allah henceforth reigned alone; his
younger brother Khahd, and Theney'yan, the son of'Abd-el-'Azeez,
with the other members of the family, had no share in the royal
power. Khahd left a son, by name Mesharee, the future assassin of
lurkee, ? and already mentioned in this narrative, in which Ebn-
ineney yan and another Khalid, also nephew of 'Abd-Allah, will find
subsequent mention.
£ Abd-Allah had inherited all his father's skill and superior force
of character, but to these better qualities he joined the ordinary vices
!w 0ne 0rn ln • ' despotic, cruel, perfidious, haughty to a
degree rare even m the East, and bigoted beyond measure for the
sect