Great Difficulties In The Way Of Asaad's Release


18. Tannoos came to converse about his brother Asaad. He had just

received a letter in Asaad's own hand-writing, saying, that he was

reduced to a great extremity of distress, and perhaps had not long to

live, and begging Tannoos to come up and see if nothing could be done to

end or mitigate his sufferings. Tannoos declares that he would be very

glad to get him away from Cannobeen, if he could be safe, but that in

any o
her place in the dominions of the emir Beshir, he would be killed.

He might be safe at the consul's, but with me, he would not be. "There

are men in these mountains," said he, "that can kill and have killed

patriarchs and emirs, and that in their own houses; and why could they

not kill Asaad with you, if they chose? Is your house more secure than

the convent of the patriarch, or the palace of the emir? A man in

entering your house, would violate all law, but the English would not

make war for the killing of a single man."



I observed, that an application would very possibly be made to the

pasha, by the consul, if Asaad was not soon delivered up. "An

application of that sort," replied T. "would be quite useless. The pasha

would send the application to the emir, and do you not think the emir

would arrange the affair as he pleased? He knows well this sort of

dealing. He has known how to manage these mountains for forty years, and

do you think he would be at a loss about such a trifle as this? For

example, what would be more easy for the emir, if he chose to detain the

man, than to say he had committed murder, and therefore could not be

given up?" "But," said I, "such a charge must be established by

competent witnesses, and under the consul's inspection." "True," replied

he, "and where would be the difficulty in that? The emir would bring

500 witnesses to-morrow to establish any crime he was pleased to

allege. And as to his fearing the pasha, though he holds his office

under him, yet his power is even superior to the pasha's."----"The

patriarch," continued Tannoos, "can do just what he chooses, in spite of

the English. You have brought books here, and the patriarch has burned

them in spite of you. He has issued to all denominations a proclamation

full of lies against you, and what have you been able to do? You have

indeed written a reply to the proclamation, and hold it up to the

people, and say, 'Look how the patriarch lies about us;' but what does

he care for all that."



So talks a Lebanon mountaineer, of more sense, information and truth,

than most others, respecting the moral character and godly fear of his

patriarch and prince.



More

;