Head Groom, (Myr Akhūr); the second and third day, the same circumstances were repeated, I was astonished and said to myself, surely the Shaikh has made a mistake, but addressing myself to the man, I said, “O Syed, I have hitherto considered you as one of my inferior servants, how is it that you have attained this dignity and honour;” he replied, by order of the _Kutb al Aktab_, (Star of Stars), even from the very commencement of your Sovereignty, I have been the firm supporter of your government; he then began to say his prayers, in which I joined him; during this religious act, I experienced both delight and inspiration. When we had finished our prayers, he said, “O Prince you are at this moment the Guest of God, whatever the guest asks of his host, is gratuitously given;” accordingly I wished for Faith, he replied, “the faith in Muhammed is eternal; it is a city where those who encompass it proclaim, ‘there is no God but God,’ and those in the interior reply, ‘it is known there is no God but God;’ That city is the Gate of Gates, and those who enter or come forth from it, are constantly repeating those words;” at this time I bent down my head in prostration, when I again raised my head, I saw that my companion had resigned his soul to his Creator; I was much affected. When I reported the circumstances I had seen to the Shaikh, he replied, “the arrangement of the affairs of every country, and the power of placing and displacing of Monarchs, with the bestowing of Kingdoms on the Worthy, and taking them from the Unworthy, is in the hands of the True Worshippers, who are the Agents of God; every country has its peculiar Guardian, or Patron Saint, appointed by the _Kutb al Aktab_, whilst the Guardian supports the Monarch, the country flourishes, but otherwise it falls to decay:[14] as long as the Guardian exists, the State prospers, but whenever he is withdrawn it declines, and if another Patron is not appointed in his stead, that dominion is shortly subverted.” The Shaikh continued, “the Man of God, who had charge of the Kingdom of _Kyser_,[15] died this year, on which account you have been easily victorious over him.” I considered this was a warning, that my turn would soon come, but as I had still hopes that another Patron would be appointed in the room of my deceased saint, I made an offering to the Shaikh of four thousand captives, natives of that country, (Rūm)[16] in order to supplicate his intercession. ----- Footnote 13: See Appendix IV. Footnote 14: The Shaikh must have received some imperfect information of the Patron Saints of Europe, unless the invention is Asiatic, but I fear this passage will be thought very obscure. Footnote 15: _Cæsar_, being the title assumed by Bajazet and other Ottoman Emperors. Footnote 16: See Appendix IV. CHAPTER III.