_ 219 _ beating up the owners, and everyone took as much as he could carry back to the fortress, and they put it in their houses. When they could find no more they beat the owners whether they were women or men, people of rank or otherwise, and moreover they took what they wanted without respect for the King nor for any important person in authority. When I saw all this, expecting that the first house they would attack would be mine, I went to the King and told him that he should not go out. For this reason he did not see what was going on, and was not taking any action because his own people were not telling the truth about what was going on. Then he told me to tell him, and when he heard the truth from me he thanked me profusely, and at once he sent for Muhammed Beg and Barum Beg and ordered them to go out and see what needed to be done and not allow any violence or bullying, and to have three or four Turks hanged for this. This was done in such a manner that I was greatly horrified to see what I saw. They resented by the injury that had been inflicted on them, and news came to the King after six days that they had marched on [Zequia] and surrounded it, but that they dared not fight. It was on an open headland and had artillery which inflicted damage on them.
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