of May II had an interview with the Tatar notables, begs, khans, and mollahs, and later in the day a similar conference with the leading men of the Armenians. Though both parties promised to keep quiet, the crack of revolver shots was heard the same evening in the bazaars. This was because the Armenians let their so-called fidais (hired assassins) drive about the town discharging their revolvers in the air, simply to stir up excitement and disorder, and increase the general uneasiness and anxiety. They were arrested at once, and their supply of revolvers and bombs was confiscated.
At this time 15o troopers of the frontier guard were stationed in Nakichevan, who, however, were not at the moment in the town, but were scattered in small patrols along the frontier ; besides these the colonel had under his command the garrison of 15o soldiers. Singularly enough, the Vice-Governor had sent the whole of this force 2-i- miles out of the town for shooting practice, and when the agitation assumed on May 12 a threatening aspect, the men who should have maintained order were not at their posts. The Vice-Governor, however, who kept out of danger in the house of the rich Tatar, Ragim Khan, persuaded the Armenians to open their shops and bazaars at seven o'clock. Two hours later single shots were heard in this direction, and afterwards they became more frequent. With two soldiers, who were all he had within reach, Enckel hurried to the bazaar, and arrived in time to witness the horrible butchery and the savage plundering of the Christians by the Tatars. After the Tatars had slain with their kinjals forty-eight Armenians, many of whom had five to ten stabs in their bodies, they pillaged the shops and set fire to a whole row of booths. The Armenian town was set on fire in several places ; and only when he had collected a party of volunteers, could Enckel succeed in saving the town from complete destruction, and by his energetic action induce the Tatars, who had only three dead men, to put an end to the bloodshed. Meanwhile a messenger was sent after the garrison, which was busy at its target practice ; but when half of the force arrived the massacre was already over.
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