Bardas, although a prisoner in our hands, is not exposed, as Your captives are, to mutilation; his presence in the capital is the best thing for us, for we have not made a captive of him. It may be that he will fret at our putting him off, will despair of us, become estranged, and go away; but at present he is acting with us and is reassured by the pomp and security he witnesses at the capital. We hold in truth, all the strings.”
My words impressed and nonplussed him greatly, for he knew them to be true, and he said: “What you ask cannot be granted; we will ratify, if you will, what was agreed on with al-Bakilani – else, depart.” I replied: “If you wish me to depart without having had a hearing from the Sovereign I will do so.” To this he said that he spoke for the Sovereign, but that he would ask an audience for me.
And in a few days time I was summoned and attended. The Byzantine Sovereign [Basil] caused what had passed to be repeated to him in my presence, and said: “You have come on a reprehensible errand; your envoy came and procured our consent to certain terms, which included the restoring of the fortresses taken during the revolt; you are now asking to have ceded other fortresses which were taken by my predecessors.
Diyar Bakr
Either consent to what was originally stipulated or go in peace.” I replied: “But al-Bakilani agreed on nothing, for, as for the document he brought, you deprived us under its terms of half our territory; how can we admit such a thing against ourselves? Of these fortresses in Diyar Bakr none are held by you; now Diyar Bakr belongs to us: all you can do is to dispute it, and you do not know what will be the issue of the struggle.” Here the Chamberlain interposed, saying: “This envoy is skilled in controversy and can make up a fine story: death is better for us than submission to these terms: let him return to his master.” The Sovereign then rose, and I withdrew.
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