CHAPTER XXI.Sileh Zela—Its position—The old citadel—The soil in the neighbourhood—A battalion of infantry—The Caimacan—The audience-chamber—The Cadi—The battalion going to Samsoun—The local authorities—The Colonel—England would be neutral—What, desert her friend of the Crimea?—An ally in Austria—Andrassy—An old Imaum—Propensity for fighting—A Christian Bishop—The most bellicose members of society—Yakoob Khan of Kashgar—The Russians and the Chinese—The Khivans, Bokharians, and Turkomans—A rising of the Poles—The ancient city—A secret passage—My tea and sugar—Osman has a sweet tooth—My lord's liberality praised—Osman to kneel on his own coat—Tartars—Lazy husbands—A plain planted with tobacco—Mountains covered with vines—Many-coloured sand-hills—A wonderful phenomenon—Bazar—Pacha Williams—Teesdale—Kars—Is Pacha Williams still alive?It was a bright moonlight night. Not thinking it likely that we should obtain any more sleep, I determined to start at once, and take advantage of the weather. Desiring Radford and Osman, who had been aroused by the reports of myrevolver, to saddle the horses, we set off in the direction of Sileh Zela, a town which contains 3000 houses, and a barracks which will hold at a pinch 1500 soldiers.Sileh Zela stands in the centre of a natural basin, the hills which form its sides being at a distance of six or seven miles from the town. A small rising ground near the principal street is occupied by the ruins of an old citadel. A stream runs through the heart of the city. The soil in the neighbourhood is very rich; corn abounds throughout the district. The inhabitants do not seem to have suffered from the famine which a few years ago so depopulated the Angora district.Half a battalion of infantry, about 400 strong, was drilling in a plain immediately in front of the town. The inhabitants had turned out, men and women, to witness the instruction of the troops. The white dresses of the ladies, contrasting with the blue uniforms, red caps, and the many-coloured dresses of the inhabitants, formed a bright and vivid picture. It was a glorious day. The sun poured down its rays with a force much more suggestive of July than January. The drill was just over as we neared the town. We rode into Sileh at the head of the regiment, the band,which consisted of about twenty musicians, performing a wild and discordant march. Halting at the house of the Caimacan, I dismounted and proceeded to pay him a visit. He was in the audience-chamber, surrounded by clerks, who were on their knees, and submitting different documents for his approval.The great man himself was squatted on a divan; the members of the town council were by his side. The Cadi, whose head was enveloped in a gigantic yellow turban, was engaged in smoking a long chibouk. A crowd of men were in the anteroom, some with petitions in their hands, others apparently prisoners, judging by the guards who stood beside them.It was evidently a busy day. The Caimacan, not taking any notice of my arrival, continued attaching his seal to the different papers.At last he stopped, and, turning to me, salaamed and apologized for his apparent rudeness. It appeared that the half battalion which I had seen drilling was to march the following morning for Constantinople,viâSamsoun. The Caimacan was engaged in making arrangements for its departure. Carriers would have to be sent forward to the different villages between Sileh Zela and Samsoun, to apprise the local authoritiesof the approaching arrival of the troops. The chief difficulty which the Caimacan experienced was the want of money, he presently observed, "Asker tchok, lakin para yoke," "We have plenty of soldiers, but no paras" (money).The colonel of the battalion now entered the room, and after having been introduced to me, observed that he had heard in the event of hostilities England would be neutral."What! desert her old friend of the Crimea?" said the Caimacan, turning to me. And the Cadi, grinning in a ghastly manner at the rest of the company, remarked that England had many paras, and that perhaps she would send some of them to the Sultan.This created a revulsion of feeling in my favour—the assembly having been a little annoyed at the colonel's statement about the neutrality of Great Britain."Well," I said, "you will probably have an ally in Austria.""An ally in Austria!" said the colonel; "no, certainly not. There are more Slavs than Magyars in the Emperor Francis Joseph's dominions. However, Andrassy, a Hungarian, is at the head of affairs, and by all accounts he rules the emperor. Perhaps Andrassy may preventAustria from allying herself with Russia against us.""We shall have to fight our own battles this time," continued the colonel; "and, please God, we will win."An old Imaum, who was seated in a corner, now put in a word, and said that if there were a war, he too would go at the head of the Imaums. I had observed this same propensity for fighting amidst other Mohammedan priests. In fact in Asia as in Europe the most bellicose members of society are often those gentlemen whose profession is that of peace.[15]"We shall have Yakoob Khan of Kashgar with us," observed the Caimacan."No we shall not," replied the colonel; "the Russians have stirred up a quarrel between Yakoob and the Chinese, so as to prevent him giving us any assistance.""Will any other Mohammedan states help you?" I inquired."Yes, all of them will fight for Islam.""Russia is large," continued the officer, "but she will have to divide her forces. She will have to be on her guard against the Khivans, Bokharians, and Turkomans in Asia, she must also protect herself against a rising of the Poles in Europe."The Caimacan, now rising from the divan, walked with me to a small house in the neighbourhood which was reserved for the use of travellers.There were very few Armenians in Sileh, the population being made up almost entirely of the followers of the Prophet. The ancient city is nearly a mile from the present site, and tradition tells us that it was built upon the so-called mound of Semiramis. I found the castle in a very dilapidated state, the wall round it bore signs of having been constructed from the ruins of some very ancient edifice; here and there were heavy blocks of marble and other broken débris which had been let into the sides of the enclosure.According to the inhabitants, there is a secret passage leading from the citadel to a small square several hundred yards below the hill; this is very likely the case, for although now a third-rate town, Sileh was once a city of considerable military importance.Whilst I was looking at the antiquities, Osmanhad been engaged in buying some tea and sugar, the supply which I had brought from Constantinople being almost entirely exhausted, the tea and sugar having gone more rapidly than the other provisions. On my remarking this to Radford, I was informed that Osman had a sweet tooth, and had declared that tea was good for his stomach.I called the Turk to my side."Osman," I said, "you have nearly finished my tea and sugar. What is the meaning of it?""Effendi, I like tea, I like sugar; but what I like most of all is to hear my lord's liberality praised. Whenever I am drinking tea, and the village people see me putting much sugar in my glass, they honour me. In this manner they honour my lord.""I should like to be honoured in some other way for the future," I observed; "and Radford tells me that you are always praying instead of saddling the baggage-horses.""Quite true, sir," remarked Radford, who gathered from my gestures what the conversation was about. "Quite true; he has worn off the nap of my new great coat a-praying on it. He is always on his knees whenever there is some work to do.""Now for the future, Osman," I continued, "should I give orders to commence loading the animals at daybreak, you must get up two hours before sunrise: there will be then ample time for your devotions. In the meantime, when you pray, you are to kneel on your own jacket, and not on Radford's.""Is my brother angry?" said the Turk, pointing to his fellow-servant."Yes.""Well, I will not offend him any more."And shaking hands with the Englishman, Osman manifested his friendship by borrowing a little tobacco.On leaving Sileh Zela we rode by numerous gardens, planted with all kinds of fruit-trees, and enclosed by high walls built for the most part of dried mud. The road then continued through a series of vast circular basins, each from six to seven miles in diameter, and similar to the one which surrounded the town. The walls of these basins were formed of many coloured sand-hills. The plains below were sowed with every kind of grain.We passed Tartars on their way to Sileh Zela, the women walking along the road, and the lazy husbands on horseback, riding in front of their wives.Turkoman and Circassian villages abound throughout this district. The inhabitants were eager to hear about the war. When the Russians drove the Circassians from the Caucasus, the Sultan gave the exiles land in Anatolia. The wild mountaineers thirst for the opportunity of revenging themselves upon the Muscovites.We left the corn-growing country behind us, and emerged upon a plain thickly planted with tobacco. On one side of the track, the mountains were covered with vines, on the other were many-coloured sand-hills.Presently a wonderful phenomenon presented itself to us. A thick, black cloud, which all the morning had hung above a mountain-top, burst over our heads, and then being gradually wafted onward, it poured down its waters on the sand-hills. The sun, which was shining brightly, formed a magnificent rainbow—the glorious orb joined earth to sky, its matchless colouring lit up the whole of the firmament.The waters dashed down the sides of the hills. The torrent bore with it a million particles of coloured sand. In a moment the rivulets at our feet ran white, red, and then crimson. The thunder roared in the distance. A flash of lightning streaked the horizon with gold.The sun was setting ere we reached our halting-place, and as we rode up the main street of the village of Bazar, our horses had to wade through about three feet of water—the result of the recent storm. I obtained quarters for the night in a small, but clean wooden house belonging to a Turkish gentleman. He was formerly an officer in the army, and had been employed at Kars during the siege."Pacha Williams proved himself to be a great man," observed my host. "He was always busy, and not like other Pachas, who spend their lives in the harem. He went out at all hours of the night to inspect the fortifications. There was another Englishman with him—a young man of fair complexion, but with a heart like a lion.""Teesdale?" I observed."Yes, that was his name. The hearts of our poor Osmanlis were cheered when they saw this young Englishman sharing all their privations, never grumbling, and always cheerful. If the war breaks out again, God grant that you may send us many more such officers! Is Pacha Williams still alive?""Yes.""Is he a very great man in your country?""Yes.""You English are a wonderful nation," continued my host. "You reward the Pachas who are brave and skilful. In our country if a captain has a relation in the harem of the grand vizier, the officer is sure to rise to high command; but with you a man must have merit to succeed."
Sileh Zela—Its position—The old citadel—The soil in the neighbourhood—A battalion of infantry—The Caimacan—The audience-chamber—The Cadi—The battalion going to Samsoun—The local authorities—The Colonel—England would be neutral—What, desert her friend of the Crimea?—An ally in Austria—Andrassy—An old Imaum—Propensity for fighting—A Christian Bishop—The most bellicose members of society—Yakoob Khan of Kashgar—The Russians and the Chinese—The Khivans, Bokharians, and Turkomans—A rising of the Poles—The ancient city—A secret passage—My tea and sugar—Osman has a sweet tooth—My lord's liberality praised—Osman to kneel on his own coat—Tartars—Lazy husbands—A plain planted with tobacco—Mountains covered with vines—Many-coloured sand-hills—A wonderful phenomenon—Bazar—Pacha Williams—Teesdale—Kars—Is Pacha Williams still alive?
It was a bright moonlight night. Not thinking it likely that we should obtain any more sleep, I determined to start at once, and take advantage of the weather. Desiring Radford and Osman, who had been aroused by the reports of myrevolver, to saddle the horses, we set off in the direction of Sileh Zela, a town which contains 3000 houses, and a barracks which will hold at a pinch 1500 soldiers.
Sileh Zela stands in the centre of a natural basin, the hills which form its sides being at a distance of six or seven miles from the town. A small rising ground near the principal street is occupied by the ruins of an old citadel. A stream runs through the heart of the city. The soil in the neighbourhood is very rich; corn abounds throughout the district. The inhabitants do not seem to have suffered from the famine which a few years ago so depopulated the Angora district.
Half a battalion of infantry, about 400 strong, was drilling in a plain immediately in front of the town. The inhabitants had turned out, men and women, to witness the instruction of the troops. The white dresses of the ladies, contrasting with the blue uniforms, red caps, and the many-coloured dresses of the inhabitants, formed a bright and vivid picture. It was a glorious day. The sun poured down its rays with a force much more suggestive of July than January. The drill was just over as we neared the town. We rode into Sileh at the head of the regiment, the band,which consisted of about twenty musicians, performing a wild and discordant march. Halting at the house of the Caimacan, I dismounted and proceeded to pay him a visit. He was in the audience-chamber, surrounded by clerks, who were on their knees, and submitting different documents for his approval.
The great man himself was squatted on a divan; the members of the town council were by his side. The Cadi, whose head was enveloped in a gigantic yellow turban, was engaged in smoking a long chibouk. A crowd of men were in the anteroom, some with petitions in their hands, others apparently prisoners, judging by the guards who stood beside them.
It was evidently a busy day. The Caimacan, not taking any notice of my arrival, continued attaching his seal to the different papers.
At last he stopped, and, turning to me, salaamed and apologized for his apparent rudeness. It appeared that the half battalion which I had seen drilling was to march the following morning for Constantinople,viâSamsoun. The Caimacan was engaged in making arrangements for its departure. Carriers would have to be sent forward to the different villages between Sileh Zela and Samsoun, to apprise the local authoritiesof the approaching arrival of the troops. The chief difficulty which the Caimacan experienced was the want of money, he presently observed, "Asker tchok, lakin para yoke," "We have plenty of soldiers, but no paras" (money).
The colonel of the battalion now entered the room, and after having been introduced to me, observed that he had heard in the event of hostilities England would be neutral.
"What! desert her old friend of the Crimea?" said the Caimacan, turning to me. And the Cadi, grinning in a ghastly manner at the rest of the company, remarked that England had many paras, and that perhaps she would send some of them to the Sultan.
This created a revulsion of feeling in my favour—the assembly having been a little annoyed at the colonel's statement about the neutrality of Great Britain.
"Well," I said, "you will probably have an ally in Austria."
"An ally in Austria!" said the colonel; "no, certainly not. There are more Slavs than Magyars in the Emperor Francis Joseph's dominions. However, Andrassy, a Hungarian, is at the head of affairs, and by all accounts he rules the emperor. Perhaps Andrassy may preventAustria from allying herself with Russia against us."
"We shall have to fight our own battles this time," continued the colonel; "and, please God, we will win."
An old Imaum, who was seated in a corner, now put in a word, and said that if there were a war, he too would go at the head of the Imaums. I had observed this same propensity for fighting amidst other Mohammedan priests. In fact in Asia as in Europe the most bellicose members of society are often those gentlemen whose profession is that of peace.[15]
"We shall have Yakoob Khan of Kashgar with us," observed the Caimacan.
"No we shall not," replied the colonel; "the Russians have stirred up a quarrel between Yakoob and the Chinese, so as to prevent him giving us any assistance."
"Will any other Mohammedan states help you?" I inquired.
"Yes, all of them will fight for Islam."
"Russia is large," continued the officer, "but she will have to divide her forces. She will have to be on her guard against the Khivans, Bokharians, and Turkomans in Asia, she must also protect herself against a rising of the Poles in Europe."
The Caimacan, now rising from the divan, walked with me to a small house in the neighbourhood which was reserved for the use of travellers.
There were very few Armenians in Sileh, the population being made up almost entirely of the followers of the Prophet. The ancient city is nearly a mile from the present site, and tradition tells us that it was built upon the so-called mound of Semiramis. I found the castle in a very dilapidated state, the wall round it bore signs of having been constructed from the ruins of some very ancient edifice; here and there were heavy blocks of marble and other broken débris which had been let into the sides of the enclosure.
According to the inhabitants, there is a secret passage leading from the citadel to a small square several hundred yards below the hill; this is very likely the case, for although now a third-rate town, Sileh was once a city of considerable military importance.
Whilst I was looking at the antiquities, Osmanhad been engaged in buying some tea and sugar, the supply which I had brought from Constantinople being almost entirely exhausted, the tea and sugar having gone more rapidly than the other provisions. On my remarking this to Radford, I was informed that Osman had a sweet tooth, and had declared that tea was good for his stomach.
I called the Turk to my side.
"Osman," I said, "you have nearly finished my tea and sugar. What is the meaning of it?"
"Effendi, I like tea, I like sugar; but what I like most of all is to hear my lord's liberality praised. Whenever I am drinking tea, and the village people see me putting much sugar in my glass, they honour me. In this manner they honour my lord."
"I should like to be honoured in some other way for the future," I observed; "and Radford tells me that you are always praying instead of saddling the baggage-horses."
"Quite true, sir," remarked Radford, who gathered from my gestures what the conversation was about. "Quite true; he has worn off the nap of my new great coat a-praying on it. He is always on his knees whenever there is some work to do."
"Now for the future, Osman," I continued, "should I give orders to commence loading the animals at daybreak, you must get up two hours before sunrise: there will be then ample time for your devotions. In the meantime, when you pray, you are to kneel on your own jacket, and not on Radford's."
"Is my brother angry?" said the Turk, pointing to his fellow-servant.
"Yes."
"Well, I will not offend him any more."
And shaking hands with the Englishman, Osman manifested his friendship by borrowing a little tobacco.
On leaving Sileh Zela we rode by numerous gardens, planted with all kinds of fruit-trees, and enclosed by high walls built for the most part of dried mud. The road then continued through a series of vast circular basins, each from six to seven miles in diameter, and similar to the one which surrounded the town. The walls of these basins were formed of many coloured sand-hills. The plains below were sowed with every kind of grain.
We passed Tartars on their way to Sileh Zela, the women walking along the road, and the lazy husbands on horseback, riding in front of their wives.
Turkoman and Circassian villages abound throughout this district. The inhabitants were eager to hear about the war. When the Russians drove the Circassians from the Caucasus, the Sultan gave the exiles land in Anatolia. The wild mountaineers thirst for the opportunity of revenging themselves upon the Muscovites.
We left the corn-growing country behind us, and emerged upon a plain thickly planted with tobacco. On one side of the track, the mountains were covered with vines, on the other were many-coloured sand-hills.
Presently a wonderful phenomenon presented itself to us. A thick, black cloud, which all the morning had hung above a mountain-top, burst over our heads, and then being gradually wafted onward, it poured down its waters on the sand-hills. The sun, which was shining brightly, formed a magnificent rainbow—the glorious orb joined earth to sky, its matchless colouring lit up the whole of the firmament.
The waters dashed down the sides of the hills. The torrent bore with it a million particles of coloured sand. In a moment the rivulets at our feet ran white, red, and then crimson. The thunder roared in the distance. A flash of lightning streaked the horizon with gold.
The sun was setting ere we reached our halting-place, and as we rode up the main street of the village of Bazar, our horses had to wade through about three feet of water—the result of the recent storm. I obtained quarters for the night in a small, but clean wooden house belonging to a Turkish gentleman. He was formerly an officer in the army, and had been employed at Kars during the siege.
"Pacha Williams proved himself to be a great man," observed my host. "He was always busy, and not like other Pachas, who spend their lives in the harem. He went out at all hours of the night to inspect the fortifications. There was another Englishman with him—a young man of fair complexion, but with a heart like a lion."
"Teesdale?" I observed.
"Yes, that was his name. The hearts of our poor Osmanlis were cheered when they saw this young Englishman sharing all their privations, never grumbling, and always cheerful. If the war breaks out again, God grant that you may send us many more such officers! Is Pacha Williams still alive?"
"Yes."
"Is he a very great man in your country?"
"Yes."
"You English are a wonderful nation," continued my host. "You reward the Pachas who are brave and skilful. In our country if a captain has a relation in the harem of the grand vizier, the officer is sure to rise to high command; but with you a man must have merit to succeed."