Read Ebook: On Horseback Through Asia Minor Volume 2 (of 2) by Burnaby Fred Adapter

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Ebook has 1469 lines and 91605 words, and 30 pages

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My host--A Russian servant--The Crimean war--How the Russian soldiers were beaten--My father the Tzar--I would sooner be hanged!--The civilized way of eating a dinner--Knives and forks of Circassian manufacture--The Caimacan's opinion of knives and forks--My host's wife--His mother--Your Queen likes riding--An Armenian lady inquiring about balls--The barracks--The appearance of Arabkir--The prison--The inmates--The troops--A nation of soldiers--If Allah wills it--Capital required 1

The Mohammedan school--The Governor--The Schoolmaster--His impertinence--An Armenian song--The Russians at Tiflis--Are the Russians so very degraded?--The Hodja, or Schoolmaster--He is put in prison--The fanatics amongst the Turks--A school required for Hodjas--Qualified teachers wanted--Do the Turks insult your religion?--Malattia--A cross tied to the tail of a dog--We want newspapers--Even they contradict each other--The streets are slippery--The precipices--Shephe--The Kurds--Few Zaptiehs in the province--Hara Bazar--The village of Ashoot--Arab horses--Deserters--The Usebashe--God is evidently on our side 11

Radford--His health--The farmer's house--The high elevation--My brother will look down the precipices--The Frat--The scenery--A caravan--How to pass it--The weather--Turks in Egin--A coracle--Beautiful fish--Sick soldiers--Twenty-four hours without food--Egin--The Caimacan--The Cadi--His story--Daniel--Samson--His riches, his 10,000 wives, all of them fat and lovely--His treasure-chests--The lovely daughters of the mountaineers--The officers died; the Pachas died; and last of all, Samson died--The fate of the Russians 22

Hasta Khan--The Kurds--Their summer depredations--Our Sultan ought to be Padishah in his own dominions--The English Consul--A story about the Kurds--The Delsin--Arresting the major--The major's dinner with the chief--Acknowledge the Padishah--A sore back--The mule which is offered in exchange--The pack-saddle--The Euphrates--Coal in the neighbourhood--Kemach--The Caimacan--Djerrid--A National Guard--A miniature Gibraltar--Turkoman horses--Numerous wells--One of the faithful 41

Kemach--Its population--Barley is very cheap--An English traveller--Conversation about the impending war--If we beat Russia, will England permit us to take back the Caucasus?--Yakoob Khan--The Poles to be freed--Germany to have the Baltic Provinces--What about the Crimea?--We ought to cripple Russia--The Floggers of Women--Crossing the Euphrates--Radford is poorly--Erzingan--The intendant of Issek Pacha--Pretty Armenian women--An intelligent Turk--Iron, silver, gold--Coal--Lead-mines worked by the Kurds--The peasantry and coal--The Government and the mines--A relation of the Pacha of Sivas--The old doctor--Firing a patient for gout 50

Erzingan--The Mutasarraf Pacha--Widdin--Russian official documents--Names of high functionaries--General Ignatieff--Hindostan--The Kurds will be excited to massacre the Armenians--The probable final result of the war--If Turkey were to join Russia--The boot manufactory--The shoemakers being drilled--The gaol--Coiners--A jealous woman in prison--The unfortunate shopkeeper 59

Russia's conduct in Servia--The Hodja--We have a great many troops--If the Circassians will rise--The Pacha--Raw cotton--The Mohammedan school--The Hodja's sum--Three jealous husbands--The mosque--Issek Pacha--A comparison between Mohammedan Imaums and Christian priests--Provisions--The old doctor--The road to Erzeroum--Want of sport--Soldiers frost-bitten 68

A conversation with the Pacha--The English Parliament opened--What will they say about Turkey?--Can the people at your Embassy speak Turkish?--The French are brave soldiers--The fortifications--The roads--The water supply--The posterns--Important military positions--A dinner with our Consul--He relates a story--A Kurdish robber--The Colonel--His young wife--How the Kurd wished to revenge himself--Many of the Kurds are in Russian pay 104

The weather--The number of troops in the town--Wood is very dear--Tezek--The shape of the town--Trade with Persia--Ismail Pacha's head servant--Have the Russians arrived?--No, Effendi, but the Pacha has hanged himself! that is all--The Pacha's wives--He was gay and handsome--The Consul's dragoman--An attack of dysentery--Starting for Van--Major-General Macintosh--His opinion about the Kurds--The Bazaar at Van--Fezzee Pacha--Kiepert's map--Erzeroum is very weak--Fezzee Pacha's opinion about the impending war--The curious Caves 114

The Turkish cemetery--Entering the cavern--The narrow passage--A branch tunnel--A candle went out--The ball of string--The Garden of Eden--The serpent--A dinner with the Engineer-general--Mashallah--The evil eye--A whole nation of Hodjas--You English are a marvellous nation--Some of our Pachas cannot write--This is a miracle--Start for Van--The postman--A caravan from Persia--The wives of the Persian merchant--How to balance a fat wife--Herteff--My host's wife--Stealing sugar 124

The Kurd--His bonnet--Mohammed is ill--Radford doctors him--The mustard plaster--The plaster is cold--Where has the Frank put the flames?--An old frost-bite--The two merchants--Bayazid--A Turkish lieutenant--A very dirty Christian--Crossing the Araxes--Kupri Kui--Yusueri--Deli Baba--Earthenware jars--How they are made--When the winter is over--Procrastination 134

Low hills--Deep snow--The effect of the sun's rays--Nearly blind--Daha--The road to Bayazid blocked--The daughter of my host--Her costume--Soap and water--A surprise--She is very dirty--If she were well washed--Turkish merchants--Buying the daughters--A course of Turkish baths--An addition to the Seraglio--Rich men always get pretty wives--The Kurd's sons--The Imaum of the village--My host's tooth--It aches--I have heard of your great skill--Cure my tooth--A mustard plaster a remedy for toothache--A hakim for the stomach--Have it out--Champagne nippers--My tooth is better already 142

Clearing the way--Leaving Daha--My father was well cleaned last night--The wonderful medicine--Charging the snow-drifts--Turkoman steeds--The Persians--The lieutenant--Zedhane--Molla Suleiman--Toprak Kale--A sanguinary drama--The Caimacan--The rivals--An Armenian peasant--The marriage ceremony--The Circassian Governor--The Kurd's mother--Revenge--His father's bones--The Circassian's wives--The Governor in bed--The fight--The feud between the Kurds and Circassians--Camels in the water--The ice has broken 151

Armenian lads--Riding calves--Buffaloes--A fair price for a girl--Our daughters are our maid-servants--A European wife--A useless incumbrance--A Dervish--The lieutenant roars at him--Kara Kelise--Kaize Kuy--The streams in Anatolia--A source of annoyance--Persian women--A Persian village--The houses--Rugs manufactured by the inhabitants--Erivan--The Russian invasion of Persia--Once a Russian always a Russian--The Murad river--Diyadin--The garrison--Rumours of peace--Persia--Ararat--The view--Ophthalmia--Bayazid--The Pacha's residence--The Russian authorities in Daghestan--Four hundred people killed--Women and children shot down and beaten to death--Major-General Macintosh--His opinion about Bayazid--The importance of this town from a military point of view--Syria--Aleppo--Diarbekir--Van--The barracks--Mahmoud Pacha--His descendants--The irony of fate--A Hungarian doctor--Mahmoud Pacha, the son of Issek Pacha, lies here 160

A spy--The news from Erivan--The border line--How he passed the frontier--The Mollahs--A war of extermination preached by them--A Turkish newspaper--Turks in Asia--Christians in Europe--The Conference--A Conference in St. Petersburg--The European Powers dislike Russia--General Ignatieff a judge instead of a prisoner--The hour for the evening prayer--A Turkish officer on prayer--His opinion about European Bishops--They eat mutton every day--A Turkish Captain 171

A Yezeed village--The Usebashe--The worshippers of Old Scratch--The Yezeed's religion--The Spirit of good--The spirit of evil--The rites--The Grand Vizier of Allah--The unmarried priest--The wives and daughters in their congregation--A high honour--Women honoured by the attentions of a priest--Great excitement at the priests' arrival--Mr. Layard--His admirable work--Kelise Kandy--My host--His house--They want to conquer the Shah--Nadir Shah--He once conquered you English in Hindostan--The Tzar of America--You pay Shere Ali a large sum of money--He is a clever fellow 178

Villages--Arab Dize--Shadili--Shalendili--Karenee--Kurds--Radford wishes to bleed the inhabitants--Persian men with their beards dyed red--Every part of a woman is false--These Persians are a nation of women--The old fire-worshipper's superstition--Gardens--Irrigation--Soldiers--The flint fire-locks--They are unclean ones, these Persians--The little dogs do some things well--a Persian will kiss you on one cheek, and will stab you behind your back 196

No signs of Khoi--At last we arrive--The Turkish Consul--Russian intrigues--Persian soldiers have attacked a Turkish village--Kashka Beulah--A Turkish Usebashe and seven men brought prisoners to Khoi--The Ambassador at Teheran--Retaliation--The exchange of prisoners--The origin of the disturbance--The Shah's uncle--Russian agents in Teheran--Kurdish girls make the best wives--They do not care about fine clothes--How to make use of your mother-in-law--The women in your country--A fortune on dress--My last wife cost ten liras--Persian women--The Persians are very cruel--Odd customs--The fortifications of Khoi--Soldiers gambling 204

The bazaar--Recumbent Persians--Carpets--Cutlery--Russian calicoes--The houses in Khoi--The schools--A class of lads--The Pedlar--The schoolmaster chastises him--Pillaff--Bonbons--Persian ladies like sweetmeats--Articles of native manufacture--The mosque--The Russian officials in Erivan--We leave Khoi--Kotoor Boghaz--The Turkish captain who was taken prisoner by the Persians--His explanation of the affair--The Russians are our fathers--The defile--Magnificent positions for defence--A mineral spring--The change of temperature 212

Kotoor--The Quarantine station--The medical officer in charge--The Governor of Kotoor--A Russian disguised as a Persian--Mineral wealth--The Russians would like this territory--A stepping-stone to Bagdad and Mosul--A loyal Kurd--Aleshkert--The people there take the strongest side--Moullah Hassan--Kurdish merchants--The postman--His mule in the water--My new yellow trousers--The saddle-bags in the river--Nestorian villages--How to buy a wife--Exchange and barter--A horse and two sheep--Van--The Pacha--The barracks--The garrison--Bitlis 221

The artillery at practice--The horses--The Commandant--The Military School at Constantinople--The citadel--Typhus--The swamp--The sanitary state of the city--The lake--Natron--A substitute for soap--Stone cannon-balls--Nadir Shah's attack upon Van--Greek and Assyrian coins--Salutes during Bairam--An inscription on the rock--An adventurous Englishman--The Commandant--A Kurd--Hernia--How to cure rupture--Three American Missionaries--The English and American flags--The conflagration at Van--Armenian inventions--The Commissioner--The troops 230

Akserai--The Kurds--Raids upon the villages--Five females ravished--The Pacha at Van is powerless to help the villagers--The hot springs in Lake Van--Fish--How to catch them--Zerekli--Starlings--Intelligent insects--Patnos--We cross the Murad river--Dotah--The Caimacan--The devil-worshipper--His house--A Yezeed sheik--Scarcity of accommodation 248

My host--The Sheik's appearance--My host's two daughters--They attend upon the Sheik--Caressing the flames--I love the fire--An insult to the Shaitan--Do you believe in Allah?--Allah can do no harm--The Yezeed fetish--The tomb of Sheik Adi--Your cows shall not die--Mohammed wants a fetish--A cure for rheumatism--The Melek Taoos--Do you ever pray?--What is the use? Everything is fixed--You cannot force Destiny to change her mind--Hidden things--The balls of clay--Mr. Layard--The seven archangels 253

Alongside the river Murad--Waterfalls--The Melaskert river--Tchekhane--An attack of fever--Quinine--The doctor at Toprak Kale--He arrives--The consultation--Excitement amongst the villagers--The stethoscope--The audience--How clever these Franks are--The Effendi is going to die--Rheumatic fever--Pressed fruit--A native remedy--A long night 260

Mohammed's febrifuge--The doctor's medicine--Zedhane--Daha--Hassan Bek--Bash--The garrison--We cross the Araxes--The bridge made by a Circassian--Karakroot--The Circassian horsemen--The inhabitants--Their eyes and teeth--Gedjerharman--The plain around Kars--The streets of the town--The sewerage of the population--The civil governor--The river--The war with the Persians--Mount Kara Dagh--The fortifications 267

Ardanusch--The Ardahan river--Shadavan scenery--Crossing the mountains--The roof of the world--The Tschorock river--Mohammed is afraid--Kismet--If a Christian is ill--Going to Paradise--Does a Christian send for a doctor?--A vast amphitheatre--Kale, or the old fortress of Ardanusch--Akiska--War--The Mostaphas are to be called out--The road to Livana--The cayek 295

The precipice--Better to die to-morrow than to-day--Livana--The Caimacan--The Padishah of the United States--The Clerk--A man with a node on his forehead--A Christian with a hump-back--The cayek--The owner of the boat--The Georgians--Mohammed's alarm--The current--Miradet--The Mudir--A deserter 301

Price of corn--Indian corn--Barley--Hardly any horses in the neighbourhood--Bashi Bazouks--The Persians--Bagdad--A passenger had been drowned--Mohammed is sea-sick--The harbour of Batoum--The quarantine station--The garrison--The Cossack outposts--Shooting down Turkish sentinels--The encampment--The sanitary arrangements are good--The new rifle--The market--Money changers--A Turkish steamer--The agent--If the Lord wills it--Farewell to Mohammed--His tears--Human nature--Reform impossible in Turkey so long as Russia keeps on intriguing--My fellow passengers--The Pacha--Trebizond--Arrival in London 307

The journey is over--Declaration of war--Her Majesty's Government--An iniquitous and unnecessary step on the part of the Tzar--The Treaty of Paris--Its infringement--Impossible to foresee the consequences of such an act--Russia's contempt for England--England allied with Turkey--Applying the rod--A Conference might be held in St. Petersburg--The solemn assurances of the Emperor--Samarcand--Khiva--The Black Sea Convention--Let the Russians go to Constantinople--People who believe in Russian promises--A non-military power like England--England ought to join Turkey 316

PAGE

ON HORSEBACK THROUGH ASIA MINOR.

My host--A Russian servant--The Crimean war--How the Russian soldiers were beaten--My father the Tzar--I would sooner be hanged!--The civilized way of eating a dinner--Knives and forks of Circassian manufacture--The Caimacan's opinion of knives and forks--My host's wife--His mother--Your Queen likes riding--An Armenian lady inquiring about balls--The barracks--The appearance of Arabkir--The prison--The inmates--The troops--A nation of soldiers--If Allah wills it--Capital required.

My host now called out in a loud voice, "Atech!" "I want to show you my Russian servant," he remarked. The door opened. A man of about fifty years of age, with an unmistakable Calmuck cast of countenance, brought a piece of live charcoal, between a pair of iron tongs, and placed it in the bowl of my host's chibouk; then, retiring to the end of the room, and crossing his arms, he awaited a fresh order.

"So you are a Russian?" I said, addressing the man in his native tongue.

"Yes, your excellency."

"And why did you not return to your own country after the Crimean war was over?"

The man looked down upon the floor; presently he remarked,--

"I was beaten."

"Who beat you?"

"I was beaten all day and all night. My colonel beat me. The sergeant boxed my ears, and the corporals kicked me!"

"But did you get flogged more than the rest of your comrades?"

"No, your excellency; at that time we were all beaten. I am told that now the officers do not flog their men so much."

"You are a deserter," I remarked.

"No, your excellency, I did not desert. I liked my father the Tzar too much to run away when he required my services. I was taken prisoner; when the war was over, I would not return to Russia. That is all I have done."

"Well, and if the Russians come here, as it is quite possible they may, what shall you do then? For you would, in that case, have a very fair chance of being hanged."

"It would be a dreadful thing, your excellency, but I must take the risk. I would sooner be hanged than go back."

"But things have improved in Russia since your time."

"A little," replied the man. "Little by little we advance in Russia. It is a nice country for the rich, but it is a dreadful country for the poor!"

"Is Turkey better?"

"Yes, your excellency, no one is beaten here; when a man is hungry, no Turk will ever refuse him a mouthful of food--that is, if he has one for himself. I hope my brothers will not come here," continued the man, pointing presumably in the direction of the Caucasus. "Allah has given our father the Tzar much land; why does he want more?" and, after putting some more red-hot charcoal in the bowls of our pipes, the Moujik left the room.

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