Page images
PDF
EPUB

pose. This illustration is, however, much less forcible in the East than it would be in our country. Whether it be the result of custom, or of their almost unconscious stoicism, certain it is that the Turks care as little about decapitation (elsewhere so universally disliked by the persons on whom it is practised), as though they had a few heads in reserve, ready to supply the original member when taken from them.

Manouk shared the national peculiarities also in his love of animals; for his whole heart was centred in a certain white cat, which, like the prophet of his worship, he always carried in his sleeve. This cat, like himself, was a great character: he had brought it with him from his own country, and it had shared in all the vicissitudes of his career, till finally it had assisted him in constituting the garrison of Nauplia. The cat was a Turkish cat, and duly attached to the creature comforts; when, therefore, as the siege progressed, the grim fiend, Famine, came raging through the town, and he found that the very idea of food was only to be connected with him, when he should himself present that aspect in the eyes of the starving soldiers, he thought that it was high time to preserve to Manouk, by some precautionary measures, so faithful a friend and companion. Such was his plausible reasoning; and, with the air of a martyr, he quitted his master

one

fine night, and descended to the plain-here he was himself againfor of serpents and toads (the eelpies and fricassees of Mahometan cats) there was no lack; and when poor Manouk, fainting and weak, crawled out of the gate of Nauplia, he was met by the hypocritical animal with every demonstration of the profoundest interest, as though he had been throughout exclusively occupied in bewailing his master's hunger-wrought sufferings, and lamenting that circumstances prevented him making a holocaust of himself, by coming forward as an aliment for that painful craving. short, the cat had accomplished a manoeuvre in which many persons in modern society also display very great skill-he had taken the most scrupulous care of himself, and of his minutest comforts, and had, at the same time, established a claim to all the praise due to

In

a remarkably affectionate disposition, and singular constancy of friendship.

Manouk, however, trustingly took the attachment of his cat exactly as that animal himself represented it for he was one of those persons who may truly, and in the fullest scope of the word, be termed "believers" than which there is no character more happy in this world. For they may live their life long, believing that the greatest rogues are honest men-the coldest hearts most true, only reserved-the sweetest smiles wholly unconnected with bitter feelings-and, as a last delusion, may die with the conviction that they will be remembered after their coffin is closed; for still they are dupes from their cradle to their grave-they have not, in their dread of being deceived, opened up the black recesses of men's hearts, to view all the deformity thereof.

Manouk's gratitude to his preservers was boundless, a favourable trait in his character, which we fear must be attributed to his own good disposition only, for it certainly is not to be classed amongst the virtues of his country

men.

He was therefore delighted to have an opportunity of serving any of them, and gladly promised to assist Lester, to the utmost of his power, in his search for the young Greek, Cyllene. He informed the Englishman that he was well-acquainted with the habitual dwelling of Kosreff Pasha, which was a beautiful villa on the plain at the extremity of the Vale of St. Anne, not more than a day's journey from Smyrna; and he told him, at the same time, that the success of his strange undertaking would be infinitely more likely, if Cyllene were not a part of the harem, but in a much happier position as a slave of slaves, being appointed to attend on the subordinates of the household. These ignominious offices were almost always imposed on the Greek captives, and he therefore thought it highly probable that this had been her fate.

Manouk, Turk though he was, proved a more agreeable companion to the fastidious Englishman than any other on board he had little sympathy with the young Frenchman, to whom life was one long "plaisanterie," or with the Swiss, for whom it was one long poem-and still less on any point with Vasili, the

Olympian, under whose orders they were enrolled.

This man was as valiant a soldier, and as fervent an adherent as ever Greece possessed; but his courage and constancy-his toil-his sufferings his self-denial-his devotedness, even to the death-his final martyrdom, noble and honorable deeds, as they seemed in the sight of men, were but so many vile and worthless actions, and that because the source from which they sprung was impure, and the ruling motive was corrupt. In a word, Vasili was an ambitious man, and there is not a more perfect embodiment of profound inherent selfishness than this ambition-this placing of self on a pedestal, and toiling day and night in the sweat of the brow, to weave glorious robes for the idol, that men may bow down and worship it! There may be on earth a noble ambition-if it be-so to pass through life, thoughtful and tender, that never, by thought, or deed, or

look of ours, we cause one tear to fall, or one pang to be felt-so to guard the imprudent lips, that never from them shall pass a breath to sully the fair name of another-so completely to deliver up the heart, with all its passion and feeling, its yearnings, and its hopes, to the one great task of doing good to suffering humanity, that its own sorrows and desolation are unremembered, and well-nigh unfelt. This is a noble ambition; but that which inspired Vasili the Olympian was the unholy craving for the applause of beings frail and sinful as himselffor his own aggrandisement-for an earthly glory flung round his obscure name; and for this he shed torrents of human blood; for this he sacrificed life, and peace, and joy; for this he hurried on in a dread career, where no crime could arrest him, no affection deter; for this he wrestled with a dauntless bravery of which men yet speak, and not for his country's freedom!

CHAPTER III. THE ENGLISHMAN'S JOURNEY TO THE ASIATIC MOUNTAINS.

THE first act of the Philellenists, on arriving at that most picturesque of oriental towns, the gay, fantastic Smyrna, was to proceed to the village of Sedequi, situated some ten miles from the city, where, for the present, the family of the dumb Rayah Petros G had found a home in their exile. And it is so beautiful a spot, this fair Asiatic village embedded among luxuriant gardens, whose verdure is fresh, as though no burning sky shed floods of radiance on them; it is so lovely and so tranquil a spot, that the Philellenists could almost have believed, as they approached it, that the exiles there had found a deeper happiness than any they had lost; for there are many places on this fair world, of which we might make very Edens, could we leave behind us, as we enter them, the ever-burning thoughts, and wishes, and hopes, which form our inner life. But who shall accomplish this?-not the three sons of the noble Rayah G. Amid these fragrant gardens, and melodious fountains, and green, impenetrable groves, their hearts were on the dreadful battle-field-their ears were filled, when most the nightingales sung sweetly, with the thun

ders of the deadly strife-their eyes were dim to the pure rays of the setting sun, with the smoke of new-shed blood; never, night or day, did the image of their beloved Greece, struggling and bleeding, pass from their souls; and there was no torture which any of her sons had borne for her like to their inaction. They stood side by side, on their father's right hand, as the Philellenists entered his hall-all brave and gallant-looking men, yet strangely unlike.

Demetrius, the oldest, who had been reigning prince of Moldavia, and for whose sake the whole family had been spared in the late massacre, with his clear, steady gaze, and haughty smile, and pale forehead marked with the deep lines which anxious thought had planted there; Scarlato, the second, with his noble, expressive countenance, and flashing eye full of enthusiasm and ardour; and Floros, the youngest of all, whose face was but a beautiful reflection of that of his mother, and who, with his gentle as pect and soft blue eyes, seemed to give little evidence of that devoted endurance, and unshrinking bravery, for which he was afterwards renowned as

a martyr to his country. Behind these sat the princess, their mother, whose youthful beauty, remembered even at that day among the dwellers in the Phanar, these stately young men had inherited. Her face was still very fair, even in her old age; her large eyes were blue and soft, like those of her youngest born; and her whole appearance denoted much womanly gentleness and reserve; yet, like him again, in the hour of need she could find a strength of will, and a noble firmness which many a proud man might have envied.

The last of the group was Petros G- himself: he sat there, that aged man, in stern submission to his doom of eternal silence, wan and feeble-looking, with strong furrows gathered round his never-opening lips, and a keen, deep-set eye, intensely bright, which is the distinct token of most violent passions. There is something almost awful and mysterious in the aspect of a dumb person: we do not feel as if they could not speak, but rather as though they held, locked within, some appalling secret, which a dread command had compelled them never to reveal-especially if they can hear their's seems to be so meaning a voicelessness. And in Petros Gthis singular appearance was particularly to be observed; for his high, protruding forehead seemed absolutely laden with thought, and every line of his rigid, strongly-marked countenance gave evidence of a whole internal world of troubled and tempestuous passions; and who, indeed, could tell, since the hour when the noble-born Greek had been mutilated by the hand of the Turkish executioner, what depths of intense and concentrated hatred had been accumulated within that eversilent breast-a hatred never expressed, never revealed-never relieved by sympathy-having an unheard voice with which it spoke, night and day, to the dumb man-finding nourishment in its own essence, day by day, till each year, as it went by, added its bitterness to that which was to come-gathering, deepening there, till at length it was as though he had set that fierce and evil passion within his breast, as in a shrine, with the desire of revenge ever burning before it, like the lamp before a holy image!

But there he now sat, sullen and

motionless, fixing his intense gaze on the Philellenists as they saluted him, and Vasili advancing, addressed himself, as was customary, to the old man alone. He proceeded to inform him of the actual state of Greece, with all the details we have already given; and then, having explained what measures he proposed adopting to ensure them against surprise in their flight from Smyrna, he demanded if the rayah were willing to deliver up his three brave sons to be faithful soldiers and defenders of Greece, even to the death, which was the almost certain doom of all who took upon themselves that office.

As he heard this momentous question, the dumb man started from his seat; in the intense, impassioned excitement of that hour, he forgot the infirmity which had cursed him for so many years. He was evidently struggling for utterance; his chest heaved convulsively-his eye flashed-he smote violently with his clenched hands upon his labouring breast; then, as the torrent of words came rushing to his voiceless lips, he turned round almost wildly, and darted a burning, eloquent glance upon his wife-his forty years' companion, the sharer of every hope and fear-who surely, more than any other, could interpret the volumes written in that one eager look. And she understood that gaze; she bowed her head calmly in answer to it; then she rose, and taking her three sons by the hand, she led them forward, and placed them among the group of Philellenists. "All that we have we devote to our beloved country," she said, "and this is our all! Take these —we give them to you for Greece." With these few simple words, she disengaged her hands from her children's grasp, and retired to her seat, looking up to heaven as she went; but what woman ever offered up a nobler sacrifice on the altar of her heart, than this mother, now virtually childless? And long did the fire of her great tribulation burn there unquenchable, after the offering had been received.

When these preliminaries had been settled, the three young men sat down with the Philellenists to discuss their future plans. Demetrius Gwas celebrated for his eloquence, and he described, with much graphic power, the dreadful scenes which had taken place

in the Greek quarter, when the news of the suspected rebellion amongst the exiles had been spread abroad. Such was the universal excitement in the town, that the imauns, whose sacred calling imposed upon them the most pacific dispositions, actually armed themselves, and forming into a procession, marched through the streets, calling on all to exterminate the Ghiaour population altogether, a sight never seen before in Smyrna. The family of G, besides their privileges, of which we have already spoken, were known by means of those secret agents which are so profusely scattered through every corner of the Turkish empire, not to have been implicated in the supposed conspiracy, and therefore, when the slaughter was over, they continued to enjoy the favour of the Pasha of Smyrna, which had always been extended to them in a peculiarly gracious manner. But Demetrius, who well knew how politic was this show of protection, enlarged much on the treachery which he believed to be lurking beneath it; he declared that it would be absolutely necessary that they should allay the suspicions which, he doubted not, the pashia had already conceived, from the arrival of the Philellenists amongst them, by delaying their departure for a few days, and continuing to show themselves ready to join in any of the festivities at his palace, to which he was in the habit of constantly inviting them. This was agreed to; and Demetrius further proposed, that his new friends should return to the town of Smyrna, and there conceal themselves, as best they might, from the searching eyes of the pasha's secret spies, till such time as he deemed it prudent for himself and his brothers to join them.

No one was more satisfied with these arrangements than Lester the Englishman, as the delay thus obtained would enable him to prosecute his search for the young slave, without loss of time. Having consulted with his zealous friend, Manouk, on the course it was most fitting they should pursue, it was decided that they should proceed together on horseback to the village nearest to the villa of Kosreff Pasha. Here Lester was to remain, whilst Manouk promised to go himself to the palace, where he positively undertook to ascertain whether Cyllene the Greek

How

were amongst its inhabitants. he was to accomplish this Lester could not conceive; for slight as was his knowledge of the east and its customs (an ignorance which he shared with most of his countrymen), he did not at least require to be told that it is no easy matter to gain an entrance into a Turkish harem. Manouk seemed, however, very confident of success, and they set out together the morning after their arrival in Smyrna.

Their path lay through the beautiful valley of St. Anne, so little known, and yet so magnificent in its ever-varying scenery, where the luxuriance of the vegetation cannot even be imagined, unless actually beheld; and having traversed it in its full extent, they reached, late in the evening, a small village which lay on the verge of a vast and desert plain. The palace of Kosreff Pasha, Manouk declared to be situated at the foot of a lofty mountain, which rose on the opposite side of this extensive waste. Thither Manouk proposed to hasten as soon as it was day, and Lester was obliged, much against his will, to accede to the prudent arrangement of his Turkish friend, that they should remain entirely within doors as long as it was dark, in order to avoid the very considerable danger they would have incurred had they ventured out, from the troops of panthers and hyænas who were wont to roam over that plain by night, and who, so far from being scared from the haunts of man, appear to find a singular attraction in any human habitation. This little village especially was greatly infested with those beasts of prey; it lay nearly at equal distances from the sites of the three Christian churches-Sardis, Ephesus, and Smyrna-and nothing but this barren and arid desert was to be seen around it for many miles.

With the first dawn of light, next day, Lester was pacing the terrace where he had slept, with the greatest impatience, wondering much at the non-appearance of Manouk, whom he had sought everywhere, without success. Suddenly, as he turned round in his limited walk, he perceived, standing motionless, within a few paces of him, a poor, miserable-looking negro, who was clad in the dress generally used by those wandering Numidians, who are to be met with in all parts of the

east, roaming over the country as musicians, or venders of charms and various specifics. This man was evidently a slave, however, for he prostrated himself several times before Lester, in the painfully abject manner with which it is required that these captive human beings should debasenot themselves, but the masters who ask such a servile show of honour from them.

He rose at once at Lester's bidding, who spoke to him in the usual pantomime, and the Englishman then made signs that he wished to know what motive had brought him into his presence. The negro answered by untwisting the long scarf which bound his turban, and displaying, to Lester's horror, a number of snakes which were coiled within it, and who proceeded to wreathe themselves round his neck and arms. He explained, by a few expressive gestures, that he was a serpenttamer, and offered to display his powers at once, if he wished it; but Lester had, like many other persons, a peculiar dislike to this revolting and curious spectacle. He therefore preferred giving a few paras to the black, and was about to dismiss him, when he was suddenly attracted by the gleaming of a pair of fiery eyes from the folds of the negro's sleeve, with the peculiarities of whose feline expression he felt himself to be well acquainted.

With an exclamation of surprise, he seized hold of the animal to whom the eyes belonged, which proved to be no other than the remarkable cat already brought duly into notice; and at the same time the distorted features of the negro relapsed into their natural form, and expanded into a merry smile, the utmost expression of amazement which the most mirthfully-disposed Turk ever permits himself, while Manouk acknowledged that it was he himself who had taken this disguise, in order to effect an entrance into the harem of Kosreff Pasha. Lester highly applauded the idea, as he was aware that these musicians and jugglers are often admitted into the seraglios, for the amusement of the ladies, who sit watching their representations closely veiled, and he certainly had now good reason to feel sure that Manouk would play his part to perfection.

The cat alone, who held on most
VOL. XXXII.-NO. CXCI.

matters a very different opinion from his two companions, seemed much dissatisfied with the arrangements. He had been invaluable to Manouk that morning in assisting him to catch the snakes, and in awing them into submission while their fangs were extracted; and this he had done, still in conformity to the character of which we have said that such admirable types are to be found amongst ourselves, apparently from a devoted desire to render himself useful, but in reality in the confident expectation that the serpents would be cooked into an agreeable paté for himself by his gratified master, whose attachment was so justly his due. His rage may therefore be imagined when he found that the reptiles he had so greatly heated himself in chasing were destined to be a bait to the pasha, rather as a dainty for himself. But Manouk had no time to heed the ireful curve of his favourite's back, and in a few minutes more they were speeding together over the plain, mounted on Lester's horse, in the direction of Kosreff's summer palace.

To the Englishman the long day passed drearily and heavily, during Manouk's absence. It is said that men under the pressure of some great sorrow are naturally led to seek for solitude; but they are unwise to do so, except they retire from all outward sights and sounds, in order to probe, even to the depths, their own ungrateful and unsubmissive soul, and trace out in every event of their lives the workings of an overruling goodness that is moulding them by trial for a most glorious fate, till they have learned to welcome the misfortune as a great gift, and their hidden, incurable grief, as an attendant angel, fighting with the demon, sin, in their hearts; but if the mourners seek a desert in any other spirit but this, they will find that in the silence and the loneliness their sorrow will multiply into a thousand desolating shapes, which will so crowd on them, and oppress them, and hunt them down in their agony, that they will be fain to return to the distracting noise and confusion of the busy world.

It was thus that Lester, whose mind was yet most undisciplined, seemed to be tormented with the gloomiest thoughts throughout that

2N

« PreviousContinue »